For the first time in London...

I did not spend a single pound today!! I know, it's amazing.  I woke up in time for breakfast today.   Yep that's number two so far.  I had a wonderful meal of cereal and some beans on toast.  For those of you who are not privy to the magic that is beans on toast.  Go get some Heinz beans.  Not baked beans or ranch beans, Heinz beans.  Then toast up some white bread and go to town.  It is so good I can't even tell you.  If you don't think so...well...I guess you just don't matter.  Then I made myself a peanut butter sandwich with the supplies that I recently purchased from the local market (Tesco).  I had a bag of chips during the break of my long class which I also purchased at Tesco a week or so ago.  And I have just now returned from dinner where I had pork roast and roasted potatoes.  Surpriseingly the pork roast was pretty good and not in need of salt because the gravy was actually quite flavorful.  However, if I do need salt ever again I have some because..

MY PARENTS SENT ME A PACKAGE!! I just got it today and in good old Mama Johnson fashion is  was fully of healthy snacks.  Win!  It also included a few film related LA Times articles which I thoroughly enjoyed however, the ultimate prize of this package was the In and Out salt packages and the Taco Bell sauce!  Of which I have included a wonderful picture which I think perfectly sums up my happiness at this finding.  I literally could have almost cried when I saw that salt.  Not becasue the food here is in desperate need but because it is so completely and honestly, California Salt!  Life is good.

Falling Into Old Habits.

I have been neglecting my blog.  Obviously that video message was my sad attempt at getting back onto all of your good sides, but I know that people who check daily, I'm talking to you Michelle, and you Amanda, have been sad that I went a week without posting.  So I promise to make a stronger effort to actually update you on things even if they are small and trivial.  No more laziness....I want you to enjoy London with me so here goes some more about this amazingly awesome city.

I took another walk through Hyde Park today.  Just so people are not confused how I can repeatedly walk through the same park over and over here is a map of the place so you can once again try to understand just how big it is.

I sort of wish this map was green, as one would assume a park map would be but....hey what are you gonna do?  I also wished it fit on the page....again we will just have to deal.  So I live just to the south west of this map down off Kensington Road.  The pictures I posted before were all from the Round Pond which you can see is right by Kensington Palace.  But today I made it all the way over to the Serpentine Gallery and yes.....you are reading that correctly, that little red dot just to the right of "Kensington Gardens" says Peter Pan!  I finally found the Peter Pan statue that was a gift from JM Barrie, the man who created Peter Pan and the whole world of Neverland.  Any of you who know me at all will know that it was once my greatest aspiration to be Wendy so I could live in Neverland with Peter Pan forever.  I have pictures with him at Disneyland, and even performed a version of the musical in high school.  Let's just say I love Peter Pan.  Of course I took my picture with it and it brought me great happiness (see pictures below)

I have developed an interesting sleep schedule since getting here.  I guess you could attest it to the fact that when you go out in London....you GO OUT in London.  Any night out doesn't really end until around 2 or 3 so bedtime is looking around 3:30 or 4.  Mom and Dad, sorry if this frightens you.  That would put wake up time around 12:30-1.  This of course creates a viscous cycle because this also means that you won't be going to bed very early.  As I write this at 11:15 it feels as if I'm just getting into the swing of the day.  OK that may be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point.  Late to bed, late to rise I guess.  I'll have to work on breaking this pattern.

Schoolwork is finally starting to feel real.  Which is not making me very happy.  But I am very happy that I get to fill my hours of homework studying exciting things and not boring things.  And when I'm done with homework.....I remember that I still live in London....which tends to make everything better.  I'm giving my first presentation in class tomorrow.  Well I think it should be my only presentation I make this quarter but I decided to take one of the early weeks and get it over with.  I'm talking about the concept of the flâneur.  I had no idea what this was before I read about it so... short academic diversion.  The flâneur is a man of well means, who strolls through Paris, usually in its grand arcades, at a very slow and contemplative pace.  He is most at home in the crowd 1. because he enjoys studying others and 2. because others can notice he is a man of leisure and therefore very wealthy.  My travel writing class focuses a lot on the act of walking and how walking is the only way you can really know a city.  However not every city is set up for walking....hello Los Angeles.  So cities like New York, Paris, and yes, London are all very unique because they lend themselves to really be read like a text, and you can only really read them through walking.  And not just walking to get somewhere, but wandering without purpose.  It's pretty interesting but also a bit of dense reading.  I have some more that I need to do before my presentation tomorrow so I will be wrapping this up soon but I thought you might enjoy learning about the flâneur.  I hope you did.


I will end with some pictures.  A few from this Wednesday's field trip to the Museum of London and some from today in Hyde Park including of course the penultimate picture with Peter Pan!

Pretty church celling.

The rounded grey line that cuts through this square is the outline of the original Roman Gladiator arena.

Original wall around Roman Londinium

The definition of riding in style.

A Grey Heron.  Strange looking bird.

View over the Serpentine.

This is a really cool sculpture that reflects the sky.

Italian Fountains

Me with a swan!!

PETER PAN!  And I was wearing green...too perfect.

This just had to be done.

Surprise Video Message!

Hello! I don't really have anything to report on that is too exciting so I thought I would just leave you with this video message.  Enjoy.

Life Goes On

I'm sorry that it has been a few days since my last post.  I don't have any new pictures for you but I do have a few stories of daily life over here in  London.

1) I had the most difficult time picking out a laundry detergent.  I am lucky because my dorm offers free washing machines and dryers so I needed to get some soap.  I went to the market and was so confused by which type to buy.  Aside from the choice of powder or liquid (which is common in the states as well), I just had the hardest time figuring out which of them were for clothes and which were for dishes.  Because they all looked like Cascade dish soap to me.  Then when I settled on a specific brand (liquid incase you were wondering), I could not pick out the difference between the different types they offered.  I finally decided on some green bottle.  I have yet to use it but I will update you on that works out for my clothes.

2) I had a full day of British food today.  (Because you know I have to talk about the food...always)  This morning, or afternoon really but it was soon after I woke up, I had a traditional english breakfast.  This consisted of toast, beans, one sausage, a fried egg, a mushroom, a baked tomato, bacon, and french fries (chips).  It was so good and most definitely restored my faith in british food.  You do have to get used to the bacon being not crispy, it's a little more like ham than what we call bacon.  Actually the menu I was looking at offered crispy bacon as an "american treat".  Which I thought was pretty funny.  Also you will find pancakes and waffles on the dessert menu.  Then for dinner tonight, I went down to our local pub with my friend Ashley for my first traditional fish and chips with a lovely pint on the side.  It was so good to just sit in our little corner and talk with the football (aka futbol) on in the background.  Just a very chill and calm evening.

3) I found shopping heaven today.  We took the tube into Oxford Circus today.  You can review my earlier post referring to the unpredictable nature of tube to understand that we struggled with this today.  Weekends are a nightmare but, hey, you have to get around I guess.  Oxford Circus is known as a very busy shopping street in London.  On this street you will find the Gap, H&M, small boutiques, Marks and Spencer which is a huge store that sells just about everything, and then we came to Primark.  The closest thing I could compare Primark to is H&M but take that times about 1000.  There are just racks and racks of clothes all grouped by type (jackets, knit wear, shirts, pants...)  You grab huge shopping bags and just start grabbing things.  Of course everything is in uk sizes which make no sense so you just have to guess, but that's kind of ok because everything is super cheap.  They also have shoes, accessories, and even home goods.  Just to give you an idea just how cheap I am talking about, let me give you the rundown of what I got.  Sorry dad, I'm going to be refunding you for a lot of this.  I got a sweater, bracelet, necklace, flats, douvet, douvet cover, pillow case, laundry hamper, and a super cute overnight bag for weekend trips and the grand total was only about 50 pounds.  Such a win and a half.  Of course it was even more fun shlepping that all back on the incredibly busy tube.  I guess that's my workout for the day.

I guess that is all I have to report for the moment.  If you have any questions that you would like me to answer feel free to leave them as a comment! Bye!

Chilly Day In East London

Yesterday was my first field trip for my History of London.  We have field trips every Wednesday, which is nice for me because they are my only class that day.  This trip took us to east london which used to be a very poor area.  It's undergoing a sort of rejuvenation right now, mostly because they are trying to make the city look pretty for the 2012 Olympics, but no matter the reason it's nice that they are improving it because it's got a lot of historical importance.  Charles Dickens wrote about East London in a lot of his novels, the Mayflower set sail from the banks of the Thames in East London, and I learned that East London was the site of the first ever tunnel to go under a river.  They actually built a tunnel under the Thames back in the Victorian period and the same general technique is still used today to build all underground subway systems.  Of course they have gotten a lot more efficient because it took them 18 years to get under the Thames.  My guide Robert said that when people would walk through this tunnel, the would get so nervous that about half way through they would break out into a run.  So they put some shops down there to get people to slow down, and I guess they saying went "The braver you are, the more you shop".  Well there goes your history lesson for the week.

Not much to report really on what I've been up to.  Just classes and meeting more people.  I've found that British teachers tend to be insane but that again is in the best way possible.  My acting teacher is awesome and I think that class is going to be really good.  However I was highly embarrassed when everyone in the class was asked a question and my question was which of the two boys in the class I would rather date.  There was clearly an obvious answer as one was cute and british and the other was not as cute and not british, so I just smiled and said that I had to go with the accent.  I got a very cute wink in return and my face turned 10 shades of red.  Did I mention that the whole thing was getting filmed?  Yes this is a screen acting class after all so I will enjoy re-watching that lovely moment next class.

Ok that's all for now.  Here are some pictures from my East London adventure.

Downtown London

All that is left of the summer home of King Something the Somethingth

This is apparently the longest street in London.

Really pretty clock tower of a church.

Creepy chamber that used to lead to the underground tunnel.  Now you can hear the tube running underneath it.  The door to get in was also about 4 feet tall by 3 feet wide.  Bit of a squeeze.

A Sunny Day

If you can believe it the sun came out today in London!  Everyone was horrified by the burning ball of fire in the sky until they remembered that there was such a thing as sunshine and was immediately excited by the prospect of a little vitamin D.  Don't be fooled...the high was only 43F but I think I'll take it.

Keeping with the food theme that seems to be recurring throughout my entire blog....I woke up for breakfast today.  Yes this is in fact the first time I have been up in time to eat breakfast in my dorm as I am STILL adjusting to the time change.  (Or that may be an excuse for laziness...typical.)  And in more food news, I had a tostada today!!!  Word has gotten around campus that there is in fact mexican food in London.  Where you ask?  The Whole Foods food court of course.  Was it the best tostada ever?  Not really but it was a bit of home and I'm sure others around me were disturbed with the speed at which I ate this marvelous tostada.  Ole!

Classes continue to go well.  My world religion's teacher explained today that he is not very religious.  Which we all laughed about.  He is actually really cool though and I think I will like his class.  I am also happy to report that I have made it to all my classes this week so far.  Something that my UW friends will know I struggle with on the first day for some reason.  The UK has a very strict attendance policy that is set by the government so no worries mom and dad, I will be going to class and not spending my entire time in a pub.

Because it was sunny today I went into Kensington Gardens, which is a part of Hyde Park, and took some pictures.  The sun was just setting and it was so pretty.  So please enjoy some of my favorites.

Am I Surviving After One Week???

The answer is yes!  London has been nothing but amazing for the past week.  I have seen and learned so many things already and I just wanted to update you on a few things that happened this weekend.

I had a good meal!  I know it seems hard to believe but there are a few good places to eat in England.  I went to this Italian place called Da Mario which is just around the corner from my place.  This restaurant is famous because Princess Diana ate there all the time when she lived in Kensington Palace.  And with good reason.  The food was awesome, I had a pizza with mozzarella and italian salami and it was the first well seasoned thing I've eaten all week.  I was very happy.

I had my first night out in Picadilly.  For those of you who have never been to London, Picadilly Square is like the Time Square of London.  There are tons of buildings, shops, restaurants, clubs, pubs, and most of all people!  Picadilly on a Saturday night is just about the busiest place in the city.  The minute we stepped off the tube we were accosted by club promoters trying to get people off the street to come party at their places.  It was super overwhelming but also so exciting at the same time.  It was times like this that I am so happy the be from a big city and not from a small town because I probably would have passed out.  However, I had a mission and was not distracted by these extremely obnoxious club promoters.  We headed down Picadilly to an Irish pub called O'Niels.  Sadly we didn't make it in early enough to avoid cover charge but it was definitally worth it.  O'Neils has three levels with live music on the top and endless amounts of 90s classics on the first two floors.  It's not like the UK is 10 years behind us in music because they play the new stuff also, they just tend to celebrate the forgotten hits of yesteryear a little more frequently than we do in the States.  Every once in a while I was whisked back to those awkward days of peddle pushers and crop tops to the musically destructive times of middle school.  I ended up having a great night and even successfully navigated myself home on the night bus with some friends.  Yes Harry Potter fans, the late night busses are called the "Night Buses" but no, Stan Shunpike was no there and there are no beds on them.

On Sunday I decided to get out of my room and walk around Kensington.  My friend Kristen and I went and walked through Hyde Park after eating our sandwiches on a little bench.  It was all very quaint.  Hyde Park is kind of like Central Park.  It's the biggest park in London at 625 acres and I've decided to make it my mission to see it all while I'm here.  There are a bunch of ponds and lakes and pathways and such all over it.  Not to mention so many cute little british children running around and people walking their cute british dogs.   There are also tons of swans, geese, ducks, and other random birds that you can go and feed.  We got quite close to a few as you can see and they were all quite comfortable with people coming right up and taking pictures of them.  There are also TONS of statues all over the park, including one of Peter Pan which I have not found yet but will let you know when I do.


Then we went into the Natural History Museum.  Most of the museums in London are free to enter and I am lucky because I have 3 that are right down the street from where I am living.  The NHM is really quite large and I thought I would be disappointed after visiting the one in D.C.  But I was pleasantly surprised by how great this place was.  The exhibits were really interactive and visually really exciting.  In the earthquake exhibit, we walked into what looked like a Japanese supermarket.  We were both really confused until the entire room started shaking and swaying with all of the items on the shelves rattling around.  It was a simulation of a large Japanese earthquake (sorry I can't remember what year that was in).  I was actually quite shaken (pun intended) by the whole situation because it hit all too close to home coming from CA.  Kristen is from Mass and has never had to experience a large scale earthquake. I informed her that they were in fact not fun and that we should probably leave the earthquake section immediately.  Another highlight was the dinosaur exhibit, wish is actually a bit lack luster except for the large animatronic TRex that they have.  It moves and roars and was really pretty cool and worth the bit of a wait to see it.

In other news, I was jolted out of the fantasy world I had previously been living in back into reality when  I had my first classes today.  They both seemed very cool and exciting.  My History of London teacher is very eccentric but in the best way possible and I can already see his being my favorite class.  Travel writing is going to be a lot of work reading and writing about authors who specialize in descriptive travel writing.  However, my young british professor seems extremely passionate about the topic which usually serves to inspire me to do my best work.  More updates on that later in the semester.

At the end of this very long blog post I figured I would compile a list of things that I have learned from my first week abroad.  In case any of you feel like coming to visit me or visit London sometime in your life here are perhaps some things to be ready for and think about. Note: please don't think I'm a fatty because a lot of these have to do with food.  It just seems to be the most relevant cultural difference right now.

- There is no ice in the country.
For some reason they can find plenty to dilute your drink with but none when you actually need ice.  Water is generally room temp unless taken out of the fridge and if you sprain your ankle you are pretty much SOL.  (My ankle by the way is doing much better and healing well)

-American food is expensive.
Either learn to live without it or go bankrupt buying it.  You have to just adjust to the british brands because I kid you not, I saw a box of Fruit Loops that cost 8 pounds.  That's just over $12. YIKES!

-There are no trash cans in this city.
Bizarre I know.  Even in restaurants it is hard to find a place to throw your stuff away.  Helpful tip: they like to keep their parks clean so head there for some guaranteed bins.

-Bring salt.
They have not yet learned the wonderful art of seasoning food here in the UK.  Nowhere have I ever seen food that looks so good that just tastes like nothing.  Everything needs salt.

-Follow the signs in the tube.
That is unless it's the weekend, or if it's a holiday, or if they are doing construction, or for some reason that train is delayed, or if the driver is in a bad mood.  Basically the tube is unpredictable...good luck to you.

-Nightlife is all about closing times.
Everything closes at different times here so you have to plan your evenings very carefully or else you will be stuck on the street without anywhere to go.  The general rule of thumb is pubs close at 11, bars close at 1-2, and for those of you who are really hardcore: clubs close at 6am.  NOTE: on April 29th the pubs are allowed to stay open until 1 so that the country may properly celebrate the royal wedding.  What a happy day it will be.

That's enough for now.  I'm sure this semester will bring many more nuggets of information which I will no doubt share with you all.  For now I'm going to start my school reading or else in about 2 days I will already be weeks behind.  Oh and here are a few more random pictures.

Royal Albert Hall....remember? Spice World? Yeah I thought so.

Really cool entrance to the NHM.

Me and my boyfriend Charles Darwin.

No not a castle...the NHM.

Pretty trees in Hyde Park

Prince Albert Memorial...I finally show up in a picture!

Yes that is Bear Grylls....they love him here too!

Just because I want one.

Boat Party!!

Last night was the culmination of orientation week with the boat trip down the thames.  Everyone got dressed up and we all took the tube down to the river.  After getting on the boat we took a four hour trip that let us see all of the best London attractions from the water!  We even went under the famous tower bridge twice which was one of the coolest views i've ever seen.  Please don't get mad but I don't have any pictures because I forgot my camera!! But I'm sure I can creep on Facebook and get some of the other people's pictures and show you a little later.  There was tons of dancing and meeting new friends and I had a really good time...until....I fell.  Yes somebody had spilled a drink on the dance floor, the boat rolled a little, my ankle rolled off my high heel, and next thing you know I'm on the ground.  The fall actually didn't hurt but my ankle hurt pretty badly.  BUT seeing as this was a dance party clearly I was not about to miss out on dancing to my favorite songs.  I was back up in about 5 min and forgot about my ankle until I got home when I took my shoe off to find it very swollen.  This morning it is a little better and luckily not bruised at all.  So there you have it, my first London injury.  I think you would have all been proud of the way I rallied to rejoin the party and made the best of the night anyways.  Champ!!

Today I Became a Local

Today was a very busy and productive day.  I decided that I was done being a tourist and that it was time to make the conversion to being a true local.  What did that entail you ask?  Well I made my first important purchase which was a hair dryer and straightner.  Clearly my priorities were in line.  I also officially set all my clocks to London time because I was tired of adding 8 hrs every time I checked.  That really shouldn't have taken me 2 days but I will blame jet lag for that procrastination.  I also got an Oyster card!  This is my tube/bus/train card that makes me feel super cool because I just have to tap it into this little pad at the station and it lets me on.  You don't even have to take it out of your wallet or purse.  All of the locals have one because the tube is insanely expensive and this card saves you tons if you are traveling around a lot.  Now I never have to buy a paper ticket and look all touristy.  Finally, the most exciting purchase of the day was my phone!  Yes I can finally communicate with the rest of the uk....once I get some uk numbers that is.  My phone number is incredibly long and there is no where I will remember it but I have it written down in my wallet...haha.  Like seriously it's 11 digits long....ridiculous.  The best part about my phone is that I can call you all in the US for a pretty decent rate.  It's 7p per/minute (that's 7 pence not 7 pounds) which is just about the cheapest I have found here so far.  Texting is a bit more expensive at 31p so be prepared to hear my lovely voice more often!!  Big thank you to my friends at Vodaphone for hooking me up with such a good plan.  Finally I thought I would leave my address on here in case any of you want to send me some lovely mail from the states to remind me how wonderful home is...just in case I forget...just kidding (:

My Address is:
Atlantic House
Richmond, the American University in London
1 St. Albans Grove
London W8 5PN
Room #217

Bus Tour Around London

Today I got out of the Royal Borough Of Kensington and Chelsea (which is were I live), and went all around the city on a guided bus tour.  For the first time I was really hit by the fact that I was actually in London.  I saw everything from Westmsinster Abby to the Tower Bridge, the London Eye, and St Paul's Cathedral.  It was a really fun tour and I cannot wait to get out and explore more around the city.  I need to give a small shout out to my tour guide Shawn who was really funny and I'm excited because he is also leading the Jack the Ripper night tour that I'm taking later this week.  So here are some pictures from my tour today hope you enjoy.

Harrods!!! Just down the street in Knightsbridge

Piccadilly Circus.  The Time Square of London.

An Alphie for all of my ADPi sisters!

Yes they actually do have red phone booths.

This were both Madonna and Sir Paul McCartney got their divorces.  Apparently the judges still wear white wigs.

The Tower Bridge...which is not London Bridge but I went over both.

The Tower of London.  This is where 2 of Henry VIII's wives were beheaded. Ouch.

The River Thames with the London Eye and Big Ben in the background.   As you can see it was a gloomy day in London today.

I love how I managed to get 2 union jacks in this picture.  Parliament and some other pretty building?

What's up Abraham Lincoln?  You aren't British...?

I loved how there are gorgeous apartments above the Burberry store.

And of course....Westminster Abby.  Location of the Royal Wedding on April 29.  Still working on my invite.

Just Touched Down In London Town

As I write this I am looking out my window onto some of the most expensive townhouses in all of England...yes I think we can say that I like where I'm living.  Today was a VERY long day of travel...which was only complicated  by the very loud and annoying child who was screaming next to me for my entire 10 hour flight from LA to Heathrow.  I also managed to get my way through immigration and customs and wrangle my substantially heavy luggage through Paddington Station into a cab and safely made it to my dorm...Atlantic House at Richmond University.  The area is beautiful I just returned from a guided walking tour of the neighborhood and I past some very famous houses....well the famous people are mostly dead, like poets and such but some very swanky people still live here based on the number of porches and lotus' I'm seeing.  Let's leave it to say this is the nicest place I will ever live and I'm not going to take it for granted.  I was informed on my tour that I have the countries largest Whole Foods just around the corner which is very near the large Gap, H&M, and of course Starbucks.  So America is never too far out of mind.  I had a great time wandering through just the very beginnings of Kensington Gardens and saw the Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived.  We also went past the Royal Albert Hall and for the inner 9-year-old in all of you....the final scene of Spice World was filmed there...this brought me great happiness.  Currently it is showing a new Cirque du Soleil called "Totem" and I might have to check it out.

The people here are very nice and friendly, everyone just trying to get to know each other.  My ADPi sisters will be happy to know that I found some greeks.  And yes they are from the south (I'm talking to you Amanda!).  In about five minutes I'm going to go to my first official orientation meeting so I'll have to end this quickly but just wanted to give you all the update that I arrived and that so far I am loving it!

To end I would like to express my happiness that Auburn are officially the national champions because no true Husky could ever cheer for a Duck!  War Eagle!

Tomorrow....

So.....I wasn't going to keep updating every time I packed a new item...hence the lack of posts recently.  But I finally have something very exciting to post about which is that I am within 24 hours of leaving!!  Tomorrow at 3:00pm I will officially be sitting in my seat for the next 10 hours.  I have NEVER taken a flight that long and have been racking my brain to figure our how I will be filling the time.  Of course my little friend Tylenol PM will be quite the help but I have also gathered many different things to fill my time.  Thanks to my sister I have a book filled with every People Magazine crossword ever...she knows me too well.  I have also decided to bring a special selection of DVDs with me for the trip because there was no way I was spending 5 months without a movie to watch.  I thought I could go without but then I took a reality pill and picked my favorite 10.  I also have what feels like 100 London travel books because many of you may know that I hate being a tourist.  So I will read as much as possible before a trip to ensure that I look totally in the know when I get there.  Flagging down a taxi...no problem.  Proper tipping etiquette...mastered.  Navigating the tube....may take a while but I will figure it out.  So with my british pounds and passport in hand I will depart this lovely country tomorrow with high hopes that they will let me through immigration.  If not you may be seeing me before you know it!

New Beginnings???

Anybody who knows my mom is by now probably aware that she makes a prediction about what the new year will be like.  Our own personal Nostradamus has predicted earthquakes and shocking deaths...creepy right?!...but this year is a little less ominous with the prediction of 2011 being the year of new beginnings.  I can't really think of a better new beginning than moving to a new country.  And that goal I will tell you has become a little more of a reality because I HAVE BEGUN TO PACK!  Don't be too shocked...this literally consists of myself, with the help and forceful encouragement of my parents, making piles of clothes that I will be taking and separating them from the stuff that will stay behind.  Luckily having a sister who lives 2 hrs away means there is an available room in which to stage all necessary packing.  All forward progress counts!!

So on that happy note I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that you all may find the new beginnings that you are looking for.  If you are not happy with them...well I guess you can blame Mama Johnson!  6 days to go!!