Hey all! Not much to write about today. Here was my day in a nutshell:
1) Slept in lateish (for me at least) and woke up at 10.
2) Changed out of PJs into sweats.
3) Read Little Eyolf, the next play for theater class.
4) Ate a random lunch in courses.
5) ART JOURNAL. (for hours)
6) Make quesadillas and corn with Kinsey. They were huge and delicious.
7) ART JOURNAL.
8) Art reading.
9) Chocolate cake that Kinsey and I bought for dessert.
10) Skype date with Stacey and Caroline!!!!!!! Definitely the highlight of my day. I miss them and everyone back home SO MUCH.
That's about all. Tomorrow I'm off to Stratford upon Avon with Kinsey and Kaitlin. I'm ready for some Shakespeare!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
My Day of Fun Mistakes
So I woke up this morning and made a little plan for myself. Everyone had their own plans, so I created a day for myself! This was my original itinerary: Victoria & Albert Museum, Lillywhite's in Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden market. I did 2 of the 3 and added a park to the mix. Let me tell you all about it!
I left here around 11 to head off to the museum. I ended up getting off at a tube stop that wasn't ideal for where I needed to go. Luckily, it was no big deal and I'm so glad I stayed in my train car. Why, you ask? Because this hilarious man came into the car and started singing and playing a little guitar. He said "Good morning everyone! Happy Friday! I'm going to start singing...join in if you know the words." He starts singing all these songs and no one sang along, but everyone was silently grinning. It was a great way to start my morning! So tube mix up: fun mistake #1.
After getting off the tube, I ventured to the Victoria and Albert museum. The building itself was absolutely gorgeous and huge! There were multiple floors and so many exhibits that I did not get through nearly as much as I had wanted. My favorite exhibits were ones on fashion and jewelry (I'm such a girl). At the jewelry (or jewellery, as they spell it here) one, I watched a video on how you make a diamond ring - it was so cool! At the fashion exhibit, I saw a dress made entirely of bras. It made me laugh. Funny story about the exhibits, though: I saw this dress that I really, really liked and wanted to see. I thought, though, that it was in this exhibit called Magnificence of the Tsars, which you had to pay for. I thought, why not? and went to pay the small fee for the exhibit. I go through, look at a lot of cool stuff, and come to the end of the exhibit - without finding that darn dress. Then I intelligently realized that the dress was in a whole separate exhibit that I didn't have to pay for. I felt so smart. However, fun mistake #2 was paying for the Tsars exhibit because it was really cool and had lots of old, beautifully decorated clothes from the tsars in Russia. I also saw some paintings (by some of the artists I had really enjoyed seeing from art class!), photographs, sculpture, and cultural artwork from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. I felt quite cultural in the museum - I was proud of myself.
After the V&A museum, my next destination was Lillywhite's in Piccadilly Circus. Lillywhite's is a huge sporting goods store that sells all kinds of jerseys, equipment, and clothes. It was kind of cool, but a bit packed. I made a beeline for the jerseys to see if I could find something for Niko. Am I a nice sister or what? I purchased something but my lack of football experience made it difficult to know if I bought the right thing. Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see!
After Lillywhite's, I was hungry so I ventured around to find a place for lunch. If I'm being honest, I was specifically looking for McDonald's because I wanted a fountain Diet Coke. I could not find one! I ended up going to Starbucks and getting a drink and a muffin. By this point, I had wandered to Green Park (by accident: fun mistake #3) and decided I wanted to eat my lunch in the park. It was sunny and there were blue skies, so I listened to my iPod, watched pigeons, and ate my treats. How wonderful!
I forgot to mention my day of wandering in Piccadilly. I stopped in Waterstone's Bookstore and bought He's Just Not that Into You for 4 pounds. I also bought a card in a cute little gift shop. In addition, I stopped into a little Piccadilly market. It was super cute, though nothing jumped out at me. It was fun just wandering without a purpose.
Ok, so after Piccadilly and the park, I decided not to go to Covent Garden because I was tired. I headed back to the flats, bought some postcard stamps along the way, and mailed some postcards. Now, I'm sitting here unwinding and writing my blog. I'm not sure what tonight will bring. Maybe more fun mistakes?
I left here around 11 to head off to the museum. I ended up getting off at a tube stop that wasn't ideal for where I needed to go. Luckily, it was no big deal and I'm so glad I stayed in my train car. Why, you ask? Because this hilarious man came into the car and started singing and playing a little guitar. He said "Good morning everyone! Happy Friday! I'm going to start singing...join in if you know the words." He starts singing all these songs and no one sang along, but everyone was silently grinning. It was a great way to start my morning! So tube mix up: fun mistake #1.
After getting off the tube, I ventured to the Victoria and Albert museum. The building itself was absolutely gorgeous and huge! There were multiple floors and so many exhibits that I did not get through nearly as much as I had wanted. My favorite exhibits were ones on fashion and jewelry (I'm such a girl). At the jewelry (or jewellery, as they spell it here) one, I watched a video on how you make a diamond ring - it was so cool! At the fashion exhibit, I saw a dress made entirely of bras. It made me laugh. Funny story about the exhibits, though: I saw this dress that I really, really liked and wanted to see. I thought, though, that it was in this exhibit called Magnificence of the Tsars, which you had to pay for. I thought, why not? and went to pay the small fee for the exhibit. I go through, look at a lot of cool stuff, and come to the end of the exhibit - without finding that darn dress. Then I intelligently realized that the dress was in a whole separate exhibit that I didn't have to pay for. I felt so smart. However, fun mistake #2 was paying for the Tsars exhibit because it was really cool and had lots of old, beautifully decorated clothes from the tsars in Russia. I also saw some paintings (by some of the artists I had really enjoyed seeing from art class!), photographs, sculpture, and cultural artwork from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. I felt quite cultural in the museum - I was proud of myself.
After the V&A museum, my next destination was Lillywhite's in Piccadilly Circus. Lillywhite's is a huge sporting goods store that sells all kinds of jerseys, equipment, and clothes. It was kind of cool, but a bit packed. I made a beeline for the jerseys to see if I could find something for Niko. Am I a nice sister or what? I purchased something but my lack of football experience made it difficult to know if I bought the right thing. Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see!
After Lillywhite's, I was hungry so I ventured around to find a place for lunch. If I'm being honest, I was specifically looking for McDonald's because I wanted a fountain Diet Coke. I could not find one! I ended up going to Starbucks and getting a drink and a muffin. By this point, I had wandered to Green Park (by accident: fun mistake #3) and decided I wanted to eat my lunch in the park. It was sunny and there were blue skies, so I listened to my iPod, watched pigeons, and ate my treats. How wonderful!
I forgot to mention my day of wandering in Piccadilly. I stopped in Waterstone's Bookstore and bought He's Just Not that Into You for 4 pounds. I also bought a card in a cute little gift shop. In addition, I stopped into a little Piccadilly market. It was super cute, though nothing jumped out at me. It was fun just wandering without a purpose.
Ok, so after Piccadilly and the park, I decided not to go to Covent Garden because I was tired. I headed back to the flats, bought some postcard stamps along the way, and mailed some postcards. Now, I'm sitting here unwinding and writing my blog. I'm not sure what tonight will bring. Maybe more fun mistakes?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Children's Museum
Nothing too interesting to share today. This morning, I did lots of school work. I worked on my art journal and my sociology journal. Seriously, I thought I was done with journals, but no! They haunt me!
After journaling, I had to head to school for Sociology. Today we were supposed to have a 4 hour class because we were going on a field trip. We traveled out to Hackney to look for communities and diversity. Our first stop was The Children's Museum. Oh man, I was in love! The museum was great. There were all kinds of toys dating from the 1800's until present. There were puppets, dollhouses, clothes, dolls, games, and so much other stuff. I loved the dollhouses and this thing called the Children's Cube (I think that was the name). It was this 6 by 6 by 6 foot cube that had little compartments with neon lights and colorful objects. It was so cool! We also found this thing called The Singing Playground. It was this huge painting with kids from all over the world with lyrics of different playground songs. There were all kinds of jumprope chants and clapping games. The cool part was that there was a computer that could sing the songs for you in different languages. All in all, the museum was so cool and all of us college students really enjoyed it.
The next museum we went to was the Hackney Museum. It wasn't nearly as cool as the first museum, but it was nicely organized and had lots of good information. The museum told the story of Hackney residents and all kinds of groups and communities in it.
After the museum, our professor wanted to show us a nice little pub in the area. She offered to buy us drinks (non-alcoholic, of course) and ended up getting us little pastries. It was quite nice of her, though a bit awkward.
We took the tube back home and I've eaten dinner, called Dad and Niko, and done more homework ever since. Tomorrow starts my weekend - yay!
After journaling, I had to head to school for Sociology. Today we were supposed to have a 4 hour class because we were going on a field trip. We traveled out to Hackney to look for communities and diversity. Our first stop was The Children's Museum. Oh man, I was in love! The museum was great. There were all kinds of toys dating from the 1800's until present. There were puppets, dollhouses, clothes, dolls, games, and so much other stuff. I loved the dollhouses and this thing called the Children's Cube (I think that was the name). It was this 6 by 6 by 6 foot cube that had little compartments with neon lights and colorful objects. It was so cool! We also found this thing called The Singing Playground. It was this huge painting with kids from all over the world with lyrics of different playground songs. There were all kinds of jumprope chants and clapping games. The cool part was that there was a computer that could sing the songs for you in different languages. All in all, the museum was so cool and all of us college students really enjoyed it.
The next museum we went to was the Hackney Museum. It wasn't nearly as cool as the first museum, but it was nicely organized and had lots of good information. The museum told the story of Hackney residents and all kinds of groups and communities in it.
After the museum, our professor wanted to show us a nice little pub in the area. She offered to buy us drinks (non-alcoholic, of course) and ended up getting us little pastries. It was quite nice of her, though a bit awkward.
We took the tube back home and I've eaten dinner, called Dad and Niko, and done more homework ever since. Tomorrow starts my weekend - yay!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Real Men!
Hey all!
Today was a pretty fun day. This morning, I did some work and such before heading off to art class. Art today was held at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. It was an old hydraulic plant converted into a modern art gallery. It was also incredibly, incredibly cool! I'll have to upload some pictures soon so you all can see how awesome it was. We saw some outdoor exhibits, came inside to talk a little, and then the owner of the gallery came over and gave us free booklets of pictures. The pictures are very modern and fun. There was one main exhibit going on called Turning the Season, which had to do with the social events that richer English citizens attend in the Spring and Summer seasons. One room had a lot of animal skills made of clay in a repititious pattern with leaves on the floor and one single spotlight on them all. The other room told a story of Alice and Alex through huge, gorgeous photographs. There were beach chairs and astroturf grass to make it seem like the outdoors. It was just ridiculously cool all together.
After art, we came back to the flat for dinner. Kinsey and I ate a huge spaghetti dinner, which we nicely cooked for ourselves. We decided to be "real men" and put some beef in our sauce. Oh my, was that ever the adventure! It was a fun cooking experience and dinner was delicious, if I do say so myself.
After dinner, we had to head out to another play for theatre class. It was called Every Boy Deserves Favour and it was a very interesting play. It was only an hour and it was funny, melancholy, uplifting, and disheartening at the same time. A whole orchestra played on stage, which was awesome. In one scene, people were throwing chairs and instruments and their bodies all over the stage. It was intense! The coolest part of the play, though, was the fact that Alan Rickman (aka Snape from the Harry Potter movies) was in the audience! A couple people from our Elon group met him, but apparently he wasn't very nice. I stood a few feet away from him, but that's about all. It was fun being that close to a celebrity though! Ah!
Other than that, I also found out that I got accepted to be an OL again this summer. Yay!! I am super excited that a bunch of my friends were also accepted. It will be great!
I'm really tired after such a packed day, so I am going to do a bit of work and head off to bed. I'll talk to you guys soon =)
Today was a pretty fun day. This morning, I did some work and such before heading off to art class. Art today was held at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. It was an old hydraulic plant converted into a modern art gallery. It was also incredibly, incredibly cool! I'll have to upload some pictures soon so you all can see how awesome it was. We saw some outdoor exhibits, came inside to talk a little, and then the owner of the gallery came over and gave us free booklets of pictures. The pictures are very modern and fun. There was one main exhibit going on called Turning the Season, which had to do with the social events that richer English citizens attend in the Spring and Summer seasons. One room had a lot of animal skills made of clay in a repititious pattern with leaves on the floor and one single spotlight on them all. The other room told a story of Alice and Alex through huge, gorgeous photographs. There were beach chairs and astroturf grass to make it seem like the outdoors. It was just ridiculously cool all together.
After art, we came back to the flat for dinner. Kinsey and I ate a huge spaghetti dinner, which we nicely cooked for ourselves. We decided to be "real men" and put some beef in our sauce. Oh my, was that ever the adventure! It was a fun cooking experience and dinner was delicious, if I do say so myself.
After dinner, we had to head out to another play for theatre class. It was called Every Boy Deserves Favour and it was a very interesting play. It was only an hour and it was funny, melancholy, uplifting, and disheartening at the same time. A whole orchestra played on stage, which was awesome. In one scene, people were throwing chairs and instruments and their bodies all over the stage. It was intense! The coolest part of the play, though, was the fact that Alan Rickman (aka Snape from the Harry Potter movies) was in the audience! A couple people from our Elon group met him, but apparently he wasn't very nice. I stood a few feet away from him, but that's about all. It was fun being that close to a celebrity though! Ah!
Other than that, I also found out that I got accepted to be an OL again this summer. Yay!! I am super excited that a bunch of my friends were also accepted. It will be great!
I'm really tired after such a packed day, so I am going to do a bit of work and head off to bed. I'll talk to you guys soon =)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Just an Ordinary Day
Correction: substitute teachers over here are called supply teachers, not spare teachers. That was a mistake in my last post!
Today I woke up early to do some homework. After that, I left for Theatre class a little after 12. Rebecca and I led a discussion on Twelfth Night in our class and I think it went well. We asked a lot of questions and got lots of good responses in return. I was pleased!
After class, Sam and I went to Starbucks and I got a chocolate creme (aka a chocolate frappacino, but more creamy). Yum! I needed it to keep me awake during Sociology. Sociology was ok, like usual. We had a heated class discussion, which was funny because it was on a fictitious topic and not really so serious. The rest of the class was not super interesting.
After class, we headed back to the flat where I have been chatting with my flatmates and watching as they make pancakes for Pancake Tuesday. They are all very excited to be eating breakfast for dinner. Tonight, I'm going to do some work and get some sleep. That's all! I hope everyone is having a good day =)
Today I woke up early to do some homework. After that, I left for Theatre class a little after 12. Rebecca and I led a discussion on Twelfth Night in our class and I think it went well. We asked a lot of questions and got lots of good responses in return. I was pleased!
After class, Sam and I went to Starbucks and I got a chocolate creme (aka a chocolate frappacino, but more creamy). Yum! I needed it to keep me awake during Sociology. Sociology was ok, like usual. We had a heated class discussion, which was funny because it was on a fictitious topic and not really so serious. The rest of the class was not super interesting.
After class, we headed back to the flat where I have been chatting with my flatmates and watching as they make pancakes for Pancake Tuesday. They are all very excited to be eating breakfast for dinner. Tonight, I'm going to do some work and get some sleep. That's all! I hope everyone is having a good day =)
Monday, February 23, 2009
My First Day of School
I officially had my first day of school today and it was fabulous! Jordan, Stephenie, and I took the bus to our school, Wilberforce Primary School, and got there about 8:30. We checked in, met some administration, and got our placements. I was placed in a 5th year classroom with a teacher named Emily (teachers are called by their first names). She seems very nice and her class seems to like her a lot.
The day started with an assembly for the entire school. The headteacher (principal), Angela, conducted the assembly. She did some recognition for students and made a point to mention the new American visitors to the school. All day long I felt like such a celebrity because all the kids would look at me, smile, or ask if we were from America. It was so cool!
The absolute coolest part of my day, though, was the fact that the day was so irregular. The kids are learning Shakespeare, specifically The Tempest. They are going to perform a slightly altered version in a few weeks. I found this incredibly wonderful because I studied that same play just a month ago in my Shakespeare class! The drama teacher also found this cool and made a point to share the fact with the class. All day long I got to sing with the students and act with them, too.
All in all, I mostly observed but what I saw was great. I think one of my favorite parts was that the children all do this call and response at the school. The teacher goes "Good morning/afternoon, students" and they respond "Good morning, Emily. Good morning, everyone." I was so excited when Emily put my name in the call and response. I felt so special =) I also loved at the end of the day when this girl asked me about a million questions about the solar system. I couldn't answer everything perfectly, but I tried my best.
Side note: my class is incredibly, incredibly diverse. The school itself has a huge majority of students who speak Arabic and come from many Middle Eastern countries. It is so cool! I love being among diverse students, again. It is so neat learning all their histories.
Other side note: the singer, Seal's, brother used to go to Wilberforce! One of the substitute teachers (called a spare teacher here) said he knew him and was once invited to a party hosted by Heidi Klum. How fun!
Ah, today was just a wonderful day! I'm sure I missed a bunch of stuff. I also know this entry is jumbled, so I will do a brief re-cap: I had a wonderful day with my new 5th year students at Wilberforce Primary School. The students were diverse and creative and we got to do Shakespeare! I can't wait to go back next week!
The day started with an assembly for the entire school. The headteacher (principal), Angela, conducted the assembly. She did some recognition for students and made a point to mention the new American visitors to the school. All day long I felt like such a celebrity because all the kids would look at me, smile, or ask if we were from America. It was so cool!
The absolute coolest part of my day, though, was the fact that the day was so irregular. The kids are learning Shakespeare, specifically The Tempest. They are going to perform a slightly altered version in a few weeks. I found this incredibly wonderful because I studied that same play just a month ago in my Shakespeare class! The drama teacher also found this cool and made a point to share the fact with the class. All day long I got to sing with the students and act with them, too.
All in all, I mostly observed but what I saw was great. I think one of my favorite parts was that the children all do this call and response at the school. The teacher goes "Good morning/afternoon, students" and they respond "Good morning, Emily. Good morning, everyone." I was so excited when Emily put my name in the call and response. I felt so special =) I also loved at the end of the day when this girl asked me about a million questions about the solar system. I couldn't answer everything perfectly, but I tried my best.
Side note: my class is incredibly, incredibly diverse. The school itself has a huge majority of students who speak Arabic and come from many Middle Eastern countries. It is so cool! I love being among diverse students, again. It is so neat learning all their histories.
Other side note: the singer, Seal's, brother used to go to Wilberforce! One of the substitute teachers (called a spare teacher here) said he knew him and was once invited to a party hosted by Heidi Klum. How fun!
Ah, today was just a wonderful day! I'm sure I missed a bunch of stuff. I also know this entry is jumbled, so I will do a brief re-cap: I had a wonderful day with my new 5th year students at Wilberforce Primary School. The students were diverse and creative and we got to do Shakespeare! I can't wait to go back next week!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Ooh!
I wasn't planning on doing much besides my art journal today, but when Kaitlin and Megan thought to do a little Harry Potter tour around London, I was in! We left at about 1:30 and headed first to Kings Cross Station. Since they were doing construction on many parts of the train station, they had relocated platform 9 and 3/4. We found it, though, and took a few pictures in front of it. Unfortunately, most came out blurry, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. I only wish Ron Weasley had been there to show us how to properly push the cart through the wall. Maybe next time...
After Kings Cross, we got on the tube and headed to Leadenhall Market. It is an adorably cute and very decorated little collection of stores. In the HP films, it was where they filmed parts for Diagon Alley. So cool! We took more photos and then ventured off to our final destination, Australia House (or the Australian Embassy). Some parts of Gringotts Bank were shot for the film here. It was also really, really neat!
After our mini-HP tour, we took a bus and headed to Oxford Street so Megan could get some earphones for her iPod. We passed a little stand on the way back that sold pashmina scarves (2 for 5 pounds). Kaitlin and I treated ourselves to a couple. Mine were red and a blue/gold/green thing that probably won't match anything. I love them! After that, we took the tube back to our flats. I've been homeworking and eating dinner ever since and I hope to talk to some of my amigas in America at some point today. Tomorrow we all start practicum at our schools. Yay!! I'll definitely keep you posted.
After Kings Cross, we got on the tube and headed to Leadenhall Market. It is an adorably cute and very decorated little collection of stores. In the HP films, it was where they filmed parts for Diagon Alley. So cool! We took more photos and then ventured off to our final destination, Australia House (or the Australian Embassy). Some parts of Gringotts Bank were shot for the film here. It was also really, really neat!
After our mini-HP tour, we took a bus and headed to Oxford Street so Megan could get some earphones for her iPod. We passed a little stand on the way back that sold pashmina scarves (2 for 5 pounds). Kaitlin and I treated ourselves to a couple. Mine were red and a blue/gold/green thing that probably won't match anything. I love them! After that, we took the tube back to our flats. I've been homeworking and eating dinner ever since and I hope to talk to some of my amigas in America at some point today. Tomorrow we all start practicum at our schools. Yay!! I'll definitely keep you posted.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A Day to Myself
After the glory that was yesterday's blog post, I am sorry to leave you all with a lackluster entry today. I didn't do all too much today, but I will tell you about it nonetheless.
First, I woke up and went with some of my flatmates to try to get tickets for Wicked. We got in line at about 9:40 and got to the ticket counter at about 10:30. There was only was student ticket left at a decent price. Therefore, we made the decision not to go to Wicked for tonight. Kind of sad, but I'm sure we will be back. After that, the group went separate ways. Jordan and I went to investigate other theatre tickets at a little office near Trafalgar Square and then headed back to the flat.
After making some lunch, I did some laundry. Laundry in these flats is an experience in and of itself. The machine sounds like a rocketship and you get worried that all the dishes on the counter above the washing machine will break. Oh man..it is fun stuff. Luckily, my clothes washed and I currently have them hung all over the room (sorry Kinsey and Amanda!).
After laundry, I wandered to find a post office box and take a quick walk along the canal. It was a beautiful day and, if I hadn't been so tired, I would have walked for longer. I came back, hung out with Amanda and Daniel (who is visiting from Madrid this weekend), and accidentally fell asleep. It was nice to take a nap!
I woke up, cooked myself a wrap and corn for dinner, and have been chatting and computering ever since. We are going to take it easy and watch a movie in a bit, which will be fun. (For the record, we never ended up watching Hairspray the other day. Maybe tonight?) I hope you all are enjoying your weekends, too!
First, I woke up and went with some of my flatmates to try to get tickets for Wicked. We got in line at about 9:40 and got to the ticket counter at about 10:30. There was only was student ticket left at a decent price. Therefore, we made the decision not to go to Wicked for tonight. Kind of sad, but I'm sure we will be back. After that, the group went separate ways. Jordan and I went to investigate other theatre tickets at a little office near Trafalgar Square and then headed back to the flat.
After making some lunch, I did some laundry. Laundry in these flats is an experience in and of itself. The machine sounds like a rocketship and you get worried that all the dishes on the counter above the washing machine will break. Oh man..it is fun stuff. Luckily, my clothes washed and I currently have them hung all over the room (sorry Kinsey and Amanda!).
After laundry, I wandered to find a post office box and take a quick walk along the canal. It was a beautiful day and, if I hadn't been so tired, I would have walked for longer. I came back, hung out with Amanda and Daniel (who is visiting from Madrid this weekend), and accidentally fell asleep. It was nice to take a nap!
I woke up, cooked myself a wrap and corn for dinner, and have been chatting and computering ever since. We are going to take it easy and watch a movie in a bit, which will be fun. (For the record, we never ended up watching Hairspray the other day. Maybe tonight?) I hope you all are enjoying your weekends, too!
Friday, February 20, 2009
My day as a 7-year-old
I had a hard time titling this blog because so many good titles came to mind. "My day as a 7-year-old" beat out "Let me Brighton your day!", which I deemed a little corny. Anyways, today I had a fabulous day! Rebecca and I spent the day in Brighton and had an absolutely wonderful day. Be prepared for a long post - it was such a long, fun day.
So Rebecca and I woke up fairly early this morning. We left our flats at 7:00 to get to the bus station at 8:00. We boarded our bus and got to Brighton in just two hours or so. The ride was nothing and it was fun seeing the outskirts of London.
Once we got there, we spent a bit of time exploring. We first walked to the Brighton Pier. It was still early, so many places were closed and there weren't many people yet. We saw lots of cute rides and fun places to get carnival-type food. After that, we walked alongside the beach and saw some shops and art galleries. We also saw lots of awesome restaurants (many of which served mashed peas. We did not try them - they look like guacamole, but worse.)
After our mini exploration, we walked in the direction of the Royal Pavilion. There was an art gallery attached to the pavilion, which we went into first. There was a lot of modern art, clothing/image exhibits, and an awesome comparison exhibit which was my favorite part. This exhibit hung two portraits together that shared a common theme or element. It was really cool to see how creative the museum was in their pairings and whatnot. After the art, we went to see the Royal Pavilion. (We got a great deal and got a joint ticket to the pavilion and sea life center - yay us!) The pavilion was build for George IV in the 1800s. It was the most amazing building I have ever seen! Unfortunately, I could not take pictures on the inside, but I wish you could have seen the interior. It was extremely lavish and there was so much decoration and plushness. I don't even know how to describe it - I was simply awe-struck.
After the pavilion, Rebecca and I decided to go get lunch. We, being such indecisive people, had a hard time picking which of the 5000 restaurants to eat at! We ended up at a place called Opposition and had a very cheap, but tasty, lunch. It was quite an interesting experience, seeing as the people kept forgetting about us and our waitress barely spoke English and had a hard time understanding our order. It was really amusing, but we loved our pizzas, so it was all good.
Next, we decided to venture back to the sea life center. We had an absolute blast there! We, first, saw a million little kids. They were too, too cute! Second, we got to see so many different species of cute fish and turtles. I think my favorites were the huge sea turtles, who were rescued. I also liked the Amazonian exhibit, which was creative and well-planned. My favorite part in general was touching a sea anenome. Rebecca and I had a really stupid moment when we forget what the sea anenomes were called and had to ask. We felt so dumb after he told us and laughed at us a bit. All in all, the sea life center was so great and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!
After that, we decided to venture down little side streets and do some shopping and looking. We found another Octopus store! It is by far my favorite in England - and luckily there are shops in London, too!! Rebecca bought some fudge and we both bought some tupperware containers and household items at the 99 pence store. We walked into a store that sold expensive chocolate - cakes cost 2000 pounds! It was fun just window shopping and getting "lost" along side streets. it was really great.
After a while, we decided to walk back towards the water and walk along the pebble beach. It was fun attempting to take pictures (when you only have two people, it is difficult to do such things) and pick out our souvenir pebbles. I have one that I hope to paint into a ladybug or something.
We ended our night by going back to the pier, which was all lit up for nighttime. We got ourselves a healthy dinner of chips (fries), fountain Diet Coke, and ice cream. We ate on the pier and did some people watching. It was great!
After that, we only had about an hour to wander around before the coach came to take us back to London. We walked off some of our carbs and just talked some more. Eventually, we made it back to the coach and had a hilarious driver. He was one of the highlights of my night!
Now I'm back and blogging about my awesome day as a 7-year-old. Ice cream, piers, arcades, and the beach - what could be better? I can't wait to go back when it's warmer and actually enjoy the beach!
So Rebecca and I woke up fairly early this morning. We left our flats at 7:00 to get to the bus station at 8:00. We boarded our bus and got to Brighton in just two hours or so. The ride was nothing and it was fun seeing the outskirts of London.
Once we got there, we spent a bit of time exploring. We first walked to the Brighton Pier. It was still early, so many places were closed and there weren't many people yet. We saw lots of cute rides and fun places to get carnival-type food. After that, we walked alongside the beach and saw some shops and art galleries. We also saw lots of awesome restaurants (many of which served mashed peas. We did not try them - they look like guacamole, but worse.)
After our mini exploration, we walked in the direction of the Royal Pavilion. There was an art gallery attached to the pavilion, which we went into first. There was a lot of modern art, clothing/image exhibits, and an awesome comparison exhibit which was my favorite part. This exhibit hung two portraits together that shared a common theme or element. It was really cool to see how creative the museum was in their pairings and whatnot. After the art, we went to see the Royal Pavilion. (We got a great deal and got a joint ticket to the pavilion and sea life center - yay us!) The pavilion was build for George IV in the 1800s. It was the most amazing building I have ever seen! Unfortunately, I could not take pictures on the inside, but I wish you could have seen the interior. It was extremely lavish and there was so much decoration and plushness. I don't even know how to describe it - I was simply awe-struck.
After the pavilion, Rebecca and I decided to go get lunch. We, being such indecisive people, had a hard time picking which of the 5000 restaurants to eat at! We ended up at a place called Opposition and had a very cheap, but tasty, lunch. It was quite an interesting experience, seeing as the people kept forgetting about us and our waitress barely spoke English and had a hard time understanding our order. It was really amusing, but we loved our pizzas, so it was all good.
Next, we decided to venture back to the sea life center. We had an absolute blast there! We, first, saw a million little kids. They were too, too cute! Second, we got to see so many different species of cute fish and turtles. I think my favorites were the huge sea turtles, who were rescued. I also liked the Amazonian exhibit, which was creative and well-planned. My favorite part in general was touching a sea anenome. Rebecca and I had a really stupid moment when we forget what the sea anenomes were called and had to ask. We felt so dumb after he told us and laughed at us a bit. All in all, the sea life center was so great and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!
After that, we decided to venture down little side streets and do some shopping and looking. We found another Octopus store! It is by far my favorite in England - and luckily there are shops in London, too!! Rebecca bought some fudge and we both bought some tupperware containers and household items at the 99 pence store. We walked into a store that sold expensive chocolate - cakes cost 2000 pounds! It was fun just window shopping and getting "lost" along side streets. it was really great.
After a while, we decided to walk back towards the water and walk along the pebble beach. It was fun attempting to take pictures (when you only have two people, it is difficult to do such things) and pick out our souvenir pebbles. I have one that I hope to paint into a ladybug or something.
We ended our night by going back to the pier, which was all lit up for nighttime. We got ourselves a healthy dinner of chips (fries), fountain Diet Coke, and ice cream. We ate on the pier and did some people watching. It was great!
After that, we only had about an hour to wander around before the coach came to take us back to London. We walked off some of our carbs and just talked some more. Eventually, we made it back to the coach and had a hilarious driver. He was one of the highlights of my night!
Now I'm back and blogging about my awesome day as a 7-year-old. Ice cream, piers, arcades, and the beach - what could be better? I can't wait to go back when it's warmer and actually enjoy the beach!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
I saw my school!!
Hello, hello!
Today was a good day. I started my four day weekend today, so that was nice in itself. I woke up and did some reading. I also listened to this song called "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy. You all should YouTube it. Warwick Avenue is the tube stop closest to my flat - we use it everyday! I thought it was so cool that there is a song about it. Plus the song is nice too! Then, after lunch and some journaling, I went with Jordan and Stephenie to go see if we could get to our school. It is called Wilberforce and we will spend a full day there on Monday. I'll upload photos of the school soon - it is pretty cute. And fairly close to our flat! It's so exciting to get started =)
After the school visit, Jordan and I decided to go to the school to check for packages and then go to PaperChase. I got my envelope from home - thanks Mom and Dad! It was so fun. PaperChase was also fantastic. Seriously, I could buy out the whole store. It's just amazing.
After PaperChase, I came back to a full flat. I worked more on my sociology journal (I can't escape them!!) and I am still working on them. Ugh. Wish me luck! Tonight I am going to watch Hairspray with my friends (ah!!! Stace, totally thinking of you here) and tomorrow I'm off to Brighton with Rebecca. Should be fun!
Today was a good day. I started my four day weekend today, so that was nice in itself. I woke up and did some reading. I also listened to this song called "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy. You all should YouTube it. Warwick Avenue is the tube stop closest to my flat - we use it everyday! I thought it was so cool that there is a song about it. Plus the song is nice too! Then, after lunch and some journaling, I went with Jordan and Stephenie to go see if we could get to our school. It is called Wilberforce and we will spend a full day there on Monday. I'll upload photos of the school soon - it is pretty cute. And fairly close to our flat! It's so exciting to get started =)
After the school visit, Jordan and I decided to go to the school to check for packages and then go to PaperChase. I got my envelope from home - thanks Mom and Dad! It was so fun. PaperChase was also fantastic. Seriously, I could buy out the whole store. It's just amazing.
After PaperChase, I came back to a full flat. I worked more on my sociology journal (I can't escape them!!) and I am still working on them. Ugh. Wish me luck! Tonight I am going to watch Hairspray with my friends (ah!!! Stace, totally thinking of you here) and tomorrow I'm off to Brighton with Rebecca. Should be fun!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Adventures in Art & American Food
Today was a pretty good, though a bit tiring, day. In the morning, I woke up early to clean a bit and start my art journal. I'm so excited about my art journal! It's red, black, and white themed and fairly organized (if I do say so myself). I've decided to use newspaper print to accent my journal, which I think is fun. I'm a bit behind but I will try to catch up tomorrow.
Anyways, at about 1:00 Kinsey and I left for our art class at the National Gallery. We were supposed to be there at 2:15 and we got there really, really early. Not a problem! We wandered a bit: saw the Texas Embassy, found a really cool travel place that had touristy things and cheap theatre prices, bought postcards, and looked at places that we wanted to get dinner. Then, we ventured on over to the gallery, which was huge...and great! Our class was a bit long and tiring, though really cool. We covered art from the Renaissance to the Impressionists - 500 years. My favorite paintings were the Degas ballerinas and I was most intrigued by this humongous horse. Now, I wish you could all see this horse. It was simply a huge, brown horse on a green background. I couldn't tell you why I was fascinated by it. Maybe because it was taller than me and extremely realistic? Maybe because there was no background or landscape? I have no idea. I just really liked it. (Sorry for writing so much about it...I needed to record it for my own sake.)
After the gallery, a few of us went to get dinner at a place called Little Frankie's. I felt a bit like a cheat, since it served Italian American food, but it was close and looked good. We all treated ourselves to chocolate milkshakes, which were ok. I got a pizza, so I wasn't totally Americanized. All in all, though, we have decided American food in London is not like American food back home. It was a fun experience regardless! After that, we took the tube home and here I am blogging away and thinking about that darn horse. I'll upload a picture below, but you have to trust me when I say it is much more amazing in person.
Anyways, at about 1:00 Kinsey and I left for our art class at the National Gallery. We were supposed to be there at 2:15 and we got there really, really early. Not a problem! We wandered a bit: saw the Texas Embassy, found a really cool travel place that had touristy things and cheap theatre prices, bought postcards, and looked at places that we wanted to get dinner. Then, we ventured on over to the gallery, which was huge...and great! Our class was a bit long and tiring, though really cool. We covered art from the Renaissance to the Impressionists - 500 years. My favorite paintings were the Degas ballerinas and I was most intrigued by this humongous horse. Now, I wish you could all see this horse. It was simply a huge, brown horse on a green background. I couldn't tell you why I was fascinated by it. Maybe because it was taller than me and extremely realistic? Maybe because there was no background or landscape? I have no idea. I just really liked it. (Sorry for writing so much about it...I needed to record it for my own sake.)
After the gallery, a few of us went to get dinner at a place called Little Frankie's. I felt a bit like a cheat, since it served Italian American food, but it was close and looked good. We all treated ourselves to chocolate milkshakes, which were ok. I got a pizza, so I wasn't totally Americanized. All in all, though, we have decided American food in London is not like American food back home. It was a fun experience regardless! After that, we took the tube home and here I am blogging away and thinking about that darn horse. I'll upload a picture below, but you have to trust me when I say it is much more amazing in person.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Twelfth Night
Hey all!
Just a couple things to write about today. First, I woke up this morning to get some work done. I was successful - yay me! Then, I headed off to class. I had theatre first and we had an oral quiz (I got my question right!). We also had a discussion about Spring Awakening, which was really interesting. After theatre, I had a bit of a break and then had Sociology. I enjoy some of the topics in sociology, but it is a very repetitive class. I hope it gets better!
After class, a bunch of us went to dinner and then headed to the Wyndham Theatre for Twelfth Night. It was a wonderful show! The theatre itself was absolutely gorgeous. There were angels and cherubs everywhere and the whole theatre was sea foam green with gold trim. I loved it! Unfortunately, we could not take pictures so I can't show it to you. The actors and actresses in the show were well cast and absolutely hilarious. I'm so glad we got to see it. Rebecca and I get to lead the discussion on it next week. Wish us luck!
That's about it for now. I'm off to do a bit of work before I go to sleep. Have a good night!
Just a couple things to write about today. First, I woke up this morning to get some work done. I was successful - yay me! Then, I headed off to class. I had theatre first and we had an oral quiz (I got my question right!). We also had a discussion about Spring Awakening, which was really interesting. After theatre, I had a bit of a break and then had Sociology. I enjoy some of the topics in sociology, but it is a very repetitive class. I hope it gets better!
After class, a bunch of us went to dinner and then headed to the Wyndham Theatre for Twelfth Night. It was a wonderful show! The theatre itself was absolutely gorgeous. There were angels and cherubs everywhere and the whole theatre was sea foam green with gold trim. I loved it! Unfortunately, we could not take pictures so I can't show it to you. The actors and actresses in the show were well cast and absolutely hilarious. I'm so glad we got to see it. Rebecca and I get to lead the discussion on it next week. Wish us luck!
That's about it for now. I'm off to do a bit of work before I go to sleep. Have a good night!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Nothing Special
Hey, hey, hey!
I haven't updated in while..we haven't done much. I didn't want to worry you all, so I will write just so you know I'm alive and well!
Mainly I've been doing homework and planning for trips and such. I've spent the weekend reading both Spring Awakening and Twelfth Night for Theatre class this week. Both plays are great, but Twelfth Night was a bit of a struggle. I'm excited to see the show tomorrow!
Today, I did more work and grocery shopping. I carried my groceries all the way back to the flats today (which is a longer-ish walk) and some man said, in a very friendly voice, "do you have enough groceries?" and asked if I needed help. I politely declined, but I thought it was sweet. After I got back, I read for Art History and then we had to leave for our Education Seminar. Fun fact: public schools in London are called State Schools and private schools are Public Schools. Cool right? I can't wait to start at my school next week!
Right now, I've just finished up dinner and will start work soon. I hope you all had a great start to your weeks, too! Don't forget to email me with updates and fun stuff =)
I haven't updated in while..we haven't done much. I didn't want to worry you all, so I will write just so you know I'm alive and well!
Mainly I've been doing homework and planning for trips and such. I've spent the weekend reading both Spring Awakening and Twelfth Night for Theatre class this week. Both plays are great, but Twelfth Night was a bit of a struggle. I'm excited to see the show tomorrow!
Today, I did more work and grocery shopping. I carried my groceries all the way back to the flats today (which is a longer-ish walk) and some man said, in a very friendly voice, "do you have enough groceries?" and asked if I needed help. I politely declined, but I thought it was sweet. After I got back, I read for Art History and then we had to leave for our Education Seminar. Fun fact: public schools in London are called State Schools and private schools are Public Schools. Cool right? I can't wait to start at my school next week!
Right now, I've just finished up dinner and will start work soon. I hope you all had a great start to your weeks, too! Don't forget to email me with updates and fun stuff =)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Blood, Gore, Execution, and Jewels
Happy Valentine's Day! I am enjoying the day with my lovely friends =) It was really sweet - one of the boys left our flat flowers, chocolate, wine, and a card this morning before most people woke up. How nice!
This morning, a bunch of us went to see the Tower of London. It was so cool! We bought tickets and got to explore a bunch of stuff in the tower. First, we tagged along to a guided tour with a Beefeater (aka tour guide in Beefeater uniform). Our guy was so funny! I really enjoyed the tour. After the tour, we wandered around to some awesome exhibits. Chelsey and I, as elementary ed majors, really appreciated how kid-friendly and hands-on the exhibits were. I really enjoyed the simulations for jousting and helmets. After that, Chelsey and I went to stand in a really long line to see the Crown Jewels. Luckily, the wait wasn't very long and we got to see videos while we waited. The Crown Jewels were absolutely gorgeous! The security around the jewels is ridiculous and you can't take pictures, which is kind of a bummer. My favorite thing that I saw was a Grand Punch Bowl (for use at formal parties) that could hold 144 bottles of wine!! How ridiculous is that? After the jewels, which were clearly my favorite part of the day, we went around and saw Blood Tower and other towers. We saw instruments of torture and other crazy things. There were also some other really cool exhibits. After that full day of the tower, we were ready to come back - and so we did.
Tonight, the game plan is a night full of chocolate, wine, and movies with friends. It should be fun!
P.S. Last night, the place we went last night was really fun! We danced a bit and just hung out. It'll be fun to do that again, when the place isn't so crowded and they play something different than Techno music.
This morning, a bunch of us went to see the Tower of London. It was so cool! We bought tickets and got to explore a bunch of stuff in the tower. First, we tagged along to a guided tour with a Beefeater (aka tour guide in Beefeater uniform). Our guy was so funny! I really enjoyed the tour. After the tour, we wandered around to some awesome exhibits. Chelsey and I, as elementary ed majors, really appreciated how kid-friendly and hands-on the exhibits were. I really enjoyed the simulations for jousting and helmets. After that, Chelsey and I went to stand in a really long line to see the Crown Jewels. Luckily, the wait wasn't very long and we got to see videos while we waited. The Crown Jewels were absolutely gorgeous! The security around the jewels is ridiculous and you can't take pictures, which is kind of a bummer. My favorite thing that I saw was a Grand Punch Bowl (for use at formal parties) that could hold 144 bottles of wine!! How ridiculous is that? After the jewels, which were clearly my favorite part of the day, we went around and saw Blood Tower and other towers. We saw instruments of torture and other crazy things. There were also some other really cool exhibits. After that full day of the tower, we were ready to come back - and so we did.
Tonight, the game plan is a night full of chocolate, wine, and movies with friends. It should be fun!
P.S. Last night, the place we went last night was really fun! We danced a bit and just hung out. It'll be fun to do that again, when the place isn't so crowded and they play something different than Techno music.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Changing of the Guard
Hello, hello!
Only a bit to write about today. We left the flat this morning at 10 to go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Our tour guide from a couple days ago told us to go to a certain lamp post - and we did! The police were around and we could not stop off the pavement. They were strict! We did not leave the lamp and had the best view of everything! So first, we waited a while and saw hundreds of people come to watch the ceremony. Then, we finally heard some music. A little group of guards playing instruments walked by and they were great. Then, the group of guards followed. Knowing there was more, we waited and saw more musicians and more guards! We also saw the horse guard and two very snazzy carriages. It was so fun! At one point, the band played Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which was awesome. We also enjoyed talking to this policeman who was so friendly! We heard him talking to the people next to us and we laughed. Then, he came to talk to us and asked us lots of questions about the States. He first asked if we were from California, then if we knew how much it cost to live in Miami. Next, we asked him a question about the ceremony and he goes "I don't have any idea. I just get paid to keep people on the sidewalks." Then he talked about the merits of his job versus retail. He was just adorable and hilarious. I think he really liked our group.
After changing of the guard, we all split up. I went with Chelsey and Casey to get lunch and then to Paperchase, which is an amazing arts and crafts store. I was in heaven!! I bought some paper and a notebook for my art class, though I could have purchased the whole store. It was great =)
Since then, I've done some homework and hung out with my flatmates. We are going to go to some pub tonight that looks like fun - good music and such. It should be fun! I'll write about it tomorrow!
Only a bit to write about today. We left the flat this morning at 10 to go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Our tour guide from a couple days ago told us to go to a certain lamp post - and we did! The police were around and we could not stop off the pavement. They were strict! We did not leave the lamp and had the best view of everything! So first, we waited a while and saw hundreds of people come to watch the ceremony. Then, we finally heard some music. A little group of guards playing instruments walked by and they were great. Then, the group of guards followed. Knowing there was more, we waited and saw more musicians and more guards! We also saw the horse guard and two very snazzy carriages. It was so fun! At one point, the band played Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which was awesome. We also enjoyed talking to this policeman who was so friendly! We heard him talking to the people next to us and we laughed. Then, he came to talk to us and asked us lots of questions about the States. He first asked if we were from California, then if we knew how much it cost to live in Miami. Next, we asked him a question about the ceremony and he goes "I don't have any idea. I just get paid to keep people on the sidewalks." Then he talked about the merits of his job versus retail. He was just adorable and hilarious. I think he really liked our group.
After changing of the guard, we all split up. I went with Chelsey and Casey to get lunch and then to Paperchase, which is an amazing arts and crafts store. I was in heaven!! I bought some paper and a notebook for my art class, though I could have purchased the whole store. It was great =)
Since then, I've done some homework and hung out with my flatmates. We are going to go to some pub tonight that looks like fun - good music and such. It should be fun! I'll write about it tomorrow!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Spying and Snow
Hey all!
Not a whole lot to write about today, but a couple fun things. I started the day alone, again, because all my suitemates had class early in the morning. I did some reading and writing for class - nothing super interesting. I then had class at 3:30. It was sociology and today we got to people watch! The assignment was to go with a partner and observe another pair without them knowing. Sam and I went to a little cafe in Russell Park and drank hot chocolate while watching what we thought was a business couple. It was a little stalkerish and I'm pretty sure the couple eventually saw us, but we only stayed for like 10 minutes. When we got back to class, we shared our findings and the professor said Sam and I did really well. I can't tell if it's good or bad that we're good at stalking people...
As we were walking back to the tube, it started snowing! It was absolutely beautiful to see snow in the city =) That's about it for today. I'm in for the night, doing homework and relaxing and such. I hope to have a fun day to share with you tomorrow!
Not a whole lot to write about today, but a couple fun things. I started the day alone, again, because all my suitemates had class early in the morning. I did some reading and writing for class - nothing super interesting. I then had class at 3:30. It was sociology and today we got to people watch! The assignment was to go with a partner and observe another pair without them knowing. Sam and I went to a little cafe in Russell Park and drank hot chocolate while watching what we thought was a business couple. It was a little stalkerish and I'm pretty sure the couple eventually saw us, but we only stayed for like 10 minutes. When we got back to class, we shared our findings and the professor said Sam and I did really well. I can't tell if it's good or bad that we're good at stalking people...
As we were walking back to the tube, it started snowing! It was absolutely beautiful to see snow in the city =) That's about it for today. I'm in for the night, doing homework and relaxing and such. I hope to have a fun day to share with you tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Art! Spring Awakening! Tube Adventure!
What a fun day today! I woke up and got to spend a few hours in the flat with my flatmates. After lunch, I went to do a few errands with Kinsey. Then, at 2, we had our first Art History class. Our teacher is Lisa and she is so excited about the class. I am now really excited, too! We go to museums just about every week, get to make our own art journals, and end up making some kind of hypothetical exhibition and stuff. It seems like such fun! I can't wait to go buy supplies and start my journal =)
Oh! Lisa also gave us a 25 minute break today (our class is scheduled from 2-4 pm) and we went to Pret and got delicious hot chocolate. Pret is this chain restaurant that is all over London. It's healthier type fast food (coffee, sandwiches, etc.) and there are locations everywhere. Just thought I should document that.
After art, a few of us headed over to the theatre for the play tonight. We got to the area super early and ended up hanging around this adorable little mall. We ate dinner at a pub in the mall and then just meandered until show time. When it was finally 7:30, we went to the Lyric Theater to see Spring Awakening. The theater was adorable, first of all. There was a little cafe with real food attached and lots of paraphenalia from the show for sale. Second of all, our seats were amazing!! I sat in the second row from the stage. Literally, I could see sweat and spit from the actors. It was awesome. Third of all, the show was amazing! Everyone was super talented and the music was fantastic. The show, which definitely pushes the boundaries of typical musicals in some regards, was so fun and the sets, too, were fantastic. I loved it! Finally, I think it was amusing that the leads looked like Emma Watson, aka Hermione from Harry Potter movies, and Elijah Wood, or Frodo. It was so, so funny! Afterwards, we stayed for a question-and-answer with some of the actors and actresses. They were so funny! I'm so glad we stayed. They talked about how American audiences for this show are more prude and have a harder time with this kind of stuff. They laughed so hard when they found out that like 30 of us in the audience were from the US.
After the show, clearly we had to come home on the tube. Well, as we were all getting off, the doors closed in front of me and I couldn't get off with the group!! Just my luck, right? So, until I got to another correct station, I talked with some very nice Londoners who had also gone to see the show. They asked me a lot of questions and were quite friendly. That was nice! Eventually, I made it back to Warwick Station (near the flats) safe and sound. And the best part? All my friends were waiting at the top of the escalator for me! It was a nice little welcome party!
Oh! Lisa also gave us a 25 minute break today (our class is scheduled from 2-4 pm) and we went to Pret and got delicious hot chocolate. Pret is this chain restaurant that is all over London. It's healthier type fast food (coffee, sandwiches, etc.) and there are locations everywhere. Just thought I should document that.
After art, a few of us headed over to the theatre for the play tonight. We got to the area super early and ended up hanging around this adorable little mall. We ate dinner at a pub in the mall and then just meandered until show time. When it was finally 7:30, we went to the Lyric Theater to see Spring Awakening. The theater was adorable, first of all. There was a little cafe with real food attached and lots of paraphenalia from the show for sale. Second of all, our seats were amazing!! I sat in the second row from the stage. Literally, I could see sweat and spit from the actors. It was awesome. Third of all, the show was amazing! Everyone was super talented and the music was fantastic. The show, which definitely pushes the boundaries of typical musicals in some regards, was so fun and the sets, too, were fantastic. I loved it! Finally, I think it was amusing that the leads looked like Emma Watson, aka Hermione from Harry Potter movies, and Elijah Wood, or Frodo. It was so, so funny! Afterwards, we stayed for a question-and-answer with some of the actors and actresses. They were so funny! I'm so glad we stayed. They talked about how American audiences for this show are more prude and have a harder time with this kind of stuff. They laughed so hard when they found out that like 30 of us in the audience were from the US.
After the show, clearly we had to come home on the tube. Well, as we were all getting off, the doors closed in front of me and I couldn't get off with the group!! Just my luck, right? So, until I got to another correct station, I talked with some very nice Londoners who had also gone to see the show. They asked me a lot of questions and were quite friendly. That was nice! Eventually, I made it back to Warwick Station (near the flats) safe and sound. And the best part? All my friends were waiting at the top of the escalator for me! It was a nice little welcome party!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
First day of classes!
Today was our first day of classes! I spent the morning in the suite by myself since everyone except me had the GST class. I woke up, did some organizing, washed dishes, etc. I walked to buy milk - super exciting. After getting ready far too early, I played on my computer for a bit, packed a lunch (a Nutella sandwich was included..it was delicious), and then left. The tube was nice and uncrowded. One older lady sat across from me and she kept smiling. I thought she was really cute. Once I got off the tube, I effectively managed to get to the school building all by myself!! I think you should all be really proud of me!
I ate lunch and then went to my first class, which was London Theatre at 12:45. I liked my professor, Jinnie, and the whole structure of my class. We are going to see 9 plays this semester and we are each responsible for leading a discussion on one of the plays. Rebecca and I are going to discuss Twelfth Night which is Shakespeare! Since taking that Shakespeare winter term class, I am obsessed with that man. I can't wait for this play! The class in general seems like it will be great.
After Theatre, I had about an hour break until Sociology/Diversity (technically called Diversity in Action). I did crosswords with Sam, though we were not so successful. Sociology was a pretty ok class. I think it will be great once we start doing field trips. We did get to play Charades, which was cool. I'm excited to learn more about London culture and stuff through this class.
After class, we walked to the tube stop and there was a HUGE crowd in front. After waiting for like 10 minutes, Mich and I decided that we did not want to wait. Therefore, we went in search of a bus. Eventually (after walking on a few wrong streets), we found a bus that got us all the way home! We sat on top of the double decker, which was neat. It always looked like the bus was going to crash into the buses and cars in front of it. Finally, we made it back to the flats. Since that, I've eaten dinner and started homework. Exciting night!
I ate lunch and then went to my first class, which was London Theatre at 12:45. I liked my professor, Jinnie, and the whole structure of my class. We are going to see 9 plays this semester and we are each responsible for leading a discussion on one of the plays. Rebecca and I are going to discuss Twelfth Night which is Shakespeare! Since taking that Shakespeare winter term class, I am obsessed with that man. I can't wait for this play! The class in general seems like it will be great.
After Theatre, I had about an hour break until Sociology/Diversity (technically called Diversity in Action). I did crosswords with Sam, though we were not so successful. Sociology was a pretty ok class. I think it will be great once we start doing field trips. We did get to play Charades, which was cool. I'm excited to learn more about London culture and stuff through this class.
After class, we walked to the tube stop and there was a HUGE crowd in front. After waiting for like 10 minutes, Mich and I decided that we did not want to wait. Therefore, we went in search of a bus. Eventually (after walking on a few wrong streets), we found a bus that got us all the way home! We sat on top of the double decker, which was neat. It always looked like the bus was going to crash into the buses and cars in front of it. Finally, we made it back to the flats. Since that, I've eaten dinner and started homework. Exciting night!
Monday, February 9, 2009
A very rainy day
Hola amigos y amigas!
Not much to write about today. I woke up earlyish and did some grocery shopping with Amanda. No more Nutella for me! It was kind of rainy and gross out, so the walk to the store was not wonderful. However, I was happy to get real food! (And p.s. - I definitely bought some Heinz ketchup. I am so excited!)
After shopping, I made some lunch and then we ventured out to buy some school supplies and go to H&M. We bought notebooks, that's about it. After walking a lot in the rain, we went to a little cafe to buy hot drinks before our education seminar. We met with our education teacher and she semi gave us placements for practicum. Yay!! I can't wait to go to my designated primary school, though I don't know what grade I'm in yet. Luckily, it seems like our school is one tube stop away from our flats. How convenient!
Beyond that, today was pretty relaxed. Classes start tomorrow - I have London Theatre at 12:45 and Sociology/Diversity at 3:30. I'm kind of excited to get started! I'll let you know how things go =)
Not much to write about today. I woke up earlyish and did some grocery shopping with Amanda. No more Nutella for me! It was kind of rainy and gross out, so the walk to the store was not wonderful. However, I was happy to get real food! (And p.s. - I definitely bought some Heinz ketchup. I am so excited!)
After shopping, I made some lunch and then we ventured out to buy some school supplies and go to H&M. We bought notebooks, that's about it. After walking a lot in the rain, we went to a little cafe to buy hot drinks before our education seminar. We met with our education teacher and she semi gave us placements for practicum. Yay!! I can't wait to go to my designated primary school, though I don't know what grade I'm in yet. Luckily, it seems like our school is one tube stop away from our flats. How convenient!
Beyond that, today was pretty relaxed. Classes start tomorrow - I have London Theatre at 12:45 and Sociology/Diversity at 3:30. I'm kind of excited to get started! I'll let you know how things go =)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Parks and Markets
Today was our first entirely free day and it was fun getting to plan something on my own! I woke up decently early and got ready to leave the flat by 10. I traveled with Amanda and Shenee to Hyde Park to see Speaker’s Corner. The park was HUGE! And absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to return in the spring when everything is in bloom and all the animals are out. I think the only part of the park I didn’t like was the hoards of pigeons that would fly at us as we walked. After walking quite a distance, we asked for directions to Speaker’s Corner and kind of backtracked to get there. We finally made it and listened to three speakers. The first speaker – I couldn’t understand a thing he said. He kind of bantered with one guy in the crowd, but nothing super exciting. The second speaker was crazy! He had laid out posters in front of his station saying “I speak on more topics than any other speaker” or “Britney Spears was never a virgin.” He was hilarious, if not a little creepy. We left him after a while and went to see the third speaker, who preached about religion. After Speaker’s Corner, we traveled on a bus back to the flats.
I made lunch and then went to Spitalfields Market with Michael, Casey, Amanda, and Chelsey. There were all kinds of fun stands and stalls. I went in looking just for a pea coat and boots and did not let myself get tempted by pashmina scarves and edible treats. Yay me! I can’t wait to go back and look around some more. I don’t think many purchases were made, but we all can’t wait to do more market shopping.
After that, we came back to the flat and ate dinner. Seriously, I need to go grocery shopping. I’ve eaten Nutella, apples, and almonds for two meals today. That’s not so good for me. Shopping is on my to-do list for tomorrow. Tomorrow is another somewhat free day. We only have an education seminar at 5 pm, so the whole day is ours. Fun stuff! I hope I have something interesting to tell you all tomorrow.
I made lunch and then went to Spitalfields Market with Michael, Casey, Amanda, and Chelsey. There were all kinds of fun stands and stalls. I went in looking just for a pea coat and boots and did not let myself get tempted by pashmina scarves and edible treats. Yay me! I can’t wait to go back and look around some more. I don’t think many purchases were made, but we all can’t wait to do more market shopping.
After that, we came back to the flat and ate dinner. Seriously, I need to go grocery shopping. I’ve eaten Nutella, apples, and almonds for two meals today. That’s not so good for me. Shopping is on my to-do list for tomorrow. Tomorrow is another somewhat free day. We only have an education seminar at 5 pm, so the whole day is ours. Fun stuff! I hope I have something interesting to tell you all tomorrow.
Bath and Stonehenge (Yesterday)
Hey! What I'm posting right now is my blog for yesterday's adventures. My computer is now working, though yesterday (as you'll read) it was not. Hooray! Enjoy this entry and I hope to have much more fun stuff to write about later tonight.
What a fun day today!
We started the day really early and made a trip to Stonehenge. It was kind of a cool place! The snow was pretty fun, though it also Unfortunately, it was really cold and the monument (or whatever you call it) attracted a lot of people. I heard about a million different accents. However, the whole idea of Stonehenge and the mystery behind it is really neat.
After Stonehenge, we drove about an hour to Bath. Bath was ridiculously adorable! The first thing we did was all disperse and go eat. A bunch of us went to get lunch at a quick place, where most of us ate “jacket potatoes” (aka baked potatoes) with stuff inside. I was super excited to have a fountain Diet Coke! (Side note: we are having an ongoing discussion about the tastes of US Coke versus British Coke...I have yet to make up my mind.) After lunch, we went to see actual Roman baths which, being the Latin nerd I somewhat am, was kind of fun. The museum was quite impressive and the exhibits were really informative. My favorite part was listening to these ladies in costume pretend like they were doing make-up and getting ready. They were really funny, which is always nice! After the baths, we went on a walking tour around Bath. Our guide, Sean again, showed us all around Bath and the side streets. We saw some really fun architecture and we took lots of pretty pictures against a blue sky!! It was also quite a nice day today – I love blue skies.
After the tour, Rebecca and I ended up venturing around Bath by ourselves. We first went on a hunt for chocolate. We found some which was really tasty! After chocolate, we went to look at pea coats. I think I need one, but have yet to find a reasonably priced one that I like. After that, we walked to the Disney Store (which, for the record, had tons of HSM memorabilia) and the most fun little store called Octopus. It had crazy little items in bright colors – like purses made of juice packages and nail clippers shaped like bugs. I was so tempted to buy something (or everything, rather), but I couldn’t decide what I liked best! After that store, we heard some cool street performers and then had to head back to the bus. We were all pretty exhausted by this point, so we went back the flats happy and content. The bus ride was 3 hours and most everyone fell asleep.
For night time, I decided to take it easy and check emails and stuff like that. Unfortunately, my own computer is not working and neither is my phone. I really am not a fan of technology! I had fun hanging out with some of my flatmates and just planning for future trips and stuff. It should be fun!
What a fun day today!
We started the day really early and made a trip to Stonehenge. It was kind of a cool place! The snow was pretty fun, though it also Unfortunately, it was really cold and the monument (or whatever you call it) attracted a lot of people. I heard about a million different accents. However, the whole idea of Stonehenge and the mystery behind it is really neat.
After Stonehenge, we drove about an hour to Bath. Bath was ridiculously adorable! The first thing we did was all disperse and go eat. A bunch of us went to get lunch at a quick place, where most of us ate “jacket potatoes” (aka baked potatoes) with stuff inside. I was super excited to have a fountain Diet Coke! (Side note: we are having an ongoing discussion about the tastes of US Coke versus British Coke...I have yet to make up my mind.) After lunch, we went to see actual Roman baths which, being the Latin nerd I somewhat am, was kind of fun. The museum was quite impressive and the exhibits were really informative. My favorite part was listening to these ladies in costume pretend like they were doing make-up and getting ready. They were really funny, which is always nice! After the baths, we went on a walking tour around Bath. Our guide, Sean again, showed us all around Bath and the side streets. We saw some really fun architecture and we took lots of pretty pictures against a blue sky!! It was also quite a nice day today – I love blue skies.
After the tour, Rebecca and I ended up venturing around Bath by ourselves. We first went on a hunt for chocolate. We found some which was really tasty! After chocolate, we went to look at pea coats. I think I need one, but have yet to find a reasonably priced one that I like. After that, we walked to the Disney Store (which, for the record, had tons of HSM memorabilia) and the most fun little store called Octopus. It had crazy little items in bright colors – like purses made of juice packages and nail clippers shaped like bugs. I was so tempted to buy something (or everything, rather), but I couldn’t decide what I liked best! After that store, we heard some cool street performers and then had to head back to the bus. We were all pretty exhausted by this point, so we went back the flats happy and content. The bus ride was 3 hours and most everyone fell asleep.
For night time, I decided to take it easy and check emails and stuff like that. Unfortunately, my own computer is not working and neither is my phone. I really am not a fan of technology! I had fun hanging out with some of my flatmates and just planning for future trips and stuff. It should be fun!
Friday, February 6, 2009
I get lost like its my job..
Hey all!
Today was another jam-packed day in London! We started the morning with a long and informative bus tour through London. Our guide, Britt, was extremely helpful and really funny! She showed us a little bit of everything. We stopped at London Bridge and Buckingham Palace briefly (mainly for photo ops, of course). We all took bunches of notes on things we have to go back and see. After that tour, we got a couple hours to rest and then we went on a walking tour around Little Venice and areas close to where we live. It was a little chilly, but overall also very helpful. We walked along the canal and ended up in Regent's Park. Our guide, Sean, was extremely knowledgable. He's going to be our guide for Bath and Stonehenge tomorrow, which will be great! All in all, the tours were quite tiring, but very helpful. I can't wait to go back to some of the places we visited.
After the tours, Rebecca and I decided to go to Primark on Oxford Street. Luckily, getting lost on and around Oxford Street yesterday (in addition to better directions from our friends) got us nicely to Oxford Street today. Yay! Primark was incredible! It had clothes, accessories, shoes, coats, home goods, and so much other fun stuff for so cheap. Some shirts were like 3 pounds and little camis only 99 pence. I was impressed! I ended up buying a laundry hamper, blanket, and eye pencil for 4 pounds. Not bad, right? I can't wait to go back to that store when it's not Friday night and very crowded.
After Primark, Rebecca and I thought we should venture to take the bus back to where we live in Little Venice. Unfortunately, we again got a little lost and a little turned around when we rode the bus the wrong way. We have such bad luck! Eventually, we got on the right bus but it was taking forever. Therefore, we got on the underground and went back the way we knew. Though crowded (as per usual), it was more fun because there were some really loud guys in the station that were arguing with one another, probably about sports scores or something of the like. I have never heard a Londoner be that loud. It was great!
Once we got back, we had worked up quite an appetite from walking all over London searching for the right bus. We decided to try to find Warwick Castle Pub since a bunch of the Elon students had already gone there and said it was really good. Well, as close as this pub was to our house, I totally turned us down the wrong road. It took us a while to get to the right place and, just as we were about to give up, we found it! We went in and, it being a Friday night, it was crowded. We found a table and had the hardest time figuring out the correct procedure and whatnot for ordering. Rebecca pretty much spied on the people at the bar and nearby tables for a while and we just copied what they did. It's a little stressful not knowing the proper ways to do things! However, we got our food and we ate and everything. It was a fun, relaxed atmosphere. I'm excited to go back when I'm not in a huge sweatshirt, stressing about stuff like where to ask for ketchup. It will be fun!
After dinner, we did a bit of grocery shopping and headed back to the flats for a night of blog uploading and relaxing. Tomorrow's upload should be fun - we are traveling to Stonehenge and Bath! Let me know how you all are doing, too. I miss everyone!
Today was another jam-packed day in London! We started the morning with a long and informative bus tour through London. Our guide, Britt, was extremely helpful and really funny! She showed us a little bit of everything. We stopped at London Bridge and Buckingham Palace briefly (mainly for photo ops, of course). We all took bunches of notes on things we have to go back and see. After that tour, we got a couple hours to rest and then we went on a walking tour around Little Venice and areas close to where we live. It was a little chilly, but overall also very helpful. We walked along the canal and ended up in Regent's Park. Our guide, Sean, was extremely knowledgable. He's going to be our guide for Bath and Stonehenge tomorrow, which will be great! All in all, the tours were quite tiring, but very helpful. I can't wait to go back to some of the places we visited.
After the tours, Rebecca and I decided to go to Primark on Oxford Street. Luckily, getting lost on and around Oxford Street yesterday (in addition to better directions from our friends) got us nicely to Oxford Street today. Yay! Primark was incredible! It had clothes, accessories, shoes, coats, home goods, and so much other fun stuff for so cheap. Some shirts were like 3 pounds and little camis only 99 pence. I was impressed! I ended up buying a laundry hamper, blanket, and eye pencil for 4 pounds. Not bad, right? I can't wait to go back to that store when it's not Friday night and very crowded.
After Primark, Rebecca and I thought we should venture to take the bus back to where we live in Little Venice. Unfortunately, we again got a little lost and a little turned around when we rode the bus the wrong way. We have such bad luck! Eventually, we got on the right bus but it was taking forever. Therefore, we got on the underground and went back the way we knew. Though crowded (as per usual), it was more fun because there were some really loud guys in the station that were arguing with one another, probably about sports scores or something of the like. I have never heard a Londoner be that loud. It was great!
Once we got back, we had worked up quite an appetite from walking all over London searching for the right bus. We decided to try to find Warwick Castle Pub since a bunch of the Elon students had already gone there and said it was really good. Well, as close as this pub was to our house, I totally turned us down the wrong road. It took us a while to get to the right place and, just as we were about to give up, we found it! We went in and, it being a Friday night, it was crowded. We found a table and had the hardest time figuring out the correct procedure and whatnot for ordering. Rebecca pretty much spied on the people at the bar and nearby tables for a while and we just copied what they did. It's a little stressful not knowing the proper ways to do things! However, we got our food and we ate and everything. It was a fun, relaxed atmosphere. I'm excited to go back when I'm not in a huge sweatshirt, stressing about stuff like where to ask for ketchup. It will be fun!
After dinner, we did a bit of grocery shopping and headed back to the flats for a night of blog uploading and relaxing. Tomorrow's upload should be fun - we are traveling to Stonehenge and Bath! Let me know how you all are doing, too. I miss everyone!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
First Full Day
Hey all!
Today was our first full day in London - how exciting! We started the day with an orientation at the Anglo American building (where we have class). We learned a lot of good stuff. They gave us a break for lunch and I went to a cute place called London Cafe and got a "chicken and salad" sandwich, not to be confused with chicken salad. It was tasty. They had packets of ketchup, which made me quite excited! Then we finished up orientation and had the rest of the day to ourselves.
Rebecca, Stephenie, and I decided to go see the British Museum. It was HUGE! We went to an Arab , North American, sickness/life/death, Englightenment, China/Japan, African, Greek/Roman, and mummy exhibit (amongst others). The mummies were so cool! We walked around the whole entire museum just to find the mummies for Rebecca, whose sister has studied in Egypt. My favorite part of the museum was probably..the mummies. (Oh! And before the museum, we were super touristy and took pictures with the red phone booth.)
After the museum, we decided to explore Oxford Street..which ultimately meant turning the wrong way on the right street and walking an entire circle back to the place where we started! Luckily, we were in no hurry and had no real destination. We walked a lot around the city..down to Piccadilly Circus and Soho and a bunch of places. Eventually, we got hungry and stopped at a cute little Italian place for dinner. It was so good and the owner was a really cute old man. He gave us a plate of cookies at the end, which was nice! The only bad part was that we couldn't figure out if tip was included or not. They were so nice, so I sure hope it was included already!
The adventure for the evening came when we tried to get back to the flats. We decided we should test out the bus system, so we got on no problem. The only problem was that we ended up on a line that stopped soon after we got on. Therefore, we had to get off at a place very far from where we wanted to be. Therefore, we decided to get on the underground (which we are becoming very familiar with very quickly) on a significantly less crowded train. We got back safe and sound!
I'll have fun updates tomorrow, after we do some touristy sightseeing!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
We're finally here!
After a cancelled flight and everything, we are finally in London! The flight from RDU to Heathrow was fine. There was some turbulence, but that's to be expected. Everyone arrived safely with all luggage. Yay!
Right now, I'm sitting in my flat with some of my friends. Our flat is apparently one of the nicer ones. It's three floors(ish) and we have a cute kitchen and a bathroom to go with each of the three rooms. You will see pictures soon, I promise! I'm sharing a room with Amanda and Kinsey and our room is fairly packed right now. We are leaving soon to get a few things for our room and suite.
Very exciting stuff! I'll write more later!
Natalie =)
Part 2
After unpacking in our flats, we got lunch and explored a tiny bit of our neighborhood. We went to the Pound Store (like the dollar store) and then to eat. We ate a tiny little restaurant with the nicest cooks/owners! I tried chicken curry - totally outside of my comfort zone. It wasn't too bad! Then we went to the Boots drugstore and headed back to the flat to finish unpacking.
A bit later, we had our first orientation with Dr. Agnew and Craig, who helps maintain our buildings. All 35 of us were so tired from the flight. All of our eyes were drooping. After that, a bunch of us went to put money on our Oyster cards for the Tube. Then we decided to try out the Tube by riding to Piccadilly Circus. I can't wait to go back! It was super fun looking - lots of shows, lots of lights. The Tube itself was crazy packed, though! I guess that's what we get for riding it during "rush hour." Oh well! Lesson learned.
Right now, we are about to have a flat meeting and making a grocery list. Fun! More to come later =)
Right now, I'm sitting in my flat with some of my friends. Our flat is apparently one of the nicer ones. It's three floors(ish) and we have a cute kitchen and a bathroom to go with each of the three rooms. You will see pictures soon, I promise! I'm sharing a room with Amanda and Kinsey and our room is fairly packed right now. We are leaving soon to get a few things for our room and suite.
Very exciting stuff! I'll write more later!
Natalie =)
Part 2
After unpacking in our flats, we got lunch and explored a tiny bit of our neighborhood. We went to the Pound Store (like the dollar store) and then to eat. We ate a tiny little restaurant with the nicest cooks/owners! I tried chicken curry - totally outside of my comfort zone. It wasn't too bad! Then we went to the Boots drugstore and headed back to the flat to finish unpacking.
A bit later, we had our first orientation with Dr. Agnew and Craig, who helps maintain our buildings. All 35 of us were so tired from the flight. All of our eyes were drooping. After that, a bunch of us went to put money on our Oyster cards for the Tube. Then we decided to try out the Tube by riding to Piccadilly Circus. I can't wait to go back! It was super fun looking - lots of shows, lots of lights. The Tube itself was crazy packed, though! I guess that's what we get for riding it during "rush hour." Oh well! Lesson learned.
Right now, we are about to have a flat meeting and making a grocery list. Fun! More to come later =)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Still in Raleigh
As I write this, I am sitting at a very snazzy hotel - located about 5 minutes away from RDU Airport! Our flight last night got cancelled due to mechanical troubles. The airline company gave us all vouchers for a night and meals in a hotel. They also rebooked us for a flight exactly one day later. So, hopefully, we will get to leave tonight! Let's just hope snow in London (and perhaps in Raleigh, too) won't hold us up.
I'll keep you posted!
Natalie =)
I'll keep you posted!
Natalie =)
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