I've been here for almost two weeks now! I can hardly believe it because it feels like I just arrived yesterday! I've already done so much in two weeks, and in reality, I probably went too hard too fast since I've spent the last few days as a hermit in my room trying to recover from "Fresher's Flu". Fresher's Flu is their term for what happens when everyone starts living together and sickness spreads like wildfire. I'm not the only one who's had it...most people around here currently feel like death. Luckily I was able to see a doctor, so I'm feeling much better today (which is really good since I have to sing for my Royal Academy of Music audition today!).
Speaking of going to the doctor, this leads me to the topic of the day: Living in London (and all of the wonderfully delicious things British people say and do). Yes, that was quite a long title.
Let's start with my trip to the doctor. It is a nightmare trying to see a doctor here. Really. You have to be previously registered somewhere, and to my knowledge there isn't really an urgent care place you can go (which is probably what I really needed yesterday). So that was an absolute nightmare, but luckily there was a place around the corner from where I lived that took me in. I think the lady at reception realized if they didn't take me in, I was going to pass out on their floor, and then they would have had to see me.
The doctor is really different over here though. I'm used to seeing nurses and doctors walking around with tablet computers, and knowing when it's my turn to be seen...they can stay as long as I need them to (even if they are in a rush). When I got in to see the doctor she told me I only had 10 minutes with her. So I told her my symptoms, she looked in my throat and ears, and said I essentially had a sinus infection. She gave me a prescription, which was great because I obviously needed something...but I'm not 100% sure that I was thoroughly checked out. And then the pharmacy I went to to fill my prescription was incredibly sketchy. It made me miss Kmart and Walgreen's. They looked totally disorganized, medicine and paperwork everywhere, and the pharmacist was reading people a list of side effects out of what looked like a text book. But at the end of the day I'm feeling better, so...it was an adventure.
Ok on a slightly more fun note. My British rommies looked at me like I had three heads when I came into the kitchen and made a good ol' PB&J for dinner. They seriously asked me if I was going to eat that. One of them still to this day has not even tried peanut butter...which I will change. However, they don't have the best peanut butter here...like Jiff (the one choosy moms choose), but it tastes good when you're hungry :) I was sure to inform them that I was not weird, and this was basically the American childhood lunchbox staple.
Ramen noodles over here are called "Super noodles", and I looked at my roomie like he had three heads when he made his Ramen noodles and then proceeded to put them on bread with a piece of ham on top. I asked him, "Are you going to eat your noodles like that?!", but apparently that's how you eat Ramen over here...when I finally made my Super Noodles it actually suggested in the package that you eat it on bread with ham. So if you are feeling particularly adventurous and British at home...you can eat your Ramen noodles like that! (And on a side note, Mom Gail/Sigma ladies if you're reading this...I miss Ben's cooking...I'm a horrible cook, and miss being able to roll out of bed with food already made for me. I've been eating Ramen and PB&Js for two weeks now...! Is this what real college life is like? I want the Sigma house back!! Haha)
Here's your British Word of the Day: Knackered
That's my favorite one thus far. You might think this word means you've been at the pub and had one to many, but sorry to disappoint...it just means you're tired. But it's so much more fun to say "I'm completely knackered", than to say "I'm tired". So I've taken to saying this word whenever possible (and it sounds even better with a British accent!). You can go ahead and say it...I know you want to. Just try telling someone today that you're "Completely Knackered" and see what happens!
Alright well...we'll leave that as Living in London (and all of the wonderfully delicious things British people say and do) PART I, and pick up with the rest another time. Not to worry I have many more brilliant stories!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Meeting the new London gang...I mean my new flatmates (aka. suitemates)
I've made it all the way across the pond! I'm sorry I haven't sent and update sooner, but I've been going non stop since I landed! So I'm here safe and sound, and having an absolute BLAST. London is wonderful!
I finally got here with my 3 suitcases and 150 pounds of luggage, and moved in to my apartment at Great Dover Street. You walk in the "flat" aka. apartment, and it's basically a hallway with 8 doors with akitchen at the back. Each person has their own room, so I was worried that I would be making no friends if everyone left their doors shut on the hallway! Luckily the welcome party was out and about and I met two of my "flatmates" James and Manny. Once everyone moved in we totaled 3 boys (James, Manny and Chris) from England, and 5 girls from all over the world (Maggie and I are American, Emily is Australian, Ivy is Chineese, and Magdalena is Chilean).
Both Chris and James are from Wales, and are big rugby boys! So by the time I leave here I'm going to be a complete rugby expert. Manny's the big cricket player here, so I'm learning about that as well!
The first day here I met up with the UNC study abroad students and we walked around London to get the lay of the land. We happened to stumble across the Olympic cycling time trials, so we stopped to watch them ride by! Lots of people were out there cheering and yelling "COME ON MATE!" for encouragement :) Then later we stumbled upon London Fashion Week going on at the Sommerset House, and walked in to see what was happening. There were obviously tons of famous models and designers there, and of course I had absolutely no idea who anyone was! So that was all very exciting for the first day! Then later that night I went to the pub with my flatmates to catch the big Manchester vs. Chelsea "football game"...we've already had many conversations about "football" vs. soccer vs. American Football as you can imagine! My flatmates were happy because their team, ManU won the game!
Since then I've been running errands trying to get set up...it took me 3 days to get a phone, and I still have yet to buy a blanket. All in all I'm pretty set up though, learning where I should go to buy what etc.
I also went to check out my "Uni" meaning University, and it's smack in the middle of London! We're right in the theatre district, around the corner from Covent Garden, down the street from Trafalgar Square, and our student cafe overlooks the Thames! Doesn't sound like it gets much better than that! I'm also working on running on military time, and getting the hang of using the tube!
I finally got here with my 3 suitcases and 150 pounds of luggage, and moved in to my apartment at Great Dover Street. You walk in the "flat" aka. apartment, and it's basically a hallway with 8 doors with akitchen at the back. Each person has their own room, so I was worried that I would be making no friends if everyone left their doors shut on the hallway! Luckily the welcome party was out and about and I met two of my "flatmates" James and Manny. Once everyone moved in we totaled 3 boys (James, Manny and Chris) from England, and 5 girls from all over the world (Maggie and I are American, Emily is Australian, Ivy is Chineese, and Magdalena is Chilean).
Both Chris and James are from Wales, and are big rugby boys! So by the time I leave here I'm going to be a complete rugby expert. Manny's the big cricket player here, so I'm learning about that as well!
Since then I've been running errands trying to get set up...it took me 3 days to get a phone, and I still have yet to buy a blanket. All in all I'm pretty set up though, learning where I should go to buy what etc.
I also went to check out my "Uni" meaning University, and it's smack in the middle of London! We're right in the theatre district, around the corner from Covent Garden, down the street from Trafalgar Square, and our student cafe overlooks the Thames! Doesn't sound like it gets much better than that! I'm also working on running on military time, and getting the hang of using the tube!
I think my favorite outing so far was the Great Dover Boat Party where we went out for 4 hours on a boat on the Thames, and had a party. We traveled past the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and under Tower Bridge! We had the best time! So this next picture is of me, my flatmates, and some of our other friends from Great Dover.
I'm so glad to have recieved messages from some people alread, and can't wait to hear your comments on the blog!!! More to come soooon :)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Welcome to BAston...the city where Rs don't exist!
It's true...most people in Boston really don't pronounce their Rs. "Pah-ked the cah in Ha-vad yah-d?" Mom was curious if we'd actually hear any people talk like that...we did :) They could also pick the two of us out pretty quickly as "coming from the South".
We started out our trip by attending probably the biggest rivalry game in America. That's right, my mom, my dad and I went to see a New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game in Fenway Park (or Pah-k if you're from Boston). We had great seats, saw the Green Monster, and sang "Sweet Caroline" at the 6th inning. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost, but it was great to witness America's "Greatest Summer Pastime".
The next morning we were able to check off my mom's #1 on her Bucket List: Whale Watching. That's right, we went out via the Boston Harbor on a ship and went whale watching. We were able to spot the whales when the came up for air, and they were HUGE. The water would turn greenish and bubble up when they started to appear because they were a lighter color against the water. We saw Fin Whales, the second largest whale in the world, and Humpback Whales. I personally liked the Humpback Whales the best because they were much more playful, and would appear right beside the boat! They were really impressive creatures to see in the wild, and I would definitely recommend going to see them.
We spent the afternoon walking around the Beacon Hill neighborhood, saw the Theatre District, went to the Public Gardens with the "Make Way for the Ducklings" statue, and learned from a Boston citizen that the public park is not called the "Boston CommonS"...it's the Boston CommoN...Singular. Oops. My mistake! Then we spent a lovely evening sitting on the dock at the Charles River watching the sailboats and Rufus the dog jump in the river after his Frisbee.
That night we went to Charley's on Newbury Street for dinner. If you're ever visiting, I would definitely suggest this restaurant. It has a fun atmopshere, reasonable prices, and it's where a lot of locals go...so you know it's a good spot! Afterwards we walked Newbury Street to look at all of the shops. It's basically an out door mall, but lots of famous people go there to shop. We actually saw a bunch of black Escalades pull up in front of a store, and we learned later that it was Britney Spears' entourage. Newbury has everything from boutiques, to Armani, to H&M. Something for everyone :)
After a good night's sleep at the Double Tree with lots of fluffy pillows, the family and I met my friend Andre to go on the Freedom Trail tour around Boston. If you wanted to, you could actually follow the Freedom Trail around the city with out a guide because there is litterally a red painted trail on the street and sidewalk leading to the locations. However, this time around we opted for a guided tour complete with a guide in full 18th century costume! He did a great job leading us around and giving us historical information about the city of Boston during the time of the Revolution. At the end he told us that he was actually related to the the character he was playing...a great-great-great grandson. That was pretty cool.
Then we all went to eat in the Green Dragon Tavern, the oldest tavern in Boston where the Sons of Liberty would meet to plot the Revolution. We aslo learned the difference between a tavern and a pub. A tavern is heavier on the food side, whereas a pub is heavier on the bar side...and there's your random fact for the day! But all of a sudden, while we were eating, a British Red Coat walked in and ordered a beer, we were laughing because it was the most authentic thing we'd seen! Flashback to 1776! And then in walked a pirate as well.
After our historic lunch, we went over to Cambridge for the afternoon, and visited Harvard. Cambridge was a fun college town, with street bands and bars. Pretty much a glorified Franklin Street. And Harvard was a pretty campus, but it looked a lot like North Campus at UNC. I also had my picture taken with the statue of John Harvard, and you have to put your hand on his shoe for good luck. However, we learned later that since it was the first week of class, it was tradition for students to pee on the shoe...of course. But I wasn't too worried since a ton of other toursits had touched the shoe before I did that day! Also, second piece of random trivia, the statue of John Harvard is apparently the second most photographed statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty. Then we ended the day at John Harvard's Tavern with a piece of Boston Creme Pie....an obvious must. And it was delicious!
Just before we flew out the next morning we wondered around China Town, and found the only 24 hour diner left in the city of Boston on South Street. It was called South Street Diner, as you can imagine. It was a little whole in the wall place, but oh my gosh they made the best pancakes I have ever eaten in my life. They were so good, and I definitely recommend going there if you can as well.
Overall the weather in September is beautiful, the people were very helpful and nice, and there's a bunch of fun things to do in the city. Another amazing adventure!
We started out our trip by attending probably the biggest rivalry game in America. That's right, my mom, my dad and I went to see a New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game in Fenway Park (or Pah-k if you're from Boston). We had great seats, saw the Green Monster, and sang "Sweet Caroline" at the 6th inning. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost, but it was great to witness America's "Greatest Summer Pastime".
We spent the afternoon walking around the Beacon Hill neighborhood, saw the Theatre District, went to the Public Gardens with the "Make Way for the Ducklings" statue, and learned from a Boston citizen that the public park is not called the "Boston CommonS"...it's the Boston CommoN...Singular. Oops. My mistake! Then we spent a lovely evening sitting on the dock at the Charles River watching the sailboats and Rufus the dog jump in the river after his Frisbee.
That night we went to Charley's on Newbury Street for dinner. If you're ever visiting, I would definitely suggest this restaurant. It has a fun atmopshere, reasonable prices, and it's where a lot of locals go...so you know it's a good spot! Afterwards we walked Newbury Street to look at all of the shops. It's basically an out door mall, but lots of famous people go there to shop. We actually saw a bunch of black Escalades pull up in front of a store, and we learned later that it was Britney Spears' entourage. Newbury has everything from boutiques, to Armani, to H&M. Something for everyone :)
After a good night's sleep at the Double Tree with lots of fluffy pillows, the family and I met my friend Andre to go on the Freedom Trail tour around Boston. If you wanted to, you could actually follow the Freedom Trail around the city with out a guide because there is litterally a red painted trail on the street and sidewalk leading to the locations. However, this time around we opted for a guided tour complete with a guide in full 18th century costume! He did a great job leading us around and giving us historical information about the city of Boston during the time of the Revolution. At the end he told us that he was actually related to the the character he was playing...a great-great-great grandson. That was pretty cool.
Then we all went to eat in the Green Dragon Tavern, the oldest tavern in Boston where the Sons of Liberty would meet to plot the Revolution. We aslo learned the difference between a tavern and a pub. A tavern is heavier on the food side, whereas a pub is heavier on the bar side...and there's your random fact for the day! But all of a sudden, while we were eating, a British Red Coat walked in and ordered a beer, we were laughing because it was the most authentic thing we'd seen! Flashback to 1776! And then in walked a pirate as well.
After our historic lunch, we went over to Cambridge for the afternoon, and visited Harvard. Cambridge was a fun college town, with street bands and bars. Pretty much a glorified Franklin Street. And Harvard was a pretty campus, but it looked a lot like North Campus at UNC. I also had my picture taken with the statue of John Harvard, and you have to put your hand on his shoe for good luck. However, we learned later that since it was the first week of class, it was tradition for students to pee on the shoe...of course. But I wasn't too worried since a ton of other toursits had touched the shoe before I did that day! Also, second piece of random trivia, the statue of John Harvard is apparently the second most photographed statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty. Then we ended the day at John Harvard's Tavern with a piece of Boston Creme Pie....an obvious must. And it was delicious!
Just before we flew out the next morning we wondered around China Town, and found the only 24 hour diner left in the city of Boston on South Street. It was called South Street Diner, as you can imagine. It was a little whole in the wall place, but oh my gosh they made the best pancakes I have ever eaten in my life. They were so good, and I definitely recommend going there if you can as well.
Overall the weather in September is beautiful, the people were very helpful and nice, and there's a bunch of fun things to do in the city. Another amazing adventure!
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