The holidays have long since been upon us here in London, but now it has gotten very official. Oxford Street is all lit up, the crowds are worse than ever, and there is quite a nip in the air. One British Christmas tradition that I was previously unaware of is German Christmas Markets. There are a few really cool ones scattered around London, and even my inner Grinch cannot stop me from loving them. They are so fun! I have been to the Cologne one along the bank, and the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. The latter is much bigger, complete with rides and far more stalls, but both were a ton of fun.
The entrance at Hyde Park
The markets are very enthusiastically German, so right by the entrance at Hyde Park is this giant moose head that sings Christmas songs in German. Creepy, no?
There is always lots of German food and sweets, but I stuck with my beloved crepes.
Some friends and I with the Santa statue at the Winter Wonderland
The whole group of us inside a giant snow globe. (you had to pay for the pictures, so we all chipped in and my friend scanned the image. It's not the best quality but its still really cute!)It is crazy to think I am almost halfway done with my year abroad. My goal was to see 10 shows before I went home for the Holidays, and so far I am at 9 (after seeing The Lion King this past week, which was ok). I would love to see Les Miserables or Billy Elliot again but we are going to try to get tickets for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (with James Earl Jones!) if we can.
I will be home from December 19th-January 8th. I cannot wait to go home!!! I have been feeling very homesick lately, and it is hard to be in a foreign country for so long, where you don’t really know anyone. In my organizational psychology class we learned about the stages of Culture Shock (which is actually a very serious phenomenon people go through when they relocate, despite its often trivial use in popular culture), and most people who go abroad experience a very difficult time adjusting, especially if they are planning to stay for an extended period of time (so students who go abroad for a semester have a much easier time adjusting than those going for 2 semesters or more). That is quite comforting, but it still doesn’t make things easier. I miss my family and my friends, and I have never felt so patriotic in my life. Also, I just realized I will be home for the last night of Hannukah, when the menorahs are all fully lit, and its really beautiful. I’m excited!
(extra points to whoever knows where the quote in the title comes from!)
