Playing catch-up

I've spent the last six weeks doing homework, traveling, and living in London. Needless to say, the blog has suffered. In an attempt to win back the love of my friends and family in America (you know who you are) I'm going to do my best to catch up. For now, I'm thinking I'll skip some of the mundane details and only write about the really interesting and important parts until I have time to do it right.

I have a month left in London and my biggest fear is forgetting the details. This experience has been about the people with whom I've lived and studied and also about me seeing and doing by and for myself. I'm excited to come home but I'm also dreading it just a little. The phrase "once in a lifetime" has come to mean so much to me here.

Stratford-upon-Avon & 21

Stratford-upon-Avon was nearly perfect. Not only did I get to stand two feet from the final resting place of THE William Shakespeare but I got to see the bed where he was conceived and born. Plus, the program treated us to luxurious accommodations in a bed and breakfast that had a great shower and a nice older couple who made us a traditional English breakfast. I'm out of town almost every weekend until November which means real showers and real adventures are in my future.

The bus got us out of the city just after rush hour and since we took the same high way that we did when visited Oxford, I didn't feel guilty sleeping as the country side flew by. Our first stop was Warwick Castle, "Britain's Greatest Medieval Attraction" where all the Earls of Warwick lived and tortured prisoners until the 18th Century, or so. The castle itself was amazing and the views were incredible atop "Guys Tower," the tallest tower at the castle. The big turn off, however, was that the place was overrun with tourists and dumb attractions. I had pretty bad fish and chips for lunch after watching a demonstration of the "largest trebuchet in the world!" and before leaving, Ryan and I toured an underground gallery full of wax figures in period costumes. It was pretty disappointing.

After the castle, we headed to Stratford-upon-Avon where Shakespeare was born, raised, and buried. We stayed in a really quaint bed and breakfast and Unique and I each got our own twin bed on the first floor complete with a great shower and a television. As soon as we arrived, we headed straight to Trinity Church (the site of Shakespeare's tomb) where our program director provided us with a brief biography of the playwright on the banks of the River Avon in the cemetery where Shakespeare's son "Hamnet" was supposedly buried. After touring the church which took about two minutes, Ryan and I walked along the river and took a boat (propelled by a man turning a large crank the entire ride) across to the other side where we enjoyed coffee and cookies near a Tudor style foot bridge before dinner.

Trinity Church and the River Avon:
Six of us had Italian for dinner. To celebrate my 21st birthday, I ordered a gin and tonic with lime and most of us had some form of dessert. I opted for chocolate and Kahlua pudding with homemade ice cream. I spent way too much money but I have no regrets.

From dinner, we went straight to the temporary site of the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre (the actual building is undergoing some serious renovations) for their production of Hamlet. Patrick Stewart played Claudius, Hamlet was played by David Tennant (who stars in "Dr. Who" and made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The production was four hours long but the play was easily the best I've ever seen. Seeing Shakespeare, done well, can be a really rewarding experience.

After the play, we were too exhausted to go out to drinks so I spent the night of my 21st birthday watching the movie Scream in my room with Unique until 1 a.m.

The next morning we awoke to a full English breakfast (without the beans) that included ham, sausage, fried eggs, toast, and a boiled tomato. Our first stop in the morning was the birthplace of Shakespeare (where I purchased an "Out damn spot!" [from Macbeth] eraser and a coffee mug featuring the line "To be or not to be?" [from Hamlet] from the gift shop) and the second was Cafe Nero for a little pick-me-up. I hit several landmarks alone because everyone else was uninterested in what the town had to offer. I loved walking around the Elizabethan-style homes open to the public and then taking pictures around their back gardens. Roses are still in bloom in central England.

The home where Shakespeare was born (70% of the home is original):The matinée of The Merchant of Venice was pretty weak compared to Hamlet but was thankfully not as long. The play did have some moderately big names and since I had never read the play before, it was a good introduction to the story. I also loved the venue. The theatre was built to look like the Globe and had a nice, open courtyard where the audience could mingle with the cast after the show. Unfortunately, Patrick Stewart was the only player to use the back door.

I slept the entire way home on the bus. We didn't get in to London until 7 p.m. but Jon and Ryan were determined to make meatball sandwiches. We have no groceries.

After dinner, we were invited to a game night at a Grinnell flat on Great Portland Street where Kerry, Nora, Karly, Josh, Thomas, and Alissa had tea cakes and candles waiting for me. They sang Happy Birthday and we all enjoyed beer and each others company until almost 2 a.m. All in all, I had a great birthday.

Post Scotland

I've spent the week recovering from my trip and planning more trips and booking more flights across Europe. Last night we solidifed plans for our October 10th visit to Paris (I can't even pronounce the name of our hostel) and I'm in the process of getting my fall break in order. I got an email from a Grinnellian in Poland. The tickets are cheap. Who knows.

Allison Sutton and I set a date. I'm visiting her in St. Albans on October 5. I couldn't be more excited.

We caught up on wine and Project Runway on Monday but most of the week, we did homework and hung around the flat. I'm still frequenting Starbucks and working on my new Sudoku book but things have calmed down considerably and I feel less pressure to see everything all at once. I did manage to get to the Museum of London on Tuesday, which was neat, and I visited the Imperial War Museum with class on Monday. I found both museums to be very accessible and I'm planning on sending my parents to the War Museum while I'm in class. My dad could easily spend a whole week there and my mom would like the gift shop. They sell aprons there.

Today I had my first test of the semester and yesterday I got my first paper back. Some professors just don't get me. On my exam, I know I completely missed the mark on the section about the historical significance of Westminster Palace. For those of you who don't know, the Abbey and the Palace are two different landmarks. Westminster Palace is more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament. For lunch, I headed north on the Northern line for a delicious burrito from my new favorite spot called "Mucho Mas" in perparation for the test. Their food is authentic Mexican-American and it makes me feel better about being here.

We've been riding the bus home from school everyday and I'm really liking it because we get to see all 7,000 cultural and architectural landmarks like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, House of Parliment, and Charing Cross in one go. Turns out, they are all less than a mile from our flat. It also gives me a chance to breath without feeling like I'm inhaling massive amounts of exhaust.

Soup night/Lasagna night starts in about 20 minutes and I've got to get the wine to the dinner party before people get upset.

When I get back from Stratford-upon-avon (I'm leaving tomorrow morning) I'll let you know if I could see how big Patrick Stewart is under his cod piece in Hamlet.

Scotland

Boy was it nice to get out of town for a few days. I left early on Friday morning (a little too early, actually but you can never be too careful when flying out of Stansted on an airline called "EasyJet") and landed in Edinburgh at one or so. I caught a bus to the city center right away and was on Waverly Bridge overlooking Edinburgh Castle, The Mound, Calton Hill, a bunch of stunning monuments, and the Museum of Edinburgh by quarter to two.

I had all of my hostel information in hand but I still managed to walk in the wrong direction off the bus. Luckily, I ran into a Visitor's Information Center (this is rarely the case when I get lost) and was able ask a nice woman where to go. She literally pointed out the window of the visitors center directly at my hostel when she read the address. I was very thankful that I was so close to everything and also very embarrassed. While I was there, I picked up a bunch of free maps and compulsively purchased a discounted student ticket to the Edinburgh Dungeon. Then I took 25 pictures from the grassy area near the center and walked to my hostel. Sites in Edinburgh are either at the top of a hill or at the bottom of a hill. Fortunately, my hostel was at the bottom. It was also right across from the Dungeon!

It took a while to check in because eight English men wearing football shirts were also in the process of checking in and the receptionist was trying to explain to them why she would have to keep their room keys until they paid the £250 damage deposit. By the time I got up to the counter, she was so furious and exhausted that she forgot to collect my deposit, told me to have fun, and then sent me up four flights of stairs to my room. The room was covered in gaudy floral murals and stupid sayings like "Mind, Body, Spirit, and Shoes" (OFFENSIVE) but the bathroom had a real, working shower, and the place was clean and smelled normal. I opted for the all-girl dorm partially because it was the least expensive but also because staying above that middle-aged Finnish man who slept naked in my London hostel was really traumatic.

Disgusting: It took me about 25 seconds to get settled in so I was at the Edinburgh Dungeon by 2:30 or so. The "Dungeon Experience" is in several cities throughout Europe (including Amsterdam and York) and if you ever get a chance to go, do not. Actors with pretend facial sores in ghoulish costumes walk guests through the "Dungeon" and tell stories about some of Edinburgh's creepiest historical figures. I don't regret going but I would never go again.

I walked straight from the Dungeon down to a footpath to the Museum of Edinburgh and then up the hill to a courtyard of a church of a theological school. From the church, I toured a tartan making factory and then walked up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle. Since it was the end of the day, I decided not to pay the huge fee to walk through the castle (I toured the Tower of London last week and I was pretty sure there would be some overlap) but I did enjoy the view from atop the mountain. Half way down the mile, I stopped into St. Giles Cathedral and ran into a girl from my program!! so we decided to grab dinner together. Luna ordered haggis (so I didn't have to) and I opted for the steak pie and Scottish beer. Haggis is gray and furry and tastes like the inside of a sheep. We walked the rest of the Mile after dinner and spent a bit of time at the foot of some stunning green cliffs. I went to bed at 9 p.m. after falling asleep in the upstairs of a Starbucks doing Sudoku.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 8:30 but because I was sharing my room with 10-12 girls, I had to wait until 10:30 to shower. Before my shower, I had a conversation with an older woman from Germany and two younger girls from New Zealand about all the reasons America is terrible and all Americans are ignorant. I agreed with most of the things she had to say but I still felt a little anxious/nauseous after our talk so I left the room as soon as I was fully clothed and set out for some important buildings and landmarks on Prince Street in New Town. I hit Calton Hill before noon and then found an old cemetery and the former Scottish Parliament building (the new building I saw the night before across the street from the Palace of Holyrood).

Actual view from Calton Hill: In the afternoon, I took a quick trip to Leith on the bus and toured the Royal Yacht Britannia. The highlight of the tour was getting to see the bedroom where Princess Di and Charles spent their first night as a married couple.

On a whim, I decided to take a three o'clock train to Glasgow. For £6, I got to see some solid Scottish countryside as well as spend the afternoon walking around the city. I saw the Cathedral and walked up and around the site of the Necropolis (a breathtaking cemetery on what looked to be the highest hill in Glasgow) and walked along the River Clyde.

Necropolis in Glasgow: I stopped to rest in the Glasgow Green and listened to an impromptu concert on the river featuring a man practicing his bagpipes. Glasgow had considerably less going on than Edinburgh and the streets were a bit dingier but it also seemed more fun and hip. I ate a great Japanese meal for dinner (I had the hardest time finding a spot to eat as the city had really limited options) and then headed back to Edinburgh at 9 p.m. As I was about to pay for my ticket home, a man approached me and handed me an extra return ticket his wife had accidentally purchased. The people I spoke to in Glasgow were much nicer than those I spoke with in Edinburgh.

I caught my plane out of Edinburgh at 9:45 a.m. and made it back to my flat in time for a great four-hour afternoon nap.

On my shuttle ride back to the city, I got excited about living in London again.

Pre Scotland

"This wine can't be that bad. It has a cork." -Ryan explains how wine that is corked is better than wine that has a twist off lid.

I'm still in London. Tonight we're finishing the "Wine Window" (every time we drink a bottle of wine, we add the empty bottle to the window sill in the living room) and watching Project Runway and possibly Top Design. I had a very eventful weekend and my legs are really sore.

The only thing I remember from last week is being excited for my big solo trip to Scotland. Plus, 1ST ANNUAL SOUP NIGHT HAPPENED LAST WEEK! Jordan came over at six on Wednesday night and Jon vacuumed our place (for the first time since we moved in) and I washed dishes while Jordan prepared vegetarian potato and kale soup. Guests started arriving at about 6:45 with tons of good bread and wine and by seven, the soup was done. We asked everyone to bring their own dishes and silverware so we didn't have to use throw away stuff and we all pitched in to do dishes at the end. The most important part of soup night is when the chef du jour explains how the soup is made. This week, we all learned a lot about the historical significance of kale and also about boullion cubes. Kerry is making roasted vegetable lasagna on Thursday night which is not soup but will probably be delicious.

We saw three plays last week so we're looking forward to cooking better meals this week (like burritos!) since we only have one on the itinerary and we'll be less rushed in the evenings. War Horse, about a boy and a horse who are separated at the start of WWI and then miraculously find each other near the end of the war, was absolutely incredible. It played at the National Theatre so we all got dressed up. The animals in the production were played by humans who used elaborate wooden puppets, even the horses were puppets manipulated by people. It sounds odd, but it was well done and believable. Under the Blue Sky, the play we saw on Thursday, was none of those things. After the play, Ryan and I went to a pub called "The Coal Hole" for drinks and then took the bus home.

Our walking tour on Thursday was really interesting because we got a chance to see where the barristers and solicitors (British lawyers) are trained. Barristers in the UK still wear black gowns and wigs made of horse-hair for all of their court appointments. We also walked along the river for part of the afternoon which is always a treat.

I spent a lot of my free time in coffee shops this week doing Sudoku and spending lots of money. One money saving tip I've discovered, however, is telling the barista that you're getting your chocolate cake/lemon bar/blueberry muffin to go (or "to take away" as they say here) because they charge you an extra 30-50 pence to "eat in."

Early Friday morning, I went to Scotland.

All in the family

"Porn: A Family Business?! Is it 11:00?" -Jon

Right now, the whole flat is camped out in front of the television. We're watching "Porn: A Family Business" and drinking cider which I'd say we've earned considering today we each turned in our first paper of the semester. It was three pages not including the title page or the works cited page.

Instead of packing a picnic dinner last night, we headed to the Mayor's Thames River Festival for the night parade and fireworks display with the intention of finding something to eat there. We all scrapped together some solid street food and chatted in a very European-looking patio under trees covered in blue and white twinkle lights until it was time to move to the river. Thirty minutes before the show, we walked down to the beach and watched the fireworks (which were launched from two barges on the river) right on the Thames with hundreds of other locals and tourists. The display was the best I've ever seen and I was so inspired by the whole event that I cried.

Unfortunately, a picture could never do the fireworks justice.

Tonight Ryan and I went to a new age production of "Twelfth Night" at a small theatre in Kilburn called the Tricycle Theatre. Even though we were late, the usher got us right in and threatened a woman who was saving two seats for a couple of her "no-show" friends to move or leave. She was irate and Ryan got to sit next to her for the entire show. I didn't really understand the show but at one point, they gave away pizza and two shots of Tequila to members of the audience.

Wednesday we're having soup night with some fun folks and tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping. This weekend we mastered the bus system which means we are no longer at the mercy of the underground that closes at 12:30 on a good night. Tomorrow I'm taking the bus to and from the grocery store just like a young professional might do at the end of a long day at the office.

Donna Vinter, our program director, gave Jon an acoustic guitar which means I'll be spending less time in the flat. Tonight, Ryan and I hid it under my comforter but Jon found it right away. I'm just teasing, Jon is a great musician (plus, the guitar doesn't have a D string which really limits the number of songs he can play).

Oxford and the Tower of London

Yesterday on the way to Oxford, I saw sheep, cows, and geese on the country side and everything felt really perfect. Nora and Josh proposed the trip as a means of getting us out of the city and Oxford had everything we needed to refuel.

We caught the bus about a mile from our front door and at £5 each way, it was a great investment in my health and happiness. We spent almost an hour in the University's Botanical Garden and walked up and down old streets lined with churches covered in red ivy. Instead of taking a tour of Christ Church (Oxford's most celebrated property where parts of Harry Potter were filmed) we walked around the grounds and read a brochure about it which was cheaper. On our way back to the bus, we ran into a very important museum called the Ashmolean of Art and Archeology that was full of Egyptian and English artifacts. The highlight of the day was easily the thirty-five minutes we spent in a restaurant called "The Opium Den" where we were never served and practically asked to leave when we finally got the attention of the server. The place was full of important Japanese business men. By the time we decided to grab lunch on the go instead, I was so hungry I had no choice but to eat two pasties and an Orange Fanta for lunch for some random pasty stand.

Oxford also had a great covered market (where I bought Ryan a small birthday cake to celebrate his 21st day of being 21) that reminded me of Pike Place Market except with more blood pudding.

I got some good pictures of the sights in Oxford with my new camera but instead, I'll post this one that I found online.

Christ Church:
I regret not buying a sweatshirt.

Wednesday I ate lunch at a place called "Wok in a Box." The food was disgusting so I threw it away and went to McDonald's and bought french fries. I felt very guilty but also very satisfied. After lunch, I met my class at the Sainsburry African Galleries at the British Museum. The galleries had ancient and contemporary art from Kenya, Benin, and Ghana among others and I especially enjoyed some of the sculptures constructed out of decommissioned weapons from Mozambique including the "Tree of Life" and the "Thrown of Guns." The gift shop didn't have the postcards I was hoping for, but I enjoyed spending an hour or so in the museum. That's about all I can handle anymore and the British Museum is the biggest and most overwhelming of them all.

All I did on Thursday was be late for a walking tour with my history class. By the time I caught up to the group, they were just leaving St. Bartholomew's Church where Shakespeare in Love was filmed.

I toured the Tower of London on Friday and all I could think about was how much it reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg. There were tons of tourists and sets of armor in glass cases. I saw the Crown Jewels! Much like the main attractions in Disney Land, before you see the Crown Jewels, you have to travel through three different rooms where film clips of Queen Elizabeth's coronation are set to royal soundtracks as they're projected on massive screens. On either side of the Jewels (which are displayed in glass cases in one long line) are two moving sidewalks to prevent people from gawking too long. Most of the crowns were smaller than I thought they would be and the crowds weren't as intense within the Treasury (where the Jewels are kept) so the sidewalks looked a little rediculous. I will be taking my parents to the Tower. My dad will LOVE IT and FREAK OUT especially over the White Tower where the weapons and suits of armor are housed.

This is the White Tower which is next to the Raven pen:Friday we had sober game night at Josh, Thomas, Alyssa, Carly, Nora, and Kerry's flat and last night we had non-sober game night and rode the bus around the city at night. If you an get a seat on the top of a double decker in the front, in the dark, it's basically the ride of your life.

Tonight we're taking a picnic dinner to the River Thames Festival parade.

London Autumn

The leaves are already falling which means Ryan his wearing is pea coat almost every morning to school. I like London autumn so far since the underground is less suffocating during rush hour which is when I have to make the journey home everyday.

This week's been pretty slow so far but I'm looking forward to the weekend. Jon is planning a trip to Oxford and we're taking the train. Train travel is still fun and new and I can't wait to see a little of the country side. Just recently we all noticed that the contents of our Kleenexes are almost always black at the end of the day. We should probably be wearing masks and respirators.

This morning I booked my flight to Scotland for September 19-21! I'm going solo and my hostel is within walking distance of some important landmarks that I should really start reading about. I'm hoping there are good castles and pipe bands to see and hear. If not, I would be pretty satisfied just drinking coffee and relaxing in a park with some sheep or something. I don't really know what to expect but I'm hoping it is "lush" and "green."

Ryan and I attended the Regents Street Festival over the weekend and on Monday night, stayed in. I was able to check out the bird room of the Natural History Museum before class on Monday and I especially liked the pair of stuffed Dodos that were part of the "Endangered Species" case as well as the egg of some massive and extinct flightless bird that was the size of a bowling ball (possibly bigger.) Tuesday I went to the National Portrait Gallery. It was so so impressive and is probably my second favorite attraction next to the fetus museum. I bought tons of postcards and plan to visit again soon. Their collection of contemporary works blew my mind. This piece, called "Zoe" by Jason Brooks, was my absolute favorite:Tuesday night we watched a play at the Royal Court Theatre called "Now or Later" about US politics and adolescence. I really liked it and thought it was poignant and timely and all that crap until a bunch of my classmates joined me outside the theater and started shouting things like "trite," "poorly acted," and "off-base" in my face. Screw them. The Royal Court Theatre has some excellent performances coming up so I may have to suck it up and actually pay out of pocket for some tickets. We've been pretty spoiled so far.

My package from home arrived and I ate Macaroni and Cheese for lunch yesterday. Oh baby was it good.

Friday, I will be touring the Tower of London and in a few weeks I get to go to Stratford to see Patrick Stewart in "Hamlet."

I would really like to see the Jack the Ripper exhibit before it leaves town and I feel like I haven't walked through enough parks yet. I would also like to go on the Princess Diana Memorial Walk and buy a water bottle.

Best Museum

We're all suffering from what can only be described as "Museum Burn-Out." I physically can not go to another museum for a while unless it's one devoted to the Spice Girls or Princess Diana (both of whom remain my favorite British icons.)

We spent a few hours in the National Gallery on Wednesday with my museum class looking at some of the most commercially successful paintings ever such as Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and a lot of portraits from the 14th Century featuring cherubs and renderings of the Resurrection. I have no idea what we did in the evening (days tend to run together here) but I imagine spaghetti and/or television was involved.

In preparation for my walking tour of Westminster Abbey, I took the undergound to South Kensington where I walked around the Victoria & Albert Museum before becoming too overwhelmed by everything to make it to the museum's exhibit about the Motown group, The Supremes. Not only was I a little thrown off by the Supremes exhibit since the rest of the museum was full of priceless objects from Kings and priests and Victorian elites, I couldn't find it. During one attempt, I followed the sounds of "You Can't Hurry Love" into a room full of antique musical instruments but it was basically a dead end (even though I could still hear the song). I enjoyed the V&A but it's just too huge to consume in one day. To lift my spirits, I bought several postcards from the gift shop and then a thong that says "Mind the Gap" on the front from a convenience store near by. I think I'm going to send it to Rachel for her 22nd birthday that was over a week ago.

The walking tour was great. Westminster Abbey is massive and quite ornate. I always love walking near the Thames even though the water is really dingy. During one small portion of the tour, we walked through the courtyard of the really private and really prestigious Westminster School. The place was once for boys only but now girls are permitted to study there past the age of 17. The only girl I saw was carrying a field hockey stick and wearing a plaid skirt. I can't imagine going to a school where "sweater vest" is on the top of the supplies list.

Jared showed up on Thursday morning (his program in France starts today and he wanted to get in a little London time before then) so he got to come on our walking tour. For dinner, we tried to show Jared our favorite pub but the place was under construction so we walked down the street and found a comparable one. I had a steak and ale pie and some hard cider. The pair are practically inseparable. We went to the International Student House for drinks Thursday and Friday night because their prices are right. We're hoping to check out a new pub tonight since we're not "club people."

My field trip to Welwyn Garden City was cut short by rain and wind but I enjoyed getting out of the city for a few hours. The town was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard who reshaped how small towns are designed and constructed (it has industry, a college campus, a town square, access to the city, and a safe residential area all within a six mile radius.) It took about half an hour to get there by train and on the way to the city, we could see the site where the first television show was filmed and broadcast.

On our way home, we ran into some Grinnell people in the underground on their way to the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons so we decided to tag along. The place was full of medical oddities like human and animal fetuses, uteruses, feet, tumors, and nipples which were preserved in large jars of formaldehyde over two stories. They also had a set of Winston Churchill's gold dentures on display! The museum was free and less then 50 people visit a day so you don't have to worry about seeming creepy and weird for looking at certain objects for a long time. It was probably the most exciting museum in the entire city.

I have no idea what these things are. Aren't they gross/cool?We're on our way to the Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Maybe Hugh Grant will be there but probably not.

Famous Person Alert

Yesterday was the fifth morning we had to let the plumber in so to celebrate, I answered the door bra-less wearing the same pajamas I'd been wearing for more than two weeks.

The tour of Reuters was really excellent. Since we were hosted by Editor-in-Chief, David Schlesinger, we got to block all the halls and play with all the news equipment and one my classmates got a chance to read a script off a teleprompter which they recorded (he posted the clip on youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRF4r2QV8RM

The last half of the tour we sat in the conference room and grilled the man about how he's sold out, cheapened the name of journalism, and how he's contributed to globalization, in a bad way. Unfortunately, he was a really nice guy so I felt bad when my class started to sink their pseudo-intellectual teeth into him. AND they had cookies, soda, and sparkling water waiting for us upon arrival. AND we got to wear badges with our names on them.

I nearly missed the tour since I gave myself about 20 minutes to go nine stops on the tube with two transfers. By the time I caught up to my classmates, I was feeling pretty nauseous because I sprinted up five flights worth of escalator since we were told, for security reasons, to be prompt. The professor was the last to arrive and we got inside about 10 minutes behind schedule and I was a little peeved because I was really sweaty and nauseous for the first part of the tour.

Monday night, we caught a play called Fragments which was made up of five short pieces by playwright, Samuel Beckett. Only three actors stared in the play and one of them was in Harry Potter and the Pheonix. Kathryn Hunter, also known as "Arabella Figg!" The short stories were poignant, funny, sad, and hard to understand but really well done. The show was at a small theatre called the "Young Vic."
Kathryn Hunter as Arabella Figg

I hit the Tate Modern museum alone today and saw all sorts of famous paintings by Matisse, Lichtenstein (POP ART), Picasso, Monet, and even some paintings and pieces made out of period blood and condiments. I like "doing" museums solo because I can go it at my own pace and not feel like I need to spend hours looking for "deeper meanings" and "points of view" unless I want to. I ended up walking around for over two hours and then I bought some great postcards in the gift shop. I sat in a Starbucks near by the museum reading about boring things. for a few hours and then headed to class. The museum was easier to find than most sights I've visited because the path is marked by orange light poles. Very Mod.

Inside (Tate Modern Turbine Hall [entrance]):On Thursday, I would like to go to the Tate Britain (since it's practically next to my house) before I embark on my walking tour of Westminster Abbey. It houses some of the pieces that don't fit in the Tate Modern and is a little on the newer side.

Tomorrow afternoon, my class is going to the National Gallery. I like to mark something off of my to-do list everyday.

Now that I'm settled, I'm going to start planning weekend trips around Europe. I have lofty goals so we'll see what's reasonable once I start pricing things. The British Pound is slowly falling, thank god.

Also, a story in a free tabloid I picked up today used quotes taken entirely from the Myspace.com page of the 18 year old boy who impregnated Sarah Pollen's daughter for a story on the "scandal." "The London Paper" and "The London Lite" are free EVERYDAY. Both are tabloids and trashy so you know I'm staying informed.

I'm glad Hurricane Gustav didn't do what it was supposed to.

Prime Meridian

This has been a very busy weekend. Jon, Ryan, and I just tag-teamed a massive pile of dishes (actually Jon did the majority of them and also Windexed the coffee table) and I did laundry, took a nap, and felt really ill all day. For dinner we had rice and vegetables which would have been vastly improved by some succulent chicken (but a small packet of chicken costs at least £4 and I have a hard time eating chicken products since all the stores I’ve been in stock their “fresh” eggs on a shelf near the cereal).

I am not particularly excited to go to school tomorrow but I get to tour Reuters Group Limited, a British based news/media corporation with my globalization class. Apparently, an Oberlin alum is an editor and he’s throwing a get-together for all the Oberlin kids. There are many similarities between the Grinnell in London program and the Oberlin in London program and there are also many differences. The Oberlin kids get to go eat snacks with someone no one’s ever heard of and all the Grinnell kids get unlimited free tickets to the theatre and all expenses paid school fieldtrips to places like Ireland and Liverpool.

We had a few people over on Friday and watched the latest episode of Project Runway and drank wine before leaving for Covent Gardens where we were promised a pub crawl. When we got off the tube, however, our people at the pub were in the process of getting kicked out so we ended up wandering around aimlessly with a huge group of people until we decided to head home. The highlight of the evening (BY FAR) was when Becca and I were approached by three Swedish men who asked us to be in their movie for £5,000 per chapter. We respectfully declined but for curiosity’s sake, Becca asked what it was about. When they couldn’t answer the question succinctly enough for me, I asked them if it was porn. One of the men said yes, one said no, and the last one said “more or less.”

Saturday was just great. We were treated to a field trip to Greenwich, a city on the Thames “known for its maritime history.” It is also famous because the Prime Meridian passes through its observatory. I stood on both sides of the line that runs a top a huge mountain over-looking the town from which you can see a large piece of Greater London. I did not take this picture and I have no idea who this is. Jon was the first to head back down at the bottom, then Unique, and then Rico and me. We waited for Ryan for a while until Jon decided to sprint up the hill to retrieve him.

We ate delicious Indian food for lunch from a street vendor and then walked around the Royal Naval College through buildings full of ornate frescos. The best part of the day, however, was the boat tour to and from Greenwich. The weather was just right and I felt really relaxed. Until Saturday, London had experience approximately 96 hours of sun for all of August (according to a London paper I picked up on the tube). Ryan and I sat on the top both ways and watched the landmarks fly by. We went under the London Bridge and Tower Bridge, passed by a cannery where Sir Michael Kane once worked, and saw a bunch of ships that were built in the same shipyard as the Titanic. The Thames, as far as rivers go, is pretty dirty and probably full of bodies but boating down it is a great way to see things. All the temporary tourists (I consider myself to be a long-term tourist) on the boat about shit their pants when we started under Tower Bridge:

I would feel uncomfortable posting any details from last night on the internet.The plumber may or may not be coming tomorrow morning and I think I should be getting my camera in the mail so I won’t have to steal pictures from strangers on the internet. Also, we're going to a show called Fragments.

[brock]

Plays and Musicals

This afternoon in my two hour globalization class, I made a grocery list as well as a list of things I've done since Tuesday. I also wrote my name several times in highlighter and accented the HOT PINK with my black pen. Then, I organized my notebook. And rewrote an entire page of notes on a fresh piece of paper. I can't do economics or political science well ever, let alone from 3-5 on a Friday afternoon. Classes are going ok but I'd much rather be running around the city spending money than sitting in a classroom.

On Tuesday night, Jon, Ryan, and I and the majority of our classmates scored free tickets to A Midsummers Night's Dream at THE Globe Theatre. Ryan and I rented pillows to sit on for £1 which made the three hour production a little less painful considering all the seats are wooden with no backs. The roof of the theatre is thatched but very little of the stage and all of the main floor (where the "groundlings" pay only £5 to stand and watch the play) are covered. The production was really really great and I'm looking forward to getting more Shakespeare under my belt. There's nothing quite like listening to a Shakespearean play done by players with real British accents.

Inside the Globe (our seats were in the center on the third tier:

I ate lunch and finished up some reading on the steps of the British Museum on Wednesday since the GIL site is literally a block and a half away. Before heading back to class, I walked inside and saw the Rosetta Stone and some really cool Greek things (the museum's been free to the public for over 200 years). The museum is absolutely massive and it was strange to walk among things that were ancient. Many of the statues had broken faces, broken arms, and broken penises but were otherwise still intact. This impressed me. As much as I wanted to, I decided not to buy the Rosetta Stone mouse pad (but there's still time). Upstairs, I saw several awesome sarcophaguses as well as some cooking utensils from Mesopotamia. The last part of my museum class was actually held in the museum which makes me think I'll be spending quite a bit of time exploring the place later on in the semester.

Yesterday and again this morning I had to wait around the house for the plumber before going to school. This morning I had to leave before he did so we all decided to take to school or hide all of our valuables in case he decided to rob us. Since I haven't been home yet, I'm hoping my lap top his still under my pillow. It sounds like next week we'll have an actual shower. For now, we're just going to have to deal with bending over under the garden hose-like faucet head.

Thursday night we saw a musical called The Harder they Come about the birth of Reggae music. Needless to say, the music was amazing and the dancing was really exciting. The theatre was neat because it was so small and the actors drank beer and chatted with us before the show. After the musical we found a bar. We had a few drinks, watched Karaoke, and then went to bed.

Today we went to the Sir John Sloane Museum with my museum's class. The museum is a house Slone (who was a famous arcitect) converted into a museum before his death. It's owned by the city of London and is jammed full of interesting found objects and artifacts. After touring the museum, I ate lunch on the steps of the British Museum and read.

Tonight we're watching the last episode of Project Runway, eating hamburgers, and possibly going on a pub crawl.

OH! And I had my first walking tour yesterday near the Tower of London. It was incredible and I took excellent notes.

Camden Market, Carnival, Proms

Ryan and I spent Saturday at this place. It's called Camden and it's full of punks and disgruntled youth and really cool shops. We went through almost every stall of the Camden Market (and every other HUGE market we came across) and I bought a new, hip wallet to hold my credit card and also some asparagus for dinner from a vendor. The market had almost all types of goods and people. I loved it there.

So Ryan and I missed Sunday's school-sponsored bus tour of London by about eight minutes. Obviously nothing starts at 9:45 in the morning. Everything starts at 9 or 9:30. We really should have figured this out. Instead of the tour, we set out for Regent's street where we windowed shopped at a bunch of high end stores and then spent over an hour in Hamley's, a toy store with over seven floors of stupid crap for girls and boys. Ryan and I stood in line for 20 minutes so we could play Guitar Hero and ended up having to tell a nine year old that he would have to wait, that it was "our turn now." After Hamley's, we grabbed sushi for lunch and then ate in Trafalgar Square where all the 2012 Olympic hand-off festivities were happening. The sushi was tasty and each piece of roll was individually wrapped. It was like toy food.

The closing ceremonies in Beijing were projected on a giant screen attached to Nelson's Column and hundreds and hundreds of people were flying flags and clapping. We watched for awhile and then walked up and down the Mall (where Buckingham Palace is located) where the HUGE hand-off party was taking place. Apparently, David Beckham and Micheal Phelps were in attendance but we didn't have the proper credentials to get close enough to see. People in London are very, very excited for the Olympics especially since the team did so well in the Beijing games.

We would have liked to stay longer (the HUGE hand-off party was being projected on an even bigger screen in a park on the Mall) but we had to go to the garden party at the house of our program director. It took some time to train there, but we enjoyed the party, stuffing ourselves with Brie and cheesecake and Perrier. In the evening, some Grinnell kids came over for a visit and we chatted and ate guacamole.

On Monday we went to the Notting Hill Carnival. And stood in line. This picture is of the 1.5 million people who attended Carnival this year.

We watched a small chunk of the parade, drank some Jamaican beer (Red Stripe), and then walked a million miles to the nearest open underground station. Carnival was exciting, but the crowds were outrageous and there was not much to do beyond drinking and smoking pot. It was great getting a chance to walk around Notting Hill, however. Every block had at least six 15 foot tall speakers playing different music and I surprised to see really old people and babies dancing together in the streets. Instead of the curried goat, I opted for the jerk chicken, rice, salad, and an ear of sweet corn. Delicious.

Monday evening, school treated us to the BBC Proms 53 concert of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Royal Albert Hall. They played a selection from Prokofiev's score from Romeo and Juliet and also Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. The hall was absolutely stunning and it was nice to spend a minute before the concert in Kensington Gardens (across the street from Royal Albert Hall) admiring this memorial statue of Prince Albert.I start school in an hour and 34 minutes. Oh god.

Loco Mexicano

Orientation started at 9:30 yesterday morning so when Jon, Ryan, and I walked in at 9:26, I think we should have been awarded a medal. Donna and the gang had pastries and coffee waiting for us and we all sat in the back of the room for three hours until our lunch break. (At 11, however, I managed to escape long enough to get a cash advance on my credit card and buy an ugly wallet at a place called MUJI.) My favorite part of orientation was talking about all of the field trips we're going to take and all the plays we're going to see like Hamlet (featuring Patrick Stewart). Two police officers attended our afternoon orientation session and told us all how not to get robbed on the way home from the pub. They also showed us two examples of phony Debit card readers that record PIN numbers and ruin lives.

We picnicked in Hyde Park again and had Taza meat sandwiches with our new Oberlin friend and a bunch of Grinnell people. While the group stood in line, however, I ran over to the movie theater on Queensway and bought tickets for MAMA MIA! SING-A-LONG for Ryan for his birthday. Unfortunately, the lyrics didn't run across the bottom of the screen like we were anticipating so we could only sing the songs we knew really well. Jon, who had never seen MAMA MIA! before probably hated it but he did a good job pretending like he enjoyed himself. For Ryan's sake, I'm sure.

The Taza sandwich I ate for lunch gave me wicked food poisoning for two hours.

After the movie, we went to a club, walked in, and then walked back out. Drinks were £7 ($14) a piece and we were all a little sleepy and it just wasn't our scene. Tomorrow and Monday is the Notting Hill Carnival (the carnival has taken place since 1959 and first began in response to the Notting Hill race riots) which promises to be a really really awesome street festival with a parade, vendors, music, dancing, and good eats. This afternoon, we're thinking of heading over to the Camden Market to pre-game tomorrow's event. In the morning, we have a GIL sponsored bus tour of London and on Monday night we're going to a famous classical music festival called the BBC Proms so our festival time may be limited.

The best part of Ryan's birthday was dinner at "Loco Mexicano." London has a long way to go before it truly grasps the essence of Mexico. The food and service was crummy but the atmosphere was great. All the servers were wearing sombreros and Corona shirts and the chips from the chips and salsa appetizer were really Nacho Cheese Doritos. As dinner patrons, we had the option of wearing sombreros during dinner, which we did. Ryan's birthday treat came at the end of the meal and instead of the servers singing "Feliz Cumpleaños" around our table, our server cued a guy at the bar who played a recording of "Happy Birthday" really loud through the restaurant's stereo system. Ryan was maybe a little mortified.

Nora's coming over for dinner tonight and we're having spaghetti again.

We have hot water. Some guy from the phone company came at 8:30 this morning and I didn't want to go back to sleep for fear he would ransack the place so I stayed up, cleaned the kitchen and figured out how to turn on the water heater. We still have almost zero water pressure but at least the little trickle we have is warm.

Wellcome

Today we visited the Wellcome Collection (part of an independent research organization known as the Wellcome Trust) to see an exhibit called Skeletons. The exhibit featured a bunch of skeletons collected from a number of London burial grounds. The placards next to the skeletons told about their sex, their diseases, and their socioeconomic location. I thought it was really interesting until I went upstairs. What I found there was incredibly interesting!
NAPOLEON'S TOOTHBRUSH! AND! I saw Florence Nightingale's moccasins. The upstairs featured an exhibit called "Modern Medicine." It was very impressive so I bought two postcards from the gift shop.

Then we went to King's Cross Station and took stupid tourist pictures in front of Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter. All in all, this day has been really great.

Our trip to IKEA last night was a success. Not only do we have a bunch of rugs and throw blankets for our flat, but we found some sick lanterns and cereal bowls. I enjoyed a heaping helping of Swedish Meatballs that I washed down with a tall glass of Lingonberry Juice for dinner and then we all took the shuttle back to the tube. On our way home we could see the lights of Wembley Stadium (the UK was playing Czech Republic in football and over 40,000 people were in attendance). Ryan and I would like to go to a game at some point even though tickets are about £40 a piece. This is roughly what it looked like:I forgot to tell everyone about his delicious sandwich truck we found called Taza on Queensway where we found lunch on Monday. As soon as we got our fresh pitas of meat, salad, garlic sauce, and onions, we headed straight for Hyde Park for a picnic. We did not see Jude Law or his children or his mistress.

Tomorrow is Ryan's 21st birthday. He will be getting all 21 spankings.

Welcome Tea etc.

Last night we discovered a little place called "The Wine Rack" that's directly across the street from our flat so we invited Unique over for a spend-over. We all passed out a little after the last episode of "Porn: A Family Business" and then ate Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast before taking the underground to the GIL Welcome Tea. The tea was decent but I stole a muffin off someone's plate that was delicious. I was a little late to the tea because my credit card arrived in the mail today and I just had to activate it before making any public appearances.

The woman at the customer service center was reluctant to activate my card because I couldn't answer the security question of "What is the primary card holder's mother's maiden name?" I answered Curtis (re: I screamed "CURTIS...IT'S CURTIS...HER NAME IS BARBARA ANN CURTIS...THAT IS MY GRANDMOTHER!!!!!!") but apparently my dad answered the security question with another mother's maiden name in mind (lame). The lady was so frustrated with me that she transfered me to someone really dopey who eventually activated my card. Thank you, Jesus.

We also went grocery shopping last night but because we were so tired from walking to Buckingham Palace (freak out!) we bought mostly grains like rice, chips, pasta, rolls, cereal, and toilet paper. Ryan made us spaghetti for dinner which tasted delicious and we ate on paper plates in our own flat watching the Olympics and drinking celebratory Fosters.

About Buckingham Palace: it was pretty big and cool but it didn't take my breath away. It was certainly impressive and we all agreed that the British Monarchy should remain (semi)active forever, but it was also just a big concrete building with some columns. The best part was holding onto the gate and watching the guards (the ones in red who have the tall, puffy black hats and who never, ever move) and then watching a real guard walk by in a police uniform with a huge automatic assault riffle. We immediately let go of the gate and then felt bad for the more traditional guards who have been rendered obsolete with the advancement of arms technology.

Speaking of police officers, Jon decided to walk to Westminster Abbey alone this morning before the Welcome Tea. Apparently, he stopped to draw a picture of Big Ben on his way to the underground and was accosted by a police officer who asked him for I.D. and radioed central command to see if his name was on file. Another officer showed up and a crowd formed and Jon was accused of documenting the location of CCTV monitoring devices (they're located all over the city and by 2012, the entire city will be under 24 hour surveillance) and of being a terrorist. But they let him go. This time.

The Welcome Tea was pretty hilarious because everyone was required to introduce themselves to one person and then introduce that person the entire group. Some highlights include a girl suggesting her partner was majoring in "Theater and Genocide" and another million people declaring their partner was deathly afraid of being eaten by a shark. Suffices to say I still know nothing about any of these people (except the ones I know from school).

We're going to IKEA for rugs and a garbage can!

Digi-tour

King size bed. Scary wooden floors.
Lofted bed and air mattress.
Kitchen. Stove and baby fridge.
Out back.
Living room. Ryan working diligently on his journal.

Move in day

Ryan and I spent the night in our apartment for the first time last night and everything was great. We bought a £3 bottle of wine to celebrate and were basically ecstatic when we learned that our flat came with a corkscrew and two fancy glasses. Unfortunately, the glass I was using fell on the floor and shattered, spilling wine everywhere and all over my messenger bag so now we only have one. Jon spent the night at another student's flat since all of her roommates were flying in a day later and she was scared. We found MTV in a matter of minutes (I don't know how we managed to score a cable TV) and watched some dumb show and then three episodes of "Porn: A Family Business" before turning in for the night.

I'm sleeping in the king size bed and Ryan is sleeping in a child's lofted bed. Jon found an inflatable mattress and is sleeping on that in a sleeping bag until his bedding comes from the Twin Cities. Eventually we'll come up with some sort of rotation so Jon and Ryan can sleep in the luxury suite. We're thinking of doing some sort of challenge every week where your standing in the end determines where you have to sleep until the next challenge. Stay tuned for updates.

The king size bed is a little odd but I really like it. There are no sheets, just a duvet that is dark blue and white fake satin with an embroidered design in the middle. Both of the bedrooms have plain wooden floors that remind me of the side of an old barn so we're going to IKEA to buy rugs, a trash can, some lights, and possibly some throw pillows for the living room. After we met with our amazing landlord Lina and her mom, "Sarah with an 'H,'" we rearranged the furniture and put some things on the walls. We need some more sticky tack. Before Lina left yesterday, she wanted to know if we wanted to keep a poster of Bart Simpson's bare ass that says "Eat my shorts" that was left by the previous tenets. Of course we said yes. We're planning on displaying it prominently in the room.

On Sunday, Ryan, Jon, Unique, and I went to a street festival in SoHo, had a few drinks, walked around the streets for a while, and ate a decent dinner on a cobblestone street in Covenant Gardens. Covenant Gardens is beautiful. The streets are ancient and the markets are breezy and open and full of performers. We decided to walk out of Covenant Gardens instead of riding the tube home. Some how we ended up back in Trafalgar Square near the Thames. From a bridge at dusk we could see most of the way down the river on both sides—the feeling of finding a place to live and looking out over the Thames was just about the best in the world.

Unique found a place too. Check out her video blog here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FXLtdxrsOg

Monday morning we checked out of the hostel for the last time and took our bags through the underground during rush hour which I'm never going to do again. It was like hell but more sweaty and with more mean people in business suits scowling. The flat wasn't ready when we got there in the morning so we paid Lina (who was late for her job—she's a DOUBLE DECKER BUS DRIVER!!) in huge wads of cash and dropped off our suitcases. We came back in the afternoon and found Lina's mother Sarah scrubbing the floors. Today Sarah told me to drink fresh ginger in boiling water (which she said cured her ulcer) to stave off arthritis. We are good friends now.

On her way out, Lina asked for an American dollar for good luck so Ryan gave one to her and also one to Lina's daughter Layla who is six. Layla didn't know what "America" meant. We were very confused and a little startled.

I took a cold shower before leaving for the day. The plumber is supposed to come this week sometime which will be nice because since there is no shower head or shower curtain, it feels like showering in a large bucket with a garden hose (only with less water pressure).

Oh yeah, and my wallet is lost and/or stolen so I have no money. I'm particularly devastated because along with all of my credit cards and stuff, I lost the wallet. I still have my Passport, though.

It fell out of my pocket or was taken out of my pocket by someone—no biggie. So on top of moving in to my new flat, yesterday I called all of my credit card holders and my bank at home and almost the WA state DMV to cancel all of my cards and report the loss/theft which cost £15 in emergency cell phone bill. I should be getting a new credit card Thursday (at the latest) and my debit card by Monday (or Saturday). Somehow I convinced the people at AAA that I needed the new card shipped to London and that my name was Richard Scribner. I decided that it was worth an extra $30 to pay for expedited shipping.

We're going grocery shopping now and to IKEA when my new card arrives.

Also, Nora (who is from Grinnell and on our program) flew through Ireland and then didn't go through customs when she landed at Heathrow. Oops.

Breakfast

How could I forget?!

For breakfast I had a waffle smothered in Nutella and a cup of Earl Gray tea with cream.

This is what it looked like:
For my second breakfast, I went to Sainsbury's (our local, reasonably priced grocery store) and bought a bowl of fruit and a 2 liter bottle of water to counteract the nausea and the heart disease.

Also, my Finnish roommates (all four of them) slept in nothing (like, they were completely naked) and started screaming at each other at 2 a.m. The only words I understood were "fuck" and "you."

Breathing easy

Since I ordered my digital camera on ebay five days before I left for London and it arrived the day after I left, I've been posting pictures other people have already taken but ones I would probably take myself if I had a camera. This one, for example, is of Trafalgar Square in the early evening. Jon, Ryan, Unique, and I took the tube down to the fountain last night and had a bite to eat before watching an art performance performed live and projected on a large screen attached to Nelson's Column:FUN FACT ABOUT THIS MONUMENT*: the lions at the base are made of melted down cannons from the General's regiment.

*This fun fact may or may not be true but Ryan remembers hearing this on a tour he took back in middle school when he first visited.

The pub we found served traditional English eats and I opted for the "Pie of the Day" (Steak and Ale) which came with chips (fries) and steamed veggies and was smothered in gravy and was delicious. I also ordered a Strongbow. Jon had a hamburger (lame), Unique had a salad, and Ryan had a "sausage and mustard sandwich" which he said was very tasty. They all ordered beer and we all felt very adult. Had we not settled on the English pub, we probably would have gone back to the Tex-Mex restaurant we came across called "The Texas Embassy." Ryan and Jon were kind of appalled by the place, but Unique and I thought it sounded delicious and hilarious.

In the middle of dinner, we heard the sound of a woman tripping on the step up to the bar (even though a sign near the step advised people to "mind" it). We looked over and she was flat on her face, her friends sort of scattered around her looking mortified. For the first 15 seconds it was a little unnerving because it looked like she was seriously injured but as soon as she picked herself up, we noticed she was laughing hysterically. So then we laughed hysterically for about five minutes—a very American thing to do, I'm sure.

After dinner, we walked a block back to the Trafalgar Square Arts Festival for the "Free Performance" at 9. Ryan interpreted performance as "concert" but the show was actually called "Aqua" and was a combination of juggling, trapeze, interpretive dance, and water play. It was pretty bizarre but also very edgy. I liked it.

We decided to leave early to beat the rush at the tube (on our way to Trafalgar Square the large escalator was broken so we had to walk up about six stories of broken escalator and Ryan and I almost died). But instead of going home—the night was young—we walked four blocks from the Square up to Piccadilly Circus to see the lights and the international co-eds (many of whom were riding double-decker "Party Buses"). It's supposed to be London's equivalent to Times Square but it was a little less stimulating. I was mostly terrified I was going to get pick-pocketed the entire time we were there. Then we went home, Unique to her hostel, and Ryan, Jon, and I to ours.

This afternoon, we're going to a neighborhood we've never seen to scope it out.

On our way to the GIL site this morning, Ryan and I were on the tube when all of a sudden two men in plain clothes wearing backpacks and large boots literally hopped into our car and shouted "EXCUSE ME LADIES AND GENTLEMAN..." (at this point, Ryan and I were convinced we were both about to be robbed and/or bombed)..."PLEASE GET OUT YOUR TICKETS AND OYSTER CARDS FOR INSPECTION." Oh! They were just making sure we weren't free-loading off the public transportation system. We were still beside ourselves even after our oyster cards checked out. The first thing Ryan said when they passed was "don't you think they should be wearing suits or something?" Yes.

Also, thank you Mom for transferring 10 billion dollars into my checking account so I have a place to live and thanks to Janice and Shelly for not taking all of my money even though (in a moment of great weakness) I emailed you both explicit instructions on how to do so.

Oh! And I saw Big Ben!

About the rejects

We never actually looked at the first flat (as seen on the post from Thursday). We called the woman on Friday morning to give her the bad news. After making all of our phone calls on Thursday, we decided to take the tube to all of our prospective areas just to scope things out. This one was in a residential area and was far from the tube. We literally walked off the platform, looked around, and walked back to the platform.

The second flat was in a questionable neighborhood that I would not have been proud to show my parents and about two miles from the tube. It was sandwiched between a mosque and a suite of Polish girls which sounds exciting (and it was) but it was also a little run down and very inconvenient. The neighborhood also had a lot of "unisex" hair salons, which is cool, I guess. We haven't actually called the landlord back (his name is Vallario and he is very Italian and very good at driving and parallel parking) and I'm sort of dreading it because he was so nice.

Homeless no more

See the red target? A two minutes walk away from the Pimlico tube station and less than three blocks away from The River Thames? THAT'S WHERE WE LIVE!!!!! We gave the landlord half of the deposit less than four hours ago. It's clean and beautiful and safe and conveniently located. There is also a Mexican restaurant down the street called "Loco Mexicano" which was a big draw.

Unfortunately, we won't have real photos until we actually move in.

Ryan went to look at the flat alone this morning so I could pick up Jon at Paddington Station at around 11. Our landlord is a young woman named Lina who is very nice and very understanding. Before meeting Jon, I had to move out of my first room in my hostel into another room (in the basement) which took along time because everyone moves out at around the same time and there was a lot of congestion. Even though guests who change rooms do not qualify for a new set of sheets, I demanded a fresh set from the woman behind the reception desk—she's lucky she delivered.

Last night, Ryan and I went to Wagamama (this really amazing Japanese noodle house that's a few blocks from the GIL site) and then spent some quality time in the pub in my hostel drinking £2.50 beer. Then we went across the street and bought some wine which we sneaked (silly Brits and their past tense and past participle forms) into the basement of my hostel in a messenger bag. Then I made Ryan go to the bathroom to transfer the wine into an empty Evian bottle. As soon as the bottle was done, we went upstairs and watched four French teenagers attempt to sing Oasis's "Wonderwall" three times. Then we went outside where we met a Finnish couple who were tanked. The woman kept pointing at me and saying I looked like her husbands middle sister who is 23. Somehow we ducked out of the conversation and I pretended to walk Ryan home. Then I tried to call my mom and then I went to bed. I slept really hard last night and only woke up once—when the man who has been sleeping above me stumbled in at 4:45 am.

My new roommates are the Finnish couple (what are the odds). Needless to say, they were very happy to see me when I walked through their door this morning.

We move in on Monday at 10 am. or so. Now I need about one billion pounds—in cash—to pay for it. Paying for things with fistfuls of cash seems really wrong to me, like we "happened upon the money" and from where is not important. It also makes me feel rich which is awesome.

If Jon can stay awake long enough, we may go to Wagamama again for dinner and then to the Trafalgar Square Arts Festival for some free music. It feels great to have the freedom to look around London without having to look for a place to live. We're city folks now.

Keeping on

Ryan and I ate at this little "noodle bar" for a late lunch. We both ordered Pad Thai which was really tasty. I'm thinking non-Western cuisine is going to be our best bet when we dine out. Indian will be next.

At least until we have a kitchen.

In other news, RYAN MADE IT, TOO. I waited at Paddington Station for about an hour because it was hard to time the trains just right and I didn't want to miss him. Apparently, it took Ryan a bit longer to get through customs and for some reason, the man at the counter offered him a temporary work visa good for six months. Probably because Ryan is such a nice guy. I doubt he'll look for a job but some extra spending money might be nice should he get in a "bind" (re: should he end up in prison for smuggling hash or something).

Right now we're both at the GIL site looking for flats. We already have two viewings set up (one tomorrow and one for Saturday) which I set up over the phone. It took about 15 seconds. Keep your fingers crossed we get this one (which is in a great location):
or this one (which has internet and is in a respectable location):I wouldn't call flat hunting "easy," but it's not rocket science. The population of this city is 7.5 million. Most of these people have looked and found a place to live.

Good News:
1. Navigating the Tube has been easier today than it was yesterday
2. We may have a flat as early as tomorrow (a little after noon)
3. I still have my passport

PM

PM Continued

I’m in the bar on the first floor of my hostel drinking a Strongbow—I already foresee this becoming my drink of choice. I learned earlier today that the one I bought from across the street was contraband so I decided to pay twice as much in the bar. Michael Jackson feat. Paul McCartney is playing and I’m alone except for some drunk local who is flirting with Simmone, the bar tender (she’s giggling). He will probably be kicked out soon since it’s only 9:30 and she actually has a really short temper. Yesterday I asked her a question and she just stared at me until I walked away apologizing. I’ve done this several times with different people at different shops so far but it doesn’t really phase me. I’m going to bed a little earlier tonight—I plan on taking a Sominex (or several) in thirty minutes and passing out before my roommates get back. I have a new bunkmate. He lives above me.

I just asked about staying an extra night in case we don’t get a flat by Saturday. Not an option.

No problem. I see tomorrow and Friday being very fruitful. Also, I’m perfectly ok with settling as long as the place is in our price range and is close to a tube station. I wrote the number down for a place today that looked pretty great but I don’t think it’s listed anymore. I guess I’m not discouraged, but I am a little nervous.

At about 5 p.m. I emailed a potential landlord from the GIL site (which I found after asking only three people for directions) and I’m waiting to see if she can give us a tour tomorrow afternoon. It’s near Paddington station which means it’s near Bayswater. Bayswater is our dream borough. Unfortunately, it’s only a two bedroom so Jon is going to have to sleep on the couch. I mean, we’ll probably switch off. I got through the tube no problem this afternoon—I even have a week-long pass so I can go anywhere I want within Zones 1, 2 & 3 until next week. I can also go to Zones 4-6 if I want because I put a little extra on those. Zones 4-6 are the areas where all the zombies flocked in the horror movies “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later.” Scary stuff.

On my walk back after dinner (kind of bad pasta with a delicious salad on Queensway), I bought some postcards with pictures of animals painted on boobies and nipples that say things like “We’re a couple of swells from London” and “All the breast from London.” One is addressed to my parents, the other to John B. I need stamps.

Olympic Gymnastics is on in the bar right now—thank god 12 year old #323 from China didn’t mess up a lot or she probably would have been kicked off the team and then beheaded.

My mom has called once and Ryan has called three times.

* * * * *

I'm about to hop on the tube in search of the Grinnell in London office on Great Russell St.I had some delicious Udon for lunch at "Saki" on Queensway and then bought a sim card for my cell phone. You can reach me at 0753 0890 685. International calls cost 20 pence per minute. I have about 10 pounds to play around with. I will call "xxxbangbabesxxx" (advertised on basic cable with live feed from the "work room").

I'm looking forward to picking up Ryan at Paddington Station tomorrow. I'm planning on getting up early 1. so I can get the free breakfast and 2. so I can get some housing contacts from the GIL office.

I BOUGHT A TOWEL!

AM

I slept six or seven hours last night and right now I’m hunkered down in my bunk. It’s after noon but I’m in no rush. I have a pretty laid back day planned which includes eating a bento box for lunch, buying a pass for the tube, loading Peter Henry’s cell phone with minutes, and finding the Grinnell in London site. I may walk back to Paddington Station since the streets around there had some neat shops but I’ll probably wait until tomorrow when I meet Ryan.

At 12:45 this morning, two kids entered our room, made their beds, unzipped and zipped their luggage really loudly and a bunch of times, and then went to sleep (I think in the same bed)—they’re still here and I’m not getting dressed until they’re gone. They also left all of their huge bags on the floor of main room. Now they’re sitting on them. Even thought the oldest has a “Camel Brand” backpack, they can’t be older than 12 and 14. Before I leave, I’m thinking about organizing all the shit I threw under my bed last night. When I came upstairs, one of my roommates was sleeping and the other was in the shower so the main room was completely dark. Instead of turning on the light, I opened my laptop and used the light from the desktop to find clean underwear and pajama pants. I managed to get my watch and my wallet into bed with me but the rest is sort of just down there.

I found my approximate location on a map this morning (AWESOME!) and then found the GIL site which is, in theory, just down the central line. I need to leave soon so when I get lost, I can at least ask for directions in the daylight. It’s raining now and the wind is blowing which means I’m not sweating AT ALL. This weather is the best kind.

Oh man, I think the babies are getting ready to leave. I don’t really understand what they’ve been doing for the last two hours.

I made it.

My hostel.

This place is incredibly beautiful and I feel really, really lucky to be here. To give you some frame of reference if you’ve never visited, what I’ve seen so far reminds me of Vancouver and New York City mixed.

Right now I’m in Coffee Republic in London in Bayswater (near Westminster) sipping on an iced Americano and I can’t stop grinning—I’m living here for four months. EDIT: I’m now in the basement of my hostel watching some movie starring Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, and Billy Bob Thorton(?!) (Apollo 13, maybe?) and eating a dinner I scrapped together at a pharmacy during a massive down pour. Weather permitting, I’ll walk a little further down the street tomorrow since the neighborhood is full of interesting restaurants and shops. If you come, I’d love to show it off.

Considering I don’t have a permanent address or a towel or any friends or a working phone, I don’t feel out of place or overwhelmed. For example, “Get Low” by Flo Rida came on the MTV UK Top 40 station in the coffee shop just as I was leaving and earlier, the same program featured a new single by Kid Rock. At the number two spot. Oh jeez. This world is so, so small.

I am feeling very adventurous at the moment so I may take the Tube somewhere interesting tomorrow. Actually, I’m probably going to pretend to be asleep until both my roommates take off for the day. Although, breakfast is free downstairs from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.—I’m so torn.
I’m not nearly as exhausted as I thought I would be since I slept almost the entire way from SeaTac (by the grace of god, I woke up just in time to get the first meal, penne with marinara, and then the second, egg biscuit with fruit cup) so I’ve been able to walk around the neighborhood and stretch my legs a little. I took two Sominex sleep aids just before boarding the plane and they worked! FYI the time difference is eight hours in Bellingham and six in Grinnell.

After clearing customs, I took the Heathrow Express from the airport right to Paddington Station (a 15 minute ride with plenty to look at on both sides of the train) and then walked from Paddington to my hostel which was several thousand blocks from the station. The walk went quickly, though, since all the houses were white and beautiful and the sidewalks were relatively clear. I’m sure my whole ensemble (which included an oversized suitcase, a huge hiking pack back, two messenger bags, and American made Chacco sandals that I’m told Europeans find really hideous) screamed “TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME, I HAVE NO SENSE OF DIRECTION AND A VISA CREDIT CARD WITH A HUGE LIMIT.”

Before getting on the express train, I sat at a Starbucks for half an hour getting my shit in order and sighing a lot. It was nice not to rush since I was rushing for the better part of my visit home.
My room in the hostel is smaller than my room at home and has three double bunk beds that are painted blue, eight lockers, and a tidy bathroom. It’s best if only one person stands at a time. I learned this when I met my first roommate, Mike (from Michigan). Mike just finished studying at Cambridge (through the University of Michigan) and is heading to Scotland before returning home.

Take home message of this post: I’m pretty proud of myself for finding my hostel (The Smart Hyde Park View, for those interested). I’m also proud of myself for not getting pick-pocketed between here and Heathrow. To celebrate, I just bought a can of Strongbow cider that I plan to enjoy over a 600 page (!) issue of ELLE that I picked up in Seattle.

When Jon and Ryan arrive in a few days, we’ll start flat hunting (probably in this neighborhood since it’s convenient and picturesque). Until then, I’m on my own.

This is completely nuts.