Going to England this summer...

[Ebony AKA AngieJ]

Hello all--

What fun discussions!  Glad to see others who love Twinkies.  :)

I've posted this to the HP Paradise list, but I know many of us are 
on Web View over there.

It looks like I'll be studying at Oxford this summer--Corpus Christi, 
to be exact.  (Jumping up and down.)  The dates are Jul 1-Aug 11 (my 
24th birthday!).  I'll be studying comparative education and modern 
British fiction.  There are five plays we'll be seeing, and three 
sight-seeing tours to London, Bath, and Stratford-upon-Avon.  Our 
weekends are largely free, though... and the Program Directors are 
also suggesting that we visit several cities, including Edinburgh and 
Dublin, on our own... they've put together optional packages.

Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to this.  This will be my 
first study abroad opportunity--I've had to work every summer since I 
was 13--my parents didn't have the luxury of sending me off to 
research and study, and thought the idea preposterous considering our 
socioeconomic background.  (Shudders, remembering Mom's lectures 
about the Value of Hard Work and Utility.)  So now I'm sending 
myself.  ;-)

I'd love to meet as many of you in person as I can... just make sure 
when you meet my classmates, you tell them that we are part of 
an "online literary discussion group".  I refuse to come out of the 
closet with my Harry Potter obsession... although my involvement in 
HP fandom tipped the balance in England's favor.  (I had to decide 
between England and Spain.)  I'll bring some Michigan/Ontario 
memorabilia for those who I meet if I can get it past customs... I'm 
thinking postcards, souvenir posters or magnets, buttons, etc.

And please, if you've never met an Internet person before, don't let 
that scare you.  The tip is to always bring someone else and meet in 
public places.  I'm not a weirdo... in case you have any doubts, I've 
met listmom Penny and her husband this fall.  She says I'm pretty 
much like she'd imagined from my posts.  So Ebony's not just a 
figment of your imagination.  :0)

So far, Michelle (waves!) and perhaps Simon have said we might be 
able to meet.  Keith says he'll be in New Zealand during that time, 
but I'd love to meet Neil, Heather Edmonds, and other English 
listies.  We can work out the logistics once I get my schedule--it 
just may be easier for me to come to you one weekend, or perhaps we 
can all meet in London if everyone's within a stone's throw.  *That* 
would be fun.  (Can't you tell I have no conception of distances 
within the UK?  I've also recently heard of the rail accident... not 
only I'm very sad about it, AOL's posting of "Recent UK Train 
Disasters" has made me more than a little nervous.)

Also, I'm trying hard to still swing my NY trip next month.  Because 
this has come up, I may have to spend the day/night in New York 
*twice*.  If that's the case, then I'll have to switch my NY visit to 
June 30th and August 12th, etc.

That's it for me!  Please... carry on with the chatter!

--Ebony AKA AngieJ