Halfway through first term UCL students are given a "reading week." This is a chance for classes to make up any lost lecture hours and for students have a quiet week to delve into reading and research concerning course assessments. Little did I know that this "quiet week" would manifest itself literally in the laryngitis which caused me to lose my voice for the greater part of a week.

The quiet week began with a visit from a few friends (Nate, Katie, and Charlie) studying at Mercyhurst in Dungarven, Ireland. Despite being a mute tour guide for the majority of their stay, we were able to get around quite a few city sites including: British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben and the London Eye, Victoria Embankment, St. Paul's, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Covent Garden, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, Westminister Abbey, Portabello Road...A lovely weekend spent with some lovely people!

Following my weekend visitors was a rescheduled trip to the Museum of East Anglian Life (MEAL) in Suffolk. A museum site incorporating historical and natural life of East Anglian and Gypsy cultures into educational and community outreach. While there our program learned about the Happy Museum Project, which enagages museums in a committment to supporting a community of a high well-being, sustainable society. Check out the website!! (http://www.happymuseumproject.org)

In addition to this scheduled trip to MEAL, the week included a trip to the Imperial War Museum where a "field" of poppies overtook the foyer as an outward sign of Remembrance Day, held on November 1th. A British tradition of Remembrance Day involves two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as that marks the time when the armistice became effective.

After exploring the IWM, the day continued with lunch by the Thames- one friend got a "Christmas" sandwich- turkey and cranberry. While it is still November, the lack of Thanksgiving here makes Christmas come all that much earlier here!

Thats all for now! Warmest wishes!