Week Two

As week two begins, I find it hard to believe that time here is flying by so fast. Last time I wrote was last Monday, the first day of class. As I said in the last email, I have Lisa for my Monday evening and Tuesday morning classes, which is great. She has lived all over the world and currently lives in London, where she teaches and works for the BBC. Today, instead of class, we are going to watch a panel discussion called "Communicating with Haiti: Where the Response Failed, Where it Succeeded, and How we Move Forward," which I am really excited about. 

Last Tuesday morning, I had my second class with Lisa: "Designing Media and Communication Projects for Social Change," where we will be designing our own project for some sort of social change in a country outside of the United States. After class, we went to "Ben's Cookies," a cookie shop recommended to us by former students from this program. I was in heaven. I have to admit, they may have surpassed me in the art of perfecting the chocolate chip cookie. They even have a deal called a "Ben's Box," where you buy 5 cookies and the last 2 are free. Naturally, I bought one. How could I pass up a deal like that? I wish I could send boxes home to you all to try. YUM. And the little shop is so cute. I want to take the idea and turn it into "Jane's Cookies" one day. Tuesday evening, a group of us went to a place called The Rock and Sole Place, which is supposedly one of the best places to eat fish and chips in London. To be honest, we all thought it was mediocre. Afterwords, we went to see the musical, Chicago, and sat in the front row. I absolutely loved it. Keep in mind, Chicago is a very risqué musical, so the front row was a little shocking at times, but nevertheless entertaining. We are seeing Les Miserables tomorrow, which I am so excited about. I will let you know how it measures up to Chicago. 

My Wednesday morning class is called The Rhetoric of London, and is linked with a three hour afternoon lab, where we tour different sites in London. Last Wednesday, our tour guide Angie (who seems to know everything about everything), took us to the Tower of London, where we saw the Crown Jewels, which was my favorite part of the tour. They were exquisite to say the least. I will never forget the story that Angie told us about the princes in the tower--after the death of Edward IV, the eldest of his two young sons (Edward V) was not old enough to rule. Edward IV's uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester ruled until Edward V was old enough. The princes (Edward V and his brother) disappeared and were last seen in 1483. In 1674, their bones were discovered in a box at the foot of a staircase in the tower. Apparently, Richard had killed the princes so that he would remain King. What a great uncle he was.

Wednesday evening, my roommates (Grayson, Sonya, Patrice) and I met Maggie and Megan for dinner at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese for dinner. It is a famous old pub/restaurant where Charles Dickens was known to write and spend time. The pub is alluded to in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Other writers associated with the pub are Mark Twain, Alfred Tennyson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The pub even has the original (stuffed) "Polly" from the phrase "Polly want a cracker?" It was cool but also creepy that she stares at you while you order a drink at the bar. They served traditional English dishes in the small, warm dining room with no more than six tables. As soon as I spotted "Bangers and Mash" on the menu, I knew I had to order it, because Jake always talks about how good it is. He was right...it was surprisingly great. I honestly didn't really know what to expect, but it turned out to be sausages and mashed potatoes with gravy. Simple and delicious. After, we ordered some sort of a sticky toffee pudding/custard for dessert, which was pretty weird. After dinner, the six of us went out to a local bar, a popular place for college students in London. Cheap drinks, good music, and a great time.

I am one of the few without Thursday morning class, so I woke up and went for a run around the neighborhood in the morning. Class in the afternoon ("Interpreting Popular Culture") was great. We are going to learn all about the interplay between music, fashion, gender, race, drugs, and various subcultures in London today and throughout history. Lots of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Our teacher Justin seems like a lot of fun, and the class will be a nice way to end the week. 

On Friday, we all went to Borough Market, one of the largest food markets in London. The first thing I noticed when we got there was how good it smelled. They had everything you could imagine, from meats, fish, and cheeses, to fruits, vegetables, and pastries. They had massive pots of stew and Indian food, as well as hot cider that I tried for the first time. Perfect for a cold day. After the market, Maggie, Megan, Grayson and I walked to the Tate Modern Art museum, where we visited exhibits of Dali, Picasso, Monet and Andy Worhol. Worhol was definitely my favorite. The Worhol room had pink wallpaper with yellow cows on it (very wacky) and a few paintings that I really enjoyed. One was of a dollar sign, and the blurb beside it talked about the automatic associations between the sign and money, and wondered whether the sign could be appreciated for its beauty alone, without being associated with money and power. 

Anyways, after the Tate we looked for a cafe to grab something to eat before going home. As we were looking for a place, it started to rain. Just as it really started to pour, we hopped into the nearest place, a wine-bar across the street from St. Paul's Cathedral. As we sat and enjoyed a glass of wine and leek and potato soup, we watched gusts of wind and rain throughout the streets and people scattering for shelter. In a matter of minutes, the storm was over and the sun was setting behind the cathedral. What a sight. That night, we all went out to a club called Cargo which was a lot of fun. 

After sleeping in Saturday morning, a bunch of us took the tube over to Notting Hill, where we went to Portabello Market, which was even more fun than Borough Market. They had antiques, vintage clothes, leather goods, fur goods, food, etc. It was absolutely massive, I've never seen anything like it! Later that night, we watched Notting Hill (the movie with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant), which was only appropriate after our amazing day in Notting Hill!

Yesterday, I went on a run in the morning to Regents park, a huge park in London with gardens, sports fields, etc. I brought a piece of paper with directions with me so I didn't get lost. It was a wonderful way to start the day. Later that day, Grayson, Sonya and I went shopping (well, browsing) at some shops in London and went to a sports bar last night to watch the Seahawks v. Bears game. We also booked our trip to Amsterdam for the beginning of February! Two of my best friends are studying abroad there, so we will be able to stay with them. And, I video chatted with my parents last night as well. I am so proud of them for learning how to do it. It made my day to be able to talk to them and see their faces :)

This coming weekend, we are going to DUBLIN!!! Eight of us are going together, leaving Friday morning and coming back Sunday morning. On the books so far is going to the Jameson distillery, to Galway for the day, exploring castles, and trying Guinness for the first time. I cant wait to tell you guys all about it. 

That's all for now. In honor of Martin Luther King day, "Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others." - MLK. Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend. Love and miss you all so much. Cheers! xoxox