Going Home

So I couldn’t change my ticket to come home on December 16 like I was supposed to. So instead I decided to surprise my parents and not tell them that I was going to come home two days early. I was so lucky that my friend Pav offered to DRIVE me to Heathrow. 

Since Joce and I got our flat, we had to move out before we left for the holidays. So in addition to worrying about my last school project, I had to pack to come home and also pack my entire London life (thanks to Priyanka for letting us store our stuff in your room). I got everything done and Pav got me to the airport in record time. 

I was able to check in right away and my baggage wasn’t overweight. The line for security was long, but it moved fast. I made it to my gate in plenty of time and there was even internet there when I sat down. Can you tell that at this point things were going just too well for my trans-Atlantic flight?

We get on the plane, I sit next to two really great people whom I talked with throughout the flight. Still no hiccups, except I was in the middle row, middle seat - no biggie! Then it began...

Our plane was getting ready to taxi off the runway and the pilot comes on the overcom and says that we have been flagged by TSA, we’ll have to return to the terminal! Well, I’ve already taken my sleeping medicine and snuggled in, I can’t concentrate too much on this, but as an American leaving Heathrow to Chicago, I’m a bit concerned to say the least. So three TSA officials come walk around the plane. I’m sure they’re going to escort someone off for some hideous terrorist plot, but no, they simply walk around and delay our plane an hour and a half. 

So my two hour layover in Chicago just got killed and I’m now going to miss my flight. There is no way that I’m getting on American soil, two and a half hours from home and not getting there. So during the flight I’m pretty convinced that I’m going to have to figure out how to drive home from Chicago (don’t know how to get from the airport to I-65). 

I get off the plane and the American Airlines woman I talk to hands me my new ticket for my 10:20 p.m. flight! I cried I was so happy...then I waited 30 minutes for my luggage. It was 9:30 before I could try to go recheck my baggage and get on my connecting flight.

I get to check-in area and tell the woman that I’m about to miss my flight. When I tell her my flight, she asks me to wait while she sees if it’s CANCELLED. I almost lost my mind. After she gets her life in order, she tells me that the flight is on time, but that I needed to be there 45 minutes before the flight to check my luggage! I lost it at that point. I started crying and tell them that it wasn’t possible, I wasn’t staying in a hotel, I was getting on the flight - I was 35 minutes early for the damn thing, just let me on! 

Some other woman takes pity on my and hands me to George - the best - who can break the rules. George is annoyed, but checks me in...but, my luggage is now over weight for a domestic flight. As I go to pull my extra carryon out of my luggage (a total of 20 seconds to relieve the weight problem), George tells me that he’s in a hurry. I’m totally upset now. So to blow off some tension, I got through security. Of course, I’m flagged to be searched. I’m hysterical at this point, but I get released. I run through the airport, crying and cursing the terrorists who just got my liquid face soap taken from me since it was over 100ml. When I arrive at the gate, the nicest guy says, “I hope you weren’t running, you had plenty of time.”  I’m no longer involved. I can’t take it.

We wait on the plane for about 20 minutes for my other Heathrow companions to make the flight (clearly I didn’t get the memo) and then I get home to Indy, rent a car and drive to Fishers. It was 2 a.m. by this point as I snuck in the house. My parents loved having my shadow standing in their room in the middle of the night two days earlier than I was supposed to - oh well, I’m so glad to be home!

Movin' on Up

Jocelyn and I are “movin’ on up” to the...well, south. We signed a lease for our apartment in Maida Vale, London yesterday. We won’t actually be able to buy food for our flat (I’m kidding, Grandma!), but there are so many benefits to our new location:

1. No more scary night bus to get home if we stay out after midnight. We can finally take buses that won’t take over an hour and we could also afford a cab since we don’t live a million miles away from natural civilization.

2. We will be able to actually use our internet - not just pray it works, only to be disappointed. We should be able to use our instant messaging to chat (yay to everyone who has a MAC with a built in camera - or PC users with an external). 

3. We’ll be able to move when we sleep - there will be a full bed, not a child-sized bed. 

4. We will live near Drew and Starbucks so we’ll always have good stuff around us!

5. There are actually grocery stores and pharmacies and I’m sure there is a book store near where we live. No reason to have to walk a mile for any and everything that we need. 

6. We’ll have a balcony.

7. We’ll actually live in London - not Harrow.

8. No more sharing a mini-fridge with seven other people. We can actually get enough food to last us more than three days!!!

9. No more fire alarms at 3 a.m.

10. NO MORE LIVING IN HALLS!

All around we think it will be a great thing!!! There is an extra couch where everyone can sit and we can entertain. If you are ever in our neighborhood...

Ice Bar

For Sandra’s birthday, we went to Absolute Ice Bar. We paid £15 to get in, we each got a drink and we froze our butts off, but it was awesome. Everything in the bar was made of ice. The seats, the bar itself, the glasses, ice sculptures. 

Before you go in, you get those parkas to wear and you need them! There are gloves attached to them so you don’t freeze off your hands while you are drinking. There were little sculptures your go behind to take photos, so that was cool too! By the time our 40 minutes were up, I was ready to get out of there - I was freezing. I’d do it again though, it was a ton of fun!

Click here to see the photos!

Thanksgiving

So weeks later people are still talking about Thanksgiving. Here’s a little bit about it...

When faced with the prospect of going out for Thanksgiving dinner, the traditionalist Americans just couldn't do it. We then went on a mission to find a turkey in London. There is no Honey Baked Ham in London. So we actually considered buying a turkey from the deli - yep the same one where they cut sandwich slices. The £240 price tag deterred us, but only after careful consideration. We then had to figure out how to cook a turkey - none of us have even marginally participated in turkey cooking.

Drew was absolutely determined to get a frozen turkey. One that was too big for ANY refrigerator in England, still had the giblets and staff, and needed to defrost for probably 3 days. After a bit of consoling, he's finally settled on two smaller turkeys - thank God!

The search for Velveeta-esque cheese didn’t go well. I needed cheese that would properly melt for mac and cheese. So I go to the deli counter and simply ask which cheese will melt well and not be waxy. Well, I might as have been asking how they constructed Stone Henge. They had to finally call over a manager who told me that the English use a pre-made sauce...so I said, in a rather cheeky manner, "yes, so if you wanted to make that from scratch, wouldn't you use cheese of some sort? Which one of the 11 that you have in this here case would work?" Never did get a good answer. But the mac and cheese was still ok. I did get Velveeta (Thanks Keia) 10 days after Thanksgiving!

We had about 15 people in the end. Only one person - Layal - had ever done Thanksgiving except for the  five Americans. Jocelyn missed her flight to Spain, so she was “happy” to come back (she was really pissed, but she was happy to at least come back to Thanksgiving and not a normal day). Everyone said what they were thankful for, we prayed and then we grubbed. Everyone thought the food was really good, we sat and talked and laughed. It was awesome! We had turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, cranberries, rolls, stuffing, corn, apple pie, pumpkin pie and ice cream.

It was the most memorable Thanksgiving yet!

Click here to see the Thanksgiving Scrapbook!

Click here to see the Thanksgiving Photos!

Weekend Marketing and Ohio vs. Mich Game

On Saturday, Drew, Sandra and I went to Camden Market. It was great! We saw all sorts of crazy stuff and we even had fajitas!!! They don’t get Mexican over here (everything has curry in it?) so we were really excited. I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would like, so I will probably go back next weekend.

Then, Drew and I went to Harrod’s to get Christmas ornaments and cards - that’s right, I’m sending cards that are London! Please don’t be disappointed when they aren’t mailed from London. It costs £.72 or nearly $1.40 per letter. I can’t afford that :) If anyone thinks that Christmas is over-commercialized and out-of-control in America, well you’ve never been here during November. All the lights were turned on weeks ago (more on that in a backlogged blog to come) and since there isn’t Thanksgiving to temper it, everyone here is in full Christmas mode. I too, have adopted that sentiment and feel that it’s completely normal now to play all 128 Christmas songs and counting that I have on my computer.

Drew and I braved the Tube on a Saturday six weeks before Christmas (they are ALL out shopping, I’m convinced). The picture above is what the Tube station looked like as we were trying to travel. Seriously, if someone decided to get mad and push, someone else would’ve ended up electrocuted on the tracks. 

Later that night we went to Sports Cafe to watch Ohio win again Michigan. It was an incredible game. There was a two-hour line to simply get in the door. I refused...so I got one of the girls who works there to let my party in. We had a great time!

Torino, Italy

Yup - Italy was all about eating and I took plenty of advantage. We had falafels - Jen almost fought the Kebap guy over the night when he didn’t have the falafels - we had pizza, we had pasta, we had bruschetta, there was great wine, singing (ok, so it wasn’t in tune or on beat, but it was still great), and sleep!

We went shopping and I got a great purse for cheaper than I’d seen it at home or in London. The guy at the shop actually let me talk him down from €75 to €60! I was so impressed with myself.

It has been years since I’ve been as cold as I was in Torino. I certainly didn’t pack appropriately for the trip and paid dearly. I bought a cute scarf and mittens from H&M though, so I guess that it all works out.

The first night we were there, Jen took us to a local bar that she used to frequent when she studied in Torino last year. We had a great time. We’ve been living in a world where every alcoholic drink is precisely measured... because, what would happen if you got an extra ounce of liquor and didn’t pay for it (insert gasp). Well, Italy is NOTHING like that. We had food that I’m sure we never paid for and the proper liquor to mixer percentage is 2 to 1. Needless to say it only took one! 

Click here to check out the pictures: 

Page 1 

Page 2 

Page 3

Trinity

Since the Tube doesn’t run past midnight, going out in central London (about a 35 minute drive) is pretty difficult unless you want to take the 90-minute night bus home or wait until the Tube reopens at 6 a.m.

So, we go to Harrow to party at Trinity every once in a while. It’s usually pretty fun and we can actually walk home which makes it worth it. 

Harrods

After a failed trip to some cultural landmark, I can’t remember what, Jocelyn and I decided to scrap it all and head to Knightsbridge. She wanted to see her old flat from when she lived here before and Grandma told me I needed to see Harrods, so it was a good excuse. 

One of the first things we saw there was MAC Cosmetics. I didn’t bring one tube of lip gloss  to England, so a chance to buy a new tube of lip glass was something I couldn’t pass up. Although, I was able to pass up the gorgeous room dedicated to equally gorgeous hand bags. I was like being a diabetic kid in a candy store. 

Since clothes shopping on a students budget is completely impractical, we stayed in the food halls (weren’t quite as impressive as I would have liked) and ventured toward the home appliances section (toward the Christmas room). The Christmas room was like my greatest dream realized. If you know anything about me, during December you know that I’m inexplicably obsessed over decorating for the Christmas holiday. If you are wondering, the next time I can decorate for Christmas the colors will be green and cream (I already purchased everything from stockings, to Christmas cards and ornaments last year during the half off after Christmas sales - so yeah, it’s serious). 

I cannot tell you how tempted I was to buy just a few boxes worth of things and have them shipped directly home (I think my parents would have shipped it back in lieu of it adding more clutter to the garage). There were bulbs and ornaments, Harrods teddy bear bulbs, nutcrackers, the most beautiful cards you’ve ever seen. And the Christmas carols were playing like it was the day after Thanksgiving.

We also fell in love with the puppies that were in the animal room next to the Christmas room. I’m pretty sure there was a vet or a grooming service there. Can you imagine paying to have your pooch get nails clipped at Harrods?

Click here to see the photos! 

Victoria and Albert

Since I only have class on Wednesdays (for three hours) and Friday (for five hours), Denae and I decided we’d go to a museum for a little culture. We chose the Victoria and Albert which was supposed to be great! It certainly lived up to its reputation. 

First we visited the fashion halls where they had everything from paper dresses that were sometimes used as marketing ploys to wedding dresses. There were designs from Karl Lagerfield, DKNY, Chloe and even a Juicy sweat suit on display. 

We went around to the glass art area, the iron gate art area, the circus area and the Great Bed of Ware, but after the fashion we mostly got distracted by the gift shop. I got a great ring there that looks like a crown and it only cost me £2! 

Tower of London

Jocelyn, Akin and I decided to go to the Tower of London. It cost us £12 to get in and we got there too late to get a tour, but it was still worth it. The Tower is home to years of killings in London. It used to be a fortress, but now it’s just a tourist attraction. There have been queen’s killed there (one because she couldn’t produce an heir) and the nephews of one of the kings. Clearly, although I’m enjoying being a tourist, I’m not retaining much information properly. So don’t rely on much of the facts that I’m presenting. In fact, I can’t tell you how many buildings I’ve incorrectly identified on this web site. I’m working on it though...

We saw where people were held in captivity. They etched their names and drawings into the walls. We also got to the see the crown jewels. There is a little conveyor belt that you stand on and it goes by the glass cases where they keep the crowns. We must have walked on it 4 or 5 times (it wasn’t busy when we were there). The crown that the queen wears when she opens Parliament is amazing. It has so many jewels it doesn’t make any sense.

We also went to Wagamama’s for dinner. Mom really wanted to go to Wagamama’s while she was here, so I was excited to be able to go. The saki machine didn’t work though, so I couldn’t have saki at all. We did have really good food.

Click here to see the photos!

Houses of Parliament

Out of sheer boredom and the pursuit of becoming London’s best tourist, Meagan, Akin and I visited the Houses of Parliament just two days before it closed down for session. We received guided tours, but we really weren’t able to take photos inside. We got to see where the Queen opens Parliament and we got to see both the different houses. 

Afterward, Meagan and I went to Hampstead to an “American” grocery store to pick up some imported items. I finally got relish, but it’s sweet not dill, and she was able to get graham crackers. There was marshmallows, and chocolate chips and canned pumpkin and root beer. It was not actually a very big store and the front part was actually a French place or something, there was meat hanging to dry from the celiing.

Click to see the photos!

Party in the Flat

Well, so far, I think that it’s safe to say that i have one of the more social Masters flats in our building. I will make sure to post photos of the rooms here, but they are HUGE! None of us who came with a few measly suitcases can figure what we’re going to do with all this space. My parents stayed in my room, so it comfortably fits three single (twin) beds. There is also a full bath in my room. Now, don’t go getting excited about this seemingly wonderful “loo”. If airplanes had full bathrooms, they would model them after our bathrooms. For the life of us we can’t figure why the rooms are so big, but none of us have enough room to stand in the shower with the curtain closed. I’m trying to master it, but every time that I go to wash my feet, my butt accidentally hits the water fixture (which is WAY too bulky) and changes the water temp to scalding hot. I do have a wonderful picture window (with no screen, you should see the mosquitos they have here, in our rooms) and I fully plan to pretend I’m Carrie Bradshaw as I do my homework romantically in front of it. 

Our flat is actually pretty fun. We constantly have people from other floors coming to our floor for dinner. We walk to the local Sainsbury’s grocery nearly every day. My friend Jocelyn and I had one walk home with about 5 plastic bags before we Tubed it to Notting Hill to pick up one of those old lady “trolley” carts to wheel our groceries. Most nights are filled with loud talking and laughing, “cooking” if you want to call it that and wine, beer or alcohol of some sort. During the first week, we’ve had a lot of randoms on the floor as you’ll see from the prison lineup photos that I’ve posted. None of the girls are much impressed with the guys yet, but most everyone who lives in halls is either international or an undergrad, so we’ll have to wait until classes actually start.

Check out the photos!

Tate Modern

We all decided to get out of the dorm and go to Tate Modern. Jocelyn and I wanted to see the Kandinsky exhibit that was going on, but we would have had to wait too long. While we were up in the cafe getting some food, we ran into Natalie Portman! She was very tiny and dressed pretty normally.

After the museum we went back to the Indian restaurant, Chula, where my parents and I ate the first night we came here. The two Indian girls we were with were very excited and said that the food was pretty good. 

Check out the photos!

Brighton

The school organized a trip to Brighton, a town that is by the ocean. We didn’t know what to expect at Brighton and really, we never did figure out what we were supposed to do there. My friend Kerry, from New Zealand and I, pretty much just sat by the trampolines all day. 

Each of us tried the trampoline, except for Jocelyn. It kills the inner part of your legs so I did not love it. I will have pictures of it up here pretty soon. Drew faired worse than me. He was on for less than five minutes before he decided he might still want to have children, so he better get off. Kerry, was able to actually do a flip. 

We had the world’s most disgusting food ever at the pier and really it was gross. I got fish and chips because I thought that I might give the UK signature one more good try. The fish was literally dripping in grease. I can’t even tell you how many napkins it would have taken to actually make it edible. 

Click to see the photos!

Thames River Cruise

One of the best evenings I’ve had so far is the night that we went on a cruise down the Rives Thames. Although it was very hard to find the proper pier (and our friend Drew wasn’t great with his directions) we boarded a three-level boat and headed out on the water just after sunset. We rode under the Tower Bridge, saw a couple get engaged while we rode under another bridge (I think London Bridge) and we met more people. 

Again the American’s and Kerry from New Zealand were pretty close, but I branched out and met up with three people from Turkey, my Romanian friends and two people from Africa. Haven’t heard many British accents yet, but hopefully that will come. 

Of course, the bottom level of the boat had a DJ (who played Sexy Back and London Bridge), so I met up with the Indian girls from yesterday and danced until I had to get some relief on the top level of the boat where it was colder. The guys will dance a little here, but mostly they stand and watch, which is a ton of fun. There is one guy who you will see sweaty in all the pictures because he pretty much refused to come off the dance floor.

Click to see the photos!

First Night Parties

London certainly knows how to welcome the students to “uni”. The first night that we met with other international students, we were escorted to  the bar, with pretty much unlimited wine and beer, for a party. Everyone was really friendly. Most of us Americans found one another pretty quickly, but I made quick friends with some Romanian girls, Ashley from Canada and Demet from Turkey. Oh, and one of the first two people I met were both from California and they both worked for Apple! 

On the 13th, we went to London’s International Student House (ISH) for a party. I was one of the first people on the dance floor that night and I pretty much stayed there. It’s hotter than I don’t know what in London, so a club with no air conditioning (not bad air, no air) makes for an interesting dance floor pretty quickly. The next day many of us could recognize one another from dancing the previous evening. 

Check out the photos!

For my parents and me, sightseeing around London was great. Mom and Dad came with me to London for school, but we came early so that we could enjoy everything this city had to offer. We saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park (every mile of it!), Charles and Camilla, the Princess Diana Memorial and a ton more.

It was tough for everyone to say goodbye, but it was a great trip. Mom, you’ll be happy to know that I took two Indian girls back to Chula because they missed the food from home and although it wasn’t 100% exactly like home, it was the best food they’d eaten since they’d arrived. It’s amazing, you can eat there for under £30 per person.