http://bu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2230478&l=a2170&id=919676
http://bu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2228295&l=7a365&id=919676
http://bu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2228287&l=add56&id=919676
These should work.
Kate
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Cue the Pulse to Begin
I've been somewhat lazy the past couple days, so sorry for the delay in updating for all my avid readers (all 2 of you?).
Classes are sort of SOS at this point. I mean 16 hours a week in the same room with the same professor means obvious monotony. We did hand in our paper proposals, which means I've got to get crackin' on that. I still feel like I'm learning a lot, and the professor is really good, but also a bit repetetive. Also, he has this habit of asking us questions that we as Americans wouldn't know, and he lets like 10 people try to answer the question before he just tells us. He always says "no, much simpler" or "you're not thinking British/French/whatever enough." An example of this is when he was asking us why we thought the people of Kent were opposed to the Channel Tunnel before it was built. A bunch of people put in their two cents (overcrowding, destruction of neighbourhoods, too many foreigners about, etc). The answer : butterflies. Ok, I get the idea, the Brits care a lot about their wildlife, but c'mon, just tell us.
Mom and Pop have been off on their Pacific Adventure since last Saturday and I have to admit it is weird. Up until they called on Friday, it had been the longest I had ever gone without talking to them on the phone. There were 10 days in Japan where I had no contact with them, but certainly this will be longer. Not only that, but the situation just feels more odd because Japan was a sort of vacation, while here, this is my day to day life and normally, they're a part of that. I feel cut off from the States without them there. I'm not sure why as I can email anyone and talk on instant messenger. Maybe more specifically I feel very cut off from home. Dexter is not as good at the emailing as I had thought. I'm sure you're thinking I feel homesick. Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. Things are still new and exciting, and I do miss things in America (As everyone predicted, mostly food things and of course mom and dad), but I'm not homesick. Maybe in due time that will happen. For now, having a routine of class and the same friends as BU is helping the situation. I will say that I never could have imagined doing this without today's technology. Although, I can't imagine walking down the street without today's technology.
Let's see, in the past few days I've done some touristy and local things, done some nightlife, done some day life. On Sunday Jon and I went down to Madame Toussauds (famous wax museum, there are 5 or so all over the world.... really life like figures of famous people). It was a good time. We got our pictures taken with a bunch of different people (most importantly, I got my picture taken with Winston) and went through a live horror show (which perhaps pathetically scared the crap out of both of us) and even saw a short animated film. It would have been worth the money had it not been for the insane throngs of people that were there. It's interesting living somewhere and going to all the tourist attractions. You're a tourist, I guess (OK, more so than not), but at the same time you know the ropes and aren't moving at a completely leisurely pace (and most importantly for London, you speak English).
Tourists here (much like in America) are kind of out of it. They don't pay attention to their surroundings, step in front of pictures a lot, are kind of pushy, and are just otherwise somewhat dazed. But more than that, Europeans seem to just not be aware of the people around them. I've mentioned it before about the general inability to walk down streets in an orderly way, but it goes beyond that. When I was at the advert museum the other day, the general set up was this winding hallway with display cases on either side. I was standing infront of one looking at it and reading stuff, in a mostly empty hallway and a British man comes up next to me and stands so close to me, his bag is pushing me out of the way. I tried to stand my ground on reasons of principle, but he kept leaning over trying to see things and further removing me from my original standing. I gave up and walked away. In general, they just seem to stand in the very middle of a place meant for 2 people (like the sidewalk, or other display cases and they even drive down the middle of every empty road, literally). I know they don't like it, but I'm going to have to clump Britons in with the rest of Europe on this one. In fairness, I don't go to a whole lot of tourist things in the US anymore, so it may be exactly the same way. It does not make it any less annoying though.
Anyway, Madame Toussauds was cool, if not a little campy. Next was the London Eye. The biggest ferris wheel in Europe I think (maybe the world?). It was definitely neat and it was a beautiful day so we got a great view of the city, but unfortunately it was too sunny to take many great pictures. It was an experience though and I can check both things off my non-existant list of things to do in London.
We have a field trip tomorrow to Westminster (I think the houses of Parlaiment, although I'm not sure if we're going in or just around them) and will probably go to Westminster Abbey beforehand and even maybe the Cabinet War Rooms which are around the area, depending on how motivated I'm feeling.
I did do my laundry on Sunday, also. It was exorbitantly expensive, but folded quite nicely. I think next time, though, I will do it myself and make sure it smells like how I want and all that good stuff. I really don't understand why laundry all over London is so expensive. Maybe I should head to the East End to try and find something a little less pricey. Then again, maybe not.
On Monday night, Steve convinced me to go to a gay club with him. Because Gays are some of the world's more clever people, it was called G-A-Y. For those of you who have seen Queer as Folk, it was essentially a smaller Babylon with an accent. It was free admission with a coupon though and cheap-ish drinks, so it was OK. Also, being a straight girl and the last thing they care about there, I could dance my heart out and not have to worry about looking hot doing it. :-P And, bonus, the bathrooms were fairly empty and quite clean.
But my Gay night was to be cut short (which unfortunatelymeant that I missed the amateur strip show slated for 1 am) as I was fervently summoned to meet someone at another club nearby (predominantly straight). So, I left Steve to his own devices and headed over. We were going to go to this club called Metra and I was allowed in but the boys were not. Based on their sneakers. The odd thing about this I guess was that I, too, was wearing sneakers. Sneakers nicer than one guy but not the other's. When I brought this up to the bouncer, he pointed out that I was a girl, and better dressed in general. Holla. So we went across the street to another place called Zoo Bar where ladies got in for half the price of guys. I'm not sure why it's called Zoo Bar, but it was a fitting name. I don't think I will ever head back there.
An interesting thing about hanging out with British people though. When we went in, they had to pay 10 pounds, I had to pay 5. I'm not at all happy about paying 5 pounds to get into a club (just to get in, not even to drink, etc). I complained about this, but they didn't really understand why it was a big deal. "it's just 5 pounds" Nay, it's 10 dollars. Damn weak currency. The British spend their money like any 21 year old would, I guess. I have to spend my money like a very very frugal 20 year old and we still break out even in terms of total lost. *Sigh* Luckily he payed for coat check and drinks. I can't stop but translating everything in my head. 5 pounds is not 5 pounds, it's 10 dollars. 50p is 1 dollar. I catch myself doing it all the time. I see a price, especially at the grocery store and think "oh, that's such a good deal" then I translate it and suddenly it's only average. I realize I need to stop this and it doesn't make much difference if something is 75p or $1.50, especially if it makes a good meal, but I can't help it. I would say, in general, most things here are priced as they would be in America, but ₤ with in front of something as opposed to $. This essentially makes everything twice as much. As you can imagine, this makes shopping of any sort depressing, tourist attractions insanely expensive, and drinks not even close to worth it. It's tough, but I don't really have much choice but to deal with it, and keep hoping that England plunges into economic chaos (along with the rest of Europe while we're at it).
We met up with Steve later on (much later on) and got home at a wholly unacceptable hour for a Monday night (any night really). It was a pretty good night, though. Not entirely sure I would do it again, but I probably won't anyway. [Excuse the cryptic-ness, I don't usually like explaining things that are up in the air, but needed to somewhat for the money thing]
After having gone out here a few times with Americans, I have noticed something peculiar about our behaviour. During the day, as we're moving about the city doing our thing, if we're alone, we talk in an English accent. It has come up in conversation that most people here, without really conferring upon it, have just decided to blend in as much as possible in day to day life. If you bump into someone on the street, you say pardon or excuse me with an English accent. You speak to the woman at the till of the grocery store with an accent in as few words as possible. Why we do this, I'm not sure. We just don't want to be singled out as Americans that easily, I guess.
What's even more interesting about this is that when alcohol comes into the mix, the result is quite the opposite. Everyone is suddenly very proud to be American and will tout their American-ness to anyone willing to pay attention. Suddenly, WWI and II were won by Americans, solely. Bush's policies don't look quite as terrible. And yes, we have guns, lots of people die, but it's in our constitution dammit! It's an interesting phenomena, and it's not really surprising that Americans would get more obnoxious when drunk, but the contrast is still worth noting.
Last night was Tuesday, which of course means quiz night. I had to go a little bit late because I was in the middle of planning spring break when it started. I was pleasantly surpised to note when I got there that our British partners were actually pleased to see me. I believe they said, "oh good, kate's here, she'll know some of this stuff." The sentiment was further reinforced when I went to the bathroom and they asked a question while I was gone and when I got back they were mulling it over and as I approached, Tom nodded at me and said "she'll know this one." I did, indeed, know it (Manchurian Candidate). Just, you know, example 546 about how I'm kind of a big deal. We still didn't win, and our team name was even more stupid this week, but it was a good night and there's always next week.
This weekend, I will be travelling with the illustrious Ms. Bedford (Emma) to Barcelona. Apparently everyone and their mother will be this weekend due to Carnival (which I don't really know anything about, but will let you know as soon as I figure it out) and we were kind of hoping to go somewhere else along the coast, but Barcelona was the cheapest destination by far. I'm sure I will see many BU people there (I think essentially my whole floor is going). We were able to do it fairly cheaply, so I'm quite excited about that. It'll be a great girls' weekend out.
As I mentioned, we finally booked Spring Break. It was probably the biggest pain in the ass you ever could have imagined. Flight prices change by the minute here. It became nearly impossible to get the same itinerary we had planned earlier in the day and it ended up being about 100 + dollars more expensive than we thought it would be when all was said and done. We are going to Munich and Prague for 7 day, 6 nights (3 nights each). I'm really excited about this. I've been to Munich before, but I'm so excited to go back knowing much more now about Germany and having a far deeper appreciation of Bavarian soft pretzels and eating red meat this time around. Prague will be interesting. The language thing will be much more difficult there as well as figuring things out, but it's supposed to be insanely beautiful and hopefully really cheap (although flights there certainly weren't). More on this trip as it gets closer (it's actually in less than a month) and I find out more. I'm going with Steve and Liane, and it should definitely be an adventure.
I guess that about brings me up to date here. I always think of things to write about while I'm out and about walking around and then always forget them when I sit down to write this. I'll remember it as soon as I publish this post.
-Kate
Classes are sort of SOS at this point. I mean 16 hours a week in the same room with the same professor means obvious monotony. We did hand in our paper proposals, which means I've got to get crackin' on that. I still feel like I'm learning a lot, and the professor is really good, but also a bit repetetive. Also, he has this habit of asking us questions that we as Americans wouldn't know, and he lets like 10 people try to answer the question before he just tells us. He always says "no, much simpler" or "you're not thinking British/French/whatever enough." An example of this is when he was asking us why we thought the people of Kent were opposed to the Channel Tunnel before it was built. A bunch of people put in their two cents (overcrowding, destruction of neighbourhoods, too many foreigners about, etc). The answer : butterflies. Ok, I get the idea, the Brits care a lot about their wildlife, but c'mon, just tell us.
Mom and Pop have been off on their Pacific Adventure since last Saturday and I have to admit it is weird. Up until they called on Friday, it had been the longest I had ever gone without talking to them on the phone. There were 10 days in Japan where I had no contact with them, but certainly this will be longer. Not only that, but the situation just feels more odd because Japan was a sort of vacation, while here, this is my day to day life and normally, they're a part of that. I feel cut off from the States without them there. I'm not sure why as I can email anyone and talk on instant messenger. Maybe more specifically I feel very cut off from home. Dexter is not as good at the emailing as I had thought. I'm sure you're thinking I feel homesick. Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. Things are still new and exciting, and I do miss things in America (As everyone predicted, mostly food things and of course mom and dad), but I'm not homesick. Maybe in due time that will happen. For now, having a routine of class and the same friends as BU is helping the situation. I will say that I never could have imagined doing this without today's technology. Although, I can't imagine walking down the street without today's technology.
Let's see, in the past few days I've done some touristy and local things, done some nightlife, done some day life. On Sunday Jon and I went down to Madame Toussauds (famous wax museum, there are 5 or so all over the world.... really life like figures of famous people). It was a good time. We got our pictures taken with a bunch of different people (most importantly, I got my picture taken with Winston) and went through a live horror show (which perhaps pathetically scared the crap out of both of us) and even saw a short animated film. It would have been worth the money had it not been for the insane throngs of people that were there. It's interesting living somewhere and going to all the tourist attractions. You're a tourist, I guess (OK, more so than not), but at the same time you know the ropes and aren't moving at a completely leisurely pace (and most importantly for London, you speak English).
Tourists here (much like in America) are kind of out of it. They don't pay attention to their surroundings, step in front of pictures a lot, are kind of pushy, and are just otherwise somewhat dazed. But more than that, Europeans seem to just not be aware of the people around them. I've mentioned it before about the general inability to walk down streets in an orderly way, but it goes beyond that. When I was at the advert museum the other day, the general set up was this winding hallway with display cases on either side. I was standing infront of one looking at it and reading stuff, in a mostly empty hallway and a British man comes up next to me and stands so close to me, his bag is pushing me out of the way. I tried to stand my ground on reasons of principle, but he kept leaning over trying to see things and further removing me from my original standing. I gave up and walked away. In general, they just seem to stand in the very middle of a place meant for 2 people (like the sidewalk, or other display cases and they even drive down the middle of every empty road, literally). I know they don't like it, but I'm going to have to clump Britons in with the rest of Europe on this one. In fairness, I don't go to a whole lot of tourist things in the US anymore, so it may be exactly the same way. It does not make it any less annoying though.
Anyway, Madame Toussauds was cool, if not a little campy. Next was the London Eye. The biggest ferris wheel in Europe I think (maybe the world?). It was definitely neat and it was a beautiful day so we got a great view of the city, but unfortunately it was too sunny to take many great pictures. It was an experience though and I can check both things off my non-existant list of things to do in London.
We have a field trip tomorrow to Westminster (I think the houses of Parlaiment, although I'm not sure if we're going in or just around them) and will probably go to Westminster Abbey beforehand and even maybe the Cabinet War Rooms which are around the area, depending on how motivated I'm feeling.
I did do my laundry on Sunday, also. It was exorbitantly expensive, but folded quite nicely. I think next time, though, I will do it myself and make sure it smells like how I want and all that good stuff. I really don't understand why laundry all over London is so expensive. Maybe I should head to the East End to try and find something a little less pricey. Then again, maybe not.
On Monday night, Steve convinced me to go to a gay club with him. Because Gays are some of the world's more clever people, it was called G-A-Y. For those of you who have seen Queer as Folk, it was essentially a smaller Babylon with an accent. It was free admission with a coupon though and cheap-ish drinks, so it was OK. Also, being a straight girl and the last thing they care about there, I could dance my heart out and not have to worry about looking hot doing it. :-P And, bonus, the bathrooms were fairly empty and quite clean.
But my Gay night was to be cut short (which unfortunatelymeant that I missed the amateur strip show slated for 1 am) as I was fervently summoned to meet someone at another club nearby (predominantly straight). So, I left Steve to his own devices and headed over. We were going to go to this club called Metra and I was allowed in but the boys were not. Based on their sneakers. The odd thing about this I guess was that I, too, was wearing sneakers. Sneakers nicer than one guy but not the other's. When I brought this up to the bouncer, he pointed out that I was a girl, and better dressed in general. Holla. So we went across the street to another place called Zoo Bar where ladies got in for half the price of guys. I'm not sure why it's called Zoo Bar, but it was a fitting name. I don't think I will ever head back there.
An interesting thing about hanging out with British people though. When we went in, they had to pay 10 pounds, I had to pay 5. I'm not at all happy about paying 5 pounds to get into a club (just to get in, not even to drink, etc). I complained about this, but they didn't really understand why it was a big deal. "it's just 5 pounds" Nay, it's 10 dollars. Damn weak currency. The British spend their money like any 21 year old would, I guess. I have to spend my money like a very very frugal 20 year old and we still break out even in terms of total lost. *Sigh* Luckily he payed for coat check and drinks. I can't stop but translating everything in my head. 5 pounds is not 5 pounds, it's 10 dollars. 50p is 1 dollar. I catch myself doing it all the time. I see a price, especially at the grocery store and think "oh, that's such a good deal" then I translate it and suddenly it's only average. I realize I need to stop this and it doesn't make much difference if something is 75p or $1.50, especially if it makes a good meal, but I can't help it. I would say, in general, most things here are priced as they would be in America, but ₤ with in front of something as opposed to $. This essentially makes everything twice as much. As you can imagine, this makes shopping of any sort depressing, tourist attractions insanely expensive, and drinks not even close to worth it. It's tough, but I don't really have much choice but to deal with it, and keep hoping that England plunges into economic chaos (along with the rest of Europe while we're at it).
We met up with Steve later on (much later on) and got home at a wholly unacceptable hour for a Monday night (any night really). It was a pretty good night, though. Not entirely sure I would do it again, but I probably won't anyway. [Excuse the cryptic-ness, I don't usually like explaining things that are up in the air, but needed to somewhat for the money thing]
After having gone out here a few times with Americans, I have noticed something peculiar about our behaviour. During the day, as we're moving about the city doing our thing, if we're alone, we talk in an English accent. It has come up in conversation that most people here, without really conferring upon it, have just decided to blend in as much as possible in day to day life. If you bump into someone on the street, you say pardon or excuse me with an English accent. You speak to the woman at the till of the grocery store with an accent in as few words as possible. Why we do this, I'm not sure. We just don't want to be singled out as Americans that easily, I guess.
What's even more interesting about this is that when alcohol comes into the mix, the result is quite the opposite. Everyone is suddenly very proud to be American and will tout their American-ness to anyone willing to pay attention. Suddenly, WWI and II were won by Americans, solely. Bush's policies don't look quite as terrible. And yes, we have guns, lots of people die, but it's in our constitution dammit! It's an interesting phenomena, and it's not really surprising that Americans would get more obnoxious when drunk, but the contrast is still worth noting.
Last night was Tuesday, which of course means quiz night. I had to go a little bit late because I was in the middle of planning spring break when it started. I was pleasantly surpised to note when I got there that our British partners were actually pleased to see me. I believe they said, "oh good, kate's here, she'll know some of this stuff." The sentiment was further reinforced when I went to the bathroom and they asked a question while I was gone and when I got back they were mulling it over and as I approached, Tom nodded at me and said "she'll know this one." I did, indeed, know it (Manchurian Candidate). Just, you know, example 546 about how I'm kind of a big deal. We still didn't win, and our team name was even more stupid this week, but it was a good night and there's always next week.
This weekend, I will be travelling with the illustrious Ms. Bedford (Emma) to Barcelona. Apparently everyone and their mother will be this weekend due to Carnival (which I don't really know anything about, but will let you know as soon as I figure it out) and we were kind of hoping to go somewhere else along the coast, but Barcelona was the cheapest destination by far. I'm sure I will see many BU people there (I think essentially my whole floor is going). We were able to do it fairly cheaply, so I'm quite excited about that. It'll be a great girls' weekend out.
As I mentioned, we finally booked Spring Break. It was probably the biggest pain in the ass you ever could have imagined. Flight prices change by the minute here. It became nearly impossible to get the same itinerary we had planned earlier in the day and it ended up being about 100 + dollars more expensive than we thought it would be when all was said and done. We are going to Munich and Prague for 7 day, 6 nights (3 nights each). I'm really excited about this. I've been to Munich before, but I'm so excited to go back knowing much more now about Germany and having a far deeper appreciation of Bavarian soft pretzels and eating red meat this time around. Prague will be interesting. The language thing will be much more difficult there as well as figuring things out, but it's supposed to be insanely beautiful and hopefully really cheap (although flights there certainly weren't). More on this trip as it gets closer (it's actually in less than a month) and I find out more. I'm going with Steve and Liane, and it should definitely be an adventure.
I guess that about brings me up to date here. I always think of things to write about while I'm out and about walking around and then always forget them when I sit down to write this. I'll remember it as soon as I publish this post.
-Kate
Saturday, 26 January 2008
Questions, Comments?
Also, I'd quickly like to say that if you have any specific questions about things over here, or what I'm doing, or anything like that, please feel free to ask (via email or leave a comment on a post) and I will make sure to address and talk about it! :-)
East Enders and Devilish Night Buses
I had my interview for my internship yesterday. Luckily I left early because I had to do quite a bit of wandering around in uncomfortable shoes with a still heeling ankle before I could find the place tucked in somewhere near Fleet Street (no, no Demon Barber sightings). I was early though, so kudos to me. The interview went really well. The place is quite small, with far less people than I would have though, so it seems like I will have quite a bit of work to do, which is a good thing. It will be mostly research oriented with the bulk of that going towards compiling reports and write ups for various events, people and situations.
To see more about the place, go to: www.caabu.org
I found out later in the afternoon that I actually got the job, which is great. I'm really excited about it and think it will be a great opportunity (and look great on my resume).
Following the interview, I headed West parallel to the Thames via a patented double decker bus. Thank goodness I looked up the route beforehand or else I never would have found my way correctly to Westminster and my destination, the Banqueting House.
The Banqueting House is all that remains of Whitehall Palace, built until Henry VIII and burnt down under James I. It's now just a really big room with a throne and amazing ceiling paintings (essentially what the place is famous for). It's also got a neat history, being the place where Charles I was executed for Treason and thus marking the beginning of Parliamentary rule in Britain (until William and Mary were brought in to be somewhat rulers, but mostly figureheads). After the House, I had planned to go to Kensington Palace or Portobello Road Market, but was feeling tired and just decided to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon.
After a lovely dinner of microwave meal spaghetti and meatballs (which could have been better, but for $1.50, I'll take what I can get), I hopped on the Tube and made my long way to Mile End in the infamously far away from Kensington East End to the ever-lovely Ms. Emma Bedford's residence at Queen's College. The trip took about 35 minutes, which at an off-peak Tube time is quite far. It is literally all the way across the city and doubtfully a place many BU students venture to in their time here. And I can't say I blame them. First of all, I had to leave Zone 1, and once you leave Zone 1, there is a marked difference in the upkeep of the Tube stations. Mile End itself was far more reminiscent of a Boston or Philadelphia stop and once I popped up above ground, it was indeed like stepping onto a shabby street of Philadelphia.
Remember how I said before I decided it was a myth that people smoke here as much as others say; well, that's different over there in the East. As I was waiting for Emma (who was laaaate....) I noticed that almost everyone was a different ethnicity (which was kind of cool, and kind of refreshing in a way) and almost everyone was smoking. Another thing that struck me was that almost all the people that were passing by were students or young(er) people. Here in South Ken, there's a lot of older rich white people and their pampered dogs.
Queen's College has quite a nice campus, replete with graveyards of varying religions (Emma, fittingly, lives near the Jewish one) and the building Emma lives in is new and she has a very nice room and kitchen. There were kebab and fried chicken shops lining the streets from tube to dorm and Emma insisted we try the chips at this certain place... and they were excellent, until she put vinegar on them... ick.
Anyway, Emma and I hung out at her place for a little bit and then decided to go to her school pub. Luckily, our dear friend Mer left me her Queen's College pub card so I was able to get in and get cheap drinks.
We started the night off with Always a Pleasure- Never a Chore and because of that, it was inevitably a good night (this by the way, is such an inside thing between 3 American girls involving crazy hijinks in various foreign countries, and I won't get into for reasons of posterity and elite-ness). I beat her in pool (we were both terrible) and video game car racing. We then decided to play some of the board games they had in the back, but unfortunately they were all MIA and we were forced to play the game no one likes to play, and no one is good at, yet is exceedingly popular all over the world: Trivial Pursuit. Emma asked a group of guys to play with us and we made teams (I was on Team Wiley Foxes, named after some football club from somewhere nicknamed the Foxes... I did not pick the name). Emma was on Team Matt (clearly named after the most arrogant member of the group). Team Matt won on a technicality of me accidentally using one of the easy cards when asking a question, but we held our own with one less teammate.
It was nice to hang out with the Brits even though the arrogant one got a little drunk and kind of started to become an ass. As a brilliant American and know-er of history, I was able to hold my own in his onslaught of assh*le, and had to use the Suez Canal trump card (which he didn't even know about!). I had pulled out the world war "Saved your ass" card too, but he refused to accept that. He chalked it all up to the RAF. Whatever. I was able to explain to a group of Brits the significance of Winston Churchill using the backwards V for Victory hand sign at the French dating back to the Battle of Agincourt and the deep-seated hatred the two countries have always had for each other. If that doesn't make me amazing, I just don't know what does. That's another thing... when sparring with a Brit, it's always easy to defuse the situation and just bring up how lame the French are. (Fun fact: go to google.com and type in "French military victories" and click "I'm feeling lucky" for a laugh)
The Tube stops running at midnight, and that time pretty quickly came and went so I was forced to take the Night Buses home. I knew this would be a long journey, but figured it didn't matter much, as long as I got home. Welllll.... Emma and I planned out the route beforehand and everything was spot on, but as soon as I got to the stop and had to wait for almost 20 minutes before the bus showed up, I knew it would not be easy. The plan was to get on the N25 and switch to the N10 at Oxford Street. Well, after a few stops, the N25 decided to terminate and we all had to get off and wait almost 20 minutes for the next one. We all hopped on that and then after a few stops, it too decided to terminate. At this point, I decided I could no longer handle the bus waiting and decided to walk along looking for a cab. We were in "The City" at this point and I was walking along where I had been earlier in the day for my interview / touristing, and it struck me that the streets of London were almost as crowded, possibly more at 3 am as they were at 3 pm. It seemed to me as though there was some issue with the Night Buses (which by the way, are the buses that run from midnight until when the Tube opens up in the morning all throughout the city and into the outskirts) as there were lots of people crowded around all the bus stops and some people were arguing with Transport officials and buses seemed to be running around "terminated" with their lights off all over the place. After walking around for awhile, I realized that all the cabs were going to be taken, and were, so I had to make my way home somehow else. Luckily, when I decided this, I stumbled upon a bus stop where the N10 stopped. I waited and awhile after, the N10 did show up. The problem with the buses I realized is that they do not announce the stops, so it is nearly impossible to know where you are (sure-- they make their money blind accessible, but not their transport, that's fair). I got on the N10 and asked the driver if a certain stop was coming up and he mumbled something and ignored me. A young woman standing next to me had just tried the same thing earlier, and we exchanged a "what an ass" look. Luckily, I saw the street sign for the stop and got off about 1/2 a block from where I lived (way closer than I had thought). Time of Departure: appx 215. Time of arrival: 4am. Ugh... damn you night buses!
I had signed up for Hampton Court in the morning, but the departure time was 845, which would have meant a 730 wake up call. I feel vaguely guilty about this, but I didn't go. I may regret it, but there was no way I was going to function on 3.5 hours of sleep. I realize I should have planned that better... but it was a night out with Emma, who am I to cut that short?
Anyway, instead, my friend Allison and I went down to Notting Hill neighbourhood and went to the Museum of Advertising, Branding, and Packaging. It was a look at all sorts of adverts and products since Victoria's coronation. It was actually really neat to see how much stuff they were able to acquire and keep. It was also neat to see how many brands and products have kind of stayed the same over the past 100 years. There were lots of placards with information about the era and the significance of all the things, so it was a good afternoon. We got lost on the walk over there, but had a nice little walk through Notting Hill (no Hugh Grant sightings). We went to a cheap little pizza place afterwards (delicious) and then headed home through Portobello Market. Lots of antiques Mom, you should check it out.
I decided, obviously, not to go out tonight as I'm dead tired and need to be up "Early" tomorrow to head over to Madame Tussuad's. I also need need need to do my laundry tomorrow. Apparently it's just as much to drop it off and have them do it as it is to do it yourself, so guess which one I'm going for.
As you may have noticed, I seem to get lost in this city quite a bit. I hate the street signs here, they are maddening. They are plastered in odd places on the sides of buildings somewhere near the intersection (if you're lucky) and are often only on one side and nearly always difficult to see. The small nooks and crannies of streets and odd angles and various gardens, mews, villas, courts, blah blah blah would put Boston's cow paths - turned- streets to shame. The biggest problem by far is that the streets are almost never labeled, and they tend to change name at intersections, making things more complicated. I miss the grid of Philadelphia... it can't get much easier than that.
By the by, I've been finding out that more people read this than I had originally thought ever would. For that reason, I would like to put a very belated disclaimer. Basically, this blog was really just supposed to be a collection of my thoughts, more humourous than otherwise, so you have been warned that I'm not trying to be PC in this, I'm not trying to write something that will go down in history as ground shaking, and I'm not the end all and be all of American experiences here. I'm viewing this whole thing through the very narrowed lens of me and my life experience (meaning only I can say the things I'm saying, I do not speak for anyone else). Also, assume that I'm a girl with a good head on my shoulders and that when I sprain my ankle or am out at 230, it is not nearly as sordid and drunken as you likely think.
Well, it's late, and I need to plan out how I'm going to get lost tomorrow, so I think I'll call it a night.
-Kate
To see more about the place, go to: www.caabu.org
I found out later in the afternoon that I actually got the job, which is great. I'm really excited about it and think it will be a great opportunity (and look great on my resume).
Following the interview, I headed West parallel to the Thames via a patented double decker bus. Thank goodness I looked up the route beforehand or else I never would have found my way correctly to Westminster and my destination, the Banqueting House.
The Banqueting House is all that remains of Whitehall Palace, built until Henry VIII and burnt down under James I. It's now just a really big room with a throne and amazing ceiling paintings (essentially what the place is famous for). It's also got a neat history, being the place where Charles I was executed for Treason and thus marking the beginning of Parliamentary rule in Britain (until William and Mary were brought in to be somewhat rulers, but mostly figureheads). After the House, I had planned to go to Kensington Palace or Portobello Road Market, but was feeling tired and just decided to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon.
After a lovely dinner of microwave meal spaghetti and meatballs (which could have been better, but for $1.50, I'll take what I can get), I hopped on the Tube and made my long way to Mile End in the infamously far away from Kensington East End to the ever-lovely Ms. Emma Bedford's residence at Queen's College. The trip took about 35 minutes, which at an off-peak Tube time is quite far. It is literally all the way across the city and doubtfully a place many BU students venture to in their time here. And I can't say I blame them. First of all, I had to leave Zone 1, and once you leave Zone 1, there is a marked difference in the upkeep of the Tube stations. Mile End itself was far more reminiscent of a Boston or Philadelphia stop and once I popped up above ground, it was indeed like stepping onto a shabby street of Philadelphia.
Remember how I said before I decided it was a myth that people smoke here as much as others say; well, that's different over there in the East. As I was waiting for Emma (who was laaaate....) I noticed that almost everyone was a different ethnicity (which was kind of cool, and kind of refreshing in a way) and almost everyone was smoking. Another thing that struck me was that almost all the people that were passing by were students or young(er) people. Here in South Ken, there's a lot of older rich white people and their pampered dogs.
Queen's College has quite a nice campus, replete with graveyards of varying religions (Emma, fittingly, lives near the Jewish one) and the building Emma lives in is new and she has a very nice room and kitchen. There were kebab and fried chicken shops lining the streets from tube to dorm and Emma insisted we try the chips at this certain place... and they were excellent, until she put vinegar on them... ick.
Anyway, Emma and I hung out at her place for a little bit and then decided to go to her school pub. Luckily, our dear friend Mer left me her Queen's College pub card so I was able to get in and get cheap drinks.
We started the night off with Always a Pleasure- Never a Chore and because of that, it was inevitably a good night (this by the way, is such an inside thing between 3 American girls involving crazy hijinks in various foreign countries, and I won't get into for reasons of posterity and elite-ness). I beat her in pool (we were both terrible) and video game car racing. We then decided to play some of the board games they had in the back, but unfortunately they were all MIA and we were forced to play the game no one likes to play, and no one is good at, yet is exceedingly popular all over the world: Trivial Pursuit. Emma asked a group of guys to play with us and we made teams (I was on Team Wiley Foxes, named after some football club from somewhere nicknamed the Foxes... I did not pick the name). Emma was on Team Matt (clearly named after the most arrogant member of the group). Team Matt won on a technicality of me accidentally using one of the easy cards when asking a question, but we held our own with one less teammate.
It was nice to hang out with the Brits even though the arrogant one got a little drunk and kind of started to become an ass. As a brilliant American and know-er of history, I was able to hold my own in his onslaught of assh*le, and had to use the Suez Canal trump card (which he didn't even know about!). I had pulled out the world war "Saved your ass" card too, but he refused to accept that. He chalked it all up to the RAF. Whatever. I was able to explain to a group of Brits the significance of Winston Churchill using the backwards V for Victory hand sign at the French dating back to the Battle of Agincourt and the deep-seated hatred the two countries have always had for each other. If that doesn't make me amazing, I just don't know what does. That's another thing... when sparring with a Brit, it's always easy to defuse the situation and just bring up how lame the French are. (Fun fact: go to google.com and type in "French military victories" and click "I'm feeling lucky" for a laugh)
The Tube stops running at midnight, and that time pretty quickly came and went so I was forced to take the Night Buses home. I knew this would be a long journey, but figured it didn't matter much, as long as I got home. Welllll.... Emma and I planned out the route beforehand and everything was spot on, but as soon as I got to the stop and had to wait for almost 20 minutes before the bus showed up, I knew it would not be easy. The plan was to get on the N25 and switch to the N10 at Oxford Street. Well, after a few stops, the N25 decided to terminate and we all had to get off and wait almost 20 minutes for the next one. We all hopped on that and then after a few stops, it too decided to terminate. At this point, I decided I could no longer handle the bus waiting and decided to walk along looking for a cab. We were in "The City" at this point and I was walking along where I had been earlier in the day for my interview / touristing, and it struck me that the streets of London were almost as crowded, possibly more at 3 am as they were at 3 pm. It seemed to me as though there was some issue with the Night Buses (which by the way, are the buses that run from midnight until when the Tube opens up in the morning all throughout the city and into the outskirts) as there were lots of people crowded around all the bus stops and some people were arguing with Transport officials and buses seemed to be running around "terminated" with their lights off all over the place. After walking around for awhile, I realized that all the cabs were going to be taken, and were, so I had to make my way home somehow else. Luckily, when I decided this, I stumbled upon a bus stop where the N10 stopped. I waited and awhile after, the N10 did show up. The problem with the buses I realized is that they do not announce the stops, so it is nearly impossible to know where you are (sure-- they make their money blind accessible, but not their transport, that's fair). I got on the N10 and asked the driver if a certain stop was coming up and he mumbled something and ignored me. A young woman standing next to me had just tried the same thing earlier, and we exchanged a "what an ass" look. Luckily, I saw the street sign for the stop and got off about 1/2 a block from where I lived (way closer than I had thought). Time of Departure: appx 215. Time of arrival: 4am. Ugh... damn you night buses!
I had signed up for Hampton Court in the morning, but the departure time was 845, which would have meant a 730 wake up call. I feel vaguely guilty about this, but I didn't go. I may regret it, but there was no way I was going to function on 3.5 hours of sleep. I realize I should have planned that better... but it was a night out with Emma, who am I to cut that short?
Anyway, instead, my friend Allison and I went down to Notting Hill neighbourhood and went to the Museum of Advertising, Branding, and Packaging. It was a look at all sorts of adverts and products since Victoria's coronation. It was actually really neat to see how much stuff they were able to acquire and keep. It was also neat to see how many brands and products have kind of stayed the same over the past 100 years. There were lots of placards with information about the era and the significance of all the things, so it was a good afternoon. We got lost on the walk over there, but had a nice little walk through Notting Hill (no Hugh Grant sightings). We went to a cheap little pizza place afterwards (delicious) and then headed home through Portobello Market. Lots of antiques Mom, you should check it out.
I decided, obviously, not to go out tonight as I'm dead tired and need to be up "Early" tomorrow to head over to Madame Tussuad's. I also need need need to do my laundry tomorrow. Apparently it's just as much to drop it off and have them do it as it is to do it yourself, so guess which one I'm going for.
As you may have noticed, I seem to get lost in this city quite a bit. I hate the street signs here, they are maddening. They are plastered in odd places on the sides of buildings somewhere near the intersection (if you're lucky) and are often only on one side and nearly always difficult to see. The small nooks and crannies of streets and odd angles and various gardens, mews, villas, courts, blah blah blah would put Boston's cow paths - turned- streets to shame. The biggest problem by far is that the streets are almost never labeled, and they tend to change name at intersections, making things more complicated. I miss the grid of Philadelphia... it can't get much easier than that.
By the by, I've been finding out that more people read this than I had originally thought ever would. For that reason, I would like to put a very belated disclaimer. Basically, this blog was really just supposed to be a collection of my thoughts, more humourous than otherwise, so you have been warned that I'm not trying to be PC in this, I'm not trying to write something that will go down in history as ground shaking, and I'm not the end all and be all of American experiences here. I'm viewing this whole thing through the very narrowed lens of me and my life experience (meaning only I can say the things I'm saying, I do not speak for anyone else). Also, assume that I'm a girl with a good head on my shoulders and that when I sprain my ankle or am out at 230, it is not nearly as sordid and drunken as you likely think.
Well, it's late, and I need to plan out how I'm going to get lost tomorrow, so I think I'll call it a night.
-Kate
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Classes and Other Educational Tidbits
This post will mostly be dedicated to the academic aspect of London, for Dad's sake.
I've had four classes so far and I think the following anecdote will best sum things up:
As of Monday night, I had done no homework (which is all reading) for either of my classes. I hadn't even looked at the syllabus. I had sworn to myself I would do it on Tuesday, but ended up going to Imperial College with my friend Allison instead (more on this later). Well, of course, when I got back I was a little disappointed with myself, so I said I would do some of it right then and the rest the next morning. I looked at both syllabi's and discovered that in between last Thursday, and next Thursday, I am expected to do 38 pages of reading. Yes, that's it. That's approximately less than 3 pages a day. I think I can handle that.
There were rumours that the academics were easy here, but sheesh. But I take that back. For both of my classes, it's apparent that going to class and actually taking good notes is far more important than reading books. Both of the topics (British Political Institutions and Britain and the EU) are so "cutting edge" that all the books are out of date. We talk a lot about current events and are expected to watch the news (which I do do). While there isn't a lot of homework per se, for both classes, there is a 3000 word paper. This amounts to I guess about 8 pages. So, that's 16 pages in the next 5 weeks, which is no small feat. I think my topic for the EU class will be about how the UK will come to rely heavily on its European partners when dealing with energy matters and dealing collectively with countries like Russia. The UK is not at the moment the biggest fan of the EU or the continent in general so I hope to argue that it will need to change its tune shortly. For my other class, the British Political Institutions, I'm not entirely clear what to write about, but I think it will have something to do with the House of Lords and whether or not it should be abolished or changed. I think my point will be that it's not worth the hassle as the House of Lords hardly interferes in government and it's nice to have some long standing traditions in government.
Both classes have a lot of overlap because in order to understand why the UK feels the way it does about the EU, you need to understand its current politics and government setup, and in order to understand the current policies of the government and the direction it's heading, you need to understand its relationship with the EU. And as the same professor teaches both, there's naturally a lot of repetition. I guess this is a good thing because it helps to reinforce things.
Overall, I do feel like I'm definitely learning a lot. I'm very intrigued by British politics and I have to say I find them quite a bit more interesting than US politics. Not having a constitution (well, a written one) makes things so much easier to get done here. The perfect example of this is the gun law. People wanted it, so boom, overnight, it was done. Can you imagine that happening in America? Nay, you cannot. No matter how many school massacres we have, the constitution says something, and we will never come to a consensus about changing it.
We broke into discussion for a bit today, and inevitably, our group started talking about the differences between the two countries. We thought it was cool that the UK had the power to do that kind of stuff so quickly, but to America's credit, it's far far far bigger with a far more varied population. Public Opinion is rarely if ever overwhelming enough to get something changed. We also came to the conclusion that while some things in our system are unfortunate, it works and doesn't really effect us too much, so we like it OK. I think when people leave a place they are generally critical of, they realize that it's not so bad. New perspectives from study abroad... I guess that's the point.
So, I'm in these two classes until spring break. Right before Spring break there are exams for each class. Following Spring break, we start our 3rd class, which will meet only once a week (called Elective B, and I guess is the most ancillary class), and the other 4 days we have our various internships.
My real interview is on Friday at 11 am. I need to do a test run on getting there beforehand, which I'll probably do tomorrow evening. I will make sure to brush up extensively on all the news going on with the Arab world. Being on their mailing list definitely helps with that. Hopefully it will go well. I'll be sure to post about it.
Something I've noticed about British TV is that there are an almost excessive amount of quiz shows. There's at least 2 different ones on every night, and they're usually very hard. This might not be the case if I were British, but I'm not, so they're hard. In general, the country just seems to like them. Even Imperial College across the street has one every Tuesday. After watching a few on TV on Monday, Allison and I decided to go and check it out. We went over there and stood around awkwardly for awhile in the pub (called DaVinci's for whatever future reference there may be) wondering if it would start or not. Finally the guy made the announcement and things were underway. It's not what I was expecting where people gather into groups and someone shouts questions and whoever buzzes in first wins. Allison and I were going to give it a shot, so we asked someone how to enter and they invited us to be on their team. Any number of people can enter in any size group and you just grab an official piece of paper with the questions on it.
Our teammates apparently were quiz veterans, but had never won. They were both post-graduate students (which here means getting a masters, not the same meaning as at home) living on the outskirts of London but originally from Northern England. They were quite nice and we had a good time with them, although they did have that definite MIT-awkwardness tint to them (as I've mentioned, Imperial College is like an MIT). It was really nice of them to invite us on their team though, and it was great to chat with some locals and finally meet some Brits. They were very pleasant and we made fun of each others pronunciations a lot (did you know they say albeeno for albino? I said unless you said rheeno instead of rhino, you should be saying Albino... I was actually able to win that particular argument :-P) They told us to get out of London, as the country and other parts are extremely different. One had almost a Scottish accent and was a bit difficult to understand. Neither had particularly bad teeth.
So anyway, the quiz. There were two parts. The first was a series of picture clues with acronyms that we had to figure out. It was a like a picture of a body of water saying "tPitLO", which meant The Pacific is the Largest Ocean and so on. We were actually able to figure all of these out, including Jacques Cousteau invented the Aqualung. The next part was more of what I was expecting where the announcer asked a bunch of questions in different categories and we were to write down our answers. They were definitely difficult, even for the locals. I was able to get a few (thanks in part to Snapple caps), but definitely had no idea what a cricket bat was made out of (Willow incidentally) or that a football changes color depending on the weather (they turn orange when there's snow). We did not win (winners got 100 pounds), but we didn't lose either. The losers were actually a group of Americans across the pub that happened to be there. The winners had a large number of people on their team, so they had more knowledge reserves, but also had to split the money more. It was fun though, and definitely nice to do something different with a local flavour. I will probably do it again. And probably not win again.
I've got a decently busy weekend ahead. I think on Friday I'm going into the East End to see Emma in the evening, going to Portobello Market in the afternoon, and then Hampton Court on Saturday. I think Saturday night I may just have to go to a club called "Slimelight"-- I'm sure you can guess what kind of club it is, but I have to work up the courage first. Sunday will probably be the London Eye and Madame Toussauds. More on all this as it happens.
I'm very pleased to say that I've been cooking well for myself and eating far more healthily than in the states (which really shouldn't be all that much of a surprise). I don't feel like spending the money on desserts or snacks, so it's just the basic meals with not a lot of fringe. I made stir fry last night, and multiple people commented on how good it looked / tasty it smelled. I pretty much owned cooking last night. I also am a big fan of Sainsbury's prices. The more I buy, the cheaper I realize their stuff is. Even after converting it, most of it is still a really great deal. I think I got breaded chicken which I froze for 4 dollars the other day (about 12-15 chicken strips). I'm not sure that would happen in the states. They put stuff on sale a lot, and you don't have to have one of those stupid cards to benefit.
I've written a lot about some of the differences, good and bad, about London. It struck me the other day though that besides some obvious things like calling private schools Public Schools and driving on the wrong side of the road, there really isn't anything that I just can't fathom here. There's nothing fundamentally different about life here that I'm unable to grasp. Perhaps I'm easily adaptable, perhaps it's US cultural imperialism, or perhaps our two countries are more similar than I had thought. I haven't been here that long, so I may encounter more, but I'm alternately pleased and disappointed that things are understandable here. Usually more so than that, they're familiar. Different enough though that I'm still learning and seeing and doing a whole lot (don't worry mom and dad... money well spent!).
Speaking of money briefly, yes, the exchange rate is terrible. And yes, it probably will get worse. For those of you wondering on how a high-maintenance girl like myself is faring, read on.
Having been here for 11 days, buying 100% of my food (85% or so from the groceries), start up costs like a computer cord and some toiletries and cleaning supplies, some outings, some tourist stuff, some night life stuff, I have spent approximately--
Holy Crap. I don't even want to post that number, quite honestly.
Well, to console myself, I will not need to buy another computer cord (which was a good chunk of that) or grocery and apartment start up. I hope.
Well, that concludes another installment of Life in London.
-Kate
I've had four classes so far and I think the following anecdote will best sum things up:
As of Monday night, I had done no homework (which is all reading) for either of my classes. I hadn't even looked at the syllabus. I had sworn to myself I would do it on Tuesday, but ended up going to Imperial College with my friend Allison instead (more on this later). Well, of course, when I got back I was a little disappointed with myself, so I said I would do some of it right then and the rest the next morning. I looked at both syllabi's and discovered that in between last Thursday, and next Thursday, I am expected to do 38 pages of reading. Yes, that's it. That's approximately less than 3 pages a day. I think I can handle that.
There were rumours that the academics were easy here, but sheesh. But I take that back. For both of my classes, it's apparent that going to class and actually taking good notes is far more important than reading books. Both of the topics (British Political Institutions and Britain and the EU) are so "cutting edge" that all the books are out of date. We talk a lot about current events and are expected to watch the news (which I do do). While there isn't a lot of homework per se, for both classes, there is a 3000 word paper. This amounts to I guess about 8 pages. So, that's 16 pages in the next 5 weeks, which is no small feat. I think my topic for the EU class will be about how the UK will come to rely heavily on its European partners when dealing with energy matters and dealing collectively with countries like Russia. The UK is not at the moment the biggest fan of the EU or the continent in general so I hope to argue that it will need to change its tune shortly. For my other class, the British Political Institutions, I'm not entirely clear what to write about, but I think it will have something to do with the House of Lords and whether or not it should be abolished or changed. I think my point will be that it's not worth the hassle as the House of Lords hardly interferes in government and it's nice to have some long standing traditions in government.
Both classes have a lot of overlap because in order to understand why the UK feels the way it does about the EU, you need to understand its current politics and government setup, and in order to understand the current policies of the government and the direction it's heading, you need to understand its relationship with the EU. And as the same professor teaches both, there's naturally a lot of repetition. I guess this is a good thing because it helps to reinforce things.
Overall, I do feel like I'm definitely learning a lot. I'm very intrigued by British politics and I have to say I find them quite a bit more interesting than US politics. Not having a constitution (well, a written one) makes things so much easier to get done here. The perfect example of this is the gun law. People wanted it, so boom, overnight, it was done. Can you imagine that happening in America? Nay, you cannot. No matter how many school massacres we have, the constitution says something, and we will never come to a consensus about changing it.
We broke into discussion for a bit today, and inevitably, our group started talking about the differences between the two countries. We thought it was cool that the UK had the power to do that kind of stuff so quickly, but to America's credit, it's far far far bigger with a far more varied population. Public Opinion is rarely if ever overwhelming enough to get something changed. We also came to the conclusion that while some things in our system are unfortunate, it works and doesn't really effect us too much, so we like it OK. I think when people leave a place they are generally critical of, they realize that it's not so bad. New perspectives from study abroad... I guess that's the point.
So, I'm in these two classes until spring break. Right before Spring break there are exams for each class. Following Spring break, we start our 3rd class, which will meet only once a week (called Elective B, and I guess is the most ancillary class), and the other 4 days we have our various internships.
My real interview is on Friday at 11 am. I need to do a test run on getting there beforehand, which I'll probably do tomorrow evening. I will make sure to brush up extensively on all the news going on with the Arab world. Being on their mailing list definitely helps with that. Hopefully it will go well. I'll be sure to post about it.
Something I've noticed about British TV is that there are an almost excessive amount of quiz shows. There's at least 2 different ones on every night, and they're usually very hard. This might not be the case if I were British, but I'm not, so they're hard. In general, the country just seems to like them. Even Imperial College across the street has one every Tuesday. After watching a few on TV on Monday, Allison and I decided to go and check it out. We went over there and stood around awkwardly for awhile in the pub (called DaVinci's for whatever future reference there may be) wondering if it would start or not. Finally the guy made the announcement and things were underway. It's not what I was expecting where people gather into groups and someone shouts questions and whoever buzzes in first wins. Allison and I were going to give it a shot, so we asked someone how to enter and they invited us to be on their team. Any number of people can enter in any size group and you just grab an official piece of paper with the questions on it.
Our teammates apparently were quiz veterans, but had never won. They were both post-graduate students (which here means getting a masters, not the same meaning as at home) living on the outskirts of London but originally from Northern England. They were quite nice and we had a good time with them, although they did have that definite MIT-awkwardness tint to them (as I've mentioned, Imperial College is like an MIT). It was really nice of them to invite us on their team though, and it was great to chat with some locals and finally meet some Brits. They were very pleasant and we made fun of each others pronunciations a lot (did you know they say albeeno for albino? I said unless you said rheeno instead of rhino, you should be saying Albino... I was actually able to win that particular argument :-P) They told us to get out of London, as the country and other parts are extremely different. One had almost a Scottish accent and was a bit difficult to understand. Neither had particularly bad teeth.
So anyway, the quiz. There were two parts. The first was a series of picture clues with acronyms that we had to figure out. It was a like a picture of a body of water saying "tPitLO", which meant The Pacific is the Largest Ocean and so on. We were actually able to figure all of these out, including Jacques Cousteau invented the Aqualung. The next part was more of what I was expecting where the announcer asked a bunch of questions in different categories and we were to write down our answers. They were definitely difficult, even for the locals. I was able to get a few (thanks in part to Snapple caps), but definitely had no idea what a cricket bat was made out of (Willow incidentally) or that a football changes color depending on the weather (they turn orange when there's snow). We did not win (winners got 100 pounds), but we didn't lose either. The losers were actually a group of Americans across the pub that happened to be there. The winners had a large number of people on their team, so they had more knowledge reserves, but also had to split the money more. It was fun though, and definitely nice to do something different with a local flavour. I will probably do it again. And probably not win again.
I've got a decently busy weekend ahead. I think on Friday I'm going into the East End to see Emma in the evening, going to Portobello Market in the afternoon, and then Hampton Court on Saturday. I think Saturday night I may just have to go to a club called "Slimelight"-- I'm sure you can guess what kind of club it is, but I have to work up the courage first. Sunday will probably be the London Eye and Madame Toussauds. More on all this as it happens.
I'm very pleased to say that I've been cooking well for myself and eating far more healthily than in the states (which really shouldn't be all that much of a surprise). I don't feel like spending the money on desserts or snacks, so it's just the basic meals with not a lot of fringe. I made stir fry last night, and multiple people commented on how good it looked / tasty it smelled. I pretty much owned cooking last night. I also am a big fan of Sainsbury's prices. The more I buy, the cheaper I realize their stuff is. Even after converting it, most of it is still a really great deal. I think I got breaded chicken which I froze for 4 dollars the other day (about 12-15 chicken strips). I'm not sure that would happen in the states. They put stuff on sale a lot, and you don't have to have one of those stupid cards to benefit.
I've written a lot about some of the differences, good and bad, about London. It struck me the other day though that besides some obvious things like calling private schools Public Schools and driving on the wrong side of the road, there really isn't anything that I just can't fathom here. There's nothing fundamentally different about life here that I'm unable to grasp. Perhaps I'm easily adaptable, perhaps it's US cultural imperialism, or perhaps our two countries are more similar than I had thought. I haven't been here that long, so I may encounter more, but I'm alternately pleased and disappointed that things are understandable here. Usually more so than that, they're familiar. Different enough though that I'm still learning and seeing and doing a whole lot (don't worry mom and dad... money well spent!).
Speaking of money briefly, yes, the exchange rate is terrible. And yes, it probably will get worse. For those of you wondering on how a high-maintenance girl like myself is faring, read on.
Having been here for 11 days, buying 100% of my food (85% or so from the groceries), start up costs like a computer cord and some toiletries and cleaning supplies, some outings, some tourist stuff, some night life stuff, I have spent approximately--
Holy Crap. I don't even want to post that number, quite honestly.
Well, to console myself, I will not need to buy another computer cord (which was a good chunk of that) or grocery and apartment start up. I hope.
Well, that concludes another installment of Life in London.
-Kate
Monday, 21 January 2008
Finally Getting Out
After sitting in my room for pretty much all of Friday and Saturday, I finally got out on Saturday night after Jon came to visit me. I was desperate to leave my room and my ankle was doing ok so we just walked down the road a bit and had a pint at the only pub in Kensington and Chelsea still open at 1130. It didn't hurt my ankle all that much and did a world of wonders for my mentality. We talked a bit about travel and came to the kind of same conclusion that we'd like to see more of the UK and will regret not doing that more than we would regret not going to the continent. The prof in class today also said how odd he found it that his students will go all over the continent but will never step outside the city of London.
I have the same Professor for 2/3 of my classes. So i spend 16 hours a week (4 hours a day) with the same teacher in the same room. Four hour classes are definitely one thing in theory and quite another in practice. I have no problem listening for four hours, but it's just hard to sit still for that long. So much gets covered that it's also difficult to really put a whole topic to one class, it seems really spread all over the place. I do feel like I'm learning a lot and there's not a whole lot of work outside of class, so that works.
Overall, my ankle is doing pretty well, but all the activity of recent days has kind of caused a levelling off of healing.
On Sunday, I was out and about all day. I went on a bus tour of London and saw a bunch of famous sites and took a lot of pictures (which you can see on facebook). We stopped briefly at St Paul's Cathedral and saw the London Stock Exchange and then went for lunch in Covent Gardens. The tour ended at the Tower of London. There, a few of the BU kids were able to attach ourselves to another tour group and get into buildings and hear things we might not have heard or seen on our own, which was nice. We saw the crown jewels and they were all a much bigger deal than I had remembered. It was definitely cool to go there even though I had been there before because I know so much more about London and English history this time around so I got so much more out of it.
One thing that was very overwhelming throughout the whole day was the sense of tradition all over London and the UK. The US really can't compare to any of it at all.
During the tour, I think a lot of us became overwhelmed with just how much there was to do and see in this town. Steve was keeping notes of someone he was interested in everytime the tour guide mentioned something and ending up with tons of filled post-it notes. What I need to work on is getting up early and doing stuff before classes at 1:15. I need to do it all then because by the time I get out of class, most things will be closed. Hopefully I will be motivated enough to do that and it will happen. My plan tomorrow is to wake up early and do some more of the Natural History Museum. There's a lot I missed last time but luckily it's free so I'll go until I finish.
I really want to go to Question Hour at Parliament, but it starts at noon and I have class at 115, so I'm not sure I'd be able to make it. I won't be able to make it once I start my internship (they only do it on Wednesdays), so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze it in one day. It's definitely a legal tradition here I do not want to miss out on.
In the evening yesterday I went down to a pub and watched the Patriots with a bunch of BU students, most routing for the Patriots. Most people were expecting the Packers to win against the Giants, but so much for that I guess. The Patriots obviously won and people were pleased. I think after a rough weekend for most people were eager to kind of take it easy and just watch some (American) football. It seemed like people went a little overboard on their first weekend here and then just needed to crash.
I found out today that my interview for CAABU is this Friday. I need to do a trial run at some point to figure out how to get there. I think I will wait until Wednesday or Thursday for my ankle to be a bit better incase I get lost and have to do a lot of walking. It apparently takes about 40 minutes to get there, but it's right downtown and in a nice area, so it'll be nice to go down to a nice place everyday.
Haha, so apparently they have this show called "The Palace" which is sort of like a less dramatic West Wing. I think it's kind of supposed to be like when William is King. Nice young man with a little Prince brother that likes to party. But neither are as good looking at all. I just saw a commercial for a place called specsavers that used a clip of Edith Piaf singing with subtitles about not regretting anything but not getting two pairs of specs for 75 pounds at specsavers. I mention this only because I just recently saw La Vie En Rose and was pumped that i actually recognized who it was and recognized the absurdity of the commercial.
One thing I've noticed about London is the traffic lights are slightly different. They're red, yellow, and green, but the yellow light goes on along with the red light as soon as they're both about to change to green. This is helpful for both motorists and pedestrians I think because it helps the pedestrian know when the absolute last moment they can cross the street is (unlike in the US when the walk hand stops but the light is still red and you feel like an ass standing there for 30 seconds while no one moves) and the drivers can get ready to go. While this is a good thing, th English have no idea how to walk down the street. I think it has something to do with driving on the wrong side of the road. In America, you walk down sidewalks and hallways as though you're driving. Pass people on the left, use the right door, right side of the stairs, etc etc. Here, if they did the same thing, only on the left, I would be able to handle it, but no, it's all very willy nilly. And no one moves out of your way, and no one notices really anyone else in the sidewalk so it's all very chaotic. I can't say I'm a fan. I'm very into sidewalk order.
I finally took the trash out yesterday from the kitchen (it was my week this week) and it involved going outside, then going down stairs next to the building off of the sidewalk to what amounted to this underground labyrinth of door and hallways of trash rooms. Each building has a room for their trash with a code for it to get in. The trash people, whenever they come around have to go down the stairs, go into these room and bring the trash back up. This only happens in this neighborhood. Other place I have seen, the trash is out in the road ready for them to pick up. This is just another example of how posh things are here. It was smelly, but pretty badass.
HAHA! Watching TV is my new favorite thing to do here. There's apparently an insurance company here called Churchill and their "mascot" is a very jowly bulldog. Very clever. I wonder what Winston would think of this legacy.
I just figured out yesterday that you can get 1/2 price admission when you buy tickets to Madame Tussauds and the London Eye together online. I think I'm going to do that this weekend. I really want my picture taken with the Princes and Winston. Hopefully the weather will be nice and the Eye will offer a nice view. I guess you can see Windsor castle on a good day.
I guess that's it on my end, I'm missing everyone in the US, especially the fam, hope everything is well on the other side of the pond :-)
Lots of love, Kate
I have the same Professor for 2/3 of my classes. So i spend 16 hours a week (4 hours a day) with the same teacher in the same room. Four hour classes are definitely one thing in theory and quite another in practice. I have no problem listening for four hours, but it's just hard to sit still for that long. So much gets covered that it's also difficult to really put a whole topic to one class, it seems really spread all over the place. I do feel like I'm learning a lot and there's not a whole lot of work outside of class, so that works.
Overall, my ankle is doing pretty well, but all the activity of recent days has kind of caused a levelling off of healing.
On Sunday, I was out and about all day. I went on a bus tour of London and saw a bunch of famous sites and took a lot of pictures (which you can see on facebook). We stopped briefly at St Paul's Cathedral and saw the London Stock Exchange and then went for lunch in Covent Gardens. The tour ended at the Tower of London. There, a few of the BU kids were able to attach ourselves to another tour group and get into buildings and hear things we might not have heard or seen on our own, which was nice. We saw the crown jewels and they were all a much bigger deal than I had remembered. It was definitely cool to go there even though I had been there before because I know so much more about London and English history this time around so I got so much more out of it.
One thing that was very overwhelming throughout the whole day was the sense of tradition all over London and the UK. The US really can't compare to any of it at all.
During the tour, I think a lot of us became overwhelmed with just how much there was to do and see in this town. Steve was keeping notes of someone he was interested in everytime the tour guide mentioned something and ending up with tons of filled post-it notes. What I need to work on is getting up early and doing stuff before classes at 1:15. I need to do it all then because by the time I get out of class, most things will be closed. Hopefully I will be motivated enough to do that and it will happen. My plan tomorrow is to wake up early and do some more of the Natural History Museum. There's a lot I missed last time but luckily it's free so I'll go until I finish.
I really want to go to Question Hour at Parliament, but it starts at noon and I have class at 115, so I'm not sure I'd be able to make it. I won't be able to make it once I start my internship (they only do it on Wednesdays), so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze it in one day. It's definitely a legal tradition here I do not want to miss out on.
In the evening yesterday I went down to a pub and watched the Patriots with a bunch of BU students, most routing for the Patriots. Most people were expecting the Packers to win against the Giants, but so much for that I guess. The Patriots obviously won and people were pleased. I think after a rough weekend for most people were eager to kind of take it easy and just watch some (American) football. It seemed like people went a little overboard on their first weekend here and then just needed to crash.
I found out today that my interview for CAABU is this Friday. I need to do a trial run at some point to figure out how to get there. I think I will wait until Wednesday or Thursday for my ankle to be a bit better incase I get lost and have to do a lot of walking. It apparently takes about 40 minutes to get there, but it's right downtown and in a nice area, so it'll be nice to go down to a nice place everyday.
Haha, so apparently they have this show called "The Palace" which is sort of like a less dramatic West Wing. I think it's kind of supposed to be like when William is King. Nice young man with a little Prince brother that likes to party. But neither are as good looking at all. I just saw a commercial for a place called specsavers that used a clip of Edith Piaf singing with subtitles about not regretting anything but not getting two pairs of specs for 75 pounds at specsavers. I mention this only because I just recently saw La Vie En Rose and was pumped that i actually recognized who it was and recognized the absurdity of the commercial.
One thing I've noticed about London is the traffic lights are slightly different. They're red, yellow, and green, but the yellow light goes on along with the red light as soon as they're both about to change to green. This is helpful for both motorists and pedestrians I think because it helps the pedestrian know when the absolute last moment they can cross the street is (unlike in the US when the walk hand stops but the light is still red and you feel like an ass standing there for 30 seconds while no one moves) and the drivers can get ready to go. While this is a good thing, th English have no idea how to walk down the street. I think it has something to do with driving on the wrong side of the road. In America, you walk down sidewalks and hallways as though you're driving. Pass people on the left, use the right door, right side of the stairs, etc etc. Here, if they did the same thing, only on the left, I would be able to handle it, but no, it's all very willy nilly. And no one moves out of your way, and no one notices really anyone else in the sidewalk so it's all very chaotic. I can't say I'm a fan. I'm very into sidewalk order.
I finally took the trash out yesterday from the kitchen (it was my week this week) and it involved going outside, then going down stairs next to the building off of the sidewalk to what amounted to this underground labyrinth of door and hallways of trash rooms. Each building has a room for their trash with a code for it to get in. The trash people, whenever they come around have to go down the stairs, go into these room and bring the trash back up. This only happens in this neighborhood. Other place I have seen, the trash is out in the road ready for them to pick up. This is just another example of how posh things are here. It was smelly, but pretty badass.
HAHA! Watching TV is my new favorite thing to do here. There's apparently an insurance company here called Churchill and their "mascot" is a very jowly bulldog. Very clever. I wonder what Winston would think of this legacy.
I just figured out yesterday that you can get 1/2 price admission when you buy tickets to Madame Tussauds and the London Eye together online. I think I'm going to do that this weekend. I really want my picture taken with the Princes and Winston. Hopefully the weather will be nice and the Eye will offer a nice view. I guess you can see Windsor castle on a good day.
I guess that's it on my end, I'm missing everyone in the US, especially the fam, hope everything is well on the other side of the pond :-)
Lots of love, Kate
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Ankle Sprain: Hour 37
So, day two with the ankle sprain. It's looking and feeling quite a bit better, but I've definitely got some cabin fever going on. I really don't want to push myself and do some permanent damage and I want it to heal ASAP, so I am just taking it easy and not doing anything. I already bought tickets to the Tower tomorrow, so I'm definitely going on that, and hopefully the ankle will be much better by then. Thanks to Steve, I now have a wrap on it, so that's good.
In the mean time, I have been watching more TV, which is interesting. I don't actually like watching the shows, because I don't really get them (you can't just jump into a soap opera or sitcom generally), but I do like watching the commercials. I have to say a lot of them are just really bizarre. I can't tell if they're the kind of commercials people watch and go "I love this commercial" or "hey, here's this stupid commercial again" I guess they wouldn't say commercial at all, they'd say advert. Anyway, thinking about it, I suppose plenty of people would look at that Orbit commercial (Pickle you, kumquat!!) or the snickers commercial (happy peanuts soar...) and think "Ummm... what?" So to each his own. They also have an equivalent of The View here, only it's called Loose Women. Not sure how I feel about that.
So, a funny story from pre-sprain. The first night I was here, I went out with Steve and his roomates / roomates's friends, and we were in the tube station headed towards Picadilly Circus. The ultimate destination of the train was a place called "Cockfosters" which was posted everywhere and a the automated Tube lady would announce it periodically. As you can imagine, this greatly amused a group of Americans on their first night, and even pictures were taken. Oh the Brits and their funny names. Since that night, I have been on the Cockfosters bound train numerous times, and I have to suppress a smile each time that nice lady emphasizes the word Cock in Cockfosters while noticing that the Brits don't bat an eye. I'd like to think I'm fairly mature for my age so I always wonder "Are we as Americans really just that immature?" Well, the other night, I was solo on the train headed to that Bunker Bar party and there was an out of town Brit on the train (I know this because he and his friend were talking about it) and he found Cockfosters to be equally, if not more amusing. He even coupled the nice lady's voice with his own yelling "Cock!" whenever it was announced. I again was probably the only other person on the train to display my amusement. Everyone else kind of pretended it wasn't happening. It was nice to know, though, that Americans aren't alone in their enjoyment of dirty words where they shouldn't be... Londoners are just too used to it I guess!
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but we have a housekeeping service here. That seems really awesome and posh, but beneath the surface, it's pretty much worthless. There's a list of things in the Kitchen we're responsible for and what it comes down to is that they will maybe consider vacuuming the kitchen if they feel like it. Everything else, including garbage, buying our own cleaning supplies and things like that are up to us. If they see we aren't doing those things regularly (regularly has not been defined to us), they will fine us. Now, I don't mind that I have to do all that stuff, I assumed I would have to anyway. I do, however, mind that everyone's tuition is going towards these people hanging out in our hallways at too early hours talking very loudly about things I can't understand because the accent is just a tad too thick.
Maybe my Kensington surroundings are starting to seep in.
I'd like to take this time to give some kudos to English produce. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that they don't really grow much of anything here, but the fruit I've had so far has all been really excellent. You can find good fruit all over the US, but generally it's rather expensive for the good organic stuff. Here, the cheap store brand stuff is usually the organic high quality produce. Granted, the definition of organic could be very different (the definition of cheap here certainly is), but it's still a nice difference.
I know I've said it before, but I would just like to point out my happiness with the environmental awareness around here. I can already tell from being here that I'm making a smaller footprint. I even bought the reusable grocery bags, which for some reason I don't think I ever would have done in the States. The best part is, like the organic stuff, the store brand is usually the one that seems to be the most environmentally friendly (or so says the label). I'm all about the two flush buttons (although the no 1 flush really doesn't do the best job) and there are "Turn it off!" signs everywhere. It's amazing how geography can influence people's habits so much.
The other day in class we were talking about crime in the UK and how people's perception of it here is that there's tons of it and it's crazily on the rise. In fact, statistics show clearly that it's gone down significantly in past years (especially in London) and is overall extremely low when compared to other places like the United States. Guns are completely illegal here, and replica guns are soon to be as well. People are still being murdered though, and it's being done with knives. The professor pointed out a gruesome detail that amongst murdering Brits (those convicted, etc), there is a general feeling that killing someone with a gun is a "girly" way to do it... if you stab someone, you have to be up close and personal and see the blood so it's much harder. This is disgusting, but it is interesting. This was brought up in my Public Policy class sophomore year. Guns make it easier and a lot less personal to kill someone. Banning them has clearly contributed to the slowing and low murder rate.
I will definitely admit that the US has a much higher crime rate. It's pretty bad for a first world country, but when compared to all the countries in the world, I don't think it's a dangerous place by any means. Britons apparently think that crime is the number one cause of death in the UK, which is extremely far from the truth (no one is quite sure why they think this). While the professor was explaining this statistic, he offhandedly mentioned that in some countries, it was one of the leading causes of death, including the United States. This made me pause for a second, but I didn't interject because I wasn't entirely sure and figured since he clearly knows a bit about America, he would know better. I have since checked my facts and found it to be entirely untrue. It's within the top 10 or 11 depending on where you look, but it's still negligable compared to say heart disease. I'm not sure if this was just a slip on his part, or I misunderstood him, but it seems odd to me that a member of the intelligentsia here would have that misperception of the US. No wonder they all go to Florida, they're probably afraid to go anywhere else.
His point about stabbing someone being more manly also brought to mind, indirectly in a way, the fact that i think England is a place with a lot of testosterone. As mom points out, it kind of is the reason for wars and conquering and all that other stuff. For hundreds of years, GB had a great way to put that hormone to use, now they don't. The last time they tried (Suez), Ike kind of proverbially cut their balls off. This probably sounds totally bizarre, but the Brits have lost a sort of manliness (along with world glory) that I think contributes to their standoffishness against Americans.
I also think it's interesting that others (Americans) have this sort of perception of British men as smaller, more effeminate, quieter, and things of that nature. It took me about 10 minutes of being here to realize that that is quite far from the truth. They range just as much as Americans (although there is a lot less fat), and most are much more in shape.
There also seems to be a US perception that the Brits don't have a sense of humour. I already knew that this wasn't true before I got here (you can only watch so much of The Office UK, The Young Ones, and other UK comedies without thinking these people are hilarious), but it's definitely been reinforced since I got here. Sure, they don't giggle at the word Cock, but it's a much more refined and witty humour that I think takes a lot more skill and I appreciate much more. I still love the slapstick and will always enjoy Anchorman, but the Brits definitely hold their own in making me laugh.
Well, I think that's enough for today. Nothing's been happening to me, so I shouldn't have nearly as much to say and this entry will probably clue you in to how bored I am and how much my mind is overworking :-P
-Kate
In the mean time, I have been watching more TV, which is interesting. I don't actually like watching the shows, because I don't really get them (you can't just jump into a soap opera or sitcom generally), but I do like watching the commercials. I have to say a lot of them are just really bizarre. I can't tell if they're the kind of commercials people watch and go "I love this commercial" or "hey, here's this stupid commercial again" I guess they wouldn't say commercial at all, they'd say advert. Anyway, thinking about it, I suppose plenty of people would look at that Orbit commercial (Pickle you, kumquat!!) or the snickers commercial (happy peanuts soar...) and think "Ummm... what?" So to each his own. They also have an equivalent of The View here, only it's called Loose Women. Not sure how I feel about that.
So, a funny story from pre-sprain. The first night I was here, I went out with Steve and his roomates / roomates's friends, and we were in the tube station headed towards Picadilly Circus. The ultimate destination of the train was a place called "Cockfosters" which was posted everywhere and a the automated Tube lady would announce it periodically. As you can imagine, this greatly amused a group of Americans on their first night, and even pictures were taken. Oh the Brits and their funny names. Since that night, I have been on the Cockfosters bound train numerous times, and I have to suppress a smile each time that nice lady emphasizes the word Cock in Cockfosters while noticing that the Brits don't bat an eye. I'd like to think I'm fairly mature for my age so I always wonder "Are we as Americans really just that immature?" Well, the other night, I was solo on the train headed to that Bunker Bar party and there was an out of town Brit on the train (I know this because he and his friend were talking about it) and he found Cockfosters to be equally, if not more amusing. He even coupled the nice lady's voice with his own yelling "Cock!" whenever it was announced. I again was probably the only other person on the train to display my amusement. Everyone else kind of pretended it wasn't happening. It was nice to know, though, that Americans aren't alone in their enjoyment of dirty words where they shouldn't be... Londoners are just too used to it I guess!
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but we have a housekeeping service here. That seems really awesome and posh, but beneath the surface, it's pretty much worthless. There's a list of things in the Kitchen we're responsible for and what it comes down to is that they will maybe consider vacuuming the kitchen if they feel like it. Everything else, including garbage, buying our own cleaning supplies and things like that are up to us. If they see we aren't doing those things regularly (regularly has not been defined to us), they will fine us. Now, I don't mind that I have to do all that stuff, I assumed I would have to anyway. I do, however, mind that everyone's tuition is going towards these people hanging out in our hallways at too early hours talking very loudly about things I can't understand because the accent is just a tad too thick.
Maybe my Kensington surroundings are starting to seep in.
I'd like to take this time to give some kudos to English produce. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that they don't really grow much of anything here, but the fruit I've had so far has all been really excellent. You can find good fruit all over the US, but generally it's rather expensive for the good organic stuff. Here, the cheap store brand stuff is usually the organic high quality produce. Granted, the definition of organic could be very different (the definition of cheap here certainly is), but it's still a nice difference.
I know I've said it before, but I would just like to point out my happiness with the environmental awareness around here. I can already tell from being here that I'm making a smaller footprint. I even bought the reusable grocery bags, which for some reason I don't think I ever would have done in the States. The best part is, like the organic stuff, the store brand is usually the one that seems to be the most environmentally friendly (or so says the label). I'm all about the two flush buttons (although the no 1 flush really doesn't do the best job) and there are "Turn it off!" signs everywhere. It's amazing how geography can influence people's habits so much.
The other day in class we were talking about crime in the UK and how people's perception of it here is that there's tons of it and it's crazily on the rise. In fact, statistics show clearly that it's gone down significantly in past years (especially in London) and is overall extremely low when compared to other places like the United States. Guns are completely illegal here, and replica guns are soon to be as well. People are still being murdered though, and it's being done with knives. The professor pointed out a gruesome detail that amongst murdering Brits (those convicted, etc), there is a general feeling that killing someone with a gun is a "girly" way to do it... if you stab someone, you have to be up close and personal and see the blood so it's much harder. This is disgusting, but it is interesting. This was brought up in my Public Policy class sophomore year. Guns make it easier and a lot less personal to kill someone. Banning them has clearly contributed to the slowing and low murder rate.
I will definitely admit that the US has a much higher crime rate. It's pretty bad for a first world country, but when compared to all the countries in the world, I don't think it's a dangerous place by any means. Britons apparently think that crime is the number one cause of death in the UK, which is extremely far from the truth (no one is quite sure why they think this). While the professor was explaining this statistic, he offhandedly mentioned that in some countries, it was one of the leading causes of death, including the United States. This made me pause for a second, but I didn't interject because I wasn't entirely sure and figured since he clearly knows a bit about America, he would know better. I have since checked my facts and found it to be entirely untrue. It's within the top 10 or 11 depending on where you look, but it's still negligable compared to say heart disease. I'm not sure if this was just a slip on his part, or I misunderstood him, but it seems odd to me that a member of the intelligentsia here would have that misperception of the US. No wonder they all go to Florida, they're probably afraid to go anywhere else.
His point about stabbing someone being more manly also brought to mind, indirectly in a way, the fact that i think England is a place with a lot of testosterone. As mom points out, it kind of is the reason for wars and conquering and all that other stuff. For hundreds of years, GB had a great way to put that hormone to use, now they don't. The last time they tried (Suez), Ike kind of proverbially cut their balls off. This probably sounds totally bizarre, but the Brits have lost a sort of manliness (along with world glory) that I think contributes to their standoffishness against Americans.
I also think it's interesting that others (Americans) have this sort of perception of British men as smaller, more effeminate, quieter, and things of that nature. It took me about 10 minutes of being here to realize that that is quite far from the truth. They range just as much as Americans (although there is a lot less fat), and most are much more in shape.
There also seems to be a US perception that the Brits don't have a sense of humour. I already knew that this wasn't true before I got here (you can only watch so much of The Office UK, The Young Ones, and other UK comedies without thinking these people are hilarious), but it's definitely been reinforced since I got here. Sure, they don't giggle at the word Cock, but it's a much more refined and witty humour that I think takes a lot more skill and I appreciate much more. I still love the slapstick and will always enjoy Anchorman, but the Brits definitely hold their own in making me laugh.
Well, I think that's enough for today. Nothing's been happening to me, so I shouldn't have nearly as much to say and this entry will probably clue you in to how bored I am and how much my mind is overworking :-P
-Kate
Friday, 18 January 2008
The Land Down Undah
I discovered at the BU party last night (oddly enough) that I relate to Australians much better than the Brits. It was definitely a good night. And leave it to me to find the one foreigner on R&R from Afghanistan. Not bad. They call it TWAT (the war against terror). Oh how clever.
On a down side, I sprained my ankle. [Parental units, do not be concerned about this... just have to keep off of it, I'll be fine] Plans for the rest of the day are pretty much off, unfortunately. Bummer. Hopefully it will feel better by Sunday for the Tower tour.
C'est la vie!
-Kate
On a down side, I sprained my ankle. [Parental units, do not be concerned about this... just have to keep off of it, I'll be fine] Plans for the rest of the day are pretty much off, unfortunately. Bummer. Hopefully it will feel better by Sunday for the Tower tour.
C'est la vie!
-Kate
Thursday, 17 January 2008
The British Boys and Other Tidbits
Last night Steve and I decided to go across the street to the Imperial College Pub. Apparenlty Wednesday nights are big there (and last night there was a football game, so that was a big deal) so there were tons of people there. Most of the people in the pub were actually Wisconsin people, and they were all being midwesterner and drunk. There were plenty of British people there, mostly guys, and tried as I might, I couldn't really muster up much courage to talk to them. I don't know what it is, but they are an intimidating people, even whilst inebriated. Right after we got there, Steve was challenged to arm wrestle a Field Hockey player (a guy) and Steve won, which was a big score for the US. I tried to ask the FH players what positions they played, etc etc, and even about the football game, but they seemed completely disinterested in my existence. Which was unfortunate because one was really cute. Later on, we were sitting around a big table upon which a group of Brits were playing this drinking game with matches. It's too complicated and stupid to really explain, but then again, I'm sure they'd feel the same way about the fineries of Beer Pong. Anyway, I was trying to ask about how the game was played and break into the conversation. A nice looking young man promptly explained the rules to me, and then continued to ignore my existence. Later on, I overheard a Brit say to another "The Americans are easy to deal with, just insult them." I've said this before, and I'll say it again... if a Brit showed up in any American bar, everyone would immediately be kind to them and happy to talk to them and explain XYZ(ed) to them. Alas, that is not to be here with the Brits and me. I've heard everywhere that Brits are difficult to break into with, but once you do, it's wonderful and amazing and blah blah blah; so here's my question: how does one ever get to that point? There were Wisconsin girls blabbing away with a bunch of them, and I just couldn't quite understand how they got there... perhaps I was not drunk enough, I wasn't drunk at all. Maybe the alcohol just gave them more "courage" or whatever it is alcohol gives you (lack of judgement). It was kind of an unfortunate night on that front, but the drinks were cheap and there was another room with a bunch of dancing, so it turned out OK. I wanted an early night anyway, so all in all, I guess it wasn't too bad. Leave a comment if you have any tips on talking to British boys. I've been told that American girls have it much easier than American boys because all we have to do is "stand there and look cute and someone will come talk to" us. Perhaps I just didn't look cute enough. Maybe by cute they mean slutty? Well, first night out with a bunch of Brits so I guess I can't write it off as impossible quite yet. I'm still baffled by the success of the Wisconsin girls, though.
So I had my first class today, and despite it being 4 hours in length, it was actually pretty interesting. We talked a lot about the difference in politics and political issues between the two countries (being the US and the UK) and the devolution of the UK and non-existence of England. We talked about things in our system that the Brits find puzzling and things in their system that we find puzzling. Apparently they think it's appalling that we constantly fly the American flag and wear lapel pins with it, and put it on our fire houses, etc etc People in the class couldn't really understand why that mattered to them, and the teacher did only an OK job explaining. Also, the average Londoner is caught on tape / photographed somewhere around 300 times a day. George Orwell would turn in his grave!
The teacher seems to do a good job, and was able to hold my attention for the whole time. I think it should be a good class. I have another one on Monday/Tuesday and I'll write more about both of them as things come up. Despite it being a political science class, I don't actually recognize a whole lot of people in them. Hopefully there will be a chance to meet and greet and get to know more people.
I've realized that I am seriously lacking "going out clothes." I have things that make me look nice and far preppier than usual, but are khakis and a cable knit sweater are kind of odd to wear to a club. I guess I can make do with what I have, but a lot of the girls here are crazy fashionable and fancy and all that other rich BU finery, so I feel a bit inadequate. I forgot about the average BU student in my attempt at school to avoid them at all cost, but alas, here they are in full force. If you don't know who / what I'm talking about, it's not worth explaining.
Student life is throwing a party tonight at a bar they rented out in Covent Gardens called Bunker Bar and the admission was really cheap and includes some free drinks. I have an interview with the placement team tomorrow (Which everyone has told me thus far is kind of a joke), so I'm not going to be out too late. It seems likely that I will find partying with 300 other BU students is fairly pointless and unecessary and will not be there very long, or will quickly move on to another venue.
I suppose that really covers everything that's happened to me since yesterday. Hope all is well in the states for anyone who happens to be reading this from there. :-)
-Kate
So I had my first class today, and despite it being 4 hours in length, it was actually pretty interesting. We talked a lot about the difference in politics and political issues between the two countries (being the US and the UK) and the devolution of the UK and non-existence of England. We talked about things in our system that the Brits find puzzling and things in their system that we find puzzling. Apparently they think it's appalling that we constantly fly the American flag and wear lapel pins with it, and put it on our fire houses, etc etc People in the class couldn't really understand why that mattered to them, and the teacher did only an OK job explaining. Also, the average Londoner is caught on tape / photographed somewhere around 300 times a day. George Orwell would turn in his grave!
The teacher seems to do a good job, and was able to hold my attention for the whole time. I think it should be a good class. I have another one on Monday/Tuesday and I'll write more about both of them as things come up. Despite it being a political science class, I don't actually recognize a whole lot of people in them. Hopefully there will be a chance to meet and greet and get to know more people.
I've realized that I am seriously lacking "going out clothes." I have things that make me look nice and far preppier than usual, but are khakis and a cable knit sweater are kind of odd to wear to a club. I guess I can make do with what I have, but a lot of the girls here are crazy fashionable and fancy and all that other rich BU finery, so I feel a bit inadequate. I forgot about the average BU student in my attempt at school to avoid them at all cost, but alas, here they are in full force. If you don't know who / what I'm talking about, it's not worth explaining.
Student life is throwing a party tonight at a bar they rented out in Covent Gardens called Bunker Bar and the admission was really cheap and includes some free drinks. I have an interview with the placement team tomorrow (Which everyone has told me thus far is kind of a joke), so I'm not going to be out too late. It seems likely that I will find partying with 300 other BU students is fairly pointless and unecessary and will not be there very long, or will quickly move on to another venue.
I suppose that really covers everything that's happened to me since yesterday. Hope all is well in the states for anyone who happens to be reading this from there. :-)
-Kate
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Arrival and First Thoughts
So I'm here in London and I've decided to keep a blog for everyone interested to read, but mostly for myself. Because it's primarily for my own sake, excuse me in advance if it seems sloppy, poorly written, or unorganized, and sometimes even Jack Handy-ish. It's going to be mostly just a collection of my thoughts on the differences, similarities, and other random things in London (as well as anywhere else I may go), and also just a routine journal of what I've done and where I've been. I will try to update frequently, so check back periodically if you'd like to know what I'm up to!
I'll also try to post pictures every once in awhile, but for those capable, facebook will be the place to go for that.
I'm living in Kensington, right next to Hyde Park and near High Street, Cromwell, and Gloucester, for those of you who may happen to know the area. It's ridiculously nice, and a 2 bedroom flat next to one of the dorms just sold for 1.4 million pounds (2.8 million pounds), which should give you an idea of the poshness. There's lots of BMWs, Mercedes, Ferraris, Porches, etc around. Kensington Palace is nearby, although I haven't spotted it yet, which is where Princess Di used to live, and I guess is now technically the residence of Camilla. If the area is good enough for a princess, clearly, it's good enough for me.
The only issue is that things aren't necessarily close. The nearest ATM and pharmacy (CVS type) are about a 10 minute walk, and the grocery store is near to 20 (but ridiculously cheap, so fairly worth it). The nearest tube stop is about 11 minutes, and the stops are so much further apart than in Boston. The Tube map is gigantic, with about 10 different lines going every which way. It's really easy to follow though, which is nice, although expensive. In general, it's about 1000000x better than the T and better than Philly's subway, too. It's very clean, effecient, comfortable, etc. I would say worth the money, but being a college student, I'm not so sure of that.
We had a bunch of orientation things these past few days which I didn't find all that helpful. They were somewhat interesting, but I think most of what I learn about this city will be through my own exploring. Jon and I did a neat thing last night where we just picked a random tube stop and got off and explored. I picked Covent Gardens and discovered a really neat area with lots of little shops, pubs, a piazza, and stumbled across the famous "Strand" where I saw the Savoy and a bunch of other neat stuff. And then got splashed thoroughly by one of London's famous big red buses. Neither of us saw it coming. It was kind of gross, but mostly funny. Maybe the driver could tell we were tourists.
I've also been all up and down Oxford street (looking for a place to top up my mobile and buy a computer cord after a Newark airport fiasco) with Emma, which was fun-- clearly the shopping centre of London. I've also been to Picadilly Circus, which somewhat pales in comparison to New York's Time Square, but it's still neat to see. We did a boat toar as part of orientation up (or down?) the Thames to Greenwich castle, which was really pretty, and it was surprisingly sunny, so it was generally enjoyable. I couldn't hear the tour guide over all the BU chatter, so I missed a bit, but it was still a nice thing. We embarked right next to Big Ben and the parlaiment house, and it was cool to go along the river and see it. I did not take many pictures on that trip because we were indoors and I figured you can see hundreds of pictures like that everywhere, if I'm not in them, they're no fun.
Steve and I stopped by the Natural Museum of History yesterday, which is a few blocks away from where I live and is absolutely beautiful. It's free, so we didn't get everything done, but we'll go back. The Victoria & Albert museum is right across the street and also free (most museums here are, which is a serious one up on America), so I will check that out soon, as well.
I'm right across the street from Imperial College (which is kind of like an MIT school) and we join their clubs and organizations, so I'm going to get on that soon (model UN, etc) and hopefully meet some bona fide British people. Most of you will laugh at me about this, but I also joined a London Goth Meetup Group, which is an internet based group that organizes random outings. I figured it was a good way to meet people and not be going to clubs, etc by myself. I don't know how it will pan out, but it's worth trying something new. Hopefully they aren't all uber-crazy goths, because I clearly am not.
The BU kids like to go out in large groups and just be with each other, which is something I want to avoid. I'd like to make some British friends while I'm here, and all I've heard is that that takes some hard work, so I've got to get started ASAP!
Food
So, grocery shopping here is somewhat difficult. Especially buying meat, the cuts were so weird, and I was worried that I would end up buying some random organ of some animal I'm not used to eating, so I really just stuck to the basics. From what I've had so far, the food isn't that bad. I'm not here to indulge in the gastronomical fineries though, so what they have cheaply at Sainsbury's is good enough for me.
There's far less selection in general, and the grocery stores have their own brand of everything (Which is always the cheapest and therefore all I buy). There's plenty of fastfood stuff around, most popularly are KFC and Pizza Hut, which you don't really even see much of in the US (at least in the North East). I would say the grocery stores in general are fairly unamerican, but the food out and about in the city is comparable. Pub food is pub food and there's Indian places everywhere. The only thing that's really missing is that it's fairly difficult to find diet pepsi. I'll live, but it's rough getting started without any caffeine, and I do not like Coke, so it's no substitute.
An odd thing I noticed almost immediately here is that the Britons cannot shut up about Diana. She died more than 10 years ago, and she's in the tabloids (not just in them, but on the front page) almost every day. They say they love her, but they trash her constantly. I don't really understand why-- I assume it has something to do with deep seated feelings towards the monarchy and British history, etc etc, but it just seems really awful to me. I feel sorry for her sons, they shouldn't have to be dealing with that. The most recent tabloid heading was that apparently her mother called her a whore. So petty.
Also, most of the commercials over here for things we have over in the US are pretty much exactly the same, and usually have the same dialogue, only they're redone with English accents. American voices are not something you generally hear on the television (although they do often play American TV), unlike in the US where British accents mean posh, or just the Geico gecko.
I've almost gotten used to them driving on the wrong side of the road, but I do have to think about it every time I get to an intersection. I never realized how automatic it was to look left until I got here; I guess when I get home I'll be looking right for awhile afterwards. Drivers here don't have much patient for pedestrians, even the British ones. They aren't bad (there are just a lot less cars around in general, actually), but they do drive quickly and hurry you along even if you got into the road first.
Speaking of the lack of cars, the UK in general is about 100x better at anything environmental than us. They conserve far more, they recycle more, and London is enacting a low emissions zone over the city within the month. Leaving a small environmental impact is a big selling point for products here. It's kind of refreshing. Hopefully the US will catch up at some point. Even the toilets have two flushing buttons, one for number 1, and one for number 2. It's a great idea and probably wastes so much less water. America should really work on this.
People don't smoke nearly as much as everyone was saying, or I remembered them doing. Maybe times have changed and people have become more health conscious, maybe it's just the area. It could also be that the smoking ban has sort of changed people's habits. More on this as I notice more.
As I write this, people are standing outside my room talking about going out, etc. Bu kids seem more interested in the night life than in actual London. I guess that's to be expected, especially of these people, but it's unfortunate.
One thing I will never get used to over here is the sirens on the police cars or ambulances. They are that classic low-high wail that they've had in Europe for as long as they've had sirens. It always slightly jars me due to the amount of WW2 movies I've seen before coming to Europe throughout my life. Whenever I hear it (well, not every time), I immediately think Gestapo and am reminded of that moment in the Anne Frank movie when she's up in attic and they hear the sirens and they stop right outside the house. I know it's weird, but it's just one of those things.
The most annoying thing about life here, well, thus far, is the coins. There are so many of them (a 5 pound coin??), and they are filling up and weighing down my wallet. I don't like using them because I can't tell which is which yet and feel stupid when i'm checking out from wherever and I have to rifle through and look at every one. I know it's more blind-friendly, but as a seeing person, I much prefer bills.
I also notice far more kids around here than in other cities. Maybe more people just live here in general than commute, or again, it could be the area (nannies). Mostly little kids that ride around next to their parents on little scooters, but instead of doing the work and pushing, the parent is usually pulling them along as they walk. I've noticed this enough to make it an official observation. Interesting... maybe this is something that also happens in the US, but I just don't notice kids as much.
I think those are all my first observations and thoughts. I'm sure I forgot a whole lot, but I'll be back to write more, especially if anyone has any questions.
Thanks for reading!
-Kate
I'll also try to post pictures every once in awhile, but for those capable, facebook will be the place to go for that.
I'm living in Kensington, right next to Hyde Park and near High Street, Cromwell, and Gloucester, for those of you who may happen to know the area. It's ridiculously nice, and a 2 bedroom flat next to one of the dorms just sold for 1.4 million pounds (2.8 million pounds), which should give you an idea of the poshness. There's lots of BMWs, Mercedes, Ferraris, Porches, etc around. Kensington Palace is nearby, although I haven't spotted it yet, which is where Princess Di used to live, and I guess is now technically the residence of Camilla. If the area is good enough for a princess, clearly, it's good enough for me.
The only issue is that things aren't necessarily close. The nearest ATM and pharmacy (CVS type) are about a 10 minute walk, and the grocery store is near to 20 (but ridiculously cheap, so fairly worth it). The nearest tube stop is about 11 minutes, and the stops are so much further apart than in Boston. The Tube map is gigantic, with about 10 different lines going every which way. It's really easy to follow though, which is nice, although expensive. In general, it's about 1000000x better than the T and better than Philly's subway, too. It's very clean, effecient, comfortable, etc. I would say worth the money, but being a college student, I'm not so sure of that.
We had a bunch of orientation things these past few days which I didn't find all that helpful. They were somewhat interesting, but I think most of what I learn about this city will be through my own exploring. Jon and I did a neat thing last night where we just picked a random tube stop and got off and explored. I picked Covent Gardens and discovered a really neat area with lots of little shops, pubs, a piazza, and stumbled across the famous "Strand" where I saw the Savoy and a bunch of other neat stuff. And then got splashed thoroughly by one of London's famous big red buses. Neither of us saw it coming. It was kind of gross, but mostly funny. Maybe the driver could tell we were tourists.
I've also been all up and down Oxford street (looking for a place to top up my mobile and buy a computer cord after a Newark airport fiasco) with Emma, which was fun-- clearly the shopping centre of London. I've also been to Picadilly Circus, which somewhat pales in comparison to New York's Time Square, but it's still neat to see. We did a boat toar as part of orientation up (or down?) the Thames to Greenwich castle, which was really pretty, and it was surprisingly sunny, so it was generally enjoyable. I couldn't hear the tour guide over all the BU chatter, so I missed a bit, but it was still a nice thing. We embarked right next to Big Ben and the parlaiment house, and it was cool to go along the river and see it. I did not take many pictures on that trip because we were indoors and I figured you can see hundreds of pictures like that everywhere, if I'm not in them, they're no fun.
Steve and I stopped by the Natural Museum of History yesterday, which is a few blocks away from where I live and is absolutely beautiful. It's free, so we didn't get everything done, but we'll go back. The Victoria & Albert museum is right across the street and also free (most museums here are, which is a serious one up on America), so I will check that out soon, as well.
I'm right across the street from Imperial College (which is kind of like an MIT school) and we join their clubs and organizations, so I'm going to get on that soon (model UN, etc) and hopefully meet some bona fide British people. Most of you will laugh at me about this, but I also joined a London Goth Meetup Group, which is an internet based group that organizes random outings. I figured it was a good way to meet people and not be going to clubs, etc by myself. I don't know how it will pan out, but it's worth trying something new. Hopefully they aren't all uber-crazy goths, because I clearly am not.
The BU kids like to go out in large groups and just be with each other, which is something I want to avoid. I'd like to make some British friends while I'm here, and all I've heard is that that takes some hard work, so I've got to get started ASAP!
Food
So, grocery shopping here is somewhat difficult. Especially buying meat, the cuts were so weird, and I was worried that I would end up buying some random organ of some animal I'm not used to eating, so I really just stuck to the basics. From what I've had so far, the food isn't that bad. I'm not here to indulge in the gastronomical fineries though, so what they have cheaply at Sainsbury's is good enough for me.
There's far less selection in general, and the grocery stores have their own brand of everything (Which is always the cheapest and therefore all I buy). There's plenty of fastfood stuff around, most popularly are KFC and Pizza Hut, which you don't really even see much of in the US (at least in the North East). I would say the grocery stores in general are fairly unamerican, but the food out and about in the city is comparable. Pub food is pub food and there's Indian places everywhere. The only thing that's really missing is that it's fairly difficult to find diet pepsi. I'll live, but it's rough getting started without any caffeine, and I do not like Coke, so it's no substitute.
An odd thing I noticed almost immediately here is that the Britons cannot shut up about Diana. She died more than 10 years ago, and she's in the tabloids (not just in them, but on the front page) almost every day. They say they love her, but they trash her constantly. I don't really understand why-- I assume it has something to do with deep seated feelings towards the monarchy and British history, etc etc, but it just seems really awful to me. I feel sorry for her sons, they shouldn't have to be dealing with that. The most recent tabloid heading was that apparently her mother called her a whore. So petty.
Also, most of the commercials over here for things we have over in the US are pretty much exactly the same, and usually have the same dialogue, only they're redone with English accents. American voices are not something you generally hear on the television (although they do often play American TV), unlike in the US where British accents mean posh, or just the Geico gecko.
I've almost gotten used to them driving on the wrong side of the road, but I do have to think about it every time I get to an intersection. I never realized how automatic it was to look left until I got here; I guess when I get home I'll be looking right for awhile afterwards. Drivers here don't have much patient for pedestrians, even the British ones. They aren't bad (there are just a lot less cars around in general, actually), but they do drive quickly and hurry you along even if you got into the road first.
Speaking of the lack of cars, the UK in general is about 100x better at anything environmental than us. They conserve far more, they recycle more, and London is enacting a low emissions zone over the city within the month. Leaving a small environmental impact is a big selling point for products here. It's kind of refreshing. Hopefully the US will catch up at some point. Even the toilets have two flushing buttons, one for number 1, and one for number 2. It's a great idea and probably wastes so much less water. America should really work on this.
People don't smoke nearly as much as everyone was saying, or I remembered them doing. Maybe times have changed and people have become more health conscious, maybe it's just the area. It could also be that the smoking ban has sort of changed people's habits. More on this as I notice more.
As I write this, people are standing outside my room talking about going out, etc. Bu kids seem more interested in the night life than in actual London. I guess that's to be expected, especially of these people, but it's unfortunate.
One thing I will never get used to over here is the sirens on the police cars or ambulances. They are that classic low-high wail that they've had in Europe for as long as they've had sirens. It always slightly jars me due to the amount of WW2 movies I've seen before coming to Europe throughout my life. Whenever I hear it (well, not every time), I immediately think Gestapo and am reminded of that moment in the Anne Frank movie when she's up in attic and they hear the sirens and they stop right outside the house. I know it's weird, but it's just one of those things.
The most annoying thing about life here, well, thus far, is the coins. There are so many of them (a 5 pound coin??), and they are filling up and weighing down my wallet. I don't like using them because I can't tell which is which yet and feel stupid when i'm checking out from wherever and I have to rifle through and look at every one. I know it's more blind-friendly, but as a seeing person, I much prefer bills.
I also notice far more kids around here than in other cities. Maybe more people just live here in general than commute, or again, it could be the area (nannies). Mostly little kids that ride around next to their parents on little scooters, but instead of doing the work and pushing, the parent is usually pulling them along as they walk. I've noticed this enough to make it an official observation. Interesting... maybe this is something that also happens in the US, but I just don't notice kids as much.
I think those are all my first observations and thoughts. I'm sure I forgot a whole lot, but I'll be back to write more, especially if anyone has any questions.
Thanks for reading!
-Kate
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