The past few days

Its been really hectic so I haven't gotten around to posting here.. sorry about that! The past few days have been crazy!

Sunday we took a coach ride around Central London in the morning. We got out at Buckingham Palace and the Tower Bridge for pictures, but we saw all the huge London landmarks... Big Ben, Parliament, Westminister Abbey, the London Eye, etc. and got a nice tour of London.

Me in front of Buckingham Palace

Me, Erin, Dana, Lia, and Katie in front of the Tower Bridge
(No, it's not called London Bridge!)

Later that afternoon we had a walking tour of our neighborhood, which was really interesting. Our tour guide had the infamous British humor, and told us things such as "The difference between a New York cab driver and a London cab driver is that the London cab driver speaks English.. and knows where he's going" It was really fun! We got to see a lot of our neighborhood and learned that Winston Churchill lived and died on the street we live on... fascinating! Later that night we just relaxed at our flat. Walking around London so much is exhausting!

Monday
On Monday, we had our first class, British Life & Culture. I really like our professor, and I think the class will be enjoyable. We are taking a few field trips, and I am looking forward to that. The more I get to see London (and the more I get to miss class...!) the better! After class, Lia and I went to Sainsbury's to do some grocery shopping. I got some essentials but am still getting used to their brands and such. I miss US brands and food a lot, but I'll get used to it eventually I suppose. I just wish I could find a nice big bag of salty pretzels and have an American Pepsi! (And not to mention a huge bowl of french onion from Panera... sigh!)
Tuesday
So then, on Tuesday, we took the 10 Bus to Hammersmith. It was a pretty cool neighborhood with lots of cheap shops and stores (even a 'pound' store, like our dollar stores!) We walked through Primark, where I have to go back. We were told by our tour guides on Sunday that you can get an entire outfit for 20 pounds! (Which translates to about $30, but that's still not too bad!) We also went to Poundland, where I got two sodas, some candy, and a package of pens for 3 pounds. Woo-hoo! I'll be going back there! We wandered around a little more and then we had lunch at a Pub for the first time. It was called the Hammersmith Ram. I had a burger, which was kinda weird, but not too terrible. I also had a drink called a Pimms & Lemonade.. no idea what it was, but it was okay. Probably not something I would order again, but I came here wanting to try all different types of drinks, so that's what I'm going to do! After that, we took the bus home and headed over to Kensington Gardens across the street. We rented the Barclay bikes and rode through the park into Hyde Park, around the Long Water and back. It was a real workout, and especially difficult because I'm so tiny, but I made it through!

Riding a bike in Kensington Gardens

After that we went home and had a quick bite to eat. Then around 9, we all decided that we wanted ice cream, so 9 or 10 of us jumped on the bus and went to Ben & Jerry's. We walked in as the woman was closing up the store, but she served us our ice cream which was really nice of her. I had 2 scoops of Cherry Garcia! It is so weird how everything here closes so early.. The ice cream shop was attached to a movie theater which was closing too. At home, the movies are open really late, even on a Sunday, so its yet another thing that we have to get used to.

Ben & Jerry's!

Wednesday
Wednesdays are going to be tough! I had my first British History 1815- Present day class from 9-12 with Lia and Dana. After that, Lia and I grabbed lunch at Pret A Manger. I had a hot spicy chicken wrap and tomato soup. I also had a can of sparkling apple juice which was a good treat! I love carbonated drinks and soda tastes so different here, its nice to have something bubbly and not be disappointed by what I'm drinking. We then walked around in a drugstore called Boots, and I bought some nail polish, polish remover, heat pads for achy bones (ah, my back and arms!) and some water. After that, Lia and I headed back over to Foundation House for our Islam class. That class is going to be extra slow.. the classroom was very hot, and very dark, making it near impossible to stay awake. It was definitely a struggle, even with two breaks. And I don't really have a huge interest in the subject, but it should be interesting, so I'm staying positive. After class we walked back to our flat and relaxed for a little bit. I took a quick nap, and then we got ready to go to the FIE welcome reception over at Imperial College. We got two free drink vouchers, and I donated one pound for a raffle. I didn't win, but that's okay. The profits go to helping kids get an education in Sudan. The winners won trips to Amsterdam and other places, so it would have been nice to win. Oh well! They served us our choice of a hamburger, grilled chicken sandwich, or a veggie patty. First, I had a grilled chicken sandwich. It wasn't too bad, but I decided to also try the veggie patty. It was pretty good! It was crunchy and had a lot of flavor, and it was nice to try something different for a change. I also had some pretty delicious coleslaw with that. After the reception we ended up going to Glouscter Arms, a local pub, but it was crawling with old people. (Sorry Mom and Dad!) I was really tiered, but it was only about 8:30 PM and I didn't want to go home alone, so I tagged along and went to Camden with everyone. We went to a pub called the Elephant Head, and it was pretty nice in there! I had a Bacardi Breezer, which was essentially a wine cooler but with rum. I liked it but it was way overpriced, so I'll be avoiding those from now on. We were there for a few hours, and some of us decided to head home around 11:30 so we could take the tube. We went to McDonalds, or MacDonalds as they say here, and then went home. It was a pretty good night, despite my extreme exhaustion and super sore body!

At the FIE reception

Thursday

Thursday is one of my days off! I slept in and got up around 12, and hung out until everyone was awake. Around 3 we headed off with the intention of finding Notting Hill, but wandered to the right instead of the left. It's nice to just walk around and see something new. We turned back and then found Notting Hill, and Cafe Diana. It was Princess Diana's favorite shop to go to, and she always used to bring Harry and Wills there when they were kids. There are pictures of here everywhere in there, and I definitely want to go back there to eat. We walked a lot until we got the High Street, and then we ate in a Pub. I had the "Hunters Chicken" which had BBQ sauce, mozzarella, bacon, chicken, and ..... tomato sauce. It was definitely interesting. I also had the best, most American tasting pepsi I've found since I've been here, which totally made my day! After that we headed home and got ready to see a show in Piccadilly Circus. It was Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps. It was pretty good, although totally different than plays I have seen in America. The theater was small and we had really good seats, so thank you FIE! After that, I got a cinnabun, which was delicious, and we headed to a pub in Leicester Square, but we got there just as they were ringing the bell for last call. We decided to head home and call it a night. I'm looking forward to tomorrow being over so I can get pumped for our trip to Stonehenge and Baths!