This. City. Is. AMAZING!

I have some serious catching up to do!  Well, obviously, I managed to get myself locked in Hyde Park on Sunday night...I will never make that mistake again!  The main highlights of what has happened to me in the past ten days:

Thursday (Sept 16), I explored Camden town - the origin of punk/grunge in the 80s - with a flatmate.  It was very eclectic!  In other words, right up my alley :)  There are shops lining the streets that feature clothes, shoes, tattoos, piercings, you name it.  Then there are the markets down the side streets!  It's pretty much heaven.  We only explored for a couple of hours because we had dinner plans with the rest of our flat at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, literally just around the corner!  Don’t worry about me breaking my no-meat rule as London has this lovely tendency of including a vegetarian section in almost every eating establishment.  It's quite nice. 

                                                                                                                                

Friday (Sept 17) I had tea at The Orangery with some friends.  I really am becoming fond of this English tradition.  Oh!  Juicy little tidbit: The Orangery is situated on Kensington Palace grounds!  Throughout the meal, a side glance through the window displayed spectacular gardens and neat rows of hedges that the royals are so fond of.

Please note the adorable pastries at the top!  Previously, before I wolfed them down as delicately as any ravenous American might, there were four tea sandwiches and a biscuit with clotted cream and jam on the two lower levels.  I could really get used to this way of life.  Afterwards, our group meandered about the park.

Now, Saturday (Sept 18th) was our big day trip to Stonehenge and Bath with FIE.  I'll say this: Stonehenge was a bit of a letdown. It's quite awe-inspiring if contemplate the feat it took to create it utilizing the tools available at the time.  However, the government is quite strict about keeping tourists as far away as humanly possible.  Pagans who practice religious rituals, on the other hand, have no such restraints.  Apparently, one year at the Winter Solstice, they managed to actually paint the ancient stones before the anthropologists regained control. 

I decided to take a funny picture attempting to sneak in, but the guard was not nearly as amused.  He calmed down considerably when he realized I wasn't trying to approach the stones in reality.  I did manage to ruffle his feathers a bit though.  Oh well, American is as American does I suppose. Anyway, here's the picture:







The Roman Baths with a cathedral in the background.



Back on the bus to Bath.  First stop, the ancient Roman baths, which gave the town its name.  There is a natural upwelling of warm water from deep within the Earth that the Romans harnessed to create their baths.  Now, while you're not allowed to go in them, you can still drink the mineral-rich waters at the affordable cost of £5 a teeny glass.  Yes, I've picked up the English taste for wry understatement. 



The Royal Crescent



Onward to the rest of city! We hit up all the historic sites: the Royal Crescent and the Queen's Square where aristocrats used to vacation, the botanic gardens, a walk down the river.  It is a very picturesque town with an extensive history.  I'd love to go back!



We were back in time for a night on the town, but honestly the day had been draining - walking for five straight hours will do that to a person - so I simply stayed in. 

Sunday (Sept 19) was a catch-up day for me.  Laundry, homework, and the like.  Nothing too crazy.  With the exception of being locked in Hyde Park as I've mentioned several times.

Monday (Sept 20) I went to Harrods and Hyde Park and explored a portion of the Tate Modern.  I love that the museums are free in this country.  It's an incentive to go for us poor college students.  Then, Pearl arrived! We had dinner at a pub near her hotel and arranged to meet the next day after my grueling 11 hours of class.

Tuesday (Sept 21) was actually nice because I only had two classes instead of three back-to-back.  The first two I managed but then I had a break until I attended a play for my Environmental Economics class at 7pm.  Thus, I did homework like any good student.  Then, I attended a play called "Earthquakes in London", an experimental, government-funded play.  It was interesting and definitely thought-provoking.  How would you respond to the news that the human race would go extinct in a couple generations?  Would you attempt to never have children?  Would you try to change it?  Would you simply proclaim the news?  Would you bury your head in the sand and drink to forget? The play follows the reactions of people to this news; culminating in, predictably, an earthquake that kills everyone.  Light-hearted stuff, don't you think?

On Wednesday (Sept 22), Pearl and I had lunch, wandered about, and ended up in Camden town.  There, we discovered dresses made of ties, hemp clothing, and some tasty crepes.  Then, I accompanied her to Drury Lane in the West End (London's Broadway) so she could attend Oliver! with her program.  On the way there, we discovered her roommate wasn't coming so I got her ticket!  The show was amazing!  And the set was fantastic!  Almost beyond words. 

Thursday (Sept 23) I began rock-climbing again.  After lunch with Pearl at a Lebanese restaurant, I hurried to a five-hour class on top-roping.  Necessary since I only boulder and thus am not as familiar with the equipment as I should be.  The class was really good and the gym is dazzling in its diversity of routes and different types of climbing.  There's bouldering, top-roping, lead-climbing, both indoor and outdoor.  I met a woman from East London who taught me a bit of Cockney, and a woman going through a bit of midlife crisis - she's also taken up kite-lamboarding (I'm not sure how to spell that), which is essentially skateboarding with a kite. 

Friday (Sept 24) was an errand day.  Grocery shopping, class, homework.  Oh, and I've begun research on a program that would let me intern in London next summer.  It's thrilling to see the opportunities open up in front of you!  Most of my day and night were occupied in that fashion. 

Today (Saturday, Sept 22), after I finish blogging, I'm going to a food exhibition where master chefs test out their creations on the willing public, then I'm going to a rugby match - Harlequins vs Exeter Chiefs.  It's supposed to be really fun! 

Alright, another novel down.  I promise, I'm going to try and write more so I don't end up with marathon posts like this!  Hope all is well on your end :)

Hyde Park Closes??

This is probably one of my more...erm...blonde moments.  I decided last night after chowing down at Gourmet Burger kitchen (no worries, I'm still vegetarian! I had a veggie burger) to walk off the heavy meal in Hyde Park since it was so close.  I wandered around for an hour or so, getting lost once or twice but overall knowing where I was.  Then, when I finally made it back to the front...the gate was chained and locked!!

Did I mention the gate was about 15 feet high with spiked iron tips on the top? Yeah, try to imagine climbing that...Needless to say, I looked for another exit out. After walking for about twenty minutes, I finally got to a lower part of the fence (10 feet) but with brick wall base fro five feet then turning into that scary iron fence. I climbed up the brick wall, scaled the fence and half lowered/half jumped down.  A passing police car flicked his lights at me, but other than that NO ONE REACTED! I had just climbed out of Hyde Park into a very busy street and no one blinked! Got to hand it to the Brits, they have mastered the poker face...

I think there's a crown on my tart...and tray...

I have entered the highest level, ascended to the ninth cloud if you will. The double chocolate tart at Buckingham Palace's Garden Cafe is quite literally to die for. In case anyone was wondering. To back track so everyone understands why I was sitting on the terrace of Buckingham Palace (SO COOL!):


Thursday, September 9, 2010:
War Horse - the West End play I was lucky enough to see for free (go FIE!) - is definitely a departure from the expected.  It had puppets. Horse puppets. To be fair, the puppet technicians did an amazing job. Otherwise, it was...intriguing to say the least. If you're really all that curious, just google the reviews or shoot me an email and I'll go into more detail.
      After that, I went back to the dorms and did homework - shocker, I know, but I do actually have homework that - even more surprising - actually gets done!  Anyway, that was pretty much the end of the night since it ended around 11pm.


Friday, September 10, 2010:
After class, I went to Oxford Circus to have afternoon tea at Sketch. Dodgy name, eh? Well, it was really good! Biscuits with homemade raspberry jam and creamed custard. Delicious!
Here's a picture:

The place was a tad eclectic, but it all contributed to a memorable experience. 
     Once we finished, we wandered around Oxford Circus, darting in and out of shops until around 9pm.  Then our long day finally hit us and we trooped home.


Saturday, September 11, 2010:
Windsor Castle time! Waking up early on a Saturday is never easy, but ten of us did it to go sightseeing. I know, how touristy.  It was worth it.  The castle was HUGE! We spent from 10am to closing time at 4pm there.  It was a gorgeous day to top it off after a cold and blustery start.

See? Am I not right? (That's the front of Windsor Castle in the background...it's teeny tiny because we're not allowed very close.)  Apparently, one of the entrances has to be rebuilt to fit the Queen's Bentleys, which were given to her as a gift by some dignitary (I forget now...) and a fire truck got stuck under one of the arches on the way to put out a fire in 1992.  Random facts in case anyone wants to astound with the trivia they know.  Of course, I got the obligatory guard picture:

The reason I'm so far away is because a Japanese tour group ahead of us wear standing so close the uniformed guides had to SHOUT at them no less than five times.  You could tell the poor guard was incredibly irritated so I was trying to be considerate while still getting my tacky tourist picture.  By the way, you could absolutely distract this guard if you so desired...although I would rate your chances against the guards at Buckingham Palace. Now those guys are masters of the poker face.

    Once we were kicked out for closing time, we wandered over to Eton College...which was closed! One of the girls and I tried to sneak in, only to be yelled at by the porter lurking behind a door.  He called us "cheeky Americans" under his breath as we were walking away...not that I blame him!

Sunday, September 12, 2010:

The Thames River Festival!  It has taken over the South Bank for three days and now I finally had the time to go.  It was wonderful! Five stages, vendor stalls, displays of skill such as taekwondo and fire dancing.  Top it off with fireworks backlighting the London Eye and the City Council Hall for a perfect day.  Some photographic evidence if you care to peruse:



Need I say more? Haha!

Monday, September 13, 2010:

Museum time!  Maggie and I hit the Natural History Museum.  Let's just say: it requires an entire day dedicated to it.  We barely made it through the dinosaurs! 

Land Before Time, anyone? Sarah? Yeahhhh! I'm six at heart :)

Don't they look real?? Some exhibits were so well done, even I had to look twice!

Of course, all that exploring requires a trip to the local pub for some spectacular dinner so Kat, her boyfriend, his two roommates (a South Korean and a German), and I set off for Builder's Arms.  It was quite lovely!



Tuesday, September 14, 2010:

Nothing to report but classes.  And rain.  Blarg.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010:

Now, Buckingham Palace time!! 



Maggie and I toured the State Rooms for a full two and marveled over the art collection the Queen is allowed to have for her private viewing ten months out of the year (it's absurd! Some of that art should be in a museum it's so influential).  No pictures were allowed while inside the Palace, although there were easily an upwards of 2,000 crowns within those nineteen rooms (out of 661). 

     After that, we saw the adorable Garden Cafe and had to stop after seeing a woman chowing down on a chocolate tart. (No, it wasn't me although I did consider it.)

Delicious, no?  Well, there was a crown on both my tart AND my tray...not to mention the foam of my neighbor's latte!  It appears the royals are a bit obsessed with being royal...



       However, while the tart was amazing, it was not enough for lunch so Maggie and I grabbed some sandwiches and sat on a park bench in front of a fountain in St. James's Park.

Odd-looking, eh? It kind of resembles an Infinity Pool...

There was this pigeon with a one-toed foot that would NOT leave me alone! He sat there and cocked his head and refused to budge, even when I kicked in his general direction.  Bloody pigeon! So, I gave him a name: Perseverance.  Fitting, yes?

Please note the one toe on the foot closest to us.  He hasn't gotten on well with humans I take it.



      Then, we wandered down to Parliament, taking in all the typical London-esque sights.  I managed to snap the quintessential tourist picture in front of Big Ben:



Perfect, no?  Now, I'm home, curled up in my bunk, typing like a madwoman.  Now, that this post is quite literally novel, I'll sign off.

Cheers :)

Apparently British IS a Language

Since I know my lovely audience has been sitting on the edge of their seat in an anticipation of my next installment, I'll tell you now: it's only going to be a quick recap since I have four and half days to cover in one post. Are you ready??




Sunday, 09.05.2010

The school provided us with a lovely boat trip down the Thames (pronounced like "Tims"), which was amazing! We sailed past the Tower of London and under the bridge we sang about so much as children! I simply cannot relate how incredible it was to feel the weight of history like that. I guess in certain aspects, it hasn't really hit me that I'm actually living in a foreign city. Odd, no?

Anyway, we landed in Greenwich ("Gren-itch") and proceeded to have quite the time wandering around the gigantic Greenwich Market :) I found a cute change purse - since the coins actually DO matter here - an elegant scarf, and a flex (cool/hott) dress! The change purse is hand-made and HOT pink with metallic swatches of fabric sewn on like bubbles; the scarf is a teal with a sort of paisley pattern in blue, purple, and fuchsia for the last six inches; and the blue dress is one-shouldered with a zipper design across the bodice. Apparently, the fashion students make them and sell them at market.



After Greenwich market, we explored the Queen's Palace (essentially a collection of paintings) and straddled the Prime Meriden!! It was really cool in a geeky way :) Then we headed home for some rest before heading out to Zetland Arm's to finish off our day with the perfect pint.







Monday, 09.06.2010

I don't have class on Mondays so Amanda and I slept in before jetting off to the gym then more grocery shopping after. It was mostly catching up on my journal and such after that. Then, dinner with Nicky! Yay! Although it was a little worrisome since there was a Tube strike that began around 5pm (1700), but no worries, it all worked out! We ended up going to a pub for dinner. It was quite nice to just sit and have a chat after the hustle-and-bustle and never-ending activities of the last five days. Monday was a very simple day because after that, I just went to bed (mostly to ensure my sleep-deprived body could wake up for class at 730am).







Tuesday, 09.07.2010

On Tuesdays, I have literally 11 hours class. No joke! From 9am to 8pm (2000). It's killer! But I survived and I'll actually enjoy all of my classes. There's a bit more work than anticipated (like performing a field experiment...I don't know how I'm going to pull that off), but otherwise everything is just peachy.



Then, Nicky and I met up again to try and maneuver our way to Piccadilly. Alas, it wasn't to be as (due to the Tube strike still in effect) we took the correct bus the wrong direction and ended up in the suburbs of London. We skipped rocks at the Thames and then called it a night.







Wednesday, 09.08.2010

And now, at last, an entertaining day! I spent the whole tramping across London and its outlying suburbs with a cute British boy. (No worries, he was quite legitimate! Seriously, he's a perfectly lovely boy.) It was a lot of walking! Probably about 20 miles total… He swears we lost “a stone” each! (If I remember correctly that’s about 15 pounds and 6.5 kilograms…)



We met up at the Tube station, wandered around Kensington Gardens, got lost on the Tube, meandered through the Financial District, ate lunch by the Tower of London, and ventured over Kew Gardens (where Monet painted his Waterlilies). Then, dinner at Leister (“Lester”) Square followed by some nice conversation at the local pub.



I learned bunches of British slang that I can’t seem to recall right now, but if I heard it I’d know it!







Thursday, 09.09.2010

So far only one class and laundry to report. Nothing special. But after I finish posting, I’m headed off to “top up” (add money to) my phone then sightsee. Finally, I get to see a production of War Horse at the West End! Supposedly, it’s atrocious but who cares? It’s on a British stage!

What. A. Night! ...Be prepared for a novel

Friday, 09.03.2010

I have survived walking around London barefoot with no consequences other than black feet. For all you germophobes: that means it actually is possible! Before you go thinking I belong in an asylum, let me backtrack to the beginning of the day:

Waking up at 8am in order to use the bathroom - it’s shared between 4 girls who all shower in the morning which necessitates a schedule - is not pleasant, especially when you don’t need to leave for orientation until 9:45am. Oh well! Such is life, I guess.

One inhaled breakfast of granola bars and yogurt later, my three roommates and I sat fidgeting in a lecture hall at Imperial University with approximately 250 other college students. Yet again we endured the typical administrative commonsense spiel while fighting an ever-persuasive nap. After four tortuous hours, we were released for lunch. Most of the students congregated in the front entryway of the building to discuss plans for our three-hour break. Our quadruplet split: Maggie to go lunching with her Theta sisters; Amanda, Kat & I to run errands and eventually eat lunch.

Errands proved longer than anticipated, but we still managed to eat lunch at a relatively cheap (and fast) sandwich shop. Kat ordered a baguette filled with yellow curry, I had a vegetable samosa, and Amanda went across the street to Starbucks for coffee and a fruit cup. Gulping down our food at a pace directly related to our hunger level – a telltale sign of Americans – brought us right back on schedule with an hour left to spare before our second orientation on our internship. I stopped off at Foundation House – the administrative building for our program – to reschedule some classes. Unfortunately, I quite literally held the door open for the Academics Director while she left for an errand, which meant I had the pleasure of waiting for her to return. Whilst I waited, I decided to take a bathroom break during which she magically appeared…then disappeared causing me to wait again. An hour passed and she never showed up but I had to dart over to the orientation, about ten city blocks away, in order to be on time. Thus, I’m forced to come back on Monday :/

The second orientation proved to be about as educational as the last two – meaning all you needed was common sense and a bit of intellect to figure it out. Perhaps the only useful bit of information was the difference between American and British workplaces. (Apparently Brits are much more relaxed and sarcastic at the job, enabling co-workers to bond and form friendships rather than the more competitive, go-go-go atmosphere of the US.) Luckily, our presenter realized this and sped through most of it, allowing us to leave half an hour early.

A repeat of the congregation in the front hall to sort out plans for evening led again to the splitting up of our room: this time Kat departed with friends for shopping and Maggie joined up with her Theta sisters again, which left Amanda & I on our own to explore, which we did happily. After dropping off our stuff in the room, we headed down the opposite side of Queen’s Gate from that which we normally traversed. It appeared to dead end at a park, but shockingly enough, we chanced upon a lovely little restaurant/pub/shopping area with a closer Tube stop. Deciding to eat was a difficult affair sine everything looked so good! Eventually, Amanda and I settled on a cute little crêpe place called Créme de la Crêpe. We both ordered the most amazing goat cheese crêpes! If you’re ever in London, do go! It’s immediately off the South Kensington station.

Then, we headed back to make sure we were dressed to the nines for our first night on the town in London. Once we were sufficiently beautified, Amanda, five other girls, two boys and I all gathered at a great local pub called Zetland Arms to watch the England v. Bulgaria football match (and yes, that means soccer). It’s no joke how much the Brits love their football; it’s a stereotype for a reason!

Next, we set out for the wonders of London nightlife. Picking the correct Tube line was slightly more difficult than would otherwise appear since the map is (1) not drawn to scale and (2) not necessarily drawn in the accurate direction. Nevertheless, we conquered the alien transportation system and boarded the proper train. Climbing the stairs once we alighted at the stop was harder than it looked (five-inch heels are not exactly conducive to the process). Thus, we decided to stop for a pint at the pub immediately in front of the station.

Here, I had my first encounter with British boys. One had graduated and was working marketing; the other was a psychology major about to finish up. Both went to “uni” (or university) in Lancaster. One of the first questions asked was where I was from and when I told them California, they naturally brought up Katy Perry’s “California Girls”. I almost spit up my drink because I laughed so suddenly at this. Once this gold nugget of information had been revealed, they seemed much more intrigued with the conversation. Anyone surprised? Not me! However, this encounter did lead me to believe that British culture includes much more wit, subtle sarcasm and self-deprecation than I had originally anticipated.

The night was far from over! From here on out, it was an adventure, hands down. Traipsing down the road to a supposedly awesome nightclub called Fabric was steadily getting more and more painful – those five-inch heels were getting to me, even though I’d resolved not to let them. Alas, I was the idiot who followed the trend and wore them so I didn’t complain. Instead, I simply took them off and slipped them back on before going into the club.

Let me say right now, that was most definitely not a club; it was more like a rave! Amanda put it the most eloquently: “the music sounded like a garbage disposal!” From here on out, American and British culture clashed…sort of. First off, boys do not approach girls here. It was very strange. And nobody grinds. I introduced myself to a French boy, a Bulgarian, an Italian, and lastly a British boy. One way or another I only chatted or danced with them for a few minutes because either they did not speak enough English to understand me or I could not hear them over the horrible racket that passed as music or I was in danger of being separated by the group.

Finally, I was fed up with this ridiculous club and wanted to go. The others had left me sitting outside the room that housed the third dance floor (which they were on) so I went to find them…and saw no one familiar in the smoky room. I hurried around slowly growing more and more panicked until a security guard who watched me bounce back and forth between the three dance floors finally asked me if I was looking for someone. When I mentioned a girl in a white dress with black polk-a-dots, he directed me towards the exit and pointed me in the right direction down the street. With cell reception restored, I could call them to wait for me.

Now came the challenge of which bus to take home. We found a bus stop, asked some nice Turkish boys directions (they have been living here for three years), and got on the bus. One of them even came up to the top deck to tell us when to get off. Such manners! (Or it could have been the combination of short dresses, heels, and desperation…)

By this point, I abandoned propriety and took my heels off. There is only so much pain I will put with for beauty and I draw the line at blisters. The saga of getting home continued when we got off because we had to find the correct connection, which took some doing. Along the way, a group of British boys helped us, a group of Columbians accosted us, Amanda and Andie were swung around by some very drunk tourists, and we were catcalled at least seven times. Apparently British girls don’t wear dresses with bare legs or heels when they go out (the no-heels part is definitely the way to go).

Collapsing in my bed after a night like that was the most amazing and rewarding experience of my London experience so far – not mention freeing my aching feet from those dratted heels! (In case you were wondering, it took about three hours to get home, which means I didn’t crawl into bed until 5:30am!)

 
 
 
 
 
 
Saturday, 09.04.2010


I absolutely hate alarms! Falling asleep at 6am definitely does not help waking up at 9am for a 10am walking tour. That was physically painful to bare this morning. I hit snooze and stayed asleep as long as possible until I was forced to roll out of bed in order to look “decently proper”, aka make-up without jeans and a tee-shirt. This means I missed breakfast because I didn’t have time to make it :/ Bugger!

The walking tour lasted two hours and took us around the historic parts of our neighborhood, Kensington: Royal Albert Hall, the Natural Science Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, and the list goes on and on. My poor, abused feet were not thrilled about this experience, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the ins-and-outs of the area I’m living in for the next three months.

After a quick lunch at The Sandwich Shop, Maggie and I – the only ones of our apartment to make it to the tour after coming in so late – returned to the flat to catch up on neglected chores, like dishes and, in my case, a nap. Next we – our whole flat of eight girls this time – readied ourselves for the three-hour bus tour of London. It was actually quite lovely and very informative. The tour guide had a very acerbic sense of humor that I liked but didn’t translate well to the rest of the sleepy group. I pulled out the tourist stereotype and took pictures of everything! I think there were 150 pictures all told… Clearly, I was camera-happy but at least I have the evidence to prove I’m in London!

Then Maggie, Amanda, Kat and I did some grocery shopping at Waitrose before heading back to the flat for some much needed rest and relaxation. It felt good to have everything done: no dishes, no unpacking, nada left to do. I caught up on my blogging then surfed the net for a bit.

A little while later, Maggie invited Amanda and I to come chill with her Theta sisters in the Hyde Park residence. We were more than happy to join! Once the typical pleasantries were exchanged, where to travel for our one-week break came up. Since we all had similar travel plans, we put our heads together and started plotting our route. When we finally glanced at the clock and realized how late it was – past midnight – Maggie, Amanda and I gathered up our things and left to get some necessary rest.

Somehow I Made It Here Alive :)

Move-in day is always hectic – but not at this magnitude! Arriving in London did not start off on the right foot: my plane was delayed for forty-five minutes due to a gas leak. Then, when we finally pulled up to the gate approximately an hour and a half late, the bridgeway could not be connected, which necessitated exiting the aircraft’s rear door via staircase. Let me just say, attempting to wobble down a flimsy staircase swaying in the wind with an overweight backpack and bulky carry-on is not an easy task.


Finally, after about another forty-five minutes (bringing the grand total of tardiness to two and a half hours), I cleared the UK Border Patrol and set about looking for my study abroad group to no avail. After fruitlessly searching for ten minutes, I dejectedly headed towards the Tube, where – shockingly enough – I encounter two other girls bound for my same study abroad group breathlessly striving to find them. We determined that since we had been left behind and we each had two large bags apiece, we would split a cab. On our way to taxi line, another girl who had overheard our conversation and was in the same boat asked to tag along. We readily agreed; after all, four splitting a bill is better than three! The cab ride was ludicrous in physicality: the last girl to join us had so much luggage wedged under her, her feet were about level with her heart, the front seat was jammed full with even more, and the rest of us had backpacks spread out across our laps. Needless to say, there was absolutely no room to move. In spite of this, I enjoyed the ride, exhilarated by the fact that at long last I was in London.

Upon arriving at the main building for check-in, we discover ed that our group had, in fact, waited for us and thus we were keyless. Undaunted, we found a way into our dorms and separated for the ordeal of unpacking. Hauling my bags up the rickety flight of stairs to my apartment was an arduous affair I could have sooner have done without. I was rewarded by the sight of my three new roommates lounging with their bags, tossing around ideas of what to do next. We settled on going to the administrative building to complete check-in by turning in copies of our passports, signing up for a walking tour and receiving the last of our paperwork. Afterwards, we beelined back to the main building, hoping my keys were there, only to discover Father Soukop had kindly tried to drop them off at our room. He decided to leave the keys with my other apartment-mate whilst the rest of us raced off to chow down. Unfortunately, we had no time left before our walking tour so we speed-walked back, pausing only to pick up a nice bottle of Chilean pinot noir to relax over after dinner at a quintessential English pub. Along the way, we bumped into the rest of our walking tour – also late. It was thoroughly enjoyable (if a bit dry) even though it was ground we had just tumbled our way through.

At the conclusion of our tour, we headed to the phone store to purchase phones – or in my case, simply a SIM card. It took about twenty minutes of walking, a couple of sickeningly worrisome moments of being lost, and a group of about thirty college students to get there. Once there, we debated (and bickered) amongst ourselves and with the representatives about the various merits and drawbacks of each phone and pay-as-you-go plans until all of settled on something. A very trying affair, all said and done. On the up side, we chanced past several promising-looking restaurants and shops, some of which a couple of us returned to try later.

The next decision entailed walking even more: groceries and necessities such as toiletries (mainly due to that pesky three-ounce limit in airplanes). After about fifteen minutes of walking, a detour into Boots (the British version of CVS or Walgreen’s), a serious dent in my available cash – all purchases were necessary of course – some serious sharing to cut down on costs, we arrived at Sainsbury’s to purchase towels for Amanda and me, fruit for Maggie, and coffee. Then we high-tailed it back to the dorm for our 6:00pm “welcome to London but here are some ground rules” Santa Clara meeting.

Once there, the traditional “act responsibly and use some common sense” rules were outlined, we were free to go. Trudging up the narrow stairs, Amanda, Maggie, Kat and I lamented our exhaustion after so much walking. Once safely ensconced in our dorm-apartment hybrid, Maggie took a shower and three of us did some serious damage unpacking. In Amanda’s and my case, finished completely; in Maggie’s and Kat’s just about done.

Then our growling stomachs finally forced us to concede to their might. Abandoning our projects, we – Amanda, Kat and I for Maggie went out with other friends – ventured out to find that ideal English pub. Several minutes and about five city blocks later, we found in and it was worth the search. Yum! Then off for some delicious gelato spotted on our phone hunt earlier, a quick stop to grab some granola for breakfast and viola! Home safe and sound for some much-needed shower time and relaxation. Regrettably, exhaustion claimed us before we ever could break out that wine…

Eek! I'm Boarding a Plane in Less Than 24 Hours!!

Five Adjectives to Describe Me Right Now:
     Excited
     Apprehensive
     Impatient
     Restless
     Exhilarated

Let me just say: thinking you've lost your passport does NOT help the transition into a semester abroad.  For a horrifying ten minutes today, I believed I'd done just that.  Luckily, I realized that in an attempt to outwit my pre-departure scatter-brained self I placed my passport right where it should be.  Unfortunately, it was a week too early for that, which means I forgot that and thus tore my room apart for a heart-wrenching ten minutes until this dawned me.  What a spectacular failure!

Beyond that, I keep tapping my toes, counting down the seconds until I board a plane and running through checklists to make sure nothing is forgotten.  It is strange to think that at that this time tomorrow I'll be in an entirely different country on another continent.  I know, I know: obvious statement, but sometimes such things are mind-boggling.  This semester I'll befriend new people and have so many new experiences, none of which I can properly imagine in their entirety.  Weird, no?  At any rate, there isn't much more to blog about right now than my nerves and anticipation so I'll leave you with that.