A Week Without Class

Hey,

So, classes are over for this term! WOOHOO! I am off to Spain and Portugal tomorrow to visit with my family, who flew from Chicago to hangout with me (and of course see the country). I am very excited to relax with them and tour through Spain and Portugal (we have a very tight itinerary:)

This week was very relaxing and fun. I walked around London (when I wasn't trying to get rid of this cold!) and hung out with friends and attempted to make gingerbread houses (which there are none in London, so they were sugar cookie houses, but they worked just as well).

Well off to finish packing, cause I'm rubbish at it, and minimal sleep before I catch the train and plane!

Happy Holidays!

Laura

Tis the Season

Hey everyone!

It is week 10 of my fall term! Which means that today is my last official day of class this term before break!  I have one last stat class and lab today and than it is break (well I will start my summative essay...but other than that I'm done:) This term has just flown by and I am excited for a break and exploring Spain and Portugal with my family! I leave for Madrid next Thursday and I am crossing my fingers that it doesn't snow! We are spending almost 2 weeks in Madrid, Sevila, Grenada, Porta and Lison. I am very excited to see my parents, my sister and her husband and just chill. Once I get back it is my birthday and new years in Edinburgh! WOOO HOOO!

My formatives went relatively well but now I have to start thinking more about my dissertation and my summative essay. So many things to think about but hopefully I will develop a really interesting idea that I can form into a interesting and fulfilling dissertation.

I went to Stonehenge and Bath this past weekend and it was great! Unfortunately it was very icey near stonehenge so we couldn't get very close but, we got close enough and it was interesting to see.

We than went to Bath! It was pretty crowded there because it is the Christmas season and everyone is out, shopping christmas markets and enjoying the atmosphere. But we saw the Roman Baths, did a bit of shopping, drank mulled wine and spiced cider and got to see Bath. I want to travel back in the Spring for a spa day and go to the Jane Austen Museum!

We had the best tour guy, well the best because he was funny but not very good. He just let his stream of consciousness do the talking and repeated himself a million times but he was entertaining and we learned more about alien abductions and crop circles at Stonehenge than anyone should:)

It has been so cold here! And the British do not believe in putting down salt for environmental reasons. And I am all for the environment but not if it comes at the cost of my safety! I mean they have to learn how to deal with snow (minimal snow) and salt is the perfect solution. Hopefully they will work that out. Oh and they need to invest in snow plows.


We also went to the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which was basically a summer amusement park but in winter...it was cool but for the younger kids and a bit pricey but we had a great time.

Well that is all for now. I am planning for trips for next term because my schedule is more flexible and hopefully a job?:)

Love

Laura

ps I bought a plant for the Columbia flower Market and I named him Harry. Hopefully he will survive with the small amount of sun that London produces?

Thanksgiving and Caroline!

So I have had a busy week and unfortunately have developed a bit of a cold. Yuck. Hopefully it will get better soon since I only have two weeks left of classes this term! It is hard for me to focus on reading today but perhaps I will feel better tomorrow morning? Fingers crossed!

Indian food

Delicious scones! 

Caroline came to visit me and even though the trip was much too short it was so wonderful to see her. Sometimes you forget just how much you miss your friends that you have known since you were 12 years old. Being away has really made me appreciate the friends and family that I have back home and how important they are in my life. It was nice to have that close friend who knows you so well just hanging out with you. My flatmate Liz made us an excellent meal! Than we went to a "New York" style bar in my neighborhood, which was odd but cool. The next day we went for afternoon tea and the scones and clotted cream we so delicious! And we saw Harry Potter and got Indian food on Brick Lane. Overall it was a very successful (bit it short) visit. The next time I see her it will be my birthday and we will be heading to Edinburgh to celebrate the new year!

Alex stuffed

Turkey carving-yum

My flat and the flat next door decided to throw a Thanksgiving dinner party and it was a major success! We made turkey, sweet potatoes, appetizers, cranberry sauce, roasted veggies, stuffing (I made my dad's delicious corn bread stuffing and it was fantastic), pumpkin pie, pecan pie and a lot more.
They issue we encountered (besides all us Americans attempting our first Thanksgiving with out our families) was the oven! The oven's here are terrible and it takes a million times longer for things to cook. I miss a real family kitchen. Soon though!

Our Feast! 

Flat 5 (my flat)

I saw a play for 10 pounds yesterday called Onassis and it was pretty good. We were in the front row and got wet because a prominent feature in the play is a water feature on the front of the stage....

I have one last formative essay due next Friday and than I have a summative essay due the second week in January but thats it (until next term:) I'm excited for the holidays and my break! Its getting colder and colder here everyday. Oh winter.

Gum Artist

My flatmate Liz discovered the "Chewing Gum Artist" through a website called The Londonist. He takes gum, which is, "thrown away and create it into something else than why not?"- Ben Wilson

We discovered his paintings on The Millennium Bridge and we have actually seen him painting and there are some images of his artistic creations. They are so cool!

Here is a video from the BBC in Ben Wilson's own words

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11677462

London

Sorry its been awhile since my last posting!

Many crazy things have happened in London over the past couple weeks. Personally, I finished my essays (the formative one's that do not count for anything) which is a relief. Although I have to wait another 2 weeks to get feedback on those. I've just been studying, heading to class and enjoying London!

If you didn't see the NY times coverage or any other coverage, university students in London protested (50,000) of them to try and convince the government not to raise the fees next year to 9,000 pounds ($14,000). It is a really big deal here because the government has not charged students very much to attend university and this will be a big change and many think a move towards privatization of universities (much like in the US). For the sake of these students and knowing the cost of US universities I hope they figure something else out. Much of the US media coverage focused on the students who got violent, kicked down glass, graffitied government buildings and started fires. Of course that did happen and it was crazy but there were about 50,000 other students and staff that marched peacefully.

Big news of the week Prince William gave his girlfriend (or a million years) Kate Middleton his mothers engagement ring! Its is big news here, since the wedding is predicted to be held next Spring or Summer. Perhaps I will be around to witness it with hundreds of thousands of Brits. Fingers crossed. I guess bookies are already gearing up! This will not be a budget wedding.
For more detailed interview with the couple (British love)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11776941

I went on some mini adventures to hidden cathedrals, margaritas (although Mexican food will never be good) and I had a global program pot luck dinner!

I am trying to finish next weeks reading my Friday because Caroline (one of my best friends) is visiting from Bordeaux France! Its a short trip but I'm very excited!

Have a nice Wednesday.

Laura

A London Experience? Yeah, lets call it that.

Hey everyone! 


So I have a story to tell. On Tuesday night my flatmate broke a glass in our communal kitchen and, even though I knew this fact, and realizing that there could still be glass in the kitchen, I stupidly walked into the kitchen for a snack, barefoot (big mistake) and stepped on a piece of glass! 


Tuesday night, me and my roommate Liz tried to get this piece of glass out with a tweezer and we thought we got it but we weren't sure. I woke up the next morning and I realized that my foot still hurt so I decided that after my 10 am seminar I would go to the on campus doctor. So I hobbled over to the doctors office, got an appointment and was told that I need to go to the big university hospital to get an x-ray! Crazy! Of course there was a tube strike that day and I did not know what bus to take so I walked. Well I limped 45 min to the hospital. Once I made it, I went into the basement, waited an hour and 20 min to get registered, than 30 more to see the doctor, got my x-ray and as it turned out, I did have a sliver/shard of glass in the heal of my foot. So, I had to go up to emergency, wait 2 hours and finally saw a doctor. My mini "operation" took place in a room that doubles as a storage room (oh socialized medicine:) My doctor was great, from Dublin. He gave me a few options before we got started: 1. Make a wider sliver, try to get out the sliver (and numb my foot with a shot), 2. If it doesn't work you might need to stay overnight?! 3. Leave it in and perhaps it will absorb to your body, or your body will release it or it will infect your entire foot and be terrible. I decided to go with the mini surgery:)
 And after an hour he got the sliver out! It was surprisingly bigger than I thought and I got to keep it as a souvenir... I felt silly the whole day because I was in the hospital for a sliver of glass? It was ridiculous but necessary to get it out. 


So I got home around 6 pm. My entire Wednesday was spent in the hospital. It was an interesting experience but not something you would ever want to do. Moral? Wear shoes or thick socks all the time. I am much better now! 


And last night I saw some fireworks in Clapham! I mean the tube was really crowded and we only saw about 10 min but it was cool. Celebrating Guy Fawkes day. Guy Fawkes day 



"Dates back to the failed 1605 attempt by a group of English Catholics (among them Guy Fawkes) to assassinate King James I of England and blow up the Houses of Parliament. The day is also known as Bonfire Night because of the fireworks displays and sparklers that people light"  www.newsfeed.time.com 




For more information check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes


Now I have to write my essays and read some articles. Happy Saturday! 

Weeks are flying

Last week was really nice. I had class and they all went really well, except for Stats lecture which is so large and it is 2 hours with 400 people attending and it just isn't conducive to learning. But other than that everything went well.

But now I am stressing a bit because 3 of my 4 formative essays are due this week and although they are not worth anything (grade wise) I sort of need to do them for practice and so I don't look bad in front of my professors. I know they will help, potentially help, in the long run but its just a lot at once.

I went out with my globals program on Wednesday to celebrate 4 birthdays and to see one of the global students preform in a show. He plays the Spanish guitar, while his band mate sings and plays. The bar was really nice and cool and we had a great time celebrating.

I finally saw The Social Network and I know more than I probably ever wanted to know about Mark Zuckerberg but it was a really good film.

Halloween isn't celebrated in London like it is in the US but I did manage to head out to a party and dress up with some other students in my program. It was a really fun night and some people had some cool costumes.







I finally made it to Spitalfields Market and Brick lane Market and they were both really cool and even with the tourists, you felt like a local.

Southwark Cathedral near my home is beautiful and I finally got a chance to go inside!

Sorry to vent but  I must. So here is my little rant about the tube in London. The tube is essentially the subway, underground, metro, L, etc. The tube is easy to naviagte and is warm (well usually hot) but there are a few issues. First of all the last train runs at 11:30 pm during the week and only until 12:30 am on the weekends. This system is extremely inconvienent when you want to stay out past midnight and have an effecient and less expensive way to get home. The tube also closes down entire lines for "repairs" on the weekends. This is extremely frustrating, not only for tourists, but also for anyone who wants to get anywhere important. Of course there are always buses, but in traffic they are very slow and the double decker ones make me nausous...

Anyway the also have tube strikes. These are pre-planned days when tube workers just don't work for an entire day. Not tube, no stations, nothing. Would we get away with this in the US? Probably not and its really only hurting those who ride the rails. Perhaps they will eventually win and get more money and can work longer weekend hours. Here's hoping.

Ello Govna!

I guess its been awhile since I wrote but I have been reading a lot for school and trying to do some interesting things around London.

Classes went better for me this past week. I feel more comfortable in my seminar groups, because we are all getting to know each other better and are more opening to presenting our ideas to one another. I started my stat class and I am not sure how that is going to go. Graphs, numbers and equations aren't my thing but hopefully I can make it through! Our formative essays are due in 2 weeks. Although these essays are not graded they are the only feedback we will have from our professors before our final exams in the summer and/or final essays in the new year...

I registered for my 2 hour a week Mandarin class and some how I have been placed in the intermediate level. Ah! There wasn't much of an evaluation it was just the instructor asking me, "how long have you taken classes?" "How many hours in total?" So I guess it will "all come back to me". Will see...

I ate really delicious vegan Indian food, which might seem as though it would unappetizing but in reality it was yummy! I went with some of the students who are in the Fudan program and we are all a bit apprehensive about what to expect but we are trying just to focus on one year at a time:)

I had a really nice and relaxing weekend. On Sunday I went to Apple Day at Borough Market, which was really nice because it was a lovely, brisk, fall day just perfect for celebrating all things apple. For those who do not know, I love apples. And having a day to celebrate them is essential in my book. The vendors had delicious cider, pie and fritters. The day even had a mini parade of locals, dressed in medieval costumes (although I'm not sure why) and they sang for us. Although they cannot make taffy apples. Their taffy apples are more of a hard sugar over an apple, which makes it almost impossible to eat because it is so hard. Perhaps one day they will learn. 

This weekend is Halloween and I am not sure of my plans yet because they celebrate the holiday here but not as much as in the states but I want to get dressed up so hopefully I can find something, well think of something first and than find it. 

There are 4 birthdays this week in my program so we are all celebrating Wednesday and Friday night. I am going to attempt to bake something in my crummy kitchen. Fingers crossed! 

Laura 

Ps We went to a Rugby game and it was super cold but really exciting! 

I Love Friday

Hello everyone!

The sunny day ended with a beautiful sunset 

This was the first week of lecture and seminar. It was a bit intimidating in one of my seminars but I think (or I hope) that in time I will be able to feel more comfortable in my smaller group sessions.

I don't know if I told you but I need to take a stat class! Ahhh! You know me and math, we don't really click but I think this will be ok. I am not feeling as nervous about it as I was earlier.

St Paul's Cathedral 

Mosaic across the Thames 

I had a stressful week but so far the weekend has been great and interesting! On Tuesday I saw 3 really diverse and fantastic bands at Madame Jo Jo's and was introduced to the band Glasser. They are a really stellar band. Although my other Global peers and I learned that the British are "too cool" to dance. I mean they don't even move their arms or heads. They don't even sway or tap their feet. The four of us were dancing up a storm to the rocking techno beats and giving it our all while the Brits simply stared and judged. It was a real sight.

If you aren't dancing you aren't living.

We found delicious pizza which is priced by weight and so if you get a less popular pizza then its cheaper but where's the fun in that?

My next plan is to find a great hip hop club....wish me luck with that. Hopefully there are some people in  London who actually enjoy movement.

Giant Fish head at Borough Market

I went to the Soho area and it is crowded every night of the week. It is the hip, theatre district and they have great bars and clubs (also where the awesome pizza place is located). And we found a bar called Argyle that serves one beer for 2.27 pounds a pint! Thats crazy for soho and London in general.

Today me and some of the other global students went to Borough Market, tasted every sample imaginable and then made out way along the thames to a wine and cheese "fest" which was more like a smaller version on Borough Market but they did have some nice wine.

Tomorrow is Spitalfields Market to decorate my drab dorm room and then off to a Rugby game...


New words:

Global Students

Hipsters: too cool for everyone, tight pant wearing, ray bands, grandma glasses, chimney sweeper boots, suspenders, bow ties, plaid shirts, brick lane living, 20 somethings). They exist in the US but I think they originated in London.

Bobbles- ornaments. Haha

The British also like to sign their text messages with "xo" its sort of off-putting but it grows on you.

First Week of School

Hello Everyone!

First week of classes down, a lot more to go. This week was an introductory week of sorts. We participated in lecture (large classes) but did not have any seminar (more intimate, smaller sessions). I am taking 3 required courses and a stat class and one media class (of my choosing).

My schedule is sort of silly (especially Tuesday) but I have Friday off! The academic school year in the UK is very different from the US system. It will take some getting use to (much more independence) but I just got to handle it.

This weekend was really nice. I went to have traditional tea in the Crypt of Saint Martins in the Fields which had excellent clotted cream. We have decided to create a "saving tea jar" to afford an expensive afternoon tea. I went out to a London bar The Porterhouse, with people from my globals programme and we danced to a great 4 piece band who loved American pop and rock music (including Bon Jovi, Black Eyed Peas and Prince).

Friday I went to Borough Market which is this 200 year old, partially outdoor market that sells really fantastic cheese, meat, bread, dessert, fruit and cider to name a few. It was a lovely day in London and I even splurged and got a falafel. It was delicious.

I got a bit of a cold this weekend but I think I have gotten over that, fingers crossed.

Today was another lovely day in London. I mean it was 70 degrees, blue sky very unlike traditional London weather! And this evening my flatmate cooked all of us a traditional Indian dinner and it was delicious! We decided to switch off weeks and everyone is going to make a "traditional" meal from our country of origin.

More to come!

Cumberland Lodge

Hey, 

Yesterday I returned from a weekend retreat to Cumberland Lodge. The retreat was really great and I got to meet, interact and get to know more the the student's in my specific program. The lodge was only about 45 min outside London but it was beautiful and felt like another world (which was surprisingly fantastic). 

Brief history: 

Cumberland Lodge, the largest house in Windsor Great Park, was built in 1652 on land which Oliver Cromwell had appropriated from the Crown. The land was sold to one Lieutenant John Byfield for the sum of £4,000.

In 1660 the lodge became the home of the Ranger of the Great Park, an offer as a gift from the King and Queen. Queen Victoria frequented the lodge, as did King George the III and many others. Now the lodge is used to house university students or seminars/conferences for people to talk and connect on a personal level. 

Today I also started classes. The system is very different here and this week we have an opportunity to "shop around" lectures and see what interests us most before seminars start next week. I shall keep you posted on my choices and coursework! 

Laura 

Flatmates and Green Walls

Here are a few photos of my flatmates!

Alex and Liz drinking at a traditional pub. Bitter Ale and Wheat Beer. 

A nice Londoner took our photo (even though it didn't end up that great).

Green Wall I was walking through the financial district trying to find Citibank and I stumbled across this living green wall! It was so cool! Chicago was considering implementing them, but I am afraid the the climate is not conducive and they would be brown and dead most of the time. But they are considering implementing them in Oregon! 

A real live tourist

Hey,

Well I had my first programme (that's how they spell it here, very posh) orientation and department orientation. Not much was really finalized but I met the people in my specific program, which is one year in London and the second year in Shanghai and, drum roll please, there are 8 people! (possibly 10?) I guess that is more than half the size of last years program which consisted of about 20 people. Perhaps it is all for the best though.

Classes officially begin on Monday! As of now I am taking my required courses and one elective on The Audience in Media and Communication. We will see how it goes. You are allowed to audit classes as well and just check them out to see if they are a right fit for you.

The British University system is, so far, much different then the US. We have already chosen our courses for Lent term (Spring term) and in Summer Term we have exams and larger papers do for course in Michaelmas term and Lent term. It will be an adjustment for sure.

Well this afternoon some people in my programme and in my department are going to spend tonight and tomorrow night at Cumberland Lodge. Its about 1 hour and a half outside of London. It is what a Londoner would call, "the real England". I am excited for the retreat and will take many photos!

It is amazing how international London is. I bet 1 in every 10 people you meet are actually from the UK (could be a slight exaggeration). My University is 70% international students. From that statistic alone you can see just how diverse and appealing London is to the rest of the world.

I was a bona fide tourist yesterday and got a chance to see the famous places in London. These including Buckingham Palace (although I was 20min late for the Changing of the Guard, which happens on all even numbered days in Sept and Oct) and James Park. James Park is so lovely and there is so much green space in London! Its a TPL employees paradise ;) ;)

I also saw Trafalgar Square and went into the basement of St Martins in the Fields. I am planning on going back when it gets colder for their traditional afternoon tea. Although I am sad to say that it is much larger (they expanded) and not as secretive as it once was. I guess tourists can find it more easily but I miss how exclusive it use to be.

I stopped into the National Portrait Gallery and walked to the Thames to see the London Eye and Parliament. The weather was absolutely lovely yesterday, while today it is wet. Very wet. Oh London.

Off to pack and to the Lodge! I will write more soon!

Also check out my facebook page for photos or my flickr photo stream!
Laura