Time to play catch up...

Ok, I've decided that if its not up to date when I log off tonight, its just not going to be... forgive me for jumping around and leaving gaps....

Tuesday January 5th

Avenue Q- hysterical...go see it...go now...I can wait...seriously, GO!

Wednesday Jan 6th-

Some Queen Mary talks and tricks, and I have no idea what we did that night because people from other school were leaving the hotel and moving in that day...jeez, Alzheimers already...:(

Thursday Jan 7th-

Move in Day!!! We moved into our flats, got settled in, and I cried for the first time. I set my stuff down and it just hit me...I live here. For almost 6 months, I won't see my family or friends, I have to go to classes with teachers I don't know and don't understand, and I'm essentially all alone. Up until that moment, we had too much going on for me to get homesick. I guess thats why you don't get too homesick on trips because you're doing too much stuff to pause for even a minute. Once I moved in, crying was almost inevitable. I decided that I needed to get out of this room and do something productive or I would just crawl into a ball and never leave my room.

We ventured to Argos in Whitechaple in an attempt to find hangers and pillow. We soon realized that we should have just gone to Sainsbury's (kind of like a Target) instead, of course we only realized this after we had walked for miles and miles.

When we got back, I unpacked, hung up pictures, and tried to set up my computer. We had dinner that night at The Curve (a restaurant on campus) and then went back to our flats to get some sleep. I had to watch a movie to drown out the silence I felt in my room. I felt like a big baby but that day was the hardest since I'd gotten here. I called mom twice that day if I remember correctly and cried both times. It was just a rough patch...easily gottne over but you have to live through it first. :)

Friday, January 8

Queen Mary Orientation, we learned all about what there was here on campus, places to go off campus, and how the classes work. I still cannot believe that the don't have online course enrollment. Most of us spent the afternoon running from campus office to campus office trying to get into more or different classes. I got into 4 that were already approved by Rockhurst, which was incredible, but unfortunately had no idea where they were, who taught them, what books I would need, nothing. And to make matters worse...snow had fallen three days prior and people were still having trouble traveling into the city so some offices weren't going to be open until Monday or Tuesday. It was a stressful day that didn't really need to be. If QM would just put things online, none of this would be so difficult.

Saturday, January 9th

Pretty much a day from hell but I learned a lot. We started off wanting to get to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and do a bit of sightseeing. Unfortunately, the Tube had other plans in mind for us. We got halfway there (our first trip on the tube) and the tube line we were taking shut down! I wasn't kidding when I said that 1/4 of an inch of snow shuts the whole city down. We decided instead to go shopping by Oxford Circus and took a different tube line to get down that way. Well, the weather was only getting worse as we walked around Oxford Street peeking into different shops. Eventually, we did find this pretty awesome department store that reminded me of a Nieman Marcus. We were able to warm up while looking at thousand dollar bottles of perfume. It was the bright spot of the night. By the time we got back to campus, we were cold and hungry. We decided to hit up a pub on the Mile End Road and get some food. It was a nice ending to a long day. the wax museum will have to wait until the weather is cleared up.

Sunday, January 10th

Bus Tour!!! I actually really liked this outing...we got to see a lot of the city and get more acquainted with how the different pieces of the city fit together. We saw everything and even got off to take pictures at Buckingham Palace and the Tower Bridge. I got a ton of incredible pictures which made my day. :)

I have no idea what we did that night..again with the Alzheimers...

Monday, January 11th

First Day of Classes- Architecture was good but I'm already a little lost. I thought I was the only one but I am definitely not. :) The style of teaching is different than back home by a long shot. Teachers lecture for an hour, then you have an hour of seminar when you are actually allowed to talk and ask questions. It just seems weird. There also isn't any set list of books to read for any classes, there is a huge list of books that you're encouraged to read over the whole course of the semester. Apparently, we do a lot more work at home than they do here and the grading scale is lower so a C at Rockhurst is like an A here...I think I can handle it. :)

Boat Cruise on the Thames- It was fun but we were out there way too long and the other people got way too drunk. I get the idea that you can't legally drink back home but seriously...drinking isn't that fun. Whatever, I hope they get used to drinking before it gets them into trouble. Me and my group just shared cider beers and sat around talking. (Coolest thing- crossing the Greenwich line/prime meridian/separation between eastern and western hemisphere and being in two hemispheres at once...awesome.) After the cruise, we went to one pound drinks at the campus bar which was tons of fun. All my british friends are awesome. I got really lucky with them. :)

Tuesday, January 12th

a day spent in bed sleeping and a night sharing food in the flat kitchen with Katy, Sofia, Ben, Josh, Krish, Hex, and Nikki- we spent the night asking questions about each other's cultures. It was too much fun for a night in... :)

Wednesday, January 13th

Sofia's Birthday!!! Flat party for my flatmate's birthday. So many people, wonderful drinks and music, tons of fun.

Things I learned...

1) Sambuca is gross and should be removed from the market

2) Apparently the Brits are shit at sports but if drinking was a sport, they'd medal in every round.

3) These people are incredible and I already know, after one week of knowing them, that I'm going to cry hysterically at the thought of leaving them in June.

Thursday, January 14th

A real day of classes...2 lectures and 2 seminars, all attended by yours truly. :) Seriously, the classes are set up weird. I knew that a lot of it would be student directed but seriously, I feel like the teachers don't do much at all. I hope I get used to it before papers become due or I'm not going to do too well in these classes.

How's Your Father?!? Apparently, every Thursday night, a pub right next to campus hosts a QM student only night called How's your father. While I was drunk at Sofia's birthday, I was really drunk at the New Globe...a little too drunk to b completely honest. I met more incredible people and had a great time with the ones I already knew. Seriously, these people are incredible. We just sat around talking and drinking and making fun of each other's terrible accents. Dancing ensued and the night ended with me sleeping safely in my bed. Success!!!

Friday, January 15th

Class...US Foreign Policy- almost got into a fist fight with a Russian guy in this class, apparently everything America does is a sin ans we're all brainwashed. I just laughed.

Dinner on Oxford Street- Adele and I went to meet Libby and Hillary on Oxford Street for dinner after they had been shopping all day. All I can say is never ever ever in your life eat at Garfunkles. Just take my advice and don't do it.

School Disco at Drapers- Drapers is the campus bar (yes we have a bar on campus!) and they hosted a back to school disco where everyone was supposed to come dressed up in a school uniform. While Adele and I did not dress up, we enjoyed shots of soco and double vodka and lemonades as we danced the night away...good times had by all.

I'm proud of what I have accomplished tonight and promise to try and get completely up to date soon. I'm technically only 4 days behind so I'm sure I can catch up. I don't know if anyone is reading this but if you are, thanks. It makes me feel special to know that someone cares that I'm over here. :)

goodnight.

where I last left off...

I had finally made it to New Jersey!!!

Now let me tell you... the New Jersey airport is crap! Three terminals, attached by a tram system, and not a drop of wireless internet access anywhere! It was horrendous...The Virgin Atlantic ticket desk didn't open until 5, I found out that there was no place to store my bags while I walked around for 6 hours, and no way to get online. I dragged my bags around with me everywhere, ate some lunch in a TGI Fridays, and found a comfy spot on the floor to watch, movies. How could a airport not have wi-fi or chairs?!?! It was the most horrible time of the entire trip. Once the Virgin Atlantic desk finally opened, late at 5:30 as if my day wasn't horrible enough, I checked my bags and didn't have to pay extra for them. (Woohoo!!!)

I met Libby in the line. We had been chatting for months on the IFSA website and we finally got to meet each other! We made it through security and found a comfy place to sit for another 3 hours in the terminal. Had I known that there were seats near electrical outlets inside the terminal, I never would have left it that morning! We met this crazy smart guy in the terminal who kept talking about existentialism, what he would do if he won the lottery, and how we should visit him when we got to England. I got his email but I'm not sure if this is legit...he was a really cool guy though. His wife was hysterical! She kept talking bad about him and her accent was so soft and sweet. They really were awesome. :) We also had no idea that they put the Newark airport on lock down because we were already in the terminal. Virgin Atlantic just told us that the flight was delayed for some extra security measures...we all had no idea...I'm glad none of our parents called freaking out until the next day because then we would have lost it and not wanted to leave...thank god for small favors. :)

The plane we flew on was the largest plane I'd ever seen in my life. It had a lower level and stairs to get to an upper level. It was AWESOME!!! The plane was 12 rows wide with tvs in all the headsets...it looked so cool. I asked for a window seat when we signed in so I could see the view and take pictures...that was a mistake! Although I did some very good pictures when we finally got to England, not being able to get up and walk around a little was terrible. I've never been served food on an airplane before so that was a fun and new experience. Some beef with mashed potatoes on top accompanied with carrots and broccoli, served with bread, pasta salad, and dessert. It really wasn't great but it wasn't inedible either. Once everyone had been served, I tried to get some sleep. They supplied us with these little travel packs with an eye mask that saved my life! Next time, I'll definitely pay the extra $80 to upgrade to first class. You never know just how much space you need to be comfortable until you don't have any. The ride went faster because I could sleep through most of it and the view out of the window when the sun came up over the ocean made the whole trip worth it.

Once we got to Heathrow and disembarked (I was the last one off the plane, of course, and got to witness the flight attendants having a pillow fight...best flight attendants ever.) and had to get through customs and immigration before we could meet up with our IFSA people. Since I was the last one, the immigration officer already knew that there was a huge group of students coming through and she didn't even ask for my paper...whatever...they let me in!!! We met the group, loaded buses, and set off to our hotel.

The hotel was...quaint. That is probably the best way to describe it. It was here for the first time that I realized just how cramped the Londoners were for space. Everything is tall and skinny because they build up. Our hotel had 14 floors and 4 different towers. My roommate in the hotel is from Pennsylvania and goes to school where they filmed the Exorcist, Fordam in the Bronx. We got into the hotel and almost immediately took a nap. While most of us got some sleep on the plane, we had essentially lost an entire night. The hotel was small by American standards but out orientation leaders told us they were pretty spacious compared to others in the area. We were right near the Tottenham Court Road Tube Station near the Soho area of town. There was a walgreens-type store 100 feet away, two places to get cell phones, and a mcdonalds. We walked everywhere!!! The city is pretty small if you know where you're going...now when I look at a map, I can't believe we walked as far as we did!

The first night, we went to this restaurant down by Leichester square and had a traditional English dinner...some pot pie thing with "chips" (or french fries for the truly American) and some orange pudding with raisins. It was different but pretty good...the pudding looked like melted velveeta cheese but it was good nonetheless.

The next day was orientation...Caitlin and I were late (jet lag!!!) and were teased for it. Apparently in the UK, everyone is early or on time, never late. We did a basic overview of cultural differences between the US and the UK, which there are a lot more than I expected. Can you imagine living in an America where religion does not play into politics at all the the liberal party in the states was the conservative party of the UK?!? They are also in awe of our gun laws...there is hardly any gun crime in the UK. I've already been asked if I own a gun...I laughed...nope!

After a little lesson in culture, we met a Pearly Queen. I wasn't sure how this fit into the orientation, and I'm still not sure, but it was interesting. There is a group of people, called the Pearly Kings and Queens, who go around and donate their services to charitable organizations. They wear traditional Victorian clothes covered in pearly buttons so they are easily recognizable on the streets. They organize and attend different functions and are hired (all proceeds go to charity) to go to parties and luncheons. The Pearly Queen I met had met Michael Caine, Ringo Starr, and Queen Elizabeth. That's right, one degree of separation between me and the Queen of England!!!

Then we had a guy come in to talk to us about safety and security...and he basically just scared us half to death. Seriously, he made me never want to leave my dorm room! He talked to us about how to avoid being mugged, what to do during and after, and how the UK has the highest knife crime rates in Europe. We already knew that the UK has a national hobby of pickpocketing but the thought of being mugged was just too much for our poor American minds to absorb. It was horrendous!!! Even now...7 days later...I'm still scared to take my purse on the tube and refuse to leave my room unlocked for even 2 minutes. I guess I'll relax as I get more and more comfortable but he really scared most of us into being homebodies.

For dinner, we walked to a restaurant called Wagamama (because one of our leaders gave us coupons) and had Japanese noodles. It was delicious!!! I was a little caught off guard when the Japanese waitress started talking in a British accent but the restaurant was fun and delicious...

That gets us to the showing of Avenue Q last Tuesday night...sorry I can't just get this done...I'll really try to get completely caught up tomorrow...night all!!!

Wow...all I can say is wow...this place really is incredible and I'm so happy to be here. I miss a lot of things about home, the people mostly, but I'm still glad I did this. Let's start at the very beginning, essentially this is my diary of sorts so bare with me if you don't want to read everything I write here. I'm trying to keep track of my life here so I can remember everything about this experience. Per saying that, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

Saturday morning, mom and I left the house a little after 4 in the morning, got to the airport in plenty of time, and made it through security with very few tears considering the longest time we've ever gone without seeing each other before this was 6 weeks. I sat in the airport for an hour and a half doing nothing but talking to mom on the phone as she searched for her missing coat. (I wonder if she found it...) I took a picture with April and Jamie and boarded the plane. The smallest plane I've ever been on in my life!!! We only had like 20 people so the flgiht attendant let us spread out if we wanted to. I sat across the aisle from a mom and baby, cutest thing ever, and basically knitted the whole way to New Jersey. The turbulants almost made me sick...seriously it was crazy. The side to side isn't so bad but the up and down makes you feel like you're free falling. Sleeping on an airplane is harder than I thought but I guess I've never really had to do it before. It was whatever...I made it to New Jersey!!!

Finally!!!

Just wanted to pop in and try to put a few things down so that I don't forget. Once I get moved in tomorrow, I'll be sure to elaborate. :)
Saturday, left my house around 4am and left Lambert around 7. After a really shaky flight, on a plane the size of a stick of gum, I made it to Newark, New Jersey. After a few hours, lunch, and numerous tram rides around the airport later, I got my ticket, met Libby, and made it through security.
The flight over the pond was long and not the most comfortable (next time I'll do the $80 upgrade to 1st class) but we made it. After clearing customs and immigration,we headed to the hotel. We moved in, took a nap, then walked to dinner. (They walk everywhere here and therefore a 10 minute walk to a Londoner is a 20 minute walk to an American.)
Yesterday, we had orientation meetings, met a Penny Queen, and got scared out of our wits talking about security. We had dinner at Wagamama (an awesome Japanese noodle place) and then saw Avenue Q (hilariously offending). After the show, we decided we needed a drink and found a wonderful basement bar. After a quick stop at McDonalds, we headed home to crash into bed.
Today, some of our friends have already moved on to their schools so there are only a few of us left. We're wandering around the city tonight to find food and drink then coming back to get packed up.
I'll write again as soon as I can...this no free wi-fi thing is not working for me. See you tomorrow!!!