Monday, March 31, 2014

A Tartan Tale: Edinbruh and St. As

Hello readers!

My long-awaited post about Scotland is finally here! (It'll be relatively short, promise).

I left London on Valentine's Day and got to the hostel after midnight. The plane ride lasted less than an hour, and I took a bus (which had WiFi!) from the airport to the center of town where my hostel was. The next day, I did a bus tour of the city and took so many pictures. Edinburgh has so many castle-looking buildings (Edinburgh Castle is the only real one), even the shop buildings and restaurants looked old and beautiful. There were bagpipe players on the street and booths set up selling Celtic jewelry. On the tour, I stopped at the Royal Botanic Gardens, which is a HUGE greenhouse that has so many different plants. Also, many of the souvenir shops were selling kilts and cashmere items. That night, I went on a tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard, which is a haunted cemetery, and of the haunted underground vaults. The vaults were used to store illicit materials but also to kill people and hide their bodies. I felt like I was in American Horror Story: Asylum walking through that place.
Scott Monument
Roya Botanic Gardens 

Prettiest flower ever

Castles 

Greyfriars Kirk

Inside the Vaults

Someone probably died in this thing

Creepy furniture

The new day I did another route on the bus tour and got to see more of Edinburgh. After that tour, I took a bus to St. Andrews to visit Catherine and Miles at The University of St. Andrews. The campus is so gorgeous. St. Andrews is a cute little beach town that has the academic buildings, student housing, a zoo, two beaches (duh), shops, restaurants, and residential housing sprinkled throughout it. Miles gave me a tour of the town, and later I met up with Catherine and met her friends. She bar tends at The Vic (ayy!) which is the student bar/restaurant that St. As kids frequent. I stayed in St. Andrews til about 10 PM and then when I got to the bus station I realized the last bus back to Edinburgh had already left (always crosscheck the internet schedule with the bus station schedule, kids) and ended up having to switch my flight to Tuesday afternoon. That was definitely very stressful, but looking back it worked out given a number of other things that I won't discuss online. The next day was very relaxing. Cath and I slept in, got brunch at The Vic, watched the movie Up!, and hung out with her friends. Tuesday, we got breakfast at Costa and I made my way back to London.
I wanna go here, just look at this place!

The pier

Miles and me

The Vic

Town Center

Costa
Scotland was so fun, definitely one of my favorite place so far.

Sometime this week I will do a post about Ireland!

XX,
Vicky J

Photo album: A Tartan Tale

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

Well This is Awkward…

Hello lovely readers!

First off, let me apologize for not posting anything on here in the last like… five, six weeks? I really don't know how time is passing me by so quickly over here but it's no excuse for not updating you all on my adventures and I'm so sorry!

Anyways, the last few weeks have been crazy. I got back from Scotland on Tuesday February 18th (and will be doing a separate post about it after this goes up) but before that, I was in England doing all kinds of things. I visited the Marylebone campus for the first time where a lot of the other kids from my study abroad program (Arcadia University) live. That night we went to the International Students House, which is a little bar/ karaoke lounge within walking distance of Marylebone. That was also the week that Nicole La Pietra came and visited London with a few of her friends to visit Katie and Sarah, which was a lovely and complete surprise to me. We took her to 333 Mother, our favorite weekend place, and had a great time. Mother plays US throwback music on the weekends and is only about a three minute walk from where we live.  I don't know what was up that night, but the men were especially aggressive that night. Guys just kept coming up to us trying to dance with us or trying to get our numbers. They mean business over here… I saw Kensington Palace with Katie and Sarah the next day. We were running very late to get a free ticket from the Arcadia staff but were able to hunt them down when we got there, get our tickets, view the exhibits and explore the gardens. Inside there were so many paintings, outfits, furniture, and other personal belongings that belonged to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Sunday was pretty chill. Sarah and I made shrimp scampi together (I really need to learn to cook so I don't starve so this is a big deal) and afterwards I tried finding tickets to the Chelsea vs West Ham football (or as we say back home, soccer) game that was that upcoming Wednesday.

The game was so much fun. It was at 7:45PM and I had to travel to the Fulham Broadway tube stop (it was a home game for Chelsea so the game was at Stamford Bridge) and pick up my ticket beforehand. Buying football tickets here is expensive and difficult because fans have usually purchased season tickets in advance so by the time I figured out what game I wanted to go to, tickets were pricey and seating was limited. I resorted to Craigslist UK (yes, it exists) and found a ticket for £50. When I got to the meeting place to pick it up, the guy handed me his season pass and told me to bring it back to the restaurant afterwards. My seat was VERY nice. I was in Matthew Harding Upper, so I had a great view of the field and was right in the middle of hundreds of rowdy Chelsea fans (which was hilarious since I was there to support West Ham). They chanted a lot and passed around the Chelsea flag at one point. The game was exciting, and even though it ended 0-0, there was a lot of good play. I caught a lot of footage from the game and plan to include it in the collective vlog at the end of my time here in Europe.

Chelsea vs West Ham

In the last month, I’ve done laundry a few times here at the laundromat a few doors down from me. One thing I definitely miss about being at Quinnipiac is doing laundry. Here, a wash is £4.60 (around $7.60) and for every 15 minutes, drying costs £1. Mondays and Thursdays the laundromat does 2 for 1 on washing machines, but I still end up paying around $12 to wash and dry two loads of laundry. ALSO I FOUND BREAK AND BAKE COOKIE DOUGH AT THE GROCERY.

One weekend, Katie’s friend Tracey came to visit from Rome and brought two friends, one of whom is Ashley Lycke, a fellow Pi Phi sister of mine. I ended up going to breakfast with them one morning at The Breakfast Club, a cute local restaurant that is known mainly for its variety of breakfast options. I got a typical American breakfast, which was very meat-heavy but still delicious.  Later on that day, I ended up going to Harrods for the second time with Katie, Sarah, and Tracey’s other friend Andrea. This time, I was able to get footage and pictures of the inside because I made sure I charged my batteries ahead of time. Everything in Harrods, from the designer clothing to the intricate desserts, is absolutely breathtaking. I wouldn’t mind being buried there…
Harrods

I visited my Aunt Pam at her house in South Harrow one Sunday and had my first authentic home-cooked meal. She lives in Zone 5 and I live in Zone 1, so getting there took roughly an hour and a half. The zones in London are similar to the areas on a dartboard, concentric circles with a region in the center. The journey was so worth it, her banana bread is heavenly and I got to take leftovers home.

I did get sick in February, which was HELL. I was too lazy to bother finding a doctor that is covered by QU’s insurance, so I just took a bunch of Paracetamol, drank OJ, and ran through a whole box of tissues. Being sick at school is bad enough, but being sick abroad is a whole other story.

One thing I’ve noticed over here is that people like to go on strike. There was a teacher’s union strike earlier on during my stay, around late January I think, and in February there was a tube strike. Apparently, average tube workers make about £30,000 a year, which is roughly $50,000 (which is definitely overpaid for what they do, but I digress). So the tube was closed on most lines in protest. I finally figured out the bus system to get to school that week, and am now an expert on London’s public transportation system.

Two of the most exciting things I did in February were tour the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio and take a day trip to see Bath, Stonehenge, and Windsor Castle. Harry Potter Studios was crazy, to say the least. I’d never seen any of the films so I watched them all before my visit (Sorcerer’s Stone on the flight to England, Chamber of Secrets one a week before I visited the studio, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire the Wednesday before I went, and Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 the day before I went) so everything was fresh in my mind when I went. Let me just say that day was better than Christmas. They had literally everything from the movie inside that studio (I didn’t see the sorting hat but it was probably there) and I took so many pictures. I got to try butterbeer, and took pictures at 4 Privet Drive and with my main elf and lover Dobby. Personally, I think J.K. Rowling has a fantastic imagination, You can tell so much thought was put into the series, and seeing all the sets and props was insanely inspiring.

Me with Dobby

Hogwarts 

The day after seeing Harry Potter Studios, I took a day trip to see Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and the town of Bath. First we went to Windsor and walked around the perimeter of the castle, which is located in the center of town. We also stopped into a fudge shop and got to see how the fudge was made. Next we went to Stonehenge. The reason for its existence is a mystery, but many believe that it was built by the Druids as a sundial. Lastly, we visited Bath. There is a ton of shopping in Bath, but the big reason as to why it’s a famous tourist spot is because of the Roman bath houses that are still there today. Abby, Katie, Sarah, and I walked through the baths and got to taste the water (which smelled horrible). Then afterwards we did a bit of shopping before we had to meet our tour back at the bus.



Windsor Castle

Stonehenge

Roman Baths


More posts are on their way, promise!

XX,

Vicky J

Photo album: Across The Pond

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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Poundtown! I mean, Poundland...

'Ello loves!

Since my last post, I've been pretty busy. My sleep cycle has been pretty off on the weekends and because I've been so bust. I'll go to bed after 4 AM and wake up at 1 PM. But I've been going out and having lots of fun so I don't regret not having as much sleep as I should.


The week before my classes started, I got to do more things around London. I got dinner at an American style diner that plays American music and the food was pretty decent for what is was. Here they use less salt and sugar in everything so the mix of ingredients in the food make it taste ultimately different. The Saturday before class, I went to Borough Market with Meagan and Abby. This place is nestled is Southwark and is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and sells a multitude of different desserts, cheeses, meats, produce, and beverages from all over the world. The chorizo roll I got there was just short of heavenly. It's not a far tube ride from where I live so I'm going to try and visit the market as much as I can. Not far from the market is the Thames River, and on the other side is Big Ben and Parliament, which I want to actually visit sometime soon.
The next day, I visited Liz Helenek at Queen Mary and we made dinner and dessert together. Queen Mary has a campus, which I miss having. However, being surrounded by a lot of cool places makes up for not having a Westminster campus.  
This octopus just chillin' on a stick

Macaroons!

The sign above the market

I've had 6 days of school so far. I have one class a day with Wednesdays off. My Exploring Mind and Body Through Yoga class is Monday, Sexualities is Tuesday, Nutrition and Exercise Studies is Thursday, and History and Crime is Friday. They all start at 2 PM except for my Friday class, which meets at 10 AM. The classes here have a lecture portion that is followed by a seminar. I like them so far, and there isn't any busywork in my classes like I've had in some classes at QU. 


Even though I have been in London for only 19 days, I have already planned two trips. February 9th I'm going to see Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge and on Valentine's Day weekend, Jordan and I will be going to Edinburgh, Scotland for the weekend. I'm hoping to see some friends at St. Andrew's while I'm there. 


This past weekend, I went with some friends to M&M World, which is almost exactly like the M&M store in NYC. A lot of the lines on the tube were closed for maintenance so we had to take a circuitous route to get there but it was worth the effort. We have also been frequenting this place called Mother, a bar that's within walking distance of our flats and they play throwback American music on the weekends. I think it will be our regular weekend spot. We had Sunday dinner at Pizza East and the food was insanely good. It is usually so well visited that you need to call in for a reservation days in advance.

My alter ego


Copying the Beatles


Pizza East

 
Tomorrow I have no class so I'm going to journey to the LUSH store and get school supplies from Poundland (the UK version of the Dollar Store, Marissa keeps calling it Poundtown though haha). And perhaps do some sightseeing too. 
Sorry I didn't do smaller updates like I promised!
XX,Vicky J

Photo album: Across The Pond

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Friday, January 10, 2014

Don't Speak, They'll Know We're Foreigners!

It's been 8 days since I landed in London and I'm already in love with this place! 

My flight left Newark on Wednesday, January 1st 6:50 PM local time and it was under 6 hours so I didn't sleep at all. Instead I watched movies with Jordan, who spilled ginger ale in my lap about 10 minutes after takeoff but that's another story, and played trivia on the little TV on the back of the chair in front of me. Our flight attendants were these middle aged Englishmen and they were THE cutest people in the world. They came around to give us our dinner and breakfast on the plane and kept asking if we wanted tea and wine, plus their accents were so lovely to hear. 

When we finally got to Heathrow, we had to get our luggage and travel throughout the whole airport to get to where we were getting picked up by the Arcadia staff. By the end of it we were all super hot from dragging our luggage everywhere. The temperatures in buildings here are regulated terribly, which is why everyone dresses in layers. Once we left the airport we checked into St. Giles Hotel. That day, I explored Oxford Street with Tyler, Kelli, and Jordan for a few hours. There are a lot of department stores and places to eat along Oxford Street. They have a lot of repeat stores, sort of similar to how there are a ton of Starbucks shops in NYC.  I got a pink Nokia with a UK number and realized that the plans they have here are way more affordable than they are in the US. Later that night, we went to Wagamama's, this Japanese restaurant and noodle bar, for dinner and then Kelli, Abby, Jordan, Steph, and I went to a pub called the Princess Louise that had gorgeous frosted glass windows. 

On Friday before orientation started, I met a Pi Phi from Northwestern (where my sister friend Mattie goes/is also a Pi Phi) who is studying at King's College and it made my day. Our orientation seminars were about "Britishness," health and safety, and student life. Then at 7pm, we went to the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus to see "The 39 Steps," a  play based off the eponymous adventure novel by Scottish author John Buchan. This play showed me that British humor is hysterical, and I think that's mostly because euphemisms are emphasized to the point where they become  blatantly obvious.

On Saturday, we visited the Tower of London and walked around for a few hours talking pictures of the different exhibits they had inside. I got to see the Crown Jewels (I couldn't take pictures of them, but I did get some blurry video footage!) and the Bloody Tower. When we got back to the hotel, we checked out and moved into our dorms. Everyone where I'm staying (in Alexander Fleming housing) has his or her own room, and then there are 2 bathrooms and a kitchen area in each flat. Once we unpacked a little, I went with some of my friends to Argos to buy things like bedding and drugstore items. Argos is the strangest store ever. You go inside and they have tables set up with iPads that show you what they have in the store. You order your items from the database and pay at a cash register. Then, they get your items from their back room. Literally the quickest online shopping known to man. 

My flat mates Megan, Alexis and Billy are all so nice. There are also two other Asian girls who live with us but I will butcher their names if I try and type them. We've talked to each other a lot about how we will survive on the food here (food in London is actually kinda gross but not everywhere) and how not to spend tons of money on unimportant things. 

This past week, I've done the following:

-Had Westminster orientation at the Regent campus
-Applied for an Oyster card for the tube
-taken the tube ( A LOT)
-seen a lot of the bars in London
-visited the club ZooBar in London (and now I miss Toad's)
-visited the Victoria and Albert Museum
-walked around Harrod's, which is actually heaven on Earth (pictures of that to come soon since my new battery charger came today)
-attended the boat party Westminster put on for us
-made a bunch of friends

and done a bunch of other things!

I've noticed a lot of things here that are different from how they are in the United States. For example:

-In America, your total is the listed price plus sales tax. Here, the price you see is the price you pay. 

-Instead of having one faucet head on a sink, there are two faucets, one with hot water and the other with cold water.

-On the escalators, you stand on the right if you aren't going to walk up it so that people can walk by you on the left.

-The outlets here have power switches so you can refuse your electricity and still keep something plugged in.

-Tips are 10% and optional.

-Everyone is very reserved. No one talks on the tube, so if you want to blend in you shouldn't talk on the tube. My friends and I have made that mistake multiple times.

-British people dress very well all the time. Even the sweatpants here are stylish.

-The peanut butter here is strange so I'm glad I brought some from America.

That's all for now but I'm gonna try and do a lot of smaller updates in the future!

XX,



Vicky J

P.S. Here is a link to the Facebook album with pictures from my trip!