Yesterday and today were filled with my internship. Nothing too out of the ordinary occured although I did get to observe the speech therapist for a bit on Tuesday so that was nice. It is different than I thought it would be, mostly because these children have no verbal communication and hardly any nonverbal communication. I got the chance to talk to Mary again and I think I will get to observe the speech therapist more often now.
Today was sort of funny because the teachers I work with talked about accents and whose accent they could or could not understand very well. Apparently they aren't phased at all by my 'accent.' I still find it weird that they think I have an accent, but I'll go with it. Anyway, we got on the subject of different slang used in all these different countries like New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, England, and the U.S. It was funny what they though of the U.S. They asked about donuts and if police officers are really eating donuts all the time. I think for the most part they have good views of the U.S., although the donut idea might not be the most positive depending who you ask.
Tomorrow Allie, Erin, and I head to Switzerland. Our plane leaves at 7:20am, meaning we have to be out the door by 4:30am to make it the airport in time. Saying that I'm not sure why I'm still awake considering it's almost midnight.
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
Homework, no thanks.
Today was a long, uninteresting day filled with classes. I had classes until about 3:30pm and then had to head to the National Theatre for a backstage tour as part of my class. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and was actually pretty interesting. Our group went backstage a little bit, but mainly learned about the three different theatres that make up the National Theatre. After the tour, we had an hour off before we went back to the theatre to see the play, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. It was only about an hour long, and super strange. It had a full orchestra as part of the play which was sort of cool to see, but otherwise pretty odd.
Side note: I have become very lazy in the homework department since studying abroad. I have a few papers due soon and I'm not a fan. Once I start it will be fine, but convincing myself to start them seems to be the problem. Tomorrow will be the day.
Side note: I have become very lazy in the homework department since studying abroad. I have a few papers due soon and I'm not a fan. Once I start it will be fine, but convincing myself to start them seems to be the problem. Tomorrow will be the day.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Good day sunshine
Yesterday (Saturday) was possibly the most beautiful day in London yet. The sun was shining all day and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! Jenon, Allie, Dena, and I headed to Portabella Market, which is supposed to be best on Saturdays. Portabella Market is just huge. We arrived mid-morning and luckily it was not extremely crowded. The market is spread out all along Portabella Road. It begins with antique shops and stands lining the road, then produce, and then clothing. This is my favorite market so far. I just really liked the variety of things that were on sale and I felt comfortable there, although that could be due to the fact that the last market I went to was Camden where I saw people with spikes all over their clothing. Anyway, since it was spread out all along Portabella Road there was space to move and it wasn't all crammed into a small space like some of the other market. There were some very tempting stands in the food section. One was just filled with delicious looking donuts and muffins. We did decided to stop at an older man's stand who was selling dried fruit, nuts, and candies. Since it was a good deal, we all caved and got a little treat. On our way out of the market it was around noon so the crowds got much worse. It took a lot of effort to find out way out of the market area. It was packed.
Next we made a little stop at Primark on our way to St. Paul's Cathedral. Primark was not quite as busy as the first time I went, but it was still pretty hectic. The lines to the dressing room are so long that people seriously try on clothes in the isles. Dena saw a mom helping her 10 yr. old ish daughter try on jeans on the isle. It's pretty ridiculous. Anyway, Jenon, Allie, and I all had things we wanted to try on so at first we tried the whole stand in line for the dressing room idea. This didn't last long so we caved and went for trying on our clothes in a secluded isle. We all had t-shirts on so it was pretty hard to tell if we actually liked what we were trying on. It was also very awkward so I will not be doing that anytime again soon.
After that it was off to visit St. Paul's Cathedral and Millennium bridge! We just walked around and looked at it a bit before we went to Hyde Park to sit and enjoy the sun! I just couldn't believe how beautiful it was out. By the time we got to Hyde Park we had definitely had our fill of crowds for the day so it was nice to just sit and enjoy the quite of the park. For dinner, we played the lazy card and went to Pizza Hut. It was absolutely delicious. I can't decide if my love for it was because of the thin crust pizza they serve here or if it was even better than back at home. It might be a close tie.
After dinner we got ready and headed to the Zoo Bar/Club. It was my first dance club experience and it went okay I would say. It had a couple floors and the first floor was all techno music and dancing that was sort of too much for me and the other people I was with so we headed to the second floor where we found oldies music being played. It was also less crowded, although there were still tons of people. The music definitely contributed to me having a good time. They played some Beatles, Queen, and even a song from the musical Greece. All in all it was fun.
Today, we woke up in time to go to the morning service at Hillsong and then it was lunch and off to Hyde Park again. Although the weather was not as good as yesterday, it is still pretty. Dena just left for the train station, so now its time for me to be productive....
Next we made a little stop at Primark on our way to St. Paul's Cathedral. Primark was not quite as busy as the first time I went, but it was still pretty hectic. The lines to the dressing room are so long that people seriously try on clothes in the isles. Dena saw a mom helping her 10 yr. old ish daughter try on jeans on the isle. It's pretty ridiculous. Anyway, Jenon, Allie, and I all had things we wanted to try on so at first we tried the whole stand in line for the dressing room idea. This didn't last long so we caved and went for trying on our clothes in a secluded isle. We all had t-shirts on so it was pretty hard to tell if we actually liked what we were trying on. It was also very awkward so I will not be doing that anytime again soon.
After that it was off to visit St. Paul's Cathedral and Millennium bridge! We just walked around and looked at it a bit before we went to Hyde Park to sit and enjoy the sun! I just couldn't believe how beautiful it was out. By the time we got to Hyde Park we had definitely had our fill of crowds for the day so it was nice to just sit and enjoy the quite of the park. For dinner, we played the lazy card and went to Pizza Hut. It was absolutely delicious. I can't decide if my love for it was because of the thin crust pizza they serve here or if it was even better than back at home. It might be a close tie.
After dinner we got ready and headed to the Zoo Bar/Club. It was my first dance club experience and it went okay I would say. It had a couple floors and the first floor was all techno music and dancing that was sort of too much for me and the other people I was with so we headed to the second floor where we found oldies music being played. It was also less crowded, although there were still tons of people. The music definitely contributed to me having a good time. They played some Beatles, Queen, and even a song from the musical Greece. All in all it was fun.
Today, we woke up in time to go to the morning service at Hillsong and then it was lunch and off to Hyde Park again. Although the weather was not as good as yesterday, it is still pretty. Dena just left for the train station, so now its time for me to be productive....
Friday, 20 February 2009
I love my friends
One of the highlights of my day was a pink Valentine's package from Kristen and my friends at Central. It was great! I already ate some of the chocolate and the homemade cards are going to be hung in my room by the end of the weekend. :)
Today was a busy one. After being up late last night we slept in until it was time for breakfast. I still just can't pass up the free food! After breakfast we lounged around until lunch and then we headed out the door. Our first stop was a place where the Queen would give speeches, if she were to give one. I'm not sure what it is called, but it is right across the street from St. James's Park. There was a guard there, one of the ones who can't smile no matter what, and people were surrounding him to get their picture taken. I could not imagine doing that everyday. Besides having people come and stare at you and take a million pictures of you, just the standing for hours on end wouldn't be fun. We of course joined in on the picture taking, although it was a little intimidating because at times the guard would stomp his foot harshly.
Next we hit up Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery Museum. Today was filled with doing classic tourist things, such as the whole 'taking pictures with the guards' and at Trafalgar Square we climbed on the huge lions. Although I am tall, it was quite difficult to get on them. We managed to awkwardly get four of us on one and then two of us stood in front of it. Yes, we have pictures. It was fun to do the normal touristy things. After browsing the National Gallery Museum we took Dena up to Covent Gardens to wander around a bit. Covent Gardens has its own little market that is much smaller than the other markets in London. It has more of the jewelry and high quality clothing. It also has many street performers, some that do ridiculous things.
Lastly, we went to the Imperial War Museum. This may be my favorite museum so far. It was filled with so many different things and set up in a way that was really easy to follow. We probably spent about an hour just in the Holocaust section. It was really interesting, but also sort of a mood dampener. I really enjoyed it.
After a long day, Jenon, Allie, Dena, and I opted for a movie and popcorn night. We ended up watching some seasons of Friends and dominating a few bags of popcorn with M&M type candy. Yum. Tomorrow will be another busy day, starting with some markets!
Also, I did not trip at all today, therefore I blame the previous day's trips on my boots.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! :)
Today was a busy one. After being up late last night we slept in until it was time for breakfast. I still just can't pass up the free food! After breakfast we lounged around until lunch and then we headed out the door. Our first stop was a place where the Queen would give speeches, if she were to give one. I'm not sure what it is called, but it is right across the street from St. James's Park. There was a guard there, one of the ones who can't smile no matter what, and people were surrounding him to get their picture taken. I could not imagine doing that everyday. Besides having people come and stare at you and take a million pictures of you, just the standing for hours on end wouldn't be fun. We of course joined in on the picture taking, although it was a little intimidating because at times the guard would stomp his foot harshly.
Next we hit up Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery Museum. Today was filled with doing classic tourist things, such as the whole 'taking pictures with the guards' and at Trafalgar Square we climbed on the huge lions. Although I am tall, it was quite difficult to get on them. We managed to awkwardly get four of us on one and then two of us stood in front of it. Yes, we have pictures. It was fun to do the normal touristy things. After browsing the National Gallery Museum we took Dena up to Covent Gardens to wander around a bit. Covent Gardens has its own little market that is much smaller than the other markets in London. It has more of the jewelry and high quality clothing. It also has many street performers, some that do ridiculous things.
Lastly, we went to the Imperial War Museum. This may be my favorite museum so far. It was filled with so many different things and set up in a way that was really easy to follow. We probably spent about an hour just in the Holocaust section. It was really interesting, but also sort of a mood dampener. I really enjoyed it.
After a long day, Jenon, Allie, Dena, and I opted for a movie and popcorn night. We ended up watching some seasons of Friends and dominating a few bags of popcorn with M&M type candy. Yum. Tomorrow will be another busy day, starting with some markets!
Also, I did not trip at all today, therefore I blame the previous day's trips on my boots.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! :)
Thursday, 19 February 2009
The Muffin Man
Today was my attempt to show Dena a few of the sights of London, although I feel like we were pretty successful today, tomorrow is going to be better as we are making a list of 'to do's'. This morning we went to breakfast, which apparently I have been taking for granted. On the Wales study abroad program they have to make all their meals themselves, nothing is provided. Here we get our choice toast, cereal, muffins, biscuits, croissants, yogurt, and juices for breakfast. So tomorrow when I eat my complimentary cereal and yogurt, I will have a new found appreciation.
After breakfast we headed down the street to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards ceremony. We should've arrived earlier because there was a huge crowd waiting. We got a pretty good spot along the side of the gates where we could see the changing of the guard and the band. Two odd things happened during the ceremony: 1) the sun came out and we actually got a little hot (This gives me much hope for the spring) 2) when the band came out I assumed they would play some sort of songs about the Queen, this was not the case. The first song they played was the Beetles song, 'Can't buy me Love' and another they played was "Dancing Queen." The "Dancing Queen" song was the most surprising to here, but I guess the groups that performed them were from England so in a way it makes sense.
Next was on to a little cafe Jenon and Allie's dads had recommended they try. It is called the Muffin Man. It is a very cute little cafe with lots of varieties of muffins, desserts, and teas. Main meals were also available so we went for lunch. It was really good and really inexpensive. I didn't get tea this time around, but I'm thinking it could be a fun place to take my family if they want some tea and scones while they visit!
The remainder of the afternoon was spent looking around the Holborn area. For my British Experience seminar we needed to go to Sir John Sloane's museum, which is in his former house. It is a really small museum, packed full of things and architecture from Sloane. We spent the next while getting lost trying to find Temple church. Once we found it, Temple church is really pretty. It is also in a cute part of London that seems more like it's own little neighborhood, apart from the big city. Temple church was set up by the knights of Templar. It is also the place where part of the Divinci Code was filmed, and is somewhat based on the knights of Templar from what I remember from the book. Next, Dena, Allie, and I headed to Tower Bridge. This is one of the prettiest bridges I have ever seen. We found it without a problem, walked across it, then walked along the Thames River. Today I seemed to have a tripping/stumbling problem. I was wearing my boots which is my excuse. Anyway, I had tripped approximately six times already today (Dena was counting) and just as I was saying that six was my limit and seven was just too many time to trip in one day, I biffed it as we were walking into a grocery store. Whoops. Luckily, that was my last stumble of the day and definitely my most graceful.
Tonight we headed to the International Student House (ISH) for karaoke night. We weren't sure how to get there so we ended up accidentally taking the long way. We made the long tube ride more enjoyable by singing songs from the Sound of Music. Don't judge, this was a fun way to pass the time and their weren't many people in the carriage with us, so we weren't too disruptive. :) Although it was karaoke night, no I did not get up and sing, although I was tempted at times. It was fun/funny to watch everyone else sing or yell the songs. It was even better when the crowd would get more into it. Over all it was a good day in London, I am excited to show Dena around more tomorrow and even explore a little more myself!
After breakfast we headed down the street to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards ceremony. We should've arrived earlier because there was a huge crowd waiting. We got a pretty good spot along the side of the gates where we could see the changing of the guard and the band. Two odd things happened during the ceremony: 1) the sun came out and we actually got a little hot (This gives me much hope for the spring) 2) when the band came out I assumed they would play some sort of songs about the Queen, this was not the case. The first song they played was the Beetles song, 'Can't buy me Love' and another they played was "Dancing Queen." The "Dancing Queen" song was the most surprising to here, but I guess the groups that performed them were from England so in a way it makes sense.
Next was on to a little cafe Jenon and Allie's dads had recommended they try. It is called the Muffin Man. It is a very cute little cafe with lots of varieties of muffins, desserts, and teas. Main meals were also available so we went for lunch. It was really good and really inexpensive. I didn't get tea this time around, but I'm thinking it could be a fun place to take my family if they want some tea and scones while they visit!
The remainder of the afternoon was spent looking around the Holborn area. For my British Experience seminar we needed to go to Sir John Sloane's museum, which is in his former house. It is a really small museum, packed full of things and architecture from Sloane. We spent the next while getting lost trying to find Temple church. Once we found it, Temple church is really pretty. It is also in a cute part of London that seems more like it's own little neighborhood, apart from the big city. Temple church was set up by the knights of Templar. It is also the place where part of the Divinci Code was filmed, and is somewhat based on the knights of Templar from what I remember from the book. Next, Dena, Allie, and I headed to Tower Bridge. This is one of the prettiest bridges I have ever seen. We found it without a problem, walked across it, then walked along the Thames River. Today I seemed to have a tripping/stumbling problem. I was wearing my boots which is my excuse. Anyway, I had tripped approximately six times already today (Dena was counting) and just as I was saying that six was my limit and seven was just too many time to trip in one day, I biffed it as we were walking into a grocery store. Whoops. Luckily, that was my last stumble of the day and definitely my most graceful.
Tonight we headed to the International Student House (ISH) for karaoke night. We weren't sure how to get there so we ended up accidentally taking the long way. We made the long tube ride more enjoyable by singing songs from the Sound of Music. Don't judge, this was a fun way to pass the time and their weren't many people in the carriage with us, so we weren't too disruptive. :) Although it was karaoke night, no I did not get up and sing, although I was tempted at times. It was fun/funny to watch everyone else sing or yell the songs. It was even better when the crowd would get more into it. Over all it was a good day in London, I am excited to show Dena around more tomorrow and even explore a little more myself!
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Wednesdays with Allie
Today was another relaxing day in the city. Allie and I woke up just in time to catch breakfast and then just hung out in her room before we convinced ourselves we needed to do something. We decided a walk would be perfect. We walked past Westminster Abbey to the Thames River. We walked along the river for a while before heading to Strutton Ground which is a very small market on Victoria Street. After lunch, we headed back out on a mission to find the flat that my family will be staying in when they visit. Luckily, the flat isn't hard to find and is only about a five minute walk from the tube station. Seeing where they are going to stay made me even more excited!
For dinner, Allie and I made ravioli with chicken and tomato/basil sauce. We did pretty well, with the exception of knowing the timing of when to cook things so that they will all be done at the same time. We're still working on that part. It turned out well and since it was cheap, I'm thinking we'll do that meal again. Dena arrived after dinner and it is so good to see another familiar face! It reminds me how much I miss my friends from back home and Central. Unfortunately I had to leave for the theatre performance shortly after she arrived. Tonight was the showing of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. It was actually much easier to understand than I thought, mainly because I could watch the actors and figure out what was going on. Our seats were in the very top row of the balcony. One of my first thoughts was (because it was extremely hot) if I faint/pass out and fall forward I'm going all the way down. I would have just kept falling. It was a little intense being up that high and at times you couldn't see the facial expressions of the actors. Overall, this might be my favorite production. Many times throughout the play I continued to think of the movie She's the Man and how the characters were similar, although I would have to say Duke Orsino is much more attractive in the movie.
After the play, a group of us headed to the Walkabout, it is student night on Wednesdays, and met up with Dena and a few of the others from our program. It was a little crazy with the really loud music, and sometimes it's more entertaining to just watch other people. That may be a bit creepery, but whatever. Tomorrow I'm going to work on my tour guide skills and show Dena around a bit. Also, I'm wearing my retainer tonight so I'm expecting to wake up in pain.
For dinner, Allie and I made ravioli with chicken and tomato/basil sauce. We did pretty well, with the exception of knowing the timing of when to cook things so that they will all be done at the same time. We're still working on that part. It turned out well and since it was cheap, I'm thinking we'll do that meal again. Dena arrived after dinner and it is so good to see another familiar face! It reminds me how much I miss my friends from back home and Central. Unfortunately I had to leave for the theatre performance shortly after she arrived. Tonight was the showing of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. It was actually much easier to understand than I thought, mainly because I could watch the actors and figure out what was going on. Our seats were in the very top row of the balcony. One of my first thoughts was (because it was extremely hot) if I faint/pass out and fall forward I'm going all the way down. I would have just kept falling. It was a little intense being up that high and at times you couldn't see the facial expressions of the actors. Overall, this might be my favorite production. Many times throughout the play I continued to think of the movie She's the Man and how the characters were similar, although I would have to say Duke Orsino is much more attractive in the movie.
After the play, a group of us headed to the Walkabout, it is student night on Wednesdays, and met up with Dena and a few of the others from our program. It was a little crazy with the really loud music, and sometimes it's more entertaining to just watch other people. That may be a bit creepery, but whatever. Tomorrow I'm going to work on my tour guide skills and show Dena around a bit. Also, I'm wearing my retainer tonight so I'm expecting to wake up in pain.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
"A wonderful day in the neighborhood!"
Without my internship, Tuesday was spent outside because for once the sun was shining! Jenon, Allie, and I woke up early and went for a morning walk through St. James's Park and Green Park. I'm not really sure what came over me to wake up early, but we took about an hours walk. It was a good way to wake up for the day. After breakfast, Jenon headed to her internship and Allie and I headed back to our rooms to rest up for our strenuous day. After lunch, I headed out to explore a bit by myself. I went over to Hyde Park which is about a ten minute walk from Vandon. I made it safely and just sat on a pack bench and journaled. It is just really crazy to me that I have been in London over a month now! I feel like once my family comes (18 days!!) the rest of the term is just going to fly by. In a way, it makes me sort of sad. I really enjoy living in London and the people I have met here and I think I will get completely adjusted to life here and then I have to head home. On the other hand, being here has made me realize how much I actually enjoy living in Iowa and my small town, plus I miss my family and friends like crazy. I am super excited to see my family in March! I can't wait to show them around, even all the little areas like where I buy my groceries or where my internship is. :)
Once I got back from Hyde park, Allie and I set off to see if we could find where her internship is on foot. She thought she might like to walk to work someday or even walk home. We didn't think it would be too far of a walk so we headed out, thinking we knew where we were going. We had to go either around Hyde park or we could cut through it. We decided to cut through it. This was definitely not our brightest plan because Hyde park is huge and its connected to Kennsington Gardens which is huge as well. So we kept walking the direction we thought we were supposed too. I had my A-Z map of London with me, but it was not very helpful, nor were the signs posted in the park. We walked and walked probably taking a wrong turn at multiple times. I wouldn't say we were lost in the park, but we were disorientated. :) We found a street on the edge of the park and discovered somehow we were actually going to right direction! It took us a little over an hour to find the school Allie works at, but to look on the bright side, the parks we walked through were really beautiful. Allie's school is much different than the one I work at. It is an international school and the building was a huge house that got renovated into a school. It is super cute and doesn't even look like a school from the street.
After our long walk we headed back, taking the tube this time, and then it was time for leftover chicken casserole, which was still surprisingly good. A group of us attempted to plan spring break later in the evening, which was unsuccessful. I now realize why my mom doesn't really enjoy being the planner of our trips, it is a huge pain.
Once I got back from Hyde park, Allie and I set off to see if we could find where her internship is on foot. She thought she might like to walk to work someday or even walk home. We didn't think it would be too far of a walk so we headed out, thinking we knew where we were going. We had to go either around Hyde park or we could cut through it. We decided to cut through it. This was definitely not our brightest plan because Hyde park is huge and its connected to Kennsington Gardens which is huge as well. So we kept walking the direction we thought we were supposed too. I had my A-Z map of London with me, but it was not very helpful, nor were the signs posted in the park. We walked and walked probably taking a wrong turn at multiple times. I wouldn't say we were lost in the park, but we were disorientated. :) We found a street on the edge of the park and discovered somehow we were actually going to right direction! It took us a little over an hour to find the school Allie works at, but to look on the bright side, the parks we walked through were really beautiful. Allie's school is much different than the one I work at. It is an international school and the building was a huge house that got renovated into a school. It is super cute and doesn't even look like a school from the street.
After our long walk we headed back, taking the tube this time, and then it was time for leftover chicken casserole, which was still surprisingly good. A group of us attempted to plan spring break later in the evening, which was unsuccessful. I now realize why my mom doesn't really enjoy being the planner of our trips, it is a huge pain.
Monday is finished and now it's the weekend
This week is going to be a very laid-back week. Monday I had classes as usual but I do not have my internship this week due to a 'holiday' the majority of schools in London have. I now love holidays. They are great.
Monday morning was sunny and not terribly cold so Jenon and I decided it would be a good idea to try to walk to class. Birkbeck is about a half hour tube ride from Vandon so we left extra early and set out on our walk. We didn't know how to get all the way there so we walked over halfway and took the tube the remained of the trip. Jenon walked back after class and said that it is definitely a manageable walk so I think we will try to do that most Mondays if the weather permits! Classes went as usual with nothing funny happening, which is disappointing. This week we talked/learned about the British Constitution and then had a small discussion on which is more democratic- the British government or the U.S. government. It was interesting to here both sides although I still enjoy our government system. Although I'm not extremely into politics, it was interesting to begin to understand their system.
Anyway, since it was a nice day I convinced myself I should go for a run. Allie decided to join me since the sun was out, so we went for a nice run in St. James's Park over the lunch hour. I absolutely love being this close to the parks! St. James's is literally right around the corner and Green Park is just up the street. I am hoping for more nice days like Monday.
Monday afternoon was spent in my theatre class. We are going to the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night on Wednesday. I am looking forward to this production because it will be my first time seeing a play written by Shakespeare, plus the movie She's the Man is loosely based on Twelfth Night and I do love that movie! After class Allie and I made a run to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for chicken casserole. Jenon, Allie, and I are becoming quite the cooks, or at least we are trying. Our chicken casserole turned out to be closer to chicken soup, but it was still very tasty and should feed us for a few more meals! Tuesday is going to be more exploring and unfortunately some homework.
Monday morning was sunny and not terribly cold so Jenon and I decided it would be a good idea to try to walk to class. Birkbeck is about a half hour tube ride from Vandon so we left extra early and set out on our walk. We didn't know how to get all the way there so we walked over halfway and took the tube the remained of the trip. Jenon walked back after class and said that it is definitely a manageable walk so I think we will try to do that most Mondays if the weather permits! Classes went as usual with nothing funny happening, which is disappointing. This week we talked/learned about the British Constitution and then had a small discussion on which is more democratic- the British government or the U.S. government. It was interesting to here both sides although I still enjoy our government system. Although I'm not extremely into politics, it was interesting to begin to understand their system.
Anyway, since it was a nice day I convinced myself I should go for a run. Allie decided to join me since the sun was out, so we went for a nice run in St. James's Park over the lunch hour. I absolutely love being this close to the parks! St. James's is literally right around the corner and Green Park is just up the street. I am hoping for more nice days like Monday.
Monday afternoon was spent in my theatre class. We are going to the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night on Wednesday. I am looking forward to this production because it will be my first time seeing a play written by Shakespeare, plus the movie She's the Man is loosely based on Twelfth Night and I do love that movie! After class Allie and I made a run to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for chicken casserole. Jenon, Allie, and I are becoming quite the cooks, or at least we are trying. Our chicken casserole turned out to be closer to chicken soup, but it was still very tasty and should feed us for a few more meals! Tuesday is going to be more exploring and unfortunately some homework.
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Ireland = Check
This weekend, Thursday 12th-Today 15th, Jenon, Allie, Erin, and I made a trip to Dublin, Ireland! Here is how the weekend went down.....
Thursday:
Today was mostly filled with our adventures getting to Ireland. We took the Southern rail from Victoria Station to Gatwick Airport about 35 minutes from central London. The girls and I got to the airport and made it through security without much problem. Jenon and I got patted down as we walked through security, I also got wanded after I was patted down. I'm not really sure how I feel about that part of the flying experience, but I know they have to keep everyone safe but apparently I look sort of like a felon. We were pleasantly surprised with the size of our plane. The four of us decided to find the cheapest airline, which sounds good, but sometimes they can be a little sketchy. Luckily the plane was not a nugget and we made it safely to Dublin International. Once we got into Dublin, our hostel was super easy to find. It is right in the center of the city so the bus took us right there. We didn't get to our hostel until about 7:30pm or so and by the time we did we were starving! After dropping off our bags we went on a mission for food. It turns out Dublin is even more expensive than London, which I was definitely not expecting. We wandered around in search of moderately priced food when we found Eddie Rockets. Eddie Rockets is an American Diner, one that is decorated like the 1950's. We caved and all of us had cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes. It was delicious and well worth it! After we inhaled our food we headed back to the hostel for bed. Although we had to share a room with 8 other girls, the hostel was much nicer that expected. Some of the girls staying in our room live at the hostel permanently. I couldn't even imagine living their for longer than a few days. It was nice and all, but it would mean living out of a suitcase and other not fun things. I couldn't imagine!
Friday:
Today was much more eventful. Our hostel offered free walking tours of Dublin, so we gave it a try. Our tour guide was a younger Irish man who is a writer and a musician. Normally I get a little bored on tours, I reluctantly admit. But this tour was really interesting. Our tour guide, Ali, was very good. He did a really good job of telling the stories and history of Dublin in a way that was interesting and humorous at times. I learned quite a bit about the history of the city and of Ireland in general. It was fun to see how proud the Irish are their heritage and their Independence. It's like they celebrate becoming Ireland all the time. It was refreshing in a way because London is different in that respect.
Anyway after our tour, which lasted about three hours, we walked to the Guinness Factory. Oh my goodness, I knew I didn't enjoy beer, but Guinness is a whole other story. I am not sure how people drink that, but now that I have tasted it I can say I won't taste it again. With our ticket to get into the storehouse, you could get a complimentary pint. Allie and I opted for the complimentary soft drink, while Erin and Jenon went for the Guinness. Both had about one sip of it and were done. It was much too much for any of us to handle.
Friday night we decided we needed to go out because well we were in Ireland. We went to a nice pub which was ridiculously expensive. It was the first time my ID has been checked since I've been in Europe and it was sort of odd to get used to. We didn't stay at the pub super long because we had started a mission to find some berry mentos. After we left the pub, we stopped in every little convenient store possible in search of some mentos. We failed at finding berry flavored ones, but we founds some fruit and strawberry flavors. On the way we had a speed walking race in the city centre. It was an overall good day in Dublin.
Saturday:
Today we decided to go on a small day trip to Howth, which is about 25 minutes outside of Dublin that is along the coast. We packed jelly sandwiches for lunch and headed out the door after breakfast. Luckily the train to Howth wasn't too expensive, as we were finding lots of other things were. We hopped on the train, later find out that Howth and Howth Junction were not the same. After one stop we figured out which train we needed to get on and were once again on our way. Try number two worked out well and we made it to the little town. Once we got off the train we asked information for a map so that we could get familiar with the area, he told Jenon that a map was unnecessary because Howth was so small that we could find our way. He was right. Howth is an adorable little town that made me think of home. We walked out to the lighthouse and the boardwalk. We even met some older Americans whose son graduated from Iowa State a few years ago. It's amazing what a small world it really is. We spent about an hour just looking over the water and taking in the scenery before we sat down by the lighthouse to eat our dinky lunch.
After spending a few hours in Howth, there wasn't much else to do. We headed back on the train and had time for a quick nap before supper. Since we were in money-saving mode we opted to eat at "supermacs" which is like a McDonald's only not. Anyway, they had cheap food so once again we ate American style. This weekend was just not our weekend for trying new food. Since it was Valentine's Day and all of us were away from our boyfriends we decided we deserved/wanted ice cream. On the tour the previous day we noticed that there was a Haggendaiz ice cream shop in Temple Bar. We headed there and ate too much of the best ice cream. Yummy. Our mission for Saturday night moved from mentos to microwave popcorn. We looked and looked and finally found some! It happened to be in the same isle where an older woman was opening bags of chips and sampling them and then walking away. Anyway we got our popcorn and m&m's to go with and headed back to the hostel. The theme for the weekend was "whatever we're in Dublin."
Sunday:
Today was filled with returning to London and laundry. I have officially been in London one month. After traveling to Dublin it made me realize how much I really do like London. I can't believe how fast this term is going, but I also miss everyone back home. I am really looking forward to this week. I am going to do a lot of exploring and get caught up or ahead on my course work...... :)
Thursday:
Today was mostly filled with our adventures getting to Ireland. We took the Southern rail from Victoria Station to Gatwick Airport about 35 minutes from central London. The girls and I got to the airport and made it through security without much problem. Jenon and I got patted down as we walked through security, I also got wanded after I was patted down. I'm not really sure how I feel about that part of the flying experience, but I know they have to keep everyone safe but apparently I look sort of like a felon. We were pleasantly surprised with the size of our plane. The four of us decided to find the cheapest airline, which sounds good, but sometimes they can be a little sketchy. Luckily the plane was not a nugget and we made it safely to Dublin International. Once we got into Dublin, our hostel was super easy to find. It is right in the center of the city so the bus took us right there. We didn't get to our hostel until about 7:30pm or so and by the time we did we were starving! After dropping off our bags we went on a mission for food. It turns out Dublin is even more expensive than London, which I was definitely not expecting. We wandered around in search of moderately priced food when we found Eddie Rockets. Eddie Rockets is an American Diner, one that is decorated like the 1950's. We caved and all of us had cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes. It was delicious and well worth it! After we inhaled our food we headed back to the hostel for bed. Although we had to share a room with 8 other girls, the hostel was much nicer that expected. Some of the girls staying in our room live at the hostel permanently. I couldn't even imagine living their for longer than a few days. It was nice and all, but it would mean living out of a suitcase and other not fun things. I couldn't imagine!
Friday:
Today was much more eventful. Our hostel offered free walking tours of Dublin, so we gave it a try. Our tour guide was a younger Irish man who is a writer and a musician. Normally I get a little bored on tours, I reluctantly admit. But this tour was really interesting. Our tour guide, Ali, was very good. He did a really good job of telling the stories and history of Dublin in a way that was interesting and humorous at times. I learned quite a bit about the history of the city and of Ireland in general. It was fun to see how proud the Irish are their heritage and their Independence. It's like they celebrate becoming Ireland all the time. It was refreshing in a way because London is different in that respect.
Anyway after our tour, which lasted about three hours, we walked to the Guinness Factory. Oh my goodness, I knew I didn't enjoy beer, but Guinness is a whole other story. I am not sure how people drink that, but now that I have tasted it I can say I won't taste it again. With our ticket to get into the storehouse, you could get a complimentary pint. Allie and I opted for the complimentary soft drink, while Erin and Jenon went for the Guinness. Both had about one sip of it and were done. It was much too much for any of us to handle.
Friday night we decided we needed to go out because well we were in Ireland. We went to a nice pub which was ridiculously expensive. It was the first time my ID has been checked since I've been in Europe and it was sort of odd to get used to. We didn't stay at the pub super long because we had started a mission to find some berry mentos. After we left the pub, we stopped in every little convenient store possible in search of some mentos. We failed at finding berry flavored ones, but we founds some fruit and strawberry flavors. On the way we had a speed walking race in the city centre. It was an overall good day in Dublin.
Saturday:
Today we decided to go on a small day trip to Howth, which is about 25 minutes outside of Dublin that is along the coast. We packed jelly sandwiches for lunch and headed out the door after breakfast. Luckily the train to Howth wasn't too expensive, as we were finding lots of other things were. We hopped on the train, later find out that Howth and Howth Junction were not the same. After one stop we figured out which train we needed to get on and were once again on our way. Try number two worked out well and we made it to the little town. Once we got off the train we asked information for a map so that we could get familiar with the area, he told Jenon that a map was unnecessary because Howth was so small that we could find our way. He was right. Howth is an adorable little town that made me think of home. We walked out to the lighthouse and the boardwalk. We even met some older Americans whose son graduated from Iowa State a few years ago. It's amazing what a small world it really is. We spent about an hour just looking over the water and taking in the scenery before we sat down by the lighthouse to eat our dinky lunch.
After spending a few hours in Howth, there wasn't much else to do. We headed back on the train and had time for a quick nap before supper. Since we were in money-saving mode we opted to eat at "supermacs" which is like a McDonald's only not. Anyway, they had cheap food so once again we ate American style. This weekend was just not our weekend for trying new food. Since it was Valentine's Day and all of us were away from our boyfriends we decided we deserved/wanted ice cream. On the tour the previous day we noticed that there was a Haggendaiz ice cream shop in Temple Bar. We headed there and ate too much of the best ice cream. Yummy. Our mission for Saturday night moved from mentos to microwave popcorn. We looked and looked and finally found some! It happened to be in the same isle where an older woman was opening bags of chips and sampling them and then walking away. Anyway we got our popcorn and m&m's to go with and headed back to the hostel. The theme for the weekend was "whatever we're in Dublin."
Sunday:
Today was filled with returning to London and laundry. I have officially been in London one month. After traveling to Dublin it made me realize how much I really do like London. I can't believe how fast this term is going, but I also miss everyone back home. I am really looking forward to this week. I am going to do a lot of exploring and get caught up or ahead on my course work...... :)
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
3 months until my birthday!
Pictures: First is me, Allie, Jenon, and Floofy at St. James's Park. Second is Allie and I with Floofy at Covent Gardens.
Today the sun was out. :) I went to my internship where we were a little short on adults in the yellow class so it was a bit hectic at times. Today went as usual, but I feel as if I bonded with a few of the children more today. Normal when we got into play time in rooms like the soft play room I just watch the adults play with the children. Today I took off my shoes (as your supposed to do when you play in the soft play room) and I played with Shirwa. It was fun to interact more with some of the children. I think they are getting more and more used to having me in the class. It makes it harder that I am only there two days out of the week, but I'm doing what I can.
Next week the majority of the school have a "holiday" aka vacation. So next week I will be finished with required activities after Monday! Allie also has a holiday since she too works in a school so we may try to play a mini trip or day trip or something. I am quite excited although I hope the kids still remember me after a week and a half!
This evening was nothing special, tomorrow Jenon, Allie, Erin, and I head to Ireland. I can't believe it is already tomorrow. We are leaving right after Jenon gets done with her morning class so that we make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I am getting excited, but also quite nervous since we don't have the trip planned out. Oh well, we'll figure it out I'm sure!
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Rainy Days
I was warned about the rain in London before I arrived, but I never thought I would get used to this much rain. Now the rain doesn't even phase me, which I think is sort of sad! Luckily today, although it started out rainy, became a sunny but chilly day. I officially love the sun. I will be very very very happy when it shines for more than a couple hours a day. :) I love spring.
Today was the start of my 3rd week at my internship and every day I enjoy myself more. I have finally figured out what time I need to leave in order to arrive on time, but not super early. Lucky for me, Allie also needs to leave at this time so we get to eat breakfast and then walk to the tube station together. It makes my day a little better seeing a familiar friendly face before I head off to my internship. This morning went on without anything unusal. The afternoon followed along the same. I did have my first cup of tea made by a legit Engish person today. Each day the people I work with have either a morning or afternoon cup of tea or coffee, and today was the first day I took them up on their offer. The tea was delicious. They add milk and it was very tastey! :) I am becoming more comfortable with the children and the adults their as well. This afternoon I observed a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist (I'm not sure which kind of therapist she was). Anyway, she was really nice and really good about talking to me about what she was doing with the child and the reasoning behind what she was doing. I have learned the most so far from her and I only observed her for about 20 minutes. I hope I get to observe her again. She was really easy to talk to and ask questions to. Although she is not the type of therapist I want to become, she was helpful.
Since it the sun was out in the afternoon, I decided to be pretty risky (okay not really) and get off the tube at Westminster and walk back to Vandon from their instead of going further to St. James's Park station. It is really not that much further, but still it was the first time I had walked that far by myself. I made it without a problem and even ran a few errands on the way :) It was quite the successful afternoon.
This evening, four of us decided to cook another dinner. Tonight we made Cheeseburger Pie which is a recipie my mom sent me that I can remember her making my sister and I. My favorite part of this dish is the dill pickles. Yumm Yumm Yumm. So we went to the grocery store on Victoria Street to get the ingredients and they had NO dill pickles. Allie even asked someone who worked their. Apparently dill pickles are more of an American thing. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed. We still made the cheeseburger pie and yes it was pretty good, but since I knew what it tasted like with the delicious dill pickles it was hard to appreciate it without them. Since my friends had never experienced it with the pickles they enjoyed it. It was a good meal overall.
Today was the start of my 3rd week at my internship and every day I enjoy myself more. I have finally figured out what time I need to leave in order to arrive on time, but not super early. Lucky for me, Allie also needs to leave at this time so we get to eat breakfast and then walk to the tube station together. It makes my day a little better seeing a familiar friendly face before I head off to my internship. This morning went on without anything unusal. The afternoon followed along the same. I did have my first cup of tea made by a legit Engish person today. Each day the people I work with have either a morning or afternoon cup of tea or coffee, and today was the first day I took them up on their offer. The tea was delicious. They add milk and it was very tastey! :) I am becoming more comfortable with the children and the adults their as well. This afternoon I observed a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist (I'm not sure which kind of therapist she was). Anyway, she was really nice and really good about talking to me about what she was doing with the child and the reasoning behind what she was doing. I have learned the most so far from her and I only observed her for about 20 minutes. I hope I get to observe her again. She was really easy to talk to and ask questions to. Although she is not the type of therapist I want to become, she was helpful.
Since it the sun was out in the afternoon, I decided to be pretty risky (okay not really) and get off the tube at Westminster and walk back to Vandon from their instead of going further to St. James's Park station. It is really not that much further, but still it was the first time I had walked that far by myself. I made it without a problem and even ran a few errands on the way :) It was quite the successful afternoon.
This evening, four of us decided to cook another dinner. Tonight we made Cheeseburger Pie which is a recipie my mom sent me that I can remember her making my sister and I. My favorite part of this dish is the dill pickles. Yumm Yumm Yumm. So we went to the grocery store on Victoria Street to get the ingredients and they had NO dill pickles. Allie even asked someone who worked their. Apparently dill pickles are more of an American thing. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed. We still made the cheeseburger pie and yes it was pretty good, but since I knew what it tasted like with the delicious dill pickles it was hard to appreciate it without them. Since my friends had never experienced it with the pickles they enjoyed it. It was a good meal overall.
Monday, 9 February 2009
"Just another manic Monday"
This morning was quite the experience with public transportation. A few of us left around 8:30am to make the trek to our 9:15am class. Note: we were some of the first to leave for class. We went to St. James's Park Station just down the street and floods of people were coming out. We were told to go to Victoria because St. James's station was closed for a bit because of an accident or death, we never really found out. So we turned around and headed to Victoria Station, in the rain. We got to Victoria and it was also closed. Sirens were going off and people were everywhere. Our next best option was to take a bus. Unfortunately we had no idea which buses went where we needed to go. We hopped on the next bus we could cram into, four of my friends were asked to get off the bus because it was so crowded so they had to wait for the next one. Since we had no clue where to bus was taking us, we got off by the nearest tube station and found our way to class, only being 15 minutes late. Unlucky for us, St. James's Station had reopened after we left and everyone else had made it on time. My friends who had to wait for the next bus had even worse luck and ended up missing our first class all together.
After that fiasco, the morning went as usual with classes and a lunch break and then theatre class. Tonight I went to the performance of "The Pitmen Painters" for my theatre class. It was about a 3 hour long play about miners who learn how to paint. They were very hard to understand at first because it was a very regional play and they had very thick accents. Overall I would say it was good, it would have been better had I been better rested and not wet from the rain. This performance was at the National Theatre which is very pretty and more modern than most of the theatres we have been too. It still surprises me that people don't get very dressed up when they go to theatre performances. When I was younger and my parents would take me to the Civic Center to see something, we always dress up, as did the rest of the audience. It is much more casual here, with people wearing jeans most of the time.
The walk to the theatre took us on a walking bridge over the Thames River, which I plan on going back to see in the daylight preferably without rain. Tomorrow is the third week of my internship and I'm hoping to have at least one good story to share.
After that fiasco, the morning went as usual with classes and a lunch break and then theatre class. Tonight I went to the performance of "The Pitmen Painters" for my theatre class. It was about a 3 hour long play about miners who learn how to paint. They were very hard to understand at first because it was a very regional play and they had very thick accents. Overall I would say it was good, it would have been better had I been better rested and not wet from the rain. This performance was at the National Theatre which is very pretty and more modern than most of the theatres we have been too. It still surprises me that people don't get very dressed up when they go to theatre performances. When I was younger and my parents would take me to the Civic Center to see something, we always dress up, as did the rest of the audience. It is much more casual here, with people wearing jeans most of the time.
The walk to the theatre took us on a walking bridge over the Thames River, which I plan on going back to see in the daylight preferably without rain. Tomorrow is the third week of my internship and I'm hoping to have at least one good story to share.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Part 2 of the Longest Day Ever
Well it is about 9:00pm and I am about ready to crash for the night. After my 2 hour nap, my friends and I bundled back up and headed back to the Royal Theatre to get our place along the red carpet. When we arrived back to where we had spent the morning sitting, we found a huge line. Luckily we had numbers on our wristbands so we didn't have to go all the way to the back. This was one of the worst parts of the day. The people in this line were extremely pushy, even with the number order. There was one man who was smoking something that was definitely not drugs too close to me for my comfort. There were also these men who do this professionally. They come to premeirs, get photographys signed, and then sell them. They were talking to each other, giving each other advice on what to do to not get the signature smudged, and were also extremely pushy.
After waiting in line for about an hour or so, we finally got to go forward and made our move to the red carpet. We even got the front row!! I got pretty excited right when we got to sidelines of the red carpet, but then we had to wait for about another 1.5 hours and then it started to sprinkle, which it continued to do until we got back to Vandon. So far I seem pretty negative about the day, but overall I am glad that I went and spent the entire day waiting to see "stars." At some points I find it pathetic that we waited all day just to see those famous actors and actresses, because they are just people. Then I remember that it was a lot of fun and I definitely will not forget today. I'm going to list all of the celebrities that we saw and knew... Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Penelope Cruise, Shia LaBeouf, Ron Howard, Kate Winslet, Sharon Stone, Amy Adams, and a few others that we didn't know because they were British film stars. I will admit that I did turn into one of those crazy fans who screams for the celebrity. I didn't think I would, but I did. Don't judge until you have been in the same situation! Ron Howard was one of the first ones on the red carpet so that was the beginning of my excitement. Emma Watson and Shia LaBeouf were probably the winners in my book today. They were both super nice and very willing to take pictures and sign autographs for people. They are both also extremely adorable. Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig were also pretty exciting, I will admit.
Today was definitely fun and a one time event in my life. I am about ready to pass out from the long day, but it was fun to experience with my friends. It is something I never thought I'd do! Tomorrow is back to reality with classes, a theatre preformance, internship, and then my first traveling experience to Ireland!
After waiting in line for about an hour or so, we finally got to go forward and made our move to the red carpet. We even got the front row!! I got pretty excited right when we got to sidelines of the red carpet, but then we had to wait for about another 1.5 hours and then it started to sprinkle, which it continued to do until we got back to Vandon. So far I seem pretty negative about the day, but overall I am glad that I went and spent the entire day waiting to see "stars." At some points I find it pathetic that we waited all day just to see those famous actors and actresses, because they are just people. Then I remember that it was a lot of fun and I definitely will not forget today. I'm going to list all of the celebrities that we saw and knew... Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Penelope Cruise, Shia LaBeouf, Ron Howard, Kate Winslet, Sharon Stone, Amy Adams, and a few others that we didn't know because they were British film stars. I will admit that I did turn into one of those crazy fans who screams for the celebrity. I didn't think I would, but I did. Don't judge until you have been in the same situation! Ron Howard was one of the first ones on the red carpet so that was the beginning of my excitement. Emma Watson and Shia LaBeouf were probably the winners in my book today. They were both super nice and very willing to take pictures and sign autographs for people. They are both also extremely adorable. Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig were also pretty exciting, I will admit.
Today was definitely fun and a one time event in my life. I am about ready to pass out from the long day, but it was fun to experience with my friends. It is something I never thought I'd do! Tomorrow is back to reality with classes, a theatre preformance, internship, and then my first traveling experience to Ireland!
Part 1 of the Longest Day Ever
It is about 11:00am and I have been awake for about 8 hours. My friends and I left Vandon at about 4:00am and made the interesting trek to the Royal Theatre where the Bafta's are being held. We were a little paranoid about walking and finding the bus at that hour of the day, but their were more people out and about than one would have thought. We arrived safely and at first thought we were the first crazy people there, we soon found that the line was already started on the next block over. There were about 50 people ahead of us in line and I think most of them had camped out over night. It was still really dark where we had to sit in the line and absolutely freezing. To pass the time, Jenon got out her ipod and we played "name that tune." Jenon would sing and/or hum the beginning of the song she was listening too and we would attempt to guess. Of course this was pretty hilarious at 5am. The guy in front of us who was from France also got in on the game and he did pretty well! After waiting about an hour, Jenon, Allie, and I made the trip back to Vandon to get more layers of clothing, when we got back Jill and Erin took off to find a place to warm up so that by 8:00am we would all be back ready to get our wristbands. Apparently handing out wristbands is not a punctual event because we didn't end up getting our wristbands until 9:30am. This was possibly the longest, coldest line I have ever stood in. My feet were completely freezing and in pain at this point and I couldn't wait to get my wristband.
We thought we were going to have to take shifts to give each other a break from the cold, but it turns out their are numbers on our wristbands so we were free to leave and when we return we are supposed to get our spots in line back. Hopefully this works out, because we all took off once we had the band on our wrist! Allie and I decided some warm breakfast from McDonald's sounded quite good so we stopped on the way home and had a nice little breakfast. Once we were done eating, we thought we would be adventurous and attempt to take the bus back to Vandon. Bad idea. We were waiting for our bus, which should have arrived at any point, when a homeless man who was very intoxicated got off a bus at the stop we were waiting at. Unfortunately he tried talking to us and there was no one else really around. He pulled out a 20 pound note so show us and was quite all up in our faces, not in a threatening way but in a creepy way. He started to follow some other guy so Allie and I took off toward the tube because we wanted to get away, he then tried to follow us, but Allie bolted off and we made it safely. This would be the reason my dad doesn't want me to go places by myself. Goodness. I don't think the man would have done anything to us, but it was an uncomfortable situation. Now I am back in my bed and ready to take a nap before the Bafta's begin this evening....
We thought we were going to have to take shifts to give each other a break from the cold, but it turns out their are numbers on our wristbands so we were free to leave and when we return we are supposed to get our spots in line back. Hopefully this works out, because we all took off once we had the band on our wrist! Allie and I decided some warm breakfast from McDonald's sounded quite good so we stopped on the way home and had a nice little breakfast. Once we were done eating, we thought we would be adventurous and attempt to take the bus back to Vandon. Bad idea. We were waiting for our bus, which should have arrived at any point, when a homeless man who was very intoxicated got off a bus at the stop we were waiting at. Unfortunately he tried talking to us and there was no one else really around. He pulled out a 20 pound note so show us and was quite all up in our faces, not in a threatening way but in a creepy way. He started to follow some other guy so Allie and I took off toward the tube because we wanted to get away, he then tried to follow us, but Allie bolted off and we made it safely. This would be the reason my dad doesn't want me to go places by myself. Goodness. I don't think the man would have done anything to us, but it was an uncomfortable situation. Now I am back in my bed and ready to take a nap before the Bafta's begin this evening....
Saturday, 7 February 2009
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Benjamin Franklin
Last night consisted of trying to figure out my next trip, about six or seven of us are heading to Switzerland the last weekend in February. With a slow internet connection and too many people doing different things at once, it took us quite a long time. This morning I booked my plane ticket and Allie booked the hostel so we are heading to Switzerland! Although so far I am hating, really hating, the whole process of finding a plane and a place to sleep, I am really looking forward to traveling. I really enjoy the company of the people I am traveling with and I know it will be a good time no matter what. Next weekend, Jenon, Allie, Erin, and I head to Ireland for our first traveling experience outside of London. Really we have no clue what we are going to do once we get there, but I'm actually not worried. The internet will be a useful resource, otherwise Jenon knows a girl who is studying in Ireland who gave us some ideas of good places to go.
After getting the fiasco of my plane tickets sorted out, Jenon, Allie, Blake, and I headed to Covent Gardens to wander around. We walked there as today was a much nicer day compared to the beginning of the week. Covent Gardens is in a cute part of central London with a nice/normal street market. It also had some crazy street performers who probably have more random talents than one could even think of. As we walked around we also stubbled upon the Royal Theatre where the Bafta's (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) are being held. This is where I will be in about 7.5 hours. It sounds ridiculous but at 3:50am my friends and I are heading out the door to camp out and get wristbands so that we have the chance of seeing some "stars" :) I'm pretty pumped even though it will be a long day. Now I should try to get some sleep....
After getting the fiasco of my plane tickets sorted out, Jenon, Allie, Blake, and I headed to Covent Gardens to wander around. We walked there as today was a much nicer day compared to the beginning of the week. Covent Gardens is in a cute part of central London with a nice/normal street market. It also had some crazy street performers who probably have more random talents than one could even think of. As we walked around we also stubbled upon the Royal Theatre where the Bafta's (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) are being held. This is where I will be in about 7.5 hours. It sounds ridiculous but at 3:50am my friends and I are heading out the door to camp out and get wristbands so that we have the chance of seeing some "stars" :) I'm pretty pumped even though it will be a long day. Now I should try to get some sleep....
Friday, 6 February 2009
Fridays in Greenwich
Today is Friday, which is usually the beginning of the weekend, but this week has been such a long weekend that I am very confused on which day it is. I just woke up from a nap so this could explain my disorientation.
This morning, I headed with the group on an optional excursion to Greenwich. We needed to take the tube to Westminster and then get on a river boat at the Westminster pier. One of my friends forgot her oyster card and since Westminster was in walking distance we took off on foot. We needed to catch the rest of our group as they were getting off the tube so we would know where to go, so we ran. It was probably quite the sight to see two girls sprinting through London. I knew I needed to start running again, but this morning definitely confirmed that thought! We ended up probably beating the rest of the group to the tube stop, but since there are multiple exits from the tube to the street we were still lost from the group. Luckily we found Westminster Pier and made it aboard the riverboat!
The boat trip lasted about an hour, it was nice to see some of the sights along the Thame's river, but it was a very cloudy, gloomy day so our pictures are not a good show of what we could see. Once we hit Greenwich we headed up to the Royal Observatory where we stood in two hemispheres at once!! Greenwich is where the prime meridian lies. It was actually pretty cool to stand over the line and of course take a few pictures :) Next we headed to an amazing Mexican restaurant. It was delicious, I even tried a red and green pepper. Apparently I was feeling daring today.
Before heading back to central London, we visited the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House. Both we quite interesting and the Maritime museum made me really want to take a cruise someday. Apparently they are building the world's largest cruise ship sometime this year, which can hold up to 9,000 people. That sounds ridiculous to me and I can't even imagine how big it will be!
Now it is supper time and I just woke up from a much needed nap! I'm not sure what is in store for tonight, I guess we'll find out!
This morning, I headed with the group on an optional excursion to Greenwich. We needed to take the tube to Westminster and then get on a river boat at the Westminster pier. One of my friends forgot her oyster card and since Westminster was in walking distance we took off on foot. We needed to catch the rest of our group as they were getting off the tube so we would know where to go, so we ran. It was probably quite the sight to see two girls sprinting through London. I knew I needed to start running again, but this morning definitely confirmed that thought! We ended up probably beating the rest of the group to the tube stop, but since there are multiple exits from the tube to the street we were still lost from the group. Luckily we found Westminster Pier and made it aboard the riverboat!
The boat trip lasted about an hour, it was nice to see some of the sights along the Thame's river, but it was a very cloudy, gloomy day so our pictures are not a good show of what we could see. Once we hit Greenwich we headed up to the Royal Observatory where we stood in two hemispheres at once!! Greenwich is where the prime meridian lies. It was actually pretty cool to stand over the line and of course take a few pictures :) Next we headed to an amazing Mexican restaurant. It was delicious, I even tried a red and green pepper. Apparently I was feeling daring today.
Before heading back to central London, we visited the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House. Both we quite interesting and the Maritime museum made me really want to take a cruise someday. Apparently they are building the world's largest cruise ship sometime this year, which can hold up to 9,000 people. That sounds ridiculous to me and I can't even imagine how big it will be!
Now it is supper time and I just woke up from a much needed nap! I'm not sure what is in store for tonight, I guess we'll find out!
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Best Week Ever
This week is was my favorite week so far, yes I know this is only my third week, but it is going to be hard for the rest of the term to top this week. Here are my reasons:
1. Two snow days! Of course that means sleeping in and doing whatever activities we choose. It was also really nice to walk around St. James's Park and surrounding areas in the snow because it was so pretty. Although now much of the snow is gone or is in the process of melting, it was pretty while it lasted. The snow also made it feel more like home, I do realize how much I enjoy living in Iowa.
2. One day of work. This was on Wednesday and although I did have to get up slightly early I had a good 2nd week at my internship. I feel like I am getting more of an idea how to work with some of the children and overall I am feeling more comfortable there.
3. Skype dates with friends and family. With more free time I got a chance to talk to my friends, sister, and parents more than in the past couple weeks. This may seem like a minor thing, but after being a little on the homesick side last week it was great to see their beautiful faces.
4. I didn't fall down. This is a major plus in my life, although my friend did slip on the ice, no worries she is perfectly okay! It was a hilarious sight to see!
5. A couple of my friends and I made our first 'real' meal since arriving in London. It was very tastey and we had enough leftovers (which were equally as good) to last us for the next two days!
6. My parents and my sister booked their flight over to visit in March!
7. We are going to a pizza place called 'Pizza in the Park' which I am assuming will be excellent.
8. I did laundry so now I have clean clothes.
9. I got the best package ever today!!! Including many things plus homemade cookies from my mom :)
10. This weekend is probably going to rock as well.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Snow Day Number Two
Today was quite the day, although I didn't have my internship because of the weather, it was still a pretty full day. My roommate and I walked to Trafalgar Square from St. James's Park and visited the National Gallery Museum. I was very surprised by how close it is to where I live. It only took us about 2o minutes or less to walk there. It is much nicer to walk places here than it is to ride the tube. The tube is nice because it is so easy and quick to get from place to place, but when you walk you get to see so much more. Walking also helps me to figure out where I live in relationship to other places of interest. This was the first time I had walked through St. James's Park and it is soo pretty! Especially today with all of the snow on the ground.
The National Gallery Museum is huge and very pretty. Although it wasn't my first time there, I think I appreciated some of the paintings more now than I did a couple summers ago. Jenon and I walked through most of it and made sure to see the rooms with Monet and Van Gogh's work in them. We had audio tours that told us a little about each painting if we decided to listen, which we did.. most of the time! Next we walked to the British Museum which is even bigger than the National Gallery. It is ridiculously huge. I'm not sure you could see everything in one afternoon, it would be very overwhelming. We made sure to see the items listed under the "don't miss" list on the map. They included, Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, Mummies, Oxus Treasure, and a couple other artifacts. It was all really interesting, but hard to comprehend all of it. We were there for almost two hours I think and then decided that was pretty much all we could handle of museums for the day.
Once back we climbed into our beds to warm up :) Later on a couple of us made our first real meal! We made goulash, which was suprisingly tasty. I didn't like goulash much in high school, but that could have just been the school lunch issue. Anyway we have left overs so it looks like we'll be having that again tomorrow night! This evening we also thought it would be a good idea to plan our first trip. Unfortunately none of us have experience planning trips so it was quite the long frustrating process. First we looked up many different airlines and tickets and decided on what we found to be the best option and booked our tickets to Ireland for next weekend. Next it was time to find a place to stay. It probably would have been smarter for us to look for a place to sleep before we finalized the tickets... whoops. After a long time of looking at several different hostels with different rooming options available, the best we could find was a 12 bed female room. This means we will be sleeping bunkbed style in a large room with 8 other girls. It should be quite the experience. The hostel looks really nice from the pictures and it has gotten good reviews so that is what we are counting on... wish us luck!
Tomorrow is back to reality with my internship starting early in the morning....
The National Gallery Museum is huge and very pretty. Although it wasn't my first time there, I think I appreciated some of the paintings more now than I did a couple summers ago. Jenon and I walked through most of it and made sure to see the rooms with Monet and Van Gogh's work in them. We had audio tours that told us a little about each painting if we decided to listen, which we did.. most of the time! Next we walked to the British Museum which is even bigger than the National Gallery. It is ridiculously huge. I'm not sure you could see everything in one afternoon, it would be very overwhelming. We made sure to see the items listed under the "don't miss" list on the map. They included, Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, Mummies, Oxus Treasure, and a couple other artifacts. It was all really interesting, but hard to comprehend all of it. We were there for almost two hours I think and then decided that was pretty much all we could handle of museums for the day.
Once back we climbed into our beds to warm up :) Later on a couple of us made our first real meal! We made goulash, which was suprisingly tasty. I didn't like goulash much in high school, but that could have just been the school lunch issue. Anyway we have left overs so it looks like we'll be having that again tomorrow night! This evening we also thought it would be a good idea to plan our first trip. Unfortunately none of us have experience planning trips so it was quite the long frustrating process. First we looked up many different airlines and tickets and decided on what we found to be the best option and booked our tickets to Ireland for next weekend. Next it was time to find a place to stay. It probably would have been smarter for us to look for a place to sleep before we finalized the tickets... whoops. After a long time of looking at several different hostels with different rooming options available, the best we could find was a 12 bed female room. This means we will be sleeping bunkbed style in a large room with 8 other girls. It should be quite the experience. The hostel looks really nice from the pictures and it has gotten good reviews so that is what we are counting on... wish us luck!
Tomorrow is back to reality with my internship starting early in the morning....
Monday, 2 February 2009
A new appreciation for snow!
Last night while I was sleeping it snowed... a lot. London hasn't seen this much snow since 1991 or something like that so it is a big deal for the busy city. Really there is not that much snow on the ground and a lot of it has turned to gross brown slush. It continued to snow late into the afternoon today which resulted in no morning classes (Yay!), no London bus system, and limited tube stations open. Londoners were trekking through the snow with umbrellas and some interesting choices for clothing. It was actually funny to see how they react to the snow since we are so used to it and they are so not. I have turned in to quite the wimp when it comes to cold weather, so I am very thankful that when I get home in May it will be nicer and possibly warm!
Since I had no morning classes today was pretty uneventful. A few of us ventured to Primark which is a ridiculously cheap clothing store, almost too good to be true. No worries I didn't spend any of my money! At some point I'm sure we will return though. Next was on to get groceries. I am getting much better at buying groceries, believe it or not. I even bought some veggies and had some corn for dinner since I love corn! This afternoon I had my theatre class and then a theatre production tonight. We saw the play, "Duet for One." I definitely enjoyed this better than the last production. The play was very serious, it only had two actors on stage the entire show. Juliet Stevenson played the main female role, she is also in the movies Bend it like Beckham and Mona Lisa Smile! Overall it was a good/successful day! I don't have my internship tomorrow because of the snow so I'm looking forward to sleeping in and possibly hitting up a museum!
Since I had no morning classes today was pretty uneventful. A few of us ventured to Primark which is a ridiculously cheap clothing store, almost too good to be true. No worries I didn't spend any of my money! At some point I'm sure we will return though. Next was on to get groceries. I am getting much better at buying groceries, believe it or not. I even bought some veggies and had some corn for dinner since I love corn! This afternoon I had my theatre class and then a theatre production tonight. We saw the play, "Duet for One." I definitely enjoyed this better than the last production. The play was very serious, it only had two actors on stage the entire show. Juliet Stevenson played the main female role, she is also in the movies Bend it like Beckham and Mona Lisa Smile! Overall it was a good/successful day! I don't have my internship tomorrow because of the snow so I'm looking forward to sleeping in and possibly hitting up a museum!
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Two weeks down, many more to go..
Warning: This blog entry could get quite lengthy, read as much or little as you prefer.
This weekend was our weekend excursion to York. The rest of this blog will be filled with my feelings about York and my not so fun experiences. This may be boring and not as humerous to everyone else, but it was to me and the other girls there.
The weekend began early Friday morning with a 4.5-5 hour bus ride to York. The bus ride was filled with one girl throwing up in the aisle, sleeping in odd positions, and the movie The Queen. Once we arrived in York it was mid-afternoon and we set off to settle into our bed and breakfast's where we were assigned rooms. My new roommate and I were assigned a very quaint little room, that had a shower and a sink. Normally this would be good, unfortunately the shower had a clear door. Apparently this is not unusual because my shower at Vandon also has a clear door. The clear shower door became a major pain in the mornings as one of us had to leave the room while the other showered, otherwise it would have been awkward. The shower was also very very small with an enclosed top that was probably four inches above my head. On a positive note, the shower worked and had warm water.
Next we wandered around the city of York, looking in many little shops and going in every bakery or chocolate shop we came across. A group of us went to a service at York Minster which was very pretty. It was a service mostly of a mens/boys choir singing hymns. The minster is so big and extremely impressive.
After the service it was time to find food. We chose a little italian restaurant that looked very cute from the outside. Just as we sat down an older Italian man who worked there came by to see if we wanted wine. This is when we got on his bad side. He became a little upset when we said we just wanted water. He started talking in Italian and then decided he would train a server using our table. As he was apparently training this poor younger man, he was semi yelling in Italian and taking away our wine glasses and some silverware. I was the first to decided what I wanted and ordered a chicken/mushroom pancake thing with cheese that was on the appitizer list. I thought this sounded like a good idea, a lot of time I order off the appetizer side and it works out wonderfully. This was not the case. As our food came, the other girls got a big pizza, a huge calzone, a big plate of lasagna and another of spaghetti and then here comes my dish that is tiny. It was about 2 inches by 2 inches and it tasted not like chicken or mushroom. Luckily my friends felt sorry for me and shared their larger meals. This was my low point of the weekend.
After the bad meal it was on to the Pantomine which was extremely random, but very funny. It is my favorite theatre production I have seen over here so far. You could really tell the actors/actresses were having fun doing it. As we tried to navigate our way back to our B&B's we got lost. Multiple time, including crossing a bridge and then turning around, more than once. Eventually we made it back. Saturday was much better and I wasn't hating on York as much. I had a really good meal of fish and chips and an ice cream sunday that made my weekend just a little better! We also went on a ghost tour around York Saturday night. York is the most haunted city in the world. It was quite creepy to listen to the ghost stories, but it was also freezing which distracted my attention from being scared to worrying about whether or not I would still have toes in the morning. Over all it was a good weekend I suppose and now another week starts tomorrow.
This week was definitely my "I miss my family, friends, boyfriend, and Iowa" week. I'm assuming this week will be better in the sense that I'm going to force myself to look at the bright side of things. I hope this didn't bore any of you too much, and if you are still reading this I give you props. :)
This weekend was our weekend excursion to York. The rest of this blog will be filled with my feelings about York and my not so fun experiences. This may be boring and not as humerous to everyone else, but it was to me and the other girls there.
The weekend began early Friday morning with a 4.5-5 hour bus ride to York. The bus ride was filled with one girl throwing up in the aisle, sleeping in odd positions, and the movie The Queen. Once we arrived in York it was mid-afternoon and we set off to settle into our bed and breakfast's where we were assigned rooms. My new roommate and I were assigned a very quaint little room, that had a shower and a sink. Normally this would be good, unfortunately the shower had a clear door. Apparently this is not unusual because my shower at Vandon also has a clear door. The clear shower door became a major pain in the mornings as one of us had to leave the room while the other showered, otherwise it would have been awkward. The shower was also very very small with an enclosed top that was probably four inches above my head. On a positive note, the shower worked and had warm water.
Next we wandered around the city of York, looking in many little shops and going in every bakery or chocolate shop we came across. A group of us went to a service at York Minster which was very pretty. It was a service mostly of a mens/boys choir singing hymns. The minster is so big and extremely impressive.
After the service it was time to find food. We chose a little italian restaurant that looked very cute from the outside. Just as we sat down an older Italian man who worked there came by to see if we wanted wine. This is when we got on his bad side. He became a little upset when we said we just wanted water. He started talking in Italian and then decided he would train a server using our table. As he was apparently training this poor younger man, he was semi yelling in Italian and taking away our wine glasses and some silverware. I was the first to decided what I wanted and ordered a chicken/mushroom pancake thing with cheese that was on the appitizer list. I thought this sounded like a good idea, a lot of time I order off the appetizer side and it works out wonderfully. This was not the case. As our food came, the other girls got a big pizza, a huge calzone, a big plate of lasagna and another of spaghetti and then here comes my dish that is tiny. It was about 2 inches by 2 inches and it tasted not like chicken or mushroom. Luckily my friends felt sorry for me and shared their larger meals. This was my low point of the weekend.
After the bad meal it was on to the Pantomine which was extremely random, but very funny. It is my favorite theatre production I have seen over here so far. You could really tell the actors/actresses were having fun doing it. As we tried to navigate our way back to our B&B's we got lost. Multiple time, including crossing a bridge and then turning around, more than once. Eventually we made it back. Saturday was much better and I wasn't hating on York as much. I had a really good meal of fish and chips and an ice cream sunday that made my weekend just a little better! We also went on a ghost tour around York Saturday night. York is the most haunted city in the world. It was quite creepy to listen to the ghost stories, but it was also freezing which distracted my attention from being scared to worrying about whether or not I would still have toes in the morning. Over all it was a good weekend I suppose and now another week starts tomorrow.
This week was definitely my "I miss my family, friends, boyfriend, and Iowa" week. I'm assuming this week will be better in the sense that I'm going to force myself to look at the bright side of things. I hope this didn't bore any of you too much, and if you are still reading this I give you props. :)
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