Murder and movies

Thursday night we went to a cricket match (Middlesex vs Essex). It was an interesting experience. Playing around in the park the other day with wickets and a bat helped out with knowing what was going on. I was surprised that people in my group couldn’t figure out what was happening. Once you know the basic rules of the game, it seems simple enough… Anyhow, if I could get photos to upload, there would be a lovely picture of a bowler chucking the ball. However, you'll just have to imagine it for me. Those guys run at least a few yards (sometimes quite a few) before throwing. I think it’d hurt to get hit directly from a bowl. A cricket ball is somewhat similar in size and hardness to a baseball. I wonder how fast people manage to bowl in cricket…

Friday morning we visited the Tower of London. It’s an interesting sort of place with a lot of history. Lots of people were imprisoned there and got their heads lobbed off at a hill nearby. Thomas Moore and quite a few of Henry VIII’s wives met that fate. Elizabeth I was also imprisoned there by her half sister Mary, but she eventually got out of there alive as history tells us. I got to do a free tour with a yeoman - also known as a beefeater or one of the queen's body guards. It was very useful, informative and entertaining. I left the tower a bit earlier than I wanted to because I was going to go with a group up to Windsor, but we ended up not having enough time and just came home. After that I took one of those naps that were supposed to be about twenty minutes and ended up being a few hours. After dinner, I went to a party that Alvero and Thais were throwing for us (they’re the people that take care of the house and cook food for us). We watched Singing in the Rain, ate popcorn, and even had ice cream with peaches in it. It was fun and a change of pace. I’m afraid tonight won’t be as much fun as I’ll just be doing homework. But, I did go to the matinee for Phantom of the Opera today. This morning we also took a tour of the Houses of Parliament. Both of those activities were amazing. And I should probably get going on those papers I'm supposed to write... It seems like I only have a few days left here. Strange, strange. I wonder how long it'll take to adjust to being back in the states...