Well, I'm back. Both to London and to blogging.
We got back yesterday from our first adventure through Europe, so I'll dive right in.
We left last Friday after my class and flew to Amsterdam. After a bit of uncertainty we got on the right train from the airport and headed into the city. We reached our hotel, and were pleasantly informed that we were receiving a free upgrade: the building is actually two hotels in one, with a 3 Star hotel and a 4 Star. We had booked the cheaper 3 Star hotel, but they bumped us up to the 4 Star for free! No complaints from us. We headed up to our room, and walked into a very nice and spacious room. We had a TV which we took advantage of to watch some of the Olympics during our down time, a nice/big bathroom, and a big and extraordinarily comfortable bed. We met up with Lauren and Michael, who made a last-minute decision to join us for the weekend, and walked out of the hotel into Rembrandt Square (our hotel's location was awesome). We found a good dinner place (Italian), which was a sign of the first surprise of the city for me: the food was incredible. The next day we went to a famous Dutch restaurant for lunch called the Pancake Bakery, and I had the best pancake (crepe, really) I've ever had. It was called the Caprese, and it had fresh mozzarella and basil, pesto, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Jillian had a sweet pancake with Nutella, bananas, and whipped cream, which was also very good, but we both agreed mine was better. For dinner that night we went to an Asian restaurant called Wok to Walk, which was surprisingly good given its fast-food nature - they made a stir fry dish fresh to order (my type of place). On our last day, Sunday, Jillian and I stopped in at a small cafe and both ordered falafel that was better than most of the falafel we had had in Israel. Who knew?
Anyway, aside from food, the city was great. We had Friday evening, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday before we left, so we got a pretty good feel for it. It was much prettier than I anticipated, with old buildings and canals everywhere. It also was relatively small, and we saw pretty much all of it by foot. Notable tourist sites we saw were: the Van Gogh Museum (not our favorite, and very expensive), the Anne Frank House (very well done), and the Heineken Experience at the old brewery (a fun time, but once was definitely enough). We also took a stroll through the Red Light District which was a combination of surreal, fascinating, and creepy. Overall, I really enjoyed the city and would definitely go back when it was warmer, as the parks are supposed to be really nice in the spring. And it was good to have some company for our first travels.
Sunday evening we parted ways from Lauren and Michael and flew to Berlin. Jillian had begun to get sick (it appeared she had caught the cold I had before we left) earlier in the trip and was thoroughly miserable by Sunday. So when we got off the bus from the airport and I spent 20 minutes in the 15 degree weather leading us in a circle (I was trying to find point A, the starting point, on our walking directions... and succeeded, before she pointed out we were in fact trying to get to point B, the destination) she was, of course, thrilled. We eventually got to our hostel, which at first was a bit disappointing after having stayed in the hotel in Amsterdam. But once we remembered the Amsterdam hotel was going to be the exception rather than the rule, we realized the hostel was also pretty nice. By the time we got in it was past 11, so we just got settled and called it a night. Our train for Prague was scheduled for 8:30 AM on Tuesday, so we only had Monday (and about 36 hours total) in Berlin. The hostel offered a free walking tour of the city, which we took on Monday morning. It was very informative, very interesting, and very cold. It took about 4 hours and most of it was outdoors. Jillian lamented the freezing of her toes (not that they were freezing, but that they had actually frozen), which seemed to happen relatively often on the trip. But considering her health she was a trooper and never stayed back or shortened our sightseeing and never complained (well maybe not the latter).
The city seemed to have a very confused identity and still doesn't really seem to know what to make of itself. It was much more spread out than Amsterdam, but had far fewer shops and restaurants near our hostel (which was pretty centrally located). I felt a bit out of place there, but not from anything said or done by the people; I guess I just felt strange being there given the history. The city was not nearly as pretty as Amsterdam, but the history was interesting (although many of the "historical" buildings are not actually historical since they had to be rebuilt after WWII). It grew on me a bit as the day wore on, but as you can tell, I preferred Amsterdam. Jillian and I made a decision to have a least one authentic meal in every country we visit (maybe not Scotland...), a mission that should be far easier over spring break in Spain, Italy, and Greece. So for dinner we found an authentic German restaurant. I resisted the urge to try the Schnitzel made from Cow Udder, and instead we both went with a noodle souffle (nudelflaufenhausenplatz... something like that. By the way, those big cursive B's in German? Not B's. Someone got confused and decided they should be S's.) The noodle dish was really good: it was penne, broccoli, onions, and mushrooms baked with a ton of cheese. It was listed under the snack portion of the menu, so Jillian and I each ordered a soup in case it was too small. The soups were also good, and came out in bowls on top of bigger bowls containing candles to keep the soup warm. Very interesting. The "snack-sized" souffles ended up being enormous, as a side note.
We got up bright and early on Tuesday for our train (very relaxing and stress-free: a nice change from flying/figuring out how to get from airports to the city). We got in in the middle of the day, and headed to our hostel. The room was huge, a lot bigger than either of our previous two rooms, and was nice enough. Prague as a whole is very cheap, and the hostel was no exception: 12 Euros each. Eager to take advantage of the rest of the day, we headed out. First we walked through the major street in the New Town, which was lively and modern and filled with restaurants. Then we made our way to the Old Town Square, which is breathtaking as it first comes into view. It is surrounded by beautiful buildings, including two churches and a clocktower. We checked out the churches and then walked to the famous Charles Bridge for an incredible view of the city - the Old Town on one side of the river, and the Castle Quarter on the other. Our big sightseeing day was Wednesday, though, and we forced ourselves awake early once again (no small feat for those who know me) to head out to the Jewish Quarter. There we saw 4 synagogues, a ceremonial hall, an old cemetery, and another synagogue that serves as a Memorial to all of the Czech Holocaust victims. The last site was the most powerful to me, as the inside of the synagogue has each and every single victim's name handwritten on the walls.
Our next stop wasn't quite so somber, as we crossed the river and headed up to Prague Castle. We went inside the St. Vitus Cathedral, which was absolutely HUGE. It was Notre Dame-esque, and the interior was decorated with an incredible amount of gold and stain glass - definitely a memorable cathedral. We also checked out the rest of the castle grounds and the Golden Lane, which was a small, quaint street lined with old storefronts and buildings (Kafka apparently lived in one of them). Our last stop after the castle was the Lennon Wall. Apparently after Lennon's death, graffiti artists were inspired to commemorate his legacy by tagging a wall. The city was not impressed, and a drawn out battle ensued of spray painting, removal, spray painting, removal, etc. Eventually the city gave up and allowed the graffiti to remain, and now it has become a tourist attraction. The wall wasn't huge, and I was surprised at how much of the graffiti now seems to be completely unrelated to Lennon, but some of the work was very cool. After 8 hours of sightseeing and walking, we headed back to relax before going to a nearby restaurant to experience our Czech meal. Czech cuisine can essentially be described as meat and potatoes. The meal was fine, but nothing spectacular.
So there is my roundabout, meandering description of our trip. I guess to sum up I would say I enjoyed Prague and Amsterdam more than Berlin, but all three had their pros and cons. I presume visiting all of them in spring would also have been different. Amsterdam was the most touristy, while remaining beautiful and interesting. Berlin was interesting historically, and I think would be a very different city to visit if I returned in even as little as 5 years (since it changes so much). Prague might have been the most beautiful city I've ever seen, and had a sense of history that was truly incredible. So all in all, not bad for a 6 day trip. By the end I had gotten into a pretty good rhythm for traveling and sightseeing (we think we might have legitimately walked close to 50 miles in the week), but it was definitely nice to get back to London. It's weird that when we got off the subway at Warren Street that it felt a bit like home.
But now we've got one trip's worth of experience under our belts (with no major problems) before our big trip in April. This trip was definitely tiring, and I'm sure that one will be too, but they will be somewhat different. First, the weather will make a big difference. Sightseeing for hours and walking 8 miles in a day will always be tiring, but doing it in 60 degree vs. 20 degree weather will make it a lot more enjoyable. Secondly, we have longer stays in each city in April. Having 3-4 full days in cities means we won't have to cram everything into one absurdly long day, and will allow us more time between actual travel. So in some ways, even though it's 3 times longer, I think that trip might be less tiring.
Anyway, now it's back to life here in London. We had dinner last night with Jillian's neighbor and family friend Andy Orent (Jillian grew up with Andy's daughter Jaime), who was in town for business and gracious treated us to a delicious meal at a Japanese noodle restaurant called Wagamama. Today, Jillian has been working all day on a paper we have due on Monday. My progress is predictable: no progress. I'll do it tomorrow or Sunday. The trip definitely made us realize how similar London is to the US. Yes, there are differences, but they are small. Things we don't even think about in the US (like free water at restaurants) don't exist in places like Germany and the Czech Republic, but do in London.
So I'm just spending today getting organized again here and what not. Visitors start coming in soon: Mom and Dad and my friend Travis both in a couple weeks or so, my friend Ashley from Penn before that. Time is flying by!
Well, time to wrap this long entry up. I'd be happy to talk about the trip more in depth via Skype or email, so just say the word.
Time for this week's cultural difference:
In the London version of the Super Bowl, the Colts won.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Monday, 1 February 2010
Goodbye, January.
It's hard to believe that February has arrived - I'm coming up on a month that I've been here already. Time flies.
Another week in the books, and only one more full one before the travels begin. I am glad to say I am continuing to enjoy my time here, and although I do miss friends and family and certain aspects of life in the States, I haven't had to deal with any significant feelings of homesickness or tiredness of being here - having Jillian around certainly helps with that. It will be nice to have visitors in March beginning with Mom and Dad, though.
Classes are in full swing now. International Security continues to be my favorite class of the bunch, and we have moved into the section on nuclear proliferation and terrorism which interests me. Developmental was a bit better this past week, as was Psych and Education. Art History... remains Art History.
Early in the week Jillian and I met up with her friend Lauren for another half-off dinner at Pizza Express to welcome her to London. When Jillian and I went there the first time, we finished up and asked for a box for our leftovers, but the waiter informed us they couldn't do that since they didn't have a "take-out license." Very odd. So he asked if we wanted him to leave the leftovers after all, to which we agreed. We finished them off, and he returned and said "So you won, eh?" Well, this time around, Jillian was not to be denied. She smuggled a Tupperware container in her purse, and then when she was done eating with three pieces remaining, cautiously looked left, then right. In a flash of quickness the pizza was shoveled off her plate and into her Tupperware, which was then jammed back into her purse. A content and mischievous smile crept across her face. And the pizza crept into her stomach for lunch the next day.
On Wednesday Jillian and I went with two of our flatmates (who brought another friend and a boyfriend, respectively) to see Avatar. George (Rosie's boyfriend) and I had already seen it once, and Rosie had actually seen it twice before, but the other three hadn't seen it yet. It was just as good the second time, and remains the best movie I've seen in a while. Jillian, despite an initial lack of interest when it first came out, seemed to enjoy it. Continuing her smuggling ways, Jillian had us stop at a convenience store en route to the theater so we could all stock up on snacks for the film. Han Solo would be proud.
Other than that, during the week we passed the time with some online games (The Game of Life was a brief hit before we couldn't find any more free 60 minute trials) and more of The Wire. We finished Season 1 and are half way through Season 2 - for those who haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend it. I've also found that I can watch episodes of Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption on ESPN.com, so I've been watching the previous day's episodes.
Over the weekend, we attempted to go out to eat at a Mexican place called Wahaca, that was supposedly Chipotle-esque (and some people online dared to claim it was even better). It's right by Trafalgar Square, so we walked down only to find that there was an hour wait. Jillian didn't feel like waiting (yeah, I just threw you under the bus on that one) so we headed out to find a different place to eat. We settled on the Spaghetti House, which was a decent chain restaurant. Nothing special, but it was good enough. Afterward we hung out with Lauren for a bit at the UCL Union's Pub. Sunday we did our weekly grocery shopping, including some items at a different store called Mark's and Spencer's. A bit pricier, but with some different options. After that we walked up to Camden Market to walk around and check it out. It's a HUGE market with all sorts of flea market type stalls with food, clothing, etc. Many offers for free samples and for "4 pound mix and match" Asian food. Also an offer from a British kid around my age consisting simply of the word: "Marijuana?" Right in the middle of the street. Very interesting. But the market was cool, and we'll definitely head back sometime.
Tonight we went out to dinner with Lauren and Michael (he got in yesterday) to a place called Yo! Sushi. We had 40% off coupons (even with those it was expensive... upwards of 5 pounds for two pieces of sushi) and had heard it was a fun place to go. The sushi comes around on a conveyor belt like at Pod in Philly. It was a good and fun dinner, and in a part of town we hadn't been to yet (Russell Square) that was really nice. The restaurant was part of an outdoor mall, which included a grocery store called Waitrose that was even bigger than the main Sainsbury's we usually go to. We walked around and Jillian and I eventually decided to get a delicious looking Apple and Blackberry pie. We had some when we got back for dessert with ice cream - indeed, delicious.
So tomorrow, back to class bright and early. I did a big chunk of reading today, so I think I'm finally getting back into school mode - or at least something resembling that. No big plans yet this weekend except to watch the Super Bowl at Lauren and Michael's since they have a TV. I'll be monitoring Freeney's ankle...
If there is a long gap between this blog post and the next, it's probably because the Colts lost and I fell into a mild depression. Only slightly exaggerating. Go Colts.
This week's cultural difference:
No Cheetos. How could you not have Cheetos growing up?!
Another week in the books, and only one more full one before the travels begin. I am glad to say I am continuing to enjoy my time here, and although I do miss friends and family and certain aspects of life in the States, I haven't had to deal with any significant feelings of homesickness or tiredness of being here - having Jillian around certainly helps with that. It will be nice to have visitors in March beginning with Mom and Dad, though.
Classes are in full swing now. International Security continues to be my favorite class of the bunch, and we have moved into the section on nuclear proliferation and terrorism which interests me. Developmental was a bit better this past week, as was Psych and Education. Art History... remains Art History.
Early in the week Jillian and I met up with her friend Lauren for another half-off dinner at Pizza Express to welcome her to London. When Jillian and I went there the first time, we finished up and asked for a box for our leftovers, but the waiter informed us they couldn't do that since they didn't have a "take-out license." Very odd. So he asked if we wanted him to leave the leftovers after all, to which we agreed. We finished them off, and he returned and said "So you won, eh?" Well, this time around, Jillian was not to be denied. She smuggled a Tupperware container in her purse, and then when she was done eating with three pieces remaining, cautiously looked left, then right. In a flash of quickness the pizza was shoveled off her plate and into her Tupperware, which was then jammed back into her purse. A content and mischievous smile crept across her face. And the pizza crept into her stomach for lunch the next day.
On Wednesday Jillian and I went with two of our flatmates (who brought another friend and a boyfriend, respectively) to see Avatar. George (Rosie's boyfriend) and I had already seen it once, and Rosie had actually seen it twice before, but the other three hadn't seen it yet. It was just as good the second time, and remains the best movie I've seen in a while. Jillian, despite an initial lack of interest when it first came out, seemed to enjoy it. Continuing her smuggling ways, Jillian had us stop at a convenience store en route to the theater so we could all stock up on snacks for the film. Han Solo would be proud.
Other than that, during the week we passed the time with some online games (The Game of Life was a brief hit before we couldn't find any more free 60 minute trials) and more of The Wire. We finished Season 1 and are half way through Season 2 - for those who haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend it. I've also found that I can watch episodes of Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption on ESPN.com, so I've been watching the previous day's episodes.
Over the weekend, we attempted to go out to eat at a Mexican place called Wahaca, that was supposedly Chipotle-esque (and some people online dared to claim it was even better). It's right by Trafalgar Square, so we walked down only to find that there was an hour wait. Jillian didn't feel like waiting (yeah, I just threw you under the bus on that one) so we headed out to find a different place to eat. We settled on the Spaghetti House, which was a decent chain restaurant. Nothing special, but it was good enough. Afterward we hung out with Lauren for a bit at the UCL Union's Pub. Sunday we did our weekly grocery shopping, including some items at a different store called Mark's and Spencer's. A bit pricier, but with some different options. After that we walked up to Camden Market to walk around and check it out. It's a HUGE market with all sorts of flea market type stalls with food, clothing, etc. Many offers for free samples and for "4 pound mix and match" Asian food. Also an offer from a British kid around my age consisting simply of the word: "Marijuana?" Right in the middle of the street. Very interesting. But the market was cool, and we'll definitely head back sometime.
Tonight we went out to dinner with Lauren and Michael (he got in yesterday) to a place called Yo! Sushi. We had 40% off coupons (even with those it was expensive... upwards of 5 pounds for two pieces of sushi) and had heard it was a fun place to go. The sushi comes around on a conveyor belt like at Pod in Philly. It was a good and fun dinner, and in a part of town we hadn't been to yet (Russell Square) that was really nice. The restaurant was part of an outdoor mall, which included a grocery store called Waitrose that was even bigger than the main Sainsbury's we usually go to. We walked around and Jillian and I eventually decided to get a delicious looking Apple and Blackberry pie. We had some when we got back for dessert with ice cream - indeed, delicious.
So tomorrow, back to class bright and early. I did a big chunk of reading today, so I think I'm finally getting back into school mode - or at least something resembling that. No big plans yet this weekend except to watch the Super Bowl at Lauren and Michael's since they have a TV. I'll be monitoring Freeney's ankle...
If there is a long gap between this blog post and the next, it's probably because the Colts lost and I fell into a mild depression. Only slightly exaggerating. Go Colts.
This week's cultural difference:
No Cheetos. How could you not have Cheetos growing up?!
Monday, 25 January 2010
Getting into the Swing of Things
Hello, everybody. Another Monday, another blog post. Another Monday, another day of contentment after a Colts' victory. SUPER BOWL BOUND, BABY! (Sorry, Sam, but the Jets did have me scared there for a while. Amazing how that team's/Rex Ryan's reputation changed in the last month). The Saints scare me less than the Vikings, but we'll see! Enough football (except to say that Favre's INT was one of the worst plays I've ever seen).
It was a good week, all in all. Jillian and I did more cooking, and then for our weekly dinner out went to a (very) local Indian restaurant called Shah Tandoori. It is about a 1 minute walk from our dorm, and had gotten good reviews online. It lived up to our expectations - Jillian was particularly fond of her Chicken Makoni (she was skeptical as to whether or not it was the same as her favorite dish, Chicken Makhani, but it was). Good atmosphere, good food, good prices = good experience. People here do seem to eat dinner later, though, as we were the only ones in the restaurant when we arrived at 6:30, but it was pretty crowded by the time we finished up. 10% student discount too, which we obviously enjoyed.
We've decided to change up some of our meals at home this week, including a soon-to-be-tried attempt at tacos tonight with a taco kit we bought at Sainsbury's. We also have quiche and homemade chicken tikka masala on the menu for later in the week. We'll see how those turn out.
We've been hanging out more with our flatmates, who are very nice. We also have spent a bit of time with the people in the flat across the hall from us - I know one of the guys who lives there from Penn, as he lived in Hill with me freshman year. One of my good friends who also lived in Hill (down the hall) arrived in Manchester a day or two ago, so hopefully we can see her at some point. Jillian's friend from school, Lauren, arrives in London (staying pretty close to us, actually) tomorrow, and her boyfriend Michael arrives in a week or so as well. So we'll be hanging out with them in the days to come. It will be good to see some familiar faces, and Lauren, if you're reading this, good luck with the travels.
Classes were fine this past week. Art History is no good - my fears were confirmed. Our professor spent two hours talking to us about five paintings; she also seemed to pick the five by choosing the least interesting in each room. I frankly just do not care about the shift in the ability of painters to more accurately depict their subjects' knees under a cloak. Not to say I don't appreciate the art in general - I hope to return on my own time to the museums we visit so I can check it all out on my own. International Security is a really interesting class, and I think the seminar (which is essentially just student-led discussions) will be as well - except for one jittery know-it-all who insists on speaking every 5 minutes for 5 minutes. I guess I'm not showing much love in this paragraph, eh? Nothing bad to say about anyone in Developmental Psych; it's fine, I'm just anxious to move on to material about toddlers rather than infants. Scientific data based on how long a baby looks at something, or whether or not it "appeared" to try and move its neck just seems flimsy to me. Like a bad version of animal behavior studies. So hopefully, older children will be interesting (opinions that kind of reflect my views on kids in general, I suppose). We've only had one Psych and Education lecture so far, and that was pretty brutal, but every week is usually a new lecturer and new topic, and the upcoming subjects look more promising than the effect of "school ethos" on children. So we'll see. I'm trying to put to rest Dad's claim that it's only 50-50 in terms of whether or not I'm going to talk about class in each blog. So far, so good.
The weekend was eventful, with trips to Regent Street and Harrod's. We hadn't taken the tube yet until the trip to Harrod's, so I suppose that was noteworthy. Jillian seemed to enjoy the "Mind the Gap" announcement; one of my most distinct memories of my first trip here with Mom and Dad back in '98 is Dad repeatedly saying "Mind the Gap" in a British Accent. The "Food Halls" at Harrod's were incredible: we walked into a big room with candy, gelato, a pizzeria, and a bakery, and walked around for a bit. Marilyn had strongly recommended visiting Harrod's for its food, and everything looked good, but we had had higher expectations. Then we realized that that was simply one room of many. There was a fruit and veggie room, a meat room, a chocolate room, a seafood room, and much, much more. The food all looked great, as there were restaurant-style counters to order food and also groceries available to bring home. Jillian got some sort of blueberry cheese which scares me a little, and I got a toasted baguette with sesame seeds and cheese that was INCREDIBLE. We'll be going back for that baguette. But as a whole, the selection was pretty impressive, so kudos to Marilyn for that recommendation!
Other than that, as the title of this blog demonstrates, I'm pretty settled in here. I did my first load of laundry tonight, and after deciphering the symbols and figuring out which temperatures Celsius I wanted, disaster seems to have been averted. I have come down with my first exposure to British colds - but fittingly, it's a mild and polite fellow, with barely noticeable symptoms. Very well-manned. That about wraps it up - in the midst of writing this entry we stopped for dinner, and the tacos were a success. The Tupperware we were given for free at the local grocery store came in handy. Tomorrow is likely an exception to the weekly dinner out rule, as we will probably go back to Pizza Express for some half-off pizza with Lauren since it is near her apartment. I hope all is well back home, and everyone please say a Mishaberach for Jerraud Powers.
To change it up this week, here is a cultural similarity I have noticed:
The British, like Americans, also seem to hate Scientology. We saw several protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks outside of a nearby Scientology church/store/hideout. At another point we were stopped for a "quick survey" about our happiness and mental health, and after answering three questions were invited (emphatically) into a store to watch a "very short" film. Jillian turned to walk inside before I ended the shenanigans and said "No thanks" and grabbed her to walk away. We later realized the store was in fact, the same Scientology front we had seen protested before.
It was a good week, all in all. Jillian and I did more cooking, and then for our weekly dinner out went to a (very) local Indian restaurant called Shah Tandoori. It is about a 1 minute walk from our dorm, and had gotten good reviews online. It lived up to our expectations - Jillian was particularly fond of her Chicken Makoni (she was skeptical as to whether or not it was the same as her favorite dish, Chicken Makhani, but it was). Good atmosphere, good food, good prices = good experience. People here do seem to eat dinner later, though, as we were the only ones in the restaurant when we arrived at 6:30, but it was pretty crowded by the time we finished up. 10% student discount too, which we obviously enjoyed.
We've decided to change up some of our meals at home this week, including a soon-to-be-tried attempt at tacos tonight with a taco kit we bought at Sainsbury's. We also have quiche and homemade chicken tikka masala on the menu for later in the week. We'll see how those turn out.
We've been hanging out more with our flatmates, who are very nice. We also have spent a bit of time with the people in the flat across the hall from us - I know one of the guys who lives there from Penn, as he lived in Hill with me freshman year. One of my good friends who also lived in Hill (down the hall) arrived in Manchester a day or two ago, so hopefully we can see her at some point. Jillian's friend from school, Lauren, arrives in London (staying pretty close to us, actually) tomorrow, and her boyfriend Michael arrives in a week or so as well. So we'll be hanging out with them in the days to come. It will be good to see some familiar faces, and Lauren, if you're reading this, good luck with the travels.
Classes were fine this past week. Art History is no good - my fears were confirmed. Our professor spent two hours talking to us about five paintings; she also seemed to pick the five by choosing the least interesting in each room. I frankly just do not care about the shift in the ability of painters to more accurately depict their subjects' knees under a cloak. Not to say I don't appreciate the art in general - I hope to return on my own time to the museums we visit so I can check it all out on my own. International Security is a really interesting class, and I think the seminar (which is essentially just student-led discussions) will be as well - except for one jittery know-it-all who insists on speaking every 5 minutes for 5 minutes. I guess I'm not showing much love in this paragraph, eh? Nothing bad to say about anyone in Developmental Psych; it's fine, I'm just anxious to move on to material about toddlers rather than infants. Scientific data based on how long a baby looks at something, or whether or not it "appeared" to try and move its neck just seems flimsy to me. Like a bad version of animal behavior studies. So hopefully, older children will be interesting (opinions that kind of reflect my views on kids in general, I suppose). We've only had one Psych and Education lecture so far, and that was pretty brutal, but every week is usually a new lecturer and new topic, and the upcoming subjects look more promising than the effect of "school ethos" on children. So we'll see. I'm trying to put to rest Dad's claim that it's only 50-50 in terms of whether or not I'm going to talk about class in each blog. So far, so good.
The weekend was eventful, with trips to Regent Street and Harrod's. We hadn't taken the tube yet until the trip to Harrod's, so I suppose that was noteworthy. Jillian seemed to enjoy the "Mind the Gap" announcement; one of my most distinct memories of my first trip here with Mom and Dad back in '98 is Dad repeatedly saying "Mind the Gap" in a British Accent. The "Food Halls" at Harrod's were incredible: we walked into a big room with candy, gelato, a pizzeria, and a bakery, and walked around for a bit. Marilyn had strongly recommended visiting Harrod's for its food, and everything looked good, but we had had higher expectations. Then we realized that that was simply one room of many. There was a fruit and veggie room, a meat room, a chocolate room, a seafood room, and much, much more. The food all looked great, as there were restaurant-style counters to order food and also groceries available to bring home. Jillian got some sort of blueberry cheese which scares me a little, and I got a toasted baguette with sesame seeds and cheese that was INCREDIBLE. We'll be going back for that baguette. But as a whole, the selection was pretty impressive, so kudos to Marilyn for that recommendation!
Other than that, as the title of this blog demonstrates, I'm pretty settled in here. I did my first load of laundry tonight, and after deciphering the symbols and figuring out which temperatures Celsius I wanted, disaster seems to have been averted. I have come down with my first exposure to British colds - but fittingly, it's a mild and polite fellow, with barely noticeable symptoms. Very well-manned. That about wraps it up - in the midst of writing this entry we stopped for dinner, and the tacos were a success. The Tupperware we were given for free at the local grocery store came in handy. Tomorrow is likely an exception to the weekly dinner out rule, as we will probably go back to Pizza Express for some half-off pizza with Lauren since it is near her apartment. I hope all is well back home, and everyone please say a Mishaberach for Jerraud Powers.
To change it up this week, here is a cultural similarity I have noticed:
The British, like Americans, also seem to hate Scientology. We saw several protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks outside of a nearby Scientology church/store/hideout. At another point we were stopped for a "quick survey" about our happiness and mental health, and after answering three questions were invited (emphatically) into a store to watch a "very short" film. Jillian turned to walk inside before I ended the shenanigans and said "No thanks" and grabbed her to walk away. We later realized the store was in fact, the same Scientology front we had seen protested before.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Round 2
Well today was a landmark day for me for one (or 4,000) reasons: I spent more money today than any other day (or two days, or week, or probably even month) of my life. Jillian and I finished booking all of our spring break plans, and between lodging, travel, and a hefty $3,000 rent payment for UCL, my bank account has shrunk quite dramatically. I'm excited for our travel, though, as throughout the semester we will be visiting: Paris, Dublin, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, Rome, Athens, and hopefully Edinburgh. We (I) have slim aspirations of having enough money left over for a weekend in Copenhagen as well. It should be a fun (but exhausting) semester of traveling.
I'm getting used to daily life here in London. I no longer walk around or wake up and say to myself: "Wow, I'm in London." Or, "Wow, I'm in a different country." Or, "Wow, I live in a country without Chipotle." But hopefully not for long on the last item: there are rumors of the first international Chipotle opening up here in April. I might have to start a blog just about that. I have after all, written a (published) love poem about it (and for those of you who don't know, no, I'm not joking).
It's warmed up to more normal temperatures in the 40s (I've tried to learn the conversions to Celsius but have failed to this point). We're definitely starting to learn our way around more, and have branched out in terms of our exploration. Over the weekend we walked down to Trafalgar Square to check out the National Gallery; we didn't actually go in, but we are meeting there tomorrow for our Art History class and we wanted to know how to get there. It was about a 35 minute walk, but very doable. The Square itself is pretty impressive. There's an enormous tower of some general I neither know nor care about, but the monument is very cool to look at. Surrounding him are some stone lions and other various statues. The National Gallery is also an impressive building that overlooks the whole square. As we were walking past the Gallery I looked up and unexpectedly saw, in a straight shot down one of the roads leading away from the Square, a perfect view of Big Ben. So that was cool, and I'm sure we'll head back there when it isn't depressingly grey outside. It was a nice little area with a lot of shops and cafes that would be pleasant in the springtime.
Classes were relatively uneventful this past week. My psychology and education lecture was canceled because of an inch of snow, but has been rescheduled as a double lecture this week (phew! I was so nervous we wouldn't be able to make it up there for a moment...) International Relations seems interesting, and the discussions start this week in addition to the lectures that began last week. I'll be interested to see the American (there seem to be quite a few of us) vs. the non-American perspectives. Art History is kind of a wild card, depending on how much of the two hours our Hippy-ish and American-ish (British and American aspects of her accent) professor insists on lecturing us in the museums. And how much we have to stand. I'm sure Dad is thrilled those are my concerns for that class. But I don't really want to listen to her views for the whole two hours; I'd rather hear a few minutes of background, and be set free to look at stuff and decide everything for myself. So we'll see. I'm not optimistic. Developmental psych seems "eh." It's the first Friday class I've had since first semester freshman year, but I guess having Mondays off is the same thing. It's two hours, but they consider it 2 one hour lectures rather than 1 two hour lecture. It's better than having to take it at Penn, though, since I'm in class for less time and since Jillian said the past exams posted online look like a joke (she's just jealous she can't take it).
Campus is pretty easy to get around. All of my classes are pretty centralized, which is nice. We're really lucky in that: 1. we are so close to campus; and 2. that there are so many grocery stores, restaurants, etc. around us. We've been cooking up a storm, with dishes like chicken stir fry, pasta, and frozen chicken kiev (surprisingly good). We've decided to try and go out only once a week to save some money, so last weekend we went to a restaurant called Pizza Express that we found half-off coupons for. It's an upscale pizza place, but with the coupon we were each able to get our own pizzas (really good) and share gelato for about 5 pounds. We're bargain hunters. Next up is probably an Indian restaurant.
Other than that, we had a pretty quiet weekend. Our British flatmate's boyfriend came to visit, so the four of us went out to a pub for a little one night. Pubs seem to be the main social scene, for everything from dinner to watching sports events. The two of them are both very nice and funny, and aptly named for a British couple: Rosie and George. He was quite tall.
The other nights of the weekend were spent (for me) watching football. You all knew some Colts talk was coming at some point in this blog, but you have to give me credit for holding off for so long. Trust me, I could've spent the entire blog to this point dissecting how well the Colts defense played, or how inspirational Pierre Garcon is by making that unbelievable play and the solid game he had in general despite the stress of his family's situation in Haiti. But I'll hold off. I watched almost of the games except the Cowboys game, of which I saw probably about 1/3. It's been interesting that so many games this year have not been close at all. But anyway, I'm excited for the Conference Championships this Sunday, and also not to have to stay up until 4:30 AM to watch the Colts. I think they have a pretty good shot against the Jets. Chargers, Patriots, and Eagles all are out: HA!
Other than that, the only other noteworthy development is that Jillian and I are two episodes into The Wire, which to this point has lived up to all of the hype: pretty, pretty, pretty good, as LD would say. Now that we are done booking our travel (mostly), I'm sure it will provide us with something to do during our down time (seriously, getting everything organized for these trips took hours). Between that and the crime documentaries/series, the bros/sisters-in-law have stocked us up well. So thanks again, S, M, B, & M.
Well, they tell me that another thing I can do with my time here is schoolwork, so I guess I should get to that. I have yet to touch any of my reading. I have made some progress with my Sports Illustrated, though.
Until next time, here's this entry's cultural difference:
Over a dozen times already, when walking directly at another oncoming pedestrian, I, by instinct, go to my right, while they, by instinct, go to their left (my right). A lot of "Oh, sorry" and the awkward dance of stutter steps back and forth. And an occasional bump.
I'm getting used to daily life here in London. I no longer walk around or wake up and say to myself: "Wow, I'm in London." Or, "Wow, I'm in a different country." Or, "Wow, I live in a country without Chipotle." But hopefully not for long on the last item: there are rumors of the first international Chipotle opening up here in April. I might have to start a blog just about that. I have after all, written a (published) love poem about it (and for those of you who don't know, no, I'm not joking).
It's warmed up to more normal temperatures in the 40s (I've tried to learn the conversions to Celsius but have failed to this point). We're definitely starting to learn our way around more, and have branched out in terms of our exploration. Over the weekend we walked down to Trafalgar Square to check out the National Gallery; we didn't actually go in, but we are meeting there tomorrow for our Art History class and we wanted to know how to get there. It was about a 35 minute walk, but very doable. The Square itself is pretty impressive. There's an enormous tower of some general I neither know nor care about, but the monument is very cool to look at. Surrounding him are some stone lions and other various statues. The National Gallery is also an impressive building that overlooks the whole square. As we were walking past the Gallery I looked up and unexpectedly saw, in a straight shot down one of the roads leading away from the Square, a perfect view of Big Ben. So that was cool, and I'm sure we'll head back there when it isn't depressingly grey outside. It was a nice little area with a lot of shops and cafes that would be pleasant in the springtime.
Classes were relatively uneventful this past week. My psychology and education lecture was canceled because of an inch of snow, but has been rescheduled as a double lecture this week (phew! I was so nervous we wouldn't be able to make it up there for a moment...) International Relations seems interesting, and the discussions start this week in addition to the lectures that began last week. I'll be interested to see the American (there seem to be quite a few of us) vs. the non-American perspectives. Art History is kind of a wild card, depending on how much of the two hours our Hippy-ish and American-ish (British and American aspects of her accent) professor insists on lecturing us in the museums. And how much we have to stand. I'm sure Dad is thrilled those are my concerns for that class. But I don't really want to listen to her views for the whole two hours; I'd rather hear a few minutes of background, and be set free to look at stuff and decide everything for myself. So we'll see. I'm not optimistic. Developmental psych seems "eh." It's the first Friday class I've had since first semester freshman year, but I guess having Mondays off is the same thing. It's two hours, but they consider it 2 one hour lectures rather than 1 two hour lecture. It's better than having to take it at Penn, though, since I'm in class for less time and since Jillian said the past exams posted online look like a joke (she's just jealous she can't take it).
Campus is pretty easy to get around. All of my classes are pretty centralized, which is nice. We're really lucky in that: 1. we are so close to campus; and 2. that there are so many grocery stores, restaurants, etc. around us. We've been cooking up a storm, with dishes like chicken stir fry, pasta, and frozen chicken kiev (surprisingly good). We've decided to try and go out only once a week to save some money, so last weekend we went to a restaurant called Pizza Express that we found half-off coupons for. It's an upscale pizza place, but with the coupon we were each able to get our own pizzas (really good) and share gelato for about 5 pounds. We're bargain hunters. Next up is probably an Indian restaurant.
Other than that, we had a pretty quiet weekend. Our British flatmate's boyfriend came to visit, so the four of us went out to a pub for a little one night. Pubs seem to be the main social scene, for everything from dinner to watching sports events. The two of them are both very nice and funny, and aptly named for a British couple: Rosie and George. He was quite tall.
The other nights of the weekend were spent (for me) watching football. You all knew some Colts talk was coming at some point in this blog, but you have to give me credit for holding off for so long. Trust me, I could've spent the entire blog to this point dissecting how well the Colts defense played, or how inspirational Pierre Garcon is by making that unbelievable play and the solid game he had in general despite the stress of his family's situation in Haiti. But I'll hold off. I watched almost of the games except the Cowboys game, of which I saw probably about 1/3. It's been interesting that so many games this year have not been close at all. But anyway, I'm excited for the Conference Championships this Sunday, and also not to have to stay up until 4:30 AM to watch the Colts. I think they have a pretty good shot against the Jets. Chargers, Patriots, and Eagles all are out: HA!
Other than that, the only other noteworthy development is that Jillian and I are two episodes into The Wire, which to this point has lived up to all of the hype: pretty, pretty, pretty good, as LD would say. Now that we are done booking our travel (mostly), I'm sure it will provide us with something to do during our down time (seriously, getting everything organized for these trips took hours). Between that and the crime documentaries/series, the bros/sisters-in-law have stocked us up well. So thanks again, S, M, B, & M.
Well, they tell me that another thing I can do with my time here is schoolwork, so I guess I should get to that. I have yet to touch any of my reading. I have made some progress with my Sports Illustrated, though.
Until next time, here's this entry's cultural difference:
Over a dozen times already, when walking directly at another oncoming pedestrian, I, by instinct, go to my right, while they, by instinct, go to their left (my right). A lot of "Oh, sorry" and the awkward dance of stutter steps back and forth. And an occasional bump.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Arrival
Hi everyone!
First off, welcome to my blog. This is the first blog I've ever written, although I considered creating one to document the thrilling summer working as Dad's assistant. Anyway, this will probably get pretty detailed, so feel free to read, skim, or skip whatever. And let me know if anyone is interested whose email address I didn't include.
The trip began with a 6 AM flight on Wednesday morning. I spent all of Tuesday running around - setting up bank accounts, buying converters, etc. Toss in a heavy cold, and it was quite the fun experience. Sandwiched around packing, I also was cramming to finish working on the book revision for Mom. The 2 hour break to watch Extract (bizarre, by the way) with Dad probably didn't help with timing. My cab was scheduled to pick me up at 4:15 AM, and I finished packing/editing the book at exactly 4:19 after multiple calls from the cab driver asking where I was. I shoved off for the airport hoping for the best and that I hadn't forgotten anything too important.
My picturesque day of travel continued as I labored in the airport with 2 large duffel bags, my backpack, and a hiking/travelling extra-sized backpack (after having been up all night). I checked the two bags, and then (for the first time EVER) was asked to put the large bookbag in the mock-compartment to see if it would fit in the overhead. It didn't. I went back downstairs and was told I could check the third bag for a cool $150. Great. I went back to where I had dropped off my duffels, and asked for the smaller one back in the hopes that it would fit. The woman informed me that this wasn't allowed, but eventually she made an exception (with a kind warning that that bag probably wouldn't fit either). Luckily, I squeezed it in and eventually made it to my gate and onto Chicago, where I met up with Jillian.
The flight from O'Hare to Heathrow wasn't noteworthy, except for the baby sitting a few rows ahead of us who cried for literally 7 hours, the little boy who liked the run in the aisle next to me and stop to caress my arm (but only mine...?), and having the luxury of sitting in the middle row of seats.
We arrived in London about 30 minutes late around 11:15 PM, happy to finally be there. Ha. Immigration took three hours, the line for cabs took another 30 minutes, and we finally made it to the dorm (dark, empty, and locked) around 3:15 AM having dished out 80 pounds for the cab.
Welcome to London.
We had an emergency number for the off-duty warden, who begrudgingly came to the door and let us in and gave us our room keys. Because we arrived together, they put us in the same flat, but more on that later. Our beds were just that - beds with no linens, so the Snuggies Jillian's mom gave us before the trip were of more use than we had ever envisioned. We were told orientation information would be available in the rooms, but it wasn't, and UCL's website was (of course) down all night. Jillian vaguely remembered reading about an 8 AM start, so we set an alarm for 7, and settled in for a nice 3 hour nap.
We woke up a couple hours later, still clueless, and eventually went down to the Schafer House (where we lived) office around 8 AM. They gave us linens and an orientation schedule - it didn't start until 12:30, so we went back upstairs for a nap.
Orientation was about what we expected - a couple welcoming speakers before we headed over to the Psych department to meet our "tutor" (head of the program). The system for signing up for classes is not electronic, and the process is pretty terrible actually. Because I want to take two of my four classes outside of my "home" program of psychology, I had to go meet with the other programs' tutors to get info/permission. Easier said than done when the campus is pretty spread out and you have no idea where you are. The weather has also been unseasonably cold since we've been here - even with some snow. The British are completely incapable of dealing with the snow, as the tube and buses shut down, and people in generally are in a mild state of panic. I don't know how they managed to do it, but for the first 3-4 days the sidewalks were covered in a inch-thick sheet of ice. The newspapers have even gone as far as to say the weather has been "an Arctic cold front." Somehow 30 degrees doesn't really qualify in my mind. Needless to say, we've seen several people go tumbling; no falls for either of us except for Jillian (inside, though) who fell right on her butt walking down some stairs during the very beginning of orientation. Always graceful.
But my classes are more or less in order now - I'll be taking developmental psych, psychology and education, a Renaissance art history course that is mostly held at the British Museum of Art, and international security. Thursday and Friday were pretty much spent going to orientation and meeting with advisors.
Yesterday we were finally able to sleep in... without an alarm clock easily visible we actually slept a full 12 hours: 2-2. Waking up at two when it gets dark at four makes you feel a bit useless. But we are almost completely settled in now. Internet was a major pain - they have ethernet jacks in every room, but we had to go buy ethernet cables and wait until Friday to get the codes needed to log in. My MacBook Air also doesn't have an ethernet port, so we were going to walk to the Apple Store about 15 minutes away to get an ethernet-USB adapter, but instead, per Mom's advice, tried out a router instead. We returned the ethernet cords and got the router, which didn't work. So the next day, we headed out to the Apple Store (which was HUGE, and on Regent Street, a really active and lively street) to get the adapter. On the way back, we went to exchange (again), but this time in reverse - router for cords. But the store closed 10 minutes before we got there. Today, we finally made the exchange.
Other than that, things have gone pretty smoothly. We are in a great location, with restaurants and stores everywhere. We've found a couple really good grocery stores, and although restaurants are pricey, the stores are actually cheaper than in the U.S. (but with a smaller selection.) We've started cooking now, after early meals at Pret a Manger (really popular sandwich place) and a Thai restaurant (very good). Our kitchen is really nice, and we bought some cheap plates and silverware to use. The flat itself has a front door, which leads into a hallway. On one side are doorways leading to 5 single bedrooms, and on the other are two doors: one to a full bathroom with a shower, and another with a half batheroom. At the end of the hallway is a big kitchen with a fridge, table, stove, etc. The bedrooms are nice enough - dresser, big cabinet for hanging clothes, desk, sink (really nice to have), and a bed. All in all it is MUCH nicer than my room freshman year at Hill.
Our flatmates are very nice - it's four girls and me. Most flats appear to be co-ed. Two girls are from L.A.; one goes to Scripps and one to WashU. The 5th girl didn't show up for a few days, but finally arrived and is a British freshman who requested a room change between semesters. We haven't seen much of her but I'm sure she can help us out with any problems or questions.
Anyway, class starts tomorrow, but I only have class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (some things don't change even in Europe, eh?).
This entry got pretty lengthy, but I knew some of your would enjoy a thorough background. More interesting posts to come in the future. Perhaps about campus or how classes differ over here.
I hope all is well back home. Time to get ready to watch some football. I'll be rooting for the Ravens to knock off the Pats, of course. Go Colts.
I figured I'd end every post with an interesting cultural difference. So to start, this quote from orientation that thoroughly confused me at first:
"You might not be able to speak to the tutors right away, as they usually have 2-3 surgeries per day as part of their jobs."
First off, welcome to my blog. This is the first blog I've ever written, although I considered creating one to document the thrilling summer working as Dad's assistant. Anyway, this will probably get pretty detailed, so feel free to read, skim, or skip whatever. And let me know if anyone is interested whose email address I didn't include.
The trip began with a 6 AM flight on Wednesday morning. I spent all of Tuesday running around - setting up bank accounts, buying converters, etc. Toss in a heavy cold, and it was quite the fun experience. Sandwiched around packing, I also was cramming to finish working on the book revision for Mom. The 2 hour break to watch Extract (bizarre, by the way) with Dad probably didn't help with timing. My cab was scheduled to pick me up at 4:15 AM, and I finished packing/editing the book at exactly 4:19 after multiple calls from the cab driver asking where I was. I shoved off for the airport hoping for the best and that I hadn't forgotten anything too important.
My picturesque day of travel continued as I labored in the airport with 2 large duffel bags, my backpack, and a hiking/travelling extra-sized backpack (after having been up all night). I checked the two bags, and then (for the first time EVER) was asked to put the large bookbag in the mock-compartment to see if it would fit in the overhead. It didn't. I went back downstairs and was told I could check the third bag for a cool $150. Great. I went back to where I had dropped off my duffels, and asked for the smaller one back in the hopes that it would fit. The woman informed me that this wasn't allowed, but eventually she made an exception (with a kind warning that that bag probably wouldn't fit either). Luckily, I squeezed it in and eventually made it to my gate and onto Chicago, where I met up with Jillian.
The flight from O'Hare to Heathrow wasn't noteworthy, except for the baby sitting a few rows ahead of us who cried for literally 7 hours, the little boy who liked the run in the aisle next to me and stop to caress my arm (but only mine...?), and having the luxury of sitting in the middle row of seats.
We arrived in London about 30 minutes late around 11:15 PM, happy to finally be there. Ha. Immigration took three hours, the line for cabs took another 30 minutes, and we finally made it to the dorm (dark, empty, and locked) around 3:15 AM having dished out 80 pounds for the cab.
Welcome to London.
We had an emergency number for the off-duty warden, who begrudgingly came to the door and let us in and gave us our room keys. Because we arrived together, they put us in the same flat, but more on that later. Our beds were just that - beds with no linens, so the Snuggies Jillian's mom gave us before the trip were of more use than we had ever envisioned. We were told orientation information would be available in the rooms, but it wasn't, and UCL's website was (of course) down all night. Jillian vaguely remembered reading about an 8 AM start, so we set an alarm for 7, and settled in for a nice 3 hour nap.
We woke up a couple hours later, still clueless, and eventually went down to the Schafer House (where we lived) office around 8 AM. They gave us linens and an orientation schedule - it didn't start until 12:30, so we went back upstairs for a nap.
Orientation was about what we expected - a couple welcoming speakers before we headed over to the Psych department to meet our "tutor" (head of the program). The system for signing up for classes is not electronic, and the process is pretty terrible actually. Because I want to take two of my four classes outside of my "home" program of psychology, I had to go meet with the other programs' tutors to get info/permission. Easier said than done when the campus is pretty spread out and you have no idea where you are. The weather has also been unseasonably cold since we've been here - even with some snow. The British are completely incapable of dealing with the snow, as the tube and buses shut down, and people in generally are in a mild state of panic. I don't know how they managed to do it, but for the first 3-4 days the sidewalks were covered in a inch-thick sheet of ice. The newspapers have even gone as far as to say the weather has been "an Arctic cold front." Somehow 30 degrees doesn't really qualify in my mind. Needless to say, we've seen several people go tumbling; no falls for either of us except for Jillian (inside, though) who fell right on her butt walking down some stairs during the very beginning of orientation. Always graceful.
But my classes are more or less in order now - I'll be taking developmental psych, psychology and education, a Renaissance art history course that is mostly held at the British Museum of Art, and international security. Thursday and Friday were pretty much spent going to orientation and meeting with advisors.
Yesterday we were finally able to sleep in... without an alarm clock easily visible we actually slept a full 12 hours: 2-2. Waking up at two when it gets dark at four makes you feel a bit useless. But we are almost completely settled in now. Internet was a major pain - they have ethernet jacks in every room, but we had to go buy ethernet cables and wait until Friday to get the codes needed to log in. My MacBook Air also doesn't have an ethernet port, so we were going to walk to the Apple Store about 15 minutes away to get an ethernet-USB adapter, but instead, per Mom's advice, tried out a router instead. We returned the ethernet cords and got the router, which didn't work. So the next day, we headed out to the Apple Store (which was HUGE, and on Regent Street, a really active and lively street) to get the adapter. On the way back, we went to exchange (again), but this time in reverse - router for cords. But the store closed 10 minutes before we got there. Today, we finally made the exchange.
Other than that, things have gone pretty smoothly. We are in a great location, with restaurants and stores everywhere. We've found a couple really good grocery stores, and although restaurants are pricey, the stores are actually cheaper than in the U.S. (but with a smaller selection.) We've started cooking now, after early meals at Pret a Manger (really popular sandwich place) and a Thai restaurant (very good). Our kitchen is really nice, and we bought some cheap plates and silverware to use. The flat itself has a front door, which leads into a hallway. On one side are doorways leading to 5 single bedrooms, and on the other are two doors: one to a full bathroom with a shower, and another with a half batheroom. At the end of the hallway is a big kitchen with a fridge, table, stove, etc. The bedrooms are nice enough - dresser, big cabinet for hanging clothes, desk, sink (really nice to have), and a bed. All in all it is MUCH nicer than my room freshman year at Hill.
Our flatmates are very nice - it's four girls and me. Most flats appear to be co-ed. Two girls are from L.A.; one goes to Scripps and one to WashU. The 5th girl didn't show up for a few days, but finally arrived and is a British freshman who requested a room change between semesters. We haven't seen much of her but I'm sure she can help us out with any problems or questions.
Anyway, class starts tomorrow, but I only have class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (some things don't change even in Europe, eh?).
This entry got pretty lengthy, but I knew some of your would enjoy a thorough background. More interesting posts to come in the future. Perhaps about campus or how classes differ over here.
I hope all is well back home. Time to get ready to watch some football. I'll be rooting for the Ravens to knock off the Pats, of course. Go Colts.
I figured I'd end every post with an interesting cultural difference. So to start, this quote from orientation that thoroughly confused me at first:
"You might not be able to speak to the tutors right away, as they usually have 2-3 surgeries per day as part of their jobs."
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