What I miss from home:
1. AC
2. Beach/ocean
3. Customer service
4. Not paying to get into clubs
5. The gym
6. My bed & a bathroom that I can actually do a full circle in
7. Driving
8. Looking right, left, right before crossing a street
9. My blackberry
10. MY FAMILY<3
What I will miss from London/Ireland:
1. Pret
2. The tube
3. Walking everywhere
4. Being able to travel to any city within a few hours
5. The social atmosphere of pubs
6. The drinking age
7. Primeark/Pennies
8. Hearing different languages
9. Meeting new people
10. The subtle differences of the Europeans
Obviously, this is in no specific order. I'm sure I'm missing items too.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sometimes some down time is okay.
This morning I had class, and after multiple people detailing how incredible the British Museum is I decided to give it a second chance. I've never been in a museum so confusing! I tried, I really did. But this museum was not having my liking. I decided this one was just not for me. After the tube ride home I grabbed a quick lunch from Pret, the best lunch place! Since it's beautiful outside, and the heat has calmed down so it's actually enjoyable to walk, I walked home while eating my chicken and avocado on wheat sandwich, chili piri chips and to finish it off healthy a cup of mangos. I don't know who I think I'm kidding with that eating healthy deal. Gym membership will be signed within 48 hours of returning to the states!
While Isa went to visit an Ad agency, I decided to stay in. I straightened up my half of the room, skyped with my grandparents, tried to catch my mom before leaving for work (but here's a no brainer... she didn't answer!), figured I'd blog a bit and now I'm in the process of uploading pictures. It's amazing how fast one can stay connected now. Skype is such a great connection, and being able to show my family all my pictures is wonderful too.
Yesterday the Queen opened Parliament/gave a speech there. I missed her going from Buckingham to Parliament but was able to catch her on her way back. It was a pretty neat experience. There were hundreds of the infamous black and red guards lined up all along the street. The band was also dressed in the same guard attire. The music was an ease to the wait for her arrival. Oddly enough they played the opening song to Hawaii 5-0 and James Bond. I'm thinking maybe those are two of her faves, or at least on her ipod at home for sure. A set of about 40 black horses and guards introduced the Queens carriage. She wore a beautiful crown as she drove past us- however, not waving. Following her were more important people, maybe her sons? I wouldn't know. Then followed by them were another group of all black horses and guards.
After they finally cleared the way, we grabbed a sandwich from pret and made our way down to covent guard to try to purchase Lion King tickets. It's kinda incredible how quickly we've learned to manage the tube stations and our way around town. We were able to snag 53.50 pound tickets for 21 pounds!!!! SCORE! Next on our list was the London Eye (this was considered class). The Eye was pretty neat. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the rotation but you literally get to see everything. The ticket also comes with a 4D experience show, which might have been better than the eye, haha. Since Temple Church was fairly close to the eye, I ventured off to snap a few pictures of the church for my stepdad.
Soon enough, I found myself racing out of the tube station and heading toward the Lion King theater. The show was incredible. Everyone did an amazing job and the set-up was truly the best part of it all. The performance really brought to life the characters and scenario of the film. Disney, himself, would be proud!
While Isa went to visit an Ad agency, I decided to stay in. I straightened up my half of the room, skyped with my grandparents, tried to catch my mom before leaving for work (but here's a no brainer... she didn't answer!), figured I'd blog a bit and now I'm in the process of uploading pictures. It's amazing how fast one can stay connected now. Skype is such a great connection, and being able to show my family all my pictures is wonderful too.
Yesterday the Queen opened Parliament/gave a speech there. I missed her going from Buckingham to Parliament but was able to catch her on her way back. It was a pretty neat experience. There were hundreds of the infamous black and red guards lined up all along the street. The band was also dressed in the same guard attire. The music was an ease to the wait for her arrival. Oddly enough they played the opening song to Hawaii 5-0 and James Bond. I'm thinking maybe those are two of her faves, or at least on her ipod at home for sure. A set of about 40 black horses and guards introduced the Queens carriage. She wore a beautiful crown as she drove past us- however, not waving. Following her were more important people, maybe her sons? I wouldn't know. Then followed by them were another group of all black horses and guards.
After they finally cleared the way, we grabbed a sandwich from pret and made our way down to covent guard to try to purchase Lion King tickets. It's kinda incredible how quickly we've learned to manage the tube stations and our way around town. We were able to snag 53.50 pound tickets for 21 pounds!!!! SCORE! Next on our list was the London Eye (this was considered class). The Eye was pretty neat. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the rotation but you literally get to see everything. The ticket also comes with a 4D experience show, which might have been better than the eye, haha. Since Temple Church was fairly close to the eye, I ventured off to snap a few pictures of the church for my stepdad.
Soon enough, I found myself racing out of the tube station and heading toward the Lion King theater. The show was incredible. Everyone did an amazing job and the set-up was truly the best part of it all. The performance really brought to life the characters and scenario of the film. Disney, himself, would be proud!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Miami weather in London?!
Today I put on one of the few pairs of shorts I brought, a tank top and a light sweater. Not even half way through my walk from the dorm to the bus and I was already taking off the sweater. It isn't just not raining or overcast.. it is HOT! A little too hot for my liking here. It is one thing when I'm going from my car into an AC building or being at the beach, but because we walk everyday this is a little much.
After class we grabbed some lunch in Picadilly Circus and then decided to go to Primeark (the London version of Pennies) because neither Isa nor I have clothes to endure the heat in. I finished the majority of my gift shopping and headed home.
We told the guy at the front desk that we didn't think our AC was working. His response was "we don't have AC in this building." Ummmm.... excuse me?! Not only did I have to hang my wet laundry all over my room last night because the dryers decided to not work, but the building doesn't have AC? I mean, c'mon, seriously? We're not living in the stone age over here!
On a brighter note, I finished and submitted my 5 page paper on i-dont-even-know-what-hofstede-deminisions. That was a relief! Tomorrow the Queen will be gracing us with her presence, as she parades down the streets of London waving her precious hand at us peasants.
After class we grabbed some lunch in Picadilly Circus and then decided to go to Primeark (the London version of Pennies) because neither Isa nor I have clothes to endure the heat in. I finished the majority of my gift shopping and headed home.
We told the guy at the front desk that we didn't think our AC was working. His response was "we don't have AC in this building." Ummmm.... excuse me?! Not only did I have to hang my wet laundry all over my room last night because the dryers decided to not work, but the building doesn't have AC? I mean, c'mon, seriously? We're not living in the stone age over here!
On a brighter note, I finished and submitted my 5 page paper on i-dont-even-know-what-hofstede-deminisions. That was a relief! Tomorrow the Queen will be gracing us with her presence, as she parades down the streets of London waving her precious hand at us peasants.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Parks, Parks and more Parks!
Friday morning was a little rough, after a night of celebration for Isa's birthday. Brittany and I met up at Hyde Park to walk around. We had some lunch and one of the most popular park cafe's then opted to laid down in the grass and we enjoyed a group of guys break dancing. Later on Isa met up with us and we literally wandering the streets of London. I dont know how the hours seem to keep passing us by.
Saturday we went on a day trip to Greenwich. Again we laid in a park for about an hour, then visited the prime meridian. The prime meridian is where time starts! Greenwich is 0 and every time zone before or after is either +1, 2, 3 etc. So that was pretty interesting. Then we watched a futbol (soccer) game in a local pub- definitely a cultural experience and a must do in Europe!
The weekend was rather low-key but much needed. This morning I slept in, grabbed some dutch pancakes for breakfast and have been working on homework ever since. I am still refusing to believe that I will be leaving Europe in one week.
Saturday we went on a day trip to Greenwich. Again we laid in a park for about an hour, then visited the prime meridian. The prime meridian is where time starts! Greenwich is 0 and every time zone before or after is either +1, 2, 3 etc. So that was pretty interesting. Then we watched a futbol (soccer) game in a local pub- definitely a cultural experience and a must do in Europe!
The weekend was rather low-key but much needed. This morning I slept in, grabbed some dutch pancakes for breakfast and have been working on homework ever since. I am still refusing to believe that I will be leaving Europe in one week.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Happiness
I've had very interesting assignments for happiness. One was to interview two people and report on how happy they really seem to be. My interview questions were:
1. What is happiness to you
2. What makes you happy today? By today I mean the present.
3. What will make you happy 10 years from now?
4. At the end of your life as you reflect back what do you think would have done to make yourself happier?
These questions appear to be really simply questions but I think when you really reflect and think about the answers to them you can learn a lot about yourself. So I encourage you to answer them on your own!
The other assignment was to do a random act of kindness to a stranger or someone that you haven't spoke to in a long time. As the class discussed this and as I've spoken to various people through the trip I've realized how blessed I am to have my friends and be as close to my family as I am. A lot of people said they were going to write a letter to an old best friend that they hadn't spoken to in years. I thought about who I could write a letter to and absolutely no body came to mind. Every best friend that I have made I still remain fairly close to and at least talk to often. Many people also have talked about how they hardly have spoken to their families since they have been here. And all I could think about was how I talk to at least once member of my family at least once every two days if not every day.
All around I am just extremely appreciative of what I have been given.
1. What is happiness to you
2. What makes you happy today? By today I mean the present.
3. What will make you happy 10 years from now?
4. At the end of your life as you reflect back what do you think would have done to make yourself happier?
These questions appear to be really simply questions but I think when you really reflect and think about the answers to them you can learn a lot about yourself. So I encourage you to answer them on your own!
The other assignment was to do a random act of kindness to a stranger or someone that you haven't spoke to in a long time. As the class discussed this and as I've spoken to various people through the trip I've realized how blessed I am to have my friends and be as close to my family as I am. A lot of people said they were going to write a letter to an old best friend that they hadn't spoken to in years. I thought about who I could write a letter to and absolutely no body came to mind. Every best friend that I have made I still remain fairly close to and at least talk to often. Many people also have talked about how they hardly have spoken to their families since they have been here. And all I could think about was how I talk to at least once member of my family at least once every two days if not every day.
All around I am just extremely appreciative of what I have been given.
Tower of London and Abbey Road
This morning my culture professor cancelled 3 out of our 4 classes for next week! Woooo hooo! Then in happiness we had a speaker from an agency that is essentially PR mixed with Advertising. She was a very good speaker and I learned a lot about a field of work which I had known nothing about. I could definitely see myself working for an agency like hers.
Our activity for the day was going to the Tower of London. We started off on a tour group that talked about the construction of the walls and how old they were.The outside wall is 25 feet WIDE! It was hard to following so we decided to do our own thing. The bloody tower was not as creepy as I had anticipated. It's a little uneasy knowing how many people died on the same grounds that you're walking on though. The oldest part held all the armor of past kings like King Charles. It also has the swords and guns used for battle. Next we went into where the royal jewels are kept. We got to see all the gifts that have been given to the queen and all the royal crowns and jewels. It was beautiful!
The next venture was to find Abbey Road. Abbey road is where The Beatles recording studio was and where their album cover photograph was taken. I had so much fun recreating the picture. The cars have to stop for people crossing the road and the majority of the people in the cars know why people are crossing the cross walk. Many of them would turn, wave and smile. This surprised me because in Miami EVERYONE would be honking their horns. Danny and I must have crossed the crossway 8 times. Fortunately we were able to get a great picture! I even took my shoes off! Unfortunately it was just us two... so in our picture we look like Paul and Ringo.
Our activity for the day was going to the Tower of London. We started off on a tour group that talked about the construction of the walls and how old they were.The outside wall is 25 feet WIDE! It was hard to following so we decided to do our own thing. The bloody tower was not as creepy as I had anticipated. It's a little uneasy knowing how many people died on the same grounds that you're walking on though. The oldest part held all the armor of past kings like King Charles. It also has the swords and guns used for battle. Next we went into where the royal jewels are kept. We got to see all the gifts that have been given to the queen and all the royal crowns and jewels. It was beautiful!
The next venture was to find Abbey Road. Abbey road is where The Beatles recording studio was and where their album cover photograph was taken. I had so much fun recreating the picture. The cars have to stop for people crossing the road and the majority of the people in the cars know why people are crossing the cross walk. Many of them would turn, wave and smile. This surprised me because in Miami EVERYONE would be honking their horns. Danny and I must have crossed the crossway 8 times. Fortunately we were able to get a great picture! I even took my shoes off! Unfortunately it was just us two... so in our picture we look like Paul and Ringo.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Albert and Victoria
This morning started bright and early at 6:45 a.m. to make it to class on time at 8:30 a.m. After class we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Hyde Park. The study abroad was divided into four groups and has to compete against each other. The first competition was to exchange a potato to every single group member. The catch was you had to transfer the potato by the neck or the feet. My team came in second place. :) The next competition was the limbo.... no need to elaborate- my team came in last. The final round was a water balloon toss where my team came in first place. Overall, we made second place. There is still two more days of games to be played but those will be next week sometime.
After the games I went to the Albert and Victoria museum. I'm not exactly sure why I liked this museum so much.. I just got a different vibe from it. The objects in it were just incredible. My favorite part was a room from the 20th century. It held the first walkman, my first sony player, radios, the first nike air max, heels from the 60's and the liking. Another room that I really enjoyed contained shoes and dresses throughout the years. One of Princess Di's dresses was on display also.
After basically being kicked out of the museum because it was closing we headed back toward the tube station. We were all pretty hungry and spotted an indian restaurant. Indian food here is suppose to be amazing, and it is. I wish I could tell you exactly what I ate but I'm not even sure! I had an appetizer that had what I believe was lamb, chicken, a potato thing and some sort of sausage. My entree was called chicken rogan. Now, indian food is known for being spicy and i love spicy! However, I was a little scared to order a meal that was "hot." So I order something that said "medium chicken." My mouth was on fire the entire way through my meal. Not uncomfortable fire though, I enjoyed it. I'm just glad I ordered what I did!
After the games I went to the Albert and Victoria museum. I'm not exactly sure why I liked this museum so much.. I just got a different vibe from it. The objects in it were just incredible. My favorite part was a room from the 20th century. It held the first walkman, my first sony player, radios, the first nike air max, heels from the 60's and the liking. Another room that I really enjoyed contained shoes and dresses throughout the years. One of Princess Di's dresses was on display also.
After basically being kicked out of the museum because it was closing we headed back toward the tube station. We were all pretty hungry and spotted an indian restaurant. Indian food here is suppose to be amazing, and it is. I wish I could tell you exactly what I ate but I'm not even sure! I had an appetizer that had what I believe was lamb, chicken, a potato thing and some sort of sausage. My entree was called chicken rogan. Now, indian food is known for being spicy and i love spicy! However, I was a little scared to order a meal that was "hot." So I order something that said "medium chicken." My mouth was on fire the entire way through my meal. Not uncomfortable fire though, I enjoyed it. I'm just glad I ordered what I did!
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