Settling In

My posts have noticeable diminished since I first arrived (sorry Mom!) due to my burgeoning social and class life. If I'm in trouble now, after only three weeks, I don't know what's going to happen when I hit the three month period... Bad News.  Bear with me.

I spent this past weekend "recovering" from my first round of UCL classes by doing anything but reading, photocopying, or figuring out classes.  To start our weekends, on Wednesdays, we head to the "Pleasure Lounge" (such an awful name) at UCL for Sports night and the cheapest drinks in London.  This will, and has already become our tradition.  On Friday, friends and I visited the club Vendome where we had a "table" and a bottle of Vodka waiting for us (the best perk of being a girl).  Heaven forbid you pour your own drinks (so they have someone do it for you...  Does it get better than that?)

At nine the next morning I awake to Christina dragging me out of bed (not the ideal wake-up call) telling me to answer the door.... and find Alex who decided to fly into London for the weekend.  Biggest/best SURPRISE ever!  So in a valiant effort of rallying (on everyone's part) we spent the day walking through Hyde park and browsing the old books and bric-a-brac at Portobello Market.  The rest of the weekend was filled with walking through London, fabulous dinners (and fish n chips), and exploring the fabulous night life.  I couldn't imagine a better weekend with my "wolf pack" (reference: "The Hangover").  

 (Drinks at the UCL bar...w/fellow Vandy Students - Way cooler than the Overcup Oak) 

(Alex visits... and brings some Jack Daniel's ... clearly we're American.)

 (At Jalouse... our first Clubbing experince)

(Katie and me at our table at China White)

(I am definitely not in Nashville anymore...)

Housing and first days of UCL classes

While the subject of my classes may not be as fun as others, I am, after all, in London to STUDY abroad.  So I figured a short response to this topic would suffice.  While at UCL I am affiliated primarily with the English department (well known for it's rigorous and renowned programs but also known for it's lack of any organization).  I am going crazy!  In the English department I will be studying Chaucer (in all  his Middle English glory) as well as Literature in London.  I will also be taking a course in business and my personal favorite a seminar on Art in London that focuses on the human body and form - this class never meets in a classroom only in museums around London, where we get to see the works of art in person, rather than on a slideshow.

N.B for any person wishing to study outside the U.S or at UCL:  NOTHING IS EASY HERE.... people don't buy books they sit at a machine copying 100 pages of textbook.... that you can only do if you have exact change (no one can make change and no one takes credit cards anywhere on this campus) and when you want a stapler to bind your printed pages- forget it... it doesn't exist! 

I MISS MY VANDY CARD and the endless amounts of monopoly (fake) money that existed on said card.     

(At the Main Entrance of UCL... FUN FACT: UCL = London's most beautiful/Green Campus)

(UCL... likes to tote itself as "London's Global University")

And now for the NICEST housing I will EVER have while in college... I definitely could get used to living in this kind of arrangement.  A maid comes every week to clean the apartment, change the linens, and take out the trash.  How awesome is that?!  I have one roommate, Lindsay (who happens to be from Vanderbilt, (and she's from Westchester) but we didn't know each other before hand.)  We live in the flat with 5 other people who are in two other rooms.  Huge plus... Lindsay and I share a clean, fabulous bathroom (and I don't have to wear shower shoes).

(The sitting area in my flat... which doesn't look like this anymore)

(Dining Room... for a current picture just add papers and books)

(The Glorious Kitchen complete with a washer/dryer and a dishwasher that I don't know how to work)

(My bedroom .... HUGE BONUS of an armoire and a WALK IN CLOSET! )

First Weekend Out!

The night life has been amazing here (albeit hugely expensive) but, the fact that I am legally allowed to drink in this country is a GIGANTIC plus.  Though, I have unfortunately been carded at every single pub, club, or restaurant I have been to, even though the drinking age is only 18.  Perhaps, the best night, was when I met up with Christina (my best friend from high school) who happens to be studying in London as well.      

(London Chic: Riding the Tube)

 (Christina, Me, and Ali at a pub in S. Kensington)

 (Ellen, Meredith, Ali, and Me out at night in Sloane Square)

(Ending a night with a Ferrero Rocher Sundae... to die for!)

Fail Blog!

Since I am living in a flat for the semester I am not on a meal plan while at UCL.  Instead, I have a gorgeous kitchen complete with utensils, a washer/dryer, and a dishwasher.  After thinking I had become fully "domesticated" (since I can now "cook" chicken and vegetables) I decided to wash the dishes.  Hilarity did not ensue.  I am definitely domestically challenged.  Guess I still have quite a few things to learn....  

(Epic Fail)

London Bridge/Borough Market

Today, we had the whole day off to sleep, explore, and eat.  At around 10 we decide to head out and brave the cold (thankfully no rain).  We head off to the London Bridge tube station and get out to go eat breakfast/lunch at Borough Market.  Borough Market is London's oldest market (dating back to the 1750's) where locals come to buy super fresh, and delicious food.  Among some of my favorite stalls: the baklava, chorizo burger, fish-n-chip, and olive stands.  People amble through the quaint market eating their purchases, and trying samples.  A completely worthwhile trip for any foodie.    

(At Borough Market... Browsing the Baklava station)

 (Trying samples of spreads)

On a full and satisfied stomach, we decide to walk off some of the calories by walking 4 miles and making the trip to see London Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, the financial district and the rest of the city.  We even stop along the way to see a musical, the great American classic, "Dirty Dancing."  

 (At the London Bridge looking at Tower Bridge... so cold and windy!)

(Juhi and me at 'The Monument' to the Great Fire of London)

(Vandy Girls at St. Paul's Cathedral)

(Front entrance of St. Paul's)

 (I had to....I am such a tourist)

Letting It Rain!

While I am studying abroad in London for the spring semester, of my Junior Year, I have decided to keep a blog about my experiences, reactions, and pictures.  While this blog is for me to personally document my travels it is just as much, if not more so, a tool for my mother to "know what I'm up to" (since she is, after all, the most enthusiastic and loyal supporter of my stories).  

I arrive in Heathrow Airport, on Monday, January 3rd, after a long night of traveling.  It is only 7 am and I am struggling to keep my eyes open... it is going to be a long day.  I managed not to take a nap all day and kept busy by unpacking, exploring, and buying essentials.  The people in London all wear black in excess, and they seem to be, for the most part, not too friendly, and rather impatient.  I can see myself fitting in here nicely (though these traits are rather jarring to a young, lost, foreigner).  

After unpacking my suitcase (well maybe... suitcases) I happened upon a note from my Mom - adorned with a number of pictures of myself (as a 3-5 year old) holding/playing with umbrellas.  Under the pictures, the inscription: "Let it Rain!"  

 (Age 5: Preparing for London with a 'Little Mermaid' umbrella in tow)

And while the phrase "Let it Rain" reminds me of the lyrically inclined Lil' Wayne song, "Make it Rain," I can't help but hope that I will take the London rain in stride and also have enough cash to 'Let it Rain' (every once in a while).