So sorry for the sporadic updates, but I must admit, not a lot has been happening in London besides...Rain. Alas, lots of exciting things are quickly approaching so I will soon be back to my bi-weekly posts!
So, as I mentioned, it's raining. In fact, it's hard to remember the last time it wasn't raining. I miss the sun and I miss sobriety. My drinking habit has increased ten-fold since arrival in the great city of London, where I consume alcohol more frequently than water and go out partying more consistently than I ever attended class at AU. My flatmates and I have had some great nights this past week (O'Neill's bar on Thursday, On Anon club on Saturday, and Sports Bar last night). Sports bar was definitely the best, as the shots are 4 for 4 pounds...so naturally I had 7. I also really appreciate when we get drunk in Picadilly Circus and take the bus home, and my flatmate Paul decides he's homesick so he needs to sing God Bless America the whole way back to South Ken.
I'm also coming to greatly enjoy the weekly family dinners that occur in my flat. Every Sunday or Monday night, a couple of people cook dinner for the whole flat and all 12 of us eat together and it's adorable. Probably the thing I'll miss the most now that everyone has started traveling.
Today, Alyssia and her flatmate Emily came over to see my amazing house, (they were very jealous) and we went out for my first real chinese food meal since I left NY...it was DELISH...and made exciting plans for tomorrow to see Wicked! I've already seen it but how much more fun would a Broadway show be in British accents?! I will keep you posted...
Now, I'm excitedly awaiting October. Whereas September was filled with classes and napping and drinking every night, October is going to justify my trip abroad entirely. During this next month, I will be riding on the London Eye, taking a "Horror Walk" through the city, seeing a comedy show and, of course, traveling until I've spent every last cent. This weekend, Berlin. Next, Paris. Two weeks after that, 10 days in Rome, Florence, Mykonos and Athens. And, in between, ELSHA AND CAMILLE WILL BE IN LONDON WOO HOOOOOO. So look forward to a ton of great stories in the weeks to come.
Cheers!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
This is London, we charge for things here
To all my loyal readers who were devastated by the absence of a blog update on Friday...
Go afternoon. Life's been slowing down a bit, so there's not too much to report. (Although as of NEXT friday (the 1st) things will get REALLY exciting, with trips through Europe every weekend). I had an exciting weekend, staying up all night with some new British friends and drinking champagne into the early hours of the morning. And then, yesterday, something magical happened...
ALYSSIA IS OFFICIALLY IN LONDON WOO HOOOO
Now, I've been looking forward to this day for about 3 weeks, so I was obviously at the doorstep of her new dorm within 30 seconds of her arrival (hardly an exaggeration). We spent the whole day together, figuring out the damn situation at customs with her computer and then going out to a delish dinner in Camden. I'm so happy she's here, and I hope she makes friends with lots of cuties so I can mooch of her boy-finding and take advantage of the fact that she's in a relationship. YAY!
Today, I went to the Tate Modern for my British Life & Cultures class and it was pretty interesting, even if I spent a good amount of time bitching about how "I could paint that." I think I may go back with my notebook and spend the day in the area next week, it's right on the River Thames by the Millennium Bridge and it's actually pretty beautiful (if the water in the River wasn't green, it would probably be nicer but hey, whatever).
So, perhaps I'll go out tonight, since I have no class tomorrow. But I just spent 8 quid on lunch and I should save some money since I'm hitting Berlin in 10 days. Not so sure 10 pound drinks are in my budget anymore...
Cheers!
Go afternoon. Life's been slowing down a bit, so there's not too much to report. (Although as of NEXT friday (the 1st) things will get REALLY exciting, with trips through Europe every weekend). I had an exciting weekend, staying up all night with some new British friends and drinking champagne into the early hours of the morning. And then, yesterday, something magical happened...
ALYSSIA IS OFFICIALLY IN LONDON WOO HOOOO
Now, I've been looking forward to this day for about 3 weeks, so I was obviously at the doorstep of her new dorm within 30 seconds of her arrival (hardly an exaggeration). We spent the whole day together, figuring out the damn situation at customs with her computer and then going out to a delish dinner in Camden. I'm so happy she's here, and I hope she makes friends with lots of cuties so I can mooch of her boy-finding and take advantage of the fact that she's in a relationship. YAY!
Today, I went to the Tate Modern for my British Life & Cultures class and it was pretty interesting, even if I spent a good amount of time bitching about how "I could paint that." I think I may go back with my notebook and spend the day in the area next week, it's right on the River Thames by the Millennium Bridge and it's actually pretty beautiful (if the water in the River wasn't green, it would probably be nicer but hey, whatever).
So, perhaps I'll go out tonight, since I have no class tomorrow. But I just spent 8 quid on lunch and I should save some money since I'm hitting Berlin in 10 days. Not so sure 10 pound drinks are in my budget anymore...
Cheers!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I know exactly what I would do with a Baby Elephant
It's been an exciting weekend. Friday night, my flatmates and I went out to a club called ArchAngel with a bunch of other FIE students. We drank a ton as usual and had a shit ton of good fun. Saturday night we went to a club called Tiger Tiger, that had about 600 people in it dancing and sweating all over the place. We drank a ton as usual and had a shit ton of good fun. (I came here to learn, obviously...) On the way home, we rode a double decker bus and it was quite an experience haha...I thought those were only for tourists but apparently those are the normal public transportation vehicles. I like taking the buses better than the tube because, for one thing, they're up super high which is awesome, and two, you get to see the city while you're going from one place to another. The only problem is, the buses are really hard to figure out whereas the tube is really easy. Plus, the tube goes EVERYWHERE with stops every two blocks(unlike in DC), and on each line, a new train comes about every two minutes (DEFINITELY unlike in DC).
On Sunday, my flatmates Joe, Dennis and I went down to the River Thames to see the Tower of London. I had already been on the tour once before, when I came to London with my parents in 2008, but I paid the (over-priced) 16 quid to see the sights again. It was a little more interesting this time around, since I went on my own will and my own time. We took a lot of pictures, (which you can all see on facebook!) and then went on to find the rest of our flatmates at the Thames Festival. There were a ton of tents set up at the festival, with food, booze, jewelry, clothes, etc. We walked around for hours, drank, ate, hung out, and then walked forever along the water so we could find a good place to watch the fireworks. We passed the Millennium bridge, the London bridge, the Tower bridge, and ended up on the Blackfriars bridge. (SOME of us were cranky...but a little more booze and we were all in good spirits!) After the fireworks, which were amazing, we all went home to pass out and grimace about the fact that most of us had class at 9am the next morning.
A few side notes before continuing on with other exciting stories (which are exciting when they happen, but probably don't sound as exciting when I re-tell them poorly here):
1. The cleaning crew that works for FIE cleans our flat once a week. They're here right now, vacuuming...and they hate us. They don't really speak English but they sure as shit understand the fact that Flat 15 drunkenly robbed their cleaning closet and stole 24 rolls of toilet paper last weekend.
2. We have a lot of cabinet space in our kitchen, so each of the 12 of us has our own shelf to put our food on. If anyone, however, stores bananas on their shelf, after one day everything in the entire cabinet tastes a bit like bananas. Now I have to admit, I'm the one who owns the bananas. But I am also the person who now owns banana oreos, banana pasta, banana pretzels, etc...so I think I paid a fair price. Alas, the rest of my flat disagrees, and reprimands me every time they eat their banana flavored meals.
3. Last night, Joe and Matt cooked dinner for all 12 of us. It was actually pretty good, and we all ate together which was really nice. I will say, I don't think I've every laughed so hard in my life. Especially when Paul started talking about what he would do if he had a baby elephant...(no, there was no real preface to this conversation. It just kind of happened.)
4. I'm sick. I came down with a cough/stuffed nose/chesty thing yesterday morning and yes, I do blame Miriam. In fact, most of my flat is suffering from cold-like symptoms, so this week will probably be a bit more low key than last.
And, onto information so important that it is not numbered in my list of side-facts. Miriam and I have officially booked our 492 plane tickets for our mid-term break vacation.
October 22nd, 5:10 pm, flight from London to Rome
October 26th, 11:10am, flight from Rome to Mykonos (4 hour layover in Athens)
October 30th, 12:00pm, flight from Mykonos to Athens (spending the day in Athens)
October 30th, 7:30pm, flight from Athens back to London
There was a little drama towards the end of the booking process, (during which I expected my credit card to literally explode), when Miriam and I clicked book at the same time and she got on our flight from Rome to Mykonos and I got an error message saying the flight was sold out. Upon refreshing the page we realized the plane ticket had gone from 95 quid to 667 quid. We freaked out for a good 27 minutes until we finally found a flight for me on a different connecting jet to Mykonos for a normal price (120 Euros). So now, we'll leave Rome together, arrive in Athens, and take two separate 40 minute flights to Mykonos an hour apart. We were bound to fuck it up somewhere...
So for now, Miriam and I are gonna start the countdown to an epic vacation and look up hostels and fun things to do. Alyssia gets to London on Monday, which makes me soooo insanely happy because I miss her to pieces, and I'm going to shmush her face so much when we hang out. Two and a half weeks until Berlin, and many more adventures in between I'm sure.
Cheers!
On Sunday, my flatmates Joe, Dennis and I went down to the River Thames to see the Tower of London. I had already been on the tour once before, when I came to London with my parents in 2008, but I paid the (over-priced) 16 quid to see the sights again. It was a little more interesting this time around, since I went on my own will and my own time. We took a lot of pictures, (which you can all see on facebook!) and then went on to find the rest of our flatmates at the Thames Festival. There were a ton of tents set up at the festival, with food, booze, jewelry, clothes, etc. We walked around for hours, drank, ate, hung out, and then walked forever along the water so we could find a good place to watch the fireworks. We passed the Millennium bridge, the London bridge, the Tower bridge, and ended up on the Blackfriars bridge. (SOME of us were cranky...but a little more booze and we were all in good spirits!) After the fireworks, which were amazing, we all went home to pass out and grimace about the fact that most of us had class at 9am the next morning.
A few side notes before continuing on with other exciting stories (which are exciting when they happen, but probably don't sound as exciting when I re-tell them poorly here):
1. The cleaning crew that works for FIE cleans our flat once a week. They're here right now, vacuuming...and they hate us. They don't really speak English but they sure as shit understand the fact that Flat 15 drunkenly robbed their cleaning closet and stole 24 rolls of toilet paper last weekend.
2. We have a lot of cabinet space in our kitchen, so each of the 12 of us has our own shelf to put our food on. If anyone, however, stores bananas on their shelf, after one day everything in the entire cabinet tastes a bit like bananas. Now I have to admit, I'm the one who owns the bananas. But I am also the person who now owns banana oreos, banana pasta, banana pretzels, etc...so I think I paid a fair price. Alas, the rest of my flat disagrees, and reprimands me every time they eat their banana flavored meals.
3. Last night, Joe and Matt cooked dinner for all 12 of us. It was actually pretty good, and we all ate together which was really nice. I will say, I don't think I've every laughed so hard in my life. Especially when Paul started talking about what he would do if he had a baby elephant...(no, there was no real preface to this conversation. It just kind of happened.)
4. I'm sick. I came down with a cough/stuffed nose/chesty thing yesterday morning and yes, I do blame Miriam. In fact, most of my flat is suffering from cold-like symptoms, so this week will probably be a bit more low key than last.
And, onto information so important that it is not numbered in my list of side-facts. Miriam and I have officially booked our 492 plane tickets for our mid-term break vacation.
October 22nd, 5:10 pm, flight from London to Rome
October 26th, 11:10am, flight from Rome to Mykonos (4 hour layover in Athens)
October 30th, 12:00pm, flight from Mykonos to Athens (spending the day in Athens)
October 30th, 7:30pm, flight from Athens back to London
There was a little drama towards the end of the booking process, (during which I expected my credit card to literally explode), when Miriam and I clicked book at the same time and she got on our flight from Rome to Mykonos and I got an error message saying the flight was sold out. Upon refreshing the page we realized the plane ticket had gone from 95 quid to 667 quid. We freaked out for a good 27 minutes until we finally found a flight for me on a different connecting jet to Mykonos for a normal price (120 Euros). So now, we'll leave Rome together, arrive in Athens, and take two separate 40 minute flights to Mykonos an hour apart. We were bound to fuck it up somewhere...
So for now, Miriam and I are gonna start the countdown to an epic vacation and look up hostels and fun things to do. Alyssia gets to London on Monday, which makes me soooo insanely happy because I miss her to pieces, and I'm going to shmush her face so much when we hang out. Two and a half weeks until Berlin, and many more adventures in between I'm sure.
Cheers!
Friday, September 10, 2010
The voicemail lady in my phone has an accent
I went to the depths of Bargain Shopping hell today...it was scary place. In Oxford Circus, there's a department store called PrimeMark, that sells EVERYTHING, and I swear to you there is few shit more expensive than a pound there. We're talking clothes, home goods, shoes, bags, accessories, EVERYTHING. I spent 40 pounds, (about $60) and got a sweatshirt, two tops, nail polish, scarf, gloves, socks, hair clips, a bag, and more stuff I can't even remember right now. So why was it scary place? There were 1000 people there (no exaggeration, simply a rough estimate...one that is actually probably understated), 89% of whom didn't speak English and also clearly never learned how to walk in a crowded area. So for those of you who know Genna's biggest fear, you know that there was not one but a SERIES of panic attacks that occurred from the second I walked in the door until two hours later when I left.
When I got home, I cooked dinner for myself and also fed Miriam because she's been sicky sick and I feel sad for her, and she saves me from burning chicken so I give her love. Dinner was delish, as usual, I am such a brilliant cook.
Onto more general topics of ponderment:
1. The strawberries here are tiny. I almost forgot how small strawberries are, naturally, since my mom stopped growing them in our backyard when I was much younger. When I buy them in the store in the states they're so hormone-induced that you can hardly eat more than two in one sitting...Here, they don't add unnatural stuff so the strawberries are about the size of a quarter. It's weird as shit.
2. I got ID'ed to buy alcohol today. And I had ID. Real ID. It was one of those surreal experiences.
3. The lead singer from LFO died yesterday, so my flatmates and I had a 90's music tribute in the common room. We discovered that one of my flatmates, Matt, can sign the backstreet boys song "I want it that way"...I've never laughed so hard in my life.
In other news, I am moderately enjoying my classes and am eager to greet the weekend. I'm hopefully going to a Garden Party at the Prince's estate tomorrow with my flatmates to see a fashion show for Emma Watson's new clothing line, tickets are only 10 pounds so that should be fun. On Sunday, we're all going to see fireworks on the River Thames (by Big Ben in Westminster). And tonight, the same as every other night since we arrived, more drinking.
Cheers!
When I got home, I cooked dinner for myself and also fed Miriam because she's been sicky sick and I feel sad for her, and she saves me from burning chicken so I give her love. Dinner was delish, as usual, I am such a brilliant cook.
Onto more general topics of ponderment:
1. The strawberries here are tiny. I almost forgot how small strawberries are, naturally, since my mom stopped growing them in our backyard when I was much younger. When I buy them in the store in the states they're so hormone-induced that you can hardly eat more than two in one sitting...Here, they don't add unnatural stuff so the strawberries are about the size of a quarter. It's weird as shit.
2. I got ID'ed to buy alcohol today. And I had ID. Real ID. It was one of those surreal experiences.
3. The lead singer from LFO died yesterday, so my flatmates and I had a 90's music tribute in the common room. We discovered that one of my flatmates, Matt, can sign the backstreet boys song "I want it that way"...I've never laughed so hard in my life.
In other news, I am moderately enjoying my classes and am eager to greet the weekend. I'm hopefully going to a Garden Party at the Prince's estate tomorrow with my flatmates to see a fashion show for Emma Watson's new clothing line, tickets are only 10 pounds so that should be fun. On Sunday, we're all going to see fireworks on the River Thames (by Big Ben in Westminster). And tonight, the same as every other night since we arrived, more drinking.
Cheers!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
If anyone wants to make a donation...
I'm starting to dream/think/read in my head in a British accent. It's kind of awkward. Also, when I pay for stuff in pounds I'm thinking less in terms of dollars and more in terms of holy fuck I'm gonna be broke as a NY hobo soon.
Classes started yesterday, and even though I've only had two so far I'm already wondering how I'm going to manage 4 days a week 9am-12pm sitting in a room while the city awaits outside the window. And then when I come home, I take a nap. Actually, I've avoiding napping for today, (so proud!) even as every single one of my flat mates is sleeping as I type. I'm falling asleep with my eyes open, but instead of giving in, I know I need to be productive! So I'm blogging, and watching Scrubs.
Things are going really well though, at least while I'm awake. Last night, Cierra, Miriam, Joe and I all took an adventure to see what we live near. The tube workers were on strike yesterday and today, so we could only go as far as we could walk. We covered a good mile and a half at least, and then had a really nice dinner together. Afterwards, we found this awesome pub and had way too much to drink, and ended up making friends with these three British guys (No cuties, sorry girls) who were hysterical. We sat around and traded slang and stereotypes all night. Apparently, according to British guys (who get their information from American movies), all American girls love to drink and fuck. So next time you all ask me why I haven't met anyone here...
Anyways, it's almost been a week since I arrived in London, and its coming along quite nicely. I've got 4 weeks until I see Meels in Berlin and only two until I see Alyssia when she moves in only four miles away. I love how much everyone has been keeping in touch with me, I miss you all and I'll keep the pictures coming.
Cheers!
Classes started yesterday, and even though I've only had two so far I'm already wondering how I'm going to manage 4 days a week 9am-12pm sitting in a room while the city awaits outside the window. And then when I come home, I take a nap. Actually, I've avoiding napping for today, (so proud!) even as every single one of my flat mates is sleeping as I type. I'm falling asleep with my eyes open, but instead of giving in, I know I need to be productive! So I'm blogging, and watching Scrubs.
Things are going really well though, at least while I'm awake. Last night, Cierra, Miriam, Joe and I all took an adventure to see what we live near. The tube workers were on strike yesterday and today, so we could only go as far as we could walk. We covered a good mile and a half at least, and then had a really nice dinner together. Afterwards, we found this awesome pub and had way too much to drink, and ended up making friends with these three British guys (No cuties, sorry girls) who were hysterical. We sat around and traded slang and stereotypes all night. Apparently, according to British guys (who get their information from American movies), all American girls love to drink and fuck. So next time you all ask me why I haven't met anyone here...
Anyways, it's almost been a week since I arrived in London, and its coming along quite nicely. I've got 4 weeks until I see Meels in Berlin and only two until I see Alyssia when she moves in only four miles away. I love how much everyone has been keeping in touch with me, I miss you all and I'll keep the pictures coming.
Cheers!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Oh, and it's 65 degrees out
Should have prefaced the earlier blog with, I landed safely in London on Thursday morning, duh. And yes, I drank heavily on the plane and sat next to British children that I wanted to adopt.
Now that I'm here only two days, I'm realizing there is no way in bloody hell that I'm going to be able to document everything that happens, unless I post every 4 and a half seconds from my shitty little early 90's style Nokia phone. (Which doesn't have the capability to reach the internet anyway, of course. You really don't appreciate the Droid until you leave it behind.) Anyways, I'll try my best to keep you all updated, and post pictures on FB as soon as I get enough to make a decent album.
Also, for those of you who know me decently well, you'll understand the pain in my heart when I share the following news: during a grocery store excursion today I found out that London doesn't have Lean Cuisines, 100 calorie packs, or fiber one bars. I'm close to devastated.
Anyways, for now, I just have to avoid the kitchen because my flatmate Paul put hand soap in the dishwasher and it overflowed, and go to sleep. Great night out at the pubs with my flatmates, walking tour of London tomorrow, classes on Monday (gasp!).
Cheers!
Now that I'm here only two days, I'm realizing there is no way in bloody hell that I'm going to be able to document everything that happens, unless I post every 4 and a half seconds from my shitty little early 90's style Nokia phone. (Which doesn't have the capability to reach the internet anyway, of course. You really don't appreciate the Droid until you leave it behind.) Anyways, I'll try my best to keep you all updated, and post pictures on FB as soon as I get enough to make a decent album.
Also, for those of you who know me decently well, you'll understand the pain in my heart when I share the following news: during a grocery store excursion today I found out that London doesn't have Lean Cuisines, 100 calorie packs, or fiber one bars. I'm close to devastated.
Anyways, for now, I just have to avoid the kitchen because my flatmate Paul put hand soap in the dishwasher and it overflowed, and go to sleep. Great night out at the pubs with my flatmates, walking tour of London tomorrow, classes on Monday (gasp!).
Cheers!
Friday, September 3, 2010
There's porn in the phone booths
...No really. A lot of it. Like if you were a guy, it would be very hard (no pun intended) to focus on a phone call.
That's the majority of the non-PG update for today, on to what I learned in orientation this morning.
1. I WILL be considered a stupid American (I'm 99% sure they're still pissed we seceded...akwardddd)
2. I WILL do something stupid while intoxicated (To re-affirm the former point)
3. I WILL get pickpocketed. (Either here or during my various travels around Europe, but most likely, both.)
4. I WILL DEFINITELY get hit by a car. (The program coordinator damn near guarantees it.)
Honestly, it all just keeps me on my toes.
So anyways, after orientation I spent a rousing day walking the streets of London (and by London, I mean Kensington) and food shopping with my flatmates. It's like real world UK here, 6 girls 6 guys and a shit ton of alcohol. I went to lunch with two of the girls today, Cierra and Miriam, at a place where Miriam fell in love with the waiter (who was significantly more delicious than the meal), and Cierra ordered a Greek salad without olives or feta cheese. (So, lettuce with Greek dressing.) And then, as per the instructions of our coordinator, we people watched and took notes so that we could someday fit in here. Quietly though, of course, because as soon as we open our mouths everyone will know we're stupid Americans.
We came to the following conclusions:
1. You can tell if someone is European if they're wearing nice and/or expensive shoes, and you can tell if someone is from the UK if they have a British accent.
2. Only stupid Americans can't figure out how to tip the waiters
3. You can smoke cigarettes pretty much anywhere
4. The Aussie Man-Van provides Australian Vans but not necessarily Australian Men. Huge disappointment.
So, in conclusion, it's a rollercoaster here but I'm having a great time. I'm learning really creative slang that's mostly dirty, so that's nice, and my flatmates and I are going to a pub tonight, so good times there as well hopefully. Oh! And I had real bacon on my hamburger today.
Cheers!
That's the majority of the non-PG update for today, on to what I learned in orientation this morning.
1. I WILL be considered a stupid American (I'm 99% sure they're still pissed we seceded...akwardddd)
2. I WILL do something stupid while intoxicated (To re-affirm the former point)
3. I WILL get pickpocketed. (Either here or during my various travels around Europe, but most likely, both.)
4. I WILL DEFINITELY get hit by a car. (The program coordinator damn near guarantees it.)
Honestly, it all just keeps me on my toes.
So anyways, after orientation I spent a rousing day walking the streets of London (and by London, I mean Kensington) and food shopping with my flatmates. It's like real world UK here, 6 girls 6 guys and a shit ton of alcohol. I went to lunch with two of the girls today, Cierra and Miriam, at a place where Miriam fell in love with the waiter (who was significantly more delicious than the meal), and Cierra ordered a Greek salad without olives or feta cheese. (So, lettuce with Greek dressing.) And then, as per the instructions of our coordinator, we people watched and took notes so that we could someday fit in here. Quietly though, of course, because as soon as we open our mouths everyone will know we're stupid Americans.
We came to the following conclusions:
1. You can tell if someone is European if they're wearing nice and/or expensive shoes, and you can tell if someone is from the UK if they have a British accent.
2. Only stupid Americans can't figure out how to tip the waiters
3. You can smoke cigarettes pretty much anywhere
4. The Aussie Man-Van provides Australian Vans but not necessarily Australian Men. Huge disappointment.
So, in conclusion, it's a rollercoaster here but I'm having a great time. I'm learning really creative slang that's mostly dirty, so that's nice, and my flatmates and I are going to a pub tonight, so good times there as well hopefully. Oh! And I had real bacon on my hamburger today.
Cheers!
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