When my sister and I were kids, my grandmother had a foolproof device for getting us to mind our manners. Elbows on the table? Chewing with our mouths open? Slouching in our chairs? “Meghan, Emily, you will never have tea with the Queen if you have your elbows on the table, chew with your mouths open, slouch in your chairs.” To a  little girl obsessed with Disney princesses, that certainly worked.  And so, this blog title is dedicated to that threat. The words that planted in my head the idea that someday I would be having tea with the Queen of England.

Obviously when I take off for London tomorrow it is not to keep a date with the Queen. But I will be headed for her home town and certainly plan on drinking lots of tea while I’m there. I’ll be studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts for just over three and a half months. Monday through Friday, all day, I’ll be taking acting classes, movement classes, voice classes, and everything in between. I’ll be studying Shakespeare and Marlowe, Restoration playwrights, and theatre history.

All that’s left to do is somehow manage to fit all my belongings into ONE suitcase (thank you Delta for charging $100 for a second bag…) and make it to the airport on time tomorrow morning. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m exhilarated, I’m anxious. This promises to be a semester for the books and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity.

So, here goes nothing! 3 1/2 months. 108 days. 155,520 minutes. I plan on making every second count.

Cheers!