So tonight is a VERY exciting night. Why is that? Because I'm leaving at 11 pm to take a coach bus to Edinburgh, Scotland!! It is currently 6:15 pm here, and I still have not packed for it. I am currently doing my laundry down here in the basement of my building, and I'm typing this from the computer lab. Back to Scotland, basically I will be going with 4 other girls on a 3-day tour of the Scottish Highlands with the Haggis Adventures Tour group in Scotland, which leaves tomorrow morning around 8:30. Needless to say tomorrow is going to be a very long day, and I hope I can get some shut eye tonight! We're going to see Edinburgh, Isle of Skye, Lochness, Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich and Glencoe! To be honest I really don't know too much about Scotland so I am looking forward to learning and seeing all that I can. We will be getting back around 6:45 am on Monday morning.
This week has been a pretty good week. I'm having a momentary lapse on what I did on Sunday, I'm assuming it wasn't anything too significant. Monday I just had 6 hours of class, Tuesday I had 3 hours of class in the morning and then Catey, Jess and I decided to go to Trafalgar Square to see the National Gallery and a life-size chess board that contenders are playing daily. It was pretty neat! We wandered down through Leicester Square (where a lot of the theaters are located and the 1/2 price ticket booth), and over to Chinatown. It was a lot of walking but a nice walk! Tuesday night Cassie, Catey and I went to what was Princess Diana's favorite pizza place, right down the street from where I live. It was the second time I have been there and it was delicious!!
I've been trying to be more productive this week, and so I decided to start walking to get more exercise and hopefully tone up a little bit. I went for a "power walk" in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens two days, and finally saw the Peter Pan statue! I also saw the Princess Diana Memorial and may have seen the Queens horses in an exercise yard there. I can't be sure those were actually them though. There were also two nights where I walked down to Knightsbridge and to Earl's Court. The area I live in is a great place to take walks. I feel like there is always something new I haven't seen.
Yesterday I made a very exciting purchase- a brown corduroy blazer! I've been looking for one for a long time now and finally found one at H&M, so I feel compelled to announce that! I had class until 8 pm last night and spent the rest of the night back here. This morning Kelsey and I went to the Science museum for about an hour and a half and then I had Contemporary British Theatre class from 1-4 pm.
I apologize for not posting a new entry in a while, but I will definitely post one once I get back from Scotland! Until then, cheers!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Scottish Presbyterian and the Pub Psychologist
So I'm trying to make it so each title is an inside joke based off an experience, or just some funny memorable moment. Last night, Catey, Kelsey and I decided we wanted to go out somewhere. After a long time of searching through our London travel books and the internet, we found this place called Portobello Gold, the oldest bar in Notting Hill (Yes, the place where the movie with Julia Roberts was based off of). We took the tube down 2 stops to Notting Hill Gate and then roamed around down there trying to find this bar. We finally get there and notice that everyone else there is at least in their 30's, so it definitely wasn't a college student scene. However, we decided to each get a drink and sit down at a table to talk and relax. We met some very interesting people at the bar who decided to approach our table. First, the Pub psychologist. He was a drunk older man who came over to us and asked "Are you depressed? Are you feeling low? Do you feel like you're going to lapse? Because I am the pub psychologist. It's what I do..free of charge!" We all looked at each other not knowing what to think but we told him no, and he kept talking about I don't even know what. Over the course of the night he came back about 5 or 6 more times, each time asking if we were okay. We finally decided to play with him a little and told him our friend Catey was feeling a little low to see what he would do. What a funny guy. Next was this scottish man who came and sat down, offering us about 20 minutes worth of wisdom. Some of his takes on life: 1) Worth is more important than love 2) You meet people when you need to meet them 3) Have faith and confidence in yourself 4) Don't be irish - apparently his wife is irish and she gives him a splitting headache. It was just hilarious meeting these people and quite an experience!
Moving on, on Wednesday night we decided to go to Imperial again because we didn't have any plans but wanted to do something. We ended up meeting a whole group of British students who bartend at the union bar there. They had a day off but still decided to go there to hang out and joined us at one of the tables. We played some games and then they invited us out with them to Fulham to a club. It was really cool getting to meet some local people and going out to dance for a few hours. We went to a place called Fiesta Havana.
Thursday night after class I went to a play called "Stockwell" at the Tricycle Theatre off the Kilburn tube stop. It was further out of the city- almost out of Zone 2. It was a type of verbatim theatre (similar to the Laramie Project) where the entire performance was quotes from people who were at the incident or involved in the event. This story was about the brazilian man who was killed by the Metropolitan police after the London bombings a few years ago. He was thought to be a terrorist and was shot, even though he was an innocent man. It was a very sad story but very informative to me because I had never heard what happened before. The theatre was small and intimate. We were actually in the front row which I was very excited about. (You could sit anywhere but there just happened to be 3 seats open front and center).
Friday we went on a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge. It was very surreal going to these places I have heard so much about. We had about 45 minutes in Stonehenge, where we saw the rock formation and got cheese scones, and then we went to Bath to tour the Roman Baths. It is hard to believe how old the baths are- it just blows your mind! In Bath, we also went to this little restaurant called Sally Lunn's, famous for its sweet buns. It has been there since the 1400's I believe- really old! It was a long day on the coach bus but still a lot of fun! Last night when we arrived back I just wanted to sleep but I regained some energy somehow and that is when we went to Portobello Gold. I came full circle in this post!
Right now I am doing my laundry and I hope to do something tonight but I'm not sure what everyone else is doing (It is 7:46 here at the moment). I hope everyone is well! Cheerio!
Moving on, on Wednesday night we decided to go to Imperial again because we didn't have any plans but wanted to do something. We ended up meeting a whole group of British students who bartend at the union bar there. They had a day off but still decided to go there to hang out and joined us at one of the tables. We played some games and then they invited us out with them to Fulham to a club. It was really cool getting to meet some local people and going out to dance for a few hours. We went to a place called Fiesta Havana.
Thursday night after class I went to a play called "Stockwell" at the Tricycle Theatre off the Kilburn tube stop. It was further out of the city- almost out of Zone 2. It was a type of verbatim theatre (similar to the Laramie Project) where the entire performance was quotes from people who were at the incident or involved in the event. This story was about the brazilian man who was killed by the Metropolitan police after the London bombings a few years ago. He was thought to be a terrorist and was shot, even though he was an innocent man. It was a very sad story but very informative to me because I had never heard what happened before. The theatre was small and intimate. We were actually in the front row which I was very excited about. (You could sit anywhere but there just happened to be 3 seats open front and center).
Friday we went on a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge. It was very surreal going to these places I have heard so much about. We had about 45 minutes in Stonehenge, where we saw the rock formation and got cheese scones, and then we went to Bath to tour the Roman Baths. It is hard to believe how old the baths are- it just blows your mind! In Bath, we also went to this little restaurant called Sally Lunn's, famous for its sweet buns. It has been there since the 1400's I believe- really old! It was a long day on the coach bus but still a lot of fun! Last night when we arrived back I just wanted to sleep but I regained some energy somehow and that is when we went to Portobello Gold. I came full circle in this post!
Right now I am doing my laundry and I hope to do something tonight but I'm not sure what everyone else is doing (It is 7:46 here at the moment). I hope everyone is well! Cheerio!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Thames, Fireworks, Camden (better than Jersey!) and SCOTLAND!
Hello everybody!
The last few days have been pretty eventful so I have quite a bit to talk about on this post. First of all, Sunday night we went to the Thames Festival, which was being held on the banks of the Thames River. It was a Saturday-Sunday event but we opted to just go Sunday night to the Night Carnival and fireworks. The Night Carnival wasn't actually a carnival- it was actually a parade with really elaborate, unique costumes, dancers and masqureaders! Most of the floats and dancers were glowing in the dark with lights or paint. I'd never seen anything like it before- here is a website with a description and pictures because it is kind of hard to describe:
http://www.thamesfestival.org/weekend/detail/night_procession/
Catey, Anna, Jess, Cassie, Kelsey and I had a lot of fun watching the parade next to the river, which overlooked Big Ben, the London Eye, the House of Parliament and a number of other London landmarks. Following the parade there were some really great fireworks over the river which were very close to us. I don't think i've ever been so close to fireworks before and there were some really loud booming ones since they were literally right over our heads. I love fireworks!
Yesterday in my international marketing class we went to a place in London called Camden Town, which is a huge marketplace (actually made up of 4 different markets). The markets sell pretty much anything you could imagine and there are all kinds of ethnic foods represented. We're doing presentations in our marketing class in a few weeks and each group is presenting on a different attraction in London. Camden Town is one of the groups' attraction, so that's why we spent the afternoon there. I saw a lot of things that I would like to get there, but I had just dropped £185 on an FIE sponsored Adventure Weekend in Wales trip (Nov 13-15!) and a ticket to ride the London Eye (on my birthday, Nov 18!!!!). So all I bought was a lemonade and some indian food, and it was delicious! I definitely want to try to get back there sometime before I leave.
Last night there was a welcome reception for all 300 or so FIE students at the International Student House a few stops down on the tube. There was free nibbles, a bar with 2 free drinks per person, a DJ and dancing, free t-shirts and a raffle drawing for trips and money. I went with a couple other girls and we had a great time! Free anything is good, and there was plenty of it! The nibbles were good (basically just appetizer food), and we had fun dancing to old-school middle school dance music. It felt SO much like a middle school dance it was pretty funny. We had to wait in line to get downstairs to the area with a big dance floor, and then people were pretty much hanging out with their groups of friends. The music was from when we were in 7th or 8th grade, and then they turned on disco lights. I was imagining a slow song coming on and people dancing arms length apart from each other, awkwardly turning the opposite direction from the person or talking with their friends. Oh good times!
Today I had just one class- international marketing. Today was also the first day it has rained in the last week and a half that we have been in London. It was rather depressing really, and it made me so sleepy that I took a nap for a good portion of the afternoon. This evening we went to Sainsbury's to buy groceries and then Catey, Jess and I booked a trip to Scotland for the weekend of September 25-27. It is a 3 day guided tour through the Scottish highlands to see Loch Ness and different sights out there. The brochure is a little cheesy with crazy pictures and funny descriptions but it looks like it is going to be so much fun! Here is the website for it:
http://www.haggisadventures.com/Scotland/Skye-High.html
So you're probably thinking that I am crazy. It seems like every post that I write, I have booked another trip- Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Bath and Stonehenge. Well I'm also planning a weekend in Paris and a week long trip to Italy after my program ends. But that will be all as far as weekend trips go! I want to do some day trips to Windsor, the Cotswolds, and maybe a day or two in Amsterdam!
Well I have class at 9 am and it is currently 12:19 am here in the UK so I'm going to hit the sack. Cheerio! :-)
The last few days have been pretty eventful so I have quite a bit to talk about on this post. First of all, Sunday night we went to the Thames Festival, which was being held on the banks of the Thames River. It was a Saturday-Sunday event but we opted to just go Sunday night to the Night Carnival and fireworks. The Night Carnival wasn't actually a carnival- it was actually a parade with really elaborate, unique costumes, dancers and masqureaders! Most of the floats and dancers were glowing in the dark with lights or paint. I'd never seen anything like it before- here is a website with a description and pictures because it is kind of hard to describe:
http://www.thamesfestival.org/weekend/detail/night_procession/
Catey, Anna, Jess, Cassie, Kelsey and I had a lot of fun watching the parade next to the river, which overlooked Big Ben, the London Eye, the House of Parliament and a number of other London landmarks. Following the parade there were some really great fireworks over the river which were very close to us. I don't think i've ever been so close to fireworks before and there were some really loud booming ones since they were literally right over our heads. I love fireworks!
Yesterday in my international marketing class we went to a place in London called Camden Town, which is a huge marketplace (actually made up of 4 different markets). The markets sell pretty much anything you could imagine and there are all kinds of ethnic foods represented. We're doing presentations in our marketing class in a few weeks and each group is presenting on a different attraction in London. Camden Town is one of the groups' attraction, so that's why we spent the afternoon there. I saw a lot of things that I would like to get there, but I had just dropped £185 on an FIE sponsored Adventure Weekend in Wales trip (Nov 13-15!) and a ticket to ride the London Eye (on my birthday, Nov 18!!!!). So all I bought was a lemonade and some indian food, and it was delicious! I definitely want to try to get back there sometime before I leave.
Last night there was a welcome reception for all 300 or so FIE students at the International Student House a few stops down on the tube. There was free nibbles, a bar with 2 free drinks per person, a DJ and dancing, free t-shirts and a raffle drawing for trips and money. I went with a couple other girls and we had a great time! Free anything is good, and there was plenty of it! The nibbles were good (basically just appetizer food), and we had fun dancing to old-school middle school dance music. It felt SO much like a middle school dance it was pretty funny. We had to wait in line to get downstairs to the area with a big dance floor, and then people were pretty much hanging out with their groups of friends. The music was from when we were in 7th or 8th grade, and then they turned on disco lights. I was imagining a slow song coming on and people dancing arms length apart from each other, awkwardly turning the opposite direction from the person or talking with their friends. Oh good times!
Today I had just one class- international marketing. Today was also the first day it has rained in the last week and a half that we have been in London. It was rather depressing really, and it made me so sleepy that I took a nap for a good portion of the afternoon. This evening we went to Sainsbury's to buy groceries and then Catey, Jess and I booked a trip to Scotland for the weekend of September 25-27. It is a 3 day guided tour through the Scottish highlands to see Loch Ness and different sights out there. The brochure is a little cheesy with crazy pictures and funny descriptions but it looks like it is going to be so much fun! Here is the website for it:
http://www.haggisadventures.com/Scotland/Skye-High.html
So you're probably thinking that I am crazy. It seems like every post that I write, I have booked another trip- Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Bath and Stonehenge. Well I'm also planning a weekend in Paris and a week long trip to Italy after my program ends. But that will be all as far as weekend trips go! I want to do some day trips to Windsor, the Cotswolds, and maybe a day or two in Amsterdam!
Well I have class at 9 am and it is currently 12:19 am here in the UK so I'm going to hit the sack. Cheerio! :-)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Adventures in Brighton
On Friday morning 8 of us took a train at 10:36 am to a town on the coast of England called Brighton. We took the tube to London Victoria Station and then transferred onto the train, which took about 50 minutes to get to Brighton. It was a beautiful day and it turned out to be a lot warmer than I thought it would be even though it was on the water. The town was very quaint with small cobblestone streets and it was a nice escape from busy London. After leaving the station we went down to the coastline and walked along the beach for a while. I was excited to be right along the English Channel for the first time! The beaches were stone, not sand, which was different but nice because I was wearing clogs which could have gotten very sandy. On the "boardwalk" (more like a winding pathway along the beach) there were a number of outdoor cafes and little shops. For lunch I stopped at a fresh seafood stand and bought a cup of fresh crab and prawns (which are basically like shrimp except a little larger). Both were VERY good but they didn't tie me over so I later bought an ice cream cone with a flake. Basically, it was a vanilla ice cream cone with a chocolate cookie in the side of it, which is called a flake. It was delicious! After sitting by the water for a while we went to Brighton Pier, which jutted out over the channel. The pier has a lot of amusement rides, arcades and shops. It reminded me of a pier at the Jersey Shore. I loved it because I love amusement parks and rides in general. After that we went back into town to the Royal Pavilion, a beautiful palace where George IV lived I believe (we didn't go inside to tour it). Instead we went shopping! There were several streets of boutiques, antique and vintage stores that Kelsey, Amy, Lisa and I went into. The 8 of us split up into 4 and 4 during the day which I think was easier. For dinner we went to this italian restaurant (I have no idea what it was called- all we saw was "All you can eat pizza and pasta for 6 pounds" and we were there). We decided to split the Pizza Overload which came with two pizzas, chips (fries), garlic bread, all you can eat salad bar, and two enormous sundaes. We were full before the pizza came out and we ended up bringing like 10 slices home with us. It was still delicious though! After dinner we met back up with everyone at a pub near the train station and hung out there before going back. I had my first Fosters, which was good but after all of the food I had eaten I could barely finish a pint. All in all we had a very fun day in Brighton!
Yesterday was a rather lazy day. Catey and I slept until almost noon since we had no particular plans. I was happy to get some extra sleep! Basically my afternoon consisted of doing my wash and booking a trip to see my friend Julia in Germany! I'm going to fly out of London-Stansted on October 22nd to Nuremberg, Germany, and then return to London on October 25th. I'm going to stay with Julia in Bayreuth for a day or two and then we're going to Munich. I met Julia when she was a foreign exchange student who came to my high school for a year. We've kept in touch since and I'm really excited to have her show me around for a few days! Last night a bunch of us went out to Imperial for a while to hang out and that was pretty much the day.
Today I've been reading "As You Like It" for my Shakespeare class. Tomorrow our class is cancelled because there is a FIE welcome reception at the International Student House which we have to take the tube to get to. There is free food, two free drinks, a raffle, and other fun activities. The only class I have tomorrow is International Marketing from 1-4 pm. We are going to Camden Market (our first of several field trips). I just want to get a head start on the Shakespeare since it takes me longer to get through. Tonight we're going to the Thames Festival along the Thames river. It has been going on yesterday and today, but tonight there is a Night Carnival and fireworks so we're leaving around 6:15 pm to head over there!
Hope everyone is doing well! Cheers!
Yesterday was a rather lazy day. Catey and I slept until almost noon since we had no particular plans. I was happy to get some extra sleep! Basically my afternoon consisted of doing my wash and booking a trip to see my friend Julia in Germany! I'm going to fly out of London-Stansted on October 22nd to Nuremberg, Germany, and then return to London on October 25th. I'm going to stay with Julia in Bayreuth for a day or two and then we're going to Munich. I met Julia when she was a foreign exchange student who came to my high school for a year. We've kept in touch since and I'm really excited to have her show me around for a few days! Last night a bunch of us went out to Imperial for a while to hang out and that was pretty much the day.
Today I've been reading "As You Like It" for my Shakespeare class. Tomorrow our class is cancelled because there is a FIE welcome reception at the International Student House which we have to take the tube to get to. There is free food, two free drinks, a raffle, and other fun activities. The only class I have tomorrow is International Marketing from 1-4 pm. We are going to Camden Market (our first of several field trips). I just want to get a head start on the Shakespeare since it takes me longer to get through. Tonight we're going to the Thames Festival along the Thames river. It has been going on yesterday and today, but tonight there is a Night Carnival and fireworks so we're leaving around 6:15 pm to head over there!
Hope everyone is doing well! Cheers!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
IRELAND!!
This is going to be a shorter post because it is 12:07 am here and I am pretty tired tonight, but I have GREAT NEWS! Last night 6 other girls and I planned a trip to IRELAND!! Ireland is one of my top countries to visit and we booked both the plane and the hostel last night. We're traveling November 5-8 (a Thursday to Sunday night) and we'll fly into Dublin. We got a really great deal on both the plane and hostel- 30 pounds for the round-trip flight and less than 30 pounds for 3 nights at the hostel, which also includes breakfast!
Come to think about it I have several pieces of good news...
-Classes are finished for the week so I have 3 days ahead of me to relax!
-Tomorrow we're taking a day trip to Brighton which is located on the coast, and the trip only cost 6 pounds! It sounds like a beautiful town and I'm really looking forward to it!
-Tonight I saw my first London show! FIE sponsored a trip to see "Blood Brothers" at the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester (sp?) square. Not only did Kelsey and I have 2nd row seats with no one in front of us, but we met several of the actors after the show! It was pretty neat and we had such a good view during the performance! I don't think I've ever been that close. The story itself was rather sad. We all preferred the first half better since it was happier and more upbeat. I won't spoil the show for anyone just in case you go see it! It was an interesting play though. Near the end during this really intense part in the play, Kelsey tapped me on the arm and whispered "mouse!" and pointed to the stage. I looked just in time to see this little mouse crawling on the side of the stage and I gasped so loud! (Mom, I can just picture your expression right now as you read this!) I really don't like mice and tried to lift my feet off the ground for several minutes after that. I guess it is good that it has been this long until I saw a mouse- our tour guide from earlier in the week told us we're never more than 6 feet from a rat or mouse in London...
Also, I finally was able to post some pictures! These are only about 1/4 of the pictures I've taken so far since it still takes time for them to load onto the internet, but at least the ones of my house/room, Hyde Park, and Kensington Palace are up. I'll try to get the others up really soon!
Here is the link to the website the pictures are uploaded on:
http://jennygoestolondon.shutterfly.com/
Enjoy! Goodnight everybody! (Cheers!) :)
Come to think about it I have several pieces of good news...
-Classes are finished for the week so I have 3 days ahead of me to relax!
-Tomorrow we're taking a day trip to Brighton which is located on the coast, and the trip only cost 6 pounds! It sounds like a beautiful town and I'm really looking forward to it!
-Tonight I saw my first London show! FIE sponsored a trip to see "Blood Brothers" at the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester (sp?) square. Not only did Kelsey and I have 2nd row seats with no one in front of us, but we met several of the actors after the show! It was pretty neat and we had such a good view during the performance! I don't think I've ever been that close. The story itself was rather sad. We all preferred the first half better since it was happier and more upbeat. I won't spoil the show for anyone just in case you go see it! It was an interesting play though. Near the end during this really intense part in the play, Kelsey tapped me on the arm and whispered "mouse!" and pointed to the stage. I looked just in time to see this little mouse crawling on the side of the stage and I gasped so loud! (Mom, I can just picture your expression right now as you read this!) I really don't like mice and tried to lift my feet off the ground for several minutes after that. I guess it is good that it has been this long until I saw a mouse- our tour guide from earlier in the week told us we're never more than 6 feet from a rat or mouse in London...
Also, I finally was able to post some pictures! These are only about 1/4 of the pictures I've taken so far since it still takes time for them to load onto the internet, but at least the ones of my house/room, Hyde Park, and Kensington Palace are up. I'll try to get the others up really soon!
Here is the link to the website the pictures are uploaded on:
http://jennygoestolondon.shutterfly.com/
Enjoy! Goodnight everybody! (Cheers!) :)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
3 hours of classes, 6 times a week
Not even a week after finishing up finals at Drexel, I have once again begun classes...only this time in a new country, in a new continent with new british professors. For the next 7 weeks I am taking 3 classes- international marketing, shakespeare and elizabethean england and contemporary british theatre. The 4 weeks after that I will be taking a British Culture and Visual Media class. Since Drexel is on the quarter system, the schedule over here is a little wacky! So far, I have had international marketing and shakespeare. Both of the professors are engaging and very knowledgable, so I anticipate that they will be good classes. However, there is still work involved including multiple writing assignments, a presentation, and a marketing plan...which I'm not too thrilled about. All of the classes are 3 hours long, and I have each 2 times a week. The classrooms are pretty small and in one class I have 23 people so we're all crammed in to a space about double the size of my bedroom, but it isn't that bad. For my shakespeare class we're going to the Globe Theatre 3 different times to see plays, and in marketing we're going to the Chelsea Football Club, Tower of London, Camden Market, Piccadilly Circus, and one other place too. I really like how they are incorporating field trips into our classes and I'm really looking forward to it!
Last night after class, I went out to Imperial College again for another snake bite with Cassie, Anna and Amy, which was a lot of fun. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. We were only there for about an hour but we had a fun time talking. I also bought a Cadbury chocolate bar from the vending machine which was DELICIOUS!!
Today since I only had one 3 hour class (shakespeare) from 9-12, I had the rest of the day to myself. Jess and I decided to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, just a few minutes walk away. We spent almost 4 hours there- the place was huge! There was so much to see including scuplture, British art, Asian art, Medieval art, fashion, glass, photography...everything really. We were exhausted by the end, and we had to take multiple bench breaks to try and refresh ourselves. But we made it into most if not every single gallery so we were happy about that.
Afterwards, we went on an adventure trying to find our required shakespeare books- The Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Macbeth. We went to Waterstone's Books on High Street Kensington but were only able to find 2 so we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus to their other location and couldn't find the bookstore for a while. It was a mess and we probably took the tube about 5 different times trying to find them! But we now each have brand spanking new copies of all 3 and we're still alive, so life is good.
For dinner I had leftover soup, two clementines and a bowl of corn flakes. Everyone's diets have been off horribly so far. One of my friends has been living off Nutella and toast the last few days. Another friend eats bagels and cream cheese at almost every meal. I'm trying to eat healthy but I have a feeling I'm going to lose a few pounds while I'm over here! I haven't been snacking like I am used to doing back home.
Well contrary to this long post, I am exhausted. It's almost 11 pm here and I need a nice, relaxing night of sleep. Cheers!
P.S. FIE is sponsoring a FREE trip to Stonehenge and Bath next Friday so I signed up today. I'm really excited!! :-)
Last night after class, I went out to Imperial College again for another snake bite with Cassie, Anna and Amy, which was a lot of fun. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. We were only there for about an hour but we had a fun time talking. I also bought a Cadbury chocolate bar from the vending machine which was DELICIOUS!!
Today since I only had one 3 hour class (shakespeare) from 9-12, I had the rest of the day to myself. Jess and I decided to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, just a few minutes walk away. We spent almost 4 hours there- the place was huge! There was so much to see including scuplture, British art, Asian art, Medieval art, fashion, glass, photography...everything really. We were exhausted by the end, and we had to take multiple bench breaks to try and refresh ourselves. But we made it into most if not every single gallery so we were happy about that.
Afterwards, we went on an adventure trying to find our required shakespeare books- The Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Macbeth. We went to Waterstone's Books on High Street Kensington but were only able to find 2 so we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus to their other location and couldn't find the bookstore for a while. It was a mess and we probably took the tube about 5 different times trying to find them! But we now each have brand spanking new copies of all 3 and we're still alive, so life is good.
For dinner I had leftover soup, two clementines and a bowl of corn flakes. Everyone's diets have been off horribly so far. One of my friends has been living off Nutella and toast the last few days. Another friend eats bagels and cream cheese at almost every meal. I'm trying to eat healthy but I have a feeling I'm going to lose a few pounds while I'm over here! I haven't been snacking like I am used to doing back home.
Well contrary to this long post, I am exhausted. It's almost 11 pm here and I need a nice, relaxing night of sleep. Cheers!
P.S. FIE is sponsoring a FREE trip to Stonehenge and Bath next Friday so I signed up today. I'm really excited!! :-)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Please mind the gap!
The tube is the 'subway' system in London and whenever it approaches its next stop, a british voice comes on the speaker telling everyone to "please mind the gap!" There is a pretty significant gap between the tube train and the platform, and I love when the voice comes on to remind you!
So last time I wrote I was talking about our plans to go to our first pub in London- Anglesea Arms. Well, two nights ago was when we were going to the pub, and we found that particular pub a few blocks away; however, it said '21 and over only.' We were outraged!! We thought we would never be turned away from a place in London because of our age, and we were very disappointed! But we carried on, venturing around South Kensington to find another pub but each one had the same sign- '21 and over only.' So finally we went to a pub, it was '(something) arms'- I forget the name. But even though it still had that sign, we decided we were going to get ourselves some fish and chips. So we all ordered the meal and each got a beer so we could have the authentic experience of this british delicacy. I tried a beer called "Old Speckled Hen" which wasn't bad, but I really wanted to have a "London Pride". I'm not sure the man behind the counter understood what Kelsey and I wanted. The fish and chips was actually very good! Very unhealthy I'm sure, but we all enjoyed it. There were a lot of local people there at that pub, it wasn't a touristy place. However,with our group of 10, it was hard to really talk to anyone else.
After the pub, we went back to our house but then decided we wanted to go back out and try out the outside bar at the Imperial College Student Union. The local college has their own bar which I found to be kind of funny. There were a lot of college-age students there, including a good number of FIE kids (with the program that I am in). The bar's specialty is a drink called "snake bite" which is half beer, half cider with black currant. It was unique but tasted good! And better yet it was only 2 pounds which is pretty much as cheap as things will get. After our Imperial College bar experience, we went back to the house and just relaxed the rest of the night.
Yesterday morning we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard around 10:30 am. We'd been given a suggestion by our bus tour guide to stand by a lamppost in front of the fountain across the plaza from the palace. I have to do some research on how the changing of the guard works because although we were able to see the old guards from Clarence House (where Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry live), the old guards from Buckingham Palace, and new guards entering the palace, we couldn't see a lot of the action behind the gates because there were so many people squeezed against the fence. There were bands playing though which were very good! They played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, "You Raise me Up," and another song I didn't know. I love the palace guards' uniforms! The bear-skin caps are so sweet! So we saw that whole process which was neat, and then we actually toured the state rooms of Buckingham Palace, which are the public rooms of the palace. They are only open during August and September when the Queen is traveling elsewhere, and I'm really happy we were able to go inside. The rooms inside are so majestic, it's just incredible! We saw the state dining room, the grand staircase, the ballroom and walked through a number of other rooms. There was also a special display of dresses the Queen has worn to different places she has visited and gifts that she has been given by different countries. The tour included a free-audio tour with a headset that narrated through the different rooms. The tour ended in the Palace Gardens which were also very beautiful. We opted not to see the Queen's Gallery or the Royal Mews (where the horses and carriages are), since it cost extra money and we weren't as interested in seeing them.
Yesterday afternoon I took a very much needed 3 hour nap! Afterwards I was more awake than I probably have been since I got here. I made pasta in the kitchen and hung out with a bunch of the other people on our floor. There are mostly girls on the study abroad program, so I have been spending the majority of my time with other Drexel students- Catey, Jess, Anna, Amy, Kelsey, Lisa, Cassie and Sachi. We haven't had a lot of interaction with other schools because most of our floor is Drexel and our tours were mostly Drexel kids as well. There are also students from American University, Northeastern, U of Florida and a few other schools living in our building though, I believe.
Last night around 10 pm, Cassie, Kelsey, her friend Kelly from Temple, Catey and I went exploring out in the city. We took the tube to Tower Hill, which is where the Tower of London is located. We walked around the tower and along the Thames River, which was spectacular at night. We could see the Tower Bridge and the London Bridge. There was even a cruise ship traveling on the river and we saw the drawbridges go up at the Tower Bridge. We also went over and saw St. Paul's Cathedral which is just enormous and the architecture is incredible. At around 11:45 or so we decided to head back to the house because we have our first day of classes today!
It is 11:56 am here and I have my first day of classes today (international marketing and shakespeare for 3 hours each! ahhh) so I should probably go get a shower and eat breakfast.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I hope you have a great day and hopefully we'll get a chance to talk later :-)
Cheers!
So last time I wrote I was talking about our plans to go to our first pub in London- Anglesea Arms. Well, two nights ago was when we were going to the pub, and we found that particular pub a few blocks away; however, it said '21 and over only.' We were outraged!! We thought we would never be turned away from a place in London because of our age, and we were very disappointed! But we carried on, venturing around South Kensington to find another pub but each one had the same sign- '21 and over only.' So finally we went to a pub, it was '(something) arms'- I forget the name. But even though it still had that sign, we decided we were going to get ourselves some fish and chips. So we all ordered the meal and each got a beer so we could have the authentic experience of this british delicacy. I tried a beer called "Old Speckled Hen" which wasn't bad, but I really wanted to have a "London Pride". I'm not sure the man behind the counter understood what Kelsey and I wanted. The fish and chips was actually very good! Very unhealthy I'm sure, but we all enjoyed it. There were a lot of local people there at that pub, it wasn't a touristy place. However,with our group of 10, it was hard to really talk to anyone else.
After the pub, we went back to our house but then decided we wanted to go back out and try out the outside bar at the Imperial College Student Union. The local college has their own bar which I found to be kind of funny. There were a lot of college-age students there, including a good number of FIE kids (with the program that I am in). The bar's specialty is a drink called "snake bite" which is half beer, half cider with black currant. It was unique but tasted good! And better yet it was only 2 pounds which is pretty much as cheap as things will get. After our Imperial College bar experience, we went back to the house and just relaxed the rest of the night.
Yesterday morning we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard around 10:30 am. We'd been given a suggestion by our bus tour guide to stand by a lamppost in front of the fountain across the plaza from the palace. I have to do some research on how the changing of the guard works because although we were able to see the old guards from Clarence House (where Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry live), the old guards from Buckingham Palace, and new guards entering the palace, we couldn't see a lot of the action behind the gates because there were so many people squeezed against the fence. There were bands playing though which were very good! They played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, "You Raise me Up," and another song I didn't know. I love the palace guards' uniforms! The bear-skin caps are so sweet! So we saw that whole process which was neat, and then we actually toured the state rooms of Buckingham Palace, which are the public rooms of the palace. They are only open during August and September when the Queen is traveling elsewhere, and I'm really happy we were able to go inside. The rooms inside are so majestic, it's just incredible! We saw the state dining room, the grand staircase, the ballroom and walked through a number of other rooms. There was also a special display of dresses the Queen has worn to different places she has visited and gifts that she has been given by different countries. The tour included a free-audio tour with a headset that narrated through the different rooms. The tour ended in the Palace Gardens which were also very beautiful. We opted not to see the Queen's Gallery or the Royal Mews (where the horses and carriages are), since it cost extra money and we weren't as interested in seeing them.
Yesterday afternoon I took a very much needed 3 hour nap! Afterwards I was more awake than I probably have been since I got here. I made pasta in the kitchen and hung out with a bunch of the other people on our floor. There are mostly girls on the study abroad program, so I have been spending the majority of my time with other Drexel students- Catey, Jess, Anna, Amy, Kelsey, Lisa, Cassie and Sachi. We haven't had a lot of interaction with other schools because most of our floor is Drexel and our tours were mostly Drexel kids as well. There are also students from American University, Northeastern, U of Florida and a few other schools living in our building though, I believe.
Last night around 10 pm, Cassie, Kelsey, her friend Kelly from Temple, Catey and I went exploring out in the city. We took the tube to Tower Hill, which is where the Tower of London is located. We walked around the tower and along the Thames River, which was spectacular at night. We could see the Tower Bridge and the London Bridge. There was even a cruise ship traveling on the river and we saw the drawbridges go up at the Tower Bridge. We also went over and saw St. Paul's Cathedral which is just enormous and the architecture is incredible. At around 11:45 or so we decided to head back to the house because we have our first day of classes today!
It is 11:56 am here and I have my first day of classes today (international marketing and shakespeare for 3 hours each! ahhh) so I should probably go get a shower and eat breakfast.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I hope you have a great day and hopefully we'll get a chance to talk later :-)
Cheers!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Roast Chicken Potato Crisps
What is the title about you might ask? I got my first taste of roast chicken potato crisps (chips) the other day and was so taken off guard because they actually taste exactly like chicken, just in chip form. It was like something out of Willy Wonka!
Last night was a lot of fun! We went to Picadilly Circus for the first time. There are a lot of lights there, like a mini-Times Square and young people everywhere! The nightlife is so much better than Philadelphia- maybe it is because we can actually go to clubs and bars now. It was my first time taking the tube somewhere and their tube system is very nice and clean. Once we got to Picadilly there were all of these club promoters asking if we wanted to go into their places and we were all a little skeptical and unsure of where the best place was to go but there was a club called Zoo Bar which was really crowded outside of it and the guy who worked there said he could get the 6 of us in. We paid 5 pounds to get in and then a little more on some adult beverages. My first legal drink at a bar was a cranberry vodka which was pretty good. It was really crowded inside but the music was good and it was a fun atmosphere. We danced some and met our first british mates! At around 2:30 am our group decided to head back and I took my first double decker bus which was neat! We rode on the 2nd level and took the bus (#97 I believe) back to Kensington. Needless to say we're all pretty tired today.
This morning we started out with a walking tour of Kensington that lasted about 2 hours. Our tour guide was great, and not only showed us the local area but told us a lot about the history and other bits of information we wouldn't find elsewhere unless we did a good amount of research. When we got back to Metrogate around noon, we made lunch in the kitchen. I tried microwaving a packet of mac and cheese and it wasn't very appetizing. At 2 pm a bus picked about 50 of us up for a double-decker bus sightseeing tour of London which lasted about 2 1/2 hours and we saw all of the famous sights like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Harrod's, Buckingham Palace, etc etc. There were too many places to count! I want to post all of my pictures up but the connection with this blogger site is awfully slow. We also saw where Gringotts bank and Diagon Alley were in the Harry Potter films! That was pretty cool.
Tonight we're going to a pub called Anglesea which is apparently down Queens Gate Terrace further. It's a real local place, which was recommended by our bus tour guide. We're all dying to try fish and chips, and get a pint of Fuller's (sp?) beer, a local brewery in London!
Noticeable differences discovered so far between the U.S. and Britain:
1. People drive on the opposite side of the road and you have to be SO careful not to get hit when crossing. Likewise, the driver is on the right-hand side of the car and the passenger is on the left.
2. Taxi cabs here are black and don't look anything like a NYC taxi.
3. Everything is in pounds and pence here, and there are no 1 pound bills, just big heavy coins.
4. You need a converter for any appliances.
5. Things are pretty expensive. Most everything is.
6. People are very nonchalant about drinking, and don't make fools of themselves by getting too drunk. They've been drinking since they were 16 or so.
7. Firearms are illegal! Fun fact I learned at yesterday's orientation. I feel a lot safer here than in Philly.
8. Telephone booths have pictures in them of naked women. One, there are few telephone booths in Philly (and they're definitely not red and distinct like in London), and two, you will definitely not see full out nude pictures.
9. Tipping is only 10% at restaurants, you don't tip at bars and you don't tip for taxi cabs- just round to the next pound.
10. There are double decker buses everywhere! So cool.
11. You won't find many SUVs or trucks here. All of the cars are very small and there are a good number of the mini smart cars.
12. The British are more reserved and less flamboyant than Americans. It hasn't been hard to determine who is American.
13. Items at the grocery store are smaller. And everything is in metric. When making my mac&cheese today I just poured in milk and water and hoped it was about the right amount. I don't know how much 250 ml is!
14. Things go bad sooner here (food) because there are less preservatives.
I'll keep expanding this list in the future, but they're some interesting things that I have noted.
Well we're off to the pub soon! Cheers!
Last night was a lot of fun! We went to Picadilly Circus for the first time. There are a lot of lights there, like a mini-Times Square and young people everywhere! The nightlife is so much better than Philadelphia- maybe it is because we can actually go to clubs and bars now. It was my first time taking the tube somewhere and their tube system is very nice and clean. Once we got to Picadilly there were all of these club promoters asking if we wanted to go into their places and we were all a little skeptical and unsure of where the best place was to go but there was a club called Zoo Bar which was really crowded outside of it and the guy who worked there said he could get the 6 of us in. We paid 5 pounds to get in and then a little more on some adult beverages. My first legal drink at a bar was a cranberry vodka which was pretty good. It was really crowded inside but the music was good and it was a fun atmosphere. We danced some and met our first british mates! At around 2:30 am our group decided to head back and I took my first double decker bus which was neat! We rode on the 2nd level and took the bus (#97 I believe) back to Kensington. Needless to say we're all pretty tired today.
This morning we started out with a walking tour of Kensington that lasted about 2 hours. Our tour guide was great, and not only showed us the local area but told us a lot about the history and other bits of information we wouldn't find elsewhere unless we did a good amount of research. When we got back to Metrogate around noon, we made lunch in the kitchen. I tried microwaving a packet of mac and cheese and it wasn't very appetizing. At 2 pm a bus picked about 50 of us up for a double-decker bus sightseeing tour of London which lasted about 2 1/2 hours and we saw all of the famous sights like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Harrod's, Buckingham Palace, etc etc. There were too many places to count! I want to post all of my pictures up but the connection with this blogger site is awfully slow. We also saw where Gringotts bank and Diagon Alley were in the Harry Potter films! That was pretty cool.
Tonight we're going to a pub called Anglesea which is apparently down Queens Gate Terrace further. It's a real local place, which was recommended by our bus tour guide. We're all dying to try fish and chips, and get a pint of Fuller's (sp?) beer, a local brewery in London!
Noticeable differences discovered so far between the U.S. and Britain:
1. People drive on the opposite side of the road and you have to be SO careful not to get hit when crossing. Likewise, the driver is on the right-hand side of the car and the passenger is on the left.
2. Taxi cabs here are black and don't look anything like a NYC taxi.
3. Everything is in pounds and pence here, and there are no 1 pound bills, just big heavy coins.
4. You need a converter for any appliances.
5. Things are pretty expensive. Most everything is.
6. People are very nonchalant about drinking, and don't make fools of themselves by getting too drunk. They've been drinking since they were 16 or so.
7. Firearms are illegal! Fun fact I learned at yesterday's orientation. I feel a lot safer here than in Philly.
8. Telephone booths have pictures in them of naked women. One, there are few telephone booths in Philly (and they're definitely not red and distinct like in London), and two, you will definitely not see full out nude pictures.
9. Tipping is only 10% at restaurants, you don't tip at bars and you don't tip for taxi cabs- just round to the next pound.
10. There are double decker buses everywhere! So cool.
11. You won't find many SUVs or trucks here. All of the cars are very small and there are a good number of the mini smart cars.
12. The British are more reserved and less flamboyant than Americans. It hasn't been hard to determine who is American.
13. Items at the grocery store are smaller. And everything is in metric. When making my mac&cheese today I just poured in milk and water and hoped it was about the right amount. I don't know how much 250 ml is!
14. Things go bad sooner here (food) because there are less preservatives.
I'll keep expanding this list in the future, but they're some interesting things that I have noted.
Well we're off to the pub soon! Cheers!
Friday, September 4, 2009
First Post from the UK!
Hey everyone! I've been in London since 10:15 am or so yesterday morning (UK time). I flew into London-Heathrow airport- it was about a 6 hour plane ride- but I made it safe and sound! During the flight, around midnight U.S. time, we were given a full meal on the plane. I had beef with a roll, carrots, green beans, a salad and brownie. About two hours before landing in London, we were given a small breakfast of fruit and a croissant. I only slept about 2 hours, but I was happy to get some kind of sleep. The chairs were not too comfortable to sleep in and they kept turning on and off the lights and would make occasional announcements so it kept interrupting any sleep I was trying to get. I was flying Continental on a 757 I believe, and all of the seats had small screens on the back where you could watch tv shows, movies, listen to music and play games. I watched The Office, Friends and listened to some music during the flight too. Once we arrived at the airport, we had to turn in UK border agency cards that we filled out on the flight with all of our information including passport number, our local address, how long we would be there, where we came from, etc. We gave this to customs, along with our passports and immigration letters, and I got the first stamp in my passport!
We took a bus from the airport to our new home in South Kensington. Entering the bus was a little different since the driver drives on the right side of the car instead of the left. The trip took about a half an hour and we finally arrived, received our keys and starting unpacking in the rooms. The building I live in, the Metrogate House, is on a very nice street in Kensington. It is a very rich, affluent neighborhood- a lot of Jaguars, Porsches and other nice cars. This isn't typical of a lot of London but the area is very nice. The house itself has a variety of different rooms including singles, doubles, triples and even 4 person rooms. I live in a suite-style room. Once you walk in the door, there is a bathroom on the right, a bedroom right in front of you, a closet to the left, and a door leading to another bedroom on the left. Both bedrooms are doubles, and I live in the one on the left. I'm rooming with my friend Catey, and my 'suitemates' are Kelsey and Amy. I've had classes with both of them, and all three are really nice. I think we got pretty lucky with our room styles/locations too. We only have to go up one flight of steps (we're on the 1st floor but it's really on the second level), and our windows look out at the street, Queens Gate Terrace, which is a nice view. Some of the other rooms in the building have a view of the back of buildings and the views aren't as attractive. Also, other rooms have bunked beds and are a little smaller. I even have more room than I did in Crossings, including closet space! I was able to fit all of my clothes in there. There are two beds, two nightstands, two closets, and a mini-fridge in our room. I even have milk, orange juice and some snacks now- we went to a grocery store called Sainsbury's last night.
Yesterday after we got here several of us just passed out on the beds and left everything packed on the floor. After an hour or so of sleeping, I started unpacking and organizing everything. At 6 pm we went on a walking tour of Kensington led by one of the Residential Life Supervisors (RLS) and we found out where the local places are including Imperial College (we have a student card there to use the Imperial College Union facilities), Boots Pharmacy, Barclay's (bank) and other local restaurants and stores. The rest of the night was ours, and I went with 5 other girls to an indian restaurant for dinner. My first time using pounds and pence! European currency is a little confusing to use so far but I think I'm getting the hang of it. After dinner, we went to the grocery store and then my friends and I stayed in for the night, although some of the other kids went out to a bar nearby.
Today we had a Student Life and Academic orientation this morning in a lecture hall at the neighboring Imperial college with other universtities. Each university has a custom-made study abroad program. Some schools are only doing internships, some have classes and internships and then Drexel only has classes. I think we also have one of the shorter programs because the other schools are on the semester system and go til mid-December. After orientation, I went to get pizza down the block from our residence. I forgot the name of the place but it used to be Princess Diana's favorite pizza place apparently. Then we ventured over to Hyde Park which is BEAUTIFUL! It's a little like Central Park in NYC but it is much more open and just lovely. Kensington Palace and gardens are located in Hyde Park too and we walked around the exterior but didn't go inside to tour around today. We sat down on some steps in front of the opera house for a while and then I went with two girls to the bank, phamacy and grocery store to get some extra food for dinner. Things are rather expensive here so I've been trying not to spend too much money on food and other things so far.
Tonight we are planning on going out to Piccadilly Circus which apparently has a lot of bars, clubs and pubs. My first time being able to order a drink here (since the drinking age is only 18 and if you are taller than the bar counter you are basically served)! I'm looking forward to going out and hopefully meeting some british college-age students!
I've been trying to post pictures on here but the internet connection is really slow so i'll try to put them up as soon as I can! Cheers!
We took a bus from the airport to our new home in South Kensington. Entering the bus was a little different since the driver drives on the right side of the car instead of the left. The trip took about a half an hour and we finally arrived, received our keys and starting unpacking in the rooms. The building I live in, the Metrogate House, is on a very nice street in Kensington. It is a very rich, affluent neighborhood- a lot of Jaguars, Porsches and other nice cars. This isn't typical of a lot of London but the area is very nice. The house itself has a variety of different rooms including singles, doubles, triples and even 4 person rooms. I live in a suite-style room. Once you walk in the door, there is a bathroom on the right, a bedroom right in front of you, a closet to the left, and a door leading to another bedroom on the left. Both bedrooms are doubles, and I live in the one on the left. I'm rooming with my friend Catey, and my 'suitemates' are Kelsey and Amy. I've had classes with both of them, and all three are really nice. I think we got pretty lucky with our room styles/locations too. We only have to go up one flight of steps (we're on the 1st floor but it's really on the second level), and our windows look out at the street, Queens Gate Terrace, which is a nice view. Some of the other rooms in the building have a view of the back of buildings and the views aren't as attractive. Also, other rooms have bunked beds and are a little smaller. I even have more room than I did in Crossings, including closet space! I was able to fit all of my clothes in there. There are two beds, two nightstands, two closets, and a mini-fridge in our room. I even have milk, orange juice and some snacks now- we went to a grocery store called Sainsbury's last night.
Yesterday after we got here several of us just passed out on the beds and left everything packed on the floor. After an hour or so of sleeping, I started unpacking and organizing everything. At 6 pm we went on a walking tour of Kensington led by one of the Residential Life Supervisors (RLS) and we found out where the local places are including Imperial College (we have a student card there to use the Imperial College Union facilities), Boots Pharmacy, Barclay's (bank) and other local restaurants and stores. The rest of the night was ours, and I went with 5 other girls to an indian restaurant for dinner. My first time using pounds and pence! European currency is a little confusing to use so far but I think I'm getting the hang of it. After dinner, we went to the grocery store and then my friends and I stayed in for the night, although some of the other kids went out to a bar nearby.
Today we had a Student Life and Academic orientation this morning in a lecture hall at the neighboring Imperial college with other universtities. Each university has a custom-made study abroad program. Some schools are only doing internships, some have classes and internships and then Drexel only has classes. I think we also have one of the shorter programs because the other schools are on the semester system and go til mid-December. After orientation, I went to get pizza down the block from our residence. I forgot the name of the place but it used to be Princess Diana's favorite pizza place apparently. Then we ventured over to Hyde Park which is BEAUTIFUL! It's a little like Central Park in NYC but it is much more open and just lovely. Kensington Palace and gardens are located in Hyde Park too and we walked around the exterior but didn't go inside to tour around today. We sat down on some steps in front of the opera house for a while and then I went with two girls to the bank, phamacy and grocery store to get some extra food for dinner. Things are rather expensive here so I've been trying not to spend too much money on food and other things so far.
Tonight we are planning on going out to Piccadilly Circus which apparently has a lot of bars, clubs and pubs. My first time being able to order a drink here (since the drinking age is only 18 and if you are taller than the bar counter you are basically served)! I'm looking forward to going out and hopefully meeting some british college-age students!
I've been trying to post pictures on here but the internet connection is really slow so i'll try to put them up as soon as I can! Cheers!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
See ya USA!
In 10 hours I will be on a plane!! I've been thinking and planning about today for months now and it is finally here. I don't think it will actually hit me that I am leaving though until I get on the plane..or until I actually get there. I finished the last of my 4 finals yesterday morning which was a huge relief! (Yesterday was the first day of finals for all of the other Drexel kids, but I started taking mine last Friday to get them all finished.) I left Drexel last night around 11 pm after spending a great day with Mike for his birthday and then we got back home around 1 am this morning. Ever since waking up around 9:30, we have been making copies of important documents, getting my clothes, toiletries and electronics together, and making sure I understand how my phone plan, currency, etc works over there. There is so much to remember and I keep running across things around the house that I need so I hope I don't forget anything really important!
My plane leaves from Newark Airport tonight out of Terminal C at 10:10 pm. My parents and I are going to leave home around 5 pm to get there by 6. My sister Lindsay is going to take the train to the airport from Stevens in Hoboken and meet us there, and then I have about an hour to spend with them before I head through security and join the other Drexel students who are studying abroad too. I used to really enjoy flying, but the last few times I have been on a plane, I've been really nervous and uncomfortable. I've decided I am a land person, and I'm looking forward to being back on land after a 7-7.5 hour flight over the Atlantic ocean. We're arriving around 10 something in the morning- their time. I will be 5 hours ahead over in London so it's going to really mess me up the first few days. I have a feeling I'll be getting terrible jet lag. I hope I can sleep on the plane for at least a few hours! My first red eye flight.
I sent out my address to a couple people already but just in case you didn't get it or find it more convenient to just look on here, here is my London address for the next 3 months:
Jennifer Crossan (Drexel University)
c/o Metrogate
3-7 Queen's Gate Terrace
London SW7 5 PE
United Kingdom
Feel free to send me letters while I am there! I'm going to do my best to send plenty of postcards from the UK and wherever else I travel to! The best way to contact me will be on skype, facebook or email. My email address is still jlc88@drexel.edu, and once I remember my skype username I'll post that on the blog. I will have an international cell phone but I won't be using it a lot since it is more expensive, and it will either cost me a lot or cost you a lot.
I'm going to try and keep this blog up almost every day so I hope you guys enjoy reading it and please keep in touch! :-) Talk to you all soon from London!
My plane leaves from Newark Airport tonight out of Terminal C at 10:10 pm. My parents and I are going to leave home around 5 pm to get there by 6. My sister Lindsay is going to take the train to the airport from Stevens in Hoboken and meet us there, and then I have about an hour to spend with them before I head through security and join the other Drexel students who are studying abroad too. I used to really enjoy flying, but the last few times I have been on a plane, I've been really nervous and uncomfortable. I've decided I am a land person, and I'm looking forward to being back on land after a 7-7.5 hour flight over the Atlantic ocean. We're arriving around 10 something in the morning- their time. I will be 5 hours ahead over in London so it's going to really mess me up the first few days. I have a feeling I'll be getting terrible jet lag. I hope I can sleep on the plane for at least a few hours! My first red eye flight.
I sent out my address to a couple people already but just in case you didn't get it or find it more convenient to just look on here, here is my London address for the next 3 months:
Jennifer Crossan (Drexel University)
c/o Metrogate
3-7 Queen's Gate Terrace
London SW7 5 PE
United Kingdom
Feel free to send me letters while I am there! I'm going to do my best to send plenty of postcards from the UK and wherever else I travel to! The best way to contact me will be on skype, facebook or email. My email address is still jlc88@drexel.edu, and once I remember my skype username I'll post that on the blog. I will have an international cell phone but I won't be using it a lot since it is more expensive, and it will either cost me a lot or cost you a lot.
I'm going to try and keep this blog up almost every day so I hope you guys enjoy reading it and please keep in touch! :-) Talk to you all soon from London!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
