London Hostel

This weekend four other girls and I went to London and spent the night in a hostel. We met a friend of one of the girls at the hostel, turns out she is studying abroad in Amsterdam and she is pretty awesome! So, the first 30 minutes of being in London was devoted to getting to our Underground stop (while looking incredibly touristy with our backpacks on) and then getting to the hostel...and we did not know the road the hostel was on or whereabouts it was located. Luckily, one of the girls with us, Amy, has the power of the internet on her phone and looked it up. We stopped and asked like five people prior to googling it and none of them knew where it was, so we would have been screwed if we could not harness the power of the internet to figure it out. 

Once we got to the hostel we met up with Mel's friend, Nicole and then went out for some shopping. We went to one store that we have been meaning to visit and finally did, Primark. Primark is a store that sells really cheap clothes, but they aren't shit quality. We all really enjoyed it, even though it was no the relaxed shopping atmosphere we were use to. There were people pushing and shoving to get places and I did not find them to be polite at all. Through all the shopping hardships, I did manage to find some neat stuff; I got two shirts and two pairs of leggings and I was pretty proud of myself. After going to Primark we went out to look for some place to eat because we were all dying of starvation so, we went to this really cute pub right around the corner from Primark. A lot of the pubs in London have the same menus and serve the same food, but either way, the food is good. Three other girls and I got the bacon cheeseburger and it was so good. :) Then after the shopping and good, we went back to the hostel to drop off our stuff, take a quick nap, and get ready to go out. 

We went out that night to Piccadilly Circus because we were told it was pretty hoppin' on a Saturday night, and it sure was! We had to go to like six different bars to find one that could accommodate six girls. Wandering around Piccadilly was a lot cooler than actually sitting in the bar because we got to go to the China Town part of London that was all decked out in their Chinese New Year stuff; it was super cool! After a night out at Piccadilly we went back to the hostel because we were tired and wanted to be near our beds. When we got back we stayed in the hostel's bar and they drank and I played Uno with them. We met some really nice Spanish boys that told us where to go when we were in Spain. :) Their names were Jacob and Mark and they were from Barcelona. I got to speak Spanish to them, which was really fun! One of the boys didn't speak much English, so I talked to him a bit in Spanish. After about an hour or so we called it quits and went to bed. 

The next morning we got up and went to take a tour of Hyde Park (a huge park in London) and we got to see some amazing birds!! I just really like birds and like to narrate what they do, and so does Brooke! So, we both went and fed some swans and narrated some pigeons and dogs. Overall it was a really good day at the park. :) After the park we went to Spitalfield Market and that was pretty amazing! I saw so much stuff there that I wanted, but I refrained from getting anything, other than a really cute owl necklace! While being in London, I realized that I have an owl obsession that could become unhealthy. :P After gathering our things from the hostel we attempted to make a smooth exit from London, but there was so much maintenance being done on the Underground that it took us like an extra 45 minutes to get to the train station. 

Overall it was a really fun trip to London, even though I might not stay in a hostel next time, I might just get a train back to Egham at the end of the day. It was a definite experience. :)

A RHUL outing to London

My bitchess! <3

Yesterday I went to the National Gallery in London and saw some amazing paintings that I have learned about in my art history classes. I saw Van Eyck’s portrait of the “Arnolfini Marriage” and it was painted in 1434. It was so weird actually seeing the paintings that I have been learning about for two years or so. Sadly, I could not take pictures inside the gallery, but I was so tempted…soo tempted! I did get to see one of my favorite paintings though! It is called “The Ambassadors” by Has Holbein. When my tour group was at the painting, I was giving my own little talk about this painting to some people and then I asked them to look at the painting at an angle to see the skull on the bottom and they thought it was super cool! Then, like five minutes later the tour guide asked her group to do the same and I thought to myself “Ha, beat you to it!” Because I am like that. :P A lot of the people in my group really liked it though and it made me happy! I got a postcard of that painting and I got five other postcards of other paintings that I liked there. I also got a National Gallery Pocket Collection book and it has pictures of all the paintings in the gallery! I am very much an art history geek!

Holbein's Ambassadors

The girlsss! :D

After the National Gallery we did a bus tour of London and I saw some things that I haven’t seen yet, but I saw it in a bus…and we didn’t stop…which made me sad. But, I am going to be here for five more months, so I will have time to see everything. After the little driving tour we went to an Indian restaurant and it was so good! I don’t remember what I had, but it was good. :P After the dinner we went on another Jack “The Ripper” tour (Avery and I went on one before with our study abroad program and this one was for our University) and the woman who gave this tour was 100% better than the previous tour guide. She actually talked about the mystery and the lore and not just how the women were murdered…she also had pictures of the old streets and the bodies/murders and it really helped to imagine how gruesome the murders were. I had no problems with seeing the pictures, but there are some people who did, but I think growing up on a farm helped me deal with seeing blood and guts.

Jack "the Ripper" victims..they were not the best looking prostitutes.. 

Well, my room smells like weed again because the people on the first and second floors smoke a lot and they smoke in the bathrooms because there are no smoke detectors in the bathrooms, and the smoke travels through the vents and gets everyone’s bathrooms and rooms to smell like weed. :/ I much prefer the smell of weed to the smell of cigarettes.




P.S. When we were going home we were driving past Big Ben and Parliament and the Tower of London and it didn't phase us...we are use to seeing that now... How weird is that!?

British University System

Yesterday I had my first day of Spanish classes, and it was so odd!! I did not like it at all; everyone in there were already friends and I was just the international student. The content is not hard but, getting use to the class structure and not being a part of a Spanish class family will be hard. Back at PSU, I have a group of 7 or so girls that always have Spanish together, and we made a little familia. But, this is a whole new type of Spanish class and I don't approve of it. Plus, I am coming in for term 2 and this class has been running since term 1...so there is information that I have missed out on during term 1 and I am scared! I have to go talk to the administrative assistant about my exams for these classes because I don't know how my grading will work if I already missed an essay because I was not at RHUL during the Fall term.

The readings they assign us here is ridiculous! Students here don't have jobs while they are in college because a majority of their time is taken up by doing school work. When I heard a kid say that, I got all nervous and thought to myself "Alright, I guess I am here for the experience and not the academics, because that just threw academics out the window." 

Overall, I am enjoying it here even though I have only seen the sun four times... :P It is England so it kinda has to always be in a state of overcast. Lol. Today I am going to Windsor to do some shopping! I can spend some money on shopping since I don't spend money on alcohol, and the internationals spend a lot of money on booze and I don't! Alcohol - 0, Straight Edge - 1! Epic win! :D

January 12 of 12

Okay, first off I would like to say that all these pictures were taken with my iPod touch because my baby camera was dead and I didn't feel like taking out the Storm Trooper (my big DSLR) :P So, I apologize for the shit quality.

I started my day off by talking to Jake on Skype until like 3am...because I am cool like that. The internet at the University really sucks, so every 20 minutes or so the call gets dropped and then we have to go through a 5 minute ritual of getting it back to just have it happen again. :P

Finally, I got to go to sleep in my oddly comfortable bed! I was thinking that the beds in the flats were going to be all uncomfy, but mine is surprisingly comfortable and it is a double!

This is the view outside my window, I live on the top of the building, but it is also the 5th floor. :P Look how green it is here!! While everyone is at home bitching about the snow, I am here with green grass and flowers blooming...envy me!

Just a picture of me before the day actually got started. :) I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but I think I have lost 5 lbs since being here...probably because I have been on a diet of cereal and clementines. :)

This is Avery and Brook before we went downtown to do some food and random stuff shopping. :) Brook is from Canada and she is amazing. I love her a lot, and that is an understatement!

Here is Mike, Brook, and Avery walking downtown in Egham... 

We went shopping at this place called Iceland and it is a place that only sells frozen food, and Mike did an amazing job shopping at discount prices. I think he came out of one store with two full bags, and he only paid about $10 USD for everything. He is a bargain shopper and I plan on shopping with him more!

...ha..."spotted dick" but not just any spotted dick, it is delicious spotted dick!

Yeah, downtown there is a Maserati and Lamborgini dealer...nbd.

Avery is sleeping on my bed before the party...she sleeps like a fairy. I think Avery sleeps in my bed just as much as I sleep in my bed...and I am okay with that fact.

Mike and Avery chilling out before the party. I love these two and I really hope that they are around me a lot more because they are hilarious separately, but they are hysterical when they are together!

This is part of the group prior to us going to the dance party that the Student Union puts on every Wednesday. Personally, I think it is too hardcore to do every Wednesday, but I am sure that there are students who do it. :P They are all pregaming and playing Kings, which quickly turned into a game of Never Have I Ever....which is an amazing game to play no matter what state you are in! :P

Homestay with Papa John and Mama Vanessa

For the whole Norwich Album, you can click HERE HERE HERE HERE!! :D 

And for the Homestay family album, you can click right about HERE!

John, Freddy, and Vanessa

This weekend I had a homestay with Vanessa and John and it was so amazing!! They were the best homestay parents that I could have asked for. Prior to leaving for the weekend, I was really upset and I didn't want to go because I was just getting settled into my room and hanging out with friends. But as soon as I saw John waiting for us, I knew I was going to have a good time there because he had a shirt on that said something to the effect of "Sexy Bald Bloak" :D

Avery and John

The first night was so much fun because we got to sit and chat with them and just chill out. While we were there we got to hear a lot of horror stories about other girls who come to them to do homestays, and I am glad that we are some of the good ones! They also have four dogs, Josh, Freddy, Toby, and Rosie (I think either Freddy or Rosie were my favorites!) I liked Rosie a lot because she was like my dog back home; all scruffy and had a beard and eyebrows. :)

Freddy

Rosie

The second day we went out and about to explore Norwich. Apparently Norwich is the only city in England that has two cathedrals, and in order to be considered a city in England it has to have one cathedral. There were a lot of really interesting churches and we went into some that were over 500 years old, and the first thing that Avery said was, "That is older than out country!!" :) I have a whole bunch of pictures from us walking around Norwich (226 to be exact!) Normally I don't like to keep that many pictures because it is too much to look through, but Avery took some pictures that I wanted to keep for her and her family, and I thought it would be nice to have a lot for my family to look through. I am keeping them all online so everyone can see everything, but on my Facebook, I have a limited selection. :) We went on a tour of this cathedral that was over 900 years old and the tour was suppose to last 45 minutes, but it lasted twice that! The man who was giving us the tour was super nice, but he was so long winded!! It was really pretty and interesting though. Then we went to go to a museum in an old Norman castle and that was super neat...even though I thought it was going to be more castle like inside, but it was very modern and very museum-y. It was a let down on the castle front, but a plus on the museum front! 

Avery and Mike

Avery and I...besties

Oh! There was also an Evel Kinevel exhibit in Norwich!!

This was a human statue and he was so perfect!! He was Charlie Chaplin and I thought he was actually a statue until he opened his eyes and it freaked me out!

Mike and I being amazing at the Norman Castle

The Norman Castle

Crooked building!!

Ceiling of a huge cathedral!

Hanging out with Mike, Suzy, and Avery was super awesome and I am so glad that we get to hang out at school as well! I must say though, I love Mike! He is so hilarious and I was to be around him all the time! We were in Iceland (a store that sells all frozen/cheap food) and I said "Oooh chicken pot pie" to myself and he just walks by me and says "Huh, three of my favorite things." and the way he said it was far more funny than what he said because he said it so nonchalantly. :D I cannot wait to get to spend more time with him. 

New friends!

This week has been very eventful because I went through the orientation for Arcadia (my study abroad program) and I went through the orientation for Royal Hollway (the University I am attending) and I have made a lot of new friends! I obvi have Avs, but I also met this girl named Sarah, and I can already tell that she is going to be a really close friend. We also befriended a study abroad advisor (James) at Royal Holloway, but he is like four years older than I am, so it is not creepy. :P We went to go see The King's Speech and it was really good! I felt so bad for the King throughout the movie, and it really evoked emotion from me and normally I am emotionally barren! 


After the movie we went to go for a little bit of shopping. James took us through H&M to get to another store and it was not a good idea because I wanted to buy a lot of things, but I was good and refrained from getting anything. I saw a cute bag that I wanted and a pair of heels that I needed but I behaved and saved my money. :) After a little bit of shopping and making fun of Avery and her crush we went to go eat. The dinner was really nice, we just talked and goofed around. On the way home Avs kept kitting James' horn and it was hilarious because we were telling him how Americans love to use their horns. He was shocked that Americans are so impolite...whoops!! :P


Well, I start classes tomorrow, or sometime....But I don't know when they are, so that could be a problem. For now I am just seeing how things go. :)

Oh!! Also, this boy that I have been crushing on for a long time finally asked me out. :P I was so giddy and happy!! But, I am kind of in London with a boyfriend...I am not worried about it, but it is advised against...I think I have enough self restraint to be good. :P So, needless to say, I am pretty happy about life right now. Here is Jake and I on New Years, prior to us dating and me leaving. :)






P.S. my university looks like Hogwarts!

Primer week in Londres

I got into London on Monday to find out that there was internet, but I had to pay to use it, so being desperate, I did. It was a mistake. I have not been online for extensive periods of time since I left the States. :/ 


When I got to the hotel, I met another girl in my program named Avery. She is a really cool girl, and I have a feeling that we are going to be really close because we are really similar and tell it how it is. :) 

The first day was just getting in, moving into the hotel room and fighting off jet lag. The second day was a lot more fun because we got to go through out London on our own! I went with a group of two Avery's and we went to see St. Paul's Cathedral and St. Peter's Cathedral. They were both so beautiful and it was hard to believe that it was real life. 

That night we went to pubs and bars and explored Angel and it was fun. We found a really cool bar with a bunch of neat people called The York and then we found a place called The Arc and that was equally neat. 


Yesterday Avs and I went to see Parliament and Big Ben and it was SO surreal. They were both so beautiful and HUGE. When we came out from the tube, we were looking right up at Big Ben...it was absurd. 

Avs

Now I am at Royal Holloway and I have settled into my room, and it seems to be the hang out for Avery and I, mainly because I have internet, blankets, and a clean room. Avery's room was so occupied by a boy before her because it was nasty and there was urine and hair all over everywhere. It was not pretty. But, I do have one amazing flatmate named Rupert. He is one of the nicest people I have met in a long time. He showed us to the local store (which was a 15-20 minute walk) and then shopped with us for like 30 minutes, and then carried our bags back and it was a cart full of pots, pans, silverware, and food. He was so nice and I am indebted to him for life. :) 

Here is the link to my Picasa album for my London pictures (CLICKY CLICKY!)