Short entry, I am in class right now.
We are watching Quadrophenia again, we already watched it in British Youth Culture. I care even less. Seriously.
ANYWAY! Drinking here is still expensive, and it is still annoying.
ALSO! A very strange man hit on me at the ATM at the Tube station near home. It was REALLY frightening and I didn't like it. He was from Nigeria or something and kept asking me to be his friend. At first, I was flattered, a nice looking man being... attentive has that effect.
Then I stopped being retarded. Yikes... But at least my friends were there.
We went to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and parliament over the weekend. Quite a bit of walking, but my pictures came out really well and I love it. London has been amazing so far. We are going to Stratford this weekend, which I am really excited for! Going to see Richard III, which is going to be really exciting.
We saw Ghosts last night, and it was terrible. But Richard will be better, and There Came a Gypsy Riding was good. So we take what we can get in this life.
SO! I am off to get a drink for my class break. Talk to you later!
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Thursday, 25 January 2007
OH MY GOD! WEATHER HAPPENED!
We had a horrible state of panic yesterday, because of less than one inch of snow.
Less than one inch.
LESS.
This country cannot handle weather. We had wind (WIND) one day last week and I thought the tube was going to explode. Apparently it was really destructive wind, but still. Thankfully, the response to snow indicates that this country doesn't get a lot of it.
Guess I won't need my LL Bean boots (Love you mom <3)
Anyway, I am in class right now, so I need to publish and get out!
PEACE!
Less than one inch.
LESS.
This country cannot handle weather. We had wind (WIND) one day last week and I thought the tube was going to explode. Apparently it was really destructive wind, but still. Thankfully, the response to snow indicates that this country doesn't get a lot of it.
Guess I won't need my LL Bean boots (Love you mom <3)
Anyway, I am in class right now, so I need to publish and get out!
PEACE!
Monday, 22 January 2007
Sanctuary..... SANCTUARY!
Oh man, the London Center is so awesome.
Free wireless, a kitchen, and Fanta Orange...
Life is good.
Free wireless, a kitchen, and Fanta Orange...
Life is good.
Grocery Shopping from Macedonia
Do you ever feel like everyone around you has been given express directions that you somehow missed?
That is how shopping at Lidl's feels. Nothing is ever in any sort of order, and just getting into the store is like a puzzle from the Da Vinci Code. For those of you who have ever been to an Aldi in the states, I have been told it is similar.
The problem, though, isn't the store itself, so much as the products don't come in English. I am not joking. We are choosing our groceries based on the sign nearest to the product, and the picture on the front. Our Apple Juice is in (I think) Polish, our Orange Juice is in German, we do, however have some products that have English on them, like our eggs and lunchmeats, but the majority of our items are in another language that we have trouble figuring out where it comes from.
Also, at Lidl's, no one speaks English very well, and we have a hard time understanding when we do something wrong or ask a question. All in all, it makes for a very unintentionally funny situation. Imagine 5 college students, all relatively lucid, trying to figure out where the 'English' muffins are. It is really kind of funny when you think about it.
ANYWAY. Week two of classes is underway, and I am once again ensconced in the sanctuary of the London Center. This weekend was fun, and our club experience was really far less terrifying that I had originally thought.
****NOTE TO ALL IC STUDENTS WHO ARE STUDYING ABROAD AND PLANNING TO DRINK***** the ISIC card that we get, is not real ID. Apparently, they sell them on the internet for like... $10. Rachel Cullenen lied to us. BRING YOUR US LICENSES!
Seriously. We learned this the hard way. The hard and embarassing way.
The Weary Traveller.
More Next time on classes, our flat, and all that jazz
That is how shopping at Lidl's feels. Nothing is ever in any sort of order, and just getting into the store is like a puzzle from the Da Vinci Code. For those of you who have ever been to an Aldi in the states, I have been told it is similar.
The problem, though, isn't the store itself, so much as the products don't come in English. I am not joking. We are choosing our groceries based on the sign nearest to the product, and the picture on the front. Our Apple Juice is in (I think) Polish, our Orange Juice is in German, we do, however have some products that have English on them, like our eggs and lunchmeats, but the majority of our items are in another language that we have trouble figuring out where it comes from.
Also, at Lidl's, no one speaks English very well, and we have a hard time understanding when we do something wrong or ask a question. All in all, it makes for a very unintentionally funny situation. Imagine 5 college students, all relatively lucid, trying to figure out where the 'English' muffins are. It is really kind of funny when you think about it.
ANYWAY. Week two of classes is underway, and I am once again ensconced in the sanctuary of the London Center. This weekend was fun, and our club experience was really far less terrifying that I had originally thought.
****NOTE TO ALL IC STUDENTS WHO ARE STUDYING ABROAD AND PLANNING TO DRINK***** the ISIC card that we get, is not real ID. Apparently, they sell them on the internet for like... $10. Rachel Cullenen lied to us. BRING YOUR US LICENSES!
Seriously. We learned this the hard way. The hard and embarassing way.
The Weary Traveller.
More Next time on classes, our flat, and all that jazz
Thursday, 18 January 2007
First Week of Classes
Wow...
I have no homework.
Did you hear me??
NONE!
This is fantastic.... for the first time, I am not being bogged down with papers, research, or other business. I am so excited.
This weekend we are going to a club. My friend wants to check out gay culture here in London, which I am sure will be exciting. As soon as I stop freaking out, I am sure I will have fun. Besides, I can drink here, so that at least gives me something to do, and a way to talk to people. I just hope no one makes fun of me, or stares at me. If they do, I might have to choke a bitch.
Anyway, this week was exhausting, getting used to everything is always tiring, no matter how rigorous it is actually going to be. I am excited though, pub tonight, club tomorrow, touristing later on and whatnot. I hope to get to the British Museum SOON. Also I need to hit the theater etc. etc. Anyway! Today is shopping as soon as we get done here, I dunno what I am going to buy, but it will be fun. So yeah, I am signing off to go have fun. Screw you people and the horses you rode in on!
<3
The Weary Traveller
I have no homework.
Did you hear me??
NONE!
This is fantastic.... for the first time, I am not being bogged down with papers, research, or other business. I am so excited.
This weekend we are going to a club. My friend wants to check out gay culture here in London, which I am sure will be exciting. As soon as I stop freaking out, I am sure I will have fun. Besides, I can drink here, so that at least gives me something to do, and a way to talk to people. I just hope no one makes fun of me, or stares at me. If they do, I might have to choke a bitch.
Anyway, this week was exhausting, getting used to everything is always tiring, no matter how rigorous it is actually going to be. I am excited though, pub tonight, club tomorrow, touristing later on and whatnot. I hope to get to the British Museum SOON. Also I need to hit the theater etc. etc. Anyway! Today is shopping as soon as we get done here, I dunno what I am going to buy, but it will be fun. So yeah, I am signing off to go have fun. Screw you people and the horses you rode in on!
<3
The Weary Traveller
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Be vewy vewy quiet... I'm hunting showt tewm flats to went...
So flathunting is really scary, but we succeeded!
We started Tuesday, by visiting two flats a woman had to let who had letted to London Center students before. The apartments were nice, but she was buckets of crazy. After getting home to the hotel, we decided that we were far FAR too exhausted to continue the search that night, and that we would all go back and get some rest. It was 5pm and we all went right to bed.
I woke up at 6am.
I slept for 13 hours.
It was incredible, I mean on a level that no one could ever comprehend. Then I had the hotel's breakfast, which was even more incredible. It was amazing. The best breakfast in the history of anything.
Wednesday was a completely new day, one in which I had a new lease on life and a new optimism. I had been dreading London for weeks, and was relieved when I was finally able to start enjoying myself. Then we started flathunt... This was an important, yet daunting experience. We saw some SHIT-HOLES let me tell you. Yikes, places I wouldn't want my worst enemy living in. Finally, Thursday, we found a house that we liked. We had discussed houses before, and I though we would never be able to get one. We did get one, and we have been in it the last two nights.
All in all, I am happy with the way things have gone. We haven't had heat for two days, and we had our first experience with an Argos (more on that later) which left us with no blankets. Hopefully we can get internet soon and I can update this more frequently. I am really having a wonderful time, and am very glad I chose to come here. This is going to be an invaluable experience for me, and something that will stay with me for me entire life.
I <3 London.
Weary Traveller
We started Tuesday, by visiting two flats a woman had to let who had letted to London Center students before. The apartments were nice, but she was buckets of crazy. After getting home to the hotel, we decided that we were far FAR too exhausted to continue the search that night, and that we would all go back and get some rest. It was 5pm and we all went right to bed.
I woke up at 6am.
I slept for 13 hours.
It was incredible, I mean on a level that no one could ever comprehend. Then I had the hotel's breakfast, which was even more incredible. It was amazing. The best breakfast in the history of anything.
Wednesday was a completely new day, one in which I had a new lease on life and a new optimism. I had been dreading London for weeks, and was relieved when I was finally able to start enjoying myself. Then we started flathunt... This was an important, yet daunting experience. We saw some SHIT-HOLES let me tell you. Yikes, places I wouldn't want my worst enemy living in. Finally, Thursday, we found a house that we liked. We had discussed houses before, and I though we would never be able to get one. We did get one, and we have been in it the last two nights.
All in all, I am happy with the way things have gone. We haven't had heat for two days, and we had our first experience with an Argos (more on that later) which left us with no blankets. Hopefully we can get internet soon and I can update this more frequently. I am really having a wonderful time, and am very glad I chose to come here. This is going to be an invaluable experience for me, and something that will stay with me for me entire life.
I <3 London.
Weary Traveller
Introduction: Getting here sucked.
Well, for those of you who were worried (*crickets*), I am alive. Officially, I have been in England one week and am one week tardy in setting up this travelogue. If you have enough time on your hands to be angry about this, please go outside.
Last Monday, I boarded what I thought would be my flight at Logan International Airport an hour after it was supposed to depart. It was raining, so we all suspected a reasonable weather delay. This is fine, because Delta Airlines doesn't own the air it flies through, they just rent it from God. Apparently, they were a bit late on the rent because Monday, God was not very happy with Delta at all. To make a long story marginally shorter, I left Boston at 5pm (I was supposed to leave at 11:40am) to get to JFK for a 6:30 PM transatlantic to London. Guess what didn't happen? If you said Nicholas Cage in The Wicker Man, I am very sorry, that did happen and you are wrong. If you said my flight to London, you are very correct. Well, the 6;30 did happen, and everyone got there safely, but I was not on it. Luckily, I did get on a later flight with other ICLC students, so that worked out.
When I got to Heathrow, I had to go through immigration. Oh. Joy. So I get to the counter, I have all the stuff I need, my passport, immigration card, letters, etc. etc. So Mr. Immigration Officer decides that it is time to ask me a ton of questions that I have no idea about concerning some stupid stamp that I will probably never even use. So, he decides, in his infinite wisdom, that I am the person they need to watch out for. He took me out of line, and went away with all my things to call somebody to see if I could get into the country or not. Now, let us, before I tell the next bit of story, have a bit of a recap:
1) original flight cancelled, three hours after listed takeoff time.
2) departed from Boston 6 hours after listed departure time.
3) missed original flight to London, had to rebook.
4) held up at immigration, with no way of contacting anyone and VERY little money.
Are you all caught up? Good. Let's go on.
I fucking lost it. In the middle of the immigration center at Heathrow London, I lost it. I sat down in a chair and started to bawl. Now I realize that dying children in a hospital ward have it worse off than I do, and that land mine victims are facing far worse trials and tribulations than problems at an airport. But let me tell you something, when you are being held up in an immigration line, and some guy just took your passport away, and you don't have any money to pay for a ticket on a bus, let alone a transatlantic flight, you are alone, can't call anyone, and no one knows you are in said immigration line, you aren't thinking about orphans. You are sitting in a chair bawling your eyes out and eventually throwing up in a very well maintained airport bathroom.
Over dramatic? yes. But, in the long run, I am almost glad it happened. I learned a valuable lesson. I learned to chill the fuck out, which is often a problem for me. Also, I now have had a negative experience to give me perspective on all future travelling experiences, which is incredible valuable.
Anyway, I got through the immigration business, the man apologized (as he should have. Bastard...) for being so rude to me, and I went to collect my baggage.
Oh wait, my baggage wasn't there. Funny how life works, eh?
This was one of those icing on the cake moments, where it isn't a big deal in and of itself, but I was really frazzled, overwhelmed, and upset already. Luckily, the woman at the counter for my airline was wonderful, and my issue was sorted out.
So I eventually did get to London Center, thankfully the transport had waited for me to get there and I got on. I got to the hotel, which was AMAZING. A beautiful building, lovely staff, nice rooms with free wireless internet access. It was great, a nice comforting place to be after a very rough two days. I was very happy, I saw my friends and everyone and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was wonderful.
After leaving the hotel and going to London center, we had our short orientation and commenced the flathunt.
More on that in the next post! (which will happen as soon as I finish this one)
Weary Traveller
Last Monday, I boarded what I thought would be my flight at Logan International Airport an hour after it was supposed to depart. It was raining, so we all suspected a reasonable weather delay. This is fine, because Delta Airlines doesn't own the air it flies through, they just rent it from God. Apparently, they were a bit late on the rent because Monday, God was not very happy with Delta at all. To make a long story marginally shorter, I left Boston at 5pm (I was supposed to leave at 11:40am) to get to JFK for a 6:30 PM transatlantic to London. Guess what didn't happen? If you said Nicholas Cage in The Wicker Man, I am very sorry, that did happen and you are wrong. If you said my flight to London, you are very correct. Well, the 6;30 did happen, and everyone got there safely, but I was not on it. Luckily, I did get on a later flight with other ICLC students, so that worked out.
When I got to Heathrow, I had to go through immigration. Oh. Joy. So I get to the counter, I have all the stuff I need, my passport, immigration card, letters, etc. etc. So Mr. Immigration Officer decides that it is time to ask me a ton of questions that I have no idea about concerning some stupid stamp that I will probably never even use. So, he decides, in his infinite wisdom, that I am the person they need to watch out for. He took me out of line, and went away with all my things to call somebody to see if I could get into the country or not. Now, let us, before I tell the next bit of story, have a bit of a recap:
1) original flight cancelled, three hours after listed takeoff time.
2) departed from Boston 6 hours after listed departure time.
3) missed original flight to London, had to rebook.
4) held up at immigration, with no way of contacting anyone and VERY little money.
Are you all caught up? Good. Let's go on.
I fucking lost it. In the middle of the immigration center at Heathrow London, I lost it. I sat down in a chair and started to bawl. Now I realize that dying children in a hospital ward have it worse off than I do, and that land mine victims are facing far worse trials and tribulations than problems at an airport. But let me tell you something, when you are being held up in an immigration line, and some guy just took your passport away, and you don't have any money to pay for a ticket on a bus, let alone a transatlantic flight, you are alone, can't call anyone, and no one knows you are in said immigration line, you aren't thinking about orphans. You are sitting in a chair bawling your eyes out and eventually throwing up in a very well maintained airport bathroom.
Over dramatic? yes. But, in the long run, I am almost glad it happened. I learned a valuable lesson. I learned to chill the fuck out, which is often a problem for me. Also, I now have had a negative experience to give me perspective on all future travelling experiences, which is incredible valuable.
Anyway, I got through the immigration business, the man apologized (as he should have. Bastard...) for being so rude to me, and I went to collect my baggage.
Oh wait, my baggage wasn't there. Funny how life works, eh?
This was one of those icing on the cake moments, where it isn't a big deal in and of itself, but I was really frazzled, overwhelmed, and upset already. Luckily, the woman at the counter for my airline was wonderful, and my issue was sorted out.
So I eventually did get to London Center, thankfully the transport had waited for me to get there and I got on. I got to the hotel, which was AMAZING. A beautiful building, lovely staff, nice rooms with free wireless internet access. It was great, a nice comforting place to be after a very rough two days. I was very happy, I saw my friends and everyone and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was wonderful.
After leaving the hotel and going to London center, we had our short orientation and commenced the flathunt.
More on that in the next post! (which will happen as soon as I finish this one)
Weary Traveller
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)