On Saturday I moved into Queen Mary, or "Uni" as the Brits call it here. We arrived on campus around 10am and went directly to our rooms. I'm staying in Pooley House for the semester and I have eight flat mates. Each of us has our own room and bathroom, but we all share a kitchen. There are four Americans, two Brits, a Polish girl, one girl from Nepal and one guy from Bangladesh. So far everyone has been really nice, but we aren't coming together as a group like I had hoped to.
This week I went on a boat party through the river Thames and met some really nice girls from Pakistan, bought a scarf from "Topshop" on Oxford Street and went on a guided bus tour throughout central London. I've seen everything from St. Paul's cathedral, Big Ben, and the Tower of London to the guards at Buckingham Palace. Without a doubt I have so much more to see and learn from this bustling metropolis.
During my first day in the UK, the one thing my study abroad adviser told me not to do was to be a tourist during my stay here. So far this has been quite difficult since I still get giddy every time I see "The Eye" or the Tower Bridge. I don't think that the idea of me actually living in London will fully set in until my plane ride home. Sometimes I find myself forgetting for a second that I'm even in a foreign country, miles away from home, until I almost get hit by a double decker bus driving towards me on the opposite side of the road.
Last night I went to a pub in the East End, a section of London which supposedly has been rebuilding itself ever since the construction on the Olympics started a couple of years ago. We took the tube for two stops and got off at very trendy area with cool shops and restaurants/bars. I spent a few hours with some new friends, some Americans and some from Switzerland, comparing cultural lingo, listening to live music and drinking red wine at a place called "Cantaloupe."
Tonight I went to my friend's flat until the fire alarm went off and broke up the fun. (Even starting fires in England, aren't we Mo?) Tomorrow I am heading to a museum for the day with some American and British girls and Monday we start classes. God, it's been a long time since I've been in a classroom.
This week I went on a boat party through the river Thames and met some really nice girls from Pakistan, bought a scarf from "Topshop" on Oxford Street and went on a guided bus tour throughout central London. I've seen everything from St. Paul's cathedral, Big Ben, and the Tower of London to the guards at Buckingham Palace. Without a doubt I have so much more to see and learn from this bustling metropolis.
During my first day in the UK, the one thing my study abroad adviser told me not to do was to be a tourist during my stay here. So far this has been quite difficult since I still get giddy every time I see "The Eye" or the Tower Bridge. I don't think that the idea of me actually living in London will fully set in until my plane ride home. Sometimes I find myself forgetting for a second that I'm even in a foreign country, miles away from home, until I almost get hit by a double decker bus driving towards me on the opposite side of the road.
Last night I went to a pub in the East End, a section of London which supposedly has been rebuilding itself ever since the construction on the Olympics started a couple of years ago. We took the tube for two stops and got off at very trendy area with cool shops and restaurants/bars. I spent a few hours with some new friends, some Americans and some from Switzerland, comparing cultural lingo, listening to live music and drinking red wine at a place called "Cantaloupe."
Tonight I went to my friend's flat until the fire alarm went off and broke up the fun. (Even starting fires in England, aren't we Mo?) Tomorrow I am heading to a museum for the day with some American and British girls and Monday we start classes. God, it's been a long time since I've been in a classroom.
Until next time, Cheers! (They say that a lot here, even when they don't have drinks in their hands.)
Kristen
P.S. Those of you who want to view more pictures from my trip can just click on "photos" on the right side of this page and search through the albums that I will be posting.
P.S. Those of you who want to view more pictures from my trip can just click on "photos" on the right side of this page and search through the albums that I will be posting.
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| My dorm room. |
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| Study nook. |
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| Small bathroom, but it's all mine!! |
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| That's the Tower Bridge (and me). |
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| At Drapers, the on campus bar. |
Congrats Kristin on getting to London in one piece!
ReplyDeleteI will be living vicariously through you this semester so LIVE IT UP! I love everything British/English so it will be fun reading your exploits. If you get a chance to head to the European continent and you want to look up our Nigro relatives in Italy let me know -- I have Uncle Arnold's number as well as the Brenna's in Rome.
It definitely can be intimidating to be on your own, especially in a foreign country -- just keep your wits about you and enjoy the ride! Oh, and if you run into Daniel Craig or Colin Firth get their number for me!
Love Fran
PS I am using Kevin's blog/gmail account because I don't have my own - -feel free to peruse his blog if you want!