Train Ride (23-29 Sept)

This past week has been fairly quiet.

On Wednesday, there was a welcome BBQ hosted by FIE (that who the program is through). There were students from schools all over the country including A&M in Texas, Loyola Marymount, and some school in upstate New York among others. They also held a raffle. Two out of the three prizes, vouchers (gift cards) to Whole Foods, went to Cal State University students. We were very excited as we all like Whole Foods, a little reminder of home.

This past weekend there was a British Superbike race about 100 miles away. I had hoped to go, but public transportation in the countryside on Sundays is not very good. My only hope was to take a taxi from the train station which was 10 miles from the track. Dad suggested I speak with a local dealership as they often do shuttles out to tracks for races (at least they do back in the States). I found a multi-brad dealership, Metropolis Motorcycles, only a few stops away on the Tube. On Thursday, I went there and asked about this possibility, but it is a bi too far for Londoners to go. He suggested that I ask again once a round at Brands Hatch happens (in a few weeks) and there will most likely be a group organized through the dealership that is going. I am very excited about this.

Friday brought about our next British Life and Culture field trip. This day was a day trip out to Cambridge by train. Yay! A train trip. We left from London King's Cross and took a First Capital Connect train to Cambridge. The journey took just under an hour. We had a guide give us a tour of the city. I have never taken an interest to Cambridge but I found it interesting to hear the history and the significance this town holds for England. We went inside the famous King's College Chapel. It is huge inside. The stained glass tells Old and New Testament stories. The upper half are Old Testament and the lower are New Testament. Going around the New Testament are arranged chronological and the Old Testament story above it, has a similar message. After our tour we went to lunch at a pub called The Eagle. Back in WWII, RAF and American Airmen stationed nearby would spend many nights at the pub and a tradition of taking a lighter and using the soot from the flame to write on the ceiling. I spent some time looking around and reading about the history of the pub and these soldiers before sitting down to eat. On our way out of town, we stopped by the town square where a market was open. Everything from fruits and veggies to shirts and books were on sale.

On Saturday I went to the Victoria Coach (like a greyhound bus) Station. My friend, Alex from Calvary, was in town for an hour. He is an R.A. at a bible college up north and was in London to pick up the new students. It was nice to see a friend from back home. After I went across town to an area called St. John's Wood. Coming out of the tube station I immediately knew that I was not in South Kensington or other areas I have visited. This was clearly more of a residential area with lots of trees. There is where I found Panzer's, a specialty market and deli. The big draw was the American brands. I found Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, El Paso Refried Beans, Arriba Chipotle Salsa (my favorite), and real tortilla chips. They also stock Wheat Thins, Graham Crackers, Campbell's Soup, and lots of American baking brands.

Sunday started as a slow day, but by midday it was gorgeous outside and I did not want to stay inside. I decided to walk down to Parliament and see Big Ben. I grabbed my camera and armed with my Oyster card headed out. It was such a wonderful day. The sun was warm (relatively) and the sky was blue, barely a cloud in sight. I came out of at the Westminster Tube Station walked across the Westminster Bridge and walked along the Southbank past the Aquarium, the London Eye, and the British Film Institute. I walked past the Tate Modern, across the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul, got a 99 Flake and took the St. Paul Tube Station to get home. I took tons of pictures and had a wonderful time wandering around. There were many locals out this Sunday, the weather was perfect for a stroll about town. You can see some of my favorites here.

On Monday we celebrated a birthday (the first of many while I am over here) by going to a Mexican restaurant called Cafe Pacifico. It is down an alley in Covent Garden. I have no idea ow they initially found the place. It was delicious. Just as good as MexiCali, except this is more of a sit down restaurant than fast food. I will be sure to return.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

A Day with Royalty (16-22 Sept)

Class continued this week, 2 of 6. There was an internship orientation on Tuesday. I did not learn anything new except we should hear soon about our placement. I am hoping I hear soon. I want to know.

The next day Nicole and I went to take our pictures for the film class. We went up to Kensington Gardens. I took some other shots there.You can see those on the sister sight, Maggie the Photographer. We ended up on the far side of the park and decided to take the bus back. The bus (49) next to our flat does not run up there. I looked at the map of buses and noticed "Shepard's Bush". That sounded familiar, I knew the 49 ended at Shepard's Bush so we hopped on a bus that went there too. After much traffic (it was around 17:00, or 5:00pm, by then) we made it to Shepard's Bush. So many buses pass through there is was absolutely crazy. We were about to take the tube back but the station was clased for modernzation. Many of the stations are undergoing construction to prepare for the Olympics in 4 years time. After a transfer and seeing what looks like Chim-Chim-Cher-ee from Mary Poppins, we made it back to South Ken. I really enjoyed "getting lost". It was a fun adveture and I will be sure to do that again.

The next day, after class, Nicole and I went to the National Portrait Gallery. Like the Natural History Museum, this one is free. I tend to wander slowly through galleries, so I did not cover much ground. But I loved what I saw. I only saw the more recent portraits including a giant airbrushed portrait of Jensen Button and a row of photographs of famous Brits. I am excited to return and discover the rest of the gallery which goes back to the time of the early Tudors and the time of Elizabeth.

Friday was the first outing with the British Life and Culture class. We went to the British Museum. It was epic. You walk into what looks like any other museum; old building, columns, information desks, and a gift shop. But as you continue walking in it opens up to an atrium. It is grand and awesome and just epic. There is a central structure which houses special exhibits and a cafe on top made from white marble, I think. The British Museum houses goods from Acnient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, artifacts from Asia and Africa, and tells of the history of hte British Isles. Basically, it is a museum of Imperialism, everything the English "stole". It is quite impressive to see what humans did thousands of years ago. I found it hard to imagine these old pieces in glass cases being used as new everyday items: like statues from Rome, dishes from China, and mummies from Egypt. Amazing. I wadndered for a good two hours. At some point I had lost touch with a few people, so I headed back on my own. It was around 17:30, 5:30pm, so the communte was in full swing. I felt like a Londoner, on the tube with my paper going home. During morning and evening commute, free papers are handed out with stories by the Associated Press, crossword games, and that days TV listings. In the morning there is the "Metro" and in the evening there is a choice between "The London Paper" and "The London Lite". I prefer "The London Paper".

On Saturday I headed up to Kensingotn High Street. My flat mates and I decided we needed some little speakers so we could listen to music from our iPods. I went to a store called Argo's. They sell everything and because space is at a premimum in London, it is a catalog store. You walk in and step up to a counter where there are a number of catalogs lined up. RIght there you can check the availabilit of the prduct. Then you write the number on a slip and take it to the till (register). You pay for it and are then directed to a counter with the letters "A", "B", and "C" above it. The receipt gives an approximation time, an order number, and a letter to go to when the number is called. In a few minutes the speakers had arrived, from the basement I assume. Quite the experience.

There was a service on Sunday at Westminister Abbey to honour (the British way to spell it) RAF men who fought in the Battle of Britain. Prince Charles and Camila were in attendance. Nicole and I had a few more pictures to take for our project so we returned to Kensington Gardens. As we were about to cross the street, we saw a few motorcycle cops coming up the street. One stopped us from crossing the street. A few seconds later, two more cops went passed with a black car. The car had a crest on top and two people, a man and woman, sitting in the back. Our tour guide from the first week gave a description about how the royals travel around (minimal security and a few motorcycle cops). Her description matched perfectly with what we saw. The man looked older and the woman had white hair, it must have been Prince Charles and Camila. We saw royalty. Wow. They treat it as it is no big deal. That must be nice to be able to breeze through traffic.

My brush with royalty continued on Monday. A group of us went to see the Changing of the Guards and visit Buckingham Palace. It is the Annual Summer Opening where they open 19 State Rooms to the public. It is an audio tour that goes through rooms giving the history and the day to day use of it. It was very interesting. Some of the rooms are very grand and I have trouble wrapping my head around the concept of the age of the place and some of the pieces inside. For example, the cutlery used at State Banquets are from the 1800s. It blows my mind. That night I checked my email, still waiting to hear about my internship. I was going through in time order not paying much attention to the subject line. When one opened, it read "Internship". Finally, it had arrived. I will be working at Dynamite Models, a talent agency specializing in castings and bookings for models, actors, dancers, extras and glamour. I am excited to be working at a casting agency. This could be the focus I need to find a job upon my return. Yay, how exciting.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

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

Day 7 - Class Begins

Today our classes started. It starts at 9, which is earlier than any one has been up all week. It sure is a bit colder in the morning, but it always looks colder than it actually is. The first class is Radio, Television, and Film 300: The Language of Film. We are looking at the visual aspect of film and have to photography projects due throughout the 6 week course. They both display different visual styles used in film. It is a different kind of film class than I have previously taken so it should be interesting. After that class was finished, I went back to the flat and everyone else stayed for the English class.

Back at the flat I did some laundry and waited for the others to come back. Upon their return, we went to the Natural History Museum. Most museums in London are free. The Natural History Museum is only a few blocks away near Imperial College. On the walk there, I saw a group of school girls walking down the street. There were all wearing Madeline hats. It was so cute. Once we got there, we split up into a few groups. My group, Stephanie and Nicole decided to start on the left side and work our way around. First was the dinosaur exhibit. They have a number of fossils of all different kinds of dinosaurs. We worked around to the mammals. They have a giant blue whale hanging from the ceiling. There are also a lot of other animals including giraffes, elephants, and whales.










The boys made some chicken noodle Indian dish which was really good. I have been trying a lot of new foods recently and I have found that I like them.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Day 6 - Going to the Theater..on a Monday?

We think our flat is haunted.

Correction, my flatmates think the flat is haunted. About five in the morning we all woke up to this pounding on our wall. It was like someone was walking along the other side of wall pounding the wall eight or nine times. We have noisy neighbors upstairs but this was coming from next door. It was a little freaky. Later that day, we all kept hearing a buzzing sound, like a phone vibrating. All of our phones were out and none of them were where the sound was coming from. A little weird.

That day we could sign up for extra-activities. I signed up for London Eye tickets (the big ferris wheel on the River Thames) and a soccer match. I am excited for both, especially the football match because I want to see as may sporting events while in Europe.

One of the last activities for our first week here was for a show in the West End. Our tickets were for Spamalot at the Palace Theatre. It was great. We all got dressed up (in picture from L to R: Me, Stephanie, Nicole, Jessica). We took the tube to Leicester Square. We found a nice place to have dinner at and went to the show.

Spamalot roughly follows the same plot as Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is a very fun musical and I highly recommend it. Monty Python humor plus song and dance is always a good thing. After we gathered outside (our seats were scattered across the top level), we noticed a round bit of sidewalk rising up. It looked like a weird three sided sink. We asked someone what it was and he said it was a urinal. Apparently they are trying to clean up the city (I believe for the Olympics in 2012) and this is one way they are doing it.

That is all I have to say about that.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Day 5 - Sunday at the Fair

On our bus tour on Friday, our guide mentioned a Britishness Fair on Regent St. off of Piccadilly Circus. They close down the street and there is food vendors and lots of discounts at the shops. We decided it would be a good way to spend the day. We grabbed the Piccadilly Line to Piccadilly Station. At the Piccadilly end of Regent St., there was a huge tent for food. Further along there was a merry-go-round and some guys dressed as Harry Potter characters. There was a stage with a new band every half hour or so and a ferris wheel that was spinning entirely too fast. Regent St. is also home to 2 H&Ms, an Apple Store and a Quiksilver (odd to see that).

We were a little disappointed that was all there was. We expected something similar to our fairs in the states but the British do things differently. Instead of heading back we decided to go shopping. We stopped at M&S (Marks ad Spencer) for lunch.

That night we had a flat dinner. Our first meal together in our room.

After, most of the group was set to watch Howard's End. They have the book to read for their English class. I am not in the class but tried to watch it with them. It is painstakingly slow. I gave up about 15 minutes in. About an hour later. They called me back into the room because they were planning our midterm break. After much back and forth, we booked a one way flight to Rome. Rome for Fall Break. I am so excited. We tried to book a trip to Ireland, but the prce kept changing, so we gave up for the night.

Over the break we are going to fly into Rome and then make our way back to London by way of train. It should be an awesome trip.

Until me meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Day 4 - A Little Piece of Home

I woke up late on Saturday morning and found most of my flatmates sleeping in the common room after coming in late. We had a pub crawl planned the afternoon to get to know the rest of the building. We were all sleepy so we pushed it back. It was raining most of the day and I think because of growing up in Southern California, rain makes us sleepy. We were lazy the rest of the day.

Then we decided to go out and hit a few listed on our (not failed, but indefinitely postponed) pub crawl. We went over the Fulham Rd. On our was over we saw what can only be described as glorious, marvelous, wonderful. Walking down the street we saw a sign that read MexiCali. There are beach umbrellas with lights, a familiar sight back home. A menu in the window has the headings of Tacos, Quesidillas, Nachos, etc. We cannot believe our eyes, Mexican food in London. We are all excited. We look around and the nearest crosswalk is a ways down. Like good locals we decide to cross right there. We had to wait as one side was clear and then the other. Finally both were clear and we ran across to food we love. We walked in and were overwhelmed by the choices. I ordered a Carnitas Burrito. Someone ordered Chips and Salsa to share. We were excited but skeptical. When the food came, we dug in...and it was good. It reminded me of home. The guacamole was good too. It tasted like real guacamole. So good. My night was complete. I could go home happy.

After eating and suffering from a food coma, we headed to the first pub, Goat in Boots. It was very cool. It was tri-level with seating on each level. After that we headed to King's Arms which was more up scale. Then we met a few people from our group and headed to Cactus Blue. Someone got nachos, which were again made from Doritos. We headed back early.

I am so happy we found a Mexican restaurant nearby (and decently priced). I was worried I would have to go 4 months without it. Not anymore.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Day 3 - A View of My New World

So I am running a few days behind, but I am determined to catch up.

Friday morning, we start our day with a bus tour of London. We drove all over London in a nice hired coach. We saw some of the sights in our neighborhood, including Harrod's, Piccadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square. We also passes over the new London Bridge (the original was falling down and was purchased by a wealthy man who moved it to Lake Havasu).We drove past Parliament and Big Ben and over the Tower Bridge. We also saw the London Eye and the Tate Modern from across the Thames. We then came around to Buckingham Palace. We arrived just in time to see the changing of the horse guards. There was no changing of the guards on this day as it was an odd day. At the moment, the guards only change on even days but our tour guide gave us tips on where to get the best point of view.

A little later that day was a walking tour of Kensington. Kensington is part of a borough (or city) known as the Royal Borough of Chelsea and Kensington. There are not many royal boroughs left. Our tour guide took us through Imperial College, for which we can join clubs and use their student union. At the north end of Imperial College is Royal Albert Hall. All I could think of is the movie Spice World and during the climax they go running up the steps. I walked up those very steps. Very exciting. We continued past it to Kensington Gardens. We walked around the gardens and saw where Princess Diana lived. People still leave flowers and pictures 11 years later.

Our tour ended at Kensingotn High Street. This street is where all the local shopping is. They have a TKMaxx (like our TJMaxx), a H&M, a Gap, and a Marks & Spencer which is like an everything store. They have groceries an prepared foods (very big here) in the basement and clothes and home goods on the ground floor and up. We walked back to our flat and also saw a Whole Foods, American Apparel, Clarks, and Urban Outfitters. It is like being back home.

That night some people went out. I stayed in along with my flatmate Nicole. We decided to go get some ice cream and explore the area a little more. I had a good idea of the direction that we were going but did not know exactly where we were because the streets change names every block or so. Eventually we saw an orange light ahead. Our walk led us to Sainbury's. We got ice cream and chocolate chip cookies (according to the packaging, they are an American dessert).

All in all a lovely day.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

PICTURES

I have updated the previous posts with pictures. My cable came today (thanks Mom and Dad) so I can now share with you images of London.

Enjoy!

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Day 2...Is it Thursday Already?

Although we were up late the previous night, we were up and out of the flat (love that) by 10. We headed over to Boots (kind of like our CVS) and Waitrose (a local market) but were advised to go to Sainsbury's instead because they had better prices. We had decided to buy our own toiletries but to split the cost of all the food. Once we got to Sainsbury's, we grabbed a trolley (a cart) and made our way through the store. We loaded up on everything: from paper towels to Frosties (their version of Frosted Flakes, both made by Kellogg's) and cheese to air fresheners. The produce is all pre-bagged and the apples are small like the ones at Claim Jumpers. I love it. They are the perfect size. Once checked out we loaded up our backpacks which we brought with us and still had multiple bags to carry. What a sight we must have been. Four girls walking down the street with loaded backpacks and each with at least two or three bright orange grocery bags. It did not seem like a long walk to get there but going back took forever. We thought to get a taxi but decided against it. We were not so sure that that was the right decision but we made it back. I completely ate it on the way back. The footpath (sidewalk) is not completely flat. It is made up of pavers so there are many lips that a foot can get caught on. I tripped on such a paver and went down. My backpack went flying over my head and the bags went forward but I nothing broke and everything stayed in the bags. Once back we filled our fridge and cupboards. It is nice to have food available in our flat. Plus we won't always be eating out. We were back around noon. Not to bad for a massive grocery trip.

When we went to put some of the food in the freezer and we discovered the vodka from the previous night had frozen. Yes, our vodka was frozen. We had no idea vodka could freeze. We asked some of our neighbors and none of them had ever seen that happen before. Later that night I looked up vodka and accounts of it freezing. I came across a listing of the freezing point of vodka. 80 proof vodka has a freezing point of -16.51 F or -26.95 C. Somehow our freezer was so cold it reached -16 F. The more we thought about it, the more it made sense. Our ice cubes were ready within an hour. We decided to turn down our freezer just a bit.

At 2.00 we had another orientation. We were excited for this one because we got our Oyster cards there. Oyster cards are pre-paid Tube and bus passes. Finally we were mobile. Some in my group wanted to get a top-up mobile (prepaid cell phone). We hopped on the tube to go to Kensington High Street, one stop up. We get on the tube that is in the station. I had found directions to a store. It was on the left hand side upon exiting the tube station. We walk in the direction, following the numbers to the address. Nothing is there. The number does not exist. I pull out my phone to find where we are. I am confused at first to what the map is telling me, then I realize that we are on the wrong street, wrong tube station...wrong train. We decide in stead of backtracking, to go across the street to another store that sells mobiles. We took the tube back (making sure to look at the signs this time). My flatmate Jessica and I decided to walk around the area and see the neighborhoods and if there were any pubs to visit. We walked down Gloucester and around Fulham Road (past the old Michelin UK Headquarters) and up around to Thurloe Pl and back to wards our flat, passing The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum. We ate dinner back at the flat, enjoying our new food purchases.

All in all very successful first full day in London.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Literally, the LONGEST Day of My Life...Part 3

I told you it was the longest day ever.

We go to the Residential Orientation to learn all the rules. The meeting includes all the CSU students. Also there are the girls across the hall in 2, Rebecca and Mahdice, the boys down the hall in 5, Lucas and Fletcher, and some of the girls upstairs in 10, Jenni, Katie, and Becki. In total there are 15 people here from CSU Fullerton and Long Beach. One of the R.L. (Resident Life), Maggie, shows up late and when we raise our concerns of no power, pressure, and an unplugged fridge she runs to get another one, James. He takes us to our rooms and flips on a few switches in the hall. Apparently the fuse was turned off. He also finally gets for us our welcome packets that include the orientation schedule. It seems now they are ready for us, after we arrived.

Next Maggie took us on a walking tour of the area so we knew where the "local amenities" were including the quickie marts and tube station along with Foundation House and Metrogate. Foundation House is where the Admin ad our classes are and Metrogate is where the PC Lab is located along with the mail. Once we got to Foundation House, we were left on our own. My flatmates along with the girls across the hall and the boys were all hungry. We decided to stop at a pub and then get some food. Everybody ordered a drink. When some started to order a second round, Nicole and I were so hungry we went down the street to a fish and chips place. How appropriate, though I did get fried chicken and chips and it was so good. Part of the joy from the chicken came from not having eaten anything besides chex mix for at least 10 hours.

We came back to the pub where they had ordered nachos. I was a little surprised to see nachos in London, but they looked decent. But when I looked at them again, I noticed the chips were slightly orange. They were not normal tortilla chips, but Doritos. They were good nonetheless. We left the first pub to find another. After roam the streets near our flat (we did not want to get lost on our first night), we found a bar. It was classier than the pub. After a drink we left. We split up into two groups. One to the liquor store, the other to get food. I went to get food. We fond ourselves at Burger King. I am still hanging my head in shame. We met back at Flat 1, my flat and chatted until 2 in the morning. That would be 6pm back home in Orange County. By the time I finally got to sleep I had been up for over 30 hours with only a few minutes of sleep and very little food.

And with that my very long, very emotional, very long day was over.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Literally, the LONGEST Day of My Life...Part 2

Where did I leave off? Landing, that's right. So we landed an hour early. We had a very good tail wind going for most of the trip. The sky was filled with morning light coming through the overcast sky so England looked very sleepy, or maybe it was just a reflection of how I was feeling at the time. It was nearing my normal bed time, close to midnight in the states. As we flew in, the colors of pasture were very muted but I could tell in light they would appear very green like Ireland.

After landing, I had to go through immigration. It have been on the other side of the airport from our gate because we walked a long way. The line for immigration was long and I must have waited for at least 20 minutes until it was my turn. I called my parents while in line to let them know that I had landed. I could tell that they had been asleep and I envied them. I am amazed I made it through the line without passing out from exhaustion. There were other students in line and one had been detained because his letter from the school had been mistyped. I hoped this would not happen to me as I was supposed to be meeting someone at baggage check. It is nerve-racking to go through because they are so serious. I walked up and answered their questions directly and he stamped my passport. I was through!

Around the corner and past some random empty, under-construction hallways was baggage claim. All the baggage was off the carousel and stacked. A few airport workers were standing by it and I pointed mine out and they wheeled it around to me. I am glad I did not have to pull the luggage of the carousel myself. It is right on the edge of the limit of 50 lbs. Two down one to go. Customs was all that remained. But there was no one there so we walked right through. Before getting out there was a duty free shop to walk through but I was ready to get out of there.

Once out, I began to look for a fellow student whom I was meeting to split a taxi. She was supposed to arrive an hour before me and meet me at baggage claim. Since baggage was in the middle of customs I decided to go all the way out to the meeting area in case she came in a different terminal. I waited around for about an hour and finally decided to leave. It was nearing 10:30 by this point.

I walk outside and follow the signs to taxis. There were a number of them lined up, so I went to the front of the line and handed the driver a paper with the address on it. He said okay and off we went. Taxi drivers in London go through a two year test called The Knowledge. They have to learn where every street is, which can be difficult since some of the streets change name every few blocks and some are very similar that are right next to each other (like Queensgate Mews and Queensgate Terrace are right next to each other). Leaving the airport and driving in London traffic is crazy. First of all, the different side of the street is just bizarre and will take some getting used to. Also their traffic lights are awesome. When the light is about to turn green the yellow light is lit in addition to the red light. As a driver, I would find this useful as I frequently look to the other traffic to see when the light is going to change. This has also become useful to me as a pedestrian so I know when the cars are going to start moving again (so I don't get hit). I got my keys and arrived at my residence. It was only 11:30 and I knew there was only one other person who had picked up their key. I go into the building and look for my flat, no. 1. I thought I would be right by the front door, but the first door I see is marked 9 and then around the corner is 10. I leave my bags in the hall and walk up the stairs. The numbers keep going up. I walk outside and look to see if there is another door to enter. Nothing. I walk back in and notice the hall continues to the side of the staircase and leads to a set of stairs going down. I try this. I see number 6, so I must be going in the right direction. I find no. 1. It is in the basement at the end of the hall. I walk in and am happily surprised to find a kitchen and a bathroom in the room.

Upon entering you are in the common room. There are two couches, a table with chairs, and a tv. To the left is the kitchen with a full size fridge (more on that later), stove, oven and microwave. Through the common room is the bedroom with two beds and a bunk bed (4 in total). And off the bedroom is the bathroom. A nice set up. I decide to hold off on getting my stuff out until others show up. I pull out my computer and begin sending emails. Eventually one of my three roommates show up, Jessica. This is the person I was supposed to meet. Apparently my flight was moved to a different terminal so we missed each other. We decide to pick our beds (I choose the bottom bunk) and start unpacking. Eventually the other two roommates show up, Nicole and Stephanie. Not after long, all of our stuff was put away in our wardrobes and suitcases under beds and in corners. We met some of the others on our floor and compared rooms. They all have very different setups, but I like ours. It works for us. That was until man things were not turned on.

We had a meeting at 5 and demands were to be made.

To be continued...

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Literally, the LONGEST Day of My Life...Part 1

Today is my third day in London and I have yet to update my blog. I know you are all anxious to find out what I have been up to. So here goes... (Sadly there will be no pictures as I forgot the connector cable to my computer, but they will come soon)

The day before I left I was a wreck, I slept only a few hours and had some packing left to do. I decided to only take one checked bag and had the 50 lb. weight limit to worry about. Many different combinations of shoes and tops and other items went in and out of my suitcase for most of the day. I have never had to pack for 4 moths before and it was hard, especially when I have no clothes for cold weather. Relieved to be finished packing, I went with my family to my aunt and uncle's house for Labor Day after getting some money exchanged. That was a hard experience as the Pound is almost twice as strong as the dollar. Then we wet to my aunt and uncle's to have Labor Day festivities. I said goodbye to most of my family. Then I went to say goodbye to my friend Manda who is leaving for the Philippines the same day I leave. When I got to her house, it was packing disaster but she finished in time.

After a little more packing and reorganizing I finally go to bed that night.

In the morning, I woke up and I was freaking out. All the uncertainties I faced had me scared stiff. I just sat in bed wondering what I had gotten myself into. I talked to my mom and called my brother and I felt a little better.

Around 10:30, Dad drove me to the airport. I called Manda and talked to her a bit as she was already at the airport. I would go in between moments of calm and nerves. I go to the airport and check in my luggage, super easy since I did online check-in the previous night. After a teary goodbye, I went through security (they were super nice by the way). I must have used 4 or 5 tubs to get my stuff through the x-ray machine. I almost forgot about my 3-1-1- bag and then I forgot to take off my shoes. I am glad there was no line because I would have held up the entire process.

Now that I was through security, I needed to find my gate. I was in the United terminal, number 7 and my gate was 77 which is all the way in the corner. I walked so far and my bags were beginning to weigh me down. As I walked past the duty free shops and newsstands I noticed a La Brea Bakery and a (drumroll please) Baja Fresh! I was so happy. I was planing on going to Chipotle before I left but did not get the chance. I finally arrived at my gate and sat down. It was only 11:45 and I had two hours before my flight left. After a few minutes I decide it is time to eat lunch so I lug my stuff over to Baja Fresh. I am going to miss good Mexican food. I talked to Manda and my brother one more time. Finally loading began. I had remained calm for a while but when the plane pulled away from the gate and we took off I was so excited. Take-off and landing are my favorite part of flying.

I was in seat 17A. A window and a bulkhead seat. Some older man was sitting next to me ad he was hogging the arm rest. Not much of problem except for a bulkhead seat where the tray comes out of the arm rest. He seemed completely oblivious to the situation and kept his elbow glued to the armrest when the food showed up. After a lasagna lunch (dinner?) they turned the lights down and I finished watching Sex and the City. I tried to sleep but that did not go so well. In total after a few 15-30 minute naps, I slept for maybe a total of 2 hours.

Around 2 hours out breakfast was served (fruit and a sandwich?). I had been watching the map/info view and when London came into view I began to freak out. We were arriving at least an hour early, 7:00am. Brutal. We had touched down with a very smooth landing. Overall the flight was way too long with a decent amount of turbulence.

But I had made it.

Step 1 complete.

Now I had to get to my residence.

To be continued...

Until we meet again,

-Maggie

I made it to London

Stories and pictures to come soon.