Sorry for my long lags in posting. It is very shameful and I will try to never let is happen again. Promise.
I got a part-time job as a server at the Hyatt Churchill Regency Club in London, just off of Oxford street. I'm adjusting to the this new experience, but it is getting some taking use to. So far, I have worked 3 weeks and it is getting better, especially since I am getting to know my colleagues a bit more.
School work is also getting more intense. I have to start my dissertation research, and start my class summative (graded papers) and before you know it, it will be Summer exams and than summer (which might be slightly hindered by dissertation writing...)
So far I have planned a trip to visit my friend Caroline in Bordeaux and while there, I'm planning on taking a train to San Seabastian, in Spain, right on the coast. Should be a fun break! Than the end of March will be crazy with my sister coming, and my friend Maddie, her sister and our friend Holly, coming to London. I am actually getting really excited about it!
Sports-
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| Jason, Liz and I rooting on the bears (but I am the only one making a bear face) |
As many of your know, the Bears were defeated by the Packers, meaning they didn't get to go to the Superbowl and the Packers won. Yuck. Anyway, American football is not very popular in the UK, and there are only certain pubs that you can go to to watch American sports. One is the Sports Cafe, which is ALWAYS packed, and they usually run out of beer, which is crazy for this country. But it is very crowded and there are a lot of Americans there. We watched the Bears/Seahawks game there, and it was great cause the Bears won!
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| Stass and Nkese coming to cheer on my home team! |
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| Utter disappointment |
When the Bears were playing the Packers, we went to another pub in West Kennsington, called Famous Three Kings, and it was less crowded but had a really great atmosphere. Although we did find that more people in the bar were cheering for the Packers (even though they had no affiliation) it was ok. We even met Drake of the Nick show "Drake and Josh" at the bar and his band, who were really cool. But I had a pretty terrible night because the bears lost. My friend Johanna captured the moment. I was a little upset and defeated....
The British like football (soccer), rugby and cricket (a game that I will never understand). They really like football! People will take off work, just to travel to a stadium to see their team, and might even take off a second day to recover from the festivities (if you get my drift). They are very passionate, just like American football and baseball fans. I don't think the British will ever fully understand why Americans love our football so much, and I don't think that soccer will ever become such a passion for the majority of Americas, but who knows, crazy things have happened.
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| Liz in her Wales shirt, surrounded by England fans |
We also attend a Wales v England rugby game, as 6 Nations is occurring at the moment (a European Rugby Championship). We went to a popular pub, and my flatmate Liz was rooting for Wales, while the rest of the pub was rooting for England, which made us the odd ones out and we lost. But we had a excellent time. Sports fans, not matter where they are from are extremely passionate. Sports are a universal language.
Living near London Bridge and the Tower of London is wonderful. There are loads of tourists and it is the perfect place for the local attractions to lure them in. I give you the London Dungeon. We don't understand the obsession or the general interest that people have with it but it is fascinating. It is a "horror, underground, theme park ride", which is also expensive. Of course the London Dungeon competes with The London Bridge experience, which is a similar attraction, directly across the street.
