i want to be a maid

so today we want to Buckingham Palace today. it was great! i want with the usually friends--M'kynzi, Cathy, Lillie and Kelsey but our friends Rachel and Todd came with us too. I wanted to go early just so we could get out of our flat for the day and so we could stake out a good spot at the palace. We got there via bus...yes a double decker bus. We got there with plenty of time to look around. so we took some pictures and then went across the street to a park and hung out before the changing of the guards. i tried to tell everyone that it gets packed outside for it, but i wasnt quite sure cause i couldnt remember and i didnt want to boss everyone around. but we went over there at about 11 and couldnt find a good spot. we were definitely squished and had to stand on my tippy toes the whole time. but we did get kinda close to the front, it was just hard to see at some parts of the show. it was really cool though to see the guards. as they marched them towards the palace i had a sense of pride for Britain. it was really bizarre. i think just the whole uniforms and music and sense of pride that they have for their own country and for the tradition of the whole thing amazes me. but at the same time of this pride that i was feeling i also had the urge to scream out "the british are coming!" I also just kept picturing the revolution and what the british troops were like back in the 18th century. i have a feeling it hasnt changed much. i was also hoping that the queen would show up and i could see her. when they were setting up for the guards to come i kept thinking that she would show up and i would get a sneak pick at her. i also decided that i really want to move to england and be the maid for the queen. it would be so freaking cool to live in a palace. i would always clean bathrooms if it was in a palace. and then maybe i could work my way up and be like the head maid for the queen and she could depend on me for everything and i could be her most trustworthy servant. and then maybe one of the princes would fall in love me. well, i can dream. after the changing of the guards we want back to our flats for lunch, but instead of taking the tube M'Kynzi, Todd and I decided to walk back and explore London a little better, especially since the weather was great today. We walked back and went through Hyde Park for the first time (which we live right across from) and it is absolutely beautiful. We wish we could spend all of our time there. We have decided that on sundays we are going to have picnics in the park--only if the weather allows it. after lunch M'kynzi, Cathy and I went to the Victoria & Albert Museum to see an exhibit on the Indians (of India) which is on our list of elective sites for our class. we try to go to one everyday. after that we went shopping! high street kensington is considered a really posh area of town and so they have a lot of nice stores. but alas, i didnt buy anything. my stingy-ness is paying off. the problem is i look at a pair of shoes and see the number 15 on it, and think "$15 isnt bad" but then realize i have to double that money, so i dont buy anything. then we came back to the flats and hung out and got ready for dinner and the dance! we want to Nando's for dinner, a portuguese place that was so good! and it was relatively cheap, which is a plus. we were all supper excited for the dance, but it wasnt that great. not too many people there. but it was fun cause there was a lot of girls from the group there. but we found out there is a dance on august 1st which is suppose to be better. Tonight was fun cause we were finally able to see other people from our group, we kinda get stuck in our small groups and never branch out much which is kinda frustrating. but i do love the girls that i hang out with the most. Cathy and M'kynzi are great! we have a lot of fun together.