I Should Have Known Better

I'm really, really, really sorry everyone. I haven't updated in little more than a week :/
I've just been busy and tired and everything!

Quick recap:
Wednesday- Met up with Laura and went to the British Museum, followed by a comedy show and froyo.
Thursday- Went to my first bible study
Friday- Hung out with my friend Julie and some of her flatmates
Saturday- Nottinghill with Jennifer
Sunday- Church and lunch at Henk's house
Monday-Tuesday- Nothing but classes
Wednesday- Went to the hospital with Jennifer and wasted time, bought groceries and went to another comedy show with Laura and Maggie, followed by going to a sports bar for an hour.
Thursday- Got my box! Bible study and watching Brideshead and getting to know Marley
Today- Nothing yet!

Okay okay, so this will not be very detailed, but on Wednesday I met up with Laura at around 2 and we walked to the British Museum, which is gorgeous. I loved it! It was so big and beautiful and just amazing. And Laura's pretty awesome so we had a great time. Especially since Laura feels obligated to touch EVERYTHING! But she's amazing so it's fine! After that we went back to the place she's saying (which is really rich looking!) and bought some cheese and a cupcake (key lime pie for her!) and headed to her flat. It was really nice, even though they have no lift and she just happens to live on the 5th floor! She made us some pasta for dinner and I got to meet all the rest of her flatmates. After Laura got ready, we headed down to Leicester Square and got lost trying to find the comedy club. It was hidden and London streets are hard to maneuver! Finally the guy who was the actual comedian spotted us and told us it was there. He was an older man from New York who had been living in London for about 10 years. His show was really funny (and of course, offensive, but you know,) and it was nice to just hang out with Laura and Maggie (who is super awesome). After the show we found this place called Snog that sold Frozen Yogurt. It was pretty good, and you got a lot for your money! After that we all headed home.

Thursday! Classes of course, but Wendy and Shannon told me that I should go to the bible study homegroup that the church had, so I agreed. I took my bible and my pens and met up with Shannon at the church. From there we walked a bit to meet up with Wendy and walked to Julia's apartment. It was a little seedy, but we were in a group so it was okay. Everyone was really nice and the atmosphere was great. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad that I went. I'm a little new to bible study, but it wasn't bad and I got right into it. I'm going back every Thursday!

Friday! So I contacted my friend Julie and was like, hey want to hang out? And she was like yeah, totally. So we decided that we would rent a movie and watch it. So she came over and we walked to the library and picked out a movie. Of course, julie did because I am so indecisive and couldn't decide what I wanted to watch! So we come back to my room and it starts getting loud in my flat. My flatmates of course are pre-gaming before going out, so Julie and I decided to just go to her room. So we get there and one of her flatmates Tom and his friend Simon invited us to go out with them. Another one of her flatmates, Jazzy, was there because she kind of got ditched :/ So we all went to the bar. Okay parents and siblings, YES I did have a shot, and YES I did have a cider. It wasn't crazy-time for Liana, I promise. It was really fun and good company and I had a great time. We headed back around 1 or 2 and I crashed. Then we had a fire alarm >.<; I swear, we've had more fire alarms than ANYONE else here! It's so annoying :/

Saturday! Jennifer and I had planned to go to Nottinghill with a friend of ours, but she got sick :/ So Jennifer and I went to the tube station to plan our horribly stupid tube ride. Of course the tube was down in certain places, and those certain places were the places that we needed to be. So we took a round-about way of getting there which took us about an hour, longer than it had to. Normally we'd just take the central line straight to Nottinghill Gate, but since Mile End wasn't in service, we had to take the Circle line, then the District line to Bank then blah blah blah. I know this doesn't really make sense to you all, so I'll skip it and say it was stupid. When we finally got there, it was really nice. It was sunny and big, and pretty. We walked around trying to find St. Peter's church. It was a little bit of a walk, but we found it! It was so pretty, but really really orange! After that we went in search of the Blue door, or where the blue door used to be. Apparently it was in the movie Nottinghill, which I haven't seen.. so yeah! It wasn't there though, so we went down Portobello street. It was really nice and busy with little tents set up for shops. Everyone was walking around looking at everything. We stopped to look at this one ladies jewelry that had tea pots and tea cups on rings and necklaces. They were so cute, that I wanted to take a picture. I was considering buying one when the lady yells at me to stop taking pictures. She literally yelled at me, and I was so off guard that I was just like, what? And she was like stop taking pictures! And so I turned my camera off and she looked at me and said 'did you delete them?' and I replied that I didn't even get to take a picture because she startled me. She looked like she didn't believe me but I ignored it and we walked off. Seriously, how rude! I mean, I understand why she did it, but she didn't have to yell at me and act like I was some criminal. It was really stupid. Needless to say, I did not buy anything from her or even go back. Everything else was nice, a lot of things people made and stuff. It started drizzling at one point, but it stopped after a few minutes. At one place, they had a lot of records and stuff, so I stopped to look. There I found a Beatles book and a VHS copy of A Hard Days Night. I bought them both. We walked further and finally got to the end of the road and walked back. We stopped by a coffee shop and got Nutella hot chocolate. Oh man, that was AMAZING. I fell in love with it and I didn't want it to end. After that, we walked down another road and found lots of little shops and stuff. Jennifer and I went into this one store to buy a bowl for her and a mug for me. After that we decided it was best to head home. It had been a long day, and we were tired.

Sunday! I went to church as usual and it was a lovely service. Afterward we had tea and coffee like always, and I was invited to go to lunch at this guy Henk's house with a bunch of other people at the church. Henk is really nice and is actually from South Africa. He's done mission work and stuff and he's got a lot of cool things at his house. When we got there, we were serviced some kind of juice and one of Henk's flatmates pulled out this game. I forgot what it was called, but it's kind of like pool meets table hockey. Some of the guys played and then I was pulled into a game where I lost, but it was still fun! Then the food came out. It was delicious! Henk had cooked (with some other people's help,) Moroccan food with chicken and olives and some other stuff I couldn't recognize, all on couscous. It was really yummy and I ate as much as I could. After that we decided to follow Wendy's advice and play a game called Empire. We all had to think of a name (famous people) and give it to Wendy. There she'd tell us the names and we had to guess who was who. If someone guessed who you were, they were a part of your empire. It was really fun (I was George Harrison, go figure,) and Henk ended up winning. After that, some people left, and the rest of us had ice cream! It's always really nice to hang out with everyone and talk and play games like that. Then it was time to go home, and I walked back to my room and did some homework before bed.

Monday and Tuesday were boring, of course, nothing special. Washed my sheets and towels and just hung out in my room.Wednesday was more eventful. So Wednesday I have off so Jennifer wanted to go to the hospital because her foot had been bothering her and she wanted to get it looked at. The clinic on campus won't see her (or me, or any of us only here for a semester) because our insurance doesn't cover it.. what? Yeah.. So we walked all the way to the London Hospital and to the Walk-in clinic. They could see her and give her advice, but they couldn't give her medication or anything. In order to see a doctor (there were only nurses there,) she had to go to see a private doctor. Yeah.. it's really dumb. Why did we pay 86 dollars if we can't go see the doctor? It's complete rubbish. So she was seen and we decided since we were already over there to go to Sainsbury's for groceries. I was running really low, but now I'm good. After that we chilled out and I waited (and cooked dinner) before the comedy show that night. Maggie had invited me and Laura and two other friends to see this comedy show. It was really funny and nice to go out with Laura and Maggie again. They're really cool people who have been having some problems lately, but they seem to be doing okay. After the show, I went with Laura to this sports bar where she had two friends watching the Rangers vs. Yankees baseball game. We sat and talked and I decided I should probably get going since it was getting late. So I said thanks to Laura and said goodbye and headed back to my room.

Yesterday.. was an interesting day. As you all may or may not know, my parents sent me a box with my winter coats and some food items. Well, it was established that my box had come in and had an 'attempted delivery' on the 7th. Yeah.. no. I got no notice or anything so I set out to see what was going on. I forgot to say that the other day I walked all the way to White Chapel to go to the Royal Mail post office and they said they didn't have it. I called them and they said it was going to go through another service called Parcelforce. So I tried to call them, but of course my phone ran out of minutes. Wednesday we topped up our phones on the way to the hospital so I had more minutes. So, sorry to go back and forth, but yesterday I called to see what was going on. Okay okay, wait wait. I'm getting lost. Because I had no more minutes, I e-mailed them, and the next morning got an e-mail that said I had to pay customs charges, that's why it wasn't delivered. So after I got my mintutes and got back from the hospital and Sainsbury's, I called to see if I could pay over the phone. Nope, my card didn't work. I tried online. Nope, didn't work. So I had to make an appointment to go in and pay in cash and pick it up myself. Yuck. So this was Wednesday. Thursday, i.e., yesterday, I got up and got ready and found out how to get there, and set off. It took awhile (seeing as it was SUPER far away,) but I got there and received my parcel no problem. The problem was, it was a HUGE box that I had to take ALL THE WAY BACK. On the bus, on the tube, and carry it to my room. So.. it was a pretty arduous journey.. and my arms still hurt, but luckily I ran into my friend Rafi who offered to carry it back to my room for me. He's a nice guy! So I finally got my box, hurrah! It had my coats, plus ramen and cereal and a LOT of Easymac, Beef jerky, gum, microwave rice, wheat thins, cheez-its, socks, a skirt I forgot, and a bunch of stuff. It was really nice and I'm glad my parents sent it, it was just a HUGE hassle! But now I have it, so that's the end of that. After that, I didn't do much else (some homework and stuff,) and got ready for bible study. I went in my big jacket and met up with Shannon again, and we walked to Julia's. It was nice, we talked about money and how we as Christians should live in this world and how we should handle our money. It was a nice discussion/reading/teaching, especially because of good company. Afterward I headed back and skyped with mom and dad when my friend Marley IMed me. She said she was in the mood to watch one of her favorite mini-series called Brideshead. She urged me to come over and watch it, so I did. I went over and watched the first episode (there are 8, I think,) and it was brilliant. It certainly wasn't something I expected and I really enjoyed it. After it ended, we just sat there and talked and it was cool. She's a really neat person with a lot of amazing theories and thoughts and really nice. She's in my Japanese class and we're going to go on a trip for our week off (which is a little messy, but I don't quite feel like talking about it). After I decided it was late and I should get to bed, I left and went back to my flat and fell asleep.

Today is boring. I got up, went to class, came back and had lunch, and I've been trying to start my little essay for this upcoming week, but I just want to snack on my goodies sent from home. Thanks mom and dad, but I feel like I'm just going to be a big pig now D: Yuck. I'll control myself! I'll update if anything exciting happens during the weekend.

Cheers!
<3

Because

こんばんわ、みなさん！
That means, Good evening everyone!
For me, really, it's morning, so I can also say おはよございます！
That means, good morning!

Anywho, this is a recap of Tuesday. It was a great day!
I had my literature class, which is always fun. I am really comfortable in that class. I love the material, I've made a few friends, and I actually join in on group discussions!

I know, whoa.

But really, it is a bunch of awesome people talking about Beowulf. Well, that was today anyways. After my class ended, I went to the International Lunch they serve on Tuesdays at St. Bennet's church on campus. I wanted something small before I went out to lunch with my friend today since it was 12 and we were going at 2, and I also forgot to eat breakfast this morning. I saw a friend of mine from my Japanese class and we sat and talked about ate, and it was nice, like it always is. Dorothy is always there so she said hi to me and asked how I was doing. Wendy was also there, and I told her I would be going to Thursday's bible study. Yay!

After that, I went back to my room for some downtown before I met up with Bonnie. She ended up getting out of her meeting early, so I hopped on the tube and got off on Piccadilly Circus. I've been there before to go to Chinatown, but never in the daylight. It's so big and lovely. It's like Times Square, only a bit smaller. We decided to walk around and see what we wanted to eat, and of course talk along the way. We ended up going to this Mexican restaurant called Chiquitos. It was really nice and it seemed 'authentic' in atmosphere, so we decided to try it out. Here's what I got:

It's a chicken and bacon quesadilla. It was SUPPOSED to be a chicken and chorizo quesadilla, but apparently they were out of chorizo.. which Bonnie and I found suspicious. It was alright, not the best I've ever had (of course, Mom, nothing compares, but I also mean texmex places back home) with it's potato wedges and 'spicy ketchup' sauce. Oh London. It was alright, but the best part was the company. Bonnie is a really awesome person who I haven't known for very long (or very well, I must confess,) but I figured it would be nice for two BIC buddies to at least have lunch and talk about our adventures! It really was nice, and we have future plans of coffee and catching up! After lunch, Bonnie had to hurry and go off to her class, but I stayed in Piccadilly square to browse the souvenir shops and see a statue I really liked:

Three guesses why it is. Oh yeah, he's an ACTUAL GUY. He was so convincing though! I took a second look at him and noticed that he had moved! It was really cool and it was highly amusing. I bought some souvenirs for the family and decided it was best I head home. It was nearing 4:30 and the tube gets super crowded around that time. You know, like rush hour traffic, except loads of people squished in. Yay. Luckily it wasn't that bad, and I managed to find a seat for the most of my travel. After I got home, I chilled out for a few and did some homework, skyped my mom, you know, the regular stuff. Nothing much else.

Tomorrow should be grand as well! I'm going to the British Museum with Laura! I'll update tomorrow!

Cheers!
<3

Come Together

Hey everyone! I feel really bad about not blogging for pretty much a whole week!
Let me try and remember everything that happened.. Which, honestly, isn't much seeing as nothing has really happened..
Sunday: Didn't go to church but had dinner with a friend (Carrie) and her flatmates.
Monday-Friday: Nothing much, just school and homework. Tuesday did has tea at the church, but other than that, nothing.
Saturday: Nothing... I'll post more on that later.
Sunday: Church and a lovely lunch.
Today: Amazing library and a great movie!

Okay, so I know a lot of you probably expect pictures galore and wonderful adventures and tales. Sadly, this update (although I have surpassed a large gap of time,) is barren. You can skip it or skim it, either way, I promise it won't hurt my feelings.

Sunday night our friend Carrie invited us for dinner. She and her flatmate Julia were going to make us chicken stir-fry with noodles and some other things. We took the tube to the nearest station and met up with Carrie and Julia. The place they live in is really nice, and apparently new. It seems a lot nicer than the dorm we live in, but they also pay about 110 pounds a week (i think..) and have their own bathroom in their room. When we first got there, Carrie and Jennifer (they're in the same class) started working on some stuff for class, and I read Beowulf. After awhile, Julia asked if we could start making dinner because she was hungry, so we went into the kitchen/living room and started. It turned out really good! I think Jennifer has some pictures, but I don't think she put them up. Anyways, it was really good, I really enjoyed it! Afterward, Jennifer and Carrie went to work on their homework and I ended up staying and talking with Julia. She's really nice and we liked some of the same things. She's from America, but she's staying all three years to finish her degree. Then another flatmate of hers came in. Her name is Megan and she's from Liverpool! Man, I love the Liverpool accent. It's so awesome! We sat there and talked about different things (somethings like Harry Potter and of course The Beatles came up..) and it was really cool. It started getting late, so Jennifer and I (with Carrie, who was going to stay at a friend's house because of the tube strike) hopped on the tube and went home. Thank goodness we had a relatively easy trip back. All sorts of stations were not working!

Again, Monday-Friday were uneventful. But, Jennifer and I went on Tuesday to have tea at the church. They do an international thing on Tuesdays where they have games and tea and coffee for international students and just some fun. It was fun (although, there were a lot of Chinese people. Everyone thought Jennifer was Chinese!) and we left a little after tea was served.

Friday was fun. I had to go to the Globe for my Shakespeare class. We had a presentation on the Globe history and what an actual 'history play' really is and the structure of the Globe. After that we had a lunch break where I got some really good vegetable gyoza soup from EAT (seriously, that's what it's called!) and some water. After that, we met back up in our smaller groups and had a workshop with an actress from the Globe. It was a little embarassing, but fun! She treated us like theater students and we did little exercises. After that, we rehearsed a dialogue and went ON STAGE and backstage! It was brilliant, to say the least! I was so excited to actually be on the stage that I had looked up at in awe at a week prior. After that, we went into one of the lord's boxes where the QUEEN sat. It was a really fun time, and I'm really glad that I got the opportunity! The Shakespeare class isn't my favorite, but it definitely made it better! After that though... was nothing... Saturday.. I did nothing. I was going to have a Harry Potter tour with Jennifer, but she's finding new friends and she got invited to parties and stuff. I was a little upset about it, but I understand that we can't hang out all the time. This is a chance where we get to meet new people and go out of our comfort zone. I mostly spent my time doing homework or something because the friends I had made were out of town or busy already. So, while it was kind of hard (and made me realize that I was a little bit homesick,) I think it was a learning experience. I have always been dependent on people being there with me (Chris, Kristen, Jennifer,) and I need to learn that being by myself is not a bad thing. Going places alone is not bad. Sometimes you just need that time to be alone and reflect on yourself. In the end, there may not be someone there for you. But I'm good, I promise, family members and friends, that I am alright, and I am planning to make friends to spend time with and not be alone ALL the time!

Sunday! Sunday was great. I needed to go to church for the message and for interaction with people. I had talked to one of my flatmates, Alice, but otherwise I had pretty much just been alone. So I went and met a German girl name Ohla (I'm not sure how to spell it!) who is doing her Ph.D here. She was really nice and it was good to meet someone new! The service was lovely. It was the first time I had heard the head pastor, who is American, and I really liked the way he preached. It wasn't Pastor Hagee, but he is one of a kind! After the service, I asked Dorothy (an older lady who is really sweet) if she could pray for me because I was having a hard time this weekend. She did, and we exchanged e-mail addresses so that if I needed to e-mail her, I could. She was really nice, and we walked back to another room where they served tea and coffee and little cakes and things. I talked to another older woman named Barbara who offered to have me over her house for lunch this upcoming Sunday. It was really sweet of her! I think I'm going to take her up on the offer. After I finished my tea, I made my way to leave, but was stopped by the Pastor and another guy. I feel bad because I don't remember his name, but we talked about my classes and Shakespeare and things like that, and I ended up seeing Shannon and Wendy. I said hi to Shannon and talked to her a little, and she ended up asking me if I wanted to head to lunch at a woman named Rachel's house with them. I agreed and we walked to Rachel's house, which wasn't too far from the church or Queen Mary. It was me, Shannon, Wendy, Daniel, Chun, John, a guy and a girl I didn't know, and another guy. Rachel's house was so lovely! I really liked it, and if I ever go back to live in London (which, I am considering,) I want a place like that! She cooked us some pizza's and garlic bread and we just sat around and talked. Turns out Ohla was invited too, so I got to talk to her a little more. It was really nice to be around people and talk and just relax after studying and being by myself! Afterward, I headed back to my flat and just chilled out.

Today! Okay, so today was good. I woke up (by cleaning lady.. if I haven't talked about her yet, please tell me and I will tell you about her..) and got ready to go to... the library!
Yeah, I know, for some of you that sounds MEGA boring, but it was really fantastic. I really like planning things out and going by myself on the tube now. It makes me feel.. more independent, like I'm facing my fears. So, with homework in my bag and my Oystercard fully loaded, I walked to the tube station and made my way to the Senate House Library. It's not like I just went to go though, I had to go to register there for my Literature class. The area around it was really beautiful. It was a sunny day today, and I got to walk through Russell Square, a nice little park. The library is a part of the University of London, and it's HUGE. It is 7 stories high and is being renovated, but it was still amazing! It took me a little to find the entrance, but I did and got through registration. The only bad thing was that the guy took my picture so fast I didn't have time to realize it.. but it still came out okay! The library itself is amazing. It's huge and lovely and QUIET! I found a desk and finished my Japanese homework for later that day. I plan to go back for any big time studying I have to do. It's sad that I have to take the tube so far for it, or else I'd go anytime I please! The Queen Mary library is alright, but this one is definitely brilliant! After that, I came back and Jennifer wanted to go to Budgens to get a few things food-wise. So we went there, and then to Tesco and a little grocery store for a couple of things we needed, and headed back. My Japanese class was at 4 and it was already 3, so I just went back to my room and skyped with my parents and my sister. It was really nice to see and talk to them!

After Japanese (which is always fun!) I went back to my flat and made myself a grilled cheese. Jennifer and I were planning on seeing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the school church, and it started at 7:30. We went at 7:20 because it isn't that far and we ended up being the first people there. The movie itself was phenomenal. My tia Terri told me that I had to see it, and I really really liked it. It was a little graphic in some parts, but it was really good. It's a Swedish film so it had subtitles, but I've never had a problem with that before! After the movie we just came back to our flat, and here I am now! There's some people in our kitchen, but hopefully they won't be too loud.. I'll update later, probably tomorrow. I'm going to have lunch with my friend Bonnie!

Cheers!
<3

Ob-la-di, Ob-la-dah

Whoa, man, I just noticed I haven't updated since Wednesday!

Okay, recap!
Thursday: NOTHING. Literally, nothing.
Friday: Shakespeare class, humiliation, CHINATOWN
Today: Greenwich, awesome food, Korean food!

Let's get started then, shall we?
I won't say anything about Thursday. I had no classes and we mostly just paid for accomadation and stuff. Nothing special. Friday I woke up at around 8:30 and got ready for my Shakespeare class. I had already read I Henry IV and prepared for the lecture. It was pretty neat. We watched a clip from Dr. Who where they went back in time to see a production of Shakespeare in the globe. After that, it was just about what the course is about and its' format and about history plays. Right after the lecture is the seminar. Here comes the humiliation part.. so I went to the classroom but no one was there. The professors leading the lecture said some professors had changed their rooms, so I was like, great, they changed it on me. So I run around trying to figure out where I am, and it turns out I was in the right room. So it's like, 15 minutes into the class, and I run in. The professor asks me who I am and I, in front of EVERYONE said my name and he answered, 'Well, you're not on my roster!' so I had to say it again and it was so embarassing.. ugh, that would happen.. the class itself was nice, just a little intimidating, especially because he said the first assignment is the one people usually fail. Wonderful. Because I'm only staying for one semester, that assignment costs me 30% of my grade! :/ We'll see how it goes. Afterward, I talked to him about the class (what I missed, mostly,) and went off on my merry way. I was done with classes by then, so I went back to my room and took a nap.

Then my phone went off. It was Jennifer, who desperately wanted me to come to her class. So I put my shoes on and rushed over (half an hour late, haha) and sat next to her. It was funny, definitely worth waking up for. After that, she exchanged a book she needed for class and we headed back to our flat to plan our Friday night. No one was available, so we decided to finally try and go to Chinatown. It was raining, so I FINALLY wore my boots and got my umbrella and we hopped on the tube to Chinatown. It was really pretty and really nice, even though it was raining!

We surveyed the area, looking for a good restaurant. There were so many, it was so hard to choose! We ended up finding a pretty alright place, a good meal for both of us for only 10 pounds. It was prawn rice crackers, veggie spring rolls, spicy beef, sweet and sour chicken, egg fried rice, and orange slices. Yum! After that, we went to check out some of the shops with asian food. Jennifer found some noodles for cooking later. We then went to a little bakery and bought some asian sweets and headed back to a little casino we found. We played with those little machines where you put in the coins an try to knock the others down to win. It was 10 p and we ended spending a little bit of money there, but it was fun. Not really gambling, but.. kind of? haha After that we walked around trying to find places to go and ended up finding a cute little cafe called Candy Cafe. They had bobba tea and a lot of asian treats. We ended up getting desert there. Ready for it? Bam!:

A strawberry crepe with ice cream and mango and pomelo sago cream. It's like mango cream with jelly balls and pomelo, which is like grapefruit. It was bitter to me, but apparently sweet to Jennifer. Only asians can taste the sweetness! After that, we kind of just mulled around and ended up finding a mall-like place that had little shops, a cinema, and more casino games! We didn't stop though, because it was getting late and we were getting tired. We had to get up early for today anyways, so we just went back and went to bed.

This morning I woke up around 8:45 to get ready to go to Greenwich! We stopped by Budgens to get some lunch (they told us to bring a sack-lunch,) and headed over to the church. We were going with some of the people from our new church and some other international students. It ended up being a nice sized group, and we headed out on the bus to ASDA. ASDA is a part of Wal*mart, and pretty much the same thing. It was pretty big, too! After that, we went through this little farm to get to the tunnel that goes under the Thames river. It was muddy, but nice. There were giant pigs, sheep, horses, and llamas! We had to get into a lift to get to the tunnel, but it was still nice! It's crazy to know that that tunnel is still standing and has not caved in since it was built! How cool is that, walking UNDER the Thames river?? We got out on the other side and walked into Greenwich, a nice little town with little shops and stores. We approached the market place, where there were TONS of food stands! I wish they hadn't told us to bring a sack-lunch, because Jennifer and I just ended up buying food there! This is what we decided on:

Shrimp, fish, squid, and vegetable tempura with rich, green beans, and broccoli! It was SO good, you don't even know! I miss it.. We didn't get to eat it though, until we walked a ways into the park and up the SUPER steep hill to the observatory where the Prime Meridian and stuff is. After we finished eating, we went into the area (and through a little museum type thing,) and stood in the queue to take a picture standing on the Prime Meredian. It took a little while, but here it is!

It was pretty neat, I have to admit. It was starting to rain at that point, so we went inside to check out the little museums and whatnot. After that, we decided to head back to the little town of Greenwich and get some coffee at Costa! It's like Starbucks, but not. It was really nice, sitting and talking with new friends and having a lovely coffee. I got a roasted hazelnut latte!

So yummy! After that, we headed back home. It was raining so much! It was almost non-stop. But now I've been on the DLR train, which is overground, not like the rest of the tube. Jennifer and I went back to our flat and tried to decided what to do for the night. After some research, Jennifer decided she wanted to go try this Korean restaurant we found in Soho. So after we went and Jennifer exchanged some money, we walked to Bi Bim Bap and had some of the best Korean food I have ever had! We had beef bulgogi bi bim bap:

Ah, so delicious! We even got a little order of kimchi with it, because, really, what's korean food without kimchi?? The restaurant was so cute, and they even take your picture after you're done! They have little Polaroids all over the walls of their customers! Here's ours:

Jennifer wrote London (i think) in Korean (: It was so much fun, even though it was raining so much! We went back to our flat, and here I am now, typing up the summary of the past few days. Whew, I am so tired from walking all over the place, I think I'm gonna get some sleep. Church (maybe) tomorrow, and probably just homework. I might not update, but we'll see!
Cheers!
<3

There's A Place

Today was fun! Boring at the beginning, but fun none-the-less. So today is my day off (normally) so I tried to sleep in, but didn't really get it accomplished. So I woke up and mulled around, showering and eating and waiting for one o'clock to come strolling by. Finally, (after watching yesterday's AMAZING new Glee <3) I got my things together and headed out to the Mile End tube station. I was finally going on my single journey to The Globe theater.

As mentioned before, I have to go see Henry the IVth (not the Vth, sorry everyone!) at The Globe theater, the original Shakespearean theater. I was super nervous about going out by myself, but I knew I would be able to do it! The tube ride was nothing I hadn't done before, so that was a breeze. The trouble all started when I got OUT of the tube station. I had directions written down from the night before, so I set out! Only to find I was going the wrong way. I turned back and started again. Wrong way again... So I found a huge map they had (for unlucky tourists like me,) and figured out where I was going, and set out again. I passed by St. Paul's Cathedral (which was lovely,) and tried to follow my directions. I ended up getting lost. It was frustrating that my first time alone discovering an area of London, I got lost. It makes sense, of course, because even with directions, London streets are weird and unpredictable, but I was still somewhat discouraged. I ended up asking for directions from a local bank and finding myself back at square one.

Okay, so, family alert, please don't get worried, but most of you know that when I get frustrated, I tend to.. well.. cry. So I did. I was lost, and also late, and I didn't know what to do. I found myself a place to sit and collect myself before heading out again. This time, I followed the directions to a T, and ventured past a place I didn't know, and found myself at the Millennium Bridge, where I needed to be. Victory! I felt so accomplished! The bridge was a nice experience, and I wasn't even scared! Upon crossing the bridge, I noticed the theater (because, really, you could spot it from across the bridge, even if you didn't know what it looked like,) and hurried to my destination. I was already 10 minutes late when I actually arrived and walked in.

Let me just say, that I love this theater. If I ever were to be an actress, I would do it here, doing Shakespeare, in the Globe theater. I absolutely love it. I got to stand in the 'peasant' section. In the early days, when one couldn't afford the nice boxed seats, they simply paid a penny (one cent, really,) to stand around and watch the plays. Yes, I had to stand for 3 hours, but I enjoyed every moment. Around the end of the first half, it started to sprinkle a little, and by the time intermission had ended and we were all back inside the theater, it had started to rain. No one used umbrellas either, because if you did, you obstructed the view of the actors. So we stood there in the rain until the play was over. Let me tell you, I was cold and wet, but I stood there and watched because it was amazing! Afterward, I did what anyone else would do; visit the gift shop! I bought myself a little tea towel that has the famous quote from Macbeth, "Out, damned spot!" and some other things like a thimble for my mom and a postcard and a 'penny'. I wanted to buy the Something Wicked This Way Comes t-shirt, but it was too much. After collecting my treasures, I ventured back out into the rain, took several pictures, and headed back to St. Paul's station, which was easy to find now that I knew where I was going.

Also, if you look at my pictures, the Millennium bridge? It's totally the bridge from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Awesome.

ANYWAYS. After I got back, Jennifer and I returned some books to the library and got money out, and went back to our flat. I made myself dinner (because I hadn't eaten since before I left!) which consisted of prawns (shrimp), stir-fry veggies, and sweet chili sauce. It turned out pretty well! (: I'm proud of myself! After that, we cleaned up and watched Girl, Interupted, which is a fantastic movie. Now I'm typing (: I'm going to read a little of Henry IV and going to bed! No school tomorrow, just reading all of this stuff!

Cheers!
<3

I've Got A Feeling

Hello, I hope Tuesday has been going well for you all!
I have some things to update, obviously! School started Monday and it's past then, so let me update you.

So I woke up Monday morning at seven, ready to start my day. Jennifer and I left at 8 so that I could go find out where my Japanese class was and she had to do some things for her schedule too, such as getting things signed and signing up for her tutorials. After checking where my Japanese classes were, I noticed a slip of paper that said this:
Language courses don't start until Monday Oct. 6th.
Turns out I didn't have class Monday! So after realizing that, I got all my things together so that I could take care of some business I needed myself. I had to check where my other classes were, get my Poetry class dropped, and turn in my module paper to the Study Abroad Adviser. Sadly, I needed something before I could turn in my module paper, but it was alright because I had awhile to do so.

After taking care of things on campus, Jennifer and I went to Soho (On Oxford street) so she could exchange some money and get lunch and school supplies. After walking miles and miles up the street (we had gotten off on the wrong tube station,) she quickly exchanged some money and we set off to find Square Pie. Jennifer had found the chain online and we had planned previously to find it. The last time we tried to find it, we were unsuccessful, but with a little online snooping, I found out it was in a little shopping center. Finally we found it, and found also, some delicious little square pies!

Jennifer had beef and mushroom, and I had chicken and mushroom. The man serving me told me that I had to have gravy on it, and I have to say, it was really yummy! It was big though. I realized that most meals I can barely finish here because they give you so much! I managed to finish it though. Mm! After we finished eating, we set out to explore the little shopping center. It was filled mostly around that area with groceries and little eating places. Further down we noticed candy, chocolates, and pastries. We ran into this counter, and it took SO much will power to walk away!

They're tarts! Don't they look AMAZING? I'll get one someday, but I was so full I probably wouldn't have been able to eat it without throwing up. Other departments had notebooks, journals, folders, make-up, lots of stuff. It seemed like a little mall, which was really nice now that I know where to buy my face wash and stuff. We also ran into this display:

Yup, that's definitely a scorpion. And you know what it's in? A toffee candy. The sign talked about going back to childhood where you could eat a bug and not feel gross about it. They had chocolate covered ants, sugar ant lollipops, and even vodka with a scorpion in it! It was so gross.. I wanted to barf.

After that, we decided to get going to find the supply store for our classes the next day. We walked to Ryman's, a stationary store and bought some notebooks and I got my own little planner. It was a 10% off student discount and the notebooks were 3 for 2, so it was a good deal! After that we decided (since it was only around 2 o'clock) to shop around a bit. We went into Benetton (which was so expensive!) and Uni Qlo (where I bought a really nice zip-up jacket). We kept passing people with these Primark bags, so we decided to head there. It's supposed to be a really inexpensive store, and guess what? It was! It was simply mental, a mad house! People were everywhere, grabbing things and putting them in baskets, and there was NO space. It was SO hot! But it was understandable because everything was so cheap. Winter coats were like, 10 to 12 pounds, shirts for 3 pounds, stockings for 1 pound, it was mental! We managed to look around and discover that they sell SHOES. And not just junk shoes, really good shoes, for like 6-8 pounds or so! Boots, flats, trainers, you name it. It was way too busy to shop, however, and Jennifer and I were getting really over-heated. We decided it was best to come another day, in the morning when it opened. So we set out to take the tube home! When we got back, it was pretty early, but we felt so tired, so we chilled out for a little bit. I looked up what books I needed and other materials and decided it was best to try and find them at the library (because I didn't want to buy any books I didn't really need..) so Jennifer and I set out to the library.

Sadly, they didn't have the book I needed, but we did manage to find the vast DVD collection the library had to offer. We picked out I <3 Huckabees and went to see if the bookshop was closed. It was, so I decided to buy the book on Tuesday after classes. We went back to our flat, ate dinner, showered, and set up the movie. I have to tell you, that movie is really really weird. So much was going on that was so random, that we decided to get to bed instead of continuing.

Today I woke up at 8:30 to get ready for my lecture and seminar at 10. I felt so nervous! I didn't really know what to expect, but I was also excited. I'm so ready to start classes, I feel like I'm so behind! The class I had today was Literature from the 8th to the 16th century, and we're starting out with Old English and its' background. It was a pretty fascinating lecture, I think, and I'm excited to keep learning. Right after was my seminar which was in a VERY small room, but my Professor is really funny and nice, so it went well. We were supposed to discuss the Medieval period and then we looked at some riddles. It's funny, because the first one we did was sort of an 'inside' joke thing, and the second was a little bit dirty. Turns out medieval writers liked dirty jokes as much we people in modern times do. Funny, huh? After the seminar I went and met up with Jennifer to go to the International Lunch (or whatever it's called,) and got some free lunch along with some other students. It's run by Reverend Jenny here, and a woman from the church we went to on Sunday named Dorothy. They're both really sweet, and it was pretty good, just not a lot of food. We ate with our flat-mate Rayna and talked a little bit about our schedules and such. When we finished, we set out to do some MORE school business. I swear, I feel like I've been doing school things in preparation since I arrived here! We went to the library to find the books Jennifer needed, then to the bookstore to buy the books we both needed (I got my HUGE Shakespeare book, 33 pounds!), then back to the flat to drop some things off, then I had to turn in my module paper and get my Henry the Vth ticket for tomorrow (it's mandatory to see it at The Globe theatre for my Shakespeare class,) annnddd then we set off to Argos to buy saucepans! I forgot just how far it is to walk, but we made it! On our way back, we were getting hungry so we decided to stop at the same place we went for dinner with Julie because they have a lunch-special; fish and chips and a cup of tea only 3.99. It was delicious as always, and the tea was just lovely. We set back to our flat and set out to watch the rest of I <3 Huckabees because it was due back at the library today. Let me tell you, that is one WEIRD movie. It was funny, but strange, mostly about existentialism and life. Crazy. We ended up getting Girl, Interrupted. It was already 6:00, and we planned to go to the church for International Tea and Coffee (for international students and such) so we just mulled around (and got ice cream!) before heading to the church. We got there early, so we started playing games like table tennis and fooseball to pass the time. Again the tea was delicious. I think I like it more here because they drink it with milk. It just tastes creamier and smoother! After we finished our tea, we came back to the flat and made a small dinner (because we were still full from our late lunch). I made breakfast, actually, scrambled eggs, toast with nutella, some more tea, and some fruit.

Wow, I feel like I'm too detailed with my blog updates.. tell me if I am! Tonight consists of watching the movie I rented and getting to bed. I don't have classes tomorrow or Thursday, but I do have the play tomorrow and I have to read Henry the V before class on Friday an Beowulf by next Tuesday, so I'll probably do that when I'm on down time!

Cheers!
<3

Here Comes the Sun

Happy Sunday to you all!
This weekend has been really nice, actually. It's the weekend before school starts (I know, so late!) so I'm glad it ended up being a good, nice, weekend. Saturday we woke up a little later than usual. We were going to go on our Harry Potter tour, but we had plans for later that day and we didn't think we could fit in it. We will go on this trip, I'm just not sure when! Instead, we went grocery shopping at Sainsbury's.

Okay, so I don't think I've really said this before, but I totally miss my car. I've taken advantage of it, and I'm sorry car. I miss you so, so much, and my arms do too. Sainbury's isn't super far, but it's quite a ways walking distance, and this really adds up when you've bought enough food (plus water and washing detergent) to fill five bags, all balanced on your arms and shoulders. Geez, I'm still kind of sore from it. Hopefully when I go back to the states I'll have some amazing upper-body strength!

After that, we went back to the flat, put everything away, and ate lunch. It was pretty lazy then, because it was already around 2:30 and our plans started at 3:15. We were to meet up with my friend Julie and some of her friends to go to the 'Pyjama' party. There was to be pizza and some movies for a five pound entrance. I filled this time with facebook and skyping my parents, of course!

When the time came, Jennifer and I walked over to the building next to us and met up with Julie, Amanda, Jazzy, and Tom. We got a little lost finding the place, but we ended up succeeding, no worries! Walking inside, it was.. less than I had expected. They had one flat screen TV that was supposed to accommodate about 50 or 60 people, and the volume wasn't very loud. They were showing The Hangover, which I've never seen before. It turned out to be an okay movie, nothing too special, but it was pretty funny. After that, Julie and her friends were really hungry (they hadn't brought us pizza..) so they decided to meet up with their two friends at this local bar. I've forgotten the name, but I know it has white or moon in it.. It's kind of confusing, since it has two names but I guess it's for the two parts.. anyways.. it was a nice place. We had always passed it going to Barclays or Sainsbury's or the Co-op, but never stopped by. The food was relatively cheap and delicious! Jennifer and I had the fish and chips (fancy version, mind you) and it was DELICIOUS! Mm, I loved it truly. They have a deal there, burger and a beer for 3 something I think, which is pretty good considering. We will definitely be back! There we met Daphne and Josh, two American students. It was nice, meeting new people and talking and just having a nice good time. After that, we ended up leaving and going to the Co-op to buy some drinks and head back to Julie's flat. Their flat is so fun! The people are nice, and don't really drink a lot, and really really funny. We sat around, some people drank, listened to music, just calm, cool stuff. Some people ended up going to another party (I think a birthday party..) so Julie, Amanda, Jennifer, and I ended up in Julie's room watching Paranormal Activity. It wasn't SUPER scary, but it still scared me, even though I already knew what was going to happen. Sometimes that can be worse, or better, I can't decided which.. Right before the movie ended, Tom came back from the party and joined us. We watched the ending (and the alternative ending, which wasn't all that great,) and Tom set us up to watch The IT Crowd and The Inbetweeners, two British shows. They were pretty funny, although some of the humor was lost on me because I didn't get the references, but they were pretty good. After that, Jennifer and I went back to our flat, and went to bed.

Today! Oh, today was great. I mean, it's still ongoing, but you know, I thought now would be the best time to blog about it! We woke up and left the flat at 10 to go to this church Jennifer had found online. It's called ELT Baptist Church. It's down the road and across the street from campus and it's not too big, but not too small. We were welcomed with open arms and the people were delightfully nice. The service was, of course, different from what I'm used to, but still a good service. Afterward they had tea and coffee (which was openly welcomed, seeing as I was still a little tired,) and a lot of people came up to talk to us. We were introduced to so many people, I hope I remember their names for next Sunday! We filled out visitors cards and chatted with everyone we could. At around one, they hosted a small lunch, mostly for new comers and international students. There were choices in what we ate, but I had Chili con Carne (which was much less spicy than my mom's,) and rice, and Bread Pudding (which was different than I expected,) for dessert. I got a little Apple Crumble too, because it just looked so yummy! We sat and talked while we ate and afterward and got a lot of information about Bible Studies and International Student things, and they even do trips around London! This upcoming Saturday they'll be going to Greenwhich (somewhere I really want to go,) and I'm pretty sure Jennifer and I are going. We spent a collective five hours there and met so many people and had wonderful food. I'm really happy we went! All in all, good Saturday morning (: Now it's time for my weekly Sunday nap, and I'm not sure what's going on tonight, but I'll update you all if anything happens!
Cheers!
<3

Octopus's Garden

The past few days have been really uneventful, sorry guys! It's just getting everything ready for classes and such, which is a long drawn out process and really, really annoying. It's more of find everything out yourself and not much help from professors or advisers.. Yeah, it's a mess, but I'm trying to be optimistic about it.

Like I said, Wednesday and Thursday were mostly school related days, although Thursday Jennifer and I woke up at 11 (yay!) and it was my first rainy day in London! Of course, I forgot to bring an umbrella, but I was able to go buy one at Budgen's for pretty cheap. Also on Thursday, we enjoyed looking through the Farmer's Market, which is right in the center of campus and features a lot of local vendors, kind of. They sell their meat, eggs, breads, veggies, fruits, drinks, that kind of thing, some cheap, while others are about the same price. It's convenient and nice though. I bought some sourdough bread (delicious!), eggs, lettuce, and some flowers for our flatmate Lenka, whose birthday was yesterday. She really appreciated them, and thanked us. She's a sweet girl, just a little too much party for me!

After the Farmer's Market was when I bought my umbrella, and we went to the bank for some money, and went to Sainsburys for some more food. I feel like we go so often! But it's food.. so... I guess it's okay? After that we stopped by the Blockbuster because they were having an incredible deal on movies! Preowned ones were 3 pounds each, and four for 10 pounds. I ended up buying The Office (UK version) season one, Baby Mama, Bend It Like Beckham, Dan in Real Life, and Little Miss Sunshine. Little Miss Sunshine wasn't a part of the deal, so I had to pay 3 pounds for it, but the total for all of those came out to 13 pounds! Pretty good, right? After that, I had to go print out my receipt for a book I need for one of my classes and got it from the english department. We came back to the flat, feeling accomplished. It was a really lazy day (other than Jennifer getting some school stuff done,) so we just hung around until later that evening.

Lenka turned 19 yesterday, and invited a BUNCH of people over for a celebration with lots of different drinks and stuff. We went and bought a little cake for it, and Jennifer and I mostly stayed away from it, because it got a little rowdy. They all had tickets to get into this place called the Ministry of Sound where they were having a neon rave for freshers (freshman) all over London. It wasn't something we wanted to do, so we stayed behind with Rayna. We ended up talking and just chilling out. Jennifer and I were going to watch a movie, but my laptop wasn't producing any sound.. so we just called it quits and headed to bed.

Today I woke up around 9:30-10, and started getting ready. Jennifer had a meeting/appointment thing to go to for one of her classes, and I was supposed to be ready by the time she got back. When she returned, we went out to settle a couple more things for her classes and came back to plan what we would be doing today. We were SUPPOSED to get things ready for a Harry Potter tour, but we couldn't find a place to print the instructions and it was raining again. We ventured to the Curve where they were having a poster sale, 3 for 10 pounds. I ended up getting two Beatles posters, Abbey Road and the Revolver CD cover, and a little one with John Lennon in it, a quote under him reading, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Oh John Lennon <3 We went back to the flat to drop my treasures off (and hang them up, of course,) and decided what we would do next. We had been planning on buying tickets to a Hot Hot Heat showing here in October, so we decided we might as well go out and buy them then. 20 or so minutes after a tube ride, we ended up in Camden Town, which is one of the coolest, nicest little places to find! We bought our tickets (12.50!) and set out to explore. We stopped at an Italian coffee place and ordered some hot chocolates (they had Belgian chocolate sprinkles!) and walked around, seeing what was there. I have to tell you, it's a real treasure! There are little outdoor markets and lots of places to eat! Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, pubs, diners, you name it! It was so nice to see what the little shops offered. I ended up buying a bag that has the Beatles on it for 10 pounds! I feel like I'm spending so much, but I had to have it. A little while later, we decided it was time to head back (since it was getting to that time where the tube was going to be packed with people getting off of work and such).

Since then, I have been here calling my parents and siblings through gmail (free calling!) and talking to them for a little. It was nice to hear their voices and see what they were up to. I really miss home. I think I'm a little home-sick, but I'm sure once classes start, I'll be okay. I just ate dinner, and I think Jennifer and I are going to watch Baby Mama tonight. Hope everything is going well with everyone. I miss you guys!
<3

I-Me-Mine

I'm so sorry everyone! I know I haven't written in a couple of days, but I just get back so exhausted that I don't feel like typing it out! Let's see what I remember..

Sunday: Jennifer and I set out to Argos to get my sheets and duvet and pillows. Argos has to be one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen. It's a big place where you order what you want. You look through a catalog, write down the number, and hand it to a cashier to see if they have it in stock. From there, you pay and wait for them to take it out of storage. Yeah, weird, right? They don't get the luxury of shopping around and handling the product they want, so I had to hope that the duvet and duvet cover, etc, was okay. They are, they're nice (after I had to pick others out because the ones I wanted were sold out..) and they do the job. After that we took the bus back to campus to drop off out stuff. From there, we just walked around the city, and ended up going to soho, which is a really nice strip with stores and restaurants. We were looking for  a place we had found online to eat called Square Pie, but we had no such luck. We ran into this lovely place right here and decided to try it!:

It was delicious! The sushi was all wrapped individually, and we're going to have to go back to try the ramen, famen, and bentos. So exciting! After we ate (not in the place, because it would've cost extra to eat in!) we went to the Disney store to look around. It was two stories, and so cute! They had awesome pictures on the wall of Mickey and friends all around London. I managed to sneak a couple of pictures. After that, we just kind of walked around, deciding after awhile to go back. We picked up some groceries and headed back to the flat, where we ran into our flat-mates.

Okay, I have to tell you about our flatmates. They are super awesome and super sweet. There's Alice, from southern England, Lenka from Slovakia (who also lived in Spain for awhile,), Rina who is from China (and is limited on English, but very willing to practice!), and Bea who just moved in from Spain Monday. We are so diverse! To celebrate, Lenka decided to pop out some drinks and go to Drapers, the bar on campus. So Lenka, Alice, Jennifer and I went to Drapers. It was not what I expected. A bar with loud music and tables, but also a DJ and dance floor, and also pool tables. It was nice, but not really my scene, so Jennifer and I bailed out early. We had orientation early Monday morning, so we got to bed.

Monday: Orientation was at 9:20 or something. I don't remember really, I just knew I had to get up early. Sad day ): Gibney filled us in on what we were going to be doing the next few days and some other people (the Reverend and Ceri, who is a guy) talked about church on campus and getting to know London, and a girl who had come two years before came to talk about her experience here. It lasted three hours, and we were glad to get out. We went to get something for lunch at Rockin In (that had weird mince meat hamburgers and dodgy ketchup) and just walked around. I honestly don't remember much after that haha, it's what I get for forgetting to blog. But it wasn't anything exciting. Bea came and moved in and we met her, and Lenka decided to pour some drinks and we went to Drapers bar, but this time, with some girls across the hall, Aman, Rawan, and Neha, and Rayna joined too. However, Rina couldn't get in because she forgot her passport, so Jennifer, Rayna and I left to go back to the flat, and went to bed. I feel so lame, but partying just isn't my thing!

Today was fun! I had to get up for my enrollment, which wasn't so fun, but I got registered and I got my ID card! After that, I headed back to my room and chilled out until our module meeting. Gibney told us all about how we sign up for classes and add and drop them, plus anything we all had to know especially for our departments. Like me, I have an induction for the English department tomorrow. Yay, how exciting! I'll be able to meet other people in my classes (: After that, Jennifer and I went to see the business department guy (for Jennifer, not me!) so that he could sign something for her to take business classes. I ended up seeing the girl I saw at the airport with the cool Beatles shirt, and we hit it off great. We exchanged numbers, and I hope to hang out with her more (: Jennifer and I got fed up with waiting, and had lunch at The Curve, a cafeteria like place on campus. It was pretty good, and only £3.95! I had a lamb steak with little potatoes and cauliflower and peas. Also, some little pastry.. I think it was a krueller or something.. either way, it was good! After that (and texts from my friend and Jennifer's friend,) we headed to the right room, and Jennifer got her information. We went about trying to get our own classes signed (which some happened and some didn't,) and headed back to the flat. We had decided we were going to see Big Ben, and invited Rayna.

It was a long trip on the tube with many stops, but it was so much fun! We arrived and Big Ben was right there when we got out of the tube station. It was beautiful, as was the house of Parliament. We took awhile, taking pictures of Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye across the way, as well as stunning pictures of the Thames river. I have to tell you, if you know me, you know I take a LOT of pictures! From there, we walked on to see the rest of the Parliament building and the surrounding area. That part of London, Westminster, is really pretty. I kind of wish that we lived there, but I like the place I am quite well either way! We did get a big lost, but turned around and shot a few pictures of Westminster Abbey. I wanted to go in, but it was closed to only tours ): Sad sad. I got lovely pictures of it and St. Margaret's church though! Afterwards, we set off to find Buckingham Palace, which was quite a walk away, but definitely worth it. We ended up passing St. James' park, which was GORGEOUS. I wanted to spend all day there, but we didn't have much time and my feet were already starting to hurt. I'll definitely have to go back to see it, and ride the London Eye. Finally, we reached Buckingham Palace, which, truthfully, was beautiful, but it was lacking. I thought it would be more.. spectacular, but it wasn't much more behind the gate. Either way, it was pretty, as well as the fountain.statue type structure in front of it. After that, we decided it was late enough and started the long walk back to the tube station.

After a very cramped ride, we went back to the flat to chill out. Lenka started talking about plans to head back to Drapers and stuff, but we mostly sat around talking and laughing and planning things to do. It took awhile before we decided to check out what was going on there, (Alice had heard they were doing quizzes and Bingo,) and sure enough, that's what it was. We were too late to participate though, so we ended up going back.

And now you're all caught up! Sorry its not terribly exciting, but now I have to get to bed so I can wake up for my induction tomorrow (: Goodnight!
<3

Act Naturally

I feel like I have so much to write about!
Well, tada! I'm in London, and it took SO LONG to get here!
My flight (at 1:15 pm not 4 pm..) was late flying out, but still a nice 2 hour flight. I got through security and all that smoothly, got myself a coffee and waited. I sat on the aisle seat and the other woman sat on the window seat, with an open seat between us. I slept for about half of it, thankfully. Usually I can't sleep a wink on airplane rides. When we got there, I expected a mass mess of chaos from friends. Thankfully though, it was basic and I only had to walk across the airport to my gate. I had a four hour lay-over, where I ate a really gross sandwich (ugh!) and played a game on my laptop. I figured I should buy myself a snack for the long flight and go to the bathroom, so I left the gate about an hour and 20 minutes before boarding. On my way back, I looked at the flight boards (just to be sure I was right) and O'Hare decided that my gate had changed.

Needless to say, I booked it to the correct gate, which, consequently, was on the other side of the airport. I walked as fast as I could and made it with time to spare. It took only about 20 or so minutes to board and I got a nice aisle seat in the middle next to a girl a little bit older than me. I didn't quite catch her name, but she was from Milwalkee and was going to stay a year in London getting her Masters in Pharmacology. She was really nice and ended up helping me get through immigration and getting my bags before she left with her boyfriend and I was ushered over to the Queen Mary group. Sorry to skip ahead, but my flight wasn't all too much to talk about other than the crazy turbulence. I fell asleep at around 5 am (or 11 pm Texas time) and was woken up by the plane shaking. It was really scary, but I knew it would be okay. I fell asleep again and woke up to breakfast being served. The first thought I had was, 'Oh, good, I'm still alive, then!' What a wonderful way to wake up! Anyways, since we were at the back of the plane, it took FOREVER to get off, but it was alright, as neither of us were in such a big hurry.

I found the Queen Mary representatives and walked over, signed in, and had a seat. I know, I've been sitting for hours, but I just couldn't stand for some reason. I missed the first bus, so I had to wait until about 1 pm (i had arrived at London at 10 am and it took about an hour for immigration, and then about five minutes for my bags, when I showed up at the correct spot,) and then until around 1:30 or 2 pm to actually start the bus ride. Let me tell you, it was a little surreal. I still hadn't processed that I was actually in LONDON. Tell you the truth, I still don't really feel it, even after walking around everywhere! Everyone was really tired, so the bus ride was mostly quiet. It took about an hour or so to actually get to the campus because of traffic, but it was worth it. I promise I'll have pictures up later, right now I'm trying to push this blog out before bed. I'm so exhausted!

Anyhow, we got there and immediately went to go check in. I got my keys (they're actual big keys!) and went up to the top floor, flat 16, room E. It's a really quaint little room, big enough for me, with a sink an mirror in my closet, a desk with chair, a single bed, a side table and lamp, and three shelves. It's nice, nothing too bad. Again, I'll post pictures later. There are four other girls who live in the flat with me, and we all share two toilets, one of which is coupled with the shower, and the other with only a sink and mirror, and a little kitchen with a gorgeous view. It's really lovely, not the best accommodation, but rather homey but cute. After I got my things inside, I settled down and skyped with my parents to check in. Somewhere in between, Jennifer showed up with her brother and sister-in-law. After she had taken care of things (and I had freshened up a bit,) we headed out to get some money! Well, mostly me. I bought my Oyster card and we took the tube (which is VASTLY over-rated. It's much the same as the underground in Maryland or Tokyo,) to SOHO, where Jennifer wanted to look around, and where I could exchange currency. I originally wanted to go to the post office, but they were closed already ): I managed to get some pounds (which, the rate is extremely bad, and most places charge you for it..) and we walked over to buy me a phone. My phone is little and so far back in time that it surpasses even my very first phone. Well, I guess I take that back, my first phone was black and white, and this one is in color.. but you understand what I mean. Here's what it looks like:

Excuse my face, as I've said before, I'm terribly tired. Anyways, after that, we went to find a better place to exchange currency, but found nothing too much better than before. Giving up, we set out so I could go buy some bedsheets and a pillow. We ended up at Sainsbury's, a little store like Wal*mart. I ended up buying some water, soap, toilet paper, and kindereggs! I ate it all before I could take a picture, but I'll be getting more soon. I was going to buy sheets there, but Jennifer said that the other place (where she bought hers) had cheaper ones. We set out to find it, and it was closed ):

That's another thing.. things close to early here! Except for the bars and pubs, of course, which we didn't explore tonight because we had walked clear across the world and we were VERY tired. We were going to go eat Fish and Chips at a little place nearby, but it was full of weird gross men and it kind of smelled.. it was already dark and we had bags with us, so we decided that it was not the night to try Fish and Chips.. So we ended up going to... Pizza Hut.

Yes, yes, I know. I go all the way to London, and end up eating Pizza Hut for dinner. It was really the only thing nearby and open and not filled with creepy people, and it was actually quite good. I don't much care for Pizza Hut in the states, but here it was good, and not too expensive. The only thing is that the service is very lax. Europeans like to sit, and take their time. They're not like us, where we get in, eat, and leave (most of the time, that is..) so it was weird when we had to flag down our waitress to take out order, and flag her down for the check. After that, we walked and walked and WALKED back to campus. I swear, I hadn't walked that much in a LONG time, so my feet hurt, and STILL hurt! We wandered around campus, trying to find the laundry room (and found both, but Jennifer didn't have change on her to do her laundry like she wanted to..). After that, we just wandered around, seeing what was there, and how nice the other dorms were, but I do like it in my own dorm. It's cozy and just right for me. I don't need fancy things as long as I have a bed and a locked door.

After we got back, we met another flat-mate of ours, named Alice. We don't know much about her, but I'm sure we will know more soon. She invited us to the bar nearby, but we were too exhausted to accept. Next time, definitely! I then proceeded to shower, and unpack a little. It was only when my parents skyped me that I found out it was actually 12! I decided that (after looking up what I was going to buy at Argos tomorrow,) I should probably write up my blog. I'm sorry if it's lacking in detail, but I really just wanted to update this about my first day in London! I'll have pictures and more stories up tomorrow (: Goodnight everyone!
<3

The Night Before

So this past week has gone by SO fast!
Monday was mostly looking for stuff I needed, etc. etc.. Tuesday was the same, except I got the chance to hang out with Emily and go to the movies. This was even more awesome because we got to see a pre-screening (or whatever) of Easy A (: It's coming out tomorrow in theaters, but Michelle gave me a two ticket pass to see it on Tuesday night! So at around 5:30 I set out to get Emily at her house. From there (and thanks to Kelli and her gps,) we got to the Huebner Oaks AMC theater wayyy across the world. Holy cow, that movie is HILARIOUS. I highly recommend it. Emma Stone is such a good actress, definitely someone to look for in upcoming movies. She's only done comedy movies, which is fine with me! She's awesome!

After the movie, we set out for home, but we were hungry.. so we ended up driving around, trying to find somewhere to eat. Finally, Emily spotted a Ruby Tuesdays, a place that we had never been before. We didn't even know we had one in San Antonio! So we park and go inside, expecting a Red Robin-like atmosphere, but it turns out it's a little fancier than we hoped for. So here we are, in t-shirts, jeans and flip-flops, waiting to be seated at this fancy place. It was funny, because of course this would happen to us. The food was good, not anything amazing, and we had a creepy waiter, but it was fun. I drove Emily home and headed back to get some sleep.  Yay for an awesome night (:

Yesterday consisted of getting my hair cut! Hoorah! Finally, I made an appointment and went to get my hair trimmed. It's nothing drastic or anything, just a trim and a style, but I needed it. I got to talk to my hairdresser (and friend of the family now, I suppose,) John about where I was going and stuff. It was pretty cool. Afterward I went home and helped my mom make dinner. My tio Toni and tia Judy came over for dinner and a last hoorah. It was nice to see them and talk to them. We don't get to see them very often.

Oh man, so last night was crazy. I could NOT sleep. I felt that queasy sea-sickness stomach ache feeling and my mind would not stop racing! I mean, I'm really excited to go, but I'm nervous at the same time. I can't believe that I'm leaving tomorrow! It's been four months, and everyone is gone, and now it's my turn. It's not like I've never flown alone, but it still makes me nervous. I don't want to miss flights or have my luggage lost like when I went to Japan. Ugh, that wasn't the most pleasant thing ever. At least the Japanese people were nice to me.

So about my flight; I'll be leaving at 4 pm from here to Chicago. I'll spend a little time at the O'Hare airport (about 4 hours..) and from there I go straight to Heathrow airport in London! I'll arrive at about 10 am where someone will pick me up from the Queen Mary and take me directly there. I'll hopefully be able to find Jennifer and we will go on our adventure of buying sheets and things we need for school! Ahhh so nervous. Wish me luck, everyone! The next time I update this, I'll be in London!! (or, in route to London..)
<3

With A Little Help From My Friends

So today was amazing (:

After like, 6 or 7 years, I got to see one of my best friends, Aaron! He moved a long time ago and I haven't seen him since. I've been talking to him but he's been in Hawaii, and it's not so easy to just come along and visit. He's going to UT now (gross! (: ) so he came down to see me before I left for England!

He was a little late (because he's not so used to driving around here..) but he came to my house and it was so great to see him! We headed over to Emily's for Dillyn and Analiese's combined birthday party. He's always welcomed with open arms, what a lucky guy (: We hung out there until Em had to go to work (boo ): ) and just went to my house to hang out. It has been so long, it was wonderful just to be able to sit across from him! I was so used to just seeing him through skype, it was weird to see him in person (:

It doesn't seem like much, but it was a pretty great day! Thank you, Aaron, for coming to see me! It was awesome.
<3
p.s., 5 days until England!

I Don't Want To Spoil the Party

The past two days have consisted of getting my things together and buying food and supplies for the big event;
My Going Away Party!
It was a lot of fun. I had lots of family and friends and Isliana made an amazing cake for me! (Of course, I bought it, and I highly recommend their business! Here is the link to Krizzy Cakes!)

It was marble cake with buttercream frosting and fondant. It was delicious! This was the end result:

Of course, there was tons and tons of wonderful yummy food. My mom made fajitas, chicken, sausage, hot dogs, bratwurst, corn, and beans. My tia Dianna made her spanish rice, and my dad and I put together fruit trays and vegetable trays. I didn't get a picture of it all, but here's a look at the spread:

It was a great way to tell everyone where I was going, how long I'd be there, and little details. It was also nice to see everyone before I left. Most said they'd stop by and see me once more before I left, which I don't mind at all. I love my family, and my friends! Michelle was able to stop by after work (even though she was exhausted!) and Emily made it over with Kelli and Asia. It was really nice to see them and be able to share great food and just be together. I'll definitely miss everyone when I leave!

Jennifer is already overseas. She went to London and is now in Paris with her brother. She told me that she loves the French more than the Brits, but we'll see about that! I leave in less than I week, I can't believe it. I'm so excited, but nervous at the same time. I talk to my sister Melissa about the airport I'm going to and things like that. It's nice to talk to my sisters. I wish they could be here before I left, but I got to see both of them this summer, so that's good enough for me!

Well, I should probably get to bed.. I'm really tired and I have church in the morning! It'll be my last Sunday before I leave, so I'm definitely going and in a dress I just bought recently. Aaron is also coming down from Austin to see me, which will be lots of fun. Goodnight!
<3

Day Tripper

These past few days have been alright, seemingly uneventful, but I suppose blogging about it anyways is fun. Although I am not as gifted as other writers, I figure maybe it might entertain some people hearing about my drab life.

So, let's see, yesterday? Yesterday was the start of The Flood (part two, cue many many BIC references). I woke up early to go to North Start mall for an appointment at Toni&Guy. Before anyone asks, no, I didn't get a very expensive haircut. One of my good friends, Michelle Farrow, just got a job as a stylist there. She needed me as a model because I have curly/wavy hair. So, at around 9 in the morning, she curled my hair (in a really neat way I will be using in London,) then washed it again and dried it with a flat brush, and then straightened it. It turned out really nice, and she learned really quickly. I'm so proud of her! Afterward, I ventured over to the new, huge Forever 21 and bought myself a super cute outfit. Michelle got off early, so we went and ate lunch and sat and talked. She's amazing, and I've known her since around elementary school. We loitered around the mall for a little bit more because the weather was horrendous that day, but left before traffic got too bad.

As I got home, I noticed that the power was off. My mom said that it had been around since around 12 or so. The rest of the night consisted of us trying to find flashlights and candles, mostly. As the night went on, it got more and more hot in the house. No AC :/ It was SO hot that when I finally went to bed, it was unbearable. I could hardly put a sheet over myself. I drifted off sometime, but I didn't get off that easy. Around 12 or so, a huge crazy storm broke out. It was storming so bad and so loudly, and the heat wasn't helping. I moved to a cooler room and finally got to sleep around 1 or 1:30. Thankfully sometime in the early morning the power went on and I got really cold. Yay for AC!

Today was nothing special, just getting up at 11 (I was so tired!), dropping my mom's car off, and shoe shopping. Have I told you just how much I love Famous Footwear? It's truly amazing that they have such great shoes at lower prices. I ended up buying new tennis shoes and some gorgeous boots. I have to show them off, because while they are gorgeous, they are also comfortable!
Lovely boots that I now own and are ready to walk the London streets! I'm so excited! Now I only need a few more pairs of jeans and some long-sleeved shirts and I'm all good.

My friend Jennifer who is going for the same program as I am is leaving tomorrow! I'm so excited for her and I wish her only the best. She'll be going to meet up with her brother and then going to Paris. Hopefully she'll get everything straightened out with Queen Mary. They seem so slow and incompetent compared to American schools, it's so weird! I officially have four classes (one which I don't know if I need or not actually,) so we'll see how that all works out.

Other than that, I just have to get stuff ready for the 'big party' on Saturday. I don't remember if I've talked about it, but he's throwing me a 'going-away party' before I leave with family and whichever friends I have left here. It'll be corny but fun, and I'm getting my friend Isliana (and her friend) to make me a neat cake like the ones on Ace of Cakes or Cake Boss. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Everything seems to happen so fast.. it's amazing! I can't wait to go. Guess I'll finish this up!
<3

Rock and Roll Music

Man, this weekend was awesome!
So I know I was all bummed about my eye and stuff, but everything was still great!
I left Saturday around 11 (after gassing up and mailing something special out,) and met up with my friend Amber. She's super awesome and one of my good psych friends. I went to her apartment and unloaded and from there we went to try to go to the bookstore so I could get Office for like, $15, but it was super packed with freshman parents. From there, we went and picked up Amber's friends Katie and Stephanie.

See, this guy, Ekpe Udoh, was a player for the Baylor basketball team and is now in the NBA. He was going to show up at the game early to give out autographs and stuff, so we went early (about 3 hours early). It was SO hot! But it was totally worth it, especially for Amber!

She claims that he's her husband (: After that, we went to go secure out seats. We still had a good hour or so before the game started. Man that Texas sun is hot, especially in your eyes! But it was all worth it. The game was awesome, and we beat Sam Houston 38-3! Sic'em Bears!

As you can imagine, I was SUPER tired. However, Amber had more in store. We ended up leaving and going and getting ready for the fraternity stoplight party. It was alright, nothing too special, but it was fun! As you can imagine, I was SO tired. We got to bed late, and woke up early because Amber (and her sister, Shannon, who went with us,) wanted to go back home early. I got my things together and met up with miss Hannah!

I love Hannah, she's such a sweetheart and a really amazing person. I picked her up from her dorm and we went to Cafe Cappuccino, a really great breakfast place. Luckily we got there before it got really packed. From there, we went on an adventure to find this used bookstore. We found it alright, but it was closed, as well as some interesting things along the way, like a place that sold Ghost Hunting equipment, and a castle! It was gorgeous.

It's called Cottonland Castle, and was built for.. cotton! Another man used it after for his home, which Hannah and I would not mind doing. It was really pretty and a true treat. After that, we ended up going to find other used bookstores, but they were all closed, so we ended up going to Books A Million. Luckily, we caught our friend Emily before she left for her grandparents, and met up at Starbucks to talk for a little. It was nice to see so many people before going over seas for three months! After that, Hannah and I did a little shopping and had lunch, and I was off back home.

Needless to say, I am REALLY sore but REALLY happy that I got to spend a weekend at Baylor/in Waco. I didn't know just how much I missed it! Only 11 days until England!!

<3

Oh! Darling

These past few days have been something, I tell you what!
Okay, so yesterday I bought a lot of winter clothing. Undershirts, long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, all that jazz. And! I bought a laptop case. Hoorah! So the only things I really need to get are a camera case and some jeans! I have all of my stuff on the guest bed and the suitcase is there too. I'm so excited, I can't wait! I was supposed to have a great weekend..

And then I was an idiot.
I was getting ready this morning, planning on what I was going to wear and stuff for this weekend, and I put the wrong contacts in the wrong eyes. So I took them both out to switch them. I put my right contact in my eye and such immense pain was not felt since my appendix almost ruptured. So my mom took me to the emergency room. Turns out I scratched my eye. I spent about 3 hours in that place getting my eye looked at. It's nothing serious, just a mild scratch, but it still hurt like many many curse words. So thus delayed my awesome trip to Waco :/

I was supposed  to go up today and hang out with Amber, then stay at her place, go to the football game and all that stuff. I'm still going to go tomorrow for the game (Sic'em Bears!), but it kind of got me down that I couldn't go today :/ I was also supposed to go see Emily play, but I fell asleep x_x; I feel so bad. Things will hopefully look up. Also, I'm buying an eye-patch. Everyone and their mother is convinced that I should wear an eye-patch even though I don't need one. With this goopy stuff in my eye, I guess it's worth it. Oh, my friends are crazy.

Oh, and update on my friends Laura and Bonnie; they made it safely to London, England. They both are excited and love it already. I want to be there! Good luck guys! I'll be there soon, in 13 days!

Guess I'll wrap this one up, goodnight!
And remember, Sic'em Bears!!
<3

Think for Yourself

My quest for a coat has come to an end! Thank goodness for JC Penney's!
They were having a pre-season coat sale. Yay for their random sales, I swear they ALWAYS have SOMETHING on sale! I got this gorgeous piece of wool.
I absolutely LOVE it.

I also definitely put my money on edge.. I ended up buying a toiletries bag and a big carry-on bag from Fossil. In my defense, the carry-on bag was on sale! My mom was the one who pushed me.. so I bought them! Hoorah! Now all I really need is a laptop case/backpack, camera case, and some little odds and ends. Mostly warm clothes.. They had some long-sleeved shirts at JC Penney's but those weren't on sale yet haha.

Oh man, so they opened up a HUGE Forever 21 store at North Star Mall! It's lovely and I could spend all day in there. I think one day I will... someday soon! I think I'll take Michelle or someone. It would be so much fun!

Anyways, I guess I'll wrap this up!
<3

P.S., Holy cow! 16 days! That is all.