Sunday, March 31, 2013

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!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

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!!

Friday, March 29, 2013

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%!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

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!!

Monday, March 25, 2013

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.

Monday, March 18, 2013

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!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Internship Journal Week 7

This week was a little more normal than most, which honestly I am grateful for. I can now imagine being a boss, and having to keep track of meetings, seminars, and a whole bunch of other things, so you almost forget that you have day to day work to do.

On Tuesday, I got in at 9.30. After a spot of tea, Karina and I went to work on the budget. We were having issues trying to figure out some of the costs to the building. After a while spent on that, I was tasked with researching a few things. They included phone contracts, internet providers, and more changes on National Insurance contribution. In the afternoon, after a late lunch, I worked a little on the website. It has proven a challenge because with our limited budget, we will probably have to deal with a freelance designer. The problem is that design agencies are the ones with all the websites. Karina had to go meet some people after work, so we got out promptly at 5.30, which was nice. I ended up taking the long route to the bus because it was so beautiful out.

Wednesday was more or less the same. We worked on the budget but I only worked on the website project for about an hour. The other time I was in work, I dealt with inputting paid out amounts into the system. It took a while but it all seemed to work out. I printed out some reports for Karina, and then left. Like I said, it was a very atypical week because it was so typical. Kim, Karina and I got talking around 4.30 and that was pretty much the end of my day. I left around 6.10, knowing that I had to do a little work once I got home because Karina changed some of the cells on the spreadsheet of the budget. I spent about an hour just making all four pages congruent. Nothing to big, but I wanted to get it done so she could look at it more on Thursday.

I have been talking to my mom about my internship and comparing it to my time at work. Still, one of the biggest things is that the ability to talk with your coworkers makes it a much more enjoyable workplace. I understand that most days, I leave for work at 8.40 and usually don't get back home much before 7.00. However, I don't have the hesitation that I did going to work as I do in the states (where I leave at 7.00 and am home at 4.45). I think a lot to do with it is that I can talk to my coworkers and not feel pressured to fit in as much work as I can plus an extra 15%. I will miss this aspect of work when I go home. 

Like I said, it was beautiful coming home from work. On the horizon is the city, and the lights against the
dark blue sky really was beautiful and inspiring. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

14/3/13

I am still dreading the day when I must work every day. Today, I got in at the required time of 9.30, no biggie. We had a meeting with someone, her name was Jenny. She seems really sweet. She is also married, mainly I am assuming this because she has a ring on her fingers. But I have been mistaken before.

I left early at 5.45 and took the 242 bus home. It still takes me to Holburn, so I have to walk about 10 minutes, but it takes me directly through the city. I wanted to see the sights on the way home. It was nice, I enjoyed seeing the tall buildings, the fancy people, and all the lights. I got back to my room around 6.38, where my roommate was sleep. So I left and hung out with Joey for a while. We gathered a small group and headed out to ULU. Most people were busy writing a paper that is due tomorrow. I finished mine last night at 1.45 am sharp! So we went to ULU and watched the first half of the football match. A whole bunch of nothing happened, so we headed back to Woburn (that and Joey needed to finish his paper). So the rest of the night I have been catching up on work. I have been a little behind since I spent the weekend away and work two days really drags it out of me. But I am nearly there, and should be caught up for the weekend. I hope you all have a happy St. Patrick's Day.

Oh, you will hear from me before then, but I just wanted to wish it to you now because I can. Cheers!!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

13/3/13

Hello there

12/3

As I awoke this morning, I realized the two previous nights, I slept on much better beds. I was groggy and sore but managed to make it to the shower. I put on some warm clothes and headed to Trafalgar Square. The reason why I went there was because I wanted to go to the National Gallery. I did not wear warm enough clothes.

The National Gallery was overwhelming. It had some great pieces of art, but none outrageously famous. They, too had some lillypads. Still some of my favorite pieces ever. I have really come to like impressionism. That is enough of that.

I went to the National Portrait Gallery next. I enjoyed it a lot, and it offers you a great look into British history and the art is quite good. So you know, the portrait of Princess Kate is as rough as you would think. Probably the worst piece in there. But so be it, she has time to get a new one.

Then I went back here and relaxed and more importantly, warmed up. I planned out May, so I have a much better idea of what I am doing. Then I started doing some research, but mainly just talked in the lounge. It came back to bite me tonight.

13/3

Work was fun. I will tell you about it in my internship post (which I must do two. I am sorry). I got home by 7.15, so after an hour break, I started on my paper. Where I sit now, at 12:15, is ~1250. So only ~750 to go. I think I will work up until 1:00, then save the rest for tomorrow. I should be able to get a decent chuck of it finished by then. At least I would if I got off this blog. So cheerio!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

11/3/13 (Trip to Devon)

Well I am back from my HOST Visit, and it was so much fun! I will go into as much detail as I can, and will upload photos tomorrow, being I am exhausted right now.

8/3

I got on the train at 12:20 from Waterloo Station. Why this is a big deal is because I got to the train station at 12:17. I timed it perfectly! The ride was not bad. I arrived in Exeter (three syllables) at 3:45, so it was a relaxing time just for myself. I started reading The Hobbit, which I bough Thursday. I finished reading at the end of Gollum's cave.

I got to the station and met both the Director of HOST in County Devon, and Ray, the man with whom I'd be staying. Together, we went in and I was introduced to his wife, Jenny, and Khalid, a Saudi Arabian who was also staying with us. We jumped in their Scotia and away we went. To get to their farm, it was mostly one lane roads. Not only that, but they were also lined on either side with 15 foot tall hedges. So it made sightseeing hard, but it was stunning to see. Riding in the car really made me want to drive.


Their home is to the left and the bottom window is their sitting room, overlooking
the picture below
When we first arrived, we had some cakes and tea. We had two cakes, one with apricot filling and another with dried fruits. Both were delicious. The tea was of higher quality than I am used too as well.

After that, since the weather was nice, we went for a walk on their land. They owned two fields adjoining their backyard, so we walked through those. In the summer, they let the farmer put sheep in the fields to keep the grass short. There were sheep in the other fields, which they are interesting characters. The view from their house was amazing. You could see the entire town, and in the background of that was Dartmoore National Park.

Outside of my window
Dinner was served around 8 and we got steak and mushroom pie. It was amazing. Grandma Connie would be proud that I am starting to eat mushrooms (Note: I have had a few grilled tomatoes that I haven't hated, so maybe I will even come around to those). Desert was meringue with clotted cream and jams. Amazing. More than amazing. We went to bed, which I got my own room around 10:30. On the ceilings were two windows, with a remote to control the blinds. I was in awe

9/3

At 9:00, breakfast was served. It was a mighty healthy breakfast, with fruits, yogurts, Brand Flakes and Corn Flakes. It was weird because we all made bowls of cereal, but they all put yogurt in the bowl. I ate mine straight. It was too good to waste with soggy Corn Flakes.


We departed in an old school camper-van for a festival. It was in a small town, but it was a food and drink and music festival. Which, I don't know how they knew, is my favorite kind of festival. It was called the Moretonhampstead Festival of Food, Drink and the Arts  If you click Festival, it will take you to the site. Maybe there is a photo of me there. I don't know. If you ask, I can tell you more about the festival. If there is a big enough demand, then I will write more about it. Just tell mom to tell me or shoot me an email.

We did stop off for a spot of tea here. The grounds were beautiful and the biscuits
delicious
Afterwards, we went to Dartmoor National Park. We parked and climbed up a huge hill to get to the top (I know, terrible sentence) but once there, we got a stunning view of the environs an we got a chance to explore the remains of a village used by someone over 3,000 years ago. It was funny because most of the huts had 2 rooms. My take on it is that Brits have loved their tea forever, so the entrance room was a sitting room for entertaining guests and serving tea, while the second was the bedroom. I wanted to stay there forever, but Jenny and Ray were getting hungry, so back to the van we went for lunch. We got some nice cheeses, bread, and some cold vegetable stew, which again Grandma, had chunks of tomatoes that I ate without a flinch. Also some artichokes. I like them though, so no complaints.











The camper-van
There were sheep everywhere. No jokes

When we got back to their house, it was about 4:30. So we had a cup of tea (I think my fifth at this time) and waited for the rugby match to start .Ray is big into rugby and there is a big tournament going on so we watched that together. Rugby is a fun game to watch, even if I don't fully understand the rules. After, came dinner, which time time was a fisherman's pie. In it was salmon, prawns, white fish and cod (maybe?). To go with it were peas, which I still love, so everyone knows. Desert was amazing again, being a fruit pie that Jenny made with some creme friche  on there.  The cream was french sour cream, which is like cream cheese but has a sour taste to it. It was a perfect compliment for the pie.

10/3

Breakfast was the same this time but I didn't mind at all because I haven't had that fresh of fruits in a long time. We were taken by Ray to Castle Drogo, which was a fantastic castle, and the last castle to be build in England. It is currently under a 6 year, 11 million Pound ($19 million) restoration to correct water damage and leakings. Nevertheless, it was still great. It had a wonderful view that was impeded by copious amounts of snow, which fell throughout the day.

The last built castle in England. 

Gardens, which I expect are beautiful in the spring

We made it back to pick of Jenny and head to the pub, which was amazing. The pub was a small local pub in the town they live in. They had this thing called beer tapas, so I got to try each of the three local ales that they brewed from the area it was great. To tell you a little about the situation of the pub though, would surprise you. Anyways, here it is. It has been blessed to have about 538 years of continuous work. Everyone is welcome in the pub and no questions are asked. This was a perfect example of how a pub is supposed to be: There were two older people who were locals; two travelers, one tasting the fruits of the area's labor, the other a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, but still partakes in the culture aspect of it; a family having a traditional roast dinner, baby and children and dog included; a cat sleeping on a bar stool; and the bartender having looked like he'd been there for close to all 538 years. Just fantastic.

We then returned to the farm for our roast dinner. It was roasted lamb, which is a favorite of mine, so plus one to start. We got some roasted vegetables, some of which included beetroot. I don't know if you have ever had beetroot, but it is not terrible. I actually quite enjoyed it. For dessert, we got apple crumble. It made me realize how much I need a good apple season this year so mom can make me some apple crisp, every day. I want it a lot even right not.

We left the farm for good and headed to ---sorry, I am calling it the farm because it is an old converted farm from the 17th century, Exeter early so we could see the city a little bit. We went to the cathedral there, which was build in the 1350s. It was huge! Surprisingly big for a smaller city, and twice as elegant. We were in there and got a chance to hear the organ being played. I grabbed a thing about it for Mez. We left there after about 35 minutes and got a coffee to wait for our train. At 5:10, we bid them farewell and boarded our train at 5:17. I read a great deal more of The Hobbit, I believe I am around page 230 now. I got to London at 8:35 and home at 9:05, so not terrible either.

Now, as I finish up, seeing that this took about an hour made me a little sad, but it needed to get done. During all of this, I was catching up with Rory too, so that was nice too. Soon enough, I will be off to bed and look for these pictures and tomorrows post... uh tomorrow. Ok Cheers!


Thursday, March 7, 2013

7/3/13

Well, I still feel quiet down, but my laundry is in so I will try my best to get you caught up on my life here.

Tuesday 5/3

I went into work on Tuesday, and ended up getting a nice lunch by myself at the cafe by work. I ended up getting a prawn salad sandwich. The best part about it was that it was about 60 degrees and absolutely lovely. I ate it outside in the garden. It made my day. I also got to leave work early because we had an event that I had to go to.

At 5:15 I made it to Store Street, where there was pizza and perspective students from Barton College in North Carolina. So we did a meet and greet with them and rotated around the building answering their questions and telling them about our experiences. At 6:30, we left to head to south London. We  had tickets to a football match that the program made us go to. No complaints from this end.


Our seats were amazing. Like when I say amazing, I mean, we were sitting in the front row. Like no one was in front of me at all.

Going off of that, the teams we were watching are numbers 2 and 3 in the league. It is one league under the top league, so it was still good football. The biggest draw was a midfielder for Crystal Palace. His name is Wilfried Zaha and he was quite good. He actually signed a contract so that at the end of this year, he will go play for Manchester United, one of the best teams in Europe. So next year when he goes on ESPN, I can say that I have seen him in person and up close. Close enough to yell at and for him to hear me.

Wednesday 6/3

I went to work again, so nothing changed there. I did get an extended lunch though because there was a meeting for the whole charity that I wasn't invited to because it had to deal with a lot of personal HR things. So I went and got some Vietnamese food again because why not. My lunch was about an hour and a half long. I ended up leaving work at 6:30. Then, we went to ULU to watch the football match. It was a little boring, but it was nice to talk to everyone.

I was exhausted though, so I went to bed at about 11:45. I haven't been able to sleep well at all lately, because of my cold. So hopefully tonight I will sleep better.

Thursday 7/3

Instead of work, I got to go to class. I had to give a short report on what I do at my internship, so I did that as quickly as I could because I didn't want to do a lot of talking as stuffed up as I am. During seminar,  I didn't participate much because my head was too full of pressure. So I walked home and couldn't take a nap because I couldn't fall asleep.

In Religion class, we moved on to Hinduism. It was quite interesting, being that some sects of Hindus deal with decadence like feasts and bright colors, something that western religions usually stay away from. After class, I went to this bookshop to buy a book. This bookshop was in a basement, with books thrown everywhere. It was amazing, confusing and great all in one. I bought The Hobbit, so I will read that this weekend. I am very excited.

Then I went down to Piccadilly Circus to go and buy my HOST family some jams as a gift for letting me stay with them this weekend. So I leave tomorrow at noon or something that that. I don't know if I will have any internet access, so you are aware. I will be home Sunday around 7 I think. I will check my tickets before going to bed. Just don't want to miss the train. It should be a great experience and I will tell you all about it Sunday night. Cheers!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

6/3/13

Hey! I have caught an illness. I am not feeling well at all. I figured I should let you all know that I am not feeling up to par, so instead of writing my blog, which would be about my internship the past two days, plus a compulsory football game I had to go to last night, I am going to put that off until tomorrow. Tonight, I am going to bed early. I hope everyone is more healthy than I (simple because I think I will die, that is how stuffed up my head it.) and I will be sure to write a more comprehensive blog when I get better. Cheers!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Internship Blog Week 6

This was a very busy week at work. I enjoyed it though because be keeping busy, the time literally flies by. I got into work on Tuesday at 10:30 and I was told to take a look at the bank reconciliations for the past year. Something got screwed up in October and we figured we should cross reference the ledger to the bank statement to the checkbook. After spending all morning on that, I took lunch around 2:30. I got a pizza from the place down the road. It had ham and onions on it. Just delicious! The second half of my day was pretty much the same as the beginning: looking for the error. At 4:30, all that I figured out was that the error might be from a previous year. The next hour, Karina and a few of the other volunteers and some of the students were talking, so I listened in. It was not too business related, but it was still fun to listen.I left around 6, after Karina because I wanted to finish up looking over some things and put everything back in its place.

Wednesday, I was asked to start coming in earlier because Karina is bringing her daughter to the Breakfast Club, so she can get in earlier. When I got in, I was asked to do a little research on the website. I emailed a few people about it, asking questions and started to look for some quotes. I drew up a map for the website. At 10:30, we had a meeting with a lady who specializes in human resources. She was very sweet. After that, I worked more on the website design. Around 1:30, Karina offered to take to take me to lunch, which was very sweet. We went to this Vietnamese place, where we got a prawn rice roll, crisps, and for my entree, a pile of Shanghai noodles. It was wonderful. We spent about an hour and a half there talking. We compared a lot between working in the US and in the UK, along with my goals and she told stories from her past. It was a great lunch. I finished the day working on the budget, which became a little tedious. I left at 7:00, just in time to make it to ULU to see my friends for the night.

Thursday, I had to do a little bit of extra work to make the budget kosher. The budget we were working on had codes that were different than the ones we have been working on. So I went through and made an entirely new budget. I have to go over it with Karina, because there are some differences, but that will make it easier for us going forward. That only took about two and a half hours, so no big deal.

Something that I have learned about working in the UK this week is how cozy everyone tries to make it. Work is not an uncomfortable place to be. When we had the meeting, I was asked to get some biscuits and tea for our guest. Also, Karina and I talked about how much conversation goes on at work, but we still seem productive. At home, the amount of conversations we have would not be tolerated. It is nice and honestly, I feel more welcomed here in most settings than I did at home. At home, all of my jobs have just been jobs, working here is honestly an experience.

It is a little messy, but to the left is where I work. 

4/3/13

Sorry for the little break. The reason why I didn't post anything is because I haven't really done anything of note of late. I told you about the Greenwich trip, which was great. Saturday, I didn't do a thing. I woke up, watched a movie, took a short walk and then a group of us went out to the East End to finally explore that area. It was neat but that is about all. I would like to go back and I know I have said it and will say it again, I am so excited to bring mom there.

Sunday I woke up and cleaned my room a little. After, around 4, I met up with everyone and we watched the North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal. It was a very exciting game, but that was the only excitement of my day. I spent the rest of it just lounging around and I finished the night by watching The Gladiator with Russell Crowe.

Today, I got up bright and early and wrote a paper in Store Street about the Jews in England. It took about 2 hours and ended up being just over 1025 words (it was 1000 minimum). From there, I went for a jog because it was lovely. It is amazing how excited the entire city gets when it is nice out. The streets were packed. I ran down to Big Ben, crossed the bridge, ran by the London Eye and scampered back home. It is great how fast one gets out of shape. I can walk forever, but running is not my fort de gras. The rest of the night I will finish picking up my clothes and read a little before heading to work. I am sure there will be more to talk about tomorrow.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

2/3/13

1/3

Today, we were fortunate enough to go on a boat trip to Greenwich. We decided to walk down to the pier, which was no longer than a 30 minute walk, so not bad at all. The only bad part of the boat ride was that it was quite chilly. We left from Westminster Pier, which is literally right next to Big Ben. 
See no joke.
It was a real nice boat trip. It took an hour to get to Greenwich, but it was quite chilly on the top deck. I stayed up there while we passed under Tower Bridge though.


So you know, it was quite cold there. I am surprised that I could open my eyes. They were tearing up like no other.


When we left the boat, we walked up a huge hill up to the Greenwich Observatory. It was there that a conference was held, led by the United States, that created the time zone. There, going through the middle of it, was the Prime Meridian. I actually got to straddle the Western and Eastern Hemispheres at the same time!


For some reason, I never take a picture of me doing things. Just my feet

After that, I walked through the museum which was quite interesting. It dealt a lot with clocks, time, instruments measuring time and distance, and astrology. 

Then, I visited the Royal Naval Museum. 

It was huge, but a lot of it was closed for the installation of new exhibitions. It was really nice to be in Greenwich though because it was quiet. There were a decent amount of people in town, but nothing like it is at home. I went to the market there, which it had a lot of cool things there, especially artwork. However, it was quite expensive. I am a little excited to get home and not spend $15 on anything that I purchase. But so be it. For now, c'est la vie. 

I broke off from the group to explore on my own. I walked under the Thames in a subway tunnel. It was the first time I really felt claustrophobic in my life. I am guessing the fact that I was under a river and if the subway broke, I would die. So you know, I did survive. 
I know you can't tell, but that is all a downhill gradient. It was about 200 yards
long once it was flat, then another hill to start climbing up.

It had a very New York City feel to it. It was all lines and corners. Not like the
rest of London. 
I started walking, and I ended up in Millwall. From there, I followed signs to Canary Wharf. What Canary Wharf is is the epicenter of the financial doings in London. There were buildings for HSBC, Citi Bank, and KPMG, along with many others that I didn't see. I rushed through there because I was getting tired. 


Finally, I made it home, exhausted. I ended up taking the tube for a little bit because I couldn't handle the walk home. I did make it a while though. I think I hoofed it about 5 or 6 miles before getting on the Tube.

That night, the place where we lived decided to buy us pizza. So we spent literally the rest of the night in the lounge either eating pizza or talking or both haha. I ended up getting to bed around 2, so I was happy with that.

2/3

I slept in today, so I felt bad about that. I gave it to myself as a little treat though for getting up so early the entire week. I met Matt, Leah, and some of Leah's friends and we went up to Camden Market. It was packed today. We mainly went for lunch. Matt and I decided to split everything we got. First, we got a chicken kebab (which was Turkish) with salad and some sort of sauce on it, wrapped in a tortilla. It is one of those things that I will make Mom try when she is here (only she gets lamb). It is so tasty and cannot be found at home. The second course we got was a Turkish wrap. That had sausage, spinach, and cheese in it. I swear to goodness, it tasted like a taco. There was also some chili yogurt in it. So tasty. For desert, I got a piece of banana bread. I really treated myself today. It was so delicious.


We went into the Stables after to look at some things. There were a lot of neat posters for a Pound (they were smaller, but still a good deal) that the girls bought. I looked at some shoes, I may purchase some by the time I leave. I am walking through my Converse here. We walked home and I ended up watching a movie just to relax.

Tonight, I am going shopping (in about 5 minutes) and then I am going with Joey to explore the East End. We are meeting Matt and Leah eventually and will explore that area tonight with her friends. It should be interesting and I will report back on that (maybe) tomorrow! Until then, I hope you enjoyed the photos!!