For those of you not familiar with The Buried Life, it is one of the few shows MTV has ever broadcast that has encouraged young adults to do something with their lives other then drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol and have lots of random sex. So kudos to you MTV.
The show follows four friends who are determined to check items off of their sometimes inspiring, sometimes ridiculous but always entertaining list of things they want to accomplish before they die. And for every one thing that they are able to accomplish they help a random stranger achieve a dream of their own by asking the question, "What do you want to do before you die?" It's a great concept, and one that caught attention rather quickly. Like The Bucket List before it, it inspired people to create a list of their own, to ask themselves what they wanted most out of life, and to what lengths they would be willing to go to achieve those goals.
And I was one of those people.
I'd thought about starting a list many times, but every time I sat down to write it the things I wanted to do sounded so ridiculous and out of reach that I would invariably end up throwing my pen across the room and tearing the paper to shreds. Which may be a bit of an exaggeration but the end of the story is exactly the same no matter the embellishments: I started off with a list and ended up with nothing.
Until one day I really pushed myself to finish it. After all it wasn't as if this was some sort of binding contract, like if I didn't complete everything I would be reprimanded or punished. I decided to look at it as a list of opportunities, a list of promises to myself: if I were ever to be in a situation that afforded the completion of any one of the items I was going to throw myself at the opportunity, and if I go through my whole life and am never able to go zorbing, spend a night in the Disney Dreams Suite, or win a Pulitzer Prize then so be it. At least I was shooting for the stars.
But really? Look at this view. And how awesome would it be to say you spent the night over the Pirates of the Caribbean?
I've carried this list with me and have kept it in a journal for quite some time but it wasn't until I pulled it out after my trip to London that I realized how many things I've accomplished on the list in the last year alone. Things that once seemed so impossible that I can now look down at and say, "What do you know? I've actually done that." Which truly is what this whole year has been about. I decided to become an Au Pair because I wanted to see the world. I'd dreamed of it for so long and then suddenly here this opportunity was, staring me right in the face, and I knew that I would be a fool not to reach out and grab hold of it. So this blog post is dedicated to The Buried Life, for inspiring me, to my own personal bucket list, for showing me that even the craziest of dreams can come true, and to Audrey Hepburn.
"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible!"
And now................
LONDON :)
I was tempted to add two smiley faces: that's how excited I was about this trip. When I first looked into becoming an Au Pair in Europe England was the country I'd set my sights on. I think I was ten years old when I read some sort of biography on a young Elizabeth I and from that moment I was a lost cause. I read everything relating to the Tudor reign and British history that I could get my hands on. I looked up monuments and famous palaces, dreaming of the day when I would be able to see them in person. I was a woman obsessed.
Imagine my disappointment when I realized that, as an American, I wasn't allowed to Au Pair in the United Kingdom.
Rude.
It's because we threw their tea into the Boston Harbor. I know it.
It wasn't long though until I'd settled on Germany and while I'm very happy to be in Munich I knew that, at some point during my year abroad, I was going to have to make a little call on London.
Now there was a very good chance that this trip was going to fall flat on its dignified and expectant face: my expectations were incredibly high, but when Tiffany and I were at the gate waiting for our plane to board I happened to see this:
And this, my friends, is what I like to call a sign.
I just knew that any trip that started with me stumbling across such a tiny jar of Nutella was destined for greatness. Coincidence?
I think not.
London was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Which isn't to say that it was perfect or someplace that I would want to live for the rest of my life, but it was such an enchanting combination of history, pomp and circumstance, and vibrancy that my old Yankee heart just about melted. My trip was truly a dream come to life, and something I'll never forget.
Our plane flew into Heathrow in the evening and by the time we made it all the way into the city we'd decided that the best thing would be to find our hostel and then call it a night. Sounds pretty simple.
Maybe it would have been too if it hadn't been dark, and windy, and cold when we stepped out of the underground station at our stop. And London, like Germany, seems determined to confuse everybody by not using clear street signs, or in some cases any street signs at all. Needless to say we were dragging our suitcases around for quite some time before we thankfully ended up on the right street, but when we stopped in front of our hostel I didn't even mind because it looked like this:
Which for someone who, as previously discussed, has a penchant for old buildings, was quite a treat.
The building was marvelously ancient and the hostel did an excellent and tasteful job renovating it. The beauty of my surroundings helped me move past the difficult logistics that inevitably accompany sleeping in a room with twenty-seven strangers, and despite some hilarious bathroom stories, I walked away without a scratch. NO BED BUGS :)
Our first day out we decided to do one of the Sandman's Free walking tours, which are a great way to associate yourself with any city. Our guide took us through most of the major landmarks...
Hello Big Ben :)
...and ended the tour in a really cool pub right down the street from Westminster Abbey. Where I had a genuine British pie! We also purchased tickets for the Jack the Ripper night tour and the London pub crawl through the same company, both of which turned out to be a lot of fun. As much fun as a Jack the Ripper tour can be anyway: we had a really great tour guide. That being said I still wasn't hungry for dinner after that particular walk.
After our tour we decided to walk down the river Thames from Parliament and the London Eye to the Tower Bridge. It took a little over an hour but, as you can see from the photo, we had extraordinary weather. Almost the entire time we were in London we were graced with blue skies and sunshine during the day, but once the sun went down all bets were off. I completely understand now how Mary Poppins traveled all around England with an umbrella.
That wind is no joke.
The Tower of London!
We ended the night with a trip to Westminster Abbey to hear an organ recital and to attend a small Sunday service, which is the absolute way to go when it comes to seeing the famous cathedrals in London.
Entrance fee into Westminster Abbey during visiting hours? Eighteen pounds.
Entrance fee into Westminster Abbey during religious services? ZERO pounds.
Eighteen pounds is the equivalent of twenty-seven dollars!
Granted, in Westminster Abbey we weren't allowed to walk around and look at any of the monuments, but I was able to sit right next to the alter in the nave of the abbey, exactly where the Queen and Prince Philip sat during the Royal Wedding. You can't get much closer then that.
Truly though the place that really took my breathe away was St. Paul's Cathedral.
Tiffany and I decided early on to take one day to ourselves. We would explore the city on our own and then meet up for dinner later in the evening. This is the day that I visited St. Paul's Cathedral. After spending a considerable amount of time in Kensington Gardens with the Peter Pan Statue and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and after taking a tour of Kensington Palace, I decided that I wanted to visit the cathedral.
Why?
Because when I was a little girl I was in love with this song.
I wanted to visit the cathedral and sit on those famous steps and think about why that song was Walt Disney's favorite. Because after all it's about more then the birds.
And when I first arrived there I did just that.
I then went inside the cathedral and into the small chapel situated next to the entrance, which was the only place I could access without paying the entrance fee. I sat there for awhile and watched as people came into the small room to light candles and to pray, and eventually lit a candle of my own for a man who sat next to me in the pews for some time. When he first sat down I didn't pay him much notice. He wore a pin-striped business suit and carried a black briefcase. He was balding slightly but was in fairly good shape with small silver glasses perched upon his nose. Completely ordinary. It wasn't until he was sitting next to me for several minutes that I realized he had tears streaming down his face and that his nose was red. The entire time he sat next to me I wished I could reach out and take his hand, but of course I didn't. I was a stranger and I was afraid that if I acknowledged his pain I would upset him more. Despite this a part of me still feels I should have. After some time he wiped his eyes and stood up to leave, presumably to return to his office from his lunch break, and if I hadn't been inches from him the entire time he cried I never would have been able to guess. I lit a candle for him because I didn't know how else I could help him and because it was hard to be so harshly reminded that it's impossible to know of the pain the strangers around me carry with them. I hope that whoever he sat next to on the train or passed him on the way into the office offered him a smile. And I hope I never forget to remember that everyone has a story.
That evening St. Paul's was offering an Evesong service, which is really just the cathedral's choir singing a selection of hymnals. By the time I left the chapel I still had to wait a couple of hours before this began so I decided to treat myself to a full, British afternoon tea sitting. I went to the restaurant attached to the cathedral and ordered a High tea, complete with scones, finger sandwiches, and petite fours, and it was delicious. I felt a little odd because the restaurant was almost entirely empty, and for a large portion of the time it was just the wait staff and myself, but in a way it was refreshing to be left alone with my thoughts.
This is of course, not my picture. By this point my camera had died because I was the genius who forgot to bring her camera charger. And then proceeded to take an obscene amount of pictures at the Harry Potter studio tour three days into my trip; half of which didn't turn out that great anyway. It is, however, a picture of the High tea at the restaurant I was at, and what I enjoyed that afternoon.
Going back for the Evesong that night was truly one of the highlights of my time in London. For several reasons. The first being that the staff were much more relaxed then those working at Westminster Abbey. The service didn't start until six o'clock but at five-thirty they shut down their ticket booths and just allowed the people who had come for the Evesong to explore the cathedral. At the abbey it was straight to your seats, don't pass go and forget about the two hundred dollars. Seriously, they meant business.
The second reason was that the cathedral absolutely took my breath away, and this is coming from someone who has been in a whole lot of beautiful, historic churches within the last six months. Standing underneath that dome was an
incredible and defining experience. You aren't allowed to take pictures
inside any of the churches, but even if they had allowed it I wouldn't
have been able to do it justice.
Lastly the priest allowed a small number of people to sit in the choir pews, right up near the altar, and I was lucky enough to obtain one of those seats. For one half hour I was surrounded by beautiful music and incredible architecture and art.
It took my breath away in the most surreal way.
After the service was over I walked around the cathedral for a bit longer, trying to soak as much of it in as I possibly could, before hopping back on a train to meet Tiffany.
Number of things that I managed to accomplish on my bucket list in one day: 3.
Pretty impressive.
Sarah's Top Ten Favorite Experiences in London (in no particular order):
1. Seeing the Peter Pan Statue.
2. Walking through the Tower of London and standing on the Tower Green. (Hello! Anne Boleyn obsession.)
3. Finally attending a live performance of Wicked. It only took about five years.
4. Having tea underneath St. Paul's Cathedral.
5. Exploring St. Paul's Cathedral.
6. Going on a pub crawl. (Which was incredibly fun for many reasons. One of them being that my friend Tiffany is a rock star.)
7. Listening to the famous dongs of Big Ben.
8. Watching the Queen's guards march around every five minutes or so in their massive, boat-like shoes. Most boring and tedious job ever; it's no wonder they never smile. Still very entertaining for the casual observer.
9. Strolling through a produce/flea market sipping on a cup of tea.
10. Platform nine and three quarters. Enough said.
Which very conveniently brings me to my next topic: THE HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR. It's not included in my top 10 list because, technically speaking, we had to travel outside of London to get there. On a really cool themed bus with stills from the films plastered all over it.
So deliciously touristy.
How could anyone not be jealous of this ride??
And despite the fact that I foolishly sent my camera to an early death (temporarily of course) by acting like a woman possessed, it was totally worth it.
Because this, my friends, is Harry's genuine cupboard underneath the stairs.
This is the actual Invisibility Cloaked used in the movies, worn by Daniel Radcliffe.
Because butterbeer is delicious.
Lastly the priest allowed a small number of people to sit in the choir pews, right up near the altar, and I was lucky enough to obtain one of those seats. For one half hour I was surrounded by beautiful music and incredible architecture and art.
After the service was over I walked around the cathedral for a bit longer, trying to soak as much of it in as I possibly could, before hopping back on a train to meet Tiffany.
Number of things that I managed to accomplish on my bucket list in one day: 3.
Pretty impressive.
Sarah's Top Ten Favorite Experiences in London (in no particular order):
1. Seeing the Peter Pan Statue.
2. Walking through the Tower of London and standing on the Tower Green. (Hello! Anne Boleyn obsession.)
3. Finally attending a live performance of Wicked. It only took about five years.
4. Having tea underneath St. Paul's Cathedral.
5. Exploring St. Paul's Cathedral.
6. Going on a pub crawl. (Which was incredibly fun for many reasons. One of them being that my friend Tiffany is a rock star.)
7. Listening to the famous dongs of Big Ben.
8. Watching the Queen's guards march around every five minutes or so in their massive, boat-like shoes. Most boring and tedious job ever; it's no wonder they never smile. Still very entertaining for the casual observer.
9. Strolling through a produce/flea market sipping on a cup of tea.
10. Platform nine and three quarters. Enough said.
Which very conveniently brings me to my next topic: THE HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR. It's not included in my top 10 list because, technically speaking, we had to travel outside of London to get there. On a really cool themed bus with stills from the films plastered all over it.
So deliciously touristy.
And despite the fact that I foolishly sent my camera to an early death (temporarily of course) by acting like a woman possessed, it was totally worth it.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
And because of Dobby!
It is absolutely incredible how much detail and work went into the making of those movies. The tour is not guided; you can spend hours poking around the actual sets used in the films and looking at all of the props and costumes. Most of the staff who are positioned around the building to answer questions were themselves extras in the films, and if you think you know all things Harry Potter watch out: they can give you a serious run for your galleons. Walking down the real Diagon Alley?? So cool.
Spending twenty minutes picking out the perfect wand?
Also cool: I'm not ashamed to admit it.
It's currently sitting above my dresser, reminding me of all things magical and awesome.
The only other time we left the city of London was to explore Bristol and to visit the home built by my great grandfather in the late 1600's. So of course Sir Robert Cann is a bit greater then my great grandfather, but it's sufficient to say that without him there would be no me. Perish the thought.
But in all seriousness, I was incredibly excited to visit Stoke House. It's something I've wanted to do and see for a very long time and when I contacted the theological college that now resides in the building they were more then happy to show me around the grounds, and were incredibly accommodating and informative.
The insignia over the door with the Cann family crest.
And this, my friends, is a wooden carving of Sir Robert Cann himself. See the family resemblance??
It was really nice to be able to get out of London for a bit and see more of England than just its most famous city. The train ride to Bristol was beautiful. I would love to spend more time exploring the countryside and smaller towns.
And so that, in a nutshell, was my trip to England.
Now because I am so horrible about updating this blog regularly I never wrote a single word about my experience at an FC Bayern football match.
For shame.
It was so incredibly fun and I was very fortunate to be able to go. The atmosphere was INSANE. I thought it could get pretty crazy in the bleachers at a Giants game but this was something else entirely. I went with my host mom and Mats and our seats were seven rows up from the field, right down the center of the pitch.
I could hear and see everything.
Europe, and especially Germany, loves their football, and the longer I'm here the easier it is for me to understand why.
It is absolutely incredible how much detail and work went into the making of those movies. The tour is not guided; you can spend hours poking around the actual sets used in the films and looking at all of the props and costumes. Most of the staff who are positioned around the building to answer questions were themselves extras in the films, and if you think you know all things Harry Potter watch out: they can give you a serious run for your galleons. Walking down the real Diagon Alley?? So cool.
Spending twenty minutes picking out the perfect wand?
Also cool: I'm not ashamed to admit it.
It's currently sitting above my dresser, reminding me of all things magical and awesome.
The only other time we left the city of London was to explore Bristol and to visit the home built by my great grandfather in the late 1600's. So of course Sir Robert Cann is a bit greater then my great grandfather, but it's sufficient to say that without him there would be no me. Perish the thought.
But in all seriousness, I was incredibly excited to visit Stoke House. It's something I've wanted to do and see for a very long time and when I contacted the theological college that now resides in the building they were more then happy to show me around the grounds, and were incredibly accommodating and informative.
Not to shabby Grandpa Cann.
The ladies working in the office jokingly asked me if I was there to re-stake my birthright and take over the home. I told them that that was, of course, the general plan. A girl can dream.
It was extraordinary to see though. I could just imagine my ancestors running up and down the staircase and strolling around the grounds of the estate. And it's supposedly haunted!! No house that old would be credible without it's very own resident ghost.
The staircase in the house is the original and almost three hundred and fifty years old!
It was really nice to be able to get out of London for a bit and see more of England than just its most famous city. The train ride to Bristol was beautiful. I would love to spend more time exploring the countryside and smaller towns.
And so that, in a nutshell, was my trip to England.
Now because I am so horrible about updating this blog regularly I never wrote a single word about my experience at an FC Bayern football match.
For shame.
It was so incredibly fun and I was very fortunate to be able to go. The atmosphere was INSANE. I thought it could get pretty crazy in the bleachers at a Giants game but this was something else entirely. I went with my host mom and Mats and our seats were seven rows up from the field, right down the center of the pitch.
Europe, and especially Germany, loves their football, and the longer I'm here the easier it is for me to understand why.
Reason #185 that I'm excited for it to be summer: watching football matches in the bier gardens surrounded by people whose enthusiasm for their team is INSANE. They were honestly on their feet the entire game, chanting and jumping up and down and waving those massive flags.
And because I didn't want to feel incredibly out of place surrounded by a sea of red I bought an FC Bayern scarf to wear to the game. Pretty awesome souvenir.
And now some tiny observations.
1.
A happy Au Pair is a happy host family. I've been fortunate enough to
have been blessed with an incredible host family but for any potential
Au Pairs reading this blog, the most important thing is that you feel
comfortable and safe in your environment. It takes a lot of courage to
stand up for yourself but sometimes it has to be done. A good host
family will realize that it's in their best interests to be fair and
understanding. To the girls I've known who've had the courage to
extricate themselves from some rather unpleasant situations: I applaud
you.
2. Bus drivers who
wait until the two small boys I have with me are seated before they
pull away from the stop deserve a reward for thoughtfulness.
3.
No matter what people say about the German demeanor, which I will admit
does sometimes live up to the stereotype, it's not always true.
Furthermore, no where else but Germany have I had so many people stop me to place the five cents that I'd unknowingly dropped on the ground in my hand. And if
you leave your scarf on the train? Chances are whoever was sitting next
to you is going to jump up out of their seat and try to catch you before
you are completely lost. They may look at you with exasperation, but
I've gotten quite used to that look; I'm just happy to still have my
scarf.
And because this blog post is, after all, an ode to The Buried Life, I'm going to share with you my Bucket List, or at least the items that I've been fortunate enough to tick off so far. And I hope it always reminds me to live my life with intention and passion and to take a moment every so often to realize just how fortunate I truly am.
6. Spend an hour sitting by the Peter Pan statue. Take lots of pictures.
7. Drink butterbeer in Harry Potter World.
14. Graduate college.
16. Get white-girl wasted at Oktoberfest.
19. See Ireland. Buy a Claddagh ring.
26. Have a solo in a big concert.
27. Visit the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn.
30. See the fairy-tale castle in Germany. (Which I now know is called Neuschwanstein. And I can pronounce and spell it like a champion :)
34. Have an extensive conversation in a language other than English.
35. Sit down to tea in England. Possibly with the Queen.
36. Jump from a cliff into deep water.
39. Ride a mechanical bull. Stay on for at least five seconds.
42. Travel first-class, at least one time.
51. Drink spiced wine at a Christmas market in Germany.
55. Spend the night underneath the stars during a meteor shower.
58. Go to Europe.
64.Sing the National Anthem in front of a packed stadium.
72. Chase the sunrise: watch it fill the world with light.
83. Spend time on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral.
94. Visit Stoke House in Bristol. Curse your forefathers for moving to America. (Kind of a joke, but it really was a very nice manor.)
Things I have to be excited about:
-Spring and Summer in Deutschland!
-Bier gardens.
-Fruhlingsfest :)
(A.K.A. DIRNDL TIME!!)
-Mallorca, Spain with my host family!
AND....three of the most important people in my life all coming to visit me!!!!
There are not enough exclamation points in the world to emphasize my excitement.
Countdown to Kristin: 13 DAYS!!
Countdown to Theresa: 30 Days!
Countdown to my mama: 52 Days!
How is anyone supposed to not jump for joy with all of that to look forward to?
To Tiffany and Shandi: the time that I've had with you here has been one of the highlights of my life and it's so incredibly special because I've had you as my friends. I already miss you, and Deutschland misses you too! Wish you were still here but I hope it isn't long before I can see you again. The hardest part about this experience is having to walk away from a life that has been so filled with meaning and love.
Hard to believe I've almost been here for eight months. I can't wait to see what the next five months will bring.
XO
Sarah
And because this blog post is, after all, an ode to The Buried Life, I'm going to share with you my Bucket List, or at least the items that I've been fortunate enough to tick off so far. And I hope it always reminds me to live my life with intention and passion and to take a moment every so often to realize just how fortunate I truly am.
7. Drink butterbeer in Harry Potter World.
14. Graduate college.
16. Get white-girl wasted at Oktoberfest.
19. See Ireland. Buy a Claddagh ring.
26. Have a solo in a big concert.
27. Visit the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn.
30. See the fairy-tale castle in Germany. (Which I now know is called Neuschwanstein. And I can pronounce and spell it like a champion :)
34. Have an extensive conversation in a language other than English.
35. Sit down to tea in England. Possibly with the Queen.
36. Jump from a cliff into deep water.
39. Ride a mechanical bull. Stay on for at least five seconds.
42. Travel first-class, at least one time.
51. Drink spiced wine at a Christmas market in Germany.
55. Spend the night underneath the stars during a meteor shower.
58. Go to Europe.
64.Sing the National Anthem in front of a packed stadium.
72. Chase the sunrise: watch it fill the world with light.
83. Spend time on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral.
94. Visit Stoke House in Bristol. Curse your forefathers for moving to America. (Kind of a joke, but it really was a very nice manor.)
Things I have to be excited about:
-Spring and Summer in Deutschland!
-Bier gardens.
-Fruhlingsfest :)
(A.K.A. DIRNDL TIME!!)
-Mallorca, Spain with my host family!
AND....three of the most important people in my life all coming to visit me!!!!
There are not enough exclamation points in the world to emphasize my excitement.
Countdown to Kristin: 13 DAYS!!
Countdown to Theresa: 30 Days!
Countdown to my mama: 52 Days!
How is anyone supposed to not jump for joy with all of that to look forward to?
To Tiffany and Shandi: the time that I've had with you here has been one of the highlights of my life and it's so incredibly special because I've had you as my friends. I already miss you, and Deutschland misses you too! Wish you were still here but I hope it isn't long before I can see you again. The hardest part about this experience is having to walk away from a life that has been so filled with meaning and love.
Hard to believe I've almost been here for eight months. I can't wait to see what the next five months will bring.
XO
Sarah
