Just An Update!

I know I just posted on Sunday, but I felt like writing.  And I probably won't have internet access all weekend, so I suppose I should get it all in now! And a sidenote, I'm practising my British spelling, since I have to use it for the magazine.  So Mum, you can proofread my blogs and inform me of my mistakes.

Monday morning we went to Brixton Market, since we are required to visit two or three markets for our British Experience Seminar.  Mark, our programme director, lives in Brixton, a neighborhood about 15 minute south of where we live, and told us that the market was very interesting and worth a visit.  He was most certainly right about the interesting part.  Brixton has a sizable Afro-Carribean population, and is considered to be a very trendy and up-and-coming area.  The market stretched across probably three streets, starting just outside the tube station.  There were a lot of fruit and veg (the English say veg instead of vegetables) vendors, a few clothing and jewellery stands, and some very interesting stands of which I would consider junk, but I suppose are someone else's treasures.  The not so fun part of the market were the meat shops that lined the streets.  Chickens hanging with their heads still on, full-sized pigs on display, fish that looked only just dead.  That was nearly bad enough, but the smell sent us over the edge.  Needless to say, we hurried through that part of the market.  Towards the end, the smell of Carribean food and curry took over, which was ten thousand times more appealing.  Before heading back to Vandon we stopped at Iceland, a very cheap grocery.

It was properly raining Tuesday morning, and it was so cold.  Tuesday was my first real day of work--I felt like such a grown-up Londoner with my trench, black trousers, and black umbrella!  Holly and I met Julie and Beth at 10 at Stratford, and then we drove to the 'office.' The office, which is really called the Stour Space, is on Fish Island, and right outside the window is this little canal on which boats sail up and down--it's just such a nice work view.  Beth and Julie told us all about press releases, showed us how to do subbings, gave us the proof of the magazine for next week, and much more, all over a cup of tea of course.  Then they sent us off to do some very exciting errands and with some writing/editing to do in the afternoon.  We first got to go a press viewing of a new exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington.  It felt so strange to write down my name next to the magazine in order to go to a first showing of something in London.  The exhibit is called the Golden Spider Silk, and it's basically these garments that were woven in Madagascar from the silk produced by these rare spiders.  The garments were on display, and there was a video explaining the process.  It was really cool, but the funny thing was that Julie had told us that they weren't really bothered with the display; they just wanted the magazine's name on record with the museum so they were more likely to buy an ad.  So Holly and I pretended to be interested for twenty minutes before quietly slipping out.  Then we had to go to Royal Albert Hall in order to pick up an information packet, which is only a quick walk from the museum.  I do not want to know how much a ticket to see something there would be.  Then we went back to Vandon for some lunch, and then I spent my afternoon editing the magazine proof for next week and rewriting press release articles.  Honestly, I was in heaven-I loved every moment of the day.  Then to top it off, Beth had gotten us free tickets for that evening to go see The Ladykillers in Piccadilly Circus.  It's a show based on an old English comedy film about this little old lady who unknowingly has five robbers staying as boarders in her house.  It was quite funny--it was very much British humour though.

Today I had my work placement again.  We met with Beth briefly this morning, and she gave us one place to go and a small editing task for the afternoon.  We had to go to St. John's Square to pick up some information and then put it in the post to their advertising staff, who is really an 80 year old woman named Ruth, who no one will apparently say no to.  Beth told us to get off at Victoria and gave us directions to walk to the square from the station.  We didn't get lost, but Victoria was a really, really long ways from where we were going, as in a forty five minute walk, and then a fifteen minute walk back to Vandon.  There were probably three other tube stops that would have been closer, but I guess we got to see much more of the city by walking.  So I'm not complaining, although my feet are.  Tonight we're going to Les Miserables with the programme, which should be good.  Tomorrow I actually have class from 9-4, and then I'm taking the train to Jenny's for the weekend.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks in London, and I'm really interested to see how my life here unfolds.  It's really odd to me that I really only have things to do three days a week, with my work placement Tuesdays and Wednesdays and classes on Thursdays.  The next two weekends Mum will be here, but after that is up for grabs.  We have a weekend in Bath with the program in February, and I already know of two weekends in which friends from Wales will be visiting.  I'm hoping to go there at least once or twice as well.  I'm also hoping to go to Derby, and Paris is the one place that I have to see-I will be heartbroken if it doesn't work out for a second time.  Otherwise, I am happy to stay in the UK-everyone else has grand travel plans across Europe, and while it would be nice, I am somewhat trying to save my pennies.  Plus, my crazy dream is that I'll find some extremely wealthy British boy who will buy me a proper English cottage in the countryside, I will be a ridiculously good book editor, I'll be able to fly back and forth between the States and England whenever I want, and I'll have holidays in Malta and Thailand all the time.  Seriously, that would be the life.  I'll let you know how that one works out.

Anyway.  I suppose I should have some supper before we go to the theatre.  Have a lovely day!
much love
Lucy