At work, Helen decided to use abbreviations all day. It was pretty funny to hear someone I totally respect and kind of fear saying "lol". She said her excuse was that she is a publisher and people should know she does indeed have an extensive vocabulary.
Work was really good these past two days. Tuesday was very productive. I wrote 4 news-ish stories and 4 book reviews for the four main Eye Classics books soon to be published. Then I made lists of researched publications to send all this stuff out to next week. Wednesday, I worked mostly on a new self-helpy kind of book that is actually quite good. I wrote some blurb for the back of the cover and then Helen let me have a crack at reorganizing the introduction, which needed serious help. It was really fun, but really exhausting and by the time I got to our weekly meeting for school I was pooped!
Wednesday night was a trip. Tessa called me while I was eating dinner and asked me to come meet her at a cd release party. So I rushed around to get ready and make the tube over in Russell Square. When I got there, I waited 30 minutes for her to pick up her phone and come let me in. By the time I actually got in, it was over. I will admit, I was a little upset. But realizing that she needed my help (drunk) more than anything, I stayed and we ended up going to a pub with two guys she met who work for Napster, which is pretty cool. They were recommending all these cool bands to us and Tessa even managed to score lunch with one of them to maybe set a job up or something. Personally, I wanted to go home. I definitely didn't want to drink (I still can't even stand the sight of a beer) and I was so tired! But on our way to the tube, Tessa decided that she wanted food so we stopped and ate at Soho Pizza (really good). I'm glad we did because she felt much better after she got some food in her system.
We finally made our way back home via cab because the tube was closed by the time we left. I immediately went to sleep.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wimbledon...in Real Life
This evening, after work and classes, there was an optional group outing to Wimbledon! At first, I wasn't really feeling it because it was going to take at least 45 minutes to get there on the hot, crowded tube, but I went anyway. When I walked through the gates, I felt like I was stepping into the movies or the tabloids. You see all these pictures of celebrities attending Wimbledon and it just felt unreal...granted they all go to the matches in centre court (where the top dogs play) and have massive entourages but still...
If you go late enough in the day, you only have to pay 14 GBP (comped by JMU thank you very much haha) to get in and see any and as many matches as you want, just not on centre court or courts 1 and 2. Mary, Tessa and I started out watching what I can only assume were junior doubles on Court 15. It was definitely interesting, but I wanted to see something really good. So we made our way over to courts 2-12 in hopes of seeing some real action.
We watched another men's double match for a while before trying to scope out Court 2 where Andy Roddick was playing. Before we knew it, his match was over (which he lost) and everyone was leaving. The guy who beat him walked right past us surrounded by cheering fans and protective bodyguards. It was crazy!
We then proceeded to walk over towards Court 2 just to see what was coming up next. To our excitement, the security guard let us in even though we didn't buy the wicked expensive ticket! We sat right on the edge and watched a mixed doubles game that was televised. P.S. we were definitely on T.V.!
After the match was finished, we made the long trek back through Wimbledon Park to the tube station. We were all starving by the end of the hike so we decided to eat at a Chinese/Indian place right up the road from the station. Plus, it was the only thing open at the time (9 p.m.). I got noodles that were extremely spicy and then proceeded to choke on one a little bit into the meal. My whole throat felt like it had caught on fire! I was coughing for a long time after that.
That was an eventful Monday. Tomorrow we are having a lovely group picnic in the park for dinner. Can't wait!
If you go late enough in the day, you only have to pay 14 GBP (comped by JMU thank you very much haha) to get in and see any and as many matches as you want, just not on centre court or courts 1 and 2. Mary, Tessa and I started out watching what I can only assume were junior doubles on Court 15. It was definitely interesting, but I wanted to see something really good. So we made our way over to courts 2-12 in hopes of seeing some real action.
We watched another men's double match for a while before trying to scope out Court 2 where Andy Roddick was playing. Before we knew it, his match was over (which he lost) and everyone was leaving. The guy who beat him walked right past us surrounded by cheering fans and protective bodyguards. It was crazy!
We then proceeded to walk over towards Court 2 just to see what was coming up next. To our excitement, the security guard let us in even though we didn't buy the wicked expensive ticket! We sat right on the edge and watched a mixed doubles game that was televised. P.S. we were definitely on T.V.!
After the match was finished, we made the long trek back through Wimbledon Park to the tube station. We were all starving by the end of the hike so we decided to eat at a Chinese/Indian place right up the road from the station. Plus, it was the only thing open at the time (9 p.m.). I got noodles that were extremely spicy and then proceeded to choke on one a little bit into the meal. My whole throat felt like it had caught on fire! I was coughing for a long time after that.
That was an eventful Monday. Tomorrow we are having a lovely group picnic in the park for dinner. Can't wait!
Loooong Week
So, I'm sorry I haven't written anything in a while, but last week was crazy for me. So to sum it all up, I'll list the highlight of each day and then go about the weekend (because it was awesome).
MONDAY
I was recovering from my cold that I picked up in Scotland so I stayed in all afternoon and did a massive amount of homework. I wrote my journals for my internship class and Pop Culture & Diversity, as well as my media analysis for Culture By Design. It felt good to get it all out of the way early, but I still had a 1800-2000 word Media & Politics paper looming.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was just another long yet very productive day at work. I'm liking it more and more each day. That night, the group went to the British Film Institute to Rashomon, a classic Japanese film. yeah.
WEDNESDAY
Work was awesome. I went with my boss, Toby, to watch the England v. Slovenia at the pub closest to work. It was a very interesting experience to see all of these people, who I'm sure should have been at work, yelling, screaming and drinking in the middle of the day.
THURSDAY
Classes were really good. For Culture By Design, we went to the British Library and saw many important old documents including the original, un-printed Magna Carta, one of the three original Gutenburg Bibles that are in good shape and the original printings of Alice in Wonderland. However, the coolest thing ever was the display of the original handwritten lyrics to some of the Beatles greatest songs. It was so awesome just to know that those pieces of paper were where it all started. Thursday, we also saw a play called London Assurance at the National Theatre. It was pretty funny, plus the dad from Still Standing was a leading character.
FRIDAY
Friday began the most epic pilgrimage of my life. Tessa, Dylan and I made our way to Liverpool for a Beatles themed weekend leading up to the big event on Sunday: Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park featuring Sir Paul McCartney. The trip was insane. The bus ide took forever and when we finally got to our hostel, it wasn't quite what we expected. For starters, we were informed that we would have another person in our room, whilst we were under the impression it would be just us. Anyway, we got ready and headed out to explore.
DISCLAIMER: I am about to get mildly candid just because there's no other way to describe what happened. I'll do my best not to disappoint anyone.
After a few drinks in the room, one at dinner and one at the "Cavern Pub", we headed into the Cavern Club, the place where it all started-where the Beatles first played. It looked amazing, rebuilt on the same location with many of the same bricks from the original it was so cool. The music was good, and after another drink they started to do covers of all my favorite songs. We were screaming at the top of our lungs and it was so much fun. Then, out of no where, I thought I just might die. Long story short, I spent the next few hours in the Cavern Club's bathroom feeling like I couldn't get up even if my life depended on it. It was definitely a night to remember...or try to anyway.
SATURDAY
Hungover and weak, I woke up to the sight of our new roomie sleeping in just his boxers. It was gross. We then made awkward eye contact as I went to take a shower, and come to find out he was German and didn't speak a lot of English. That morning was a rough one. I threw up a few more times before we headed out, backpacks and all, to take the Magical Mystery Tour. After practically running for a good hour so we wouldn't be late, we finally made it just in time. The tour was cool, unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy most of it because I thought I might pass out at any moment. I learned a lot of interesting facts and trivia about the Beatles when they were young. And-bonus-I'm one of the few people who can say I've thrown up outside of Paul McCartney's childhood home. Yes, I did that. For the record, I felt much better afterward and the tour guide still said I was cute even after he had to see that. All in all, a good trip.
SUNDAY aka The Best Day Ever
I woke up bright and early to try to write that Media & Politics paper and actually managed to get most of it done. At 1, we made our way to Hyde Park for the most amazing concert experience of my life. We managed to score a little spot right in the middle about 60 yards from the stage. We laid out in the boiling heat and listened to Elvis Costello and Crosby, Stills and Nash perform among others. Tessa and I were pushed up closer to the stage (about 40-30 yards away) for the moment Paul came on. The second he walked on my heart just stopped. It was amazing. The entire thing was incredible. Just to be seeing a living legend and singing along with him to all my favorite songs was the most incredible feeling. I had a blast and got some amazing photos (courtesy of Tessa). It was everything I could have hoped for.
So that was my week in review. I hope this week is a bit less eventful but somehow I doubt it. Cheers!
MONDAY
I was recovering from my cold that I picked up in Scotland so I stayed in all afternoon and did a massive amount of homework. I wrote my journals for my internship class and Pop Culture & Diversity, as well as my media analysis for Culture By Design. It felt good to get it all out of the way early, but I still had a 1800-2000 word Media & Politics paper looming.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was just another long yet very productive day at work. I'm liking it more and more each day. That night, the group went to the British Film Institute to Rashomon, a classic Japanese film. yeah.
WEDNESDAY
Work was awesome. I went with my boss, Toby, to watch the England v. Slovenia at the pub closest to work. It was a very interesting experience to see all of these people, who I'm sure should have been at work, yelling, screaming and drinking in the middle of the day.
THURSDAY
Classes were really good. For Culture By Design, we went to the British Library and saw many important old documents including the original, un-printed Magna Carta, one of the three original Gutenburg Bibles that are in good shape and the original printings of Alice in Wonderland. However, the coolest thing ever was the display of the original handwritten lyrics to some of the Beatles greatest songs. It was so awesome just to know that those pieces of paper were where it all started. Thursday, we also saw a play called London Assurance at the National Theatre. It was pretty funny, plus the dad from Still Standing was a leading character.
FRIDAY
Friday began the most epic pilgrimage of my life. Tessa, Dylan and I made our way to Liverpool for a Beatles themed weekend leading up to the big event on Sunday: Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park featuring Sir Paul McCartney. The trip was insane. The bus ide took forever and when we finally got to our hostel, it wasn't quite what we expected. For starters, we were informed that we would have another person in our room, whilst we were under the impression it would be just us. Anyway, we got ready and headed out to explore.
DISCLAIMER: I am about to get mildly candid just because there's no other way to describe what happened. I'll do my best not to disappoint anyone.
After a few drinks in the room, one at dinner and one at the "Cavern Pub", we headed into the Cavern Club, the place where it all started-where the Beatles first played. It looked amazing, rebuilt on the same location with many of the same bricks from the original it was so cool. The music was good, and after another drink they started to do covers of all my favorite songs. We were screaming at the top of our lungs and it was so much fun. Then, out of no where, I thought I just might die. Long story short, I spent the next few hours in the Cavern Club's bathroom feeling like I couldn't get up even if my life depended on it. It was definitely a night to remember...or try to anyway.
SATURDAY
Hungover and weak, I woke up to the sight of our new roomie sleeping in just his boxers. It was gross. We then made awkward eye contact as I went to take a shower, and come to find out he was German and didn't speak a lot of English. That morning was a rough one. I threw up a few more times before we headed out, backpacks and all, to take the Magical Mystery Tour. After practically running for a good hour so we wouldn't be late, we finally made it just in time. The tour was cool, unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy most of it because I thought I might pass out at any moment. I learned a lot of interesting facts and trivia about the Beatles when they were young. And-bonus-I'm one of the few people who can say I've thrown up outside of Paul McCartney's childhood home. Yes, I did that. For the record, I felt much better afterward and the tour guide still said I was cute even after he had to see that. All in all, a good trip.
SUNDAY aka The Best Day Ever
I woke up bright and early to try to write that Media & Politics paper and actually managed to get most of it done. At 1, we made our way to Hyde Park for the most amazing concert experience of my life. We managed to score a little spot right in the middle about 60 yards from the stage. We laid out in the boiling heat and listened to Elvis Costello and Crosby, Stills and Nash perform among others. Tessa and I were pushed up closer to the stage (about 40-30 yards away) for the moment Paul came on. The second he walked on my heart just stopped. It was amazing. The entire thing was incredible. Just to be seeing a living legend and singing along with him to all my favorite songs was the most incredible feeling. I had a blast and got some amazing photos (courtesy of Tessa). It was everything I could have hoped for.
So that was my week in review. I hope this week is a bit less eventful but somehow I doubt it. Cheers!
Monday, June 21, 2010
"Anyone But England!"
This weekend was amazing! Edinburgh (pronounced Ed-in-BOUROUGH) is so beautiful. I seriously considered moving there when I get out of school, but I don't know what I'd do. Maybe I'll retire there. Also, I've been told that the weekend was out of the ordinarily nice weather-wise but I thought it was a bit chilly. I cannot be cold all the time. haha
So Friday morning, we woke up bright and early to catch the train from King's Cross station at 8 am. It was so early and we almost didn't make it. No one can function that early and we were all pretty much running to the station. The ride there wasn't that bad. It was about 5 hours long but it didn't feel like it because Mary and I were trying to figure out how to watch Harry Potter the whole time (the train had wi-fi). The best part was when we saw the water for the first time in weeks. The train just came around the bend and there it was- sapphire blue waves crashing against the gray, stone cliffs. It was truly breath-taking.
As soon as we got there, we had a nice little hike to our hotel. It was mostly downhill so it was ok, but I was dreading the uphill when we were going to leave. The hotel was so cute! Our group pretty much took up all the rooms. We had a gorgeous view of a small courtard and we had pigeons outside our window that cooed the entire time. I shared a room with Tessa and Marie. Oh, p.s., they didn't provide any toiletries. Tessa and Michelle didn't bring anything with them, as I think most of the group didn't. Good thing I had enough for the three of us or we would have been out of luck!
After we settled in a bit, the three of us went to a small pub on the Royal Mile (the kind of central road where everything is) and some good ol' Scottish food. We all had steak and Guinness pie and a pint of some delicious scottish beer. I got McEwans. It was so good. I figured I'd need it for the tour of Parliament that we had to go on right after. ugh.
Parliament was alright. The building was ultra modern and I didn't think it was very attractive. Plus, the Scottish Parliament has nothing on Westminster, let's be honest. There isn't that sense of tradition. But anyway, it was really boring.
After that, we had a bus tour of the city on one of those open-top double deckers. The city was so small, we pretty much did it in less than an hour. But it was really interesting and we learned a lot about the city. That night we went out to Rose Street where there are supposedly over 20 pubs. When we first got there, it was really lame. The pub was full of old people just watching the England soccer game. They have a saying in Scotland, "Anyone But England" because the Scots hate the Brits and vice versa. We stayed in one pub for a while though until after the game. Funny story-Tessa, Marie, Mary and I made friends with two of the "bouncers" because we were hanging out by the door. After I told the big, beefcake one that I wouldn't buy him a drink, he literally picked me up and carried me out of the bar! I was on the phone with Judson at the time and all he could hear was me screaming. After I got off the phone and my arms stopped throbbing, I walked back in and saw everyone just laughing. It was nuts. Then, karaoke started and we, as loud Americans, made fools of ourselves as old, Scottish men looked on in disdain.
Saturday, we woke up bright and early to tour Edinburgh Castle. It was pretty cool I suppose. Some people in the group had been getting head colds and now I wasn't feeling so well. My head was throbbing and my nose was stuffy. After the tour, we hiked up Arthur's Seat, a giant mountain/pride rock at the edge of the city near Parliament.
Let me tell you, I thought I was going to just keel over on some rock somewhere. I couldn't breath, every step was a struggle and my nose was running so bad. But as we finally reached the top of the highest peak- it was all worth it. The view was incredible, indescribable even. The hike down was better, then we went back to the hotel and took a nap until we went out that night.
The night was a total bust for me. I didn't feel good, but I decided to try to go out anyway. First, we went to a bar called Outhouse where we were for a while the night before and Tessa and I made friends with the bouncer. He was working again so we stayed and talked to him about working in the UK vs. the US. Then we walked over to an area called the Grass Market where it was supposed to be hoppin. I left soon after because all I wanted to do was sleep.
Sunday was a free day for us so we went shopping and laid out in the park for a while. We found this little cafe with really cheap eats and it was so good...even though I couldn't really taste it because I was so stuffy.
We rode first class on the way back because our train got all messed up and the car we were supposed to be in wasn't there or something. It made sleeping a lot nicer after an exhausting weekend.
So Friday morning, we woke up bright and early to catch the train from King's Cross station at 8 am. It was so early and we almost didn't make it. No one can function that early and we were all pretty much running to the station. The ride there wasn't that bad. It was about 5 hours long but it didn't feel like it because Mary and I were trying to figure out how to watch Harry Potter the whole time (the train had wi-fi). The best part was when we saw the water for the first time in weeks. The train just came around the bend and there it was- sapphire blue waves crashing against the gray, stone cliffs. It was truly breath-taking.
As soon as we got there, we had a nice little hike to our hotel. It was mostly downhill so it was ok, but I was dreading the uphill when we were going to leave. The hotel was so cute! Our group pretty much took up all the rooms. We had a gorgeous view of a small courtard and we had pigeons outside our window that cooed the entire time. I shared a room with Tessa and Marie. Oh, p.s., they didn't provide any toiletries. Tessa and Michelle didn't bring anything with them, as I think most of the group didn't. Good thing I had enough for the three of us or we would have been out of luck!
After we settled in a bit, the three of us went to a small pub on the Royal Mile (the kind of central road where everything is) and some good ol' Scottish food. We all had steak and Guinness pie and a pint of some delicious scottish beer. I got McEwans. It was so good. I figured I'd need it for the tour of Parliament that we had to go on right after. ugh.
Parliament was alright. The building was ultra modern and I didn't think it was very attractive. Plus, the Scottish Parliament has nothing on Westminster, let's be honest. There isn't that sense of tradition. But anyway, it was really boring.
After that, we had a bus tour of the city on one of those open-top double deckers. The city was so small, we pretty much did it in less than an hour. But it was really interesting and we learned a lot about the city. That night we went out to Rose Street where there are supposedly over 20 pubs. When we first got there, it was really lame. The pub was full of old people just watching the England soccer game. They have a saying in Scotland, "Anyone But England" because the Scots hate the Brits and vice versa. We stayed in one pub for a while though until after the game. Funny story-Tessa, Marie, Mary and I made friends with two of the "bouncers" because we were hanging out by the door. After I told the big, beefcake one that I wouldn't buy him a drink, he literally picked me up and carried me out of the bar! I was on the phone with Judson at the time and all he could hear was me screaming. After I got off the phone and my arms stopped throbbing, I walked back in and saw everyone just laughing. It was nuts. Then, karaoke started and we, as loud Americans, made fools of ourselves as old, Scottish men looked on in disdain.
Saturday, we woke up bright and early to tour Edinburgh Castle. It was pretty cool I suppose. Some people in the group had been getting head colds and now I wasn't feeling so well. My head was throbbing and my nose was stuffy. After the tour, we hiked up Arthur's Seat, a giant mountain/pride rock at the edge of the city near Parliament.
Let me tell you, I thought I was going to just keel over on some rock somewhere. I couldn't breath, every step was a struggle and my nose was running so bad. But as we finally reached the top of the highest peak- it was all worth it. The view was incredible, indescribable even. The hike down was better, then we went back to the hotel and took a nap until we went out that night.
The night was a total bust for me. I didn't feel good, but I decided to try to go out anyway. First, we went to a bar called Outhouse where we were for a while the night before and Tessa and I made friends with the bouncer. He was working again so we stayed and talked to him about working in the UK vs. the US. Then we walked over to an area called the Grass Market where it was supposed to be hoppin. I left soon after because all I wanted to do was sleep.
Sunday was a free day for us so we went shopping and laid out in the park for a while. We found this little cafe with really cheap eats and it was so good...even though I couldn't really taste it because I was so stuffy.
We rode first class on the way back because our train got all messed up and the car we were supposed to be in wasn't there or something. It made sleeping a lot nicer after an exhausting weekend.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
There Are No Grape Skittles In London
The purple is "blackcurrant" flavor. It's gross.
Anyway, Monday afternoon Judson, Rob and I went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum! On Baker Street! It was so cool. They basically recreated Holmes and Watson's house based on every detail ever written. They also had wax figures posed from the major stories, which was kinda lame but still kinda fun. It was pretty cool. I don't think the boys had a good time, but I liked it. P.S. The museum is right next to The London Beatles Store. It was so cool. They had records and stuff and like really vintage-y stuff. I will definitely be making a trip back.
Monday night we found a really great gelato shop called Scoop in Covent Garden. I got coffee and chocolate in one cone! It was huge, and it was delicious!
Tuesday at work I finally started writing! I did some more research and wrote my first press release ever! Well, actually I wrote three. And it was awesome! I was nervous all night though because my boss didn't get a chance to read them that day. I was so nervous all night.
I got into work Wednesday and my boss really liked my writing! He had me write up a news release for one of the books and write a review for it. It felt weird writing a review for a book I didn't read but it's whatever. It was just a really good day because I had something to keep me fully occupied the whole time. Helen even let us go early because it was too nice outside! (Seriously, it was the first time I'd seen the sun in way too long)
Later that night a bunch of us went out to the London Pub (our go-to) for a few beers. It was really fun until a few Canadians came over and started hitting on all the girls. I have dealt with my fair share of creepers but when one of them says, "Hey you guys should come up to our hotel rooms and help us pick out clothes for the club we're all going to go to," I was like "umm....no definitely not." So we peaced out and went to McDonalds. Best decision ever. It was so good! Just like home. It actually made me a little homesick.
Today was a really long day of classes. Culture By Design was...interesting. It was all about photography and we looked at some pictures in class about 9/11 and how the different views of it can interpret different things. We saw an image of a man falling from the window he presumably jumped out of and it was really disturbing. Then we went to the Tate Modern art museum and went to the exhibit Exposed which is basically a photography exhibit of people who don't know they're being photographed. It was really cool and pretty interesting...until I got to the section called "violence". Call me crazy, but I just cannot stand to see images of people killing themselves, being killed, or dead bodies stacked up like firewood. I kind of freaked out a bit and was very quiet for the rest of the trip. Not a very fun experience. I wanted to puke/cry. Sorry if that's a bit graphic but, then, you didn't have to look at the photos.
Pop Culture was also an adventure. Today's lesson was all about fashion. Specifically male v. female fashion. Lecture was very short so we decided to leave for our outing early and take a trip to Harrods- aka department store heaven. It was crazy. Chock full of major designers. Judson and I found a plain white t-shirt for 70 GBP (about $120). Of course, it was Prada. Then we got lost going to the Fashion and Textile Museum which turns out, upon finally finding our way, that they don't have a permanent exhibit on display at the moment. So we sat in the Fashion and Textile Museum Cafe and talked about our major project-final paper and presentation. I think I might do gender differences in music, specifically image and performance.
Tonight we stayed in, made dinner, watched Friends, and now I'm about to pack for Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow!!! We leave at like 8 a.m. ugh. I will blog again after my sure-to-be amazing weekend. Cheers!
-APC
Anyway, Monday afternoon Judson, Rob and I went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum! On Baker Street! It was so cool. They basically recreated Holmes and Watson's house based on every detail ever written. They also had wax figures posed from the major stories, which was kinda lame but still kinda fun. It was pretty cool. I don't think the boys had a good time, but I liked it. P.S. The museum is right next to The London Beatles Store. It was so cool. They had records and stuff and like really vintage-y stuff. I will definitely be making a trip back.
Monday night we found a really great gelato shop called Scoop in Covent Garden. I got coffee and chocolate in one cone! It was huge, and it was delicious!
Tuesday at work I finally started writing! I did some more research and wrote my first press release ever! Well, actually I wrote three. And it was awesome! I was nervous all night though because my boss didn't get a chance to read them that day. I was so nervous all night.
I got into work Wednesday and my boss really liked my writing! He had me write up a news release for one of the books and write a review for it. It felt weird writing a review for a book I didn't read but it's whatever. It was just a really good day because I had something to keep me fully occupied the whole time. Helen even let us go early because it was too nice outside! (Seriously, it was the first time I'd seen the sun in way too long)
Later that night a bunch of us went out to the London Pub (our go-to) for a few beers. It was really fun until a few Canadians came over and started hitting on all the girls. I have dealt with my fair share of creepers but when one of them says, "Hey you guys should come up to our hotel rooms and help us pick out clothes for the club we're all going to go to," I was like "umm....no definitely not." So we peaced out and went to McDonalds. Best decision ever. It was so good! Just like home. It actually made me a little homesick.
Today was a really long day of classes. Culture By Design was...interesting. It was all about photography and we looked at some pictures in class about 9/11 and how the different views of it can interpret different things. We saw an image of a man falling from the window he presumably jumped out of and it was really disturbing. Then we went to the Tate Modern art museum and went to the exhibit Exposed which is basically a photography exhibit of people who don't know they're being photographed. It was really cool and pretty interesting...until I got to the section called "violence". Call me crazy, but I just cannot stand to see images of people killing themselves, being killed, or dead bodies stacked up like firewood. I kind of freaked out a bit and was very quiet for the rest of the trip. Not a very fun experience. I wanted to puke/cry. Sorry if that's a bit graphic but, then, you didn't have to look at the photos.
Pop Culture was also an adventure. Today's lesson was all about fashion. Specifically male v. female fashion. Lecture was very short so we decided to leave for our outing early and take a trip to Harrods- aka department store heaven. It was crazy. Chock full of major designers. Judson and I found a plain white t-shirt for 70 GBP (about $120). Of course, it was Prada. Then we got lost going to the Fashion and Textile Museum which turns out, upon finally finding our way, that they don't have a permanent exhibit on display at the moment. So we sat in the Fashion and Textile Museum Cafe and talked about our major project-final paper and presentation. I think I might do gender differences in music, specifically image and performance.
Tonight we stayed in, made dinner, watched Friends, and now I'm about to pack for Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow!!! We leave at like 8 a.m. ugh. I will blog again after my sure-to-be amazing weekend. Cheers!
-APC
Monday, June 14, 2010
"Every good castle has a moat..."
This weekend was....a blur.
FRIDAY
Friday started out very early with a very chilly tour of the Tower of London. We learned a lot of interesting facts about it like that it is technically one of the Queen's places of residence, but of course she wouldn't live there. It is London's oldest functioning castle and there are still people who live inside it-the guards and their families. It used to be the place where prisoners were held and eventually executed but you had to be someone really special to be held there instead of, like, a regular prison. It was also used up until the 1960s. The Tower also houses the Crown Jewels and the largest diamond in the world (aka my future engagement ring haha)
To tell you the truth, I really wasn't into it. I mean, it was interesting but I was freezing and it was kind of rainy. I was happy to be inside when we were looking at the Crown Jewels (amazing).
I think the most interesting part was to go into one of the towers and see what prisoners had carved into the stone. Some of the designs and drawings were really intricate, which makes sense because many were held in the same room for several years.
For lunch we ate at Wagamama, a popular Japanese-ish restaurant with a ton of noddle and rice dishes. It was absolutely delicious and relatively cheap. Mary definitely made a good choice.
After lunch we took the Tube to Westminster Abbey to take a tour (one of those individual headset kind of tours). Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to take pictures in there so don't look for them on Facebook. But it doesn't matter; no picture I could ever take could fully capture the incredible essence of this amazing place. Every single detail is represented in the architecture and painting. It's truly incredible. Many monarchs are buried there as well as prominent figures in British history. My favorite part was a writers' corner where some famous novelists and poets are buried or memorialized like Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen to name a few.
After the tours, a few of us went to Primark (a mix between H&M, Old Navy and perhaps Forever 21) for some shopping. Primark is famous for being really inexpensive and it definitely didn't disappoint. The hour-long line for the fitting room and the racks that looked like war zones were all worth the savings. I bought 2 pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, and a pair of shoes for 24 GBP (roughly $40). It was awesome. Friday night was really fun. We all went out to a tiny little pub to watch the first games of the World Cup and a few of us ended up going to a club called Heaven later that night. I must admit, it was a little out of control but overall a very fun night.
SATURDAY
Another early morning to go and watch the Trooping of the Colour, the Queen's "official" birthday. It was really amazing to see the Queen and Prince William in person! Unfortunately, Harry wasn't there :( But all in all it was really cool. The parade was very elaborate with hundreds of guards in red coats marching, playing instruments, riding horses, and playing instruments whilst riding horses. It was crazy.
The craziest part, though, was while Rob and I were watching the parade, we met a woman who graduated from JMU in 2007 and is from Yorktown! She went to Grafton! Small world. She and her boyfriend/fiance/husband were on like a tour of Europe. It was so cool to talk to her about JMU in a place that feels like a whole different world. It was nuts. She is sending me pictures when she gets back to the States because all of mine turned out really bad.
Anyway, afterward I was so tired that I just came back to the flat and watched About A Boy with my flatmates. All we have are British movies here so it is what it is. Then we got ready to go to a different, and much larger, pub for the USA v. England game.
It was crazy. Fortunately, there were a bunch of other Americans there so it wasn't scary or anything. The best part was when we all sang the National Anthem at the top of our lungs. It was oddly and incredibly patriotic. The rest of that night was a blur as most of us had a bit too much fun and rough mornings the next day. I won't go into detail...basically because I don't remember.
SUNDAY
Bright and early we went to Hyde Park to Speaker's Corner, a part of the park where people come on Sunday mornings the stand up on their soap boxes (or, apparently, step ladders) and say whatever they want. I wish someone would have warned us about the kinds of truly offensive things that come out of peoples' mouths. I don't get offended easily, but there are some things I just can't tolerate.
After lunch, we went over to Little Venice and took an adorable little boat ride over to Camden Market, where I went last Thursday. It is 100X crazier on the weekends and, unfortunately, I didn't have any money. I did have enough for an old-ish copy of The Return of Sherlock Holmes for 4 GBP. I was really excited to find a huge bookstore in the middle of the market. I'll definitely be going back to buy gifts.
Yesterday ended with dinner at Professor Maune's family's house out in the suburbs of London. It was the most adorable neighborhood and, legit, the house I want to own one day. It was perfect. Fortunately, Marie took tons of photos so I can have some design ideas for my house one day. The food was delicious and it was just a great way to end the day.
MONDAY
Today we did not have a Media & Politics outing because we are going to Parliament tomorrow evening. I'm really excited. I don't know what I'm going to do the rest of the day, but I definitely need to get some work done.
-APC
FRIDAY
Friday started out very early with a very chilly tour of the Tower of London. We learned a lot of interesting facts about it like that it is technically one of the Queen's places of residence, but of course she wouldn't live there. It is London's oldest functioning castle and there are still people who live inside it-the guards and their families. It used to be the place where prisoners were held and eventually executed but you had to be someone really special to be held there instead of, like, a regular prison. It was also used up until the 1960s. The Tower also houses the Crown Jewels and the largest diamond in the world (aka my future engagement ring haha)
To tell you the truth, I really wasn't into it. I mean, it was interesting but I was freezing and it was kind of rainy. I was happy to be inside when we were looking at the Crown Jewels (amazing).
I think the most interesting part was to go into one of the towers and see what prisoners had carved into the stone. Some of the designs and drawings were really intricate, which makes sense because many were held in the same room for several years.
For lunch we ate at Wagamama, a popular Japanese-ish restaurant with a ton of noddle and rice dishes. It was absolutely delicious and relatively cheap. Mary definitely made a good choice.
After lunch we took the Tube to Westminster Abbey to take a tour (one of those individual headset kind of tours). Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to take pictures in there so don't look for them on Facebook. But it doesn't matter; no picture I could ever take could fully capture the incredible essence of this amazing place. Every single detail is represented in the architecture and painting. It's truly incredible. Many monarchs are buried there as well as prominent figures in British history. My favorite part was a writers' corner where some famous novelists and poets are buried or memorialized like Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen to name a few.
After the tours, a few of us went to Primark (a mix between H&M, Old Navy and perhaps Forever 21) for some shopping. Primark is famous for being really inexpensive and it definitely didn't disappoint. The hour-long line for the fitting room and the racks that looked like war zones were all worth the savings. I bought 2 pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, and a pair of shoes for 24 GBP (roughly $40). It was awesome. Friday night was really fun. We all went out to a tiny little pub to watch the first games of the World Cup and a few of us ended up going to a club called Heaven later that night. I must admit, it was a little out of control but overall a very fun night.
SATURDAY
Another early morning to go and watch the Trooping of the Colour, the Queen's "official" birthday. It was really amazing to see the Queen and Prince William in person! Unfortunately, Harry wasn't there :( But all in all it was really cool. The parade was very elaborate with hundreds of guards in red coats marching, playing instruments, riding horses, and playing instruments whilst riding horses. It was crazy.
The craziest part, though, was while Rob and I were watching the parade, we met a woman who graduated from JMU in 2007 and is from Yorktown! She went to Grafton! Small world. She and her boyfriend/fiance/husband were on like a tour of Europe. It was so cool to talk to her about JMU in a place that feels like a whole different world. It was nuts. She is sending me pictures when she gets back to the States because all of mine turned out really bad.
Anyway, afterward I was so tired that I just came back to the flat and watched About A Boy with my flatmates. All we have are British movies here so it is what it is. Then we got ready to go to a different, and much larger, pub for the USA v. England game.
It was crazy. Fortunately, there were a bunch of other Americans there so it wasn't scary or anything. The best part was when we all sang the National Anthem at the top of our lungs. It was oddly and incredibly patriotic. The rest of that night was a blur as most of us had a bit too much fun and rough mornings the next day. I won't go into detail...basically because I don't remember.
SUNDAY
Bright and early we went to Hyde Park to Speaker's Corner, a part of the park where people come on Sunday mornings the stand up on their soap boxes (or, apparently, step ladders) and say whatever they want. I wish someone would have warned us about the kinds of truly offensive things that come out of peoples' mouths. I don't get offended easily, but there are some things I just can't tolerate.
After lunch, we went over to Little Venice and took an adorable little boat ride over to Camden Market, where I went last Thursday. It is 100X crazier on the weekends and, unfortunately, I didn't have any money. I did have enough for an old-ish copy of The Return of Sherlock Holmes for 4 GBP. I was really excited to find a huge bookstore in the middle of the market. I'll definitely be going back to buy gifts.
Yesterday ended with dinner at Professor Maune's family's house out in the suburbs of London. It was the most adorable neighborhood and, legit, the house I want to own one day. It was perfect. Fortunately, Marie took tons of photos so I can have some design ideas for my house one day. The food was delicious and it was just a great way to end the day.
MONDAY
Today we did not have a Media & Politics outing because we are going to Parliament tomorrow evening. I'm really excited. I don't know what I'm going to do the rest of the day, but I definitely need to get some work done.
-APC
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Well, I survived my first week of classes and work. Let's start with work.
Can of Worms is everything I pictured it to me. A small room situated in a yard (basically, a wide alley amongst other small shops) with about 6 desks and 7 people in the office. It's brilliant. I haven't done a lot my first week. I spent Tuesday familiarizing myself with some of the books by reading their AIs (Advance Information Sheets). Specifically, one book, The Letter From Death. It is originally American and now it's being released in the UK. We are making a book launch, hopefully. The next day, I researched humanists in Britain to hopefully write a review for the book because it was so popular among humanists in the US. I also scoured the news for any possible connections to any of the books we need to do publicity for on Twitter and Facebook as well as the professional web site. Next week, I get to start actually writing stuff and I'm so excited.
Actually, the best part of my week at work was when Josie, the literary agent in the office, gave me some manuscripts to read through. It was so exciting to be reading someone's work of art that no one else has read (professionally) and basically deciding if it lives or dies. I read a few that I didn't like but one really caught my attention. I just really enjoyed doing that-that's what I want to do with my life! I'm going to try to find out more about it and see what opportunities I might have next summer.
Class today was a lot of fun. This morning I had Culture by Design with Jay (seriously the coolest professor). It's all about "looking at stuff closely". We basically just analyze things in society and culture and talk about it. We went to Camden Market (the sickest shopping in London EMILY) to just look around and just kind of "notice" stuff. It was awesome. Seriously awesome.
After Camden, I practically ran to Sainsbury's (grocery store) to get food for tonight before my my next class at 2.
Then I had Communication Diversity in Pop Culture with Dr. Chapman. It was pretty interesting I suppose. We discussed Jewish culture in Britain. We also discussed stereotypes and offending people. We took a trip to the Jewish Museum which wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. The one in D.C. was a lot better. I rather like listening to Holocaust survivors the most because you feel a sort of connection with the person. But anyway....
Tonight, Mackie and I made beef stir-fry for dinner. It was delicious, I must say. Now, we are trying to book the Liverpool trip and Paris. Going to get ice cream!
-APC
Can of Worms is everything I pictured it to me. A small room situated in a yard (basically, a wide alley amongst other small shops) with about 6 desks and 7 people in the office. It's brilliant. I haven't done a lot my first week. I spent Tuesday familiarizing myself with some of the books by reading their AIs (Advance Information Sheets). Specifically, one book, The Letter From Death. It is originally American and now it's being released in the UK. We are making a book launch, hopefully. The next day, I researched humanists in Britain to hopefully write a review for the book because it was so popular among humanists in the US. I also scoured the news for any possible connections to any of the books we need to do publicity for on Twitter and Facebook as well as the professional web site. Next week, I get to start actually writing stuff and I'm so excited.
Actually, the best part of my week at work was when Josie, the literary agent in the office, gave me some manuscripts to read through. It was so exciting to be reading someone's work of art that no one else has read (professionally) and basically deciding if it lives or dies. I read a few that I didn't like but one really caught my attention. I just really enjoyed doing that-that's what I want to do with my life! I'm going to try to find out more about it and see what opportunities I might have next summer.
Class today was a lot of fun. This morning I had Culture by Design with Jay (seriously the coolest professor). It's all about "looking at stuff closely". We basically just analyze things in society and culture and talk about it. We went to Camden Market (the sickest shopping in London EMILY) to just look around and just kind of "notice" stuff. It was awesome. Seriously awesome.
After Camden, I practically ran to Sainsbury's (grocery store) to get food for tonight before my my next class at 2.
Then I had Communication Diversity in Pop Culture with Dr. Chapman. It was pretty interesting I suppose. We discussed Jewish culture in Britain. We also discussed stereotypes and offending people. We took a trip to the Jewish Museum which wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. The one in D.C. was a lot better. I rather like listening to Holocaust survivors the most because you feel a sort of connection with the person. But anyway....
Tonight, Mackie and I made beef stir-fry for dinner. It was delicious, I must say. Now, we are trying to book the Liverpool trip and Paris. Going to get ice cream!
-APC
Monday, June 7, 2010
First Day of Class
This morning, I had my first class-Media & Politics with Dr. Bradshaw. First of all, FSU's building is like a maze. I swear, I have no idea where we went but somehow we ended up back on the ground floor in room #42.
The class is pretty interesting. Today we just talked about the media's role in politics such as watchdog, gate keepers and shaping public opinion. We also compared American media versus British media during election. British media is much more brutal but a lot less influential, even though every paper in England is totally biased.
Our outing was to the Old Bailey, which is a court. I thought we'd just be sitting in on like someone who got a ticket or something, but as soon as we got in the lobby, the woman directing us was like, "We are going to be sitting in on a murder trial and it's a crucial moment in the case so there's no talking, no moving and no sleeping!" It was so intense! As soon as we got in the little balcony area looking over the court room, the prosecutor was interrogating the defendant. Apparently, the suspect stabbed another guy (they were both involved in gangs and drug deals) in a gas station parking lot and claims it was self-defense. When we got in, the prosecutor was going through the stills of the security camera where you could see the victim didn't have a weapon and the suspect stabbed him twice and then punched him!
Long story short, there's no way this guy was getting off. But I found out that even if he is convicted of murder, he'll only get around 15-20 years for this crime. England doesn't have the death penalty or life in prison, I don't think.
Anyway, the rest of the day: I mailed my dad a father's day card (you're welcome, Dad) and then walked to Regent's Park with Judson, which turned out to be a lot farther than I thought. Later this evening, everyone who didn't have the theater class went to Covent Garden to the Lamb & Flag (the oldest pub in the area and the #1 pub in London according to my guide book) and just hung out and had a few drinks. It was a lot of fun and I got to know some of the people a little bit better.
Tomorrow is my first day at my job and I am so nervous! I mean, I just learned how to write a press release and now I have to write them (among other things) for a legit company! I'm just going to go to work and do my best. I will update you on my progress tomorrow!!!
-APC
The class is pretty interesting. Today we just talked about the media's role in politics such as watchdog, gate keepers and shaping public opinion. We also compared American media versus British media during election. British media is much more brutal but a lot less influential, even though every paper in England is totally biased.
Our outing was to the Old Bailey, which is a court. I thought we'd just be sitting in on like someone who got a ticket or something, but as soon as we got in the lobby, the woman directing us was like, "We are going to be sitting in on a murder trial and it's a crucial moment in the case so there's no talking, no moving and no sleeping!" It was so intense! As soon as we got in the little balcony area looking over the court room, the prosecutor was interrogating the defendant. Apparently, the suspect stabbed another guy (they were both involved in gangs and drug deals) in a gas station parking lot and claims it was self-defense. When we got in, the prosecutor was going through the stills of the security camera where you could see the victim didn't have a weapon and the suspect stabbed him twice and then punched him!
Long story short, there's no way this guy was getting off. But I found out that even if he is convicted of murder, he'll only get around 15-20 years for this crime. England doesn't have the death penalty or life in prison, I don't think.
Anyway, the rest of the day: I mailed my dad a father's day card (you're welcome, Dad) and then walked to Regent's Park with Judson, which turned out to be a lot farther than I thought. Later this evening, everyone who didn't have the theater class went to Covent Garden to the Lamb & Flag (the oldest pub in the area and the #1 pub in London according to my guide book) and just hung out and had a few drinks. It was a lot of fun and I got to know some of the people a little bit better.
Tomorrow is my first day at my job and I am so nervous! I mean, I just learned how to write a press release and now I have to write them (among other things) for a legit company! I'm just going to go to work and do my best. I will update you on my progress tomorrow!!!
-APC
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Orientation Weekend
So, I haven't posted anything in a really long time because the party just hasn't stopped. But I'll do my best to recount the past few days in order.
FRIDAY
Friday morning the rest of the group, those not interning, arrived to Madison House and everyone looked like zombies. That must have been how we looked when we first arrived! By this time, I felt like I'd been in London for a few weeks-not just a few days. It's crazy how familiar a place can seem even when it's really not. We had another brief orientation meeting basically going over everything we had already heard. The plan was to go shopping for some really cheap clothes after the meeting, but we didn't have enough time so instead Laura, Mary and I just walked towards the other side of Bedford Place (towards Russell Square) where no one had been yet. We walked past The Hotel Russell which is a gorgeous, grand hotel where many of the passengers of the Titanic spent their last nights. We found the underground station and continued to walk down Southampton. We found a nice little pub called the London Pub that I made a mental note of.
Then, the entire group took a west end walk right up the River Thames and caught beautiful glimpeses of the Eye, Big Ben, Parliament and St. Paul's Cathedral. Our tour was led by Rustin (our program director) and took hours!! I mean, it was interesting and really cool but my feet hurt so bad afterward! Everyone was so hungry by the time we got to the restaurant. We went to a place called Tas, it's Turkish. We had Turkish pizza. It wasn't good. First of all, dinner lasted 3 hours while we just sat there growing more tired by the minute. It was dark by the time we left the restaraunt and remember, the sun doesn't set til 9:30. Then we all walked across the Millineum Bridge towards St. Pauls and headed toward the Tube.
Mary and I were so tired, we checked out some videos from upstairs and watched a Brtish comedian named Catherine Tate. She's pretty funny-very British sense of humor. Then we just went to bed because we had to be up bright and early the next morning for more walking tours!
SATURDAY
9 a.m. came much too quickly as I tried to stay awake in the shower. Walking around ALL DAY in (surprisingly) sunny London really takes it out of you. Anyway, we rode the Tube to the east end of London. There we were met by our tour guide, the old and adorable Harry Jackson, who led us through the east end. The east end is..intersting. It looks like Harlem. Filled with Bangolie and Jewish families and markets. The east end is also infamous for Jack the Ripper. I stood in the exact place where his first victim was found dead. GROSS! The east end was also bombed mercilessly during WWII. However, many buildings were still left standing from the 1700s though they look much different and are used for much different things. We also walked past the Royal London Hospital which is where the Elephant Man was taken to be studied after his discovery across the street. His bones still remain in the hospital even though Michael Jackson tried to buy his remains for I think 1 million pounds. My feet hurt so bad after all of it.
From there it was a free evening so we had a group of about 7 and went to the London Eye! It was so cool to see the city from up above. We even found the area where we are living. I got tons of great photos that I should be uploading soon. Then we all headed to the same pub Mary and I had the other night because it was the only one we knew wouldn't be crowded on a Friday evening (because it's underground and easily missed-probably one of the best kept secrets in London). I had a burger this time and it was really good! I also had a pint of Strongbow (my new love) which is like a cider rather than an ale. It is delicious.
The general concensus for the night was that everyone wanted to go to a pub instead of a club because we had to get up early the next morning yet again. So we went over the the London Pub (my mental note came in handy) and it was lovely. Inside was kinda crowded so we stood out in their little courtyard. It was such a great time, but I left early to skype with Dan because it was our four year anniversary. As soon as I got back to the house, it started to rain! Five minutes later I heard everyone else stumble in. Good thing it was so close!
SUNDAY
Today started out with a Royal London Walk led by another tour guide named Deborah Charles. She led us through Green Park where there are no flowers. Apparently, a bunch of nuns died in the park after Henry VIII turned them out of their monastary and that's why flowers don't grow. We saw Spencer House which belonged to Princess Diana's family since the 1700s until it was bought by financial companies but still perfectly preserved. I'm pretty sure you can tour it. We also saw the house in which Prince Charles resides when he's in town. unfortunately, he and the boys (William and Harry) weren't in. Then we made our way towards St. James's Park and watched the Changing of the Guard. It was really cool to see. They do it every day in the summer and every other day in the Winter. What was cool was that all of the guards are active military so they basically either get guard duty or they go to Afganistan. I'd rather have gurad duty, even though the tourists are really annoying. We saw Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament. Unfortunatley, my camera died before I could take a picture of the protestors camped out on Parliament Square.
I had Pizza Express for lunch and it was delicious. I got just a basic margarita pizza and a fanta for like 8 GBP. Then we had a crazy scavenger hunt and my group definitely got lost trying to find our way from Liceister Square to Covent Garden. We came in second I think but that's ok. We had our last meeting and got 74 GBP for food for a week and a half. Unfortunatly, most of that will probably be spent at the pub next Saturday during the World Cup. So excitied!
After the meeting, Tessa and I researched our trip to Liverpool then went to sit in Russell Square Park before it started raining. Then I warmed up Paella for dinner with a Stella Artois. Great night.
I am so tired! Tomorrow morning I have my first class-Media and Politics. Class is at 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. then our outing is until 1 p.m. I don't know what I'm going to do after but I'll probably just explore some and maybe go running, which I really need to do. And go to the store. Pizza for dinner tomorrow night! We have to eat it before it goes bad.
-APC
FRIDAY
Friday morning the rest of the group, those not interning, arrived to Madison House and everyone looked like zombies. That must have been how we looked when we first arrived! By this time, I felt like I'd been in London for a few weeks-not just a few days. It's crazy how familiar a place can seem even when it's really not. We had another brief orientation meeting basically going over everything we had already heard. The plan was to go shopping for some really cheap clothes after the meeting, but we didn't have enough time so instead Laura, Mary and I just walked towards the other side of Bedford Place (towards Russell Square) where no one had been yet. We walked past The Hotel Russell which is a gorgeous, grand hotel where many of the passengers of the Titanic spent their last nights. We found the underground station and continued to walk down Southampton. We found a nice little pub called the London Pub that I made a mental note of.
Then, the entire group took a west end walk right up the River Thames and caught beautiful glimpeses of the Eye, Big Ben, Parliament and St. Paul's Cathedral. Our tour was led by Rustin (our program director) and took hours!! I mean, it was interesting and really cool but my feet hurt so bad afterward! Everyone was so hungry by the time we got to the restaurant. We went to a place called Tas, it's Turkish. We had Turkish pizza. It wasn't good. First of all, dinner lasted 3 hours while we just sat there growing more tired by the minute. It was dark by the time we left the restaraunt and remember, the sun doesn't set til 9:30. Then we all walked across the Millineum Bridge towards St. Pauls and headed toward the Tube.
Mary and I were so tired, we checked out some videos from upstairs and watched a Brtish comedian named Catherine Tate. She's pretty funny-very British sense of humor. Then we just went to bed because we had to be up bright and early the next morning for more walking tours!
SATURDAY
9 a.m. came much too quickly as I tried to stay awake in the shower. Walking around ALL DAY in (surprisingly) sunny London really takes it out of you. Anyway, we rode the Tube to the east end of London. There we were met by our tour guide, the old and adorable Harry Jackson, who led us through the east end. The east end is..intersting. It looks like Harlem. Filled with Bangolie and Jewish families and markets. The east end is also infamous for Jack the Ripper. I stood in the exact place where his first victim was found dead. GROSS! The east end was also bombed mercilessly during WWII. However, many buildings were still left standing from the 1700s though they look much different and are used for much different things. We also walked past the Royal London Hospital which is where the Elephant Man was taken to be studied after his discovery across the street. His bones still remain in the hospital even though Michael Jackson tried to buy his remains for I think 1 million pounds. My feet hurt so bad after all of it.
From there it was a free evening so we had a group of about 7 and went to the London Eye! It was so cool to see the city from up above. We even found the area where we are living. I got tons of great photos that I should be uploading soon. Then we all headed to the same pub Mary and I had the other night because it was the only one we knew wouldn't be crowded on a Friday evening (because it's underground and easily missed-probably one of the best kept secrets in London). I had a burger this time and it was really good! I also had a pint of Strongbow (my new love) which is like a cider rather than an ale. It is delicious.
The general concensus for the night was that everyone wanted to go to a pub instead of a club because we had to get up early the next morning yet again. So we went over the the London Pub (my mental note came in handy) and it was lovely. Inside was kinda crowded so we stood out in their little courtyard. It was such a great time, but I left early to skype with Dan because it was our four year anniversary. As soon as I got back to the house, it started to rain! Five minutes later I heard everyone else stumble in. Good thing it was so close!
SUNDAY
Today started out with a Royal London Walk led by another tour guide named Deborah Charles. She led us through Green Park where there are no flowers. Apparently, a bunch of nuns died in the park after Henry VIII turned them out of their monastary and that's why flowers don't grow. We saw Spencer House which belonged to Princess Diana's family since the 1700s until it was bought by financial companies but still perfectly preserved. I'm pretty sure you can tour it. We also saw the house in which Prince Charles resides when he's in town. unfortunately, he and the boys (William and Harry) weren't in. Then we made our way towards St. James's Park and watched the Changing of the Guard. It was really cool to see. They do it every day in the summer and every other day in the Winter. What was cool was that all of the guards are active military so they basically either get guard duty or they go to Afganistan. I'd rather have gurad duty, even though the tourists are really annoying. We saw Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament. Unfortunatley, my camera died before I could take a picture of the protestors camped out on Parliament Square.
I had Pizza Express for lunch and it was delicious. I got just a basic margarita pizza and a fanta for like 8 GBP. Then we had a crazy scavenger hunt and my group definitely got lost trying to find our way from Liceister Square to Covent Garden. We came in second I think but that's ok. We had our last meeting and got 74 GBP for food for a week and a half. Unfortunatly, most of that will probably be spent at the pub next Saturday during the World Cup. So excitied!
After the meeting, Tessa and I researched our trip to Liverpool then went to sit in Russell Square Park before it started raining. Then I warmed up Paella for dinner with a Stella Artois. Great night.
I am so tired! Tomorrow morning I have my first class-Media and Politics. Class is at 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. then our outing is until 1 p.m. I don't know what I'm going to do after but I'll probably just explore some and maybe go running, which I really need to do. And go to the store. Pizza for dinner tomorrow night! We have to eat it before it goes bad.
-APC
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 2 &3: Finding my way
My first few days have been packed with things to see and do!
I found out Wednesday that my interview with Can Of Worms would be Thursday at 3 p.m. so I had plenty of time to sleep in and try to find directions. Wednesday night, Laura Mary and I went to Ultimate Burger, where we got massive hamburgers and I ordered my first beer in London. It was so exciting! After dinner, we stopped my the grocery store to get some basics and then went back to the room. The strange thing was that it was like 9 o' clock and it was still bright outside! It looked like what 6 p.m. looks like at home. Needless to say, staying up until 11 or 12 to talk to my family and friends won't be a problem because I definitely won't be trying to go to bed when the sun could still blind me.
Yesterday (Thursday) I slept in so late! 11 a.m.! For those who don't really know, I just physically can't sleep that late normally. It was kind of a big deal to me. Then I got up and tried to map out the way to get to my interview. I figured I would go to Holborn station, change at Piccadilly and get off at Elephant & Castle. The tube was surprisingly easy. Everything was a breeze. I didn't have to wait for a train and I knew exactly where I was going.
Once I got out of the station was a different story. I gave my self 2 hours to get to my interview. And long story short, I was still five minutes late. I was trying my hardest not to have to use my map and look like a dumb American, but in the end I swallowed my pride and finally found my way.
Can of Worms is a very small publishing company that mostly specializes in travel books (like crazy stories like climbing Everest, not just general guide books) and childrens' books. They also publish books by request from organizations or schools. They don't do it for a lot of money which I think is kind of noble in a way. Anyway, Helen, my supervisor and probably the coolest person in London, told me I'll be doing publicity mostly. Writing press releases and emails, attending events and such. It's pretty exciting. I'm really nervous though because I'm just learning how to do all this and now I have to do it for a real company and I just don't want to mess up. I think if I just pretend I know what I'm doing, it will just flow from there. No worries.
Helen walked me to a different train station, one she said is not "f**king filthy" after my interview. Along the way, we discussed the weather (one stereotype about the British she said is completely true), American customer service, travel and alcohol. If this doesn't seem strange already, picture her (MY BOSS) wearing a short blue, flowy dress with tights underneath, and metallic combat boots. She looks young, maybe in her early 30s but still, this will be an interesting job.
My flatmate, Mary and I went to our first pub lat night. We ordered fish and chips and our first pints of Guinness. It was pretty good. Then we came back and watched Glee :)
Today, the rest of the group gets here and we have another orientation. Later this evening is a walk along the Thames as a group and dinner. After dinner, there is a party at Can of Worms that I think Mary and I will go to. It is to get to know everone in the "yard", or the surrounding shops.
I found out Wednesday that my interview with Can Of Worms would be Thursday at 3 p.m. so I had plenty of time to sleep in and try to find directions. Wednesday night, Laura Mary and I went to Ultimate Burger, where we got massive hamburgers and I ordered my first beer in London. It was so exciting! After dinner, we stopped my the grocery store to get some basics and then went back to the room. The strange thing was that it was like 9 o' clock and it was still bright outside! It looked like what 6 p.m. looks like at home. Needless to say, staying up until 11 or 12 to talk to my family and friends won't be a problem because I definitely won't be trying to go to bed when the sun could still blind me.
Yesterday (Thursday) I slept in so late! 11 a.m.! For those who don't really know, I just physically can't sleep that late normally. It was kind of a big deal to me. Then I got up and tried to map out the way to get to my interview. I figured I would go to Holborn station, change at Piccadilly and get off at Elephant & Castle. The tube was surprisingly easy. Everything was a breeze. I didn't have to wait for a train and I knew exactly where I was going.
Once I got out of the station was a different story. I gave my self 2 hours to get to my interview. And long story short, I was still five minutes late. I was trying my hardest not to have to use my map and look like a dumb American, but in the end I swallowed my pride and finally found my way.
Can of Worms is a very small publishing company that mostly specializes in travel books (like crazy stories like climbing Everest, not just general guide books) and childrens' books. They also publish books by request from organizations or schools. They don't do it for a lot of money which I think is kind of noble in a way. Anyway, Helen, my supervisor and probably the coolest person in London, told me I'll be doing publicity mostly. Writing press releases and emails, attending events and such. It's pretty exciting. I'm really nervous though because I'm just learning how to do all this and now I have to do it for a real company and I just don't want to mess up. I think if I just pretend I know what I'm doing, it will just flow from there. No worries.
Helen walked me to a different train station, one she said is not "f**king filthy" after my interview. Along the way, we discussed the weather (one stereotype about the British she said is completely true), American customer service, travel and alcohol. If this doesn't seem strange already, picture her (MY BOSS) wearing a short blue, flowy dress with tights underneath, and metallic combat boots. She looks young, maybe in her early 30s but still, this will be an interesting job.
My flatmate, Mary and I went to our first pub lat night. We ordered fish and chips and our first pints of Guinness. It was pretty good. Then we came back and watched Glee :)
Today, the rest of the group gets here and we have another orientation. Later this evening is a walk along the Thames as a group and dinner. After dinner, there is a party at Can of Worms that I think Mary and I will go to. It is to get to know everone in the "yard", or the surrounding shops.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
London Calling
So I was all set to go Tuesday morning. Packed. Prepared. Confident. Only to have my little world shattered by a Continental Airlines representative who called at 7:15 a.m. to tell me my flight from Norfolk to Newark had been canceled. All I could think was, "of course this would happen."
My dad, being the awesome super hero that he is, saved the day and booked me a flight out of Richmond with the same connecting flight to Heathrow. However, when I got to Richmond, I was able to get on a 12:55 flight (legit set to leave 20 mins. after we arrived). So my dad and I practically ran to security, said a quick but tearful (on my end anyway) goodbye and I headed off to start the biggest adventure of my life thus far.
The flight to Newark was ok. I just read The Perks of Being A Wallflower the whole time. It kept my mind off of the people I love.
Once I arrived at the airport, I experienced my first shuttle ride alone, my first flight board alone and my first gate searching alone. So I say at gate C92 for a good 5-6 hours and waited. In between calls from my dad, my mom, Sarah and Dan it was al I could do to keep from crying my little eyes out.
The flight to Heathrow was actually really good. I had a window seat and only a small Asian man who did not speak English very well in the aisle seat. I watched episodes of 30 Rock, The Office and The Middle and then fell asleep watching the movie Valentine's Day. Sleeping is never easy on a plane but I managed fairly well.
Finding my group was not a problem at all. But I was so tired! We took a coach to our new home, Madison House, and started to get acquainted with the place. Then we walked over to our classrooms a few blocks away at Florida State University's facilities. We all received Oyster Cards to ride the tube and a mobile phone, along with tons of great info. and maps.
I also had my first taste of food in London. At the airport, I got a Diet Cherry Coke and it tasted nothing like I thoought it would. Ew. Then at the meeting, we had sanwiches and grapes and some crazy soda. Yoga Bunny something. That was pretty good.
I have another meeting in a few minutes about my internship. I will find out when I need to go interview tomorrow! I'm so excited.
Tonight, I am going to the Eye with my flatmates and out to eat.
-APC
My dad, being the awesome super hero that he is, saved the day and booked me a flight out of Richmond with the same connecting flight to Heathrow. However, when I got to Richmond, I was able to get on a 12:55 flight (legit set to leave 20 mins. after we arrived). So my dad and I practically ran to security, said a quick but tearful (on my end anyway) goodbye and I headed off to start the biggest adventure of my life thus far.
The flight to Newark was ok. I just read The Perks of Being A Wallflower the whole time. It kept my mind off of the people I love.
Once I arrived at the airport, I experienced my first shuttle ride alone, my first flight board alone and my first gate searching alone. So I say at gate C92 for a good 5-6 hours and waited. In between calls from my dad, my mom, Sarah and Dan it was al I could do to keep from crying my little eyes out.
The flight to Heathrow was actually really good. I had a window seat and only a small Asian man who did not speak English very well in the aisle seat. I watched episodes of 30 Rock, The Office and The Middle and then fell asleep watching the movie Valentine's Day. Sleeping is never easy on a plane but I managed fairly well.
Finding my group was not a problem at all. But I was so tired! We took a coach to our new home, Madison House, and started to get acquainted with the place. Then we walked over to our classrooms a few blocks away at Florida State University's facilities. We all received Oyster Cards to ride the tube and a mobile phone, along with tons of great info. and maps.
I also had my first taste of food in London. At the airport, I got a Diet Cherry Coke and it tasted nothing like I thoought it would. Ew. Then at the meeting, we had sanwiches and grapes and some crazy soda. Yoga Bunny something. That was pretty good.
I have another meeting in a few minutes about my internship. I will find out when I need to go interview tomorrow! I'm so excited.
Tonight, I am going to the Eye with my flatmates and out to eat.
-APC
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