I'm dating this for yesterday because I should have posted this then instead of now. Oh well. Anyhow, we went to the British Museum yesterday. It was a really fucked up trip on the tube because of this. So, there's really no air conditioning down there, and it's a nice and constant about 85 degrees with 99.99% humidity. And it's rush hour, so we're packed like... well, I would say sardines, but we were all coated with sweat instead of whatever sardines are covered with. Oil, I guess. Anyhow, we all bail off the train a couple of exits early and catch a different one. We end up losing someone in our group (poor thing), but we trudge onward. We take our 10-minute sidewalk-clogging march in rain and wind, and then we're there. The ediface is really imposing and austere, but pretty neat. The gravel front area and steps are clogged with fellow tourists waiting to have their bags inspected. After a cursory glance, we were in, and headed straight for the Rosetta Stone. First off, I thought that it would be round for some reason. It's not. I thought the writing would be really big. It's not (I'd say it's about a 20-point font, at most.) Thirdly, I had the urge to trip a woman and call her a stupid American. She shoved in front of me twice (okay, could be a simple mistake), and then told her husband just to "shove your way to the front. It's the only way." Dumb bitch.
We then saw the Elgin Marbles, which contrary to my first thought, are not round and colorful. They are lovely carvings, ripped from their home in some far-away land (Greece, I think) and plopped into the museum. They've asked for them back, and I think the English government has just thumbed their nose at them. Kind of like the issue with the Getty, I think.
After that, everyone wanted to go to get a drink and sit down, and I couldn't blame them after the horrific tube ride. This was at something like 5ish, and we had to be back to Regent's Park for a play at 8pm. Everyone wanted to run home to get some warmer clothes (and I eventually agreed with them), so we all decided to go back to the flat. I was a bit disappointed, but I could definitely see the rationale of this decision.
So, here is where I get a bit cocky: I am a very good navigator. I know where I'm going, I know how to get there, I know how to read a map, and I know when I should ask for directions. I'm very rarely wrong when looking for things. So, when the group took a random-ass route to leave the museum, I told them I would just meet them out front. I waited 5 minutes, and I figured I would just go ahead home without them. So I go to the tube station we agreed upon (different than the one we came in on so as not to be stuck in all of the nonsense with the Picadilly Line), and I end up stuck behind a bunch of tourists hogging the sidewalk. I'm not really annoyed because I'm really not in a hurry. I double-checked with someone else stuck behind the group to make sure that I'm going the right way to the tube station, and it starts to rain. A homeless, and probably not quite sane person, runs up to a couple of the tourist girls who are sharing an umbrella and huddles under it with them saying, "Thanks, ladies" or something like that. One of the guys from the group runs him off, and crazy homeless guy comes out with his best insult: "Fucking American."
Nice. I haven't had to pull the "I'm Canadian" ruse yet, but I'm keeping it in reserve.
Long story short (well, shorter), I made it back to the flat with a minimum of fuss. Took me about 20 to 30 minutes total. The rest of the group: 45 minutes behind me. The moral of the story: Jake knows where she's going, and you'd do better to follow her if you want to get home quickly. Oh, and we didn't make it to the play in Regent's Park. Too cold and rainy. Oh well.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Dolphin Fish Bar
Yeah, I ran across this place at Stratford on Avon as well. It seems so wrong, but if you think about it, dolphins probably have really great taste in fish, right?
Unless they're talking about eating dolphins, which is right out.
Unless they're talking about eating dolphins, which is right out.
Happy 4th of July (from Stratford on Avon)
So I'm sitting here in my flat. It's 8pm, and I need to run to the store to get some yogurt and bread. I need to write an essay on The Communist Manifesto by tomorrow morning at 10am, and I'm feeling pretty sleepy. I still haven't had dinner, and we've been running around all day at Stratford Upon Avon.
Then it hits me. It's the 4th of July. At home, everyone is sweltering, and BBQing, and packing pic-a-nic baskets and all that good stuff, and I'm sitting here wondering if I need to bring my umbrella while I run down to the store. However, I did feel a bit at home today. You see, between seeing Anne Hathaway's house (that would be Shakespeare's wife) and Shakespeare's birth place, I wandered around town aimlessly. You know, it's nice seeing the historical monuments and all, but more interesting is just talking to the locals. So I make it a point to pop into shops while they're not busy and chat with the shop owners for a few minutes. I ran across this party shop, but I did resist the urge to go in. Utterly fantastic, though. Nice to know there are no hard feelings, right?
Then it hits me. It's the 4th of July. At home, everyone is sweltering, and BBQing, and packing pic-a-nic baskets and all that good stuff, and I'm sitting here wondering if I need to bring my umbrella while I run down to the store. However, I did feel a bit at home today. You see, between seeing Anne Hathaway's house (that would be Shakespeare's wife) and Shakespeare's birth place, I wandered around town aimlessly. You know, it's nice seeing the historical monuments and all, but more interesting is just talking to the locals. So I make it a point to pop into shops while they're not busy and chat with the shop owners for a few minutes. I ran across this party shop, but I did resist the urge to go in. Utterly fantastic, though. Nice to know there are no hard feelings, right?
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The Victoria and Albert, and Westminster Abbey
First off, before I forget. The funniest thing I've EVER seen is a open-topped tourist bus being caught in a rain storm. It was perfectly lovely, then the skies opened up and it started pouring... and these poor people stuck in the open top of the bus tried their damnedest to not get soaked. It was so funny, but also a "but for the grace of god, there go I" kind of moment. It made me snicker all day.
So yesterday, I went to the Victoria and Albert museum. It is an art museum, but it's very, very grand. I tried to take some pictures while I was in there, but frankly, any pictures I take would not do the area justice. I did get a couple of nice pictures of the courtyard, and I did like the picture I took of the info desk. What amazed me was the castings of major sculptures that had been done in the Victorian ages. They had one casting of a pillar (or something) in the colleseum that would have been 180 feet tall, if it hadn't been (intentionally) broken in half. The scale was unbelievable, especially in an enclosed building. I really enjoyed myself, and the photography gallery, although small, was fantastic. I couldn't figure out how to get a Salvador Dali mask home, so I left that one at the museum gift shop.
Today, I had class, then we went to the Westminster Abbey. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. You know how you have that crazy older relative who has their house absolutely crammed full of tchockes, so that you can't admire any of them because they're just freakin' everywhere? Well that's what the Westminster Abbey felt like. Except with coffins.
So yesterday, I went to the Victoria and Albert museum. It is an art museum, but it's very, very grand. I tried to take some pictures while I was in there, but frankly, any pictures I take would not do the area justice. I did get a couple of nice pictures of the courtyard, and I did like the picture I took of the info desk. What amazed me was the castings of major sculptures that had been done in the Victorian ages. They had one casting of a pillar (or something) in the colleseum that would have been 180 feet tall, if it hadn't been (intentionally) broken in half. The scale was unbelievable, especially in an enclosed building. I really enjoyed myself, and the photography gallery, although small, was fantastic. I couldn't figure out how to get a Salvador Dali mask home, so I left that one at the museum gift shop.
Today, I had class, then we went to the Westminster Abbey. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. You know how you have that crazy older relative who has their house absolutely crammed full of tchockes, so that you can't admire any of them because they're just freakin' everywhere? Well that's what the Westminster Abbey felt like. Except with coffins.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Natural History Museum and General Thoughts on London
I'm still sick. My ears creak and squeak, my throat feels like I unsuccessfully tried to swallow a golf ball, and I'm intermittently feverish. However, I feel amazingly better than I have all this week, so I figured it was time to go out and explore the neighborhood.
I was too sick to go to Kensington Gardens with everyone else (and I knew I would have to make up the trip), so I started walking up there. It's only about 1/2 mile away, so it's no big deal. The weather had been cloudy all morning, but little to no rain. Of course, the moment I stepped outside, it started sprinkling. No biggie. I bring my umbrella everywhere just for that reason. As I'm walking, it gets worse, but nothing I can't handle. Finally, when I get within about a block of the park, it starts raining in earnest, the wind gusts, and my umbrella turns inside-out. I took it as a sign and turned back. However, I didn't want my walk to be in vain (and I really didn't want to stare at the same 4 walls of the flat for the rest of the afternoon), so I decided to pop by one of the museums on the way home.
Now a couple of observations about London in general:
1) Londoners are ALWAYS in a rush. No one strolls, even the mother talking her child on a walk in the sunshine. I walk slowly even when I'm feeling great, so I immediately feel out of place on the sidewalks. I figured they might slow down in the museum, but largely, no. People seemed to charge from exhibit and exhibit as if they were late for an appointment.
2) London smells funny. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's a rancid buttery, smoky smell. It's even less pleasant than it sounds. It's very odd to me because it comes up randomly, and I can't quite figure out the source. However, I'm certain that when I got home, I'll find that it smells odd there as well. Unfortunately, though, to me, the whole museum smelled vaguely gross. Maybe that's why I have no appetite here.
3) London weather hates me. I think it stopped raining just as soon as I went into the museum.
4) London drivers are very scary, but I haven't had too many more close calls. However, given the choice of taking a longer walk on the same side of the street, versus having to cross the street more, but having a shorter walk, I'll definitely take the longer walk. And I'm lazy! It does make me yearn for home, though. Who knew that I would look forward to the sanity of traffic in Los Angeles?
Anyhow, the museum wasn't very good. The building was spectacular, but the exhibits were dusty and depressing. On the upside, I saw my first dodo pelt. Uh whee?
One other thing I found out is that this area of the city is absolutely crawling with tourists. I mostly heard French and German, but there were definitely a smattering of American accents tossed in there as well. It's funny how easily one can pick out the Americans. I make a game of it on the street. See, Londoners are generally slim, and look like they want to be any place but where they are. They wear dark leather shoes and practical over garments. I haven't seen a Londoner over 25 (save construction workers) wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I can always spot the American 20-something females. They are a bit curvier, have on jeans, a form-fitting t-shirt (or a couple layered shirts), a sweatshirt, and flip-flops. They invariably travel in packs and are often carrying maps and looking lost. Generally speaking, if someone is wearing tennis shoes, they are a tourist. Exceptions may be given for small, ballet-slipper-like fashionable tennies.
Well, I'm going to get back to my reading, but that's my thoughts for having been here a week. Well, actually, one more thing. The car bombs.
I haven't been out of the flat much because I've been so sick. I've wanted to go down to the pub and strike up a conversation with a local and see their take on things. What I've found by way of the TV news, though, is that this isn't a huge deal. I mean, yeah, it is important, but if this happened in Los Angeles, we would have breaking news on this every 10 minutes. I've gotten more details from CNN than from BBC. I can't tell you why, but I'm assuming it's because no one was hurt, and these folks had pretty rudimentary devices. On the boards that I'm on, someone commented that they must be running the terrorist special olympics, and that just kind of summed up what I think people are feeling about this. I mean, they lived through the IRA -- they have "army" in their name for god's sake -- so why would a couple of amateurs like these knuckleheads ruffle anyone's feathers?
I was too sick to go to Kensington Gardens with everyone else (and I knew I would have to make up the trip), so I started walking up there. It's only about 1/2 mile away, so it's no big deal. The weather had been cloudy all morning, but little to no rain. Of course, the moment I stepped outside, it started sprinkling. No biggie. I bring my umbrella everywhere just for that reason. As I'm walking, it gets worse, but nothing I can't handle. Finally, when I get within about a block of the park, it starts raining in earnest, the wind gusts, and my umbrella turns inside-out. I took it as a sign and turned back. However, I didn't want my walk to be in vain (and I really didn't want to stare at the same 4 walls of the flat for the rest of the afternoon), so I decided to pop by one of the museums on the way home.
Now a couple of observations about London in general:
1) Londoners are ALWAYS in a rush. No one strolls, even the mother talking her child on a walk in the sunshine. I walk slowly even when I'm feeling great, so I immediately feel out of place on the sidewalks. I figured they might slow down in the museum, but largely, no. People seemed to charge from exhibit and exhibit as if they were late for an appointment.
2) London smells funny. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's a rancid buttery, smoky smell. It's even less pleasant than it sounds. It's very odd to me because it comes up randomly, and I can't quite figure out the source. However, I'm certain that when I got home, I'll find that it smells odd there as well. Unfortunately, though, to me, the whole museum smelled vaguely gross. Maybe that's why I have no appetite here.
3) London weather hates me. I think it stopped raining just as soon as I went into the museum.
4) London drivers are very scary, but I haven't had too many more close calls. However, given the choice of taking a longer walk on the same side of the street, versus having to cross the street more, but having a shorter walk, I'll definitely take the longer walk. And I'm lazy! It does make me yearn for home, though. Who knew that I would look forward to the sanity of traffic in Los Angeles?
Anyhow, the museum wasn't very good. The building was spectacular, but the exhibits were dusty and depressing. On the upside, I saw my first dodo pelt. Uh whee?
One other thing I found out is that this area of the city is absolutely crawling with tourists. I mostly heard French and German, but there were definitely a smattering of American accents tossed in there as well. It's funny how easily one can pick out the Americans. I make a game of it on the street. See, Londoners are generally slim, and look like they want to be any place but where they are. They wear dark leather shoes and practical over garments. I haven't seen a Londoner over 25 (save construction workers) wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I can always spot the American 20-something females. They are a bit curvier, have on jeans, a form-fitting t-shirt (or a couple layered shirts), a sweatshirt, and flip-flops. They invariably travel in packs and are often carrying maps and looking lost. Generally speaking, if someone is wearing tennis shoes, they are a tourist. Exceptions may be given for small, ballet-slipper-like fashionable tennies.
Well, I'm going to get back to my reading, but that's my thoughts for having been here a week. Well, actually, one more thing. The car bombs.
I haven't been out of the flat much because I've been so sick. I've wanted to go down to the pub and strike up a conversation with a local and see their take on things. What I've found by way of the TV news, though, is that this isn't a huge deal. I mean, yeah, it is important, but if this happened in Los Angeles, we would have breaking news on this every 10 minutes. I've gotten more details from CNN than from BBC. I can't tell you why, but I'm assuming it's because no one was hurt, and these folks had pretty rudimentary devices. On the boards that I'm on, someone commented that they must be running the terrorist special olympics, and that just kind of summed up what I think people are feeling about this. I mean, they lived through the IRA -- they have "army" in their name for god's sake -- so why would a couple of amateurs like these knuckleheads ruffle anyone's feathers?
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Everything's Cool
I'm starting to feel a lot better. I should be back to at least 75% by Monday, which is fantastic. However, I just wanted to leave a quick note for everyone letting them know that everything is fine here. Yes, we are the West side of London and are decently close to Picafdilly Circus, everything seems pretty okay in the city. Of course, I'm not really out and about today, but so far, everything is just fine. I'll let you know if I make any other interesting observations.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thank god for insurance
So, it seems that I caught a bug on the plane. There's never yet been a time that I haven't gotten sick sometime after I've flown on a plane, despite taking airborne and washing my hands thoroughly. So, when I started coming down with a little cold, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Unfortunately, I wasn't getting better. I got sick on Tuesday night, and each day, I've felt worse, and have been running a nasty fever. Well, I can only assume it was a nasty fever, seeing as how we don't have a thermometer. Anyhow, I've been trying to keep up with everything, but have just been feeling worse and worse. Finally, one of the student life people at our program asked me why I didn't see a doctor. So, I called the insurance folks (I'm insured through the study abroad program), and they offered to see me at 10:30 or at 11:45. Bear in mind, this was at 10:00. So I took the 11:45 appointment and dragged my sick ass over to the doctor. He was super, SUPER nice, and the whole experience was really interesting. First off, I met with a secretary in a front offic to work out my personal details, then she walked me over to the doctor. We spent about 5 minutes chatting about what was wrong, any prescription drugs I was already on, and my medical history. He did a thorough exam (and he did agree that my throat looked pretty nasty), and he prescribed an antibiotic and sent me on my way. The worst part was that my fever had broken that morning, so I couldn't stop sweating in the waiting room, in the tube, walking to and front the tube, and etc. Oh well. I'm sure I'll be feeling better shortly, and I'm hoping I'll be able to get some rest since the weekend is here.
Speaking of which, it wasn't look like the roomies will be travelling this weekend (DAMN!), so I won't have the place to myself. However, I'm assuming they'll largely be out and about (and I've been politely told not to do anything over the next few days), so I'm hoping I will have some peace and quiet to get some reading in.
Oh, and very interestingly, I was in the Picadilly Circus station this morning while going to the doctor, and I didn't notice anything odd. However, I didn't have to go aboveground; I was just transferring stations.
Speaking of which, it wasn't look like the roomies will be travelling this weekend (DAMN!), so I won't have the place to myself. However, I'm assuming they'll largely be out and about (and I've been politely told not to do anything over the next few days), so I'm hoping I will have some peace and quiet to get some reading in.
Oh, and very interestingly, I was in the Picadilly Circus station this morning while going to the doctor, and I didn't notice anything odd. However, I didn't have to go aboveground; I was just transferring stations.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
June 27 Wrap-up
I'm still not feeling well. I'm tired, I have a sore through, and I had a really, really high fever this morning. I couldn't stop shivering, but it seems like the advil has mostly controlled that. I still don't feel like myself, but I think I'm on the mend. We had class from 10 until 2:30 this afternoon, and I could barely keep my eyes open. There are a total of 13 people in the english class, and the double-mint twins from my flat plopped down next to me and began to chat. They were talking throughout the entire class, and it finally pissed me off enough (and our prof wasn't doing anything about it), so I asked them to quit it. They stopped for a few minutes, then started talking quieter, then looking at me. Greeeeat. So after class, I came home and just collapsed. I thought that I just blinked my eyes, but I think I woke up like 3 hours later. Time is so weird around here. Every day is very long, and all of them blend together. Part of it is certainly the jet lag, but the other part is probably just how busy we are. Tomorrow we're going to Leeds and Canterbury, and I'm looking forward to both of them. Well, except for the walking up the stairs on the knees. I think I'll skip that part. I'm still not feeling like myself, but taking a day to relax has probably done me a lot of good.
Windsor Castle Recap
I have to keep journals for school, so this is actually for my assignment. I hope to keep these interesting, so I figured I might as well combine my purposes and put it on here. So here we go!
---
The trains are different here. Going from the ciminally inefficient Amtrak to the thus-far reliable British railway system is pretty cool. Windsor is an easy hour-long train ride outside of the city. The scenery we travelled through was an interesting blend of old and modern buildings, and everything was lushly green because of the recent rain. It was a very interesting contrast to the brown and khaki landscape at home.
We walked up a long hill to get into the Windsor castle, and the streets were lined with tourist traps. It reminded me a lot of Solvang back home. However, once we got inside the gates, the tacky shops seemed very far removed. The castle's form reflects its intended function: a fortress. The walls are high and it makes for a wonderful view of the surrounding area. We went through to see the dollhouse, but that really didn't strike me. The next room we went into did, though. I was amazed by the sketch room, especially the Leonardo da Vinci sketches. They were so amazingly detailed, and it really made me appreciate how difficult this must have been in a world without photographs. Even the simplest studies for other, larger works were transcendentally beautiful.
As I walked through the apartments, I was really struck by the passage of time. I have mostly regarding history as "a long time agao" and made little distinction between time periods.
What fascinated me was the juxtaposition of the modern world (bobbies with assault rifles) and the armory room. It made me remember that this castle has been around for a long time, and visitors to the castle 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years ago would have also regarded it as old. The point I'm trying to make is that history isn't just a matter of "recently" versus "a long time ago." I have always understood this fact intellectually, but this was the first time it really struck me in such a visceral way.
---
The trains are different here. Going from the ciminally inefficient Amtrak to the thus-far reliable British railway system is pretty cool. Windsor is an easy hour-long train ride outside of the city. The scenery we travelled through was an interesting blend of old and modern buildings, and everything was lushly green because of the recent rain. It was a very interesting contrast to the brown and khaki landscape at home.
We walked up a long hill to get into the Windsor castle, and the streets were lined with tourist traps. It reminded me a lot of Solvang back home. However, once we got inside the gates, the tacky shops seemed very far removed. The castle's form reflects its intended function: a fortress. The walls are high and it makes for a wonderful view of the surrounding area. We went through to see the dollhouse, but that really didn't strike me. The next room we went into did, though. I was amazed by the sketch room, especially the Leonardo da Vinci sketches. They were so amazingly detailed, and it really made me appreciate how difficult this must have been in a world without photographs. Even the simplest studies for other, larger works were transcendentally beautiful.
As I walked through the apartments, I was really struck by the passage of time. I have mostly regarding history as "a long time agao" and made little distinction between time periods.
What fascinated me was the juxtaposition of the modern world (bobbies with assault rifles) and the armory room. It made me remember that this castle has been around for a long time, and visitors to the castle 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years ago would have also regarded it as old. The point I'm trying to make is that history isn't just a matter of "recently" versus "a long time ago." I have always understood this fact intellectually, but this was the first time it really struck me in such a visceral way.
It's *what* time?
Yeah, that's right. It's about 2:20 local time. Unfortunately, it feels like I'm coming down with a cold from the flight over (I ALWAYS get sick when we fly. Maybe I should stop licking the fixtures in the bathroom in the plane. Hmm, I'll try that on the way back.)
Anyhow, I'm up so late because of roommate issues. So, a little bit of background on our living quarters. We live in a house dedicated to our study abroad program. There are a bunch of us punk-ass american students living on this nice quiet block. Sorry, neighbors! Anyhow, our group of 13 is split up into three different flats. Each flat (except the guy's flat) has two rooms, and each room has either two or three girls. There are 10 girls split between two flats, and the three guys all share one flat. I've mentioned drippy girlfriend, I think. She has a boyfriend on the program, and I think she was under the impression that they were going to be together 100% of the time during the program, and that she would have his undivided attention. He's an ass for not setting her straight on that. Anyhow, drippy girlfriend was down in the guy's flat with asshole boyfriend (aside to Chris: he's the guy who wouldn't shut the fuck up during the orientation meeting). The other two guys were up in our flat, hanging out with the two girls who are inseperable and won't talk to anyone else. Actually, it's pretty cool: one of the guys, Cap't Smarmy, took it as a project to get the two doublemint twins to come out of their shell. He did a really good job of it, too. So anyhow, it ended up that everyone up here in our flat: Cap't Smarmy, the Double-Mint twins, Party Girl, and Token (he's a token because he's religiously conservative). We were all hanging out and chatting, and then it got late. Really late. I went to bed, and essentially broke up the little swaree. The two guys went down to their flat.... then came back in like 3 minutes. Bear in mind, they're two floors below, so it takes about 2 minutes to go down there. Guess who caught the little lovebirds in a compromising position, and they forgot to hang something on the door. Again, total asshole behavior in my mind. So yeah. They came back up here, and they're going to just sleep in here.
This whole things is fascinating to me because I never had that quintessential college dorm experience, and I never noticed things like this when I went to camp in high school. It's very funny viewing it from (what I feel is an) outside view. I mean, I'm automatically outside the drama because I'm always off doing my own thing. I don't feel like doing what they're doing? No one reads anything into it. I want to go to bed early (heh, still hasn't happened)? I certainly can do so without any drama. Everone, myself included, already recognizes me as "not one of them" and so I don't get wrapped up into the so-and-so said this, and isn't this other person being a bitch, and blah blah blah. It kind of makes me realize that high school didn't have to be as miserable and cliquey as it was... well, if I had been a different person. It's also interesting to watch the interactions of other folks and be able to pick out what's going to happen and why about 5 minutes before everything does. Kind of a weird sociology experiement, I guess. Like living among the natives, don't you know?
See what I did there? See, I did the two meanings in one. (Oh, and it cracked me up that one of our orientation people, a Londoner, did the "see what I did there?" schtick. It really is a global community!
Anyhow, I'm up so late because of roommate issues. So, a little bit of background on our living quarters. We live in a house dedicated to our study abroad program. There are a bunch of us punk-ass american students living on this nice quiet block. Sorry, neighbors! Anyhow, our group of 13 is split up into three different flats. Each flat (except the guy's flat) has two rooms, and each room has either two or three girls. There are 10 girls split between two flats, and the three guys all share one flat. I've mentioned drippy girlfriend, I think. She has a boyfriend on the program, and I think she was under the impression that they were going to be together 100% of the time during the program, and that she would have his undivided attention. He's an ass for not setting her straight on that. Anyhow, drippy girlfriend was down in the guy's flat with asshole boyfriend (aside to Chris: he's the guy who wouldn't shut the fuck up during the orientation meeting). The other two guys were up in our flat, hanging out with the two girls who are inseperable and won't talk to anyone else. Actually, it's pretty cool: one of the guys, Cap't Smarmy, took it as a project to get the two doublemint twins to come out of their shell. He did a really good job of it, too. So anyhow, it ended up that everyone up here in our flat: Cap't Smarmy, the Double-Mint twins, Party Girl, and Token (he's a token because he's religiously conservative). We were all hanging out and chatting, and then it got late. Really late. I went to bed, and essentially broke up the little swaree. The two guys went down to their flat.... then came back in like 3 minutes. Bear in mind, they're two floors below, so it takes about 2 minutes to go down there. Guess who caught the little lovebirds in a compromising position, and they forgot to hang something on the door. Again, total asshole behavior in my mind. So yeah. They came back up here, and they're going to just sleep in here.
This whole things is fascinating to me because I never had that quintessential college dorm experience, and I never noticed things like this when I went to camp in high school. It's very funny viewing it from (what I feel is an) outside view. I mean, I'm automatically outside the drama because I'm always off doing my own thing. I don't feel like doing what they're doing? No one reads anything into it. I want to go to bed early (heh, still hasn't happened)? I certainly can do so without any drama. Everone, myself included, already recognizes me as "not one of them" and so I don't get wrapped up into the so-and-so said this, and isn't this other person being a bitch, and blah blah blah. It kind of makes me realize that high school didn't have to be as miserable and cliquey as it was... well, if I had been a different person. It's also interesting to watch the interactions of other folks and be able to pick out what's going to happen and why about 5 minutes before everything does. Kind of a weird sociology experiement, I guess. Like living among the natives, don't you know?
See what I did there? See, I did the two meanings in one. (Oh, and it cracked me up that one of our orientation people, a Londoner, did the "see what I did there?" schtick. It really is a global community!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Totally bitchin'
I was walking to the tube station this morning, and a man asked me for directions... and I was totally able to direct him. I'm so awesome.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Monday Evening
So, my wrap-up for the day:
In the morning, we took a bus tour of the city. It seems pretty wasteful that they use a huge coach for just the 16 of us, but I can't complain too much. It seems like the only roomy place in the city.
Speaking of complaining, yeah, I found out that they put us all together because they just don't have any other rooms available. *sigh* At least my two roomies will be travelling on the weekends, so I'll be able to have the place to myself whenever they're out and I'm in. Only 27 more days, right? So, I take out the 6 days they'll be travlling and we're looking at only 21 more days. I can deal with that! :)
Anyhow, after the bus tour we had lunchtime to ourselves, so I went to some oddly-named place for lunch (Pret A Manger, I think) which was pretty tasty. We had our orientation meeting at the FIE place, then we went to Imperial College to go work with the travel agency to plan our weekend trips. (Whoo, more on that another time.) A few of us stopped in for a quick drink, then I took a walk in Hyde Park. I came home, putzed on the computer (oh, how I miss you, fiber-optic connection at home!), then attempted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe. Oh, that turned out interesting. Long story short, people should not doubt me when I say "You need to hurry up, quick, quick" when I'm telling them to get on the tube. Our group got split up, and Hard Rock had a 1.5 hour wait. This is at 9:30 at night on a Monday. Good god. Anyhow, I ended up just walking home because... well, because I'm an idiot. I know that I'll get familiar with the neighborhood and stop ending up on these long excursions, but in the meantime, I'm freakin' beat.
So, my fun story of the day was on my way home. I didn't have dinner, and I hadn't eaten a thing since lunchtime, so I was hungry and tired. I stopped into a Marks and Spencer fancy-pants grocery/snack place, and picked up a *tiny* thing of grapes (maybe about 3/4 of a cup... 130 grams is you want to do the math: $2.10), a 4-pack of chocolate mousse ($3.58) and box of 80 teabags ($4.18). Yeah, everything is definitely more expensive here (except the tea!), but I was just scandalized by the price of fruit. Anyhow, I was about to go check out, and I realized that I forgot to get teabags, but I hadn't seen them. So here's my conversation with the girl who was stocking the stuff in the back:
Me: Excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but do you carry tea?
Her: Carry tea? No, but we certainly have tea. You're so fancy!
So yeah. I was called "fancy" by a Londoner. Worship me! Actually, she was really funny, and pretty amused with my valley girl impression, ohmygawd! So my day has ended on an up-note, and I'm going to go take a nice shower and try to fall alseep before my roomies get in. We'll see how that goes.
In the morning, we took a bus tour of the city. It seems pretty wasteful that they use a huge coach for just the 16 of us, but I can't complain too much. It seems like the only roomy place in the city.
Speaking of complaining, yeah, I found out that they put us all together because they just don't have any other rooms available. *sigh* At least my two roomies will be travelling on the weekends, so I'll be able to have the place to myself whenever they're out and I'm in. Only 27 more days, right? So, I take out the 6 days they'll be travlling and we're looking at only 21 more days. I can deal with that! :)
Anyhow, after the bus tour we had lunchtime to ourselves, so I went to some oddly-named place for lunch (Pret A Manger, I think) which was pretty tasty. We had our orientation meeting at the FIE place, then we went to Imperial College to go work with the travel agency to plan our weekend trips. (Whoo, more on that another time.) A few of us stopped in for a quick drink, then I took a walk in Hyde Park. I came home, putzed on the computer (oh, how I miss you, fiber-optic connection at home!), then attempted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe. Oh, that turned out interesting. Long story short, people should not doubt me when I say "You need to hurry up, quick, quick" when I'm telling them to get on the tube. Our group got split up, and Hard Rock had a 1.5 hour wait. This is at 9:30 at night on a Monday. Good god. Anyhow, I ended up just walking home because... well, because I'm an idiot. I know that I'll get familiar with the neighborhood and stop ending up on these long excursions, but in the meantime, I'm freakin' beat.
So, my fun story of the day was on my way home. I didn't have dinner, and I hadn't eaten a thing since lunchtime, so I was hungry and tired. I stopped into a Marks and Spencer fancy-pants grocery/snack place, and picked up a *tiny* thing of grapes (maybe about 3/4 of a cup... 130 grams is you want to do the math: $2.10), a 4-pack of chocolate mousse ($3.58) and box of 80 teabags ($4.18). Yeah, everything is definitely more expensive here (except the tea!), but I was just scandalized by the price of fruit. Anyhow, I was about to go check out, and I realized that I forgot to get teabags, but I hadn't seen them. So here's my conversation with the girl who was stocking the stuff in the back:
Me: Excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but do you carry tea?
Her: Carry tea? No, but we certainly have tea. You're so fancy!
So yeah. I was called "fancy" by a Londoner. Worship me! Actually, she was really funny, and pretty amused with my valley girl impression, ohmygawd! So my day has ended on an up-note, and I'm going to go take a nice shower and try to fall alseep before my roomies get in. We'll see how that goes.
He tried to kill me, he did! (written Monday morning in the cafe)
I took a walking tour on my own this morning. You know, I know that traffic is on the wrong side of the street, but in practice, it's a bit different. The cyclists, both motor and otherwise, are absolutely insane over here. It will definitely take a while to get used to the traffic. I'm used to LA traffic but these tiny little streets make my eyeballs itch. There are a ton more diesels and, interestingly enough, 2-stroke engines. Being a vegetarian seems much simpler here, and it seems that they love their aubergine (not sure if I spelled that right. "Eggplant" is so much simpler.) So, score one for me who has managed not to get run over by a double-decker bus. Now, if I could just figure out the coins, I'd be doing great.
It's the next morning...
And after a shower and a few hours of sleep, things are looking up. On the agenda for the day is a 1/2 day bus tour of the city, and an orientation program for the study-abroad program. Oh the fun that will be .... for them. They're going to get to explain what happened to my single room. Hooray!
Monday, June 25th, 1:00am GMT
So we're all settled into the flat after about 20 hours of travel time and much agita. We all pretty much agree that it's kind of a dump, and everyone feels pretty gypped. Anyhow, a few of us were just sitting around chatting about how we could have gotten a hotel for the month for the same amount of money and could have booked our own travel and blah blah blah. But I think the point is that we're all so very fried right now. No one has had a proper night of sleep. No one has had a good solid meal. So things will probably start looking a lot better tomorrow.
As for myself, I requested a single room and was willing to pay more for this privilege. I didn't care about whether I shared a bathroom or kitchen; I just wanted a bedroom to myself. Well guess what: instead of putting me alone or just with one person, they put me with two. Uh whee? At least the two people I'm with are both pretty mellow and mature, so that's all to the good.
I know that I said that I knew that things weren't going to work out as I expected, but Jesus H Christ was I right. *sigh* But again, we all have to realise that we're just feeling tired and bitchy. The problem is that I've just gotten my... well, I guess it would be 4th wind at this point, and I'm not sure sleep will be coming my nay soon. Nothing I can do right now but wade through everything and just take things one at a time.
The only problem: I tried to fall asleep earlier, and I realized that during my fitful bits of sleep, I felt so much better.... and upon waking, I felt worse. I realised it was because I was upset and I was happier in my dreams. Kind of sad, but it's just the first night blues. Thinks will look better tomorrow.
As for myself, I requested a single room and was willing to pay more for this privilege. I didn't care about whether I shared a bathroom or kitchen; I just wanted a bedroom to myself. Well guess what: instead of putting me alone or just with one person, they put me with two. Uh whee? At least the two people I'm with are both pretty mellow and mature, so that's all to the good.
I know that I said that I knew that things weren't going to work out as I expected, but Jesus H Christ was I right. *sigh* But again, we all have to realise that we're just feeling tired and bitchy. The problem is that I've just gotten my... well, I guess it would be 4th wind at this point, and I'm not sure sleep will be coming my nay soon. Nothing I can do right now but wade through everything and just take things one at a time.
The only problem: I tried to fall asleep earlier, and I realized that during my fitful bits of sleep, I felt so much better.... and upon waking, I felt worse. I realised it was because I was upset and I was happier in my dreams. Kind of sad, but it's just the first night blues. Thinks will look better tomorrow.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday June 24th - 8am Pacific (4pm London time)
I'm still on the plane. We're making good time (they've said that the actual flight time is actually more like 9.5 hours instead of 10.5, and that seems to be pretty true thus far. At this point, I left the house around 16 hours ago, and I still have about 3 or 4 more hours of travel in front of me. The plane ride has been smooth as glass, and the little in-seat screens are pretty nifty. I've been able to coserve the battery on my iPod which has been pretty nice. They had three episodes of my favorite bitchy doctor show, and so that wasted a few hours.
I've catnapped for a few minutes here and there, but I've been pretty good about staying awake so far. I know I've hit my second wind and I will crash pretty hard, but for now, I'm fine.
I think I mentioned that part of travelling is appreciating all of the small differences. One of them actually gave me goosebumps just because it was so surreal. They have the british release of the House TV show, and they use a different theme. I can't remember exactly why (something about Massive Attack being more popular over there, or some such nonsense), but it was so weird seeing something so familiar in such a foreign way. I know I'll be experiecing this a lot over the next couple of weeks, but for now, I'm amused by the novelty of it.
I've catnapped for a few minutes here and there, but I've been pretty good about staying awake so far. I know I've hit my second wind and I will crash pretty hard, but for now, I'm fine.
I think I mentioned that part of travelling is appreciating all of the small differences. One of them actually gave me goosebumps just because it was so surreal. They have the british release of the House TV show, and they use a different theme. I can't remember exactly why (something about Massive Attack being more popular over there, or some such nonsense), but it was so weird seeing something so familiar in such a foreign way. I know I'll be experiecing this a lot over the next couple of weeks, but for now, I'm amused by the novelty of it.
Saturday June 23rd, 8:05pm PST
I'm at the airport, and my flight was scheduled to leave at 8:50 tonight. Chris dropped me off at the airport at 5:30, so I've been here for coming up on three hours now. By now, we should have been onboard the plane and getting ready to go, but unfortunately, our flight has been delayed three hours. I didn't think to check that before I left the house, so what can you do? Hell, even if I had known, would I have come to the airport later? Maybe not. I mean, Chris did have to get to the concert.
I'm not proud nor ashamed to admit that I was pretty broken-up when we said goodbye. It's really hard to imagine 4 weeks without him, and the distance between us seems to be so much. I did get over it, and I pulled myself together before I met up with the group. I mean, I have a reputation to keep, right? I'm sure it will hit me in little unexpected ways how much I miss him, but facts are facts. The only thing I can change is how I deal with it. At least that's going to be my mantra.
So I'm sitting in the airport, overwraught, overheated, and overtired, and I still have a 3.5 hour wait, then a 10.5 hour flight before I'll even be to the other airport, much less my flat. I'm crampy and tired and grumpy, and working hard not to cry because I miss Chris so much. Only 4 more weeks.
I'm not proud nor ashamed to admit that I was pretty broken-up when we said goodbye. It's really hard to imagine 4 weeks without him, and the distance between us seems to be so much. I did get over it, and I pulled myself together before I met up with the group. I mean, I have a reputation to keep, right? I'm sure it will hit me in little unexpected ways how much I miss him, but facts are facts. The only thing I can change is how I deal with it. At least that's going to be my mantra.
So I'm sitting in the airport, overwraught, overheated, and overtired, and I still have a 3.5 hour wait, then a 10.5 hour flight before I'll even be to the other airport, much less my flat. I'm crampy and tired and grumpy, and working hard not to cry because I miss Chris so much. Only 4 more weeks.
Monday, June 18, 2007
My last Monday in SoCal
Alright, just a little bit over-the-top melodramatic there, but that's okay. After today, I only have 4 more days of work, but I'm starting to feel like I have things a bit more under control. I got all of my clothes washed and ready to go, and I'm starting to pack stuff that I won't need for this week. Then on Saturday, I'll be able to just do a quick load of laundry, toss the remainder of my stuff in a duffel bag, and be good to go. I wanted to keep it down to only a rolling suitcase, but it looks like I'll have to carry a duffel bag too. That's still not too bad.
The oddest part of all this is knowing that I'm going to be waking up in a strange place starting next week. I keep going over in my mind how I anticipate things are going to be, and I know that they're never quite right, but it doesn't stop me from trying to figure out how everything will look and feel. In the end, I suppose that the best part of travelling is being continually surprised by all the little differences.
The oddest part of all this is knowing that I'm going to be waking up in a strange place starting next week. I keep going over in my mind how I anticipate things are going to be, and I know that they're never quite right, but it doesn't stop me from trying to figure out how everything will look and feel. In the end, I suppose that the best part of travelling is being continually surprised by all the little differences.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The countdown keeps counting down
Chris and I went to an organizational meeting today to go over the details of the trip and to meet everyone. Suddenly it hit me how much older I am than everyone. I mean, it's really nice because I'll definitely have a bit more... well, freedom, I guess. The person running the trip, Mary, asked that everyone travel in pairs if we're going out of the country because, in her words, "ya'll are kids," but she caught my eye when she said that. I feel like I definitely will be able to appreciate the trip on a different level, if for no other reason than I'm paying for it myself, you know?
So, final plans are in order and I'm going to mail out the URL for this blog shortly. I'm not going to make it private or anything, but I don't think I'll share this with the folks. I'm sure that I won't have anything bad to say, but just in case I need to say "motherfucker," "fucking dumbshit," or "frisky lemurs," I want to feel free to do so.
So, final plans are in order and I'm going to mail out the URL for this blog shortly. I'm not going to make it private or anything, but I don't think I'll share this with the folks. I'm sure that I won't have anything bad to say, but just in case I need to say "motherfucker," "fucking dumbshit," or "frisky lemurs," I want to feel free to do so.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Umbrella (Test Message from Flickr)
This is a test message. I only have two more weekends in California, and I can't quite get it through my thick skull that yes, I'm leaving; yes, I need to get a ton of work done around the house before I go, and; yes, I still have to finish out this silly semester of school before I go. Yeesh. I'm so antsy yet unprepared.
So anyhow, instead of doing useful stuff, such as finishing a paper, finishing a speech, or doing housework, I'm working on getting all of my electronics together and working before I go. I'm linked up my flickr stream with this blog so I can easily post pictures on flickr, then write a more extended entry about them on here. Kind of a really neat concept, but it relies on several different items. First off, I have to get an adapter for the laptop. Then I have to get an adapter for the digital camera (or just use film for everything and get things scanned at the camera shop). Then I have to make sure that I actually have good connectivity and actually have time to do all this blogging while I'm on the road.
So I've set up ANOTHER bit of technology, but this one's a bit older. My old visor PDA that my husband gave me for our 1st anniversary (about 7 years ago) is still very functional, and the fold-out keyboard still works great. Since it runs on batteries, I don't have to worry about pesky adapters or anything and it's tiny, so I can take it on the road. But again, this hinges on having something that I sync it up with, then connect to the internet. Who knew that living abroad for a month would be so difficult!
So anyhow, instead of doing useful stuff, such as finishing a paper, finishing a speech, or doing housework, I'm working on getting all of my electronics together and working before I go. I'm linked up my flickr stream with this blog so I can easily post pictures on flickr, then write a more extended entry about them on here. Kind of a really neat concept, but it relies on several different items. First off, I have to get an adapter for the laptop. Then I have to get an adapter for the digital camera (or just use film for everything and get things scanned at the camera shop). Then I have to make sure that I actually have good connectivity and actually have time to do all this blogging while I'm on the road.
So I've set up ANOTHER bit of technology, but this one's a bit older. My old visor PDA that my husband gave me for our 1st anniversary (about 7 years ago) is still very functional, and the fold-out keyboard still works great. Since it runs on batteries, I don't have to worry about pesky adapters or anything and it's tiny, so I can take it on the road. But again, this hinges on having something that I sync it up with, then connect to the internet. Who knew that living abroad for a month would be so difficult!
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