Hipsterville

Despite crap health, I ventured out to Spitalfields with flatmate Tom today. I feel like I've been ignoring a treasure for the entire first term, because I've been eating on Brick Lane almost every week while missing the boutique-y and music shops that populate the surrounding streets. Spitalfields, apparently an abbreviation of "Hospital Fields," has hinted at being hipster paradise. I've seen many a young adult in overly tight jeans and baggy cardigans with unkempt, swept aside bangs lingering by the Ten Bells pub. But who knew it was literally an oasis for hipsters? Fair trade coffee, indie music, fixed gear bikes, and the like provide ample feeding ground.

I'm not kidding myself. I'm not super into fashion, but Spitalfields offers things I can enjoy looking at... like unique screen-printed t-shirts and cool sneakers. There's also a skate shop or two. Not only are the items interesting but it seems to be a haven for pleasant aesthetics. I've been following some graphic design blogs lately and I can definitely see a reflection of that in Spitalfields: artists that happen to use t-shirts and totes as canvases. I'll go back sometime when I'm in better health. Doctor tomorrow... again.

Diagnosis

My sinus infection has returned and I want to scream. Showers are no relief, because they're cold. I have 37 British pounds to my name. Friends that are normally fixtures of the internet have not signed on in days. I am extremely frustrated. So... should I ignore that I'm sick and do whatever I want? Walk around with snot blowing in the wind and my roll of toilet paper? Or should I stay in and try to get better, ignoring the disappointing results of round 1?

Holiday post

Happy Christmas, readers. I'm back from spending three days in London suburbia where I spent my Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day. It was a strange luxury to have food at my fingertips, hospitality, and a bathroom which exceeds the size of my little room at Sidney Webb. I played some pool, strummed a Gibson Les Paul, and fiddled around on the most complicated keyboard/synthesizer I've ever touched. The highlight was definitely playing the new Nintendo Wii that my cousins got from Santa. Now, I may be a girl. I may be 20-years-old. But I love playing with new Christmas toys. I think Tom (my flatmate) and I were more excited than my cousins to have the Wii. I know we were.

I'm miraculously still not better from my cold and I feel worse today than yesterday. A bad sign. I'm going to read and listen to Van Morrison in anticipation of the January concert. I'm very much looking forward to the end of the holidays when friends return to email and normal life. I think that's the hardest thing for me here, riding out the lull in communication. Until then...

cough cough

So... it is Tuesday the 18th. I am sick at home. I got sick on Sunday, the 9th. Let's just take a minute to recognize how long this is. [Here is a space for your contemplation.]

I was going to fight this on my own, but my dad reminded me that my body is a weak, weak thing. So I called up my local doctor and faith in social medicine is restored, because I have an appointment for today.

Total cost of illness from skipping work: 252 pounds (not including commission).

I'm bored.

Edit: In a span of 20 minutes, I've gone to the doctor, been seen by the doctor, gone to the pharmacy, AND returned with my prescription. Sweeet.

End of Michaelmas Term

The end of term time has come and it means nothing except friends going on holiday, as they say, and three weeks of no class. Since LSE is less stressful, the break doesn't feel as imperative for rest as it usually does so the transition isn't a hard one to make. This last week, I've caught up on London exploring. I took a sick day from work because of my sinus infection. And instead of staying in bed, I went on a museum adventure.

It's hard to get tickets to the Terra Cotta soldiers exhibit at the British Museum, so Jared and I showed up bright and early at 9:45AM to queue for it. We got in with no problem and I have to say... I have never wanted to desecrate a tomb more than now. Although the Terra Cotta soldiers have been and continue to be excavated, Emperor Qin's tombs remains untouched! It apparently is as big as an Egyptian pyramid (all underground), has rivers of flowing mercury to mimic China's real rivers, and is rigged with booby traps to prevent intruders. Rivers of flowing mercury? I'm sold. We saw the rest of the museum too and proceeded to the National Gallery afterwards. Friday I went to the Tate Modern with Stefan and although I only got to see a little bit, if the gift shop is any indication of what else it has to offer, I think I'll really like it.

On a more serious note, I learned tonight that my dog Zack has been put to sleep due to cancer. I'm fortunate to be unexperienced in the deaths of loved ones, but this is my first. At the risk of sounding overly emotional on a blog (and just about a dog, for non-dog owners), I won't go too much further besides for saying he was a friend and constant companion for a pseudo-only child.

My First London Cold

There's a first time for everything: smoking a cigar, trying absinthe, and catching a cold in London. It's about time, I suppose. Did I mention in the last post that Jared and I calculated our unit alcohol consumption in a week period and discovered I had consumed 19 units? Let's not mislead anyone here... they've been pretty spread out through the week. Just think 2-3 in a day rather than 10 in a night. I know that seems like a lot, but visitors and trips have created an irregular week. Regardless, my body and liver need a little bit of rest.

I called in sick for work today too and slept until 4PM. It was dark when I woke up, but it felt good to rest. Alright. Back to work for the last week of term.

Prague, Praha; tomato, tomahto.

I woke up this morning really resenting that I had to go to work at 8:45AM on a Saturday morning, but the day turned out well and I had a lot of fun with customers and coworkers. I'm pretty exhausted from Prague and having visitors, but I've had a pretty good 3-week stretch leading into this final week of Michaelmas term. I really can't complain.

You can see my Prague pictures here. Without the trip to Prague, I think I would've felt like I hadn't taken advantage of my London location. Dublin was good, but it was a very "safe" place to visit since it's virtually London, Jr.

A few short thoughts about Prague before I head to sleep. Walking around Prague, I couldn't believe I was in the Czech Republic. Before coming to London, I had only been to France and Switzerland (barely) and within the bubble of a high school trip. And now, I was in the Czech Republic?? A place once occupied by Nazis and then Communists? I was almost surprised that Prague could be normal after so much has happened in the past century. I also realized how fortunate I am to be an English-speaker in a world that caters to my language. Looking out the window of the taxi from the airport to our hostel, I started to doubt that getting around would be so easy. But a lot of people in Prague spoke or understand just enough English to communicate or give directions. If I only spoke Spanish, I doubt I would find it so easy to get around, order at restaurants, etc.

Things we saw. Old Town, New Town, Prague Castle, St. Vitus, the astronomical clock, the metronome, etc. I'm a bit too tired to recount everything, but the pictures tell a thousand words, right? The beer was great, dark and tasting like lager. There was also a delicious cinnamon-y drink they poured in shots. Mmm. Mulled wine was even better. In my version of heaven, there will be abundant mulled wine all the time. Also, I realized that I really like horseradish.

This is quite the unintelligent-sounding reflection on Prague but due to my limited knowledge of European history (besides basic WWI and WWII info), my observations will have to settle on simple. Jared, my travel buddy, was a great guy to visit Prague with because I could just turn to him and ask, "Hey Jared, what happened in CZ during WWII?" and he'll give me an abridged wikipedia entry. He also took the lead in navigating, which allowed me to sit back and relax.

Katy's Visit: Pictorial Recap

Katy visited London on the way back from India. It was a hectic time, but we took a trip to Harrod's (and saw everything we can't afford), saw Billy Elliot the Musical, and went ice skating at Somerset House for free! A lady skated right up to us and handed us the tickets! I'm headed to Prague (Praha to the people in the know) in the Czech Repbulic tomorrow morning, so I'll be back Friday. In the meantime... some pictures.

Also, someone in my residence hall has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis. I thought I'd throw that in for some flavor to the post. Don't worry. I've been vaccinated.


(This is ugly white space that I don't have time to reformat.)

Safer in London than Gtown

I've been a little blog crazy today, but this could be interesting for family readers. My parents worry about me walking around London in the dark. Mind you... the sun sets at 4PM nowadays so it's inevitable. But here's an email from the Department of Public Safety at Georgetown. I would just like to point out that it was 6PM.

Date: November 23 2007

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Non-campus, West Georgetown

Address: 3600 Block N Street

Incident type: Robbery

Respondents: MPD

Incident summary: A robbery at gunpoint allegedly occurred in the 3600 block of N Street at 6:00 pm on Friday, November 23, 2007.

The complainant reported that at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 23, 2007, while walking in the 3600 block of N Street, NW, he was approached by three males. The complainant indicated that one male placed a gun to his forehead and the other two males went through his pockets, took his wallet, credit cards, keys and laptop. The alleged assailants then fled toward Prospect Street. This incident was initially reported to the Metropolitan Police Department on the evening of Friday, November 23, 2007. The victim informed DPS about the incident over the weekend.

Things I Miss

Besides missing certain people and missing the ability to buy things, I miss these three things the most. Strange what you miss right? And yes, I'm aware this isn't Singapore.

1. Wearing hats
2. Chewing gum
3. Wearing sunglasses


Helly Hansen pic w/ hat AND sunglasses... probably also chewing gum. In England, that hand signal means "Piss off." In the U.S., it means "Take me seriously. I'm cool. Really."

Saturday Off - Week Recap

I'm not working this Saturday and it feels refreshing to finally have an unplanned day. I must admit that I do miss having a free day to just explore. That's one reason I'm looking forward to spending term break here. I'll take some time to catch everyone up on some happenings.

On Tuesday, I saw a production of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart (yes, the Captain Picard of Star Trek). I've never seen a professional production of Shakespeare and it was quite good. I must admit that I would have had almost no idea what was going on had I not read the play in high school. It was a pretty tense performance and from the start, I knew I would be stressed out a little during the play. The setting was Stalinist Russia (I think) and it was a very sterile, eerie set. The Weird Sisters were thoroughly creepy and with all that stainless steel and projected images around the stage, I was glad to relax at a bar afterwards. For kicks, Jared, JP, and I decided to go to a Soho strip club to see what it was like. There's a first time for everything and I thought, why not try? It was a memorable experience. From television and movies, I had a preconceived idea of what a strip club would look like. But since this place was more bar/pub and less strip club, it was much different than I expected. No tables and chairs or couches facing the main "stage." Just a bar and open floor space in front of a small area with a pole and crossbar. A bit awkward for a set-up I thought. There were two strippers who didn't really phase JP, Jared, or me. It was kind of similar to a background music video playing at a club: it's there but you only turn to see what's playing once in a while. Anyways, I thought that was interesting and blog-worthy.

My Thanksgiving was pretty quiet. Thursday is like my "day off," since I work Wednesday and weekends, so I just wanted to get some laundry done and relax. I tried to go to Roseberry, another LSE hall, for a turkey dinner but there was no food left by the time we arrived. Jared and I improvised and headed to The Monument pub for some Thanksgiving-ish sandwiches. Unfortunately due to the bird flu, the turkey was replaced with chicken but it still had the other necessary ingredients: cranberry sauce and stuffing. It was good to just relax and have some pints. Definitely a unique Thanksgiving though. It's strange to think that my Thanksgiving for 20 years has been characterized by all these traditions and now, for the first time in my existence, I'm switching things up.

Two friends are in town this weekend, Jeff whom I visited in Dublin and Josh from Oxford/Gtown. Yesterday after class and rock climbing, I met up with the boys at The George, a pub in my area. For the first time, everyone decided to actually come to Southwark! It's a cool place and I like it a lot, but it's not necessarily somewhere I want to coerce everyone to come to in case things are disappointing. So after freezing a bit at The George among inadequate heat lamps, we learned that two pubs I had planned to go to were charging ridiculous cover fees or requiring stricter dress codes. Luckily, we ended up at a pub nearby that charged only 2 pounds for pints and was a cool, cozy student bar.

Today I met up with some friends in Covent Garden for lunch and we walked around the Jubilee Market for a bit of exploring. I love markets despite their aim at tourists and such. Tin placards, license plates from North Carolina, framed photos for 10 pounds, caricature artists, jewelers, leather goods, etc. Glitzy Christmas decorations hung from the ceilings and it had a very seasonal feeling. California, perhaps because of its weather or landscape, has never really been able to manufacture that feeling for me, so I almost feel more in the Christmas spirit here than if I were at home. The Santa and reindeer lights display near Costco just doesn't cut it.

I think I've rambled on for long enough. Everything is going well, I think. A highlight today was a street performer's rendition of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice (It's Alright)." I was moved enough to throw in 2 USD worth of change.

Rainy Days

There's something about London that can make me appreciate it even when I'm walking home in the rain with a heavy backpack and two bags of groceries. I've never had this same type of appreciation while walking back to Georgetown's campus from Safeway, and I can't quite pinpoint why. Maybe there's nothing along the way to see? I don't know.

It's a rainy, cold day and I'm still in a good mood. I went climbing at the Castle today and met up with a friend from work. His name is Gabor and he's Hungarian and we both get a kick out of losing things in translation. When he was finished in the changing room, he said, "I'm worse than a bride." Number one. I couldn't figure out he said the word "worse" for a while and number two, I had to have him explain the saying. I'm slowly getting better at climbing, but I'm also noticing that the heights make my palms sweat more than when I first started. I wonder why.

I can't find normal "American" cheese at the grocery store. I went to the cheese aisle and they had blocks. This was my third attempt. Also, in fun news, I've discovered an American-ish bar is only 10 minutes from my dorm. I went to the bar (at another location) after work on Saturday night only to see the Michigan vs. Ohio State NCAA game. Pretty unexpected. Then I had to endure taunts of "Rugby is a real man's sport" by an annoying co-worker. This rugby versus American football debate doesn't actually exist. Most Americans abroad agree that rugby is cool, but to concede that it is cooler than American football is rare. They are simply different and I will leave it at that. My American pride is strong in London and I'm not about to let some arse tell me repeatedly that football players look gay in tights.

One last thing. Hold two fingers up as to signal "two beers, please." No, you just said "Piss off" or something. I forget. I hold two fingers up a lot and it's kind of a problem. Alright. That's all for now. A full week ahead and Thanksgiving! We will probably go to this pub called The Monument and order the turkey with stuffing and cranberry sandwich, since the bird flu has pushed turkey prices OUT OF CONTROL.

Also, I'm working on getting more postcards out. If your name is Grandma or Grandpa, one is coming as soon as I think of something unique and interesting to write. I've gotten no mail from overseas (ahem, parents). When my aunt gave me a some stuff from home, I half expected to see something special in there. Alas. It's not actually making me sad. That said, I miss everybody and hope Thanksgiving is a much deserved break for everyone working so hard. Talk to you soon.

Christmas Break

I am nearing real personhood. I opened my own bank account and started a mobile phone contract all by myself (but with some parental consultation). Those small accomplishments make me feel like I can survive out here by myself.

I'm not sure who knows this, but I'll be staying in the UK over Christmas break doing... something. Most people have had really surprised reactions to this seeming sentence of loneliness and homesickness. Don't worry, everyone. I'll be fine. I'm working 20 hours a week now and it may increase to 40 over the term break, which will keep me busy. I am still considering going on the climbing trip to Morocco, although I'm not sure if my skill level is up to par yet. Also, I'm up for some winter exploring.

Ok, once again, I'm blogging on my lunch break. I have to go now. So perhaps a more thorough recap later.

Life Recap: Dublin

I haven't been my usual blogging self lately, but here's a little recap of what I've been up to. I traveled to Dublin to visit Jeff (from Georgetown) Tuesday-Thursday and then I had work all day Saturday and today (Sunday), so I've been sleep deprived for a solid 3-4 days. I really need to catch up on work and I'm thoroughly relieved to have no travel plans until my December trip to Prague.

First. At Heathrow, I saw none other than KENNY IZZO at the Aer Lingus Terminal. For those of you that don't know, Kenny Izzo is a Gtown Basketball player that graduated last year. I said "Hi," introduced myself, and we chatted it up for 10 minutes. I heard about his basketball exploits in Mexico, Ireland, and Hungary and it was all pretty surreal. He was a really down to earth guy and was really gracious about being approached by a random person at an airport. He had a bit of a Midwestern accent and I was fondly reminded of the U.S. Sigh. I was sooooooo tempted to get a picture but felt it was too ridiculous. Crazy, right?

Dublin. I see why Jeff compared it to Boston now, since we finished the mandatory site-seeing in roughly three hours. Granted, we did it in Japanese tourist fashion. Get there, take a picture, read a sign or placard about history, and move on. I didn't make the peace sign unfortunately.

You can see all my Dublin pictures HERE on Flickr. I saw major things like... the Spire, Christ's Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse, the River Liffey (if that counts), Temple Bar area, Grafton Street, St. Steven's Green, blah blah blah. Jeff was a good tour guide.

Anyways, work is good. I think it satisfies my need for human interaction, since it's basically 20-hours of guaranteed contact with people. Most staff members are 20-30 and from various countries like Hungary, France, Denmark, etc. It's a fun place and it's not as bad as it first seemed when I got trained. We get commission and they keep an eye on how much you sell, so that adds a little pressure to the job. I hate being an annoying sales person and following people around or stalking the till (don't dare call it a register in the UK, people) to tell them that it's MY sale. The first day, I sold 500-600 pounds of stuff and today, I think I sold about the same. As long as I keep around there, I'll be happy. Anyways. I need to sleep and/or do some work. Either.

LSE Departmental Support

This is an email I received today from my LSE department tutor:

Dear Jessica,

I notice you are doing a 3rd year economics course. I should warn you that EH GC students often fail these courses as they are often very technical, so unless you have a very strong background in economics and mathematics I would advice you to do another course.

Please let me know how you are finding the course so far and what your background in the topic is.

Best wishes,
Gerben

Wow. That's super encouraging. I'm glad he emailed me before it was too late to change courses... wait. He didn't. To be fair, an Economic History student probably would fail Development Econ. But I am an Econ student that happens to be placed in the Econ History department. So... I'm hoping this little fact gives me some type of advantage over the typical EH GC student.

Jen's Visit

Here's a story. So I mentioned to my mom that I was going to a Polish Vodka Party on Thursday night (but that I'd take it easy). Based on past events of Christmas '05, she told me to be careful and to let her know I was okay afterward. Of course I forgot to email her so I get an email on Friday with a subject of "How was the Vodka party??" with no body text. Haha.

Turns out I didn't go to the vodka party. The only reason I was going was to maintain social ties to the rock climbing society people. Being a beginner (read: shitty rock climber), I can't really bond with people just based on rock climbing. So I look to other things... like vodka. Anyways, we just went to a pub, because the music at the Polish thing was ultra-eurotrashy and we weren't feeling it. Perhaps if I was armed with a glowstick or two and put on a Zoolander face, I could get into the vibe. Not this time.

I started off the week a little behind on work and was kind of rushing to catch up the whole time. I had my first day at Ellis Brigham on Wednesday and that was okay, not amazing. I hope it gets better, because I was bored out of my mind and wished they would train people more efficiently.

Work plus feeling like I was coming down with a cold meant I didn't go rock climbing. Jen, a close friend from Pres, was visiting this weekend AND of course, I'm going to Dublin on Tuesday, so I didn't really want to push my body. But here I am on a Sunday clearing my throat and breathing through a congested nose. It could be worse. I still feel up for traveling, but I just need to continue taking it easy.

I was really excited for Jen's visit, since we never see each other during the school year (and sometimes summer) when I'm at Georgetown. We saw the sites with Jared: Notting Hill again, Parliament and Big Ben, St. Bride's and St. Paul's, and then to a historic pub or two. Highlights include cupcakes at Notting Hill (see above) and finding a Banksy work (above as well) near the flea market part. Unexpected and cool. Alright. I'm off to do some work... eventually. Hope everyone is well.

Employed!

I'm employed and will be starting work at Ellis Brigham tomorrow. The picture to the left shows the ice climbing wall that is located IN THE STORE. If I'm lucky, I'll try that sucker out fo' free. I'll let you know how it goes. In other news, the social health care system seems to be functioning well. I got my NHS card in the mail already, got a free flu shot, and a 4-month supply of asthma medication for only 6 pounds! I just hope work doesn't consume my life and ruin my rock climbing schedule. I get the impression that they are pretty flexible for my hours, so I don't think it will be an issue. Who knew working at Helly Hansen this summer would be such an asset on my resume?

I need to crack down on work. Cheers.

Paddington Station

A Georgetown friend of mine spent this past weekend in London and we met up at Paddington Station. Little did we know that Paddington Station is THE Paddington Station where Paddington the bear was discovered in the children's books. I think we might've been the only ones excited about it.

Thursday Night Wrap-Up

I mentioned a few posts ago that my favorite view of London was West from the Waterloo Bridge. Well, this is it. You can kind of see everything all at once and as the bus moves across the bridge, everything is framed a little differently. Here, you can see the Golden Jubilee Bridge, Big Ben and Parliament, and a bit of the London Eye. And the clouds look pretty good as well. Eugenio took this picture, but it's what I look at every day on the bus. Jealous?


It's a bit chilly and I find myself pressing the Boost button on my heater constantly. It turns on automatically if it falls below 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit!), otherwise, you have to press a button every hour. That's no good for me. I am intolerant of indoor temperatures below 65, but I suppose it'll toughen me up a little. The weather is starting to cool down meaning that under no circumstances will I be dressing up and wearing skirts unless absolutely necessary. A friend of mine is in town from Oxford and he called me from a bar to ask me to meet up. I knew the bar was more bar and less pub (read: more classy, less casual), and pretty immediately turned him down. I'm willing to bear the cold for short walks to and from places. But for a half hour or more of transit? No. I'll see him this weekend anyway; I'm not that mean or lazy.

Today, I have sustained myself on two TV dinners, a bowl of cereal, and the rest of a bag of crisps (chips). I chewed two pieces of gum as well. I love gum, but when I choose to chew it here, it's a very conscious choice. "Will I eat soon and will I have to spit it out before it loses flavor? Do I need fresher breath? Do I really need to chew a piece now?" So... chewing two pieces today, in my opinion, was extremely extravagant. I'm living it uppppp. I finally did some work , probably the most consecutive hours of reading I've done in 5 months. Insane right? It's still not the workload of Georgetown at all, but some of the material is more challenging. I think they might be on to something here. I'm getting smarter, presumably, by doing less work. Amazing. I can go rock climbing 2-3 times during the school week! Speaking of rock climbing, I broke in my new pair of shoes on Wednesday. I was a little timid wearing my own pair of shoes and even more timid about having my own chalk bag... so timid that I kept my chalk bag in my locker. It was a good day though and as usual, I have big, colorful bruises that indicate I'm more hardcore than I am in reality. Oh well.

I have an interview tomorrow for a job to make some extra cash. So if I don't write about being employed within the next two weeks, it means I've not been hired. I'm excited for money, because then I can more guiltlessly do things that are fun. I want to go to concerts or something. The prices for shows are similar to U.S. prices, but then you multiply by the exchange rate of two and are instantly depressed. Alright. I need to work on an earlier bedtime. Good night.

Photo Op

Who said London is always cloudy? Here's a photo of Grisda (Thailand), Eugenio (Italy), and me in front of Tower Bridge on Sunday, Oct 21. Note: Sunday was the day after the 5 pint Rugby World Cup debacle. It's actually a really nice walk there from my dorm, which I'd never have discovered if not for the pushiness of my Italian flatmate. Both Grisda and Eugenio are post-grads.

I know I've had lack of pictures of myself, so I'm trying to make up for it. In other exciting news, I'm making a quick dash to Dublin Nov. 6-8th!

American music

I was having lunch at this cheap-ish sandwich place in the Covent Garden area sipping my white Cafe Americano, the closest thing to regular coffee at most places, and reading an article called "Too Funny to Fuck" in the newspaper when I heard the opening of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me." These factors combined to create momentary euphoria and I remembered, although I had not actually forgotten, that I love life. These life-loving moments of mine are almost always accompanied by a song.

What else? I got a call from another outdoor company and scheduled an interview so, if for some reason the first doesn't come through, I have a back-up. I feel pretty good about how all my classes are going. Everything seems learnable, except for Development Economics which is one big uphill battle. I feel a tad out of my league in many ways, mostly because everyone in the class has already taken Econometrics, but I think I can rise to the occasion rather than failing miserably.

Check out this video of our LSE Rock Climbing Captain on this weekend's climbing trip. Now... I still don't know much about climbing but I'm learning to climb 4a's, 4b's, and 4c's. She's climbing a 7a+. Norwegians... man. I'm secretly aiming to get good enough to go on the climbing trip to Morocco this winter, but I'm realistic: 7a's are not in my sights.

When In Rome... Yes?

1. Replace "too" with "as well."
Good: I'm a General Course student as well.
Bad: I'm a General Course student too.

2. Replace "very" (in most cases) with "quite" and liberally pair "quite" with any adjective you like, especially "good" and "nice."
Good: That Indian restaurant is quite nice.
Bad: That Indian restaurant is nice -OR- That Indian restaurant is very nice.

3. Replace "Thanks" to bus drivers or cashiers with "Cheers." This assumes the bus driver acknowledges your presence or answers your question, a weak assumption.

A Comment About Georgetown

Georgetown is a bit up in arms this year. First, there was the reaction to the alleged poor coverage of the Jena Six incident by campus newspapers; that, to my knowledge, has died down for now. Then there are the criticisms and protests against the Georgetown administration's handling of an alleged hate crime: one Hoya assaulted a fellow Hoya because he was gay. I'd like to comment a little bit on the developing situation.

It's quite disturbing for me to think that all this is happening at a place I call home. Georgetown is a university of higher learning, so immediately, there is some assumption that alternative views and lifestyles are more tolerated, even embraced, there. This, however, is not the case at Georgetown. Being different, even in terms of how you dress or look, immediately sets you apart from the homogenous student body. In fact, the overwhelming sameness of the student population was THE major point of consideration for me when I was seriously thinking of transferring from Georgetown my freshman year.

For those of you that may not know what happened, here are a few stories of the events on campus that have been stirring up protest:
"Cooney Turns Down Plea Offer"

"Professors Criticize LGBTQ Treatment"

"Student Attacked in Alleged Hate Crime"; This is a separate incident from the first.

Ok, so a major point of attack for the defense is the use of facebook to identify Cooney. However, anyone who has ever used facebook knows that it is the perfect tool for tracking down a face with an unknown name. I've seen people on campus, noted who they hung out with, and then searched through photos of their friends in order to find a tagged picture revealing unknown person's name. Simple stalking 101. So as you can tell, taking only the method of identification into consideration, I'm very convinced that facebook is an ideal tool for identifying a suspect. I suppose the fuzzy part is the role the friend of the victim played in helping him identify Cooney, and it might not be good to ruin a guy's life on "maybe's."

Apart from the crime, GU Pride is upset that it took 3 weeks for students to be notified of the event. In fact, NBC News was the first to break the story and only after NBC showed up at the front gates did the University send out a broadcast email. To their defense, MPD was in charge of the investigation requested that the University let the police handle the investigation. However, there's no excuse for the 2-day delay of alerting the student body about the second hate crime. I would think that Georgetown would send out an email right away to convey that they have understood why GU Pride is upset, that they want to amend their ways. Some outsiders may think, "2 days? That's not that long." But consider that news of other assaults or burglaries are emailed to Georgetown students in less than 12 hours. All the administration had to do to cover their asses was to treat the second hate crime in the same manner as other assaults, but they didn't.

I'm disappointed in Georgetown. Sure, we're a Catholic institution, but we're not fucking Notre Dame. I can't tell since I'm in London, but I'm not really sure if I can detect a lot of school unity following the incidents. I think that most people still don't see Georgetown as homophobic and therefore, they don't bother to stand up for others. I get the impression that people might even think that gay people at Georgetown are over-reacting or asking too much. I don't know.

What I do believe is that if a black student was attacked on campus while racial slurs were shouted at him or her, there would be a whole lot more campus-wide support and a much bigger response from the university. Maybe I'm off on that, but I believe it. I feel like we're living in a new civil rights era or something. I think people take for granted that people can BE gay nowadays, especially in cities like DC, but people can't express being gay without some scorn whether it be in the form of a strange look or verbal disapproval.

It's just strange and I'm almost glad I'm in London and away from it all, so that I don't have to ask myself whether I should stand up or not.

Rugby World Cup debauchery

It's a beautiful Sunday in London. The weather has begun to cool off, but the sky is clear and the sun is out. I woke up at almost 1PM today after a night at the pub watching the final game of the Rugby World Cup between England and South Africa. I planned on spending last night in reading and relaxing, but figured that I should make the most out of living in London and watch the game. We ended up at pub called Mortimer's up by Goodge St and UCL. It was a low-key pub and we got a cheap dinner with a pitcher of cheap pints.

We sat at a table of UCL old-timer's with PhDs: two guys in their late 50s or early 60s and two guys in their 30s. We schmoozed and laughed at jokes we pretended to understand. By the end of the game, I was somewhere in the midst of a 4th pint which JP and Jared generously offered to finish for me since I was dying. But then enters Paul, a chatty 30-something who buys us all another pint. As polite people, of course we are obliged to drink this free pint. But as they say in economics, there's no such thing as a free pint... er, lunch.

I ran into a flatmate and his friend on my way back from a coffee and was coerced into taking a walk on "this a'beautiful day!" (said with Italian accent). So we walked to Tower Bridge and across and got a sandwich at Subway and ate in a park. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday. I know I said my life is a sausage fest and it still is one, but the guys I know and have met are pretty cool. I like them a lot and it could be worse if I didn't know anyone at all.

I'm excited for the start of a new week. Hopefully, I'll be getting more sleep this time around. I am now the proud owner of my very own pair of rock climbing shoes and chalk bag. Now I look legit and the only thing I have to do is BE legit. Climbing as a registered member for the first time on Friday was a little weird. Without some LSE girl or guy pointing to routes and coaching me, I felt a little intimidated. But I just need to dive right in and continue on, lest I waste the 6-month membership I purchased. Ok, to the grindstone...

My Life is a Sausage Fest

I should be going out right now to check out some live music at LSE from student acts and bands. Only 50 pence. But I've been to and from LSE twice today already. Am I unwarranted in my laziness? The trip is like a half-hour ordeal each way. I should go, right? Also, I will have to be energetic and spirited, because I won't know a single person there. And then I'll need a pint or half-pint to loosen up or at least appear loosened up. I wonder if people go there knowing people or what. Hmm. I could go any time from now until 11. The question is... is it worth it to go, let it be a failure, and come back? THAT is the question. That sounds pessimistic, but we're talking worst case scenarios. On the plus side, there's music. Going to watch music alone is okay. I like music.

I feel a little off today. I should point out that I have been here now for 17 days now (I just counted), and I'm not sure what to think about my social progress. I think being here in itself is a challenging experience, good for me to toughen up. As I predicted, it's more alone time than I'd have at Georgetown. There's no one here to just call and be with. Just be with, just exist alongside. You know how you study with someone in a place just so once in a while, you can point out something interesting that you read? Or you can take a study break with that person? I miss that about Georgetown. It's me, myself, and I a lot of the time and being a pseudo-only child, it's not all that new, but still not entirely amazing.

I think I miss having girl-friends, my girl-friends. The Georgetown crew here is all guys and my one girl-friend was struck with a herpes zoster infection of her auditory nerve and is now returning home for the semester. Sigh. In fact, my cell phone is practically girl-less. I have a friend's number in Spain, Andrea's (who's returning to Hong Kong in a few days), and my aunt's. The small girly side of me is going extinct as I fail to actually make girl-friends. I'm trying to see where I fail here. Am I failing? I don't know. I don't see fellow Hoyas racking up friends. But I don't know.

I can't tell if this is sadness or loneliness or what. I see people. I do things. I go out. I explore. Not one tear has been shed since being here. What is it? I feel like I should be able to fix something and be pro-active about the situation. Alright. In the midst of writing this, I think I've decided to go to LSE. I can be mysterious and solitary in a corner if I must, and I can be social and fun if that's an option. Cool.

Edit: So this is me post LSE Live Music. The music scene at LSE is much more alive than that of Georgetown. People are just more willing to take risks or just have fun. I do, however, think there's a limit on how many crowd-pleasing covers one group can do. One male duo played only ones they knew the crowd would definitely know and respond to. I'm all for reeling them in with a witty or fun pick, but then I think you should go out on a limb. This group started off with "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias which segued nicely into "How To Save a Life" by The Fray. I suppose "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)" by Taking Back Sunday was their risk, but they continued with "Cannonball" by Damien Rice, and then a little bit of "I Want It That Way" by BSB and "Hit Me Baby (One More Time)" by Britney Spears. Ok, we get it. You're funny. Move on. There was another band that played "Hey-Oh" by RHCP, "Stockholm Syndrome" by Muse (fun to hear for the first time in a while), and strangely "Bullet in the Head" by RATM. The singer was a girl, a girly one, so when I first heard the beginning of "Bullet in the Head," I wasn't sure what to expect. But it was fun. There was another girl with a good voice and mediocre songs, BUT she had the guts to perform them and that was respectable; she ended with Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

I'm glad I went overall, but I didn't say a word to anyone except the bartender when I got my beer. Not the most social place, since it was loud and everyone knew everyone or was a friend of someone performing. But it wasn't that awkward NOT to know anyone.

Manic, Unemployed Monday

I got 5 hours of sleep last night for no reason other than I lay there and couldn't fall asleep. I don't know what it is, maybe my body's instinct to preserve every last bit of energy until it runs out. This morning wasn't so terrible even though the bus, once again, almost caused me to be late. I left at 8:25 and just made it into the classroom at 9:05. Meh. I had my first class this morning (Note: classes are different from lectures; classes are capped at 20, lectures... seemingly not), and it brought to light one of my main frustrations with LSE. Why the hell do they pick out of print books that are a.) unavailable at the library; b.) in limited quantities at the library i.e. 5 books to 40 students; c.) in some library in the Greater London area, but they're not sure which and how many copies; or d.) unavailable on the internet, out of print, or on sale used for 99 pounds. I'm not sure if students actually work harder than students in the U.S. or if they just work harder to simply obtain the books. I'm willing to read, yes. Willing to research at the library, fine. Willing to spend hours tracking down a book to read a few chapters for this week's lecture and class? Fuck no. I didn't come to study abroad to learn the Dewey Decimal system.

Another frustration. I was on time, borderline late, for my Political Economy class this morning as well. My .95p fried egg roll somehow took 10 minutes to get to me and I was enraged and annoyed, but I won't get into it. So I rush off to Peco and just like last time, every desk is occupied and people are sitting on the floor in the back. It's ridiculous that they book classrooms where there are not enough desks for students. We're not talking 1 or 2 desks short. We're talking 10-15 desks short AT LEAST. I went into an empty classroom next door and dragged in a desk to an empty spot at the door. Other students were not so lucky and sat outside the door, unable to see the board, like I did last time. Others cursed, as I would too, when they saw the full classroom and just left in frustration. What the fuck, LSE? In infrastructure so weak that they can't even plan out which classroom to assign for which class?

So as you can see, my experiences with this side of LSE have been unsatisfactory thus far. However, I don't mean to say that my professors or class teachers don't seem good. They are so far. It's just that these fubars (you all know the acronym) are major ones and they should be corrected, not overlooked. They are an impediment to students learning AND it obviously favors wealthier students that can just buy books and be better off with less effort wasted on the frivolous search for books; it's opportunity cost. I'm among those fortunate enough to be able to buy the books and man, I'm thankful for it; less time wasted.

While I said I'm fortunate enough to buy books, the same doesn't apply for eating and feeling full. I'm Starvin' Marvin over here, but testing out this new daily budget to see how it goes. I had a good, filling dinner, but it pretty much cost me my daily budget. So... I spent the day job-searching online. I've applied for three so far, and I'm crossing my fingers. Two are retail, which I'd prefer, and one is data entry. My hours aren't flexible enough for anything real... plus I really don't want to have to worry about business casual right now. So... cross your fingers for me. I need a job and I need it now. Cheers, as they say.

Oh. A happy thing. I finally have some cookware to work with!

Rugby Match recap

Last night I went down a pub by Liverpool Street Station to watch the Rugby World Cup semi-final match of England vs. France. My knowledge of rugby is mediocre at best, but I followed pretty well. Some strange observations though. Throughout the match, a manly man would bellow, "Swing lowwwww" and everyone would continue with "...sweet chariot / Coming for to carry me home" and so on. It's a puzzling choice for a rugby song in the middle of a crowded pub, because "Sweet Low, Sweet Chariot" is a spiritual folk song once sung by field slaves circa the United States in the late 1800s, and I first heard it in my Blues class at Georgetown. Also, it's a favorite of my nephews Ty and Zach. It seems that the Brits borrow a lot of music from Americans and I think, why? It's not like they're lacking in material.

There were some French fans at the pub and the British crowd was surprisingly receptive to their obnoxious "Viva la France!" cheers. I think the Brits just knew that they could probably take out the entire French crowd with a collective punch and didn't bother to react. Judging solely from the crowd at the pub, it wasn't hard to believe that the British have beaten the French in almost every major battle of history. The French were perhaps better looking, slimmer, and more stylish, but hey, looks don't win wars. The Brits were big and burly and slammed their fists on the tables. Before the match started, I asked my biggest male friend to protect me if England lost... or won.

I had a great seat and was in the midst of everything. When England won and people dropped and shattered pints of Guinness, I only suffered beer thrown in my air and on my shirt, a small price to pay for a genuine London experience. Perhaps the only blip in my so-called genuine experience was my McDonalds run at the half. I was STARVING from only eating an apple, banana, and chicken samosa the entire day and was going to pass out or get drunk quickly from my pint if I didn't find food. (Note to my parents: this is my a typical level of starvation thus far. Yes. I will guilt you).

We went to a different pub after the game and I was given a pint instead of a half-pint I ordered and so, paid the appropriate price, financially and physically. An empty stomach is no good. I have to say... I have no girl-friends in London. I am the girl in the midst of guys in almost every activity, except rock climbing, and of course, I am accosted for struggling to finish a pint. When I finally prove myself by finishing, I am bought another. Haha. It's all in fun though and it's a good time. I can't complain, because it's great to have some Gtown guys here.

Alright. I need to get the hell out of here. I've been choking down a terrible TV dinner for lunch and I can't bear it any more. My plan is to return to Soho for the third time in 3 days and acquire utensils and even a bowl and plate if I'm lucky.

Otto, World Traveler

Pretty self-explanatory and yes, I tidied up for the picture. I have few possessions here, so I tacked up every paper and receipt I've gotten to make the room feel lived in. I'm lucky to have my own fridge and I'm appreciating my bathroom/shower room more despite its "space efficiency." Did you notice that Otto is a world traveler? I think he may have been more places than my dad.

Rock Climbing!

Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind. I decided against meeting with my mentor at 9:30AM and opted to sleep in, a glorious choice. Somehow, I accomplished almost nothing besides eating and setting up my room land line (you can now call me without Skype; you pay, I don't) before I had to start my day. But I did manage to set off the fire alarm while trying speed up the drying of my sweat pants. I'm not positive it was me, but just in case, I quickly unplugged my hairdryer and put it away to conceal all evidence. Then I stared the fire alarm down as it blinked and beeped until it shut off. Whew. Sigh of relief.

So I headed to LSE to meet the rock climbing crew and waited in front of the building where we were supposed to meet. I panicked at first when I realized I had no idea how to identify the rock climbing people. That's a problem I have here... I never expect to actually become friends with anyone I meet, so names and faces disappear from memory as soon as the introduction is over. And then I have no idea who to look for. I found them and we headed to The Castle indoor rock climbing facility in North London. Somehow when I walked in... I didn't realize that the building looked like this:

This is what happens when I'm preoccupied with new things; I don't realize I'm climbing in a former Victorian pumping house.

Anyways. The facilities were amazing. I was shocked to see how much there was inside. There's even a little cafe where people can buy "a spot of tea," a phrase I actually heard used for the first time, inside. They paired us two beginner climbers to one experienced climber. I was paired with Shane, another General Course student from USC. Our experienced climber was Kjerste (pronounced Shesh-teh, or something), a third year LSE student from Norway. Apparently everyone who rock climbs is Norwegian, which somehow makes the fact that I worked at Helly Hansen, a Norwegian company, hilariously useful for chit chat.

We had to rent shoes, tight ones that I think are supposed to let you use your feet and toes to the best of your ability. Then we were allowed to try bouldering, a type of climbing where you don't need a harness or rope. I think I might go for that more when I finally get to go by myself, because I can do it solo. We also did some lead climbing where we learned how to tie this special knot and strap everything to ourself. In order to be able to climb alone without an experienced climber to sign you in, you have to know how to do all this stuff yourself. We ended up climbing for 4 hours and my arms felt a little rubbery by the end. They're sore today, along with my forearms and parts of back, butt, and legs. Mission: accomplished. The picture to the right is of the area where we lead climbed and learned to belay others and tie the special knots. Climbing is both easier and harder than it looks. I can't explain. But I liked it a lot. I like the independent nature of the sport, at least for bouldering.

After I realized it was 6PM and I was still at The Castle, I panicked that I was still wearing sweats still yet scheduled to attend a Jack the Ripper walking tour with dinner at Brick Lane at 7PM. I raced back home and back up to the meeting place and miraculously made it in time. The tour was entertaining, as always, and surprisingly not creepy. I should've be more creeped out by hearing details of the brutal murders and mutilation of women in 1888, but I wasn't. I can see why people become obsessed about theories about Jack the Ripper though.

Alright. I've run on for far too long, but I was excited about rock climbing. Today, I purchased two texts for classes and found that it was either equally priced or cheaper than buying in the states. So refreshing. I also bought two used fiction books for fun to reward myself for surviving in London so far. It looks like books, or at least used ones, are the only products that don't rape you with exchange rates. Ahh, and here I am, back at Sidney Webb, enjoying a sandwich and comfort. I only got 5 hours of sleep thanks to late night necessary laundry, so a midday nap is in order.

Shoot me an email or anything to keep in touch more personally. Do I update this too much? Does it seem like I don't have a life? I feel compelled to reassure you that I do. Never fear.

Two Entries in One Day, Too Many

After I wrote the entry below, I napped for about 3 hours. It was much needed, because I've had two early lectures in a row now. I was 10 minutes late to one and 20 minutes late to the other thanks to the bus system. Apparently, during rush hour when buses fill up, drivers stop but decide not to open their doors to let in more passengers. And so I waited and waited while time ticked away. It wasn't that bad to be late for the first lectures, although I was sitting in a chair outside the classroom for Political Economy unable to see the board. It was really refreshing to see that Political Economy is based on the contributions of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison though. Thank you, America.

Today was a day of rest post-4PM. But I have had zero human interaction since then and I've gone on a spree of looking for cheap season passes of tv shows to buy on Itunes. Itunes is a glorious thing in the UK, because I can still buy things in US dollars AND I'm spending a gift card. Anyways. I think this is as deep as my homesickness (for DC) goes. I just crave the ability to watch American TV whenever I wish and unfortunately for me, I'm provided with an inadequate web connection for downloading torrents and can't stream in the UK. TV and movies and the internet have been my link to normalcy. I have already watched Something's Gotta Give twice, in 20 minute increments, and Notting Hill one and a half times.

I was hoping to sleep in tomorrow, but I feel compelled to meet my faculty mentor and his office hours, or should I say hour, is 9:30-10:30 on Wednesday. I guess it will force me to start my day early, even though I have no classes or lectures. Traveling to school is definitely an adjustment, but I think it's a good segue into the "real world." See you later.

No Money, Mo' Problems

I think that one can judge the wealth of others by what cereal they're buying. If they're buying that grainy crap or 2-for-1 of something that's clearly not delicious, then they're poor or frugal. If they're buying delicious sweet things, then they're looaddded. I've been trying to save money wherever I can here, whether it's ordering a cheese omelet rather than a ham AND cheese omelet to save 40 pence or opting out of seeing Spamalot with friends. Today, due to starvation of two days, I finally went to the grocery store and continued my streak of frugality.

There are several problems I encountered. One. I picked up a 99 pence bag of frozen peas. Awesome. Wait... I don't have a bowl. Or a fork. Or a knife. Or a spoon. Since realizing this, I've been on the look-out for something that will make do, but I haven't seen anything yet. So... for now, no peas. I did, however, buy cereal even though I don't have a bowl. I did the 2-for-1 thing. Milk. Orange juice. Four microwave dinners. A bundle of bananas and five nectarines. Fourteen pounds, an arm, and a leg.

In another effort to save some money, I sought a grocery store where I could top up (the over-used phrase meaning "to add money to") my Oyster card, which is used for buses and tubes. Then, I thought, I could charge the 20 pounds for the 7-day travel card AND buy some food, and it would make the credit card transaction fee all the more worth while. That was a failure. An utter failure. Also, my phone service, a failure. I regret not getting T-Mobile or something, not because it's cheaper but because for some reason, I can't top up online and am going to have to go to a Carphone Warehouse every time unless I call the Mobile World people and sort this out. Sorting out is what I'm tired of doing. I still have to sort out my health registration stuff, but it was raining today and I couldn't find its road. So I'll have to do that tomorrow.

Eating is terrible when you are counting the pence of each bite. I think that biggest failure of my being an adult, as I'm supposed to be at this point, is eating. This summer, if I was too tired from work or too busy, I just would delay meals until late. And I find that the same thing happens here, except now even worse because each bite is so damn expensive. Anyways, money sucks. Send relief aid to Citibank.

Edit (05/07/08): Once there was a picture of cereals on this post... but then 40 people a day came to this entry because of... no more.

First Weekend Photos

So I've been a lousy tourist and haven't taken many photos... until now. Here is a preview (click on them for a less distorted picture) but you can see all of them by clicking HERE. Meggan has more and so does my aunt so those will come soon, since I know looking at pictures of old building is boring.

10 miles in London... WALKING

I feel at home in London. This weekend, my high school friend Meggan visited me from Barcelona where she's currently studying abroad. I was determined to be a good host and to show her the sites... even though I hadn't really seen any of them myself. Apparently the motivation to be a good host is all that I needed to get acquainted with the city. In basically one day, I feel like I became a Londoner. And all I needed to do was walk over 10 miles. Ten miles. Yes, I am bolding all the sites to drive the point home that I saw all of London in a day, basically. Call me obnoxious, but I'm going to boast.

I will briefly, to the best of my ability, retrace our steps from Saturday. We walked from my dorm up to Borough Market, saw Southwark Cathedral, walked past Sir Francis Drake's ship (a replica) The Golden Hinde, stopped by Shakespeare's The Globe Theater, passed the Tate Modern, crossed the Millenium Bridge, went to St. Paul's Cathedral, walked past another Christopher Wren-designed church called St Bride's, walked down Fleet Street to The Royal Courts of Justice and LSE, went to Trafalgar Square and saw Nelson's Column, headed South and ran into a march for Burmese monks, took pictures of Big Ben and The London Eye, and then headed to Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Woo. Then we headed even further West towards Buckingham Palace. We stopped and got fish and chips and hard cider at a pub a ways away from the touristy area and caught a little bit of the Australia vs. England rugby game. Then we continued on after Buckingham Palace to Picadilly to check out where we'd be eating later with my Aunt, Uncles, Mom, and cousins. After finding our restaurant, we headed North to shopping between the and Bond Street and Oxford Street underground stations. Who knew you could have so many Burberry stores in such close proximity? Finally, we went a little bit East for a slight taste of Soho and Chinatown. We walked back and killed some time at Grosvenor Square where the American Embassy is located before returning to Picadilly for dinner, where we had a good meal with good family. Lastly, we walked back to my dorm near Borough. I think that might've been the most walking I've ever done in one day, considering we didn't take the tube at all.

Today, we took it a little easier. We walked to Borough Market again, ate omelets in the shadow of Southwark Cathedral, and went to The Tower of London. We actually paid entry fee and got to see the crown jewels. The view of the Tower Bridge was also great. We were less ambitious today since yesterday was so tiring, so our only other goal was Notting Hill (see photo of me in front of the Travel Book shop from the movie Notting Hill), which I had explored on Friday with my mom. This time we took the tube and made it there in good time to look around and get Meggan back to the Picadilly Line, where I could send her off to Heathrow.

After the whirlwind of a weekend, I managed to buy cleaning supplies and school supplies before coming home and staying there. At first, I regretted buying cleaning stuff (toilet cleaner and spray cleaner) plus laundry stuff for 15 pounds, because I read that my bathroom is cleaned for me fortnightly (every 14 days). But damn. After I took a good look at it and my level of disgust rose to peak levels, I brought out my guns and disinfected like there was no tomorrow. I sprayed, I mopped, I brushed. The most disgusting thing was taking the toilet brush out of its container and realizing that shower water had been collecting in it. DISGUSTING. But I am now satisfied with the level of clean and don't regret buying the supplies.

Now, I feel a little sick. I haven't really felt 100% since getting here, since I was pseudo-sick before traveling and now I just need to take it easy and relax. No more 10+mile walks. Alright. Big recap. I hope to skype with more people soon.

Hooded Sweatshirt

Somehow, I only feel at home in a place in which I own a hooded sweatshirt sporting its name. Presentation High School. Georgetown. Now LSE. I'm not quite at home yet, but I'm getting there. London is less scary. My neighborhood is less scary. I went to Brick Lane (I think) and had amazing Indian food near the Liverpool Street tube stop. It was my first tube ride alone, since I've been taking the bus everywhere and I made it confidently and successfully. The food was great. I had lamb korma and chicken tandoori with a pint of cider. Mmmmm good. The company was even better, all Georgetown friends from D6 (Darnall 6th floor, my freshman stomping ground). I know it sounds exclusive and unadventurous, but it really has been very difficult to meet British students or even just plain LSE students. I've met some General Course students here and there, but no one who I've stuck with. Back to where we ate... Women and men on Brick Lane stand outside their restaurants and try to coax you in with 30% off deals or free pints, etc. It's weird with everyone trying to convince you to eat. But the place we ended up choosing was good.

After eating, we met up with a group of General Course students on a pub crawl through Southbank. This was nice, because I live on Southbank (South of the Thames, rather than North) and returning home at night was less of a hassle. We walked through London along the Thames and made our way South, stopping at three pubs. I can't remember their names except for the last one, The George. I had a half pint of Peroli at the first, a half pint of... something at the second, and a pint of Guinness at the George. I was carded at the George. Sigh. Alright. I am exhausted and am going to the Freshers' Fair early tomorrow... so good night. This was my attempt at a life summary.

I'm Alive

Short update. Things are looking up, since I met a few other Georgetown kids who live in my residence hall. So now, I don't have to dread figuring out to get back all by myself. My area isn't the greatest and it's just not comforting to be lost (or just not completely sure of where you're going) and alone. Today, following an extremely long-winded introduction by our Canadian dean to the General Course, I caught dinner at a pub called The Monument... right by the monument. I don't know what the monument is called, but it's near Tower Bridge and commemorates the Great Fire. You can barely tell what it is because it's surrounded by scaffolding and net at the moment. I ordered a sandwich and a half-pint of Guinness. Then I was carded. Carded in Europe. So that was a little funny. The Guinness was so good compared to the Guinness that I briefly tasted on St. Patrick's Day last year at Georgetown. Mmmm. The amazingness was somewhat overshadowed by how sick I felt though. I had a bad headache and was wondering how I would survive 4 hours on a boat, my next activity. But I decided to tough it out and luckily I did, or I would still no zero people from Sidney Webb House. That is all for now. I am so incredibly tired.

Update to Kill Time

I'm writing this from an LSE computer lab and the keys are messing me up. I took a walk to LSE this morning at 10AM with a group from my dorm and it turned out to be less helpful than expected. I pretty much have no idea how I got here. Also, I forgot my map but luckily, there's one enclosed in a packet I did remember to bring. The LSE campus isn't much to look at and no one really knows what's going on. Oh well. Friendliness is at a minimum. In fact, I just totally helped a French post-graduate and she just left without saying anything. Haha. Ok, I must be off to find the Peacock theater for "induction."

Multi-tasking

I can shampoo, rinse, and pee all at once! All in my tiny bathroom cubicle. When I first turned on the water, I thought, "Maybe this shower curtain will work." No. The water was basically going into the toilet, so I had to put the seat down. The mysterious water stains outside the bathroom door are no longer mysterious: they're from water leakage, which short showers will hopefully limit.

I'm a little overwhelmed by moving to London, mostly because I don't have everything all under control. I've blown a fuse twice now, despite following directions on the pamphlet, etc. I give up on that, because I can't bear to hear the fateful *POP* again and have to walk down and ask them to reset it. Having an aunt who lives here and my mom to help me are immeasurable luxuries. A car. Amen. People to buy me toilet paper and dinner? Oh. my. god. At least I can speak English. I've already been frustrated with the LSE housing staff not knowing how to help me with plugs, the internet, etc. Thank God I have the internet right now or I would be flipping out. The internet is my comfort, my connection to the world and my former life. I have only had 2 hours of sleep in the past 24 hours and I need rest. It's 8:45PM London time. Did I mention that my room overlooks the entrance to The Atlas, the on-site student pub? I hear the dull hum of conversation.

I've met no one here so far, but I don't care. I was too tired to make a good first impression and I'm feeling good about going to sleep. First entry complete. I'm a bit frantic about meeting up with other Georgetown LSE people and man, I wish I was in High Holborn Hall with Jared and JP.

From Yonkers

I am 25 minutes from leaving for the airport and there must be a lot of things I haven't done. But that's okay. I'm ready. Sooooooooo ready. I'm currently listening to the Touch My Clickwheel show at www.georgetownradio.com and it's possibly the most wonderful way to leave the United States. It's my first time listening to it and may I say that we (yes, I'm claiming it for myself too) are hilarious and interesting and have amazing song choices.

I'm kind of in a bad mood pre-leaving the U.S. which is spurring my enthusiasm for London, but I will blame it on the swollen, tumorous lymph nodes on my left side... AND the packing. So... beware London. I'm possibly bringing mononucleosis across the pond (but hopefully not). Ok, some may think I've wasted my last minutes on the internet but I don't agree. I've updated my facebook (which I irrationally wiped clean) and established an identity so LSE people can at least judge me properly (I will judge you). And here I am updating this blog. Also, I changed my voicemail greeting. Woo. Ok, that's enough. Talk to you soon from across the pond. I will continue to overuse that phrase.

DC Pt. I

Part I: Days in DC have flown by, which is strange since I initially thought my 6-night/7-day stay would wear out my welcome at Georgetown. For the most part, I don't feel like I'm bumming around at all. I sleep late, do my own thing, and then meet up with friends who happen to have a break from class. I can eat endless meals at Leo's thanks to generously offered guest passes and it just feels normal.

I've taken a strange liking to shocking people here with my presence. I walk around with my backpack "posing" as a student. When I see people I know and wave or say "hi," I wonder if they are curious why I'm here or if they just think that I've been mysteriously low-key for the past 3 weeks.

I'm now back in Yonkers and will post my last post from the U.S. in a day or two. Until then...

Natick

It's my second to last day in Natick and I'm beat, despite having napped more than the kids. I feel productive somehow though, and that's a feeling that I miss. My nephews remember me AND like me, major accomplishments since I don't get to see them that often. I'm glad I visited, overall, since I first doubted leaving California so early.

I'm watching MTV's Real World Sydney and I have to say that this girl is the most annoying person I've seen on television since watching an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen. "Trisha is a sharp-tongued party girl from California who enjoys drinking, flirting, and flaunting herself with the popular crowd. Raised as a devout Christian by her adoptive parents, 19 year-old Trisha greatly values her faith." Allow me to translate. Trisha is an obnoxious party girl who drinks a lot and then cries when she remembers that Jesus said drinking is a sin AND when she is moved by the songs of Christian street musicians.

I need to get out more.

EDIT: I didn't just watch tv in Natick. The last post was not representative of the trip. I forced myself awake at 8AM each morning after foolishly going to sleep at 1 or 2AM. There was one day where I was constantly sleeping throughout the day. But then my sister would ask for help carrying a bag of dirt (she planted a tree), etc. and I'd pop up, throw on my shoes and pretend to be a contributing member of the human race. I feared alone time with either of my nephews in case one or both threw a toddler fit, but it turns out that I'm an amazingly fun aunt and can win over babies' hearts by pretending to drive a stationary playground fire truck or by playing the song "Life is a Highway" on my computer. We went to the Natick Mall, excuse me... the Natick Collection, at least 3 times where I crashed my sister's mom date, witnessed a hilariously embarrassing episode by my sister in J. Crew, and watched Zach try on the cutest tiny Pumas (pictures soon). 'Twas a good visit to Massachusetts and I'll be looking forward to returning in December.

Yonkers

I'm 1.5 days into the two weeks I'll be spending on the East Coast before my departure to London. What can I say... I'm tired. Flying East is always worse than West. I went to sleep at 11PM EST, which is strange considering I'd been going to bed at 1 or 2AM PST. I'm off to Boston tomorrow and have unpacked from California, packed for Boston/DC for the most part, sorted through things, and half-packed for London. When will packing end? Very, very soon.

Not much to say here, except that I am itching to have a space of my own for a year. I cannot wait until I don't have to move or pack again. I've said that repeatedly but it's wearing down on me. But I will say that through all the moving around, I've been very well taken care of by my lodgers of sorts. It's a little bit bittersweet that the fall season is upon us, but as I discussed with Kate, it's mostly because my wardrobe is suited for summer. And by not suited... I mean... I adapt to winter by wearing my coat over my sweatshirt over my short-sleeve t-shirt with jeans over long underwear. Maybe a beanie thrown in there. Alright, I'm all out of words because I made two posts on my other blog (related to my Gtown radio show) Touch My Clickwheel today. See you for now.

The Lowdown Pt 2 and a Tangent

After realizing that the piece of paper I mailed to LSE was some kind of unnecessary formalized process for making you think that they're involved with the class selection process, I chose new classes online. Now I'm signed up for:

1. Development Economics
2. Political Economy (where I actually get to learn what my Georgetown major means...)
3. Intro to Econometrics
4. Latin America and the International Economy

Choosing classes for geeky people like myself is one of the most exciting parts of going to school, so forgive me for repeated postings on the subject. A Georgetown friend of mine is in all of these, so I'll have some comfort that I won't be suffering alone (solidarity, woot). I'm a little bit scared of Intro to Econometrics, although I can be thankful that I don't have to take it with the infamous Westbrook at Georgetown. Political Economy looks... interdisciplinary? I'm hoping for less theory and more application, please God. Development Econ looks like it might be the biggest challenge. And finally, Latin America and the International Economy looks like a breath of fresh air.

I'm reading this book called Imagined London: A Tour of the World's Greatest Fictional City by Anna Quindlen and it's giving me a little flavor of my future home. Admittedly, some of the literary references are flying right over my head, but I like it anyway. I wouldn't call it the best book to introduce me to London, but bookstore travel sections are full of crap. I don't want to know what walks to take in London or a travel guide. I want to know about it, it's history and its anecdotes, with a hint of suggestion for places to visit. That proved to be a tall order, so I settled with this book.

What has this summer done to me? Reading a book about London? That's not really me. I read books for school and occasionally picked up a leisure book during summer, but I was put to shame by my housemates. The four girls of my house (sorry, not the boys) read books with an appetite that I've never really seen before. Ayn Rand? Sure... just for fun. So I, in order to preserve my faux-intellectual ego, read with them. Granted, not Ayn Rand, but read nevertheless. So here I am continuing my "habit." Any London-ish suggestions? Please. Not Londonistan.

In Limbo

I'm back from San Diego and four days away from my pre-London east coast tour. It freaks me out a little bit to be back home, because the end of the San Diego trip means one less event to buffer my departure to London.

On the bright side, I'll have a chance to see family and friends in a last goodbye. "Last goodbye" is a bit of hyperbole, since I'll go the same length of time without seeing my parents as if I were in DC. The dread of finally going to London is just the usual dread I feel about starting anything new, and it's extra exaggerated since I'm waiting in limbo while everyone else has already begun their school year adventures. Let the packing begin and let function win over sentimentality, at least in this case.

Here are some San Diego pictures.

Home Life Frustrations

Home life is in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of working eighteen-day stretches at Helly Hansen without a day off. It's hard to stay busy when there is seemingly nothing to do but this has been my general schedule. I wake up around 9 or 10AM (impressive for me), eat, watch tv, go to some doctor appointment, watch more tv, annoy my dog for some attention, possibly go on a short excursion, and wait for my mom to get home from work. After dinner in the gloomy nighttime hours when I might normally be socializing, I force myself to jump on this thing.

Yes. Say what you will, but the 20-30 minutes I spend on it eases my growing insanity. It's only a short stretch I have to endure at home and it's not all bad; I enjoy having a stocked fridge, free food, zero time constraints. The hardest thing for me is recovering from the best summer I've ever had, constantly surrounded by 6 of my favorite people at Georgetown.


Some of you probably think I should be proactive about this whole boredom thing and I agree. Yes, be proactive. Following my 5-month stint posing as an outdoorsy girl at Helly Hansen, I decided to rough it a little bit. I discovered that Henry W. Coe State Park, only a short drive from my house, is the largest state park in Northen California. I picked out a hike to do with a friend and got psyched. Then I heard sirens one day and saw billowing smoke clouds, signs of the 18,000-acre fire that's expected to burn at least 30,000 acres before it's contained.

Despite the fire and lack of plans, the downtime of home has caused to me to finally get excited about London. Was I excited before? Barely. Did I once tell you that I was? Probably. I lied. I can't wait to step outside my building and see city streets ripe for exploration. I can't wait to be able to walk somewhere. I can't wait until I'm not constantly available. There are still 23 days until my departure from the U.S. Sigh. Until then, I hope that I can come to terms with the fact that my friends' lives are up and running like mine would have been if I was at Georgetown. In the meantime, find me in the garage on the bike... sweating out the frustration.

Also, skype skype skype. I skyped for the first time with my high school friend who is studying in Australia and the video and sound quality are top notch (fo' frizzle!). Download skype or prepare to sacrifice our friendship/family relation for a year. I'm kidding... kind of.