So today's update is pretty minor, but everyone should check out my picasa web album... I'm about to post some sweet pics... well.. they're pretty good... Today we went on a bus tour of London. It was fun, but it was three hours long and at the end we had a reception put on by CAPA (the company in charge of US students). Sounds really great (NOTE: i just explained this to Kathleen over Instant Message... so it's weird to do it again), but there weren't enough seats when we arrived at this event.... and we needed to pay for drinks... There was some food, which was great in a city where things cost a ton of money... but I was still a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong. I love London, but CAPA could have done a better job.
SMALL RANT:
I'm not going to come back to the states with this statement in everyone's face: "London is the greatest place on earth and everyone should travel because it is such an amazing experience. I loved London, I wish I could go back right now!"...
It just won't happen. London is fun. However, being here has its pros and cons like living in Minnesota. This is hardly a vacation in my eyes. I worry about the same things I had at home. What am I going to eat, will I be able to do my laundry, will I get to class or work on time. I still have to walk for about fifteen minutes. I mean... maybe the idea is that students come over here and just drink and party. Which is entirely true for some. Or maybe people think that all we do here is look at landmarks and see famous things. That is true for some of the time. But in truth, life here just goes on as normal to a certain extent. There are a lot of little things that I've needed to get used to. That has been the best part. Trying to fit in is basically the task I have set for myself. that means using the transporation, chatting with the locals, and just getting by. In a way that is the goal of everyone. Getting by. Doesn't sound like fun. Yet, there are a lot of good things that happen while "getting by." "Getting by" is just what we all have to do in order to have and do fun things. Alright... this has gone on long enough. Plus... I'm chatting with people so I keep losing my train of thought.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Darn Minnesota
Last night, before we went to bed, a couple flat mates and I were watching the twins on gamecast (a virtual representation of what's happening). I go to bed after the Twins go up 4-1. I'm feeling pretty good about that. Wake up this morning... we lost 5-6 against the Yankees. I wanted to feel proud that the twins won... but Minnesota has to wallow in shame again in the world of sports... bummer
Friday, May 30, 2008
Check it out
I have a new set of pictures up in the slideshow and my interview for my job is on Monday at 2:30pm.
I'm hungry
About 8PM
Today was a long day. I had my internship orientation today. Then I went and saw Sex and the City. Basically, the friends I was chilling with wanted to go, and I obviously said okay. It was a typical girl movie. Nice clothes, babies, puppies, weddings, etc... all that good stuff. I kind of enjoyed it. But... completely geared towards women.
MIDNIGHT
I just got back from a nice walk with some of my flat mates. Not the bad flat mates, but the nice ones. We went to the top of Primrose hill and then walked to Camden. If you go on google maps, you can look up my address and just scroll a bit northwest and you'll see the area that were were cruising through.
I had my first major meal this evening since I got here. It is super expensive to go/eat out. Basically expect a meal to cost around 7 Pounds ($14)... beer is between 3 and 4 (pounds)... so eating out... if you do it often.. adds up quick... so basically today I left at about 11AM. I ate breakfast at 9AM. I was out until about 8PM. All I bought while I was out was a plumb. Not very healthy, I know... but it has become clear how the rest of the world can be skinny so easily. It is a project to get reasonable priced food in this country. Even tonight, while on our walk, I would have bought some cookies or something at a convenience store... but there are no stores open past 8 and 9 PM. Everything, except a few restaurants (which I've established are frickin expensive)... so basically you don't eat if you don't have any food. That's all for tonight. I'm planning on starting a new feature for this blog that will basically be considered the "weird picture of the day"... it mights be less often than that.. but i'll give it my best shot.. i've got a couple pics I can take already... enjoy
Today was a long day. I had my internship orientation today. Then I went and saw Sex and the City. Basically, the friends I was chilling with wanted to go, and I obviously said okay. It was a typical girl movie. Nice clothes, babies, puppies, weddings, etc... all that good stuff. I kind of enjoyed it. But... completely geared towards women.
MIDNIGHT
I just got back from a nice walk with some of my flat mates. Not the bad flat mates, but the nice ones. We went to the top of Primrose hill and then walked to Camden. If you go on google maps, you can look up my address and just scroll a bit northwest and you'll see the area that were were cruising through.
I had my first major meal this evening since I got here. It is super expensive to go/eat out. Basically expect a meal to cost around 7 Pounds ($14)... beer is between 3 and 4 (pounds)... so eating out... if you do it often.. adds up quick... so basically today I left at about 11AM. I ate breakfast at 9AM. I was out until about 8PM. All I bought while I was out was a plumb. Not very healthy, I know... but it has become clear how the rest of the world can be skinny so easily. It is a project to get reasonable priced food in this country. Even tonight, while on our walk, I would have bought some cookies or something at a convenience store... but there are no stores open past 8 and 9 PM. Everything, except a few restaurants (which I've established are frickin expensive)... so basically you don't eat if you don't have any food. That's all for tonight. I'm planning on starting a new feature for this blog that will basically be considered the "weird picture of the day"... it mights be less often than that.. but i'll give it my best shot.. i've got a couple pics I can take already... enjoy
Thursday, May 29, 2008
At Midnight you can watch the British version of cops... better than British Prime Time
So... today I walked a ton of distance. I don't know why I didn't expect a lot of walking, but it seems so obvious and so healthy. I'll probably loose like ten pounds on this trip because 1. Tons of walking as iterated in the earlier statement and 2. you eat a lot less here because of the high prices. Today, I made a small bowl of rice, which i clearly did not cook long enough. It was disgusting.. but that's just the way it goes... Tomorrow I will try again.. I hope I didn't buy really crappy rice... I need to hit the grocery store tomorrow... eggs are expensive... But in the states they are so cheap... it's not fair. Also, wine is really cheap here. Cheaper than beer. You can get five bottles for $8 at some places. Alright... now to the real show.
To explain today's adventure, it begins with the weather. When I heard that the weather here was unpredictable... i kind of believed it. But this morning, My flat mates and I went to orientation and once it was over, we entered the tube (like we have to do every day). We entered and it was perfectly sunny, we exit and it's overcast. Then, about 10 minutes later, it is raining for the rest of the day. Great... but I did make it to the Natural history museum. I guess Britain is obsessed with Charles Darwin. A nice big statue of him graces the main entrance. After basically wandering, looking for a tube stop, my friends and I went to a grocery store and returned to their place. We then cooked. It was this experience that really opened my eyes to how less expensive it is to eat at home rather than out. My first day here (yesterday), I bought a chicken sandwich and a beer for just over seven pounds. That was without fries or any side. Tonight, we bought salad, bread, pasta, sauce, salad dressing, and wine for 3 Pounds each. Pretty significant difference. Then, to top all of this off, I took the tube back to my place at like 10:30PM. I just tried to look scarier than everyone else, but I didn't need to do that. People were still out, I stuck to the busy streets, and the tube is extremely safe. That's all for now. Goodnight.
To explain today's adventure, it begins with the weather. When I heard that the weather here was unpredictable... i kind of believed it. But this morning, My flat mates and I went to orientation and once it was over, we entered the tube (like we have to do every day). We entered and it was perfectly sunny, we exit and it's overcast. Then, about 10 minutes later, it is raining for the rest of the day. Great... but I did make it to the Natural history museum. I guess Britain is obsessed with Charles Darwin. A nice big statue of him graces the main entrance. After basically wandering, looking for a tube stop, my friends and I went to a grocery store and returned to their place. We then cooked. It was this experience that really opened my eyes to how less expensive it is to eat at home rather than out. My first day here (yesterday), I bought a chicken sandwich and a beer for just over seven pounds. That was without fries or any side. Tonight, we bought salad, bread, pasta, sauce, salad dressing, and wine for 3 Pounds each. Pretty significant difference. Then, to top all of this off, I took the tube back to my place at like 10:30PM. I just tried to look scarier than everyone else, but I didn't need to do that. People were still out, I stuck to the busy streets, and the tube is extremely safe. That's all for now. Goodnight.
The Tube
I don't know who is familiar with the tube, but it is basically a super convenient subway. I walk about fifteen minutes to a tube station (not that convenient) and then i'm on my way to just about anywhere it London. It is clear that this city put some serious planning into the development of this system. It is too bad that Minneapolis basically is using ad lib methods to solve the transportation issue. I'm climbing up a hill later and going on a "get lost tour" of the city with another person.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Hello America Senior
12:30PM MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT
I am at the airport now, sitting in between a Burger King and a Caribou. There is also a “Sushi” and a WOK and ROK. Yep… the name of the fast food place is “Sushi.” Not the most original name, but since it’s an airport, I’ll let it slide. I made it through security and check in just fine. It seems that you don’t even need your eticket. You just slide your passport (which is tricky because they don’t really explain how to swipe it) and your itinerary pops up. I then went to the security checkpoint and I did not set off the alarm. The only thing I messed up on was that I put my entire computer bag in the box, but I was not supposed to include my power cord. It all worked out. Now I’m just waiting for my boarding time. 1:30PM is when I board and 2:00PM is take-off. I guess I’ll write later. At this point I can’t post. I’m just writing in word and I’ll post later. (The airport thinks I am going to pay for wireless internet. That just won’t happen. Happy flying for me.
4:16 PM CHICAGO AIRPORT
I just found out that my 5PM flight to London has been pushed back to 6PM. Not the worst thing in the world, but a bit annoying. It will hopefully help me sleep on the plane, but I’m not keen on hanging out in the airport for a longer amount of time. I just ate a bagel, because the sign advertised a Cinnabon (which for some reason I desire because they look good when you’re young and I never got to have one then, however I’m sure that they smell better than they taste and cannot possibly live up to the hype that my mind has created). The Cinnabon is not here though. I don’t understand why its advertised, but I’ll again (much like “Sushi”) let it slide due to the fact that this is an airport where they can charge 3$ for water. On my first flight, I was able to hang my suit and bring my bag onboard. I met a few nice people and we chatted about our plans in London. I met a girl from Litchfield. She sat two seats away from me and is currently sitting behind me while we wait for the plane. I’ve just been milling around the airport at this point. I have a good hour before I board my plane. I am sure I have more to write, but I’m losing interest in doing it, so I’ll write more later. I hope I can sleep on the plane.
3:40PM LONDON (9:40AM in MINNESOTA)
I just returned from my walking tour of the area around my flat. I’m living in King’s Court with six other guys. We have two bathrooms and one of them is really confusing. I’ll get to that more later, but I should start from the beginning.
We boarded the flight from Chicago to London at 6:30PM. An hour and a half late, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I got on and found that the plane had three rows. My seat had me placed in the middle of the center row. Not the best set up, but I was by some nice people. However, I was lucky and a flight attendant noticed my long legs and offered me a seat up front (in my section). It was still pretty uncomfortable, but just fine. I have a few notes about it though. In the plane, we could watch a number of different shows and movies. I watched a couple episodes of the Office. However, I strolled my little touch screen over to the movies and it had a section labeled “classics.” One movie was in this category and it was “The Fugitive,” featuring Harrison Ford. I know he was just in Indiana Jones, but there is no way anyone can consider “The Fugitive,” a classic. Also, the food was not as bad as I thought.
We arrived at 8AM in London Heathrow Airport. I got to know a girl named Ruth. She’s a history major from Augsburg. The bus trip was fun. We finally got to check out the architecture of the city. It was odd getting used to the cars driving on the other side of the road. I will note that nearly every car here is either a BMW, a Mercedes, or a Volkswagon. Then there are random bunches of Hybrid Toyota Prius’ around. We finally arrived at King’s Court and I received my keys and found that our flat is pretty decently sized. We have a kitchen, common room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. I took a shower (no water pressure) and ventured out on my first walk with one of my roommates.
Thad and I headed out to find a way to change my $150 to pounds. We walked down Prince Albert Rd. and turned south on Baker St. Down there, we tried a bank, but they advised me to go to a post office where the exchange would be better. We found a post office and I exchanged my US dollars for British Pounds. It is hard to conceive that a US dollar here is worth nothing. Thad and I then hit up a small restaurant. We bought some chicken wings and beer and had a decent first meal. We then attempted to get back to our flat, but got lost in Regent’s park. We got back to our flat just in time to go on the walking tour (we had just taken a long ass walking tour of our own making). The walking tour was boring, and now I’m sitting here with my flat mates watching awful British TV. We have five great channels (sarcasm). That is the end of my first entry. I’m tired.
9:38PM LONDON
I’m exhausted after a full day and then being brought to the BAR… not pub… by my roommates. I don’t regret it… but I wasn’t much impressed with Stella.
I am at the airport now, sitting in between a Burger King and a Caribou. There is also a “Sushi” and a WOK and ROK. Yep… the name of the fast food place is “Sushi.” Not the most original name, but since it’s an airport, I’ll let it slide. I made it through security and check in just fine. It seems that you don’t even need your eticket. You just slide your passport (which is tricky because they don’t really explain how to swipe it) and your itinerary pops up. I then went to the security checkpoint and I did not set off the alarm. The only thing I messed up on was that I put my entire computer bag in the box, but I was not supposed to include my power cord. It all worked out. Now I’m just waiting for my boarding time. 1:30PM is when I board and 2:00PM is take-off. I guess I’ll write later. At this point I can’t post. I’m just writing in word and I’ll post later. (The airport thinks I am going to pay for wireless internet. That just won’t happen. Happy flying for me.
4:16 PM CHICAGO AIRPORT
I just found out that my 5PM flight to London has been pushed back to 6PM. Not the worst thing in the world, but a bit annoying. It will hopefully help me sleep on the plane, but I’m not keen on hanging out in the airport for a longer amount of time. I just ate a bagel, because the sign advertised a Cinnabon (which for some reason I desire because they look good when you’re young and I never got to have one then, however I’m sure that they smell better than they taste and cannot possibly live up to the hype that my mind has created). The Cinnabon is not here though. I don’t understand why its advertised, but I’ll again (much like “Sushi”) let it slide due to the fact that this is an airport where they can charge 3$ for water. On my first flight, I was able to hang my suit and bring my bag onboard. I met a few nice people and we chatted about our plans in London. I met a girl from Litchfield. She sat two seats away from me and is currently sitting behind me while we wait for the plane. I’ve just been milling around the airport at this point. I have a good hour before I board my plane. I am sure I have more to write, but I’m losing interest in doing it, so I’ll write more later. I hope I can sleep on the plane.
3:40PM LONDON (9:40AM in MINNESOTA)
I just returned from my walking tour of the area around my flat. I’m living in King’s Court with six other guys. We have two bathrooms and one of them is really confusing. I’ll get to that more later, but I should start from the beginning.
We boarded the flight from Chicago to London at 6:30PM. An hour and a half late, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I got on and found that the plane had three rows. My seat had me placed in the middle of the center row. Not the best set up, but I was by some nice people. However, I was lucky and a flight attendant noticed my long legs and offered me a seat up front (in my section). It was still pretty uncomfortable, but just fine. I have a few notes about it though. In the plane, we could watch a number of different shows and movies. I watched a couple episodes of the Office. However, I strolled my little touch screen over to the movies and it had a section labeled “classics.” One movie was in this category and it was “The Fugitive,” featuring Harrison Ford. I know he was just in Indiana Jones, but there is no way anyone can consider “The Fugitive,” a classic. Also, the food was not as bad as I thought.
We arrived at 8AM in London Heathrow Airport. I got to know a girl named Ruth. She’s a history major from Augsburg. The bus trip was fun. We finally got to check out the architecture of the city. It was odd getting used to the cars driving on the other side of the road. I will note that nearly every car here is either a BMW, a Mercedes, or a Volkswagon. Then there are random bunches of Hybrid Toyota Prius’ around. We finally arrived at King’s Court and I received my keys and found that our flat is pretty decently sized. We have a kitchen, common room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. I took a shower (no water pressure) and ventured out on my first walk with one of my roommates.
Thad and I headed out to find a way to change my $150 to pounds. We walked down Prince Albert Rd. and turned south on Baker St. Down there, we tried a bank, but they advised me to go to a post office where the exchange would be better. We found a post office and I exchanged my US dollars for British Pounds. It is hard to conceive that a US dollar here is worth nothing. Thad and I then hit up a small restaurant. We bought some chicken wings and beer and had a decent first meal. We then attempted to get back to our flat, but got lost in Regent’s park. We got back to our flat just in time to go on the walking tour (we had just taken a long ass walking tour of our own making). The walking tour was boring, and now I’m sitting here with my flat mates watching awful British TV. We have five great channels (sarcasm). That is the end of my first entry. I’m tired.
9:38PM LONDON
I’m exhausted after a full day and then being brought to the BAR… not pub… by my roommates. I don’t regret it… but I wasn’t much impressed with Stella.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Final Push
I am currently in Longville, MN in one of the least populated areas. In a few short days, I will be a part of one of the most dense populations on earth. A nice contrast to enjoy. So, this past week has been stressful trying to prepare for my trip. I obtained a suit, some dress shirts, dress socks, a tie chain, and traveler's checks. Right now, I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the entire ordeal. However, yesterday, I thought I had lost my traveler's checks and I was freaking out. I found them, but Kathleen was with me and she did a great job just letting me go about my freak out. Today, I took out my map of London and I just marked where my housing, internship, and class are on the map. Google maps and my lonely planet map show me different proportions of distance... so I don't know how far away they all are. No big deal, but oh well.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
My Friends
I just want to state that I love finding out who is actually going to read this blog. So far, Lee and Theresa have surprised me by their posts. Despite the fact that I'm not even in London yet, they are reading this blog. What if I wasn't even going at all? This has all been an elaborate ploy to get you (the reader's) approval and respect. I suppose me paying the University thousands of dollars today was part of that ploy as well. I'm just really committed.
ensuring compliance with the volume of legislation can no longer be left to a little knowledge and good sense.
I have finally been placed in an internship. Conveniently only a few days before I leave, so I had to run out and buy a nice suit today (NOTE: which I look great in by the way). I will be working for Judicium. You can visit their website and see what I'll be doing (NOTE: www.judicium.com). Basically, I'll be working at a legal consultancy for businesses in the UK. I'll have to use my American wiles to win the respect of my new coworkers. (NOTE: wiles- devious or cunning stratagems employed in manipulating or persuading someone to do what one wants. (NOTE: sorry about all the NOTEs))
I have also received my housing notification. Not that I have any idea where this is, here is the address and a little description that they sent me.
Flats 15
Kings Court
Prince Albert Road
London
NW8 7LT
"Quiet, affluent residential area overlooking beautiful Regent's Park and Primrose Hill and opposite London Zoo. Many stores, restaurants and coffee shops within 15 minutes walk. Bus ride to busy, cosmopolitan area of Camden"
Sounds pretty good. I just found out that I only have 1000 minutes of internet use a week in my apartment. How much time is that a day? Someone should figure it out an post it.
I have also received my housing notification. Not that I have any idea where this is, here is the address and a little description that they sent me.
Flats 15
Kings Court
Prince Albert Road
London
NW8 7LT
"Quiet, affluent residential area overlooking beautiful Regent's Park and Primrose Hill and opposite London Zoo. Many stores, restaurants and coffee shops within 15 minutes walk. Bus ride to busy, cosmopolitan area of Camden"
Sounds pretty good. I just found out that I only have 1000 minutes of internet use a week in my apartment. How much time is that a day? Someone should figure it out an post it.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Think of it like a tree... or as omnitouch calls it... a progress tree
So I am roughly a week out from my trip, and I'm trying to get into the groove of writing on this blog. I would like it to live and prosper. If you check out the title, it is a quote from the Simpsons that relates to cell phones. I use this because today I set up my "PicCell" phone for London today and it was about as uneventful as it is writing about it. It is a slow phone that will work just fine. I feel it necessary to write about because i now have a number that people can call in the U.S. and reach me while I'm in London. Yes, I will be charged for it, but none of you will. Good deal. I guess I can text too, but I don't want to mess with that. Lots of love. Find out what episode that is from.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Time to Change the Oil... Changes
I'm sitting at home right now at 1:07 AM. It should be clarified that "home" refers to my home in Hutchinson, MN... Not my home in Territorial. Basically I'm considering this return home as the transition between the old world of T-Hall and the new adventure that will be London. I cannot deny that I am a little afraid of how everything is going to take place. At the same time, I'm excited about it. For the moment, I need to focus on packing and I guess updating my wii. The TV seems to think that is important. Goodnight.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Entry 1: Prelims
So... If you have gotten an email letting you know that this blog has been updated, that means you have been added as someone that I want to be able to see what I've been doing in London. Here's my trip schedule thus far:
May 18th: I return from the University for about 10 days before I leave
May 27th: My flight leaves
July 9th: I get back to the US
Basically, this post is a welcome and a plea for help. If you have any advice at all about traveling abroad... let me know. I've never been abroad and any help would be greatly appreciated. Look forward to a bunch of pictures on this trip.
May 18th: I return from the University for about 10 days before I leave
May 27th: My flight leaves
July 9th: I get back to the US
Basically, this post is a welcome and a plea for help. If you have any advice at all about traveling abroad... let me know. I've never been abroad and any help would be greatly appreciated. Look forward to a bunch of pictures on this trip.
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