An American Girl in Britain

There is a new exhibit at Kensington Palace, once home to many royals including Queen Victoria and Princess Diana. The exhibit, entitled Echanted Palace, tells the story of seven princesses that lived there through “fashion, performance, and dreamlike installations”. You can read more about it by using the link below. I hope I get a chance to check it out while I’m there.  (Photo from 2006 visit to Kensington Palace with my sister.)

http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/stories/Palacehighlights/EnchantedPalaceintroduction.aspx

This is a list of books I hope to read before I leave.  Some are required for the classes I am taking.  Others are on the list because they will enrich my experience, whether expanding my knowledge on certain aspects of British history or helping my to decide what sites to visit while in Britain.  I am also studying up on the relationship between Mary Stuart and Elizabeth Tudor, as this is the subject I wish to pursue if I go on to graduate school.  This list is ambitious, so wish me luck!

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots:

• A Question of Guilt, by Julianne Lee
• Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles, by Margaret George
• The True Life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, by John Guy
• Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley, by Alison Weir
• Mary Queen of Scots, by Antonia Fraser
• On the Trail of Mary Queen of Scots, by J. Keith Cheetham
• Queen’s Own Fool, by Jane Yolen & Robert J. Harris

Elizabeth I:

• All the Queen’s Men, by Peter Brimacombe
• Elizabeth and Leicester, by Sarah Gristwood
• Her Majesty’s Spymaster, by Stephen Budiansky
• The Pirate Queen, by Susan Ronald
• God’s Secret Agents, by Alice Hogge

Mary and Elizabeth:

• Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens, by Jane Dunn
• The Other Queen, by Philippa Gregory

Other:

• The Wars of the Roses, by Alison Weir
• London: The Biography, by Peter Ackroyd
• Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes
• Knickers in a Twist, by Jonathan Bernstein
• The Anglo Files, by Sarah Lyall
• Anglomania, by Ian Buruma

I just found out that I’ve received a scholarship for my study abroad program!

Only 111 days until I will leave home to live and study in Nottingham, England!

I’m trading my ordinary life in suburbia for a month studying abroad.  I’ll take classes in British history, literature, art and culture, as well as travel around England, Scotland and even a weekend in Paris.  I have this thirty day adventure to decide what’s next for me.  Graduate school?  Living and working in the UK?  Or staying exactly where I am right now?

Check back soon to see what preparatons I’ve made: reading up on British history, planning excursions for my free time, and even my packing- all the nitty gritty.

And so begins my UK Project…

Until Next Time- K