The Daniel House Diaries

My fellow English Majors,

For those of you who have been living with your heads in the sand completely oblivious to the English Major society around you, there are seven of Samford’s English Majors taking up residence this spring at the Daniel House in Kensington, London. If there are any of you out there who have not considered coming to this beautiful country for at least a Jan Term, I will now endeavor to attain your consideration.

We are having a lovely time here in London. Every Monday we have afternoon tea with the Bronte sisters and Miss Jane Austen. Sometimes, when it fits her fancy, the Queen stops by to chat, and I can promise you that I’ve never had such pleasant company.

Well, I could say that, except that on Wednesdays we visit the theatres, and there, we spend time with all sorts of colorful characters including Bill Shakespeare (he prefers to be called Bill) and J.M. Barrie. Just to be honest, with all the pranks that these two pull I am shocked that they get through any shows here at the London theatres. The way they pick on Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe (the “nerds” of the theatre) is truly immature, but I find it humorous.

Tuesdays and Thursdays my fellow students and I meet in the libraries (and occasionally the church abbeys) for poetry meetings. Among the readers there I have heard Geoffrey Chaucer, Rudyard Kipling, T.S. Elliot, and Robert Browning. I have seen Byron hanging around before, but he is always too sulky to actually participate.

Perhaps the best part about going to school here in London is that Fridays through Sundays are free. That’s right, three day weekends every weekend! Most students take advantage of this extra time by travelling. A few of the students that I know will be spending their weekend roaming around the countryside with Mr. William Wordsworth. I believe they will be stopping at Tintern Abbey somewhere along the way, as Mr. Wordsworth said he had a poem he wanted to show them. As for me, I will be going on a trip along the coast with my new friend, Robert (Louis Stevenson). He claims to know of this amazing little café known as the Admiral Benbow.

So, there you have it people! Now come to London!!

Okay…so the majority of what I’ve written is completely fabricated, but we really do get three day weekends! EVERY WEEKEND!! And I might not have met all of the famous authors I mentioned above, but I have seen most of their graves! Alright, I realize that there is nothing awesome about bones in the ground, but I have been able to see many of the places in which my favorite stories of all time were first imagined. And, if you really want to meet a famous author, J.K. Rowling lives fifteen minutes away from the Daniel House according to our next door neighbor, Rodger (not to be confused with the Mr. Rodgers we all remember from our childhoods, but he did read part of The Chronicles of Narnia with us one night).

In all seriousness, life here at the Daniel House is amazing, and I have already learned so much just by being here in London. Anyone who has ever been interested in travel, this is your chance! Come to London!

Your fellow student,
Kayla Elise