3/6/13

Well as I told you, I had a good story to tell.

First, about my day. I woke up and felt better than the past day. After breakfast, I was feeling almost ambitious, so I saddled up and hit the road. Actually, I just put on pants and a sweater and left with my backpack. I walked to Reve, the supermarket on the other side of the next town. I had a list with translations into German of food I needed to make Jana and her mom chicken riggies and macaroni salad. It was really hard trying to find what food is by the picture on the box. Some things I realized:

1. Can not find brown sugar or chocolate chips. Terrible Germans. 
2. No clue how to differentiate between raw meats
1. of course I mean like the obvious differences are ok, like beef and chicken... but what I bought I was completely unsure of its actual contents besides probably chicken. 
3. The dairy aisles are quite complex
4. When asking for help... if you just point to a word on a piece of paper, you will feel stupid.
5. I spent over an hour in a supermarket around 3/4 the size of Foodking. 

Anyways, I got all the ingredients except for the two listed but who cares. I went on and made food, which took way too long. I am not a pro at cutting vegetables, so two onions, three peppers a carrot and a stalk and a half of celery took me about an hour and fifteen minutes or so.By the time food was done, it actually was good and they all liked it (Jana's mom, sister and Jana). I was happy, even if they don't eat bread with dinner.

Jana and I made cookies because Germans also don't do those (why am I here?). it was fun but we burnt the cookies because the oven is a convection oven and blows hot air instead of just heating it. Needless to say the cookies were slightly burnt... but Jana was introduced to the age old profession of eating cookie dough. She was impressed. I was disappointed because there wasn't enough chocolate in them or any brown sugar. Also, we cut up two chocolate bars to use as chips. They cost 36 cents a piece. I don't understand.

Anyways, the story. On Friday I went to Limburg alone. Jana told me to get home, I need to take the train at the hour from platform one. So after shopping, which I got a nice rain jacket, I got on the train. I also had two ice creams because... Yea. So the train stops at Neiderbrechen, the town before mine and then it speeds past Oberbrechen. I am sitting there thinking, "hmm.. ahh." So I get off at the next stop which is Bad Camberg... 5 towns on the other side of Oberbrechen. But luckily Jana worked in Bad Camberg Friday so I could just hitch a ride home with her. The time was 16.35... Jana left at 16.00.

So with that option out, I called her and she said to get on the next train. So I walk back to the train station and watch the train I need to be on drive away. Cool. Then my phone dies. Great. So I do what had to be done... and start walking. There is a bike road that runs all the way to Limburg through each small village on the way, just like the train. After a solid 2 hours walking, I make it the 10 Kilometers/ 6.2 miles home, bags and all. I was treated with spaghetti and solid hugs because they were worried. Luckily I just figure things out sometimes. 

Ok

30/5/13

So all of my traveling is done (for the time being).

The reason why I haven't been able to write is because I spent the last week touring northern Europe with nothing but a backpack full of things I needed. I wouldn't say I was struggling, but it was definitely and adventure. 

I left two Saturdays ago with one of Jana's mom's friends. It was very weird, but I didn't have to get a train from Oberbrechen to Cologne. I spent about 5 hours in Cologne doing what I normally do in a strange city-- walk aimlessly. Surprisingly, Cologne was a really nice place, with some of the best shopping I have found in a smaller city. I had a McFlurry, something that was a reoccurring thing throughout my week (I will get into that soon).

I took the train to Brussels and told Jen that I would meet her at around 9.15 pm. I got lost because Brussels makes no sense and my map was horrible. I made it to the hotel at around 9.35 and realized I had no way of telling anyone from school that I had arrived. So I did the most logical thing I could think of: go get wifi at McDonald's. Of course, it had non (honestly, the only McDonald's ever not to have it). I then did the second most intelligent thing I could think of: walk around the block about fifteen times. That made me feel suspicious though, so I just stood at the corner and hoped that I would run into someone from Fisher. No longer than two hours later (around 11) I ran into my professor and the look of fright, surprise, and confusion in his face is one I won't soon forget. 

The next day, I bummed along with them to the towns of Brugge and Ghent. Both of the towns were in Belgium and they honestly looked like the villages out of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

I started talking to the representative of the tour company, who I think she was only like 26-28. Her name was Merika and she was from Amsterdam. We developed a decent friendship and the Dutch are a completely different type of people than anyone I have ever met. They have such a "whatever approach" to life and she couldn't understand a lot of the rules that we have in America. 

Anyways, I left Brussels a few days later, not too disappointed though. I don't really like Brussels I have decided. The train to Amsterdam was fun though because I had to change trains in Rotterdam, which there were 0 signs in English and I have no knowledge of the Dutch language. I headed off to Amsterdam for about 50 hours or so. 

Amsterdam was amazing. I spent the day walking around exploring, waiting until my friends from Fisher arrived. I had dinner with them, where I spent most of it talking to Merika about Amsterdam and the Dutch in general. She offered to take me on a bike tour because the group was doing it and everyone in Amsterdam has bikes. No jokes, it is like there is the same number of bikes as there is people. 

It did rain though. A lot

I felt bad during the bike tour though because I sat on the back of her bike. I was basically dead weight but she was a pro bike rider. Oh, I had a beer in Brussels though that was voted the best beer in the world. It is called Delirium (you can click that). I wanted to get some in London because I liked the logo (an elephant) but it cost 9 quid for a pint. I got it for 3.20 Euro for a half liter (almost a pint) so I was happy with that. 

Anyways, for an example of the Dutch school of though, I asked her if helmets are required for bike riders. She was dumbfounded by the question and said that a law requiring people to wear helmets would be useless in the Netherlands. She said the Dutch do not want to be told what to do and if a law is passed and it doesn't make sense to them, they just won't follow that law. A solid response. 

I took an overnight train the following day to Copenhagen. It was a decent ride but I couldn't sleep at all. Copenhagen is beautiful.

See.

In Copenhagen, I just walked around. I honestly walked so much, that the last few days, I was dragging. I would set out to walk and then four or five hours later I would get a coffee or a pastry and walk another three hours or so. In my hostel I did make some friends one night though. They were from America, but a lot of fun. They asked if I wanted to go on a pub crawl with them, and I said sure. So we figured out a way to the pub where it started and the bartender told us that there was no pub crawl here... ever. So we went across the street and found that they also have never heard of a "viking pub crawl." So we decided just to make up our own.

It doesn't get dark in Copenhagen in the summer until late. So the sun went down and it was dark at around 11.30. We went to 5 different bars and it was quite a lot of fun. The Danish people are also extremely nice and friendly. All northern Europeans are (aka, people from Amsterdam). We started walking home at 3.00 in the morning, and the sun was coming up. It was such a weird thing. 

Also, the money makes no sense there. I paid 22 Kroners for a McFlurry and 50 for a sandwich. My room cost 315, which was only $50. No clue. Why I mentioned McFlurries was because I ate about 7 of them during my time there (not to mention about 5 other ice creams because it is absolutely delicious here). The reason for this is that they have different flavors in every country you go to. In London, they had Cadbury chocolate and chocolate caramel. In France and Germany, they had Kit Kat, along with Oreo in Germany... but the Oreo they put in Oreos and chocolate syrup. In Belguim, they had a thing called Smarties (not like the ones in America)... which I am not sure what they are but they were ok. Amsterdam had Snickers (again with extra chocolate syrup) and Copenhagen had Twix. 

Copenhagen

Now I am spending the next two weeks here in Germany and I will be home on the 10th of June late. I am excited to come home and see everyone and to tell and hear stories! Also, I applied for graduation today, so that is also something I figured I should tell you guys about haha. 

Oh yea... there is also a type of chip here flavored American Cream. I have never had American
cream before and it tasted like nothing we have in America. 

19/5/13

So last night Jana brought me to a club with some of her friends and we met some others there. I must have made a good impression because for some reason they asked to hang out again. It was fun but the way you ordered drinks was very strange. You buy a card for 10 euros from one place and then go to the bar to get the drink, where they just cross off a certain number of squares. I was surprised that no one in the whole club knew the song ******* in Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye West but whatever. 

This morning we had a great breakfast again because that is all we do in the morning and I love it. I had to go to köln to take the train to Brussels. Luckily, Jana's mom had a friend over who lives there, so I just rode with her back at noon. She dropped me off and I wandered around from about 1 until 6. I am writing this on the train. 

Köln was fun though. The shopping is amazing, even though I bought nothing. A little pricey but there were stores on stores on stores. I sat in a park for about and hour and around 5 I sat on a wall by the river with about 300 other people. There are no open container laws in Germany and everyone was just sitting drinking beer and talking. It was quite nice.

My usual self opened my bottle of water with bubbles and, being it was on my backpack for about two hours, and it sprayed all over the place, including myself. It was a right scene and these two girls next to me laughed, as did I. 

Of course, I can't forget that I found a festival in köln because Germany.

Now a few nights in Brussels should be fun and I will try to write tomorrow to tell all about it cheers. 

7/5/13

Another German day finished. Today, I woke up early (6.45) to go with Jana to school. For the first two hours, she had religion class, and I sat there contemplating all the hard questions in life. After that came banking, where the teacher was very relaxed, so I got to talk to Jana and some of the other students a little more. It was nice not staring into the wall for two hours. The teacher was younger, so when I tried to talk to her, her face got all red and it was quite funny. Finally, her last class was English. There, basically the professor asked me questions and I answered them. A few of the other students did as well, but the professor led the discussion. Some of the questions included "do the parties in college look like they do in the movies?" and "what is the best part about being in Germany?" That part was a lot of fun, but I didn't like all the attention on me.

Then Jana and I went to Limburg. We found a place to park and walked around. The flowers were beautiful here, so that was quite nice to see. Then we had some currywurst and to top it all off... ICE CREAM! Really, German ice cream is that good.

On the way home, I fell asleep hard, which is normal because I was in a car. We took a break once we got home; Jana slept and I looked outside. Jana's mom and I went to Aldi's when Jana showered. It was fun being with her because I get to act so confused and she can practice her English. I act confused though because normally I am quite confused. I still don't know all German... only little bits and pieces.

At 8.00, we left with some of Jana's friends back to Limburg to get some drinks. One of her friends was studying English and Sports, so we had plenty to talk about. We got home at about 10.45, to end up where I am sitting now. I wanted to shave tonight.... but I realized I did not pack my shaving cream because it was too heavy. Therefore, no shaving. I was honestly quite disappointed in that, but what can you do?

I am off to Lourdes tomorrow and I will be back in Germany on 14/5. I should write before that, but if I don't that is why.

6/5/13

Another wonderful day in Germany. I realized that I struggle to actually sit down and relax, but I think with practice, I could master it.

I woke up at 8.15 to an empty house. After putting some clothes in the laundry, I slowly meandered up the stairs to the kitchen, where I dined on bread, meat, cheese, and jelly with chocolate milk for breakfast. I ate that while watching music videos because in Germany, they still show them on the television. It was quite nice.

I felt like I was wasting the day just sitting there, so I got up and hopped on Jana's elliptical. I ran as far as my battery would last, which was only 15 minutes worth of exercise, or 3.25 kilometres. Once my phone died, I felt no longer a need to run, so I went, did some push-ups and sat down to watch the sky. That only lasted for about 15 minutes, where then I went and found a book to read. I read about 100 pages before the doorbell rang. I went and answered to find a post man delivering a package. He started speaking and I answered in my politest, "I don't speak German." I signed for the package and away he went.

When Jana came home, we had soup and salad for lunch, then talked for a while. We scooted down to the store to get some water, then headed back to study. She studied and I worked on my trip to Lourdes which starts Wednesday.

At 6.30, Elena came and we went to a birthday party for their dad's brother. It was a fun party and the food was excellent. I got to eat german potato salad. It was good and it had bacon in it! Everyone was shy but after a while, they warmed up and we had a good time. But now it is time for sleep! Goodnight!

5/5/13

Ok I am back to blogging as regularly as I can.

So, I am in Germany, in case anyone was unsure. I am back in Oberbrechen, with Jana and her mom. I arrived here around 2.00 this morning because after we got to Germany, we of course had to stop and see friends. After a short night of sleeping, I got what I came for: German Breakfast!

After a half of a small fresh baked bread loaf that was still steaming as I tore out the inside of it, I sipped on some grape juice. To finish the other half, I had two different slices of mystery meat. The first seemed like a... I have no idea. One was more red than the other. They were delicious. I complemented the meat and bread with a small hunk of brie cheese. Jana and I split a second loaf, which I added copious amounts of jelly to. I coated everything in my stomach with a glass of fizzy water, and away we went.

We went off to Limburg to go to a flee market/market/garage sale. It was over three roads, people selling stuff not uncommon to that they sell at the Madison County Fair. We walked around that for about and hour and a half. I ended up getting something though! I found a glass vial with a cork for my adventure to Lourdes this week. I will use it to collect the holy water from there. I will have to test to make sure it withstands being filled with liquid, but as for right now, I am set.

Once we got home, I got to eat a slice of apple cake. I love cake. I have learned that I have an incredible sweet tooth and should really check myself on that. Later, because for now I can eat cake and it is delicious and I see no reason to turn down German cake, so don't judge.

Tamara showed up sometime, and we headed to Vogelpark, which was a bird sanctuary. Here is the address if you wish to see - http://www.weltvogelpark.de/ It was a lot of fun because Jana and Tamara are fun, and I got to feed birds like a parrot and a cockatoo our of my hand. We headed home around 4, and at 5.30 we ate dinner. It was a typical German meal (I miss saying English, to be fair) of schnitzel! I mean make me want to stay forever, get fat and have a heart attack. But it was so incredibly delicious I hadn't a care in the world. After writing to mom, Jana and I watched most of a movie, but we had to cut it short because she has school... or work in the morning. For a first day in Germany, not too shabby!

1/5/13

Hi guys, I know I have been really bad about my blog lately but I have been swamped with work, travel, school, and getting to see as much of London as I can before I leave. I head to Germany Saturday, so I should be able to go back to every day writing then. In the mean time, I will post this video which my friends made talking about London. They really hit the nail on the head when they mentioned it is rainy. Ok

Sorry I cannot embed the video, but just click the link and watch it. It is quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WarTbQkZoNM

BES Assignment #9: VLOG

Internship VLOG

Internship Assignment C

 What are you observing about your work environment? If you could, what are two things you would keep and two things you would change?

Keep: The Atmosphere is very open at work. It is acceptable to talk to people and have conversations with them. Both people keep in mind that they have work to do and allow enough time to do it. I would like to keep the ability to talk to and get to know your co-workers more.

Keep: Tea. It is amazing what a nice cuppa will do for the work ethic. I would make the tea for my boss and I, along with whoever was around when I asked. I was just a time for me to relax and reorganize what is going on in my head. Also, since you have to boil water, you don’t get to drink it immediately. That little victory and satisfaction when you do get to drink it boosted my moral throughout the day.

Change: I would have liked to be better integrated into the Trust quicker. I felt that I didn’t really get introduced to everyone properly and I was still meeting people a month after I started. At the end I felt a part of the Trust, but it took honestly a few months.

Change: I had extremely sporadic hours. I would go in anywhere from 9.00 until 11.30 and then leave anywhere from 16.30 to 20.00. I would have tried to be a little more consistent with leaving. That being said, sometimes I left late because of my own doings just to make sure that I finished the work that I was assigned.

2. How does your supervisor’s style work for you? What would you want to be like as a supervisor in the future?

My supervisor had a decent approach to being the boss. I respected the fact that she knew her place and dedicated so much time to the Trust. She also attended conferences, meetings, and seminars to learn about external factors that would be affecting the Trust in the coming years. She was a good multi-tasker and could be stern when needed. She also took a genuine interest in my life. I felt very open with her and she gave me not only sound advice, but advice that could influence my managerial style.

I did not think that she could manage her time effectively. She would often stay quite later than I at work, which she told me to make sure that I don‘t do when I am working. She also doodled quite a bit when people were talking to her, either on the phone or during meetings. I found that slightly rude. There were times when I couldn’t read her emotions either, whether she was happy or unsatisfied with my work.

We talked a lot about me being a supervisor in the future. One thing that we discussed was worker relationships. I want to have a relationship with my workers that borders on friendship. I want them to feel comfortable coming to me with issues and telling me about their lives. I do need them to know that I am the boss, and even though I seem to be their friend, it is because they do quality work. I want to lead by example, so I want to make sure that they understand that my decisions are for the best of the company and nothing is personal. Finally, I want to be able to have the delegating skills so I do not overload myself. I need to make sure I am surrounded by people whom I can trust do work, so I only have to review it and add my own spin. That will save my time so I can do more important things like strategic planning and attending meetings dealing with the big picture of the firm.

3. What are you learning about yourself through this internship? What is one thing about yourself that you would like to improve for your next job?

Something that was pointed out to me was that I am perpetually positive at work. This is not the first time I have been accused of this, but now I know it is a trait that I have. I disliked working (I mean, honestly who likes waking up early, and commuting?) but that is no reason for me to be miserable or distant at work. Something that I want to improve which I had noticed and was pointed out to me was how I became familiar with the Trust. It took me quite a while to really get a feel for the Trust. I would read memos and business plans and things but not retain anything. Once I was there for a while, I understood what I was getting into more, but it just took a long time. This is something I experienced at my last job too, so I need to be aware and really try hard next time.  

4. What are two things you have learned how to do or improved upon during this internship? These are skills and they might belong on your resume.

Networking/Communication- I have participated in a few networking events, where the goal was just to meet as many people as possible. I was forced to talk to random people and it was good practice for when I go home and have to do it nearly every week during recruitment.

Representing the Trust- My boss was proud at how I represented the Trust at the events. She said that I would focus the conversation on the Trust rather than on myself, which most people asked about. This will be useful in the future when I have to go and represent the company I work for and have to project their views, opinions, values and goals.

5. After college, will you look for a company that is similar to the one that you have interned with? Why?

I don’t think I would look for a job in the not-for-profit field directly right out of school. I would much rather go to a big firm then in my free time help a charity. I have gotten a much better idea of how much one person’s help is to a charity. I will also try and get work groups together to help charities, like groups have done at the Trust. Again, that help is vital to the longevity of the Trust. Eventually, I would like to become a trustee of a trust.

BES Assignment #7: Wimbledon

My trip to Wimbledon was amazing. First, I enjoy tennis, so it was a no-brainer that I was going to visit, but also I really enjoy getting out of the metropolitan part of the city. I took the Tube there because I was on a semi-short time frame. I made it there around 9:45. The first thing that I noticed was how bustling the area around the train station was. It wasn’t a bustling like found near the corner of Russell Square, but the bustle of people running errands and working.

I noticed that all of the stores on the high street were smaller. Of course, there were tons of coffee shops, but the clothes stores were more boutiques than labels. I really appreciate seeing that. I headed towards the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The walk there was beautiful. First, you walk up a great hill, which really disappointed me because I got sweaty. The anticipation of this my destination was killing me, and I thought when I reached the top that I would be at my destination.

I was wrong. At the top of a hill was a more commercial area again. I stopped in a coffee shot to grab a cup of tea, which I drank a little too quickly. I don’t like rushing when I go to places because it seems that the Europeans don’t, so I want to fit in, also I am usually never in a hurry. It was about a 15 minute walk to the tennis club, and most of that walk was in residential areas. Two things I noticed were that 1) it was quite a posh area and 2) people really are nicer outside of central London. I passed probably ten people on the street and I got about 5 half-smiles and even a hello from one of them.

The atmosphere at the club was everything I hoped for. There was an electricity in the air when I walked in (I may have made that up myself) and the security guard at the door was quite friendly. After visiting the museum, I went to the café at the club and had another cuppa and some scones. They actually had a good deal, 2 scones, jam and clotted cream for 3.30. I was easily the youngest person in the café, which I will attribute to the fact that it was early and a club. I also felt inadequately dressed. I looked fine, but there was something more about the people there. Upon leaving, the guard and I chatted a bit and he asked where I what I was doing the rest of the day (going to Kew Gardens). What really took my breath away was the fact that he seemed interested in talking to me.

I walked back to the train station but stopped at a pub for a proper lunch (around 1.30) and a pint. Again, everyone was surprisingly friendly there. Even though I ate alone, I didn’t feel awkward or anything. I would have liked to spend more time in Wimbledon. Hopefully I will be back one day to actually visit the championship, because I could easily see that semi-sleepy village turning into something special over that fortnight. 

BES Assignment 6: Greenwich & Docklands

We were fortunate enough to be given tickets for a boat trip down the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich. The day that we went however, the air was so frigid (like most of this Winter/Spring). I enjoyed getting photographs under Tower Bridge. One thing that I was surprised to learn was that for most of London’s history, the Thames was something that most people turned their back too, instead of embraced, as say they did in Paris. Recently, they have been building more housing on the river, which was quite evident on the way there.

Greenwich was quite an amazing experience. First, when you come to London, you don’t expect Greenwich to be some place so easily accessible. On the day I was there, it was quite chilly and miserable, but that didn’t deter from the beauty. To walk to Greenwich was to walk up a hill that some of the most famous scientists have scaled. I really enjoyed looking down from the hill onto the National Maritime Museum. There is something about brown gravel paths that are so entrancing to me.

I wasn’t too impressed with the actual observatory. I think it would be more impressive to see the laser that shoots across the sky to show where the line actual is. What did impress me though was the Maritime Museum. The first thing that caught my eye was the boat they had once you entered the main auditorium. I enjoyed the boat so much because of the gold leaf and I find the symbols on the boats to be quite interesting. Thinking about it, the symbols that I saw were not only sought after, but also had such a specific meaning to the captain or whoever boat it was. It is something that really hasn’t transpired over unto our time.

Once I left the Maritime Museum, I headed off to the Greenwich Market. I found it much cozier than markets in central London. It seemed that the people who were selling at this market were just people who had things they were proud of and wanted to sell them as opposed to people who just wanted to make money. Also, I enjoyed how small it was.

I didn’t eat in Greenwich because I tried walking home through Canary Warf. On the way, I walked through Millwall. It was honestly the scariest part of London I have been in so far. The people seemed hard and the buildings seemed intimidating. I was happy to get out of there and into Canary Warf. I crossed the maze that was the warf, and ended up on West India Quay. I ended up coming back to this area because of the amount of restaurants, which honestly were both reasonably priced and completely delicious.

Overall, I think that it was a good trip and I see myself back in Canary Warf, either for business or pleasure, but I am not sure if I would ever go back to Greenwich on my own. It was a nice town, but I could see something more someplace else. 

BES Assignment 5: The East End

I was luckily placed at the Hoxton Trust for work, so the East End was not as unfamiliar to me as to others. For this assignment, I both enjoyed the walk, even though I completed it over multiple trips.

Whitechappel Art Gallery:

There is so much I could say about this gallery. First, I had no idea what I was getting into when I walked in. The first room I went into had a hallow tree trunk with gold leaf on every part of the inside. The reason for this eludes me, though. Two more exhibits that caught my eye were both deal with sex. The first was a video of an old French man talking about his sexual exploits of his youth. I didn’t quite understand this but I think it touches on a greater topic, of how sex is a lesser taboo topic on this side of the Pond. The second was a room with a about 15 televisions each playing a video of a group sitting around talking about their sexual exploits and planning others. Again, how this is art blows my mind. Some of the permanent exhibits were nice, and I would highly recommend this gallery to anyone who comes to London.

Number 18:

I thought that this was a unique house. I did not get the chance to go in the house, but I did have an appreciation for most of the houses around it. I enjoy the feeling of that area of London. It reminds me of a more industrial time, a time when London was nearer to its heyday.

Spitalfields Market:

The day I walked around Spitalfields was a Monday, so it was quite dead around the market. What I did notice was a lot of eating establishments. I deduced that a lot of people from the City must come up to this part of town during lunch or after work for something to eat. I also liked that it was a covered market. During my trips to markets, I disliked when it rained or was windy and there was no protection from the elements.

Brick Lane:

I went to Brick Lane twice, once with my boss and the other time on some Saturday night. The first, my boss and I had a meeting there, so after the meeting, she showed me around. Finally, she brought me to a bagel bakery and was telling me about how this is one of the oldest bagel factories in the cities. If I am not mistaken, it has Jewish roots. The second time I visited, the place transformed. A group of us went to a few bars and it was wild. It was unlike anything I have been to in the States. People were drunk but not belligerent. Everyone seemed to just be out for a good time, rather than to cause ruckus, which seems to be the goal at home. Also, the Kebabs at 2:15 are delicious!

Not on the tour, but a place I feel inclined to add is Hoxton Street. I work on that street and it has a flavor all its own. There are two bakeries, which if I worked full time there, I would frequent way too much. One has the best sweets, breads, and other goods, while the other has 2 bread puddings for a pound. There is also two cafés with a 12” pizza for £2.95 and down the road are two pubs, one that is open until 2 or 3 in the morning, and the other with an open rooftop. And of course, one can’t forget to mention that The Verve recorded Bitter Sweet Symphony on that street, where I can see the Hoxton Trust Community Park.

BES Assignment 4: Join an Organization

Urbano

Being assigned to join an organization was not an easy assignment for me to complete. I did find an organization that I joined, but I think it was out of the ordinary for a typical study abroad student. Nevertheless, I think I learned more in my organization than I ever could just from self-reflection or sitting in a class.

The organization I joined was a group called Urbano. Urbano is a group that acts as a liaison between businesses and rounds them up together for networking events. They hold two networking events a month, one a breakfast or lunch and the other a dinner event. They also offer information session concerning current events. I attended three events, because that was the maximum a guest could attend without paying the 75 Pound entrance fee. The first event was the most memorable and I got the most out of that event. The other two were just seminars to educate the members and most of the information was of little value to me.

To begin with the latest first, it was held on 10 April. It was held from 1:00pm until 5:00pm and it had to deal with putting in bids for a new build. What I could gather is that a new build is when someone wants to build something completely new. We looked at spreadsheets dealing with cash flow projections and occupancy minimums, along with other financial things. It was interesting seeing the spreadsheets, but a lot of the information went over my head. Afterwards, I met a few people and handed out my business card over tea (all of these events had free food!!)

The second event was nearly identical to the first, except that it dealt with changes that were coming into effect on the first of April. We had a speaker from Lambeth come in to explain the Bedroom Tax and the effects it will have on people. This was my least favorite of the three events. The tea was terrible and the sandwiches were stale.

The first event I went to was really the best. It was hosted at the Hard Rock Café near Hyde Park. In business casual, I showed up and was handed two drink vouchers. With that I was set loose on a room filled with professionals varying in age and occupation. There I met photographers, web designers, wealth managers, lawyers, hotel managers and countless other people. It was honestly a night to swap business cards, eat sliders and chicken tenders and get drunk, which every person in the room did. Some of the contacts I made there, I referred to work, so that was a plus too.

The reason why I joined this club was to work on my networking skills. At school, they always talk about how important networking is and I consider myself to be more than horrible at it. One of the objectives I wanted to complete after being in London was being more comfortable with talking to people in a business setting. Now, I am a little more comfortable and much more confident, to the point where I feel that in a room of strangers, I wouldn’t be the most awkward person there. 

BES Assignment 3: Interview

On the weekend of the 8^th of March, I went on my HOST visit to a small town near Dartmoor, near Devon. For this assignment, I interviewed the man who invited me into his house. His name was Ray Burd. First off, I want to express that he was a most gracious host and I am truly thankful that he let me into his house. I hope to do the same once I have a place of my own. Anyways, I sat down after dinner last night just to have a chat with him and to answer a few questions.

First, I just asked him about his childhood. He was born and raised in London. He had a younger sister and brother and an older sister. He was sent to an all boy’s school. When I asked him about playing sports in school, he said that at first they all played football, but once they got older, they were forced to play rugby. The reasoning behind this was because of space and numbers. He developed a great fondness for rugby, so much so that we watched two matches of the Six Nation’s during my time there. He does have a football team, Queens Park Rangers, which is his local team and one he still follows quite closely.

I asked him and his wife what it meant to be British. It was the most stereotypical response, one that I have gotten from most every Britain when I asked. First, they both sighed, looked at each other and then stammered, struggling to make words. Finally, Ray came out and said to be British is to persevere. He said that no matter what is thrown at a Brit, they will face it headstrong and struggle though. His wife chirped in that to be British means to have a stiff upper lip. They both agreed though that the British do have a lost sense of identity. They are looking for a place in the world because they need to cope with not being an international superpower anymore.

In keeping up with culture, we got talking about accents. He said that he quite enjoys all of the different accents you hear living in the UK; except for Liverpudlian: “They sound like a bunch of sods with socks in their mouths.”  

In his retirement, he and his wife bought a campervan. A month after getting this van (about six months into retirement) Ray and his wife took it to Spain and drove across the country for 6 weeks; sleeping, eating, and enjoying the countryside. He said now that he is retired, he can enjoy things like that more often. He also regularly plays tennis and golf, although this winter he was nursing a knee injury. Another of his favorite hobbies is to go down to the local pub. Now what I mean by local is only. However, this pub (which he brought me to) is about 650 years old, so he doesn’t really have the opportunity to say it is a bad pub, it has history on its side.

Talking to Ray was quite an experience. He gave me an insight to British life that I couldn’t get in London, and definitely couldn’t get from talking to someone with my age. He seemed to be typically British in every way and my weekend with him was relaxing and insightful. I hope to one day pass his generosity on to other foreign students. I know this will sound cliché, but I honestly think that one can learn so much by talking to older generations and that you should try to do so at every opportunity. 

12/4/12

Ok. Well it is now crunch time in the semester. Why I have not written since whenever is because mom and grandma came over. We spend last week in Paris and had a lovely time. I wish I could have written it down, but it honestly wasn't feasible.

I returned by bus from Paris which was lovely. I enjoyed sitting and listening to nothing, reading and thinking. Monday morning, I woke up early and met Will and Sarah Kelsey and showed them around town. We saw Camden Market, the Tower of London, Covent Garden and I took them to a port bar. I believe they had a good time.

This week work was quite busy. I had to not only catch up on things that I should have done last week, but I am in the process of making sure all of my work can easily be transferred over to whoever follows me, making the continuity of my work better. Then Wednesday night I went with Matt and Leah to meet Leah's boss, who invited us out for drinks. Super wonderful guy, but he kept us out later than anticipated. 

Thursday was class. We went to a Buddhist temple, which I really enjoyed.then I helped Matt prepare for an interview and then we watched The Hobbit. That was good except for the fact that it was so long. I was going to write last night, but I was just too tired.

This morning I got up and walked to Covent Garden, where I met a lady who was from Rochester. Talk about a small world. We chatted for a bit and then I started wandering around looking for a place to get a haircut. I ended up getting one, also a shampoo and condition. It was great. After that I relaxed until a group of us went out to dinner at a burrito joint. 

I am off now... in less than 5 hours to Berlin. I will be back on Monday, which hopefully I may be able to write a little. But if not, look for me Tuesday for information and pictures. Mind you, I have been missing everyone a lot lately. Ok...Tschüss

31/3/13

Day 3 with Mom and Grandma

Status: Better than yesterday

It is funny. It is sometimes hard to deal with these two. What I mean by that is that I have figured out life and they argue and then I argue. It has literally been so much fun though! Because at the end, we just tell each other to stop arguing and we do. Apart from slight disagreements, everything has run perfectly and it is like we haven't missed a step from each other. 

This morning we went to the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We got there early and got stands (get it? Like seats only we were standing) right against the fence. They were pretty all right stands. Mom got some great photos and I took photo's with grandma's camera. It lasted quite a while. One part that really confused us though was the part where the band started playing. They were the military band, in all the pageantry and they started playing a selected medley of Disney songs. They were "I Just Can't Wait to be King" and one that I can't quite remember by Elton John. 

We left a little early because we were all more than cold. We walked down the parade route towards Trafalgar Square. There, we popped inside of the National Gallery Cafe for a light lunch. Mom and I got scones and Grandma and I got tea (Grandma also got yogurt). We had some clotted cream on the scones. SO TASTY! We then went in and just saw some of my favorite paintings-- Monet's Lillypads; we also saw Van Gogh's Sunflowers 

These

After, we went and saw the National Portrait Gallery. Mom wanted to see the painting of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate. 

Blah

We explored the West End more, specifically Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and towards Covent Garden (but not Covent Garden). Mom and Grandma got some gifts at Cool Britannia, a giant tourist store. They both had a lot of fun just wandering and shopping. I will not spoil the surprises though :-X

After a quick nap by Mom and Grandma, we went to Drury Lane (like in the Muffin Man) to a Taylor Walker Pub. Mom and Grandma got a traditional roast and I got some bangers and mash. They both seemed to like it a lot. Grandma had a English beer, which she said was good. Mom and I had two drinks each and we ended up sitting there about 2 and a half hours. So that is good practice for when we go to Paris and dinner lasts about 3 hours. 

I put them to bed and hopefully they are well rested for tomorrow, so they don't fall asleep on the road like a bum! I think they will be very happy when they get home and everyone they come into contact with speaks good, proper English. 

Cheers, and I hope you all had a Happy Easter!

30/3/13

Day 2 with Mom and Grandma

Status: Still good.

The nice thing about having everyone on holiday is that you can get to bed a little earlier. I met them at 9:00, with the adapter so grandma could do her hair. I had a biscuit and some tea while we waited.

They both told me that they wanted to go to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, so I obliged them. The only problem was the guards didn't. During the winter, they only change the guards every over day. Today was an off day. So we will be going back tomorrow, hopefully early to get a good viewing point.

So we then took a bus down to wait in line for the London Eye. I would recommend that if you go to the eye, buy your tickets online, to save waiting in the queue. Nevertheless, we eventually made it to the Eye, which they both loved. It was great seeing their faces as they looked upon the entire city. I told them about the different sites, where we have been, where we will go, and places that I have been and won't take them. In the queue, we meet an Australian lady who was super nice and I talked to for a while, and a French lady with whom I also spoke.

The crowds were terrible on the walkway to the bridge, but we mustered through. Mom took some great photos of the Eye, Big Ben, and Parliament. Then, we got on the bus, went through some of the West End sights, like Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus up to Camden Market. It was extremely cold again, but that didn't deter us. Grandma got what we have deemed (we as in my friends and I) deemed the best Fish and Chips in the city. Mom got some Macaroni and Cheese with 4 cheese and peppers I believe. Myself, I got a burger. This was not a normal burger though-- It was a camel burger. So now I have eaten camel. So you know.

We went back to the hotel for a rest because mom and grandma were quite exhausted. I had three pots of tea while they slept. At 6:45, we boarded a bus for Whitechappel, in the East End. Now why would I bring them to the East End at night? Am I crazy? A bit. But we needed to go to Tayyabs! If you recall, I wrote about it before. It was the Pakistani barbecue. Surprisingly, they both actually enjoyed it (I think). we got two types of lamb, two types of chicken, bread and lentils. They both gave it an 8 out of 10, which I think they were just being nice, but it still made me feel good!

Finally, we stopped on Holburn at a pub for some dessert. Mom and I shared a piece of chocolate cake with ice cream and hot fudge. It was amazing. I have had it before, but I loved it and wanted it again. We ate quick though because grandma was falling asleep at the table (typical grandma). It was a lovely day.

I hope that everyone at home has a wonderful Easter. I honestly would love to be home to spend the weekend with everyone. I will sorely miss Grandma's ham and seeing everyone. I really miss talking to everyone, telling stories and hearing them. I will be home soon enough though. Happy Easter!!

29/3/13 *UPDATED*

Day 1 with Mom and Grandma

Status: Good

So for the first day with Mom and Grandma, very good. We had a lot of fun and it was great seeing people from home.

I woke up at 6:30 (after going to bed around 2) and took such a miserable shower. I then took some money out of the cash point and hopped on the tube by 7:16 to head to Heathrow. The train ride took about 65 minutes. I had a book, so that made it tolerable, but it was still too long for that early in the morning. I meet up with th... FIRST! I got a nice cup of tea. I met up with them around 8:45, just to get back on the same exact train and ride literally all the way back the way I came. We put their luggage in my room and away we went.

We took a bus over to my work for breakfast. I can't believe that neither of them had a heart attack (they were close, believe me). On the bus, we were in the front of the upper deck. They couldn't handle getting so close to bicyclists and driving on the left. Once we got there, we ate at this cafe. We all got eggs, sausage, ham, toast, and fried toast. It was a solid breakfast to give us the energy for 12 more hours of fun (exaggeration, only like 8 or 10).

We looked at the garden and then took the 149 to London Bridge. They were surprised by the look of the bridge, but it gave us a great view of Tower Bridge. We went to Borough Market; Grandma was smitten. She loved it. It is mostly a food market, so she just started wandering. Even though she was exhausted, one couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she was looking at the cheeses, strawberries, flowers, and other foodstuffs. *Side note: at the stall with the rabbits-- there was a butcher chopping the heads off with a meat cleaver. Solid job. It reminded me of Grandma Connie and when she skinned that rabbit like she was a professional!

From there, we walked back across London Bridge to the Tower of London. We just walked around it and I told them some facts about it. Then, we walked across Tower Bridge, past the City of London City Hall, to a cafe. We got a coffee, which grandma isn't too fond of coffee here. Anyways, this coffee shop was right next to a PwC office. Then, we took the tube back to their hotel to get that settled. Mom and grandma both have problems understanding British accents over here, so I helped a lot with them checking in. After a solid break (and short nap by mom) we headed off to Canary Wharf.

We took the DLR, which is a train and has great views. We got dinner at this place on West India Quay. Grandma got chicken, I got a wild boar burger, and Mom got pork belly! It was nice sitting, talking and eating. They both actually loved their meals. I am trying to steer them into being adventurous  so I hope it works. Especially for tomorrow. I will tell you how that goes (Pakistani barbecue @ 7:45).

I brought them home by 8:30 and I assume that they passed out not long after that. I will be at there room a little before 9, so Iw ill be sure to tell you tomorrow all about our day. Sorry about no pictures!

***I forgot to mention! When we were getting on the tube at one point, Mom jumped in, then I followed. The beeps were going off and next thing I know, grandma didn't make it in the train. As we slowly pulled away from her, she looks so scared and sad. So mom starts going nuts worrying and I just start laughing because I know there is nothing that we can do. I go mom "Well, I have guided 4 people since coming to London. I have a 75% retention rate. Damn." So we got off at the next stop and waited for the next train. Luckily, she got on that train and we met up back with her. So we made a plan if it happened again. Back to 100%!

29/3/13

Hello!

27/3

So you know, I was exhausted all throughout the day. I made it to work on time and got straight to work on the website. I answered a few emails and then got in touch with some potential vendors. I finished all of that around 1:00, where then I started working on finding a new phone contract.

Phone contracts here are weird. You pay to rent a the phone line. Then you pay for each call you make, usually a connection fee plus a pence per minute fee. So it is hard to really find a cheaper line because I have had to do some analysis on the types of phone calls we make (ya... there is 4 different types or so, charging different rates... it's an awful system) and I did not finish this Tuesday. I left work around 6:15, went home and did nothing. I think I was sleeping by 11:30

28/3

Work was pretty much the same today. Except I spent more time working on the phone contracts and I tried breaking it down, failed of course but tried. I did get to leave at 3:30 though because I had a meeting with a web designer at 4:00 at a coffee shop near Old Street Station. The meeting was interesting but I am not sure how it went. I mean, I know she was pitching me the idea, so it was nice being in the controlling seat, but now I have to make a decision, which I don't know what I want to do. I will end up making a decision late next week, so that will be quite exciting.

After work, I met up with Nicole and we tried finding a coffee near Chancery Lane. It was nearly impossible. Everything closed at 6:00, and we were looking at around 5:45. We ended up finding a place and staying and talking about an hour or so. It was really nice and we had a lot of good laughs. I got home around 7:30, so that wasn't too terrible.

At 8:30, we went to The Swan for some drinks. We had a group of 5 of us, so it was a nice, manageable group. We talked and again made lots of jokes, so it was a nice way to usher in a holiday (sort of, we still had one class)

29/3

I got a free porridge at McDonald's, so I scooped that up this morning. Then I went to the Tower of London because it was a compulsory event. It was much better than anticipated! We got a tour from a Beefeater, and he was hilarious. It is actually one of the most prestigious ranks you can achieve in the British military.

The White Tower- When this was used as a castle, this is where the King stayed

Sometimes you need a dragon made of armour.

The closest picture I could get to the Crown Jewels

After the tour, we got in the queue to go to the Crown Jewels. Once we did get to see them (the queue was long but moved very fast) we were amazed. They were truly fantastic. Just so ornate and beautiful! The main diamond was about 590 karats... so that was impressive. We were not allowed to take pictures in there.. or else we go to prison, so look it up on google.

After that, I had to leave early to make class at 2:00. I took the tube and made it there at 1:58. I was still so tired, I almost fell asleep during the movie. I felt bad. Once I got home, I laid down for an hour and then worked on work. I sent a bunch of emails for work... then for school. I got an email saying that I was chosen for an interview with Ernst and Young for their summer leadership program. I will keep my fingers crossed that it goes well. I find out about PwC tomorrow I hope. Other than that, now I am cleaning because mom comes tomorrow, so I need to be at Heathrow at 8:00. I guess I should go to bed now. Talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers!!

Week of 19/3 to 25/3/13

Hello all.

So I have been quite busy the past week. I have barely had time to sleep, let alone find time to blog or anything of that sort. I will try and give you the most comprehensive picture of my last week, but please excuse me if I forgot a few details.

Wednesday 19/3

I had work today. Seems very unassuming, I know, but I got to leave early. Before leaving, I spent a lot of time doing research on the website and I have made some good headway. I hope that I can finish it by the end of my time here.

The reason that I got to leave early was because I had an event that my boss wanted me to go to. It was an event with Urbano. Urbano is a business that deals with networking other businesses to each other. So what I had to do (I say it most begrudgingly [sic]) is to go to the Hard Rock Cafe across from Hyde Park. Now I didn't go to the restaurant part, but rather around the corner. After passing the Hard Rock Cafe Bar, there was an awning leading to a door. I entered and it lead me to the basement, which actually is used for VIP events held at the Hard Rock. They said that they have had guests hosting parties there ranging from Amy Winehouse to The Rolling Stones. There was a bar, booths, tables, and a large screen television.

So what the event was was a networking event. So I got some business cards and just started talking. People were extremely friendly and willing to talk to me, even though I was just an American intern and yadda yadda.... We got two free drinks for showing up and after about 15 minutes, they started making rounds with food. They had amazing food: chicken strips, ciabatta bread with ham or salmon, and the most delicious mini hamburgers. I had my fill of all. I actually met quite a few people and they emailed me over the past few days. Hopefully tomorrow I will have time to get back to them. It was a great experience though, getting to meet a bunch of people, working on my networking skills, and really just enjoying the business life in London.

Thursday 20/3

In case you forgot, Thursday is class day. So I had classes all day, which was quite draining. So at 5:00, I was so excited because the rest of the night I could just put my feet up and relax. Hahaha, no I can never do that. Matt, Leah, and I went to Hoxton Street to grab dinner. We stopped for Pizza, which was so tasty! Also, it only cost 3 Pounds, so no complaints there.

I sent them on their way at 7:00 and made my way to work. I was invited to join the trustees meeting. I didn't participate much, until they asked about all the budget work I have been working on and then I gave them an update about the website. There was a lady there who is not a trustee but she is thinking of becoming one. I ended up walking her to the train station because it is a dodgy area at night and I figured I should. She was originally from California, so that was nice to talk to her a little bit.

Then I went home to bed... Ahhhh still no. I hopped on the bus and headed to Liverpool Street Station. Why you ask? Because I had to pick up two Germans who would spend the weekend with me! Jana and her sister Elena flew in, so I collected them and we went back to my home. Once we met everyone, we set out for a pub around 10:30 with Matt. We got a drink, but it was late, so they kicked us out at 11:20. No worries though. After that, we decided to walk down to the Thames. We took a few photos and walked along the river for a little before walking home. I think we got to bed around 2 or 2:30, which was okay. I let them sleep in my bed for the night so they didn't have to get a room, and I slept on the floor. Which, the biggest problem I have found from sleeping on floors over the past few times I have done it is that I get so cold halfway through the night. No matter though, it all worked out and I survived.

Friday 21/3

After a wonderful night of sleep, we headed out around 9:30 to get breakfast. We stopped at this nice little cafe for some porridge and tea. I took mine with honey and banana. So amazing. After, it was a short walk to the British Museum, where we did a crash course around it, just hitting the cool stuff like mummies, Greek sculptures and 500,000,000 Riechmarks.

After that....hmmm...Ahh! We went back down to the river, to Waterloo Bridge I think. We walked across... hmm... we got to the south side of the river and ended up at a chocolate festival. We ended up getting cookies and authentic French nougat. Unbelievable. Like even better than normal French food. We then walked from the National Theatre, pass the London Eye and across Westminster Bridge, so we could take photos of us in front of Big Ben. Quite a bit of fun that was. We then scooped up a bus to Russel Square so I could drop them off at their hotel and I could start my next adventure.

At 3:00, we had manly tea. Why it was called that was because for our program, we had to go to a legitimate tea party, and 4 out of the 7 students in attendance were guys. Afternoon tea is amazing! First, we got as much tea as we wanted. Great start. The first course in tea is sandwiches. They are normally finger triangles, but for manly tea, we got rolls. Extra point in my book because I love rolls. After having about 4 of them, we were set loose on scones, jam, and clotted cream. I can't explain to you what clotted cream is, but it is quite delicious and I ended up having three scones. Whoops. Along with about a gallon of tea. I am not done though: cake followed the scones. For our cake, we were greeted with a three layer, lemon drizzle cake. I only had one piece of that because I didn't want to be a pig. For the last course, we had four different kinds of brownies. I was more than full by the time we left at 5:00. If you go out for tea, it is usually unlimited everything. They keep bringing you food until you tell them to stop, which never happens here normally with anything. It was a great experience.

I then went back to meet up with the Germans. We took the tube from Kings Cross (where their hotel was) to Leicester Square. We walked around and purchased tickets to a show, which I will tell you about a little bit later in the narrative. Then somehow... I don't quite remember why, but we took the tube to Regent's Park. We walked around for about 20 minutes, trying to get orientated and finally just popped into a pub for dinner. It was amazing. Jana got chicken and mushroom pie, Elena got cottage, and I got bangers and mash. Pub food is just so delicious and warming. It filled us up (even though I didn't need filling up). We then headed back to Kings Cross... I think. Sorry these details are a little fuzzy, we did a lot this day. I left them there around 10:15ish and went back myself to Woburn to hang out with everyone.

Somehow, I got talked into going to a dance club. I am still quite awkward, so I am not sure why I went. I did end up being a good time though. We got in for free because we were wearing college apparel, so a free night is never a bad night. There was a big group of us who went, so that was nice too. We got home about 3:30, and I got to bed around 5:45 because that is usually what happens when you are me. At least I got to sleep in my bed though.

Saturday 22/3

9:45 came quick. I meet the girls at their hotel at 10:15 and we began the day. Saturday was the long day, and I think both of them got quite tired by the end of it. I am trying to think of what we did in the morning. I am going through my Oyster Card history to try and jog my memory.

It says that we went to Oxford Circus. The reason why we did that was to get to Regents Street. Why that was was to go to Hamleys! Hamleys is the toy store of London. It has 6 floors of just toys, along with staff displaying select items and yelling in a British selling fashion. We spent about an hour or so there. After that, we walked to Green Park. We walked through Green Park to Buckingham Palace. So I have finally seen that place. It was actually kind of nice. I got to see a guard too, so that was sweet. I am hoping to take mom to see the changing of the guards. We shall see.

Then we took a bus to Covent Garden. I didn't know that it is actually something amazing. It was a really neat shopping center and market. We grabbed some tea there to warm up and then headed off to Tottenham Court Road.

As mentioned, we bought tickets to the theatre. We got tickets to We Will Rock You. It was a musical written by the band Queen, featuring music by the band. I had lower expectations for this show, but the girls wanted to go, so I mean my hands were tied. It was fantastic! Better than I could have wanted. The tickets were 34 Pounds, and I would say that that was a reasonable price for the quality of the show. So, advice-- go to everything with an open mind and maybe you will have a great time!!

After that we went and grabbed dinner... in Chinatown. It was the first time I was in Chinatown. It is much smaller than the New York version, but still just as intense. We ate at a buffet. It was all right food. Nothing too special, just Chinese. It was the first time I have had Chinese since coming here. Then we started walking home and ended up on Drury Lane. There is a real nice pub we found there about two weeks ago, so we decided to warm up there. I think we stayed for about 2 hours. We went back to Woburn to see what was going on around 10:15. Everyone was pretty much beat, so we just stayed in and played games with some of my friends until about 12:30.

Sunday 24/5

Again, 9:45 came early, even though I did get to bed around 3:00. We took the bus from Kings Cross to London Bridge. There, we took some pictures and then walked over and across Tower Bridge. We actually got some great pictures this morning. We returned on the south side to one of the converted wharfs (I looked it up, it could also be wharves, but I thought people would understand the first) and grabbed some coffee. It was right next to the PwC building. It was lovely warming up with the drinks.

We took the tube from London Bridge Station to Camden Town. Why? Camden Market of course. We explored the market for a solid two hours. Of course, we grabbed lunch too. This time-- Jamaican jerk chicken. Absolutely fantastic! We explored some previously unexplored (by me) stalls in the market. It is a huge market and it was quite enjoyable with those two. Also, I found where Abbey Road is, which is not too far from Camden Market I guess. Just a side note. I haven't seen it yet at least.

We took a bus (that stops at Abbey Road, if you go the other way) down to High Kensington. They shopped at TJ Maxx for a little bit while I headed over to Whole Foods to use their toilet. Then, we walked over to Knightsbridge and to Harrods. We spent about 45 minutes in there. Did you know that Harrods started selling airplanes in 1911. They honestly sell everything. No big deal.

We got dinner somewhere last night... ah yes! We went out and got a Sunday Roast! Both of them got roast beef and when I went up to order, they were out. I ended up with a vegetarian option. But no matter. It was still delicious (and of course I snagged a little bit of theirs). The best part of the meal was definitely dessert. We got chocolate cake with ice cream and hot fudge all over the top. Chocolate is much stronger here, so that was great. It filled me up and made me want to just sleep. However, that was out of the question.

We met Matt at the Swan at 8:30 for a couple drinks. We talked for a while, with Matt leaving a little earlier than we to go skype with his parents. Jana, Elena and I left around 10:30, and I just walked them back to their hotel. I got home around 11:30, where I got caught skyping mom. I think we finished talking to each other at 1:00 (?). It was really nice to talk to her though. Just to get a feel for what has been going on at home lately.

Monday 25/3

The girls wanted to pack, so I didn't meet them until 10:30. Then, we took the tube over to Marble Arch so we could stop at Primark. They shopped until about 12:30. They got a lot of things, and you could see the excitement at every display we saw. I actually enjoyed it, even though I didn't shop, help or offer advice. We then stopped at Forever 21, H&M, and Top Spin. Lunch consisted of a two course meal from Garfunkel's. It was above average. So nothing to complain about. Jana even gave me her leftovers, which will be eaten once this story is finished. We headed back to the hotel around 1:45 to collect their things and head to Liverpool Street Station. There, we grabbed a final cup of tea and said our goodbyes. It was bittersweet, but it was easier because we knew we would see each other in just over a month.

Which, I have about a month left of school here. Time has just flown by. I feel like there is too much for me to see and I just want to see everything. So this month will be crammed with everything and I will be home in two months. Wow.

Once they left at 4:30, I headed home and just laid in bed. Even now, I am completely exhausted. After this, like I said, I will have Jana's leftovers and watch a movie. Just to relax before going back to work tomorrow and starting to get ready for Friday.

IMPORTANT! I want you to go through this again... and know that it has been the coldest here that I have experienced thus far. It snowed Saturday real bad and the wind has been blowing at a solid 10 miles per hour or so. It has just been miserable. So make sure you pack warm when you come. Also, I don't remember the last time I saw the Sun.

Internship Journal Week 8

Luckily, things are becoming a little more atypical again, which I am come to enjoy. It really breaks up the monotony of work by getting up, going places, meeting people, and coming back to check emails. By doing everything, time flies by and you really feel accomplished after work.

On Tuesday, I showed up again at 9.30. After responding to some emails, we discussed the budget. We decided, after now about 5 or so weeks of thinking, that we just aren't going to apportion any of the costs besides what we have decided (1/5, 1/5, 3/5). This was decided because Karina talked to an accountant and she thought it was better not to. So with that, I deleted those pages. Then, I went and reconciled the current account. I reconciled it against everything  I put in for the Month of February. Once that was reconciled, I printed out a budget vs actual variance. With that report, I looked at our budget and put the final touches on it. Then I gave it to Karina, who changed one or two things (mainly for printing issues) and one I put that across the 4 sheets, I finished with it. In the afternoon, I worked a little on research for a venue for a seminar which Karina is chairing. I didn't get too far, and she kept inturrupting me with things to do (like go to the National Theatre and etc). No worries though. I left a little later though, so that was a little annoying, but I needed to finish a few things. I left around 7.10. I took the 242 bus home, which goes through the city but still drops me off at Holburn. It was nice changing up the routine, but it is quite annoying passing Liverpool Street Station, being it is so busy constantly.

Wednesday, when I got to work, Karina said she would be a little late. So I headed to the bakers and got some bread pudding. It was delicious. I ate it outside, so it was quite cold, but the food was filling so no worries there. At noon, we had a meeting with two women. I am not quite sure the purpose of the meeting, but I think it was to discuss getting a new trustee, along with helping with some networking things. the one girl was from America, so that was nice hearing that accent. I could pick out her California accent right away. In the afternoon, I talked to a web designer to get a quote. However, it was for naught, because their prices were too high


As I was finishing this, I was told that we didn't have to continue doing these after 28/2. So I am going to leave this unfinished. Ok.

18/3/13 (Canterbury, St. Patrick's Day)

So I have been quite busy over the weekend. Sorry about that, but it has been a great time. I hope from this blog post explains what I did well enough until I can get home and tell you more about this weekend!

15/3

So basically, I have figured out that it is every other Friday when we have an excursion. So, being last Friday we had none, this Friday we had to go somewhere. That somewhere was actually two places: Dover and Canterbury. So after getting on the bus at 8.30, we headed off to Canterbury. Now, this place may seem familiar because it was the location of the pilgrimage in Chaucer's story "Canterbury Tales." The point of the story was a bunch of pilgrims were headed from London to Canterbury by foot to see the cathedral there. Well, we got a chance to see the cathedral, and it was mighty fantastic. 

See? No joke.

We got a guided tour of the cathedral, which is now a part of the Anglican church. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the second highest official of the church (following the queen). The cathedral was a buzz because a new archbishop was about to be inaugurated this Thursday. So they needed to get it prepared, not only for the camera and the pomp and circumstance which surrounds that, but also the queen is attending so there needs to be a little extra protection. 

Here is a view from behind and in front of the alter. If you can see, there is a big rock chair that is around 500 or so years old, on which the archbishop sits. You can also see how huge the church really is. The tour was great, but the time spent in Canterbury was just as amazing, if not more.

Of course, I forgot to mention that I got separated from the group. This is a common occurrence during these excursions. So I have come to accept that I cannot be in a group. So I started wandering around by myself. First thing that I did was buy a crepe. It was just a plain sugar crepe, but it was 1) delicious and 2) only 2 Pounds.

After that, I walked down the high street until I came to the river, which was the unofficial end of the high street. So I turned around and started walking back, because I wanted to see all of it and I started in the middle of the street, so I only saw half.

I forgot to mention that it was another beautiful English day.

Anyways, I stopped into a bakery to get a cake. I got a carrot cake, which was only a pound. What this means is that I was happy that I got a cake, and was only eating sweets. I am a bad adult but boy was I in a good mood. After I ate the cake, I stopped into a little cafe. It was a local place with two adorable girls working. So I got a pot of tea and a croissant to munch on because I still was trying to eat cakes and desserts for all my meals because I am 5. Then one of the workers went on lunch break and had a huge bowl of soup that she was eating right next to me. So we started talking. She was a sweet girl. I finished my tea and croissant and left (after saying goodbye, of course). Then I finished walking up the street and started wandering off the beaten path. I found an art gallery with some of the most beautiful modern art that I have ever seen. If I was rich, I would have bought abut 70% of the works in there. Erik, check it out by clicking your name.

We boarded the bus at 13.45 to head to Dover Castle, a medieval castle constructed by William the Conqueror (a common theme throughout my travels). The weather took a turn for the worse, but that didn't matter too much because we got to see a castle!

That is an active door, which was shut after we entered.

This is the main keep, which is quite unlike German castles, but English castles
seem to be quite study and intimidating, instead of lavish. 

It was quite a cool castle. We walked around it for about an hour with a guide who was quite knowledgeable. 

By the way, did I say this castle was situated quite high above the town of Dover? Well as you can see, it towers over it. Which must have been impressive 700 years ago, as it is still impressive today. 

We got to go up to the highest point of the castle, which the wind was blowing harder than any of us expected (mind you, the wind was blowing so hard in the grounds of the castle, I had to do a little dance move when one particular gale burst nearly knocked me over). 

Just a mess, but it was great to be up there. Also, we both look exhausted.

After that, we took a detour which Mark or Jen have never done. We headed to the Cliffs of Dover National Park. It was more than amazing. The views were just breathtaking, even if the wind was whipping at us. It actually made us all cold, but being able to see what I saw was more than worth it. 

If you look hard enough, you will be able to see France. There were paths all along the cliffs, which I may just return to because they were that amazing. I honestly could have walked 5 or 10 miles along it, listening to the water . Oh and by the way, I was joking about seeing France. It is way too cloudy and foggy to see it. But on clear days, it is visible. So that is like twice a year. 

The bus ride home was a quiet one. Being in the wind and cold all day really drained everyone. So after a nice nap, we made it home for dinner. Matt, Jake and I ended up scooting out without a group (somehow) and we went to a pub down the road. I ordered a random ale and was so confused when I saw it was green. So that was quite surprising. Anyways, after that we went to Holburn and I finally got a Kebab! It was so delicious and we were so happy to eat it. 

16/3

We woke up early because we wanted to see some of the sights on our last free weekend. Matt, Leah and I left at 9.30 to head over to Hoxton Street, where I work. Once we got there, we went to get breakfast at a bakery. We couldn't decide between which one we wanted to go to, so we stopped at both. At the first one, I got a cup of tea, a smiley faced doughnut, and a mixed berry tart. It all came to 2.15! So supah dupah! After that, we went to the other bakery and I just got some bread pudding. That was only 50p, so even better! Breakfast for 2.65--not too terrible. 

We then took the bus down across the river to Borough Market. The whole market is situated under a bridge, and you can really hear when the trains go over. Also, the entire market is a food market! So we walked around and looked at all the amazing foods. Some things of note include: cheeses from around Europe, especially France; some of the freshest looking fruit and vegetables; a selection of beef, lamb, and pork cuts that were delicious looking; and finally (and most noticeably) an entire hog's head and about a dozen rabbits, freshly killed, fur still intact with bags on their heads collecting runoff blood. I actually took a photo of that:

The first rabbit shows it the best, in my opinion.

For lunch, Matt and I got a sandwich with wild boar and venison on it. Just fantastic. I will really miss the street food here, because it is so tasty. Also, it is much more exotic than what you get at Applebees (lamb, rabbit, we had a sample of duck which was great, boar, kangaroo, camel, etc). Then we took the bus home and I took the second most fantastic nap (Sunday's nap trumped it). That night, we didn't do too much, but it was still a good time. I got to bed around 1.30, so overall, a productive and quite fun day.

17/3

Upon leaving Woburn at 9.35, we headed to a pub for breakfast. We went to one not too far and we all got Full English breakfasts (eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, toast) and I a cup of tea. Then we walked back to Woburn to let the food digest for about 15 minutes. Around 11, we headed off to the lounge to start celebrating. At 13.00, we left for Trafalgar Square for the St. Patrick's Day celebration and parade. Even Princess Kate was there (I didn't see her though, too many people). We got a drink and had fun taking pictures and talking to people and shenanigans and whatever. 

Eventually, we left the square and headed to a pub. It was nice and warm in the pub and we posted up in one corner. There was a group of about 10 of us, so it was impressive that no one got lost. After about an hour or so in there, we headed off to Leicester Square. We went there because we were all starving. We got some Mexican food there. Nachos for a starter, pulled pork wrap for a entree and a pitcher of sangria split between some of us. After that, we were all so full, we got on the tube and headed home. This was about six. I got home and took a wonderful nap until 8.30. Then we hung out in the lounge some more before getting some snacks and calling it a night. I got to bed around 2.00, so all in all a successful St. Patrick's Day.

18/3

I met with Mark and Jen at 11.50 today just to talk about how the semester is going. I had no complaints, so it all seemed to go well. After that, I took the tube over to High Kensington to do a little shopping. I bought nothing there, but it was nice to see the fancy shops, posh women pushing their prams, and it was pouring so I was miserable. 

I got on the tube to head off to Primark on Oxford Street to get some clothes that I could actually afford. However, I got off at the wrong end of the street, because I screwed up Hyde Park and Regent Park. So after about a half hour walk in the rain (not sprinkle rain... full on rain) I made it there. I was quite miserable still because I was very wet. At least I had the hat on I got for Christmas, so I stayed a little drier that way. At Primark, I got 3 shirts, a jumper, a pair of shoes, an a pair of trousers for 35 Pounds. It was great! I then took the tube home, but got sidetracked at a bookstore. I ended up buying a book. I got The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I got it because I enjoyed reading The Hobbit so much. I expect that I will be able to find the time to finish it before too long. 

Now I close the night with relaxation before I go to work tomorrow. I should be home by 7.30 because of an event we are putting on. Nevertheless, no worries with that. Also, I got my religion paper back. It counts for 50% of my grade, because grading over here is a lot different. Anyways, I got an A on the paper. So score there! Ok hope to hear from you all soon!