Helping Everyone In Need...

This morning I got to tag along with a few of my classmates here to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. My classmates are doing a video project on J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan sights in London and had made an appointment to visit the hospital. I found out yesterday that they were going and they graciously asked if I wanted to join. And I absolutely wanted to.

So this morning, Melissa and Brandy and I met up with Christine, who is in charge of all things Peter Pan at GOSH (isn’t that a great acronym??) Christine told us all about how Barrie came about making the decision to donate the rights to Peter Pan to the hospital and she showed us some really cool memorabilia. We also got to flip through first editions of both the novel and the published play of our beloved Peter Pan.

Christine also gave us a tour of the hospital itself, telling us all about the history and great things GOSH is known for. None of us had any idea that GOSH was basically THE children’s hospital. Children from all over Europe come there for treatment and it was even the inspiration for the first children’s hospitals in the US.

We also had no clue how many literary people were associated with GOSH. From Barrie to Dickens to Lewis Carroll. And maybe I should’ve known this, but Princess Diana was the president of the hospital from 1989 till her death in 1997, and had been known to show up randomly after her divorce, with no bodyguards or anything, and just say “I’ve got a few hours, put me to work.”

Needless to say, it was a really great experience. I’m so grateful that I was able to go. I’d looked into visiting because of my love for Peter Pan, but decided against it since you have to make appointments. So I am so thankful to Melissa and Brandy for letting me tag along. Thanks ladies!

Oh! And here’s a picture of the Peter Pan statue that sits just outside the front doors of the hospital. And a close up of Tink putting a thimble on Peter’s finger! I love that.

I shall give you a kiss!

Well, you may be wondering if I, too, had to do a video project and the answer is… Yes, of course! My group got together and brainstormed about a video we could do that helped future FSU abroad students enjoy their experience as much as we have. We wanted to do something that was helpful and also introduced future students to a little taste of London.

And in a world surrounded by tea, we decided to go in search of London’s best cup of… coffee, of course!