It's my last day in at Vandon--I feel like I say it every week, but I cannot comprehend how fast this semester has gone. It seems like I was just planning all of this days ago, but it's actually over!
This last week was a little more stressful than I'd hoped, but it was still good. I spent last weekend in Derby with mum's friend Bev, and it was so nice to be out of the city for a while and to spend time with her family. Monday a couple of us tried to go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, but that honestly turned out to be a whole lot of talk for a not very exciting couple of hours. I spent the rest of the day trying to work on my last essay. You would think that it being the last essay of my college career I would be so anxious to finish it, but finding the motivation was super difficult. Tuesday I had to work, and as poor Holly ended up really sick for the last week I got to do it all myself. That evening was more essay writing and studying for my exams. Wednesday I went to a press viewing at the Barbican Art Centre for the Bauhaus: Life is Art exhibition, which actually was really interesting. I had this really awkward moment though when this lady asked me if I would mind looking at a painting 'intently' so she could photograph me. She kept giving me directions for how to pose--um, not my thing, thank you very much. Then she just said thank you and walked away before I could even ask who she worked for. And I completely forgot to check the newspapers yesterday to see if it was in any of them, so I guess I'll never know. I finished my paper in the afternoon, and in the evening we went to see Sweeney Todd with the program. Beth from work got to come with us as well, which was really nice. Thursday I had my Contemporary Britain final in the morning, which consisted of two very long essay questions. The last one was interrupted by a fire alarm, which my hand was thankful for but my train of thought was gone after that. Then we hung around the University for our Religions final at 2, which was fine. And then I was done! It's such a weird feeling to know that I am done with college classes forever. No more homework, no more exams, no more essays--thank goodness. I am so ready to be done with all of that. We had a little going away party with our directors in the evening, where we had Pimms and lemonade and Eton mess (for all of you who love mum's meringue and raspberry dessert, this is the same thing. Heaven.). All 36 of us were crammed in the lounge, and it was actually really sad knowing that it was the last time we'd all be together. Saying goodbye to Jen was sad too--she is literally the perfect person for her job, and I'm going to miss popping into her office for random chats and chocolate. Most of us continued the party after they had to leave, and of course it turned into people getting teary and emotional. Goodbyes just...suck. And I think saying goodbye to the friends you made while studying abroad is even harder, because you've shared so many big experiences together and you're having to say goodbye to people and to a place you've come to love. It's just hard. About ten people are up in the air now, headed back to America already, and everyone else will be gone by Sunday. I'm going to my aunt's for my last few days before flying home on Wednesday. And then it's graduation time! Which I know is going to be a blur of emotions and jetlag. I'm so excited to see everyone though--definitely ready for some hellos.
Anyway. I'm off to one more museum and market before saying goodbye to central London! Have a lovely weekend, and thanks for reading this last few months, whoever and wherever you are.
Much love :)
Lucy
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Days of the Lasts
If you want my spring break blog, check below. :)
So begins the days of the lasts in London. I have 16 days left in this crazy, loud, busy, beautiful city, and while I feel like I've seen it all in the past four months, I know I've really only touched the surface. I don't think you could ever see all of London, not even in a lifetime. There are so many diverse neighborhoods to explore, so many landmarks and monuments to see, so many markets to wander, and so many people to meet that there just isn't the time for it all. So instead I've started having that anxious nagging question in my head whenever I go somewhere--is this the last time I'll be in Covent Garden? Is this the last time I'll see this person for a while? Is this the last time I'll walk along Southbank? Is this the last time I'll eat sketchy Thai food at Camden? Is this the last time? It seems a little ridiculous I know, but no one wants to know that they're doing something they love for the last time, at least for a while anyway.
Yet in a strange way, I think I'm ready to move on. When I came home from Wales, I was literally a mess. I really, really struggled with being back in America those first few months of 2011, and I could not wait to go back to Europe. Looking back, I know I probably said a few things about being home that hurt a few feelings. It was never that I disliked home, it was just that I had made another home in Wales and I couldn't stand being away from it and the people I had become so close to. I think that my change in attitude this time around has a lot to do with the fact that I don't have the same friend ties this time--obviously I'll be sad not to be in the same country as them, but almost everyone I've gotten to know in London is going back to the States too. The one exception to that is my aunt, who I will really miss. This semester was worth it alone to have gotten to know her. I also think that the fact that I'm ready to go home has a lot to do with the fact that, scarily enough, I'm growing up. I just turned 22-yeah, scary for me too. I had to make decisions this semester about what I'm doing in the future, and I think this semester has given me a lot of perspective on my life that I didn't have before. I have so many good people in my life in Iowa--my family, friends from high school, friends from Central, people from church and Iowa Falls--and honestly, I miss you all! I think I really needed this semester to appreciate that. Plus this semester has given me a world of experience, from the places I've been to my internship to the people I've made connections with. Nothing can ever take that away from me, and it was worth every penny.
So for the last couple of weeks I'm just going to enjoy being here. I'm going to one of mum's friends' in Derby for the weekend, but otherwise I'll be in London. I do have finals unfortunately, and a whole lot of packing to do before I go. But I am really going to try and enjoy every last moment before heading home for graduation. I still have a little panic attack every time I say that word. But it's going to be okay--everything is going to work out just the way it should.
And with that, I'll leave you!
Much love always,
Lucy
So begins the days of the lasts in London. I have 16 days left in this crazy, loud, busy, beautiful city, and while I feel like I've seen it all in the past four months, I know I've really only touched the surface. I don't think you could ever see all of London, not even in a lifetime. There are so many diverse neighborhoods to explore, so many landmarks and monuments to see, so many markets to wander, and so many people to meet that there just isn't the time for it all. So instead I've started having that anxious nagging question in my head whenever I go somewhere--is this the last time I'll be in Covent Garden? Is this the last time I'll see this person for a while? Is this the last time I'll walk along Southbank? Is this the last time I'll eat sketchy Thai food at Camden? Is this the last time? It seems a little ridiculous I know, but no one wants to know that they're doing something they love for the last time, at least for a while anyway.
Yet in a strange way, I think I'm ready to move on. When I came home from Wales, I was literally a mess. I really, really struggled with being back in America those first few months of 2011, and I could not wait to go back to Europe. Looking back, I know I probably said a few things about being home that hurt a few feelings. It was never that I disliked home, it was just that I had made another home in Wales and I couldn't stand being away from it and the people I had become so close to. I think that my change in attitude this time around has a lot to do with the fact that I don't have the same friend ties this time--obviously I'll be sad not to be in the same country as them, but almost everyone I've gotten to know in London is going back to the States too. The one exception to that is my aunt, who I will really miss. This semester was worth it alone to have gotten to know her. I also think that the fact that I'm ready to go home has a lot to do with the fact that, scarily enough, I'm growing up. I just turned 22-yeah, scary for me too. I had to make decisions this semester about what I'm doing in the future, and I think this semester has given me a lot of perspective on my life that I didn't have before. I have so many good people in my life in Iowa--my family, friends from high school, friends from Central, people from church and Iowa Falls--and honestly, I miss you all! I think I really needed this semester to appreciate that. Plus this semester has given me a world of experience, from the places I've been to my internship to the people I've made connections with. Nothing can ever take that away from me, and it was worth every penny.
So for the last couple of weeks I'm just going to enjoy being here. I'm going to one of mum's friends' in Derby for the weekend, but otherwise I'll be in London. I do have finals unfortunately, and a whole lot of packing to do before I go. But I am really going to try and enjoy every last moment before heading home for graduation. I still have a little panic attack every time I say that word. But it's going to be okay--everything is going to work out just the way it should.
And with that, I'll leave you!
Much love always,
Lucy
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Holiday!
First of all, I apologize for how late this is! I've been super busy since I got back from break and have hardly had a free minute. So I'm going to go way back to the very beginning of spring break--get ready for a verrrrry long post!
Thursday, the 5th of April, we had a fieldtrip to the Tower of London. It was pretty cool, and I can now say I've seen the Crown Jewels, but it was a freezing cold day so it was a little harder to enjoy. Friday my friend Alissa and I embarked on a dessert tour of the city. We mapped it out ourselves, so if we were feeling too full we could skip out on a couple. We ended up splitting 8 desserts I think, and we finished with margaritas. It was so much fun, but I was definitely in a sugar coma by the end of it.
We left for Barcelona super early that Saturday (the joys of travelling with bargain airlines and from an airport an hour and half outside the city) and got there midday. Our hostel was way on the other side of the city, so we made the trek to drop our things off before exploring the city centre. Barcelona is absolutely beautiful--it has definitely made my favourite cities list. We saw the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral, and a bit of the famous Gaudi architecture before having bocadillas (sandwiches) at a little cafe. Afterwards we slowly made our way down Las Ramblas, the city's main market street that leads to the sea. At some point we ended up in a plaza, where there was a pillow fight going on among a crowd of Spanish students--it was so random, but really fun to watch. Then we wandered along by the sea, checking out the boats and watching the sunset. Barcelona was so much more laidback than London--no one was in a hurry and there was laughter everywhere. And I loved hearing Spanish all around me and being able to use the Spanish I know. I honestly have never been that drawn to Spain or Mexico--the culture just never really interested me. Being in Barcelona completely changed my mind though. I would so love to go back and spend more time in Spain. The next day, we slept in before spending the afternoon on the beach. Then we made the journey to the boat, which took much longer than planned. I was so happy to finally be on the boat! And it really was an incredible cruise ship--it was massive and so nice inside. Monday we were at sea all day, so it was the perfect day to lay by the pool. I definitely have never been a pool rat or the type of girl that sits outside all day just to get a tan, but I have to admit it was kind of nice to get lost in a book while sitting by a pool in the middle of the Mediterranean. That evening our meal was formal, so we got to get dressed up and feel like we weren't poor college students for a night.Tuesday we were in Tunisia, which is in North Africa. It was definitely not what I expected, not that I really know what I thought it was going to be like. We had planned on just staying in the port town to save money; the problem was that there was absolutely nothing in the port town and it really wasn't a very nice place. The other problem is that we really didn't think about dressing appropriately--Tunisia is a Muslim country, so we really should have worn jeans and long sleeves. We just got hassled the entire time, and it was making us all feel more than uncomfortable. So we turned around and went back to the boat. Wednesday we were in Malta, which was beautiful. We wandered around the centre of Valletta for a while, and then we decided to go on a sightseeing bus so that we could see a few more things. We stopped at some beautiful gardens and at the old capitol, and then found a little cafe for lunch. Thursday we were in Sicily, and it was such a beautiful day for such a beautiful city. We also met this old man who was on a cruise for four months that went around the world--he'd literally been everywhere. We talked to him for probably 20 minutes because he just had so many stories to tell and he was so nice. I honestly couldn't tell you what we all saw in Sicily, but it was all so pretty. Friday was Rome, but Abby and I didn't pay to go into the city since we'd both been there before. The port town wasn't very exciting and it was raining all day, so we had a very lazy day. Saturday was Genoa, another beautiful Italian city. And then we were back in Barcelona Sunday and flew back that night. We didn't get back to central London til after 3 in the morning, so we were definitely exhausted. I did laundry and semi-unpacked on Monday before heading to my aunts' that evening. For my birthday on Tuesday we went on a day trip to Bruges, in Belgium, on a coach tour Jenny found. It was a five hour journey each way, but it was so incredibly worth it. I've decided I'm moving there. It was just gorgeous--it reminded me a lot of Pella, but obviously better. We had a delicious lunch at a little sidewalk cafe, which was covered and warmed with outdoor heaters since it was so miserable out. I made sure to get frites with mayo for mum, and Jenny made me try the beer since it was my birthday. We even split a Belgian waffle later in the day, which was to die for. And I can't forget all the little chocolate shops that were on every street. Most of the architecture in Bruges is Gothic, but the storefronts and the houses looked very Dutch. I honestly could have spent weeks there and been happy. But we had to get back to London that night, so that we both could work in the morning.
We actually ended up not having to work on Wednesday, which was really frustrating but probably good at the same time so that I could get caught up with assignments and e-mails and graduation stuff. Thursday we had class all day, and then my friend Molly, who's doing her postgrad at Bangor, came to visit for the weekend. Friday we had a daytrip to Brighton, which was a lovely place. It's on the seaside, and it was such a quirky student town--it was the kind of place where I could see myself living. Yesterday we did Camden Market and Covent Garden, and in the evening we went to see Billy Elliott on stage. It's one of the best shows I've seen so far--I think I cried twice from sadness and once from laughter. We had been planning on going to Wicked, but last minute changed our minds because Billy Elliott can really only be seen in London, and Wicked is everywhere. We definitely made the right choice. Today we went to Spitalfields Market in the East End before checking out the London Marathon at St. James's Park. Someone told us that Prince Harry was handing out the awards so that obviously was our motive for going, but we didn't end up seeing him and instead got to enjoy watching the runners in all of their crazy costumes cross the finish line. I could not do a marathon, and especially not in London rain. Molly left earlier this evening, and now I'm finally getting around to this and other homework.
I wish I had time to go into more detail about everything that's happened in the past couple of weeks, but I feel like you'd be sitting here for ages! It truly was a wonderful break, and I feel very blessed to have been able to do it. I have to admit I wouldn't choose to go on a cruise again, but it was really cool to see so many places and experience so many new things.
Anyway, I'm off to do my homework. Hope you all have a lovely week and I will see you soon!
Thursday, the 5th of April, we had a fieldtrip to the Tower of London. It was pretty cool, and I can now say I've seen the Crown Jewels, but it was a freezing cold day so it was a little harder to enjoy. Friday my friend Alissa and I embarked on a dessert tour of the city. We mapped it out ourselves, so if we were feeling too full we could skip out on a couple. We ended up splitting 8 desserts I think, and we finished with margaritas. It was so much fun, but I was definitely in a sugar coma by the end of it.
We left for Barcelona super early that Saturday (the joys of travelling with bargain airlines and from an airport an hour and half outside the city) and got there midday. Our hostel was way on the other side of the city, so we made the trek to drop our things off before exploring the city centre. Barcelona is absolutely beautiful--it has definitely made my favourite cities list. We saw the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral, and a bit of the famous Gaudi architecture before having bocadillas (sandwiches) at a little cafe. Afterwards we slowly made our way down Las Ramblas, the city's main market street that leads to the sea. At some point we ended up in a plaza, where there was a pillow fight going on among a crowd of Spanish students--it was so random, but really fun to watch. Then we wandered along by the sea, checking out the boats and watching the sunset. Barcelona was so much more laidback than London--no one was in a hurry and there was laughter everywhere. And I loved hearing Spanish all around me and being able to use the Spanish I know. I honestly have never been that drawn to Spain or Mexico--the culture just never really interested me. Being in Barcelona completely changed my mind though. I would so love to go back and spend more time in Spain. The next day, we slept in before spending the afternoon on the beach. Then we made the journey to the boat, which took much longer than planned. I was so happy to finally be on the boat! And it really was an incredible cruise ship--it was massive and so nice inside. Monday we were at sea all day, so it was the perfect day to lay by the pool. I definitely have never been a pool rat or the type of girl that sits outside all day just to get a tan, but I have to admit it was kind of nice to get lost in a book while sitting by a pool in the middle of the Mediterranean. That evening our meal was formal, so we got to get dressed up and feel like we weren't poor college students for a night.Tuesday we were in Tunisia, which is in North Africa. It was definitely not what I expected, not that I really know what I thought it was going to be like. We had planned on just staying in the port town to save money; the problem was that there was absolutely nothing in the port town and it really wasn't a very nice place. The other problem is that we really didn't think about dressing appropriately--Tunisia is a Muslim country, so we really should have worn jeans and long sleeves. We just got hassled the entire time, and it was making us all feel more than uncomfortable. So we turned around and went back to the boat. Wednesday we were in Malta, which was beautiful. We wandered around the centre of Valletta for a while, and then we decided to go on a sightseeing bus so that we could see a few more things. We stopped at some beautiful gardens and at the old capitol, and then found a little cafe for lunch. Thursday we were in Sicily, and it was such a beautiful day for such a beautiful city. We also met this old man who was on a cruise for four months that went around the world--he'd literally been everywhere. We talked to him for probably 20 minutes because he just had so many stories to tell and he was so nice. I honestly couldn't tell you what we all saw in Sicily, but it was all so pretty. Friday was Rome, but Abby and I didn't pay to go into the city since we'd both been there before. The port town wasn't very exciting and it was raining all day, so we had a very lazy day. Saturday was Genoa, another beautiful Italian city. And then we were back in Barcelona Sunday and flew back that night. We didn't get back to central London til after 3 in the morning, so we were definitely exhausted. I did laundry and semi-unpacked on Monday before heading to my aunts' that evening. For my birthday on Tuesday we went on a day trip to Bruges, in Belgium, on a coach tour Jenny found. It was a five hour journey each way, but it was so incredibly worth it. I've decided I'm moving there. It was just gorgeous--it reminded me a lot of Pella, but obviously better. We had a delicious lunch at a little sidewalk cafe, which was covered and warmed with outdoor heaters since it was so miserable out. I made sure to get frites with mayo for mum, and Jenny made me try the beer since it was my birthday. We even split a Belgian waffle later in the day, which was to die for. And I can't forget all the little chocolate shops that were on every street. Most of the architecture in Bruges is Gothic, but the storefronts and the houses looked very Dutch. I honestly could have spent weeks there and been happy. But we had to get back to London that night, so that we both could work in the morning.
We actually ended up not having to work on Wednesday, which was really frustrating but probably good at the same time so that I could get caught up with assignments and e-mails and graduation stuff. Thursday we had class all day, and then my friend Molly, who's doing her postgrad at Bangor, came to visit for the weekend. Friday we had a daytrip to Brighton, which was a lovely place. It's on the seaside, and it was such a quirky student town--it was the kind of place where I could see myself living. Yesterday we did Camden Market and Covent Garden, and in the evening we went to see Billy Elliott on stage. It's one of the best shows I've seen so far--I think I cried twice from sadness and once from laughter. We had been planning on going to Wicked, but last minute changed our minds because Billy Elliott can really only be seen in London, and Wicked is everywhere. We definitely made the right choice. Today we went to Spitalfields Market in the East End before checking out the London Marathon at St. James's Park. Someone told us that Prince Harry was handing out the awards so that obviously was our motive for going, but we didn't end up seeing him and instead got to enjoy watching the runners in all of their crazy costumes cross the finish line. I could not do a marathon, and especially not in London rain. Molly left earlier this evening, and now I'm finally getting around to this and other homework.
I wish I had time to go into more detail about everything that's happened in the past couple of weeks, but I feel like you'd be sitting here for ages! It truly was a wonderful break, and I feel very blessed to have been able to do it. I have to admit I wouldn't choose to go on a cruise again, but it was really cool to see so many places and experience so many new things.
Anyway, I'm off to do my homework. Hope you all have a lovely week and I will see you soon!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I hate thinking of titles.
It's April already! That was a major wake-up call on Sunday--and this last month is jam-packed with things to do.
The last couple of weeks have been pretty relaxed. I didn't have much to do for work last week, and we have this week and the following week off. Somehow I don't think that's how work goes in the real world....... but anyway. Wednesday night I went out with my friend Alissa, and we had so much fun--sometimes it's so much better to go in a small group, especially since we usually go out with a group of 15ish Americans. Thursday we had class all day--our Contemporary Britain class was actually interesting this week. For Religions we had a meditation tutor come in and he told us all about meditation and Buddhism. It was really interesting to hear his perspective, and it was very informative because I honestly knew next to nothing about Buddhism. We actually got to meditate too, which was definitely a new um, experience. I'm not very good at sitting still, but I totally see why people do it. The practice and the religion both emphasize that it's important to be very self-aware and to understand your position in the world, as well as to understand your own feelings and their effect on you. I kept thinking of it as looking at yourself from above, or stepping outside of yourself in order to get a better perspective on your own life. While I don't think I have the patience to meditate very often, I do think that the concepts and thoughts could be applicable to anyone.
Thursday night my friend Abi arrived--I cannot tell you how excited I was. I lived with Abi in Wales, and she still goes to university there. She's from England, so it had been a while since I'd seen her! It was so good to catch up on everything. We have the most ridiculously funny conversations--the kind that no one else would understand from the outside. Friday we went to the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, Harrods, we rode bikes through Hyde Park, bought groceries and came back for the evening. Saturday we did a bit of shopping, stopped by the Chocolate Fair on Southbank for delicious brownies, and went out with some of the other girls. Sunday we did Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, attempted the Sherlock Holmes museum but decided we didn't want to pay, Abbey Road, and M&M World. It was such an exhausting weekend, but it was probably the best weekend I've had in London so far. I definitely didn't want to send her back on the bus Sunday night. But, we just told ourselves that we still have plenty of time in our lives for more adventures together.
This week has been so lazy though--I literally don't have anything except a fieldtrip Thursday morning. The weather hasn't even been nice enough to spend the days outside. Tomorrow we are going to the Tower of London, and then some of us are going to go to the Imperial War Museum for one of our assignments--definitely will be getting my history fix. Friday Alissa and I are doing a dessert tour of London--I'm trying to prepare myself for sugar overload. I think we have 12 different places to go--maybe not the best idea to do before spring break, but whatever. I'm excited.
Saturday we leave for Barcelona for our cruise--I'm so excited for sunshine and warm weather. We go to Barcelona, Tunisia, Malta, 3 different places in Italy, and back to Barcelona. We're gone for kind of a long time, but I'm hoping it's a lot of fun anyway. And when I get back, I have all of 3 weeks left, and those 3 weeks are crazy busy so I know it'll go by fast. I have to admit though that I'm starting to be ready to go home--I think the travel bug has finally, almost worked its way through my system--for now anyway. I'm ready for a little bit more stability, and I miss my family and friends.
So you probably won't hear from me for a couple of weeks--I'll try to update as soon as I get back. Hope you have a wonderful Easter!
The last couple of weeks have been pretty relaxed. I didn't have much to do for work last week, and we have this week and the following week off. Somehow I don't think that's how work goes in the real world....... but anyway. Wednesday night I went out with my friend Alissa, and we had so much fun--sometimes it's so much better to go in a small group, especially since we usually go out with a group of 15ish Americans. Thursday we had class all day--our Contemporary Britain class was actually interesting this week. For Religions we had a meditation tutor come in and he told us all about meditation and Buddhism. It was really interesting to hear his perspective, and it was very informative because I honestly knew next to nothing about Buddhism. We actually got to meditate too, which was definitely a new um, experience. I'm not very good at sitting still, but I totally see why people do it. The practice and the religion both emphasize that it's important to be very self-aware and to understand your position in the world, as well as to understand your own feelings and their effect on you. I kept thinking of it as looking at yourself from above, or stepping outside of yourself in order to get a better perspective on your own life. While I don't think I have the patience to meditate very often, I do think that the concepts and thoughts could be applicable to anyone.
Thursday night my friend Abi arrived--I cannot tell you how excited I was. I lived with Abi in Wales, and she still goes to university there. She's from England, so it had been a while since I'd seen her! It was so good to catch up on everything. We have the most ridiculously funny conversations--the kind that no one else would understand from the outside. Friday we went to the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, Harrods, we rode bikes through Hyde Park, bought groceries and came back for the evening. Saturday we did a bit of shopping, stopped by the Chocolate Fair on Southbank for delicious brownies, and went out with some of the other girls. Sunday we did Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, attempted the Sherlock Holmes museum but decided we didn't want to pay, Abbey Road, and M&M World. It was such an exhausting weekend, but it was probably the best weekend I've had in London so far. I definitely didn't want to send her back on the bus Sunday night. But, we just told ourselves that we still have plenty of time in our lives for more adventures together.
This week has been so lazy though--I literally don't have anything except a fieldtrip Thursday morning. The weather hasn't even been nice enough to spend the days outside. Tomorrow we are going to the Tower of London, and then some of us are going to go to the Imperial War Museum for one of our assignments--definitely will be getting my history fix. Friday Alissa and I are doing a dessert tour of London--I'm trying to prepare myself for sugar overload. I think we have 12 different places to go--maybe not the best idea to do before spring break, but whatever. I'm excited.
Saturday we leave for Barcelona for our cruise--I'm so excited for sunshine and warm weather. We go to Barcelona, Tunisia, Malta, 3 different places in Italy, and back to Barcelona. We're gone for kind of a long time, but I'm hoping it's a lot of fun anyway. And when I get back, I have all of 3 weeks left, and those 3 weeks are crazy busy so I know it'll go by fast. I have to admit though that I'm starting to be ready to go home--I think the travel bug has finally, almost worked its way through my system--for now anyway. I'm ready for a little bit more stability, and I miss my family and friends.
So you probably won't hear from me for a couple of weeks--I'll try to update as soon as I get back. Hope you have a wonderful Easter!
Monday, March 26, 2012
London Bridge Might Be Falling Down Again...
Another week down. Where is the time going? It's crazy to think that I really only have 6 weeks left here.
This week was much calmer than the last, thank goodness. Even work was quiet, which I have to admit was a relief. And we had Thursday afternoon off from Religions, so it really was a fairly uneventful week. Friday a few other girls and I spent the day in Kingston wandering and talking--it was nice just to hang out in the sunshine and enjoy being outside. Afterwards I headed to my aunt's for the weekend. Saturday we we went to Greenwich to make up my assignment from last week. We took a riverboat from Westminster Pier all the way down the Thames, which was really interesting. It was definitely bigger than the boat I work on in the summers........but same concept. They even had volunteer captains, just like the good old Empress. Greenwich was really cool, but it was absolutely packed. The weather here has been beautiful the last few days, and it seems like every single person in the city has been outside making the most of it. We could hardly move in the markets, let alone find an empty piece of grass to sit on. We finally decided to call it a day around 4 and got back on the boat. About halfway through the trip the guy doing the commentary said really casually 'hang on, there's going to be a little bump.' No one really took any notice, but two seconds later there was a gigantic bump as the boat rammed into London Bridge. A couple of people fell down inside the boat, my tea went all over my arm, and quite a few people screamed. The funny (or not so funny...) thing was that the guy just asked everyone if they were okay before continuing with his commentary! I was waiting for the boat to start sinking Titanic style. Seriously, who just steers a boat with nearly 200 people on it into a bridge? I thought about giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, that maybe a current swept him that way, but the boat hit the bridge head on. Anyway. Someone must have called the police because they were there when we docked....my guess is that the boat company is going to have a lot of questions to answer. Plus, there was a sizeable dent/paint damage on the boat. And who knows what damage it did to the bridge? Major oops. Sunday we went to Painshill Park to go walking with Jenny's friend Jane--it was a beautiful park. After we had a late lunch at a little organic cafe before driving around Epsom Downs, a horse racing facility. I do not understand the British obsession with horse races. And why would you dress up for it? Don't get it. Today we did a little shopping (trying to find that little brother of mine a birthday present...) and then I headed back to Vandon.
Since I had such a non-busy week, I had loads of time to think. I still don't know what I want to do, but that's okay. I'll graduate in May with a liberal arts degree that gives me the ability to do a multitude of things if I set my mind to them. I have at least ruled out grad school for now--I know that I would love it, but it's an expensive way to buy more time to decide what I want to do, and what would be the point if I don't have a specific career goal in mind yet anyway?
The other thing I've realised is that when I finally settle down, it won't be in the city. I have loved living in London the past few months, but honestly, I think it's exhausting. I dread going anywhere near the tube during rush hours, and our area is absolutely crawling with people on the weekends. Sometimes it's literally like I can't breathe it feels so crowded. I miss clean air and space and nature. Walking in Painshill Park this weekend really made me see that I won't be totally happy if I don't have those things. It makes sense, I did grow up swimming in the creek and feeding cows after all. And in Wales, I loved Outdoor Pursuits--the adrenaline of doing those things and the insanely beautiful places we went were just so amazing. At the same time, I don't think I want to be totally isolated from the excitement of a city either. I love the fact that there are museums and historical places and new things to see pretty much on my doorstep. So basically, I figured out that I want the best of both worlds, which is probably what everyone wants. Maybe it wasn't as cool of a realisation as I thought.
Anyway. I'll leave you with exciting news--my name is finally in print, in London. My name is on page 3 of this week's edition of This Is London, which you can all check out at www.til.com . It's not attached to a specific article, since articles in the magazine never do unless it's a review, but I did write a few of the pieces. Definitely a cool feeling.
Have a good week!
This week was much calmer than the last, thank goodness. Even work was quiet, which I have to admit was a relief. And we had Thursday afternoon off from Religions, so it really was a fairly uneventful week. Friday a few other girls and I spent the day in Kingston wandering and talking--it was nice just to hang out in the sunshine and enjoy being outside. Afterwards I headed to my aunt's for the weekend. Saturday we we went to Greenwich to make up my assignment from last week. We took a riverboat from Westminster Pier all the way down the Thames, which was really interesting. It was definitely bigger than the boat I work on in the summers........but same concept. They even had volunteer captains, just like the good old Empress. Greenwich was really cool, but it was absolutely packed. The weather here has been beautiful the last few days, and it seems like every single person in the city has been outside making the most of it. We could hardly move in the markets, let alone find an empty piece of grass to sit on. We finally decided to call it a day around 4 and got back on the boat. About halfway through the trip the guy doing the commentary said really casually 'hang on, there's going to be a little bump.' No one really took any notice, but two seconds later there was a gigantic bump as the boat rammed into London Bridge. A couple of people fell down inside the boat, my tea went all over my arm, and quite a few people screamed. The funny (or not so funny...) thing was that the guy just asked everyone if they were okay before continuing with his commentary! I was waiting for the boat to start sinking Titanic style. Seriously, who just steers a boat with nearly 200 people on it into a bridge? I thought about giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, that maybe a current swept him that way, but the boat hit the bridge head on. Anyway. Someone must have called the police because they were there when we docked....my guess is that the boat company is going to have a lot of questions to answer. Plus, there was a sizeable dent/paint damage on the boat. And who knows what damage it did to the bridge? Major oops. Sunday we went to Painshill Park to go walking with Jenny's friend Jane--it was a beautiful park. After we had a late lunch at a little organic cafe before driving around Epsom Downs, a horse racing facility. I do not understand the British obsession with horse races. And why would you dress up for it? Don't get it. Today we did a little shopping (trying to find that little brother of mine a birthday present...) and then I headed back to Vandon.
Since I had such a non-busy week, I had loads of time to think. I still don't know what I want to do, but that's okay. I'll graduate in May with a liberal arts degree that gives me the ability to do a multitude of things if I set my mind to them. I have at least ruled out grad school for now--I know that I would love it, but it's an expensive way to buy more time to decide what I want to do, and what would be the point if I don't have a specific career goal in mind yet anyway?
The other thing I've realised is that when I finally settle down, it won't be in the city. I have loved living in London the past few months, but honestly, I think it's exhausting. I dread going anywhere near the tube during rush hours, and our area is absolutely crawling with people on the weekends. Sometimes it's literally like I can't breathe it feels so crowded. I miss clean air and space and nature. Walking in Painshill Park this weekend really made me see that I won't be totally happy if I don't have those things. It makes sense, I did grow up swimming in the creek and feeding cows after all. And in Wales, I loved Outdoor Pursuits--the adrenaline of doing those things and the insanely beautiful places we went were just so amazing. At the same time, I don't think I want to be totally isolated from the excitement of a city either. I love the fact that there are museums and historical places and new things to see pretty much on my doorstep. So basically, I figured out that I want the best of both worlds, which is probably what everyone wants. Maybe it wasn't as cool of a realisation as I thought.
Anyway. I'll leave you with exciting news--my name is finally in print, in London. My name is on page 3 of this week's edition of This Is London, which you can all check out at www.til.com . It's not attached to a specific article, since articles in the magazine never do unless it's a review, but I did write a few of the pieces. Definitely a cool feeling.
Have a good week!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
London Life
Phew. It has been a looooong week.
Work has been going pretty well, although it's starting to have its frustrating moments. Last Wednesday they literally told us to 'hold tight' until they found us something to do, which meant Holly and I were basically hanging around Vandon until they finally sent us work that had to be completed in the hour because of a press deadline. I'm starting to see the pressure and time constraints that are part of magazine publication, which are really quite stressful. I think it becomes even more stressful for us to be on the outside too, because we want to help as much as possible but we can't do anything really as we're not physically with them. This past week was a little more interesting. Tuesday we went to a press viewing of the Turner/Claude exhibition at the National Gallery, did some research, went to the Victoria & Albert Museum for a press viewing that actually wasn't happening for another couple of weeks, and did a lot of event research for the month of April.
Last weekend a group of us went to Liverpool for the weekend. I'd already been twice while I was in Wales, but it's one of my favourite cities so I was up for going again. We left London ridiculously early (the things you do for cheap train tickets..) and when we got there we met Regan, who is studying in Wales. We checked into our hostel, one I'd stayed at before and loved, before heading out to explore. We honestly didn't do much other than just wander, which was nice. It was a beautiful day, and it was good to catch up with Regan. That evening we cooked at the hostel, and attempted to go out but we were far too tired. Saturday morning we went to the World Museum before catching the train. I actually went to Bangor for the rest of the weekend, since one of my friends from Texas that was in the Central program with me (in Wales) was visiting for the week. I couldn't not go see her! Shireen is larger than life, and she is most definitely from Texas. She is so wonderful though. I also finally got to see my flatmate Abi, which was wonderful. And she's coming to stay with me in London next weekend-so excited! It was just so nice to catch up with such good friends. My friend Jessica from Central was also visiting Wales for her spring break, and she decided to come to London for the night on Monday. She had a whirlwind 24 hours in the city--definitely not enough time to see everything, but we packed quite a bit in.
Central's President, Dr. Putnam, was in London this week as well, along with his wife and one other person from Central. A group of us had lunch with him on Wednesday, and it was really interesting to hear what he had to say about study abroad as well as listen to what questions he had for us. I think it's really important and really awesome that the people who make the big decisions about our programs are taking the time to do this at every site. And it was a conversation--not an interview or a lecture, but an actual discussion. Dr. Putnam also met with Holly, Beth, and I later in the afternoon to talk about our internship. I felt bad for Beth--she was absolutely grilled about things that her mum would have been much better at answering. I'm pretty sure Beth is only a year older than I am and she's only officially been at the magazine for a year, but she answered everything well. Dr. Putnam mostly wanted to know what the magazine did and how it was run and how having interns was beneficial. Jen and Mark were both there too, so it felt very serious and grownup! It was cool though that we got to show him what we're doing though. Afterwards Jen, Beth, Holly, and I sat and had coffee by the river just to unwind.
Thursday was an extremely busy day. We had class all morning, barely had time to grab lunch at Vandon, and then had to be in the East End by 2 for Religions. We went to a Turkish mosque in Hackney, as we had started our unit on Islam. The mosque itself was beautiful--it was tiled with blue and aqua mosaic all over, which is typical of Turkish design. We spoke with a professor of Islam studies from a London university, and he told us a lot about the Muslim community in Britain and the internal changes and progress that Muslims are working on. We had to take our shoes off in the mosque, and all of the women had to wear headscarves, which is just a sign of respect. Afterwards we had a meal at a Turkish restaurant, which was really good but I didn't want to eat much since we were also having Indian food later in the evening. We were all basically sitting on the ground for the meal, with a table maybe two feet off the ground for our food. The president and crew had come with, so it was a little amusing to see us all squashed in this little cubicle around a table on the ground. We had just enough time to drop our things off at Vandon before heading to Brick Lane for our Indian/Pakistani meal with the program. By this time, I was starting to feel pretty awful. Flu-like sickness had been going around, and since Abby had had it earlier in the week I knew I was bound to get it. My voice got worse and worse throughout the day, and I was sooo congested. But I trooped through the meal, which was delicious but way too filling. We got back to Vandon about 9:30 that evening and I tried to read but I just couldn't--I was too tired. I woke up about four in the morning and decided there was no way I was going on our fieldtrip that day--it was only to Greenwich, but since it was an assignment for our blogs I'll have to make it up on my own time. I was just so achy and tired, and I could hardly breathe or talk. I didn't get out of bed til nearly one--anyone who knows me knows that I never do that. I finally ate something about five which made me feel better for a while before I crashed again.
I woke up feeling quite a bit better on Saturday, although I was still a little achy. Alissa and I got up at a decent time and went to Borough Market, London's upscale food market. It was like a high-class Des Moines Farmer's Market, if you can picture such a thing. There were so many free samples, and it was all so so so good. It actually wasn't that expensive either, so Alissa and I got inspired and bought food to make supper. We spent the afternoon in the big Waterstone's book store in Piccadilly, which was a perfect afternoon. I have to admit though the day wore me out, so I was more than tired by the time it was bedtime. Today, Sunday, we went to the big Hillsong church in London, which as our Religions professor described it is a 'rock for God' church. That was about right--definitely not my thing. It was interesting, but it was long and it just was not my kind of church. This afternoon I've just relaxed and tried to catch up after such a crazy week.
I've also been thinking a lot, almost too much, this week about what to do when I graduate. It's...terrifying to say the least. I hate not knowing what's next--I can be a little bit of a control freak when it comes to that kind of thing. I've found a lot of things I don't want to do, but not something that sounds like a good fit right away. Mum can attest to my panic--and her response was an e-mail with the subject Boss Mama--and it was probably exactly what I needed to hear. Still, Boss Mama. Hilarious.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll try to update a little faster next time! I'm still laptop charger-less, so I've definitely been spending less time on the computer. And actually, that's probably a very good thing while I'm in London.
Much love :)
Work has been going pretty well, although it's starting to have its frustrating moments. Last Wednesday they literally told us to 'hold tight' until they found us something to do, which meant Holly and I were basically hanging around Vandon until they finally sent us work that had to be completed in the hour because of a press deadline. I'm starting to see the pressure and time constraints that are part of magazine publication, which are really quite stressful. I think it becomes even more stressful for us to be on the outside too, because we want to help as much as possible but we can't do anything really as we're not physically with them. This past week was a little more interesting. Tuesday we went to a press viewing of the Turner/Claude exhibition at the National Gallery, did some research, went to the Victoria & Albert Museum for a press viewing that actually wasn't happening for another couple of weeks, and did a lot of event research for the month of April.
Last weekend a group of us went to Liverpool for the weekend. I'd already been twice while I was in Wales, but it's one of my favourite cities so I was up for going again. We left London ridiculously early (the things you do for cheap train tickets..) and when we got there we met Regan, who is studying in Wales. We checked into our hostel, one I'd stayed at before and loved, before heading out to explore. We honestly didn't do much other than just wander, which was nice. It was a beautiful day, and it was good to catch up with Regan. That evening we cooked at the hostel, and attempted to go out but we were far too tired. Saturday morning we went to the World Museum before catching the train. I actually went to Bangor for the rest of the weekend, since one of my friends from Texas that was in the Central program with me (in Wales) was visiting for the week. I couldn't not go see her! Shireen is larger than life, and she is most definitely from Texas. She is so wonderful though. I also finally got to see my flatmate Abi, which was wonderful. And she's coming to stay with me in London next weekend-so excited! It was just so nice to catch up with such good friends. My friend Jessica from Central was also visiting Wales for her spring break, and she decided to come to London for the night on Monday. She had a whirlwind 24 hours in the city--definitely not enough time to see everything, but we packed quite a bit in.
Central's President, Dr. Putnam, was in London this week as well, along with his wife and one other person from Central. A group of us had lunch with him on Wednesday, and it was really interesting to hear what he had to say about study abroad as well as listen to what questions he had for us. I think it's really important and really awesome that the people who make the big decisions about our programs are taking the time to do this at every site. And it was a conversation--not an interview or a lecture, but an actual discussion. Dr. Putnam also met with Holly, Beth, and I later in the afternoon to talk about our internship. I felt bad for Beth--she was absolutely grilled about things that her mum would have been much better at answering. I'm pretty sure Beth is only a year older than I am and she's only officially been at the magazine for a year, but she answered everything well. Dr. Putnam mostly wanted to know what the magazine did and how it was run and how having interns was beneficial. Jen and Mark were both there too, so it felt very serious and grownup! It was cool though that we got to show him what we're doing though. Afterwards Jen, Beth, Holly, and I sat and had coffee by the river just to unwind.
Thursday was an extremely busy day. We had class all morning, barely had time to grab lunch at Vandon, and then had to be in the East End by 2 for Religions. We went to a Turkish mosque in Hackney, as we had started our unit on Islam. The mosque itself was beautiful--it was tiled with blue and aqua mosaic all over, which is typical of Turkish design. We spoke with a professor of Islam studies from a London university, and he told us a lot about the Muslim community in Britain and the internal changes and progress that Muslims are working on. We had to take our shoes off in the mosque, and all of the women had to wear headscarves, which is just a sign of respect. Afterwards we had a meal at a Turkish restaurant, which was really good but I didn't want to eat much since we were also having Indian food later in the evening. We were all basically sitting on the ground for the meal, with a table maybe two feet off the ground for our food. The president and crew had come with, so it was a little amusing to see us all squashed in this little cubicle around a table on the ground. We had just enough time to drop our things off at Vandon before heading to Brick Lane for our Indian/Pakistani meal with the program. By this time, I was starting to feel pretty awful. Flu-like sickness had been going around, and since Abby had had it earlier in the week I knew I was bound to get it. My voice got worse and worse throughout the day, and I was sooo congested. But I trooped through the meal, which was delicious but way too filling. We got back to Vandon about 9:30 that evening and I tried to read but I just couldn't--I was too tired. I woke up about four in the morning and decided there was no way I was going on our fieldtrip that day--it was only to Greenwich, but since it was an assignment for our blogs I'll have to make it up on my own time. I was just so achy and tired, and I could hardly breathe or talk. I didn't get out of bed til nearly one--anyone who knows me knows that I never do that. I finally ate something about five which made me feel better for a while before I crashed again.
I woke up feeling quite a bit better on Saturday, although I was still a little achy. Alissa and I got up at a decent time and went to Borough Market, London's upscale food market. It was like a high-class Des Moines Farmer's Market, if you can picture such a thing. There were so many free samples, and it was all so so so good. It actually wasn't that expensive either, so Alissa and I got inspired and bought food to make supper. We spent the afternoon in the big Waterstone's book store in Piccadilly, which was a perfect afternoon. I have to admit though the day wore me out, so I was more than tired by the time it was bedtime. Today, Sunday, we went to the big Hillsong church in London, which as our Religions professor described it is a 'rock for God' church. That was about right--definitely not my thing. It was interesting, but it was long and it just was not my kind of church. This afternoon I've just relaxed and tried to catch up after such a crazy week.
I've also been thinking a lot, almost too much, this week about what to do when I graduate. It's...terrifying to say the least. I hate not knowing what's next--I can be a little bit of a control freak when it comes to that kind of thing. I've found a lot of things I don't want to do, but not something that sounds like a good fit right away. Mum can attest to my panic--and her response was an e-mail with the subject Boss Mama--and it was probably exactly what I needed to hear. Still, Boss Mama. Hilarious.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll try to update a little faster next time! I'm still laptop charger-less, so I've definitely been spending less time on the computer. And actually, that's probably a very good thing while I'm in London.
Much love :)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Paris!
This post isn't just Paris. That was just the highlight of last week. :)
Last Sunday, the 26, we had to go to two different church services for my Religions course. In the morning we went to a Unitarian Church in Hampstead which is in North London, and in the evening we went to an evangelical service. It was definitely an interesting contrast between two forms of Christianity. In between services, Alissa and I rode bikes again because it seemed silly to waste the day inside again.
Monday I caught up with a few things and then went to Covent Garden for a while just to look. On Mondays the market is entirely antiques, which was cool but not exactly my thing. On my way back though I stumbled upon a map shop---so awesome. I probably spent an hour in there just looking through all the travel books and different guides and maps they had.
Tuesday I had my work placement; we had to pick up information from a few different places before meeting Julie at the National Gallery cafe. She went over some press releases with us and gave us a few other things to do. That evening the program paid for us to go on a Jack the Ripper Tour in the East End, which wasn't scary but was really gory.
Wednesday for work placement Julie had us go to Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, two of London's most expensive department stores. I don't think I've ever felt so poor in my life. They were both still really fun to walk around though--they really are more about the experience than the shopping. I especially liked Fortnum & Mason; it was really quirky and fun compared to Harrods. I was so mad though to find out that the Queen and Kate were there the following day though! We literally just missed them. That night I hung out with a few girls for Abby T's birthday--it was her 5th birthday since she was a Leap Year baby.
Thursday we had lectures all morning which were about the monarchy--it was kind of interesting. I feel bad that I don't like these classes (Contemporary Britain), because they SHOULD be really good. Our lecturers though are just so dull. In the afternoon we had Religions, in which we went over our church visits and watched a couple of documentaries that explained the theology behind them a bit more.
Friday we had a day trip with the program to Canterbury and Leeds Castle. In Canterbury we had a tour of the cathedral, which was really beautiful. Then Abby and I found a little tea shop and had cream tea--soo good. Then we wandered the high street a little before heading back to the bus. We drove through Dover to see the cliffs before arriving at Leeds Castle. I wasn't really that excited to go, because I saw sooo many castles in Wales. But, this was the first castle I saw with a moat, and this castle had peacocks which obviously made it cool. It was kind of strange inside as it had been lived in until the mid 1900s. There also was a maze outside, which was so annoying because everyone that made it to the middle before us could see us struggling. Then we headed back to London. I had loads to do before Paris--laundry, planning, packing. Plus I wanted to go to bed early, because we left London at 4 am!
So Saturday Lindsey, Mallory, and I caught the bus from Victoria Rail Station at 4, which got us to Luton Airport at 5am. We went through security and then boarded the plane. We were so tired, but it was so hard to sleep with people talking all around us. We got to Charles de Gaulle, and then we had to figure out how on earth we were getting to the city centre. We finally decided on a bus that dropped us off at Opera, which sounded like a good idea until we got off and had no idea where we were. We literally walked in circles for an hour--we actually asked this random bus driver and he just made hand gestures in circles since he didn't speak English. Finally we decided to just hop on the metro. We got off at the Louvre and walked around the outside before finding a cafe for lunch--we were SO hungry by then. Then we walked along the Champs-Elysees, a famous street, to the Arc de Triomphe. Then we spotted the Eiffel Tower in the distance, so we headed that direction. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally be there. It was just amazing. We walked up part of it--so many stairs! But it was definitely worth it for the view. Then we went to the hostel to drop our backpacks off before heading right back to do an evening bike tour. One of our friends had done the tour before and said it was awesome, so we thought we would check it out. I am so glad we did--we got to see so much of Paris that we wouldn't have otherwise. We were so cold (this genius didn't take a coat.......) and we hadn't had any supper, but it was so cool to see the city by night. The tour ended with a riverboat cruise on the Seine, which was the perfect way to end the day. We grabbed food and then headed back to our very sketchy hostel. The worst bit of where we stayed was waking up the next morning to find that the bathrooms outside our room had flooded, and no one had cleaned it up. So gross. Our room was pretty awful and the other bathrooms weren't very clean, so we didn't even shower and just got out of there. We took the metro up to see the Sacre-Coeur, a beautiful church in the Montmartre area. It sits on a hill and overlooks the city, which made for incredible views. Montmartre is a really interesting neighbourhood so we spent most of the day there. There were markets, loads of good restaurants, and an entire square where artists just sat painting. We had time so we ventured to see Moulin Rouge, but we scooted out of there as soon as we realized what it was. Then we had to figure out how to get back to the airport. We made it to the central train station, but when we got there there was no one at any of the ticket desks and the self-serve ticket machines wouldn't take our cards or cash. We were starting to panic when a lady came up and asked us if we needed help. We told her what was going on, and she just handed us three tickets that would get us to the airport. We tried to pay her but she wouldn't let us--it was definitely a pay it forward moment. We had encountered a few fairly rude French people, but she more than made up for them. We got back to London with no problems, and I absolutely crashed, as in I was asleep before 10. I'm so glad I decided to go. I was cold, hungry, tired, and unshowered for the entire weekend, but it was worth it for Paris.
Monday I slept in, ran errands, and tried to work on my papers. Then I went to Aunt Jenny's for the evening, and we went to her friend Manju's for Thai takeaway with her family. It was so nice to relax and be taken care of after the weekend.
Phew.
I will have pictures from Paris soon, but my laptop charger decided to not work as of Sunday, so I can't use my own computer at the moment. As soon as I get that sorted I'll post them!
Hope you all are having a lovely week and enjoying the warm Iowa weather!
Last Sunday, the 26, we had to go to two different church services for my Religions course. In the morning we went to a Unitarian Church in Hampstead which is in North London, and in the evening we went to an evangelical service. It was definitely an interesting contrast between two forms of Christianity. In between services, Alissa and I rode bikes again because it seemed silly to waste the day inside again.
Monday I caught up with a few things and then went to Covent Garden for a while just to look. On Mondays the market is entirely antiques, which was cool but not exactly my thing. On my way back though I stumbled upon a map shop---so awesome. I probably spent an hour in there just looking through all the travel books and different guides and maps they had.
Tuesday I had my work placement; we had to pick up information from a few different places before meeting Julie at the National Gallery cafe. She went over some press releases with us and gave us a few other things to do. That evening the program paid for us to go on a Jack the Ripper Tour in the East End, which wasn't scary but was really gory.
Wednesday for work placement Julie had us go to Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, two of London's most expensive department stores. I don't think I've ever felt so poor in my life. They were both still really fun to walk around though--they really are more about the experience than the shopping. I especially liked Fortnum & Mason; it was really quirky and fun compared to Harrods. I was so mad though to find out that the Queen and Kate were there the following day though! We literally just missed them. That night I hung out with a few girls for Abby T's birthday--it was her 5th birthday since she was a Leap Year baby.
Thursday we had lectures all morning which were about the monarchy--it was kind of interesting. I feel bad that I don't like these classes (Contemporary Britain), because they SHOULD be really good. Our lecturers though are just so dull. In the afternoon we had Religions, in which we went over our church visits and watched a couple of documentaries that explained the theology behind them a bit more.
Friday we had a day trip with the program to Canterbury and Leeds Castle. In Canterbury we had a tour of the cathedral, which was really beautiful. Then Abby and I found a little tea shop and had cream tea--soo good. Then we wandered the high street a little before heading back to the bus. We drove through Dover to see the cliffs before arriving at Leeds Castle. I wasn't really that excited to go, because I saw sooo many castles in Wales. But, this was the first castle I saw with a moat, and this castle had peacocks which obviously made it cool. It was kind of strange inside as it had been lived in until the mid 1900s. There also was a maze outside, which was so annoying because everyone that made it to the middle before us could see us struggling. Then we headed back to London. I had loads to do before Paris--laundry, planning, packing. Plus I wanted to go to bed early, because we left London at 4 am!
So Saturday Lindsey, Mallory, and I caught the bus from Victoria Rail Station at 4, which got us to Luton Airport at 5am. We went through security and then boarded the plane. We were so tired, but it was so hard to sleep with people talking all around us. We got to Charles de Gaulle, and then we had to figure out how on earth we were getting to the city centre. We finally decided on a bus that dropped us off at Opera, which sounded like a good idea until we got off and had no idea where we were. We literally walked in circles for an hour--we actually asked this random bus driver and he just made hand gestures in circles since he didn't speak English. Finally we decided to just hop on the metro. We got off at the Louvre and walked around the outside before finding a cafe for lunch--we were SO hungry by then. Then we walked along the Champs-Elysees, a famous street, to the Arc de Triomphe. Then we spotted the Eiffel Tower in the distance, so we headed that direction. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally be there. It was just amazing. We walked up part of it--so many stairs! But it was definitely worth it for the view. Then we went to the hostel to drop our backpacks off before heading right back to do an evening bike tour. One of our friends had done the tour before and said it was awesome, so we thought we would check it out. I am so glad we did--we got to see so much of Paris that we wouldn't have otherwise. We were so cold (this genius didn't take a coat.......) and we hadn't had any supper, but it was so cool to see the city by night. The tour ended with a riverboat cruise on the Seine, which was the perfect way to end the day. We grabbed food and then headed back to our very sketchy hostel. The worst bit of where we stayed was waking up the next morning to find that the bathrooms outside our room had flooded, and no one had cleaned it up. So gross. Our room was pretty awful and the other bathrooms weren't very clean, so we didn't even shower and just got out of there. We took the metro up to see the Sacre-Coeur, a beautiful church in the Montmartre area. It sits on a hill and overlooks the city, which made for incredible views. Montmartre is a really interesting neighbourhood so we spent most of the day there. There were markets, loads of good restaurants, and an entire square where artists just sat painting. We had time so we ventured to see Moulin Rouge, but we scooted out of there as soon as we realized what it was. Then we had to figure out how to get back to the airport. We made it to the central train station, but when we got there there was no one at any of the ticket desks and the self-serve ticket machines wouldn't take our cards or cash. We were starting to panic when a lady came up and asked us if we needed help. We told her what was going on, and she just handed us three tickets that would get us to the airport. We tried to pay her but she wouldn't let us--it was definitely a pay it forward moment. We had encountered a few fairly rude French people, but she more than made up for them. We got back to London with no problems, and I absolutely crashed, as in I was asleep before 10. I'm so glad I decided to go. I was cold, hungry, tired, and unshowered for the entire weekend, but it was worth it for Paris.
Monday I slept in, ran errands, and tried to work on my papers. Then I went to Aunt Jenny's for the evening, and we went to her friend Manju's for Thai takeaway with her family. It was so nice to relax and be taken care of after the weekend.
Phew.
I will have pictures from Paris soon, but my laptop charger decided to not work as of Sunday, so I can't use my own computer at the moment. As soon as I get that sorted I'll post them!
Hope you all are having a lovely week and enjoying the warm Iowa weather!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
A Quiet Weekend!
It is so nice to be staying in the city this weekend. I honestly don't think anyone left London this weekend, and it's been fun to have everyone around. Plus, loads of people are visiting from other Central programs like Spain and Wales, so it's been like a big, happy, American reunion. PLUS, it's been gorgeous out this weekend--it's been sunny and warm enough to not wear a coat. I'm sorry for all you Iowans putting up with the snow, but I'm enjoying the sunshine.
Wednesday for work Holly and I were given a research project that we could do at Vandon. We had to find every single concert in London in a nine day period in March, and find the contact information so that Julie and Beth could talk to the venues about advertisements. It honestly didn't sound that hard, but there are seriously so many concerts in London every single day. It was really interesting, but it got a little tedious towards the end of the day. There was a lot of excitement in Vandon Wednesday, because everyone was trying to figure out spring break. A bunch of us found this really awesome cruise, but most people had to go to class so they couldn't book right away. Abby and I decided to just go for it to make sure we got it--so for spring break, I am going on a Mediterranean cruise starting in Barcelona, and going to Genoa, Civitavecchia, and Sicily in Italy, Malta, Tunisia, and back to Barcelona. Am I excited, or am I excited? I am so looking forward to sunshine and seeing so many cool places. And it worked out that there are 14 of us going--craaaaazy. It should be a very interesting trip.
Thursday we had lectures in the morning, which were a little more interesting than normal. We didn't have our religion class, so Alissa, Abby, and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and ride bikes around Hyde Park. It was the best way to spend such a nice afternoon. Friday I got up and went running, and then Lindsey, Tess, Mallory, and I went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. It's definitely my favourite market so far--it was so big and it had so many cool things. It's perfect for gift shopping, so I will definitely be going back before I go home. I also booked a trip to Paris for next weekend with a couple of girls--after booking the cruise I had told myself that that was it, no more trips. But Paris....it's the one place I really, really want to see. And after our trip got cancelled while I was in Wales, I knew I had to go at some point. So we're only going for two days, but I'm excited. I'm not getting myself get too excited though, because if my flight gets cancelled again there will be hell to pay at EasyJet. That night pretty much all but maybe 10 people from the program went out--we were that obnoxious American group that everyone loves to hate. I have to admit though, it was pretty fun, and it's good that we all like each other enough to do that.
Today, Saturday, a few girls and I decided to do our assignment in the East End--we were given a walk to do around some of the markets and streets. We started near Spitalfields Market, which was pretty cool, and ended up walking down Brick Lane and ending at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It was so much more colorful than Westminster, which was definitely a nice change. This is what I love about London--it seems like this grey, historical, serious city, but when you get into the neighbourhoods and outside the city centre you find all these little pockets of vibrancy and different cultures and they're all so full of life and excitement.
Today is actually the 9 year anniversary of Ben dying, which is a rough day every year. What keeps me going though is that I know Ben would want me to be living life as fully as possible, and to love everyone in my life the best that I can. I'm trying. And I know my big brother is looking out for me in some way or another.
Anyway. I'm spending my Saturday night catching up with homework and our assignment blogs, so I should probably get going on that. Lame, I know.
Byeeee xx
Wednesday for work Holly and I were given a research project that we could do at Vandon. We had to find every single concert in London in a nine day period in March, and find the contact information so that Julie and Beth could talk to the venues about advertisements. It honestly didn't sound that hard, but there are seriously so many concerts in London every single day. It was really interesting, but it got a little tedious towards the end of the day. There was a lot of excitement in Vandon Wednesday, because everyone was trying to figure out spring break. A bunch of us found this really awesome cruise, but most people had to go to class so they couldn't book right away. Abby and I decided to just go for it to make sure we got it--so for spring break, I am going on a Mediterranean cruise starting in Barcelona, and going to Genoa, Civitavecchia, and Sicily in Italy, Malta, Tunisia, and back to Barcelona. Am I excited, or am I excited? I am so looking forward to sunshine and seeing so many cool places. And it worked out that there are 14 of us going--craaaaazy. It should be a very interesting trip.
Thursday we had lectures in the morning, which were a little more interesting than normal. We didn't have our religion class, so Alissa, Abby, and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and ride bikes around Hyde Park. It was the best way to spend such a nice afternoon. Friday I got up and went running, and then Lindsey, Tess, Mallory, and I went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. It's definitely my favourite market so far--it was so big and it had so many cool things. It's perfect for gift shopping, so I will definitely be going back before I go home. I also booked a trip to Paris for next weekend with a couple of girls--after booking the cruise I had told myself that that was it, no more trips. But Paris....it's the one place I really, really want to see. And after our trip got cancelled while I was in Wales, I knew I had to go at some point. So we're only going for two days, but I'm excited. I'm not getting myself get too excited though, because if my flight gets cancelled again there will be hell to pay at EasyJet. That night pretty much all but maybe 10 people from the program went out--we were that obnoxious American group that everyone loves to hate. I have to admit though, it was pretty fun, and it's good that we all like each other enough to do that.
Today, Saturday, a few girls and I decided to do our assignment in the East End--we were given a walk to do around some of the markets and streets. We started near Spitalfields Market, which was pretty cool, and ended up walking down Brick Lane and ending at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It was so much more colorful than Westminster, which was definitely a nice change. This is what I love about London--it seems like this grey, historical, serious city, but when you get into the neighbourhoods and outside the city centre you find all these little pockets of vibrancy and different cultures and they're all so full of life and excitement.
Today is actually the 9 year anniversary of Ben dying, which is a rough day every year. What keeps me going though is that I know Ben would want me to be living life as fully as possible, and to love everyone in my life the best that I can. I'm trying. And I know my big brother is looking out for me in some way or another.
Anyway. I'm spending my Saturday night catching up with homework and our assignment blogs, so I should probably get going on that. Lame, I know.
Byeeee xx
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Work, Wales, and More Work
Hello again! I think I'm finally thawed from my weekend in Bath, and London is starting to warm up--slowly but surely.
Last Monday I finally had a day completely to myself. I know that sounds kind of silly, since basically this semester is for me, but I really hadn't had a day yet when I had complete control over what I did. So I slept in (as much as I sleep in..), did some homework, got my hair cut, read, got groceries, and basically got myself re-organized. I definitely needed that time to just sort everything out. On Tuesday Holly and I finally met with Beth and Julie after working on our own for nearly three weeks. It was really good to touch base with them and go over things. We had a few errands to run for them before we went back to Vandon House to edit some of the pieces we had written. Since Tuesday was Valentine's Day, a group of us went to go see The Vow, which is such a chick flick it's not even funny. It was fun though to experience the cinema in London. Wednesday Holly and I were able to do all of our work at Vandon House, which meant it was kind of a lazy day. I like being able to do my work from 'home' sometimes, but other times I would rather actually go somewhere so I feel like I'm doing something. Thursday we had lectures in the morning, and then in the afternoon Abby and I went to the Museum of London for our British Experience Seminar. It was interesting, but I wasn't really in a museum mood. A group of us ended up going out in Leicester Square that night, which wasn't too bad, but I definitely regretted staying up so late when I had to leave at 7 the next morning for Wales!
I hadn't been planning on going to Bangor so early in the semester, but it happened that both Molly and I had a free weekend so I just decided to go for it. And honestly, I was missing it. I love London, I really do. But Bangor has a piece of me that London never will, and I was looking forward to seeing everyone. I stayed with Molly, who is doing her postgrad there at the moment, and it was so good to catch up with her. We had really similar experiences in Wales before, and we had plenty to discuss this time around. I also got to see Regan, who is studying abroad in Bangor now, which was wonderful. I was so happy to hear that she is loving her time there and is learning plenty. Molly and I spent Saturday on High Street, and we cooked a proper meal. Then we went and saw all of my flatmates, which was a lot of fun--they're just as crazy as they were. Sunday we went and had scones on the pier--it was actually sunny out, which was kind of a miracle. I seriously will never get over how beautiful Bangor is. Every time I see it, it always looks different, but it is always incredible. Monday morning before my train out I got to see Tecwyn (the Wales director) and Maggie, who works in the International Student Office (I met her when I studied there). Tecwyn is just the best, and Maggie is super nice. Then before I knew it, I was back on the train to London. I hate leaving Bangor. I wasn't dreading coming back to London at all, but my heart drops a little every time the train pulls away from the station. I really wish I could explain what it is that makes Bangor so special--the town itself is honestly a little run-down, and there's definitely a strained relationship between the locals and the students. But it's a safe, small town, and the university is a great place to be a student. And my four months there were really, really important for me as a person--I needed that semester to grow up and just be me. I have so many ridiculous memories from that time, ones I hope I never forget. When I got back Monday I made myself go run, and it was really good to clear my head after such a short but good weekend. I ran through St. James' Park and around the area, and on my way back the sun was setting just behind Buckingham Palace. It was kind of awesome, and made being back in the city a little happier.
This morning for my internship Holly and I had to go to a press viewing of Jeremy Deller's new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. His art basically takes ordinary things from our lives and points them out as cultural reference points. It was a little bizarre, but we got to hear the curator's tour as well as the artist's explanation, both of which were really interesting. He had a a really cool exhibit about the Iraq War called 'It is What It Is'. The best part was that in the middle there was a real cafe as part of the display where we all got tea. I love Britain and their obsession with tea. This afternoon we had to write a piece about the press viewing, and I got to proofread the entire magazine for publication next week. I love doing that kind of thing, but it is SO time consuming.
Otherwise, not much else is new. I love being in the UK for now, but I'm getting really, really anxious about what I'm doing when I get home. I graduate literally two days after I get back, and after that, I have no idea what to do. I've been job searching, I've been looking at grad schools, but I seriously can't decide which I'd rather do. I don't feel old enough to start a real job, but I'm also not sure if I want to do more schooling. I get asked what I'm doing after I graduate all the time, and I can't tell you how frustrating it is to always answer with 'I'm not sure' and then to be told that something will fall into place. I know deep down that something will, but until it does, I'm going to be worried! Oh well. I guess that all of these decisions are what make life interesting.
Hope you all have a wonderful week! Much love from London :)
Last Monday I finally had a day completely to myself. I know that sounds kind of silly, since basically this semester is for me, but I really hadn't had a day yet when I had complete control over what I did. So I slept in (as much as I sleep in..), did some homework, got my hair cut, read, got groceries, and basically got myself re-organized. I definitely needed that time to just sort everything out. On Tuesday Holly and I finally met with Beth and Julie after working on our own for nearly three weeks. It was really good to touch base with them and go over things. We had a few errands to run for them before we went back to Vandon House to edit some of the pieces we had written. Since Tuesday was Valentine's Day, a group of us went to go see The Vow, which is such a chick flick it's not even funny. It was fun though to experience the cinema in London. Wednesday Holly and I were able to do all of our work at Vandon House, which meant it was kind of a lazy day. I like being able to do my work from 'home' sometimes, but other times I would rather actually go somewhere so I feel like I'm doing something. Thursday we had lectures in the morning, and then in the afternoon Abby and I went to the Museum of London for our British Experience Seminar. It was interesting, but I wasn't really in a museum mood. A group of us ended up going out in Leicester Square that night, which wasn't too bad, but I definitely regretted staying up so late when I had to leave at 7 the next morning for Wales!
I hadn't been planning on going to Bangor so early in the semester, but it happened that both Molly and I had a free weekend so I just decided to go for it. And honestly, I was missing it. I love London, I really do. But Bangor has a piece of me that London never will, and I was looking forward to seeing everyone. I stayed with Molly, who is doing her postgrad there at the moment, and it was so good to catch up with her. We had really similar experiences in Wales before, and we had plenty to discuss this time around. I also got to see Regan, who is studying abroad in Bangor now, which was wonderful. I was so happy to hear that she is loving her time there and is learning plenty. Molly and I spent Saturday on High Street, and we cooked a proper meal. Then we went and saw all of my flatmates, which was a lot of fun--they're just as crazy as they were. Sunday we went and had scones on the pier--it was actually sunny out, which was kind of a miracle. I seriously will never get over how beautiful Bangor is. Every time I see it, it always looks different, but it is always incredible. Monday morning before my train out I got to see Tecwyn (the Wales director) and Maggie, who works in the International Student Office (I met her when I studied there). Tecwyn is just the best, and Maggie is super nice. Then before I knew it, I was back on the train to London. I hate leaving Bangor. I wasn't dreading coming back to London at all, but my heart drops a little every time the train pulls away from the station. I really wish I could explain what it is that makes Bangor so special--the town itself is honestly a little run-down, and there's definitely a strained relationship between the locals and the students. But it's a safe, small town, and the university is a great place to be a student. And my four months there were really, really important for me as a person--I needed that semester to grow up and just be me. I have so many ridiculous memories from that time, ones I hope I never forget. When I got back Monday I made myself go run, and it was really good to clear my head after such a short but good weekend. I ran through St. James' Park and around the area, and on my way back the sun was setting just behind Buckingham Palace. It was kind of awesome, and made being back in the city a little happier.
This morning for my internship Holly and I had to go to a press viewing of Jeremy Deller's new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. His art basically takes ordinary things from our lives and points them out as cultural reference points. It was a little bizarre, but we got to hear the curator's tour as well as the artist's explanation, both of which were really interesting. He had a a really cool exhibit about the Iraq War called 'It is What It Is'. The best part was that in the middle there was a real cafe as part of the display where we all got tea. I love Britain and their obsession with tea. This afternoon we had to write a piece about the press viewing, and I got to proofread the entire magazine for publication next week. I love doing that kind of thing, but it is SO time consuming.
Otherwise, not much else is new. I love being in the UK for now, but I'm getting really, really anxious about what I'm doing when I get home. I graduate literally two days after I get back, and after that, I have no idea what to do. I've been job searching, I've been looking at grad schools, but I seriously can't decide which I'd rather do. I don't feel old enough to start a real job, but I'm also not sure if I want to do more schooling. I get asked what I'm doing after I graduate all the time, and I can't tell you how frustrating it is to always answer with 'I'm not sure' and then to be told that something will fall into place. I know deep down that something will, but until it does, I'm going to be worried! Oh well. I guess that all of these decisions are what make life interesting.
Hope you all have a wonderful week! Much love from London :)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Exhausted.
I am back in London after a short and FREEZING weekend in Bath! It was a really fun weekend, but I am definitely glad to be back at Vandon after that very interesting hostel. More on that in a bit :)
My internship work this week was a little different. Tuesday Holly and I had to go to a press viewing at Tate Modern, the modern art gallery in London, for a new exhibition of Yayoi Kusama's works. Kusama is a Japanese artist who literally has dabbled in almost every form of art, from painting to sculpture to film to fashion. Her signature style is polka dots. Personally, I thought it was all a little trippy--she did do most of her work in the 60s after all. The number of journalists and artists there was kind of crazy--it was like this inner circle of London media and hipsters that I most definitely did not belong to. We stayed for the curator's tour since Julie wanted us to, but just as it was about to begin, Kusama herself came in the room. I am not exaggerating when I say that the room erupted. Plus, this lady had a bright red wig on and was wearing head to toe red and white polka dots. Her works filled 14 rooms at the museum, but my favorite was this really cool display she had designed just for this exhibition. It was an infinity mirror room, and it was dark except for these hanging tiny globe lights that flashed different colors. I don't think I realized how big of a deal all of it was until the next day when there was a big piece on it in the Guardian (major newspaper), and I just thought, whoa, I was there! Holly and I each had to write a piece about it afterwards, and I did some proofreading for Julie.
Wednesday we had to do shopping research. Bummer, right? I spent all morning researching different shopping streets in London and finding their marketing contacts for the magazine. Then in the afternoon, Julie asked us to go to St. Christopher's Place and Marylebone High Street and write a comparative piece. Basically my job rocks.
Thursday I had class all day. For my religions class in the afternoon we visited an Anglican church near Kings Cross Station, called Holy Cross. It's in a predominantly Muslim area, but a Church of England parish (which is a geographical area here) is meant for everyone. We met with the priest, and it was really fascinating to listen to him talk about how a church functions in the centre of such a big city. The church itself was very beautiful, but it wasn't overly grand. It was so cold in there though that the priest ended up taking us to his house to warm up for a little bit. We talked about so much, most of it not even relating to Christianity, but it was still fascinating. One of the really cool things he's doing right now is an outreach project in schools. Religious education is a fundamental part of education here, but it becomes difficult when you're teaching in areas where several different religions are represented. What I found so cool was that this priest goes into the schools and works with 10-11 year old students, and instead of preaching Christianity, he teaches them to meditate on their personal faith. All I could think was, how refreshing! At Central, it can sometimes feel as though Christianity is being shoved down your throat, and while that's the faith I choose, I don't think that everyone has believe the same things that I do. I think that with the way the world is today, it can be so hard to be accepting of other faiths. But here this priest is, in the middle of London, teaching students that it's okay to be different, that it's okay to accept others, and that it's okay to think about and grow in your own faith. I think it's proof that there are still good people in the world.
Thursday evening we went on the London Eye with the programme. I was nervous--I hate ferris wheels. I'm not scared of heights, I just don't like the wobbling and rocking. Once we got going though, I was totally fine. It honestly didn't feel like we were moving. And it was so incredible to see London from so high up--my pictures do not do it justice.
Early Friday morning we left for our weekend in Bath. It snowed Thursday night, and Friday was one of the coldest days this winter. We stopped at Stonehenge on our way, which was worth going to but is a little disappointing once you see it. And because it was so cold, we were all back on the bus fifteen minutes before we needed to be. We arrived in Bath around noon, so we had lunch and then went to our tour of the Roman Baths. They were really interesting, but it honestly was too cold. In the evening we had a ghost walk, which was seriously the worst thing ever. Jen, one of our directors, came with us, and even she was holding back laughter because it was so bad. This lady literally had us stand in a circle around a tree and put our hands up so that we would feel a ghost. She kept asking us if we felt something, and everyone just kept making sarcastic remarks about how we couldn't tell if it was a spirit or the cold that was making our fingers tingle. She was genuinely annoyed with us, but it was so ridiculous. Once we'd gotten back and warmed up, a big group of us went out together, which was really fun.
Saturday we had mostly free, so Abby, Kirsten and I went shopping in the morning, had pasties for lunch, and then headed down to the rugby field. The sun was shining, so it felt so much warmer! We watched Bath dominate Newcastle, and we had fun watching the stag party sitting in front of us. Sunday (today) we left Bath for the small village of Lacock. It was pretty, but kind of...I don't know. I don't want to say boring, but there wasn't a whole lot to do or see. We did go to the abbey, where parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed, but I wasn't even interested in that because I haven't seen all the movies (the books are so much better). Kirsten and I wandered around for a bit, had lunch twice because the first place had the tiniest portions ever, and then we were back on the bus to London. I was so glad to see my bed! We stayed at the YMCA in Bath, and it was slightly sketchy. Plus there was this group of 16 year old boys staying right above us, and they were obnoxious. So I am really looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight.
That's all for now...much love to you all!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Mixed Blessings
I had it in my head that I had just blogged a few days ago, and that I didn't need to for a while. That combined with being at my aunt's since Wednesday with limited internet access meant that it's actually been a couple of weeks! My bad.
First of all, Les Miserables, which I went to with the program way back on the 25, was literally amazing. I think I was on the edge of my seat, holding back tears the entire time, and it's a three hour show! The set was so clever and the actors were so talented. I had gone into it thinking it might be a bit dull, but I was so drawn into the story. And the music. I realized that I recognized most of it, which Mum told me later was because she used to play the tapes when we were little. So good. Really, go see it anywhere if you get the chance.
Thursday, the 26, was my first real day of class. We had our British Experience and Contemporary Britain lectures at the University of London in the morning, and then I had Religions in London in the afternoon. All three should be really interesting. They all entail a lot of writing, but I suppose that doesn't bother me too much.
I took the train to Aunt Jenny's that evening, so that we could pick Mum up from Heathrow Friday morning. We didn't do much on Friday, since Mum was obviously jet lagged. Saturday we did a bit of shopping in Kingston, which I think wore us all out. That evening, we scrapbooked. A friend of Jenny's had given her lots of different papers and scissors and things so that she could make a book for Grandad, which was possibly one of the nicest gifts she received. There were a lot of photos of Hank, and pictures of all of us from Yorkshire in 2005 that I'd never seen. It was definitely a neat thing to do. Sunday was a big day for the Jones' sisters, as they were reunited with cousins they hadn't seen in thirty plus years. And, I met family that I had only heard of once or twice. Gasp, we now have extended family. Jenny and Mum's cousin Philip and his wife Karen were there, and so was their cousin Christine and her daughter Lucy. I have a second cousin named Lucy, who writes and is a communications person for a magazine in Wimbledon. I know, how very..ironic/weird/cool. We had a long lunch in Epsom, and it was really nice to meet them all.
Monday was a seriously lazy day, and then in the evening Mum and Jenny came with me into Westminster so that Mum could see where I'm living for the semester. We had supper at Nando's and then they went back to Jenny's before it got too late. Tuesday I was back at my internship, although this week didn't really involve much work. That morning Holly and I met Beth for coffee, and it really was more just a chat than anything to do with work. Julie and Beth are so kind--I always seem to have such good bosses, wherever I go! In the afternoon Holly and I worked on press releases and did a little market research on different shopping areas/centres in London. That evening some of us went to the Student Union at London University for a couple of pints, which was fun--we do have a pretty good group of people at Vandon. Wednesday our only task for work was to go see the matinee of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the Haymarket Theatre Royal...what a drag. (Sarcasm..) It was a really strange show; I think the play itself was really funny but they tried to modernise it in places and it really didn't work. I have to write a review of it, so I guess at least I'll have something to critique in it. Afterwards I met Bev, one of Mum's oldest friends, and Mum in Leicester Square for supper. Then Mum and I picked up my things at Vandon House before taking the train back to Jenny's.
Halfway break for chocolate. You can have one too, since this is getting to be ridiculously long.
Thursday was the funeral. It was a hard day, for everyone. I felt really upset since most everyone else there knew my Grandad so much better that I did and I don't have that chance now, but I know what I'm feeling is so small compared to Mum and Jenny. After the service we had a small gathering/get together at the home where Grandad lived, which was really nice. Everyone there was really kind and as I've been told, did a lot for Grandad and Jenny through everything. Granny's sister, Auntie Rosamund came, and as I'd been warned, I got the interrogation from the 90 year old woman. She was very sweet and so sharp, but my goodness, can she talk. We had a long trip back to London from Northampton, and we had had takeaway fish and chips before falling into bed. Friday we wandered around the shops in Jenny's village, and in the evening we had a really nice meal at a pub with Jenny's friends Manju and Santo. Saturday we spent the day at Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry the VIII. It was a really, really fascinating place, but it was so insanely cold. Temperature wise, it wasn't nearly as cold as Iowa gets, but I felt like an ice cube all day. We kept alternating seeing things inside and outside, and stopping for tea often. That night, we went to Manju and Santo's house and Manju cooked us a traditional Indian meal--it was delicious. And she promised to teach me to make it, which I'm excited for. And it snowed that night...poor London. They really have no idea what a real snow is. Sunday we didn't do much except pick up a few things for Mum to take home, and we had a Sunday roast dinner. If nothing else, I have definitely been eating well here! And today, Monday, we all got up at 5 am to get Mum to the airport. Luckily her flights were all on time despite lots of others being delayed at Heathrow, and she texted me a little bit ago to say she safely made it to Des Moines. It was so very, very nice to see her and I'm so glad she could come, but I know it's going to make the next three months seem a little longer. I came back to Vandon House this afternoon and came back to the reality of homework and laundry. And Jenny (and her poor cat) can go back to semi-normal life--she really is such a sweet person, and I'm so glad I have this semester to spend more time with her. It was really interesting too to listen to her and Mum's stories from when they were little, and to stories about Grandad and Northampton. A lot of them were things I'd never heard Mum talk about, so I guess I got to see a glimpse of Mum's life here that I hadn't really seen before.
Phew. I am more than ready for bed. Tomorrow and Wednesday I have my internship, and Thursday I'm in class all day. That evening the programme is taking us on the London Eye, and I am so petrified--I hate ferris wheels. But, I am going to do it because a) they are paying for it and it's like 40 pounds or something ridiculous like that, and b) there are apparently incredible views. I'm just going to try and not have a panic attack at the top. This weekend we're going to Bath and Stonehenge with the programme, which should be nice. But right this second, I am going to sleep. Much love to you all!
First of all, Les Miserables, which I went to with the program way back on the 25, was literally amazing. I think I was on the edge of my seat, holding back tears the entire time, and it's a three hour show! The set was so clever and the actors were so talented. I had gone into it thinking it might be a bit dull, but I was so drawn into the story. And the music. I realized that I recognized most of it, which Mum told me later was because she used to play the tapes when we were little. So good. Really, go see it anywhere if you get the chance.
Thursday, the 26, was my first real day of class. We had our British Experience and Contemporary Britain lectures at the University of London in the morning, and then I had Religions in London in the afternoon. All three should be really interesting. They all entail a lot of writing, but I suppose that doesn't bother me too much.
I took the train to Aunt Jenny's that evening, so that we could pick Mum up from Heathrow Friday morning. We didn't do much on Friday, since Mum was obviously jet lagged. Saturday we did a bit of shopping in Kingston, which I think wore us all out. That evening, we scrapbooked. A friend of Jenny's had given her lots of different papers and scissors and things so that she could make a book for Grandad, which was possibly one of the nicest gifts she received. There were a lot of photos of Hank, and pictures of all of us from Yorkshire in 2005 that I'd never seen. It was definitely a neat thing to do. Sunday was a big day for the Jones' sisters, as they were reunited with cousins they hadn't seen in thirty plus years. And, I met family that I had only heard of once or twice. Gasp, we now have extended family. Jenny and Mum's cousin Philip and his wife Karen were there, and so was their cousin Christine and her daughter Lucy. I have a second cousin named Lucy, who writes and is a communications person for a magazine in Wimbledon. I know, how very..ironic/weird/cool. We had a long lunch in Epsom, and it was really nice to meet them all.
Monday was a seriously lazy day, and then in the evening Mum and Jenny came with me into Westminster so that Mum could see where I'm living for the semester. We had supper at Nando's and then they went back to Jenny's before it got too late. Tuesday I was back at my internship, although this week didn't really involve much work. That morning Holly and I met Beth for coffee, and it really was more just a chat than anything to do with work. Julie and Beth are so kind--I always seem to have such good bosses, wherever I go! In the afternoon Holly and I worked on press releases and did a little market research on different shopping areas/centres in London. That evening some of us went to the Student Union at London University for a couple of pints, which was fun--we do have a pretty good group of people at Vandon. Wednesday our only task for work was to go see the matinee of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the Haymarket Theatre Royal...what a drag. (Sarcasm..) It was a really strange show; I think the play itself was really funny but they tried to modernise it in places and it really didn't work. I have to write a review of it, so I guess at least I'll have something to critique in it. Afterwards I met Bev, one of Mum's oldest friends, and Mum in Leicester Square for supper. Then Mum and I picked up my things at Vandon House before taking the train back to Jenny's.
Halfway break for chocolate. You can have one too, since this is getting to be ridiculously long.
Thursday was the funeral. It was a hard day, for everyone. I felt really upset since most everyone else there knew my Grandad so much better that I did and I don't have that chance now, but I know what I'm feeling is so small compared to Mum and Jenny. After the service we had a small gathering/get together at the home where Grandad lived, which was really nice. Everyone there was really kind and as I've been told, did a lot for Grandad and Jenny through everything. Granny's sister, Auntie Rosamund came, and as I'd been warned, I got the interrogation from the 90 year old woman. She was very sweet and so sharp, but my goodness, can she talk. We had a long trip back to London from Northampton, and we had had takeaway fish and chips before falling into bed. Friday we wandered around the shops in Jenny's village, and in the evening we had a really nice meal at a pub with Jenny's friends Manju and Santo. Saturday we spent the day at Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry the VIII. It was a really, really fascinating place, but it was so insanely cold. Temperature wise, it wasn't nearly as cold as Iowa gets, but I felt like an ice cube all day. We kept alternating seeing things inside and outside, and stopping for tea often. That night, we went to Manju and Santo's house and Manju cooked us a traditional Indian meal--it was delicious. And she promised to teach me to make it, which I'm excited for. And it snowed that night...poor London. They really have no idea what a real snow is. Sunday we didn't do much except pick up a few things for Mum to take home, and we had a Sunday roast dinner. If nothing else, I have definitely been eating well here! And today, Monday, we all got up at 5 am to get Mum to the airport. Luckily her flights were all on time despite lots of others being delayed at Heathrow, and she texted me a little bit ago to say she safely made it to Des Moines. It was so very, very nice to see her and I'm so glad she could come, but I know it's going to make the next three months seem a little longer. I came back to Vandon House this afternoon and came back to the reality of homework and laundry. And Jenny (and her poor cat) can go back to semi-normal life--she really is such a sweet person, and I'm so glad I have this semester to spend more time with her. It was really interesting too to listen to her and Mum's stories from when they were little, and to stories about Grandad and Northampton. A lot of them were things I'd never heard Mum talk about, so I guess I got to see a glimpse of Mum's life here that I hadn't really seen before.
Phew. I am more than ready for bed. Tomorrow and Wednesday I have my internship, and Thursday I'm in class all day. That evening the programme is taking us on the London Eye, and I am so petrified--I hate ferris wheels. But, I am going to do it because a) they are paying for it and it's like 40 pounds or something ridiculous like that, and b) there are apparently incredible views. I'm just going to try and not have a panic attack at the top. This weekend we're going to Bath and Stonehenge with the programme, which should be nice. But right this second, I am going to sleep. Much love to you all!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
I don't want to brag, but......
The newest issue of 'This Is London' is out, and while my name isn't on anything, I proofread that entire thing AND I rewrote some of the stories (which are given to us as press releases and we turn into articles).
Check it out! www.til.com :)
Check it out! www.til.com :)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
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
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
Sunday, January 22, 2012
City Life
I have officially been at Vandon for a week! Time is already flying by, as I knew it would. So here goes.
Tuesday morning we had an intercultural training session with a woman from Scotland. It...could have been really good. She had some really great points but it lasted so long, and everyone was still so tired. That afternoon I had my advising appointment, and then the programme took us out for pizza and bowling. I thought that seemed a little too American for London, but it turned out to be really fun. Quite a few of us went to a pub afterwards, which was a good way for everyone to relax and finally open up.
Wednesday was my internship interview/meeting/whatever you want to call it. Another girl found out last minute that she is at the same place at me, so we went together. We took the tube to the centre of the new Olympic Park, where the magazine's temporary offices are. We were early, so we wandered around the new shopping centre there and looked around a bit. Then we met Julie, who I guess you could call our boss. She is adorable. The Olympic Park area is currently a restricted area (which apparently means we can't walk around..?) so she drove us to the office. Their office is actually just in a community work space, which is something I learned about in my entrepreneurship class last semester. It's this really hip/trendy renovated industrial building that small businesses and entrepreneurs can pay a daily or monthly fee to use. There was an art gallery and a cafe, where Julie took us for tea. The magazine is actually run by Julie and her daughter Beth (whose real name is actually Lucy Elizabeth--crazy!), who is actually only a year older than I am. And...they write the entire thing. They have a team that does ad sales and a company prints it for them, but the writing and layout is all them, which I think is amazing. It is a small magazine, but it runs once every two weeks. Anyway, Holly (the other girl from Central) and I had a lovely chat with the pair of them. Then they took us into Central London for a couple of errands for the magazine, which included picking up a packet from Wigmore Hall (a major concert hall) and dropping something off at the bank. Then Beth took us to lunch at Pret, a nice sandwich shop, and then she decided she just had to walk us through Selfridges, an extremely high end department store. And that was my day. It was completely not what I had expected, but I'm more than excited to work with them. Holly and I will be doing different things every week, from running errands to going to shows and festivals to writing articles (that will be published!!!). I really am looking forward to it.
Thursday Abby and I took some of the other girls shopping at Oxford Street. Actually, they overslept so we went to Covent Garden first and had lunch. We just sat on the curb, eating our sandwiches, hanging out in Covent Garden like it was no big deal. Then we went to Oxford Street. It was a lot of fun, but so exhausting! That evening one of the boys had this whole big surprise walk planned, so I went just for the fun of it. There were eight of us I think. We ended up getting off at Millennium Bridge, which has a beautiful skyline view of the city. I had my first yay London! moment..finally. The city at night always gets me. Then we went to a couple of historical pubs on the South Bank--it was a good evening.
Friday we had our first British Experience seminar at Birkbeck College, which is part of the University of London. They gave us a quick tour of the Student Union, and then we were back to Vandon for our scavenger hunt around the city. I was in a group with two sophomore boys, and it went pretty well. We had to go to Brick Lane in the East End, up to St. Pancras Station, back to St. Paul's Cathedral, down to Hamley's toy shop, over to South Kensington to the Natural History Museum, and back to Vandon House. I am happy to say I got us on all the right trains and to all the right places. The only issue came at the very end, when there was a signal failure at one station that caused two entire tube lines to be shut down. So we detoured back, but only ended up being ten minutes late. And just to brag, MY TEAM WON. That's right. We have a cash prize coming next week and I'm more than a little proud of the three of us! That evening we went out to the pub at the Student Union at the University of London, which was a lot of fun. We had quite the adventure figuring out the bus system on the way back, but we made it safely.
Saturday was a very lazy day; I think Abby and I only left our room to have lunch and to make supper. Today we made lunch and then decided to wander around the parks. We are literally less than five minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, so all of the parks are right there. We walked through St. James Park, had coffee, and then rented bikes and rode all through Hyde Park. It was lovely--and since it's only a pound to rent a bike for the day, I will definitely be going back.
I have one sad note for the week. Mum called me on Saturday to let me know that my Grandad, her dad, had passed away that morning. I was planning on going to see him with Aunt Jenny this weekend, which made it even harder to hear. Jenny said that it was all very peaceful, and it probably was time. He hadn't been well for a long time, and he wasn't going to get better. Still. So Mum will be coming to England this weekend, and the funeral will be sometime that following week. It's definitely not the reason I wanted her to have to come, but it's one of those mixed blessing things.
I'm sorry that this was so long and a lot of information at once, but I'm trying to keep everyone updated on everything. Hope all is well with you, wherever you are in the world :)
much love
Lucy
Tuesday morning we had an intercultural training session with a woman from Scotland. It...could have been really good. She had some really great points but it lasted so long, and everyone was still so tired. That afternoon I had my advising appointment, and then the programme took us out for pizza and bowling. I thought that seemed a little too American for London, but it turned out to be really fun. Quite a few of us went to a pub afterwards, which was a good way for everyone to relax and finally open up.
Wednesday was my internship interview/meeting/whatever you want to call it. Another girl found out last minute that she is at the same place at me, so we went together. We took the tube to the centre of the new Olympic Park, where the magazine's temporary offices are. We were early, so we wandered around the new shopping centre there and looked around a bit. Then we met Julie, who I guess you could call our boss. She is adorable. The Olympic Park area is currently a restricted area (which apparently means we can't walk around..?) so she drove us to the office. Their office is actually just in a community work space, which is something I learned about in my entrepreneurship class last semester. It's this really hip/trendy renovated industrial building that small businesses and entrepreneurs can pay a daily or monthly fee to use. There was an art gallery and a cafe, where Julie took us for tea. The magazine is actually run by Julie and her daughter Beth (whose real name is actually Lucy Elizabeth--crazy!), who is actually only a year older than I am. And...they write the entire thing. They have a team that does ad sales and a company prints it for them, but the writing and layout is all them, which I think is amazing. It is a small magazine, but it runs once every two weeks. Anyway, Holly (the other girl from Central) and I had a lovely chat with the pair of them. Then they took us into Central London for a couple of errands for the magazine, which included picking up a packet from Wigmore Hall (a major concert hall) and dropping something off at the bank. Then Beth took us to lunch at Pret, a nice sandwich shop, and then she decided she just had to walk us through Selfridges, an extremely high end department store. And that was my day. It was completely not what I had expected, but I'm more than excited to work with them. Holly and I will be doing different things every week, from running errands to going to shows and festivals to writing articles (that will be published!!!). I really am looking forward to it.
Thursday Abby and I took some of the other girls shopping at Oxford Street. Actually, they overslept so we went to Covent Garden first and had lunch. We just sat on the curb, eating our sandwiches, hanging out in Covent Garden like it was no big deal. Then we went to Oxford Street. It was a lot of fun, but so exhausting! That evening one of the boys had this whole big surprise walk planned, so I went just for the fun of it. There were eight of us I think. We ended up getting off at Millennium Bridge, which has a beautiful skyline view of the city. I had my first yay London! moment..finally. The city at night always gets me. Then we went to a couple of historical pubs on the South Bank--it was a good evening.
Friday we had our first British Experience seminar at Birkbeck College, which is part of the University of London. They gave us a quick tour of the Student Union, and then we were back to Vandon for our scavenger hunt around the city. I was in a group with two sophomore boys, and it went pretty well. We had to go to Brick Lane in the East End, up to St. Pancras Station, back to St. Paul's Cathedral, down to Hamley's toy shop, over to South Kensington to the Natural History Museum, and back to Vandon House. I am happy to say I got us on all the right trains and to all the right places. The only issue came at the very end, when there was a signal failure at one station that caused two entire tube lines to be shut down. So we detoured back, but only ended up being ten minutes late. And just to brag, MY TEAM WON. That's right. We have a cash prize coming next week and I'm more than a little proud of the three of us! That evening we went out to the pub at the Student Union at the University of London, which was a lot of fun. We had quite the adventure figuring out the bus system on the way back, but we made it safely.
Saturday was a very lazy day; I think Abby and I only left our room to have lunch and to make supper. Today we made lunch and then decided to wander around the parks. We are literally less than five minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, so all of the parks are right there. We walked through St. James Park, had coffee, and then rented bikes and rode all through Hyde Park. It was lovely--and since it's only a pound to rent a bike for the day, I will definitely be going back.
I have one sad note for the week. Mum called me on Saturday to let me know that my Grandad, her dad, had passed away that morning. I was planning on going to see him with Aunt Jenny this weekend, which made it even harder to hear. Jenny said that it was all very peaceful, and it probably was time. He hadn't been well for a long time, and he wasn't going to get better. Still. So Mum will be coming to England this weekend, and the funeral will be sometime that following week. It's definitely not the reason I wanted her to have to come, but it's one of those mixed blessing things.
I'm sorry that this was so long and a lot of information at once, but I'm trying to keep everyone updated on everything. Hope all is well with you, wherever you are in the world :)
much love
Lucy
Monday, January 16, 2012
London Calling
Hello from London!
I arrived safely on Thursday; I had very smooth flights and my Aunt Jenny was right there at the airport to pick me up. We went straight to her house where I had a shower, food, and a nap in that order. I had forgotten how cozy and warm Jenny's house is--she lives in a small village called West Ewell, just south of London. She more than spoiled me with constant cups of tea, good meals, and so much more. She had to work on Friday so I had the day to be lazy and get over my jetlag. That evening we went for a pub meal, and I had sticky toffee pudding which is one of my favorites! And Mum, you'll be happy to know that we watched a lot of the British version of House Hunters...so we were probably having a very similar Friday night to you :) Saturday we went shopping in Epsom (a nearby town) for a few things and then attempted to go to Richmond Park, but all of the carparks were totally full. So instead I got a lovely car tour of the park (it's massive!) and then we walked along the Thames in a little place called Ham. By the way, the weather has been beautiful. It's chilly, but the sun has been shining every single day. Saturday night my uncle and a couple of friends came to Jenny's for the night, as they were going hiking nearby the next day. We had a lazy Sunday morning and then I packed up all of my things (it's amazing how spread out you can become in just a few days) and headed into Central London. We had a bit of a change of plans in order to get there (thank you, British Rail..) but we made it. Jenny's friend Manju came as well, which was so kind of both of them as they helped with my luggage. After we dropped my things off at Vandon House we had tea at a nearby cafe and then they headed back home. I got back to Vandon just in time for our initial orientation and then a pub meal with everyone in the program. We met both of our directors, Jen and Mark, who both seem wonderful so far. There are 34 students in the program, and everyone seems nice so far. Most of them are very young, in fact one girl is only 18, so I feel a little bit old! And, as I've been to England before, I've been asked question after question. I don't mind though--it's nice to share about a place I love. Abby, my roommate here, arrived late Sunday night, so we unpacked and organized our little room. They had us up bright and early today (which was worse for everyone else, since they had just flown in Sunday) for orientation and all of the information they feed you at the beginning. We did have a very entertaining talk from a Metropolitan policeman though. Then they had lunch for us and we headed out for our afternoon walking tour. Mark and Jen took all 34 of us on the tube, which I think was very brave, but it actually went better than I expected. We saw most of the historic sites in Westminster, and a few others that I'd never seen. When we came back, we had a house meeting, and then we were finally free. Abby and I rearranged our room, went to Sainsbury's, made supper, and now I'm just relaxing. Tomorrow I have an advising appointment and we're going bowling in the evening, and Wednesday I have my initial internship visit. I am so excited for it! I found out right before I left that the offices have just moved to the new Olympic Stadium area, and Jen told me that the staff at the magazine is wonderful.
Anyway. I will have more as well as some pictures soon--I must admit I wasn't very good at taking pictures today. Soon though!
I arrived safely on Thursday; I had very smooth flights and my Aunt Jenny was right there at the airport to pick me up. We went straight to her house where I had a shower, food, and a nap in that order. I had forgotten how cozy and warm Jenny's house is--she lives in a small village called West Ewell, just south of London. She more than spoiled me with constant cups of tea, good meals, and so much more. She had to work on Friday so I had the day to be lazy and get over my jetlag. That evening we went for a pub meal, and I had sticky toffee pudding which is one of my favorites! And Mum, you'll be happy to know that we watched a lot of the British version of House Hunters...so we were probably having a very similar Friday night to you :) Saturday we went shopping in Epsom (a nearby town) for a few things and then attempted to go to Richmond Park, but all of the carparks were totally full. So instead I got a lovely car tour of the park (it's massive!) and then we walked along the Thames in a little place called Ham. By the way, the weather has been beautiful. It's chilly, but the sun has been shining every single day. Saturday night my uncle and a couple of friends came to Jenny's for the night, as they were going hiking nearby the next day. We had a lazy Sunday morning and then I packed up all of my things (it's amazing how spread out you can become in just a few days) and headed into Central London. We had a bit of a change of plans in order to get there (thank you, British Rail..) but we made it. Jenny's friend Manju came as well, which was so kind of both of them as they helped with my luggage. After we dropped my things off at Vandon House we had tea at a nearby cafe and then they headed back home. I got back to Vandon just in time for our initial orientation and then a pub meal with everyone in the program. We met both of our directors, Jen and Mark, who both seem wonderful so far. There are 34 students in the program, and everyone seems nice so far. Most of them are very young, in fact one girl is only 18, so I feel a little bit old! And, as I've been to England before, I've been asked question after question. I don't mind though--it's nice to share about a place I love. Abby, my roommate here, arrived late Sunday night, so we unpacked and organized our little room. They had us up bright and early today (which was worse for everyone else, since they had just flown in Sunday) for orientation and all of the information they feed you at the beginning. We did have a very entertaining talk from a Metropolitan policeman though. Then they had lunch for us and we headed out for our afternoon walking tour. Mark and Jen took all 34 of us on the tube, which I think was very brave, but it actually went better than I expected. We saw most of the historic sites in Westminster, and a few others that I'd never seen. When we came back, we had a house meeting, and then we were finally free. Abby and I rearranged our room, went to Sainsbury's, made supper, and now I'm just relaxing. Tomorrow I have an advising appointment and we're going bowling in the evening, and Wednesday I have my initial internship visit. I am so excited for it! I found out right before I left that the offices have just moved to the new Olympic Stadium area, and Jen told me that the staff at the magazine is wonderful.
Anyway. I will have more as well as some pictures soon--I must admit I wasn't very good at taking pictures today. Soon though!
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