Just some things...

- The milk in London tastes really good.  Different cows, different milk.

- Speaking of groceries, certain things are very cheap here like Nutella (£2 = $3.28), Oust air freshener (£1 = $1.64), chicken lunch meat (94p for 30 slices = $1.54), and yoghurt (£1 for 5 190-gram containers).  Certain things are very expensive though, like Starbucks coffee.  If a Starbucks coffee cost $3 at home, it would be around £3 here ($5!).

- Fires happen often.  Our first morning, we passed a litter bin (I dunno, is that 'garbage can'?) on the street outside Nido that was on fire and the firefighters were hosing it down.  Then, I realized the cause of this is that people stand right by the bins, smoke the rest of their cigarettes, and then throw them away.

- Londoners say "cheers" and "yeah?" a lot, as in "thank you" and "is that alright?" respectively.  On the airplane, we got a lot of "cheers" for handing the flight attendants stuff, and at Marks & Spencer, the cashier said, "5p for a bag, yeah?  £10.01, yeah?"

- I asked an employee at St. Pancras Station yesterday, "Excuse me, where is Platform 9 3/4?" and he told me, "In Kings Cross Station".  WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE PLATFORM 9 3/4 REALLY IS??  I've heard from other people it's actually in St. Pancras because they filmed the movies there....

- I read somewhere that London is the city that never sleeps, but that is an outright lie.  NEW YORK is the city that never sleeps.  Yesterday, I walked around St. Pancras Station and all the shops closed at 5pm.  The library they provide for us in lieu of Bobst closes at 9pm.  Fellow NYU-ers understand the weight of this statement.

- Londoners hate Mondays more than New Yorkers.  I got pretty bad treatment yesterday in the late morning at the Senate House Library, and also one of our NYUL staff who is usually bright and chipper was kinda...ergh.

- Tesco = Waldbaums

- Boots = CVS, Duane Reade, Rite Aid...

- Argos = no equivalent.  This is a store where people literally shop from catalogues.  There are counters with these HUGE books and you just flip through them, write down the codes, and present them to the cashier, and the item "magically" appears.

Anyway.  Enough ruminating.  I've got plenty more to come, but I have orgo lab in a couple of hours and want to get ready for that.  Cheers!

Magna Carta and Elgin Marbles and Smirnoff Ice, Oh My!

15 JANUARY 2010

Ugh, rainy London day.  Within a few blocks of walking, my sneakers were already drenched.  Nido is, however, conveniently close to the British Library so we hit our first sightseeing site quickly.  The "Treasures of the British Library" gallery was really fascinating!  We saw manuscripts of Handel's Messiah, one of only 180 remaining Gutenberg bibles, and even the Magna Carta!  Good thing I'm a history buff.  Also, I saw those things that Rick Steves was talking about - for those of you not in the know, in his London episode, he showed the digital kiosks where you can flip through actual manuscript images and zoom in and look at, for example, illuminated bible texts.  So cool!  Actually, some of my favorite things were the Arabic/Persian manuscripts because the script is just so beautiful.

After the Library, we hit the British Museum, the site I've been waiting to see since the sixth grade.  Background story: in Humanities, my assigned monument was the Parthenon on which to write a research report.  I loved learning about ancient Greece, so the project was actually interesting for me.  When I first heard about the fellow named Elgin who took many marble ruins from the Acropolis, I thought, "Huh, what a crook!"  Plus, the Greek government is still fighting to get them back in their own museums, even 300 years later.  However, I was glad Elgin put the marbles in the British Museum, because I got to see them yesterday!!  I've seen plenty of Greek and Roman sculpture at the Met, but these were so fascinating because they made up such a famous temple, one about which I pride myself to be knowledgeable.  Anyway, after I forced my travel buddies to spend about an hour in that one room, we left.  On the way out, I glimpsed a beautiful statue of Aphrodite that I am really fond of; and the Rosetta Stone!  So spiffy.

That night, NYUL hosted an event at Smithy's Bar.  Yes, bar!  I am proud to admit that I purchased a bottle of Coca Cola for £2.20.  No, I did not buy alcohol.  Yes, I did sip some from other people....  We danced a bit and screamed the lyrics to the American songs the DJ played.  Let's just say...alcohol is indeed liquid courage.  All in all, a fun night!!  My first time "out", save for Art Bar in Florence...but that doesn't count, right?  After Smithy's, a bunch of us stayed in Nido's lounge to play foosball and pool until 1:30 in the morning.  I was sitting at one of the benches and happened to strike up a conversation with a visiting Spaniard, also!  My Spanish is embarrassingly rusty, but it was fun!

15 JANUARY 2010

Today was our first sunny-blue-skies day in London!!  You have no idea how excited I was when I woke up!  And I'm not even a morning person!  Plus, it was perfect for our "panoramic coach tour" of London today.  We saw some random sites and were allowed to stop for pictures.  We saw: the Prince Albert memorial, Harrod's, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Parliament/Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral.  It was good to see so many sites all in one shot, but it was kind of boring sitting in the bus the whole time...ehh.  I think everyone on the bus was dead tired/hungry, so we all ran to our kitchen afterwards; we cooked a quickie dinner of ramen and salad.  Yum!

Tomorrow, classes start!  I have organic chemistry II at 1:30 pm, so no worries about waking up too early.  I probably will though, I promised myself to not sleep away the hours.  Thoughts: I am worried about orgo, since I didn't do too well in orgo I, but I also committed myself to studying even harder.  I am also worried about my other classes.  NYUL doesn't fail to remind us that classes are still classes, and it's not just easier because we're in London.  Hard work, it's going to be, trying to juggle classes + fun....

...LET'S DO THIS.  Cheerio, loves!  ♥

Who the Hottest in the World Right Now / Just Touched Down in Londontown

GOOD EVENING FROM NIDO, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM!

Sorry I haven't updated earlier!  I really wanted to, and I was planning what to write, but I haven't gotten much spare time yet...so here's the happenings so far:

12 JANUARY, 2010

I said goodbye to my family two days ago (12 Jan) and headed for JFK.  I was sad and weepy, I'm going to admit.  The flight was kind of interesting.  NYU students took up many seats, and I was between two friends, so it was all good.  I wasn't able to get much sleep, though, which I regretted once we landed and I had to drag 2 50 lb. suitcases (one with broken wheels...so literal dragging) and a 20 lb. carry-on.  I suppose that was all quite uneventful...

13 JANUARY, 2010

Our first glimpse of London (after Heathrow, which was also uneventful and uninteresting) was a bit snowy.  Apparently the UK doesn't do well with snow, because they declared school and college closings and the buses were all messed up due to about 1 inch of the snow on the ground, which was quickly becoming slush anyway.  I saw bits of quintessential London: double-decker red buses, red telephone booths, black taxi cabs....

We arrived at Nido and checked in.  Our room is 12.30.  When I first opened the door, my honest and immediate reaction was the sinking of my heart.  Our room is quite TINY!  Then I opened the bathroom door and nearly cried.  Our bathroom is even TINIER!  We have two beds, two desks, a microwave, a strange and funky electric kettle, a poorly placed bulletin board, and a pair of closets.  Some nice features: a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking southern London, and back-lit mirrors in the bathroom.  However, it will take some getting used to, the bathroom: I can barely towel off or put on clothes without bumping into the sink or the door handle. 

The first night, a few friends and I took a short evening walk around the area with the aim of finding a pharmacy/grocery store (Tesco).  I ended up buying a liter of milk from a sketchy hole-in-the-wall for £0.99 (about $1.60), and as I found out today, that is cheaper in the hole-in-the-wall than at Tesco.  Weird.  The rest of the evening, I cleaned up our room and went to sleep on my very soft and smushy mattress.

TODAY, 14 JANAURY, 2010

There was much hitting of the snooze button this morning.  We walked down to Bloomsbury (the academic center where NYU London and the University of London are located) in the morning, to be greeted by a free lunch (yum).  I suppose when British people try to imitate American food, it's not too bad.  We had vegetables, veggie lasagna, and some chicken in sauce, and chocolate cake.  Then, we sat through an extremely boring orientation (one of the NYUL coordinators is kind of a "hot British guy" btw; don't judge me).  Then I went to buy a mobile at a place called Car Phone Warehouse (sounds completely sketch, but looks like any old cell phone store in the States).  I ended up buying a mobile for £5 and £20 worth of minutes (300 minutes and unlimited texting for 30 days or so).  Finally, I went to a pub quiz.  This was actually quite fun!  I realize I had seen pub quizzes before, but forgot what they were and was definitely intimidated by the facts that pub=alcohol and quiz=grades.  It was basically a massive team trivia game about all things British and European.  I can't believe I couldn't recognize Julie Waters' face (Mrs. Molly Weasley?!), but I was glad to get "Battle of Hastings" and "Bath".  The quiz ended with a dinner of completely deep-fried finger foods like onion rings and samosas and egg rolls and fried shrimp...and pitchers of beer for £5.95 ($9.75).  I refrained from drinking, although I nearly tried but gagged and chickened out when I smelled it.  Gosh, how am I going to survive in this city if I can't even stand the smell of beer?  After eating, we ventured to the grocery store, Tesco, where we bought immediate foodstuffs like cereal and bread.  Aaaaaand, now I finally have a bit of time to myself before another packed day, although it is past midnight and I should go to bed.  Soon, soon.

That's enough recap, I suppose.  Now onto the touchy feely stuff!  I am not really sure what to feel just yet.  For the most part, I am happy and excited!  I am in a new city and I get to spend time with my friends exploring it.  I have the freedom to stay out late at night (although I have to worry much more about safety, apparently) and I even have the freedom to buy alcohol if I liked.  I am learning to live by myself, buy my own groceries (with a lot of help from my roommate), and soon we will be cooking and doing laundry too!  All this comes with the anxiety of having to start classes in a few days, though.  I am very nervous about taking Organic Chemistry II here.  I did very mediocrely in Orgo I, so I hope I don't fall behind this semester.  Then, I'm taking two psychology classes which are likely reading-intensive, with papers to write (I haven't had to write a paper for a while!).  Finally, I'm taking Seeing London's Architecture, which sounds like a fun fine arts class, but might also have a lot of reading, writing, and also drawing/sketching!  In sum, LOTS OF WORK.  BLIMEY.  Also, I have been waiting for certain post to arrive at my house in New York before it can be sent here, and the post in question is important material, so I wonder should I trust the mail to get here safely?  Finally, I really want to sightsee soon, but we haven't the time!  Between orientations and events, I haven't even had time to visit museums or take many pictures (plus, the misty weather is NOT good for my camera...).

Speaking of sightseeing, on my itinerary for the near future: the British Museum, the National Gallery, the British Library, Buckingham Palace, Harrods, Big Ben/Parliament, one of the bridges spanning the Thames, Hyde Park (in the spring, maybe), Chinatown/Soho, the London Eye...oh, how the list goes on!

Anyway, I'm quite content with my life and environment now!  There are nuisances and strange things, but...I'M IN LONDON, BABY!

Hope to have time for more and longer updates, but here it is for now.  Cheers, loves!

I'VE GOTTA FEELING. WOO-HOO. THAT TONIGHT'S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT.

Emotional roller coaster.  Today I'm feeling much better.  I admit, I cried a few times yesterday.  I exclaimed some things while I was wailing like, "I changed my mind, I don't want to go anymore!" but I obviously recant such statements.

I leave my house in about five hours, leave the country in nine.  I'm spending my last hours here fielding well-wishers by phone and by IM and Facebook.  I'm honored that people have taken time to wish me a safe and happy trip.  I'm going to miss you all!

No Day But Today

Today is my last full day in the U.S., my beloved New York City.  Call me an emotional wreck, but as I type this and think about this, my fingers are quivering and I feel tears welling up in my eyes.  I've been pretty chipper and upbeat about going to London, but the reality has finally set in and I don't like the reality so much.

For one, I still haven't received a textbook yet.  I ordered the book for Social Psychology from some used book site, and they shipped it out 12 days ago.  Twelve.  Days.  And if it doesn't get to my doorstep tomorrow, my family will have to send it to me.  Pain in the arse, if you ask me.

Second, I am still unsure of my banking situation.  I feel like each option I have, I will incur a ridiculous amount of fees that I could better spend in other ways.  Also concerning the mail, I'm waiting on a debit card from HSBC, which, if doesn't arrive tomorrow, will have to be sent to me.  Another pain in the arse.

The most overarching issue, though, is how much I will miss home.  I have never appreciated my family as much as I do now in these few hours before I leave.  It sounds almost morbid, but I wish I had more time to spend with my family.  It pains me to know that they will miss me too (that is, I think they'll miss me).  I can't even pinpoint what I will miss, it is just this general feeling that I won't see the things and people I am used to seeing every day for the next four months!  I was never one who liked change, even good changes.  It takes me a long time to acclimate to any change, and I never find the process pleasant.  This is arguably the biggest change in my life, and this malaise is not nice.

Oh God.  Oh God, oh God, oh God, what am I doing?  What have I done?

I'ma Buy You A Drank / I Got Money in the Bank

Just a short post today because it's late and I'm tired.

I learned something quite pathetic about myself this week.  I am horribly indecisive.  Also, three bank tellers at the Chase bank on 19th Avenue know me by name.  How is this related you ask?  On Monday, I went to Chase to swap some $ for £.  And then on Tuesday, I picked up the £ and exchanged more $, because my grandparents gifted me some $ when they learned I had to preorder £ ahead of time.  And then on Thursday (not Wednesday - that was Christmas Krunk Bitch Time/HOLLA-days! ♥), I picked up the £ and exchanged more $, because my mom thought I wouldn't have enough.  Finally, today I went for my last pick-up, and the teller said, "Sandra, right?"  Oh, the shame.  Had I decided to exchange a set amount of money in the first place, I would have saved myself plenty of trips to the bank, and the tellers and I would not be on first name bases.

Three more days!

Queuing

They say that standing on queues is a big thing in the UK.

Today, I ran errands in the neighborhood, including the post office, library, and bank in preparation for The Big L.

In the past few weeks, I've been to the post office more often than usual - to mail my visa paperwork, to buy money orders, etc.  The post office in my neighborhood is kind of cute, actually.  Most of the people working there are Chinese and they speak to each other and joke around in Cantonese behind the counter.  I never expected there'd be such a relatively high concentration of Chinese people in that one post office.  However, it is expected that all the Chinese people that use the postal services think they have special privileges now.  Since it is the Monday after a long weekend, the post office was filled with people, who all begrudgingly joined the queue.  Then, once in a while, a small Chinese lady would shuffle up to the front of the line, arms ladden with boxes to be mailed.  There is a clerk who hovers around the office and helps with random stuff, and he has no choice but to accommodate the skipper.  Nearly everyone on line cursed her privately; even I was going to say to her in Cantonese - in case she didn't get the idea from ten people yelling at her - "Hey!  There is a line!"  Then, a kid about my age was taping up a box on the side and held his spot on line with another box.  As the line inched forward, he would pop back on line and kick the box forward a bit.  Once, he missed the mark and a gap formed in the line.  The older woman before me totally flipped out, and they exchanged not-so-nice words.  "There's so many people in here, the line is to the door, you can't do that, yadda yadda ya..."  Honestly?  Like...a foot of space starting an argument?  How petty, crazy lo-fan.

Next up, at the bank, where I intended to buy GBP with USD.  There was another long line, and a bit ahead of me was an elderly lady, an American grandmaw with red-orange hair in a black mesh headscarf.  She was annoyingly pushing one of those cart/wagon things next to her on line as though she were trying to push her way in front of the woman in front of her; the old lady was definitely invading her personal bubble.  I don't know why this annoyed me more than the argument that went down at the post office, even.  Then, a banker in a suit who looked not unlike an older, fatter Robert Spencer came over, took her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek.  Oh, gosh, I realized then: she's a widow.  Anyway, side note: the bank teller who dealt with my currency purchase had no idea what she was doing.  I was even telling her how to go about: "I think it's $120 divided by 1.7, not the other way around..."  She eventually had to call over three other tellers to help her out.  Seriously?  I could get a job at JP Morgan Chase, you just wait and see.

Anyway, lesson learned: I jump to conclusions too often and pass harsh judgment on others.  I erroneously think I'm better than some people when they act strangely in public.  Perhaps this should be one of my new year resolutions I should work on improving.

Another lesson learned: A lot of stuff happens in your surroundings that may not be worth observing, but things can get interesting when you open your eyes and take out your iPod earbuds.

Ta!