Last One Out Of London City

London

Warning: Appearance of cheesy and unneeded clichés to convey emotional depth of feeling

            Home: Noun

                        Definition: The place where laundry is free, all the food in the fridge is yours and the bed you just traveled 24 hours to see, cradles you in your half awake comatose state.

I encourage and shamelessly beg you to like this.

Any seasoned traveler will tell you that nothing sucks worse then a delayed flight, except maybe ones that are delayed for stupid reasons. As out pilot “el capitano” droned on about the “dent” in the airplane and the “speedy fix”, I dwelled on one idea (and simultaneously cracked jokes that our plane was playing chicken and lost, or it was just cellulite and we rude to notice it)

God didn’t want me to leave London

            …Easily the most logical explanation available.

Leaving the city that had become my home for four months was like watching Harry realize Snape was a good person as he was dying, heart wrenching and inevitable.

As I am bombarded with questions at every opportunity about my stay in London-Town back here in ‘Merica, I realize that I am wholly grateful for AIFS for offering me such an amazing opportunity. I was so welcomed by their amazing staff, whom made me feel so at home. It was so nice how they made every effort to make things easier for us. My favorite student advisor (yeah I pick favorites, sue me) is Claire. Though everyone is fantastic, we had a special bond, his name is Monty and he is the English representative in our friendship. She also was quick to figure out that I was VIP, MVP, and whatever-other-acronym-for-perfection on the trip. It really helped to quicken our leap into friendship. Ha-ha.

Though I am getting ahead of myself here.

The Beginning: A One Act

            Disclaimer: United Airlines and I now have

A.     A beef

B.     A point of contention

C.     A bone to pick with each other

D.     All of the above

Apparently our plane developed a dimple that perplexed our crew, somewhere in its travels and was discovered and we, the passengers waited patiently for a MIA passenger. (Damn You, John Doe) After two hours, numerous piles of paperwork and still no J.D. our plane took off for Washington D.C. We were a bit worse for the wear and heavily disgruntled but excited to finally be in the land of wonderful Internet and free water. We were shepherded through customs and smiling United Employees to a standby line for a 7pm flight for Denver. (Damn cellulite plane made us miss our earlier connection)

An End, but not really

My story doesn’t end there because that would require me to have found Wyoming and the U.S. like I left it. My home, that I may complain about but is still my home.  I felt detached and weird because I was surrounded by the complete opposite of British culture. It had hit me.

Culture Shock

(This sounds like a telenovela. Feel free to add in your own dramatic head-turning look here or a pulling-off-glasses “My God” moment if you are feeling feisty.)

People were loud!

And in your face.

There was no kind lady telling me to “Mind The Gap”

I felt faint.

Someone get me some English Breakfast tea and a scone with clotted cream STAT.

……no really.

I wanted to apparate back to London and soak up the err…. metaphorical sunshine. I dreamed of the ULU building, free museums and overcrowded Sunday markets. All I wanted was a nice pub with football blaring in the background or a stroll through Hyde Park.

No amount of sleep was going to fix this.

*Interesting British Life Moment

            I was offended my the charismatic, joyful, and over-attentive waitress at dinner. She felt “pushy.” Thanks British Reserve and Food Service Employees.

I knew then it would take awhile to get over this new bump in the road. Alas, I will persevere.

All that aside, it is good to be home. Driving had been wonderful and the openness and relative emptiness is soothing after the endless crowds that flocked to London and descended to every open space in the City at every opportunity.  It was a relief that I hoarded when I arrived home because I hadn’t realized I needed it. What’s that saying? You miss something more when you don’t have it anymore? Though I wouldn’t trade the last few months for anything.

….except Prince Harry or as I like to call him, Harry. (I hear he is looking for a normal girl.)

Questions I have been asked since returning:

Where is your British Accent? A: Oh ya know, on the plane cause I dropped it and didn’t notice.

Are their teeth really as bad as they say? Yes, of course. And all they drink is tea and tell you how much they love the Queen mum.

Did you meet the Queen? Yeah, I just waltzed into Buckingham and was like, “sup queenie, I hear ya got a cute grandson. Wanna hook us up?"

Would you like some tea and crumpets (pronounced with a bad English accent)? No ass, and that was a shitty rendition of their accent, try again.

Yet, we still wonder why Americans are found to be so annoying? I am sort of kidding.

Off to dream more about London,

Paige Russell

Concerts, Clubs and Music! Oh My!

That title was sort of lame. I'm sorry. lol

Friday 6pm

If I were back home, in Cheyenne, right now I would probably be getting home after a dance class or two. I would make some dinner, maybe hang out with some friends, and then go to bed. Nothing else. The topic for discussion today is Life in a Big City.

London is a bustling metropolis with a population in Greater London of 7,825,200. The city is filled with different sights and offers all you can want in one city. You have South Kensington, which is wealthy and posh, Camden is alternative and edgy, and Westminster is financial and tailored.  If you think America is a melting pot, then take America and thrust it into one city and that’s London. I love London because there is something to do every night, and you can do it all last minute. You can choose clubs, concerts, bars, art galleries, and performance art and all you have to do is walk out your front door or jump on the tube. Life here is vibrant and beautiful.

For example…..

I went and saw New Found Glory on a Friday night. It was last minute and I just read about in passing on Twitter because I follow one of the guitarists. I quickly jumped on some 20-pound tickets, threw on some concert gear, and headed off to Chalk Farm. The beauty of the Tube is that you can get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. Chalk Farm is not really relevant to the story, only that the concert venue was there. It was called the Roundhouse and was huge. New Found Glory is a pop-punk band formed in 1997. They have some awesome original songs like, “My Friends Over You”, “All Downhill From Here” and “Hit Or Miss”. Their cover of “Kiss Me” is to die for as its also the cutest video I have ever seen. I fully recommend them.  They played with The Blackout, whom I have never heard of before. I went to this concert by myself and had no trouble fighting my way to the front to scream at the top of my lungs. It was nice because I met a lot of Londoners in the line before the concert and during the concert itself. It felt really “slice of life” and one of the best experiences I have ever had. I never felt unsafe or sketched out; it was just a good night. The roundhouse has tons of concerts lined up, I vote everyone goes out and sees one or two or eight. Whatever works.

My friends and I have hit up some clubs while we have been here. Two of the very different ones are The Zoo Club and Borderline. The Zoo Club is located in Leicester Square and has a cover charge after 9, I think. It’s filled with your typical dance music and club downstairs, with an offshoot to a smaller bar and more pop music to the right. Upstairs had some classic rock playing, more of a bar setting and a smaller space to dance in. Its located up the street from Trafalgar Square, a place Night buses seem to congregate. Borderline is located in Soho and is an indie bar. It has different club nights and the Saturday we went was Indie and real old school music. It’s a small club located in the basement with two bars and small stage. They offer live music some nights and overall it’s a pretty chill place to dance till 3am. Beware the sticky floor, its deadly adhesive.

If dancing, drinking and loud music is not your thing, well YOU’RE MISSING OUT! I am kidding, London offers you museums, which are free to the public and you can spend hours walking around and finding new things to look at. The exhibitions aren’t free but are cheaper to students. Tate Modern has an exhibition with Kusama sponsored by Louis Vuitton right now. Its beautiful and worth seeing. Kusama does a lot with dots and repetitive patterns and tries to recreate what she sees in a hallucinatory state. It’s really interesting and I would encourage anyone to go. London is also a theatre hub, with shows in the West End that are amazing and popular. You can see lesser-known works around the city for reasonable prices and it’s worth it. My friends and I paid 20 pounds to see Jersey Boys and we were in the 6^th row from the front. It was a beautiful show that was a whirl ride from start to finish. Shakespeare’s Globe opens in Late April and any show there is worth its weight in gold. Not only do you get to see a classic production but also the experience of what a show would be like in Shakespeare’s time. It’s an open-air theatre, standing room closest to the stage. Open-air is as open as it gets and you can hear planes flying over and pigeons are unpaid guests in most shows. It’s an experience that cannot be rivaled.

Lastly, one of the AIFS staff  (Hi Claire!) told one of my roommates and me about this great place in the East End. Its called Club 1001. It’s a bar, venue, club and overall great place to be. It has a live DJ and a place to dance as well. Its sounds like fun and its on the street that houses some of the best curry I have ever eaten. Its next on my list of places to check out, maybe when I have eaten my weight in curry and naan bread.

I hope that what you have garnered from this post is how vibrant London is. Its full of a brilliant nightlife that caters to the thousands.

Things I hope you haven’t taken away

-I party all the time. (I swear I spend most of my time learning in London)

-I really could eat my weight in curry and bread. (That part might be true.)

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite lines from NFG.

And I can tell you’re going through the motions

 I figured you were acting out your part

  Once again, we’re playing off emotion

Which one of us will burn until the end?

The-One-Who-Burns

Paige 

Tube(ualr) Man!

Tubular Man! Oh I am so funny, and love using outdated expressions.

 Have you ever just found a song that is so outstanding that you just love and makes you want to sing and dance until the last notes ring out. Lately for me I am really into Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons. As soon as it comes on I can’t help but move and tap my foot to the beat. It really makes me want to sing, and sometimes I indulge myself…in inappropriate places, which brings me to the subject of today’s post. The Tube.

            What could singing and the tube have in common? Nothing unless the sentence goes something like, people will look at you funny if you try to sing on the tube. The tube is the subway of London; only the train literally goes through tubes, tunnels to get you to your destination. Its one of the main transportation methods of London’s population and is extremely old. London has buses and the overground but the underground has these unwritten rules that define tourist from a seasoned traveler to a London local.

Rule #1: Don’t make eye contact. One thing I terribly fail at, mostly because as hard as I try not to make eye contact, I CAN’T HELP IT! There are so many interesting people from cute boys to people who dress up as monsters/zombies. (I am not kidding here!) Yet get on the tube at rush hour and literally you lose all personal space and people still manage to avoid eye contact. Alas, I suppose it will have to be something I will learn. 

 Rule #2: There is to be no talking on the tube.  I couldn’t believe that literally no one would talk until I experienced it. Now this isn’t a hard and fast rule, as some people break it but for the majority, it’s completely quiet. All you ever hear is the lady chiming in to remind you to “Mind The Gap” (I will touch on this later). I learned from Londoners that time on the tube is your zone out time, they aren’t purposefully ignoring you, and it’s just the end of a long day at work. I just find it so frustrating because where do I meet all the cute boys, the Tube. (It’s so ridiculous. I guess I will have to spend more time on buses.)

Rule #3 Mind the Gap. This is serious stuff guys; there is a gap between the platform and the actual train you ride on. It’s so ridiculous, I know to even think that you might injure yourself, but hey shit happens. So watch what you are doing. I am just saying.

Rule #4 Carry your tube map. It seems simple because the Underground has so many maps all over the place. Don’t fool yourself, it’s like a jungle and a maze had a baby and then let people get lost in it, just ya know, FOR FUN. If you carry your map and plan your destination ahead of time, you really shouldn’t have any trouble. Though always be aware because its tempting to second guess yourself and get off at the wrong stop with the hoards of people who get off. My advice here is to just be aware of everything. It’s really the best thing to do. On the plus side, there is security and employees everywhere, so if you get lost, ask because its better then staying lost.

That’s really all the rules I have. London’s underground is so convenient and is the main method of transportation for the population. Its good to always be aware because it is very easy to be stolen from, but if you are smart then you shouldn’t have a problem. I would recommend that even though the whole “not talking” thing may not be your thing, but if someone came to your town and disregarded all your rules, well how would you feel? Its nice to just sit back and enjoy the slice of life you experience on the tube, it makes for some awesome people watching. 

London in the park by the Thames, drinking tea.

Hello everyone! The first week of classes has finally ended and most students are headed to Leeds/Canterbury today. AIFS offers so many trips for Fridays and they are suppose to be really exciting.

As for the title, I did go walking beside the Thames today but I was drinking coffee, I have yet to enjoy tea while I've been here and I really have no excuse. We will just put it down to waiting for the right moment when a cute London boy with a posh accent will buy me some. I can only hope. Though, I spent a few good hours walking along the river, taking pictures and enjoying bursts of sunshine, the only bits we have gotten all week. We also attended a performance of "Freedom" for 10 pounds sterling, it was......interesting and left a lot to be desired. I will put it up to a bad script, and not just bad acting, after all you can only do so much when you have nothing to work with. 10 points go to anyone who can guess the title credit, which is old but classy listening.

Its may be surprising to all but I feel like I have been in London for a week or so now rather then arriving last Friday. It is different then what some other kids feel, although some side with me. Study abroad is always difficult because you are away from home, but as along as you involve yourself in what’s happening at the campus as well as in London, it will get better. I find myself fitting in here because I feel at home in huge cities and unfamiliar faces. I know that some of the other kids are really missing home but come April, I am sure I will find myself at home missing London.

The classes that I am taking here are really interesting and informing. An example is that I am taking an Art History class and instead of spending all our time in a lecture hall, listening to…lectures, we spend most of our time in the museums around London. Fun Fact: all British museums are free, there are some special installments you could pay for but the central part is completely free. I would take wandering museums over a two-hour lecture any day. Backgrounds of dance is a pretty self-explanatory class and we are required to see a few shows, which is exciting to see how dance is produced in England. I do have some more traditional classes, where we stay in a lecture hall and listen to our professor talk and it certainly reminds me of classes back home.

On another note, AIFS really tries to involve you in all aspects of British Life. I attended a Pub Quiz last week and its mostly trivia in a bar and apparently very normal here in Britain. We were separated into groups and had to answer questions about the UK, and London. It was interesting to say the least, and I really only knew the answers to the pop culture questions. C’est La Vie, <- Look at that, one week down and already I am becoming more international. (It’s a good thing, I swear)

Pictures are forthcoming but our Internet through the school doesn’t allow you to upload photos, well I can’t on my computer anyways. Technical problems are not my forte.

Until next time,

The International Student

AKA Paige!