London Calling, Day 1

London. I never really thought I would go there. I mean, I always wanted to, I always said that I wanted to go to London before I died, but until I decided to go to England about 9 months ago I truly did not think I would ever go.

Well, I WENT!

It was nothing short of amazing. My legs are aching, my feet hate me, and I'm so tired I could collapse right here and sleep for 4 days, but it was so worth it!

Day 1

We woke up bright and early and left Harlaxton at 8:30am. The bus ride was LONG, about 3 and a half hours, but it was okay because we were just so excited! We went on a short bus tour of the city just to get us oriented with our surroundings. The bus driver dropped us off at our hotel, which left a little to be desired, but it was fine for sleeping -- which was all I needed!

Alex and I set off right away for the walking tour our school recommended. London is a great town to walk in. There is ALWAYS something to look at, and maps are fairly easy to decipher. Anyway, we headed through Russell Square to Piccadilly Circus, which is basically like the Times Square of London. It's crazy--we didn't stop there or anything, just looked around and snapped pictures. Then we headed to Leicester Square, which is a touristy place with a lot of clubs and stuff. Again, we just looked around and marveled. Trafalgar Square was next, with the National Gallery and Nelson's Column. We took a picture with someone painted to look like a statue! Alex gave him 50p :)

Then it was off toward the Big Kahunas, Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. When I saw Big Ben from the street, I got chills! I just kept thinking of Peter Pan, when they land on the clock as they are flying by.

Parliament is insanely intimidating, but awesome! Just seeing it up close, you marvel at the intricacy. I can't even believe it's a building, let alone that people work there.

Westminster Abbey is awesome. I wish we would have gone inside, but there wouldn't have been enough time. I'm just a bit disappointed that I didn't see all the famous dead people there. You all know I'm not much a church person, but I really wanted to see Isaac Newton and kings and queens! I love celebrities, even dead ones!

We walked down Birdcage Walk past St. James Park, which is gorgeous. This took us right up to Buckingham Palace! Alex and I were trying to figure out what the queen was probably doing. We decided that she was either napping, brushing her hair or taking a dump. The guards are cool, but you can't get near them, which is really depressing. Oh, and they move. It's a total myth that they are perfectly still! Then we ate dinner at this really cool, really old pub called the Red Lion or something, it was near the War Building.

After that, we decided it was time to go in search of hookah, which lead us on the most adventurous and crazy leg of our trip. The closest hookah bar we could find to our hotel was near Liverpool Street, so we hopped on the Underground and got off at that stop. We found ourselves in the financial district of London, where everyone looked super important with their suits and briefcases and Blackberries. Using Alex's iPhone, we managed to walk through a NOT VERY GOOD area of London, in which we saw maybe 2 people and were walking down roads that had no buildings on them. We turned down a street and saw that it was just brick walls covered with graffiti, and there were people spray-painting them! We could not stop laughing at ourselves. By this point we had walked at least a mile. Then, suddenly, we emerged on a trendy, young, hip street called Brick Lane, where we found the Hookah Lounge. This place was hilarious. You can't smoke inside in London, so they had tables set up outside basically right on the street, and the guy brings out this hookah with tissue stuffed into the part where the ball usually goes. Alex laughed so hard she was crying. Then this guy sits down next to me and lights up a joint. I mean, right next to me - - I was on a bench thing. More laughter ensued. This guy did not speak one word the entire time he was sitting there. THEN, some guy asks me and Alex if we know where a specific bar is! We got mistaken for locals!

By the time our bowl was finished, we were exhausted. It was still light outside, so we walked back to Liverpool Street and hailed a taxi. When we got back to the hotel, we got ready and went to this little pub, where we drank Carlsberg sitting by a fireplace while cricket was on TV.

All in all it was a great first day in London! Days 2 and 3 will be documented shortly.

And we're off . . .

Well I've had all of my classes. Let me tell you, this is gonna be a tough semester. But I'll be fine. I'll be VERY busy so hopefully I won't have time to miss people too much :) Just kidding. I miss everyone a lot, but it's getting a bit better. I just want this whole thing to go by FAST and have a lot of fun so I can get back and be with everyone!

British Studies is crazy. Everyone in the whole school is in the lecture session from 8:30-9:30 in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays, and it's held in this amazing room called the Long Gallery, so all I want to do is stare at the ceiling because it's so pretty. Then I have a little break, and my British Studies seminar is at 11:00-12:00pm. That's just a section where we have individualized instruction from a professor. Mine seems pretty cool. He has the quintessential British accent (at least, the one Americans think is quintessential) - deep voiced, very articulate, like he's from a Jane Austen movie.

Renaissance and Reformation European History is on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 4:10-5:00. That will be a little different, it's taught by an American professor. It's a small class - only 7 people! I thought I left LTU! Haha. But everyone else in the class is a History major, so we'll see how that goes. It seems interesting enough.

British Politics I had this morning, Tuesday and Thursday from 10:15-11:30. I don't know how I feel about that class yet. The professor is actually the Dean of Students, and one girl here has a huge crush on him -- she says he looks like a combination of Jude Law and Viggo Mortensen. But the class seems hard! And for something I'm not interested in, that's not a good sign. Oh well.

Alex got here finally which is AWESOME. It is so much easier with her here - we know the same people back home at LTU, we both have boyfriends so we're not like the other girls trying to pick up dudes, we both would prefer to stay in on schoolnights and do homework in the Bistro with a beer than go out to Grantham and get shitfaced every night, but I will definitely do my share of partying like I always do. Just not every night. :) And the other kids I know, none of them are going on the school trips because they say they are too expensive. They are traveling independently almost everywhere. Well, Alex and I are like, ummm, no. I'm going on the school trips. We don't trust ourselves AT ALL. Plus I think you lose the money you paid.

Anyway, I have to go read. Tonight is the trip briefing for London, which is where we are going this weekend. I'm super excited!

My continually updated British slang post

Just in case you are all wondering, sometimes it's REALLY hard to figure out what people are saying here.  Here are just a few of the slang terms I've learned (learnt!) so just in case any of you decide to pick up and travel here, you'll have a better head start than I did.  I'll update it as I learn more.

1.  line = queue (pronounced "q")

2.  curling iron = styling tongs

3.  truck = lorry

4.  bathroom = loo /w.c. /toilet

5.  elevator = lift

6.  diapers = nappies 

7.  hello / goodbye / thank you / you're welcome / anything pleasant = cheers 

8.  p = pence

9.  bus = coach

10.  bar = pub

11.  trash can = rubbish bin

12.  insane = batty

13.  for rent = to let

14.  apartment = flat

15.  pissed = drunk

16.  stroller = pushchair

17.  exit = way out

18.  awesome = brilliant

19.  subway = tube / underground

To The Motherland For Realsies

Yes, I'm in England! Today has been just nonstop craziness. Well, the past day and a half. I don't know what day it is, really.

It started in Chicago with my parents and I staying with my cousins Karin, Pat and Liam. That was so much fun -- Liam is so smart and funny. Anywho, Thursday morning I walked around downtown Chicago with my mom and dad. I went to the American Girl store and had a mini meltdown because I wanted Kirsten's entire collection. Needless to say my parents had to peel me out of there.

Then--the flight. Okay, I don't know why I had to be there at 4:30pm when my flight was at 8:30pm. It was so boring. And I'm a loner so I just sat there and read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" while everyone who knew each other already congregated around me playing euchre on the floor.

The flight was . . . kinda horrible. Not for any particular reason, I mean, I watched The Hangover which is always awesome, and I watched an episode of "The Office" and one of "How I Met Your Mother", but it was overnight and I was uncomfortable and I couldn't sleep and I was just altogether out of sorts. My flight departed at 8:30pm Chicago time and landed at 9:45am London time. British customs was a breeze, though. Then the bus ride--OHHHHHH THE BUS RIDE! I dozed off maybe twice but it was almost 2pm before we pulled up to Harlaxton.

HOLY COW this place is amazing. No pictures can do it justice. I didn't get any good ones today because it was raining when I got here, but I will definitely post some soon. This place is crazy, let's leave it at that.

My dorm is in the Carriage House which is separate from the main Manor House, and to be honest I'm kind of glad. It gives me a chance to get out of the manor. My roommate's name is Mary and she likes Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls and musicals so we are good to go! Our room is pretty cool. I've never shared community bathrooms before, though, so this will be a challenge.

Today, once we got settled, we had orientation stuff which was dumb, but then me, Mary, and some other students walked about two miles up to Gregory's, which is a pub at the end of our driveway. It was pretty cool, but I'm 21 and they're all like 19 so it was way cooler for them!

By far the best part of the night was talking to a middle-aged English couple outside the pub. They were telling us everything about how they feel about the NHS, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, national identity, etc. so it was awesome!

Then we walked back to the manor in the dark, which was funny because it's a lot harder when you've had a beer. Now I'm just getting ready to go to bed, because I am freaking exhausted.

More to come! Keep reading!

FREAKOUTAGE BEGINNING!

I had a horrible dream last night.  

I arrived in London and like a dumbass forgot to pick up my luggage, just decided to hop into a cab and go to Harlaxton.  I get to Harlaxton and it's in a suburban neighborhood crammed between a factory and a freeway.  Basically everyone I've ever known is going there, and I'm the only one rooming with a stranger.  I get depressed and go outside to smoke hookah in my car (apparently I have a car there) and then Matt and Amy Foster from Canada are in there, so we decide to go driving.  I forget you have to drive on the opposite side of the road and almost get us killed by 4 swerving semi-trucks.  I turn to go back to Harlaxton and I see Annette Traub and Bryan Wojiechowski, two people I haven't seen in like 3 years.  They are like, "Wow, you're here too?  We're teaching at Harlaxton."  

So then I almost get us killed again on the way back to Harlaxton.  And I woke up.

WHAT?!?!

T-minus 37 days!

It's coming closer and closer and I'm so nervous yet so excited!  On August 26th I'll be heading down to the cuzzo's house, Karin and Pat, to stay the night with my parents.  August 27th at 6pm I'll board my flight for LONDON HEATHROW!  

[Side note:  I got my voltage converter and it's crazy.  Maybe I'll post a picture at some point.  Why do the English make their outlets so damn big?]

A few things I decided that I have to do:

1) Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross.  I heard they have a little sign there, even though Katie says it looks nothing like the movie.

2)  Take a picture in one of those red phone booths.

3) Pose like a gargoyle with Alex at Harlaxton.  

4) Germany!  I have to find a way to go there.  Oktoberfest perhaps?  Maybe I'll pass up the Lake District trip.

I'm already going to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy.

Any more suggestions?

How I Met Your Mother and The Sims 3

Basically the title of this blog sums up my leisure activities for the summer.  I feel like I'm working all the time, and when I get home I do not even feel like going out with friends, though I usually end up at Matt's house at some point or another.

But has anyone ever watched How I Met Your Mother?  That show is just AWESOME.  No other word to describe it.  Besides maybe LEGENDARY.  Neil Patrick Harris just cracks me up.  I borrowed season 1 and 2 from my friend Mike, and I'm obsessed.  I highly recommend it.

Also, The Sims 3!  I know this is cliche but OMG!  It's so awesome.  I waste my life away making weird families that hate each other and have 4 babies, or having a single workaholic woman that wants to be a superstar athlete, or a mom and son that are creepily obsessed with each other . . . it's addicting. You just can't wait to see what they do next!

I'm at work . . . and the HVAC guys are investigating a leak in the ceiling, and they are totally fighting.  Like, being completely bitchy to each other.  One is fat and one is skinny.  I love this.

I know I've been a really crappy blogger.  But I'll make it a point to blog when I'm in Europe.  Aren't you excited?