The Beginnings of Normalcy (9-15 Sept)

I am beginning to get into a routine. Now that school has started Tuesday-Thursday are fairly similar. I go to class from 9-11:30ish. Then I usually head back to the flat and get stuff done (laundry, grocery shopping, blogging). And then I wait for my flatmates to come back and sometimes there is an activity planned for the evening.

I already wrote about going to the Natural History Museum on Tuesday so I will start on Wednesday.

That morning as I checked my email, my mom alerted me that a shipment she sent had arrived, so I went to pick it up after class. I was so excited to get it since I had left some shoes at home and most importantly I received my cable for my camera. Now I could save my pictures to my computer and post them for all of you to see. That afternoon, most of us went to STA Travel to get our International Student ID Card. With this, we can get discounts all over the world. A few of us went to the Tesco around the corner and got groceries. This was a big one and it was two stories. There was the main floor (ground level) and a basement level. It had a cool ramp escalator (like at the airport) to get to and from the basement level. That night I stayed while some others went out clubbing. Our television had finally been fixed so I watch a little British TV. I came across a show called "Lost in Austen". It is about a modern girl who has been transported into Pride and Prejudice. She is trying to make everything happen as it is in the book but things go wrong. I also watched Medium and The Tudors. I am surprised to see so many American shows over here. I have also seen The Simpsons and Friends.

Thursday after class, we went up to Kensington High Street to the Whole Foods for a wine tasting they do every week. I am not a fan of wine, so I took the time to get myself a UK phone and go shopping at H&M. The selection of coats and warmer clothing is so much better over here. I love it.

On Friday we have a different class (it also starts an hour and a half later, yay), British Life and Culture. This is my field trip class. We had an introduction class this week and the field trips start next. I am so excited for this one but I am not going to spoil the destinations so you will have to stay tuned. After we got back I headed back over to the Natural History Museum. I did not finish it on my last trip. Nor did I finish this time. There are still a few places I would like to see. That night we went to Imperial College to check out there pub. Since they are not in term (school has not started yet), only one was open. I had grabbed a spot where we could all sit and while I was waiting a woman came and sat in the area. I told her I was saving the area but she said she was just sitting for a minute. She asked if I had come from The Proms. The Proms are a summer concert series put on by the BBC at the Royal Albert Hall which sits on the edge of Imperial College. The series is mostly classical music with some jazz thrown in.

Every Saturday, just around the block there is a Farmer's Market. It is fairly small, maybe half a block, but they have some really good food there. I went there in the morning and got a loaf of olive oil and rosemary bread. It is so good. I hope they are back next week. There was also a butcher with sausage making fresh sausage sandwiches. My friend got one. It smelled so good and tasted even better. That night we went to a club to see Lady Gaga. I am not a club person but went anyways just to see what all the fuss was about. I had fun for a little but was ready to leave long before the others were. I stuck it out and was surprised by the amount of traffic on the streets and on the buses as we made our way back to the flat.


Sunday was the big end of the summer Thames Festival. It is right on the river on the South Bank from Westminster and Tower Bridge. There are a number of shops and food stands that line the walkway. Along with artists and musical performers. It was great fun. The night ended with a spectacular firework show from the river. I was impressed. We walked down towards the London Eye just to see it (also Parliament and Big Ben are right across the river from there). It is huge. Massive. Incredibly tall and I can't wait to go on it. After the fireworks we made our way back to the flat. We decided to take the bus instead of the Tube. None of the buses from Waterloo Bridge went to our area, so we took a bus to Leicester Square where we knew the 14 would take us home. Most of the night life in London is based there, so that 24 hour bus has been a great help in getting back late at night.




We finished the weekend (no school on Monday allows us have the weekend continue through Monday) by going to Harrod's. We started at the top and worked our way down. There is so much there. Most impressive were the chandeliers and the amount of designer labels/brand names represented in one store. I think my favorite thing was the Ferrari brand bicycles. We then found a Japanese restaurant and I successfully used the chopsticks to eat lunch. We then made our way to Primark. Primark is not for the faint of heart. It is a discount clothing store that is always busy. We went late afternoon and it was crazy. The only way we could think to describe it was a mix of Nordstrom Rack and Ross with the look of Costco. Lots of people getting crazy deals like NR and Ross with the supply and multiples of each item like Costco. I can't wait to go back.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler