Exploring London!

Hello from London!

Today was a very busy day! After falling asleep at 7:00PM London time I woke up at 7:00 AM to get ready for the day. I left the flat at 9:00 to walk to the school. We were having orientation again today. Lyndon Sly meet with us. We got some supplies from him for school and he taught us a little about the British. Here is a list of some of the things I learned from him today or have picked up in the past 2 days:

-British men wear scarves

- Stay on the right side of the escalator so that people on the left side can run down

- You don’t usually tip at London restaurants

-London is the most diverse city in the world

- Wimbley stadium holds 98,000 people

- Always give your sit away on the bus or tube to an older person or woman with child

-All stores are specialized (No superstores)

-Food expires very fast- usually within 2 or 3 days so you have to go to the market often

-British dress very smart casual and you don’t see many people wearing sneakers or hoodies. I have not seen one person in a t-shirt.

- You are always quiet on the tube or bus

-Most things start or open in the morning around 9

-Most stores close early around 7 or 8

-Security is very high here. You have to use a card to swipe into and out of the tube and my school. Also, most stores have security guards walking around the isles. Petty theft is big here.

-Erasers are called rubbers

- Restrooms are called toilets

- Cookies are biscuits

-Chips are crisps

- To go is called take away

After some time with Lyndon we went to get our student ID’s, which took a long time because they were having technical difficulty. After waiting about 45 minutes we finally got them. About 5 others and I left the school and went to try and find the best way back to our flat. We found the closest bus stop and got on. However, we got off at the wrong stop and found another bus that was a better route back to our flats. Now I know which bus to always take to and from school! The same people and I went to a pub right next to our flats. It was called The Queens Arm. The owner really likes all of the American students, because they always live right next to the pub. I split a magrherita (cheese) pizza with 3 other girls. It was only 5 pounds for the whole pizza! They have very traditional British food there that I want to try eventually. The fish and chips look really good! Right after lunch we had to meet outside of the flat to take the tube to Piccadilly Circus, which is in central London. It was amazing! I think I need to adjust more to living in a big city than living in Europe! We then meet up with one of our professors. Her name is Philippa and she will be teaching my art history class. She gave us an hour and a half tour of central London. We saw Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Chinatown, and Covenant Garden. Piccadilly Circus is best described as the Times Square of London. Shelia she should us where the half priced ticket booth was! You can buy half priced theatre tickets there! They pretty much have every Broadway show you could imagine here. War Horse, Legally Blonde, Lion King, Mama Mia, and Chicago are just a few of the ones I saw. Chinatown was very cool! Philippa said that the food is good, but she always has to go home and drink water all night long because it contains a lot of sodium. Chinese New Year is coming up and Philippa said that it would be a great time to go to Chinatown. Covenant Garden is a huge market and shopping place. Philippa ended her tour here and left us to explore. St. Paul’s Cathedral is right by Covenant Garden so I got to see that. I stopped into an organic and vegan soap shop. It was pretty interesting. I thought about getting some lotion, but it was really expensive. I saw a European Mickey Mouse there! My friend Shelby and I got our picture with him. Then we realized we didn’t have any pounds to give him so Shelby gave him an American dollar. We found a cell phone store called Orange and Shelby and I both bought phones. I went in and asked the man working where was the cheapest phone I could find! I bought a small flip phone for 9.99 pounds and put 10 pounds of pay as you go minutes and text on it. Then we got back on the tube and rode back to our flat. We went to a pub for dinner called Betsy Smith and I had nachos. Everything is made very fresh here in London. Then I went to grocery store get some food for the next few days. I also stopped at the ATM so that I had UK cash. Then finally back to the flat! I skyped with my roommate/ best friend from home Erika and her roommate Ashley to say hi! PS. Shelia you should tell Uncle Bob that I tried to listen to his wine tips and buy wine that was 2008 or 2009 and older, but I have only seen wine made in 2011 here.

Trafalgar Square