“Nothing is certain in London but expense.”- William Shenstone

It’s been quite a week! But I have at last settled into my flat and have been asked for directions several times by tourists which I take to mean that I am starting to seem like a local (granted I was not of much help to any of them).

On my last day in Wales they took us up to Gower Peninsula. It is considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and it absolutely is. I took pictures but it hardly does justice to how breathtaking it was. What impressed me most was how natural it was; it is one of very few places left that seems to be completely untouched by man. Up at the top of Worms Head it was almost silent (except the barking from another tourist’s dog), and you could just see out forever.




It was sad to say goodbye to my host family. They were so kind and I had a great time with them. But it was so nice to finally move into my own place and have my own room (and away from snoring roommates!) and be able to unpack! I was so excited…and then we got there.

After much confusion and frustration we were assigned randomly to flats. My flat is on the 5th floor (which is actually the 6th floor, because in Europe you enter on the ground floor), and the lifts were broken, and would stay broken for the rest of the day. So I had to carry my very heavy bags up 5 flights of stairs, one at a time. I was sweating buckets and absolutely exhausted by the time I had gotten one very heavy backpack, one duffel, and one medium sized suitcase up to my lovely flat. I came back for my giant suitcase that probably weighed as much as I do, and was carrying it upstairs, when this incredibly sweet guy saw me, took pity on me and offered to carry it up to the 3rd floor. When he realized I was on the 5th floor, he just laughed and said “I can’t let you do that” and took it the rest of the way. I could not believe how kind he was. Sadly, I haven’t seen him since, but as soon as I have a chance to make cookies, I’m going to track him down.

Anyway, my flat is lovely. I have a very nice sized room that gets lots of sunlight during the day, and we have a huge kitchen with two of everything. And now, one week later, the flat is almost totally set up!!! I’m so proud of myself. Why am I so proud, you ask? In the past when I have set up my dorm room I have either had a car, my parents’ have had a car, or a friend has had a car, or there has been a bus, and we have gone to Target to get everything needed for my room. But here I have no car, no Target, and very little money (stupid dollar-pound exchange rate!). I also did not have the internet for 4 days. So I have made about a million trips to Oxford Circus, each time trying to get all that I need for my room and for the kitchen. I started with nothing beyond clothes, so I have made quite a bit of progress. And I have learned that if you buy a giant laundry basket, fill it with a baking sheet, a set of mixing bowls, a million hangers, measuring cups, and sheets, then take this onto the Tube and then the fifteen minute walk back home, you will get lots of funny looks, but you will have such a strong sense of accomplishment that you won’t even care.

I can only buy what I can carry home each time, and it’s a bit of a walk to my flat from the tube stop, so I think that by the time I finally get the last few things I need, I will have biceps of steel. And I no longer feel any guilt over the Welsh Cake addiction I developed in Wales. But now my room is (almost) all set up! And it looks great! Once classes begin it will probably never be this clean again, but for now, I’m quite proud of myself.


This is my room (well, half of it). In the mirror you can see my bulletin board from the other side of the room. At first I thought it was weird to have a sink in the bedroom, but now I LOVE it. I don't know how I ever survived without a sink in my bedroom. It makes life so much easier! And above my bed are cards and things from friends, family, and kids I've worked with/babysat. I hung them up because I was tired of the sad, blank wall, but now I think it's just making me homesick.


This past Saturday two of my friends and I became complete tourists for the day. We started at Portobello Market where we got fruit and crepes, then headed to Covent Garden market, where we enjoyed the street performers and walked around the marketplace, and watched the opera singers at this Italian restaurant. We passed by the theater for The Woman in Black, which one of my friends really wanted to see, and by some miracle we were able to get tickets. We each had an international student ID card, which if you show at the theater an hour before curtain the theater is obligated to give you the best seats they have in the house for 20 pounds. We sat dead center in the last row in the Orchestra section, which was especially cool for this show because the actors moved throughout the theater so they were frequently running right behind us. The show was fantastic; it’s a suspenseful play, similar to Hitchcock’s style, and at certain parts you would hear the entire audience gasp simultaneously. It was different from anything I’ve ever seen, but I really enjoyed it.

Then we went and saw The Monument, walked around Westminster, and took lots of touristy pictures! We went to a pub for a dinner of meat pies and fish and chips. We felt like proper tourists, and are quite excited for A Love’s Labor’s Lost next weekend at the Globe.

The Monument

Westminster by night. We walked next to it on our way back to the tube and this drunk girl walked past us, as she was talking on her mobile. I guess she was lost and trying to explain where she was, so she said "I'm by the...you know, the f***ing big clock!" then when her friend still could not help, she handed her mobile to a policeman and said "Here, he's going to tell you where I need to be, so can you then tell me how to get there?" It was very funny

Classes have not begun yet, and registration is a very confusing process, and I’m bored stiff with all the orientation programs, but I am really liking UCL. The resources here are incomparable, and it is one of the best universities in the world (#7 to be exact. They like to remind us of this), so I feel very lucky to be here. The psych department seems great, and I am excited for my classes. I’m praying I get my art history class-I’m showing up 2 hours early for registration just to be safe! I am a bit taken aback by how much alcohol the school buys for the students. I can honestly only think of one meeting I’ve been to in the past week where they have not provided drinks, and the other night a student actually died of alcohol poisoning at a UCL-sponsored event. They don’t provide us with toilet paper, but the booze flows freely. Am I the only one who thinks this shows strange priorities?

"Do you seriously expect me to be the first Prince of Wales in history not to have a mistress?"- Prince Charles

Hello from Swansea, Wales! I have been here since Friday, for the homestay portion of orientation. It’s a beautiful city, and there’s a very strong sense of culture and Welsh pride here. Despite the fact that Wales is part of the UK, there's a definite rivalry with England, and no one here seems to care for the monarchy (perhaps because of quotes like the one I've chosen for the title). I’ve fallen in love with Welsh food; I thought I was losing a bit of weight in London but Wales has quickly put a stop to that!

My homestay family is wonderful! The mother and father are very kind and fun to be with, and they have two adorable children, a 3 ½ year old boy, Morgan, and a little girl, Manon, who is almost 1. We spent today at Margam Park, and it was by far the best day I have had since I left New York. The park was beautiful!! The fields were so green and it was a gorgeous day so we got to make the most of our time there. There was a small farm with cows and a few other animals, but we did not have enough time to go in, so we just drove by. We started at the Orangery and then went up to see the Roman ruins and the Margam Abbey that dates back to 1147. We had a picnic lunch in what must be the coolest playground on earth. I wish I was 5-years-old again just so I could fully appreciate it. It was based on different fairytales and nursery rhymes, so there was Snow White’s house, a castle (made of real stones!), a shoe house for the old woman who had so many children she didn’t know what to do (Michelle Duggar?), a house based on a Welsh nursery rhyme that I imagine was great for kids who speak Welsh, and a few others. Morgan and Manon had a ball!

After our picnic we went up to see the Margam Castle, built between 1830-1840. A fire destroyed most of the inside, so we could not go in, but the outside was simply breathtaking. The detail on all of the stones is all so intricate and stunning. I took loads of pictures!

After that we went and got ice cream in what was once the castle’s stables, went to a castle-themed playground, and headed back to the car just before the park closed.

My host mother is a wonderful cook, and has introduced/gotten me addicted to some great British/Welsh dishes. We had Spotted Dick for dessert tonight. I admit the name made me giggle at first but it was delicious and I’m determined to learn to make it myself.

Yesterday we had the day free to explore Swansea. We tasted some Welsh food and explored the different markets. We are heading to Gower tomorrow, and I’m praying that will involve more than just hanging out on the beach. So far, I’ve been rather disappointed with the orientation of the umbrella program I’m going through, and their planning of itineraries leaves a lot to be desired. Tuesday I will be heading to UCL, though, and I’m hoping their orientation will be better. And I’ll finally be able to unpack!

And now for some pictures!!



I went to the National Portrait Gallery and there was a mini exhibit about Bob Dylan. I don't care at all about Dylan, but my family does. So this is for them.













The program told us they were taking us to see a castle. It's actually the remains of a castle (a small piece of a wall) after it was bombed in World War II. It's now across the street from a McDonald's. It was pretty though!
Manon
Morgan on the way to the Orangery. (In the car park he said "Be careful Morgan. There's lots of cars here!" aloud to himself. He's really cute!!!!)

The Orangery.

Me in front of the castle in the playground

The ruins and the abbey

The castle
different view of the castle
Castle from far away (can you tell how much I loved this castle?)

more pictures on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026722&id=1356330129&l=560134c081

And Away We Go

I arrived in London yesterday (Monday), and so far I'm loving it! Orientation is going well, we're going to see a play in The West End tomorrow, and we got to meet 2 Members of Parliament and 1 Member of the House of Lords today and then went and toured Saint Paul's Cathedral (AMAZING!!). I'm having a really difficult time with Jet Lag and became very sick this morning and am still completely exhausted. Sadly, the internet in the hotel is rather expensive and I can barely keep my eyes open but the time difference and international calling rates make it difficult to call home, so I just wanted to quickly say: I'm alive, things are going well, and I am already sick of the rain. I promise to update more soon (with pictures!).

This post seems sad and empty and probably makes absolutely no sense because, as I said, I'm exhausted, but my roommate does not have her key so I can't pass out until she gets back so I can let her in. So here's a picture of Saint Paul's. Cameras were not allowed inside so I got this from the internet, but it doesn't to it justice.

Any Place I Hang My Hat

I'm going to be moving around a lot in the coming weeks. I am leaving on September 13th (ten days!) and arrive in London on the 14th. From there, I have orientation at a hotel in Kensington Gardens, from Monday through Wednesday, then have a homestay with a family somewhere in the UK from Thursday through Saturday, then I finally move into my permanent housing at UCL's Langton Close:(thanks Becky for telling me how to add pictures!)
It is actually a pretty nice place- I'll have a sort-of flat with a few other people with my own bedroom and shared toilet and shower (not actually called a "bathroom" though, and I'll have a sink in my bedroom) and a small shared kitchen. There's no living room and from what I've seen the kitchen is pretty tiny, so having people over will be a bit of a challenge. Still, I'm really excited!

I realize orientation and the homestay are very important, and I am looking forward to them but I am a bit nervous about moving around so much in the beginning, especially when I will have to be taking all of my stuff with me. Lugging around everything I am taking with me to London is not going to be fun. And I am afraid that not having a place to really come "home" at first will make me quite homesick. But that's just my pessimism shining through.

Despite my pessimism and feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, I am truly ecstatic and can't wait for this all to start. I would love to send out postcards, so please give me your address!!

10 days to go!

I made a blog!

Yay me. I always wanted a blog, but I have never really had a reason to have one. I don't have a family to update people on and show off cute pictures, and I'm not out on my own living some really cool life. But now... I'm going to London! For just shy of a year. And because the fact that I am absolutely horrible at keeping in touch will certainly not be helped by the fact that I will soon be on a different continent I figured this would be a good way to keep in touch with people, show off pictures, and whatever else people do with a blog.

I tried every possible variation of my name/nickname, and every catchy title I could come up with but every one was taken! But I love Winnie the Pooh quotes, and he holds a special place in my heart. I especially like this quote: "My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling, but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places." I can't spell, and please don't assume the spelling in this blog will ever be correct. And even though I have a decent amount of self-esteem, I think I'm somewhat smart, and I somehow managed to get into UCL, in some ways, I am of very little brain.

This blog is private simply because I have seen far too many TV specials about creepers on the internet. If you're reading this its because either you asked me, or you have a blog that I am currently stalking you on so now you can return the favor.

Anyone know how to post pictures on blogs???