As I'm sitting here eating here drinking my Tropicana orange juice with "no bits" (aka no pulp) I figured I'd take the time to update. If you've been one of the lucky few to receive the link to my photo album, you now know that I am within walking distance of the majority of tourist attractions here in London. In one day I was able to see Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, The London Eye, Big Ben/Parliament, Trafalgar Square, and Westminster Abbey. I feel like I have done so much that I have already been here for a week, even though its only been three days.
Yesterday was orientation, which mostly involved a person from the study abroad program telling us all the information we needed to know about school here in London. We also were paired up with a partner that we didn't know and had to introduce them to the group with an adjective in front of their name. I was lucky enough to be paired with a girl whose name also started with R and the majority of our get-to-know-each other time was spent coming up with adjectives that started with R (rad, ravishing, rowdy, rambunctious...not sure if any of those describe me!) It went on way longer than it should have, but we did learn a few interesting things. Like apparently our grades go through three different sets of people to make sure they are absolutely perfect. And achieving a 70% here in London is considered an A+, and is very difficult to obtain.
Today I am meeting up with a group I was assigned to in orientation yesterday, to do some sort of scavenger hunt. I'm guessing its mostly to get us acquainted with London, which hopefully will be helpful. I'll let you know how it goes. Until next time, cheerio! (I have yet to hear anyone say that here, but I am convinced its something Londoners use on a regular basis)
Top of the morning to you!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Posted by Rachel at 3:13 AM 3 comments
Mind The Gap
Saturday, September 27, 2008
I just arrived in London and am sitting in my dorm room talking to my boyfriend on Skype. I have to admit giving him the "grand tour" via webcam was pretty disappointing, they definitely didn't exaggerate when they told me I had been assigned to a small room. It still hasn't completely hit me that I am so far from home, I barely noticed we were driving on the opposite side of the road on my trip from the airport. (But I did figure it out quickly when I realized that cars were coming from the opposite direction than I was used to while crossing the street)
The first thing that I noticed was the mass quantities of modern buildings. I guess I had this idea in my head that everything in London would be old. I am just glad I wasn't completely wrong about the old part. I live in a quaint little picturesque neighborhood that couldn't fit my idea of London better. (Picture will be added later)
Can't say much else except for that grocery shopping is difficult when you don't have a car. Trust me...it was hard to resist that extra free six-pack of Diet Coke, but I just couldn't bring myself to carry anything heavy after dragging my 65 pound suitcase through London Heathrow.
Posted by Rachel at 11:08 AM 0 comments
Where I'll be spending the next three months
Saturday, September 6, 2008
If you haven't heard yet, I'm going to be spending my (significantly shorter!) semester in London studying abroad. Starting September 26th until December 19th I'll be wearing my jumper and wellies and riding the tube, a transportation system that already intimidates me just by looking at the map. I'll post as often as possible, updating you all about my travels through London and (hopefully) the rest of Europe. Just wish me luck learning the language! (Seriously...just look at this website dedicated to English slang)
You can contact me during the semester at rachelinlondon@gmail.com, and at my regular e-mail address as well.
Posted by Rachel at 11:19 PM 2 comments