lileecat and julezkitteh in lundun!

yesterday morning, i joyfully bounded onto the tube to meet up with julia in south kensington, a part of london i hadn't seen yet. she'd been in london a few days visiting family on her way to south eh-frica, and we very excitedly made plans to breakfast together before her departure.

it was so good to see her! we screamingly (of course) reunited in the tube station, amid dullfaced and somewhat disapproving british peeps. naturally in all of the reuniting happiness i dropped my oyster card, and felt a bit foolish, but recovered it quickly. julezkitteh made a huge faux pas in asking if my coat was from primark, when CLEARLY its from jcrew. JEEEEZ. hahahaha it was perfect!

we walked around kensington for a little while, looking for patisseries and admiring imperial college, numerous museums, and quaint townhouses that comprised the borough. we eventually got stupidly hungry, so we popped into a little cafe that offered free croissants with coffee. after chatting, we ventured out again into kensington, looking at the posh boutiques and bakeries. pictures below!

natural history museum! i'm going back soon.

unidentified sweet building

statues outside imperial college. "you're so artsy, lilly!" says juliacat. this photo disproves her theory.

cute bridal boutique, with a crown on top!

private park

not so private with julez skulking about.

we knew we had to take a photo together, so we took this really awkward one in the middle of the sidewalk. that's kensington behind us!

alas, our time was short, for i had to get back to school for a lecture. julezkitteh and i said a hurried goodbye in the tube station, and i waved to her from inside the train, though i must've looked quite stupid. it was saying goodbye all over again! anywho, by this time she must be in capetown. wish her luck!

and on that note, i'd better crack the spine of "mr. biswas," the 600 page book i have to read. bugger biswas.

procrastinatingly,
lilly

i'm not allowed to buy nutella anymore

i had made that rule last semester, when i single-handedly polished off a jar of nutella in less than 48 hours. on friday, i bought a jar (they're glass here, not plastic!) and some shortbread cookies, thinking that perhaps great britain would "civilise" me into enjoying more sensible portions.

nope.

i only have a few tablespoons left--incidentally, within less than 48 hours of purchasing the gooey goodness.

it doesn't matter where you are, you'll always revert back to your old self. as for me, nutella will forever remind me that i'm a gluttonous, rabid beast. i cannot eat it ever again, lest the nutellasaurus within me break free.

hazelnuttily,
lilly

british people = soulless, wasteful gits!

i've always been critical of generalizations, yet i'm about to make a huge one. and yes, it's based off of only two people, but i don't care, because it's amusing.

i'm in the land of adamant tea drinkers, and have definitely been looking for context cultural clues on how to prepare and enjoy tea. i've taken to drinking it instead of coffee in the morning, as well as having a cup in the afternoon with some biscuits (a tradition i am most certainly bringing back to the states). however, there was one preparation difference i didn't initially notice between myself and my british compadres. whereas i will use a teabag up to three or four times (basically until it can't steep anymore), they will use it ONCE, for ONE cup of tea, and throw it away! scandalous, innit?!

i thought that my flatmate chris was just "takin the piss" out of me when he said that i was a bloomin' idiot for saving my teabag. then, when alex stopped by, he derisively asked, "have you noticed that lilly saves her teabags?!" and she laughed and said she did! those soulless fools!

but enough about their carelessness. updates on life:

thursday night, some flatties and i went to brick lane to try this allegedly amazing bagel place we read about in a london foodguide. we'd been to brick lane before, when we got some "curry," but this time ventured further down the street. there were lots of random drunk people, indian restauranteers trying to beckon us inside, and multiple "shisha" (hookah) places. we also ended up buying a hookah while we were there, which was the other half of the mission. anyways, we finally got to the bagel place, which looked and smelled fantastic. i bought a plain bagel and jam donut (only 50p total!), which were actually quite disappointing. the amigos got more adventurous bagel sandwiches and the like, but they didn't particularly enjoy theirs, either...so much for that!

the bus ride home was nice, because we finally got out of the rain, and sat on the upper level of the bus (so chris could hide from the bus driver, since he didn't pay).

i'm actually a big fan of london transportation. the tube is easy peasy, and the buses run all night. although it can get expensive, it's so thorough and efficient that it's worth it. yesterday on the tube, i saw a 13-year-old girl riding by herself. if a kid can do it--or me, for that matter--anyone can!

oh, i almost forgot! on thursday, prior to the brick lane adventures, i gave myself a terrible injury! chris was stupidly flicking 2p coins at me and my computer, and i huffily told him to stop. when he wouldn't, i angrily lunged at him, resulting in my kneeing the corner of my wooden bed and screamingly falling to the floor. i started loudly groaning in pain, and didnt want to look my knee for fear i had dislodged the cap. however, after chris and i put frozen broccoli on the wound (resources, we haz dem), i found it not as bad as i thought. it was really painful at first, though. if a certain someone hadn't been flipping pence at me, it never would have happened...

anywho. happier news: i was looking forward all week to going to the westfield shopping centre (largest shopping center in london, third largest in uk), and finally got to go yesterday. i knew i shouldn't ask anyone to go with me, because i take forever whilst shopping, so i sojourned alone--and it was fabulous! it's about a thirty minute tube ride, and then a titchy walk to the actual centre.

the place was absolutely gorgeous. i didn't think to bring my camera (after all, it's a mall!), but it was so cool-looking, clean, and pretty. they just finished building it in 2008, so it's very new and modern. next time i go i'll have photographic evidence! it was especially nice because they don't have foodcourt-type eateries. instead they have classy little cafes, creperies, and restaurants. oh, europe! we could learn a thing or two from them! not in regards to tea, though.

anyways, first i went to topshop (for examples of the deliciousness, go to www.topshop.com) and spent TWO HOURS in that store alone. i ended up getting a few things, though i wanted tons and tons. i know i'll be back in a few weeks! it's very british-looking, quite chic. i felt rather stupid, at first, though--a salesgirl said hello to me, and i asked if there was a place i could put my heavy coat and jacket (need two hands for efficient, bloodthirsty shopping), and she looked at me like i was crazy. this ain't ribbons or le tete!

i'll spare you the details of my other shopping, except for the fact that i finally bought a perfume (on sale, cheaaa)...and i ended up with a J.LO PERFUME! bahahaha. it smells really nice, though! could it be i've finally found my signautre scent, after years of searching? we shall see.

well, dear hearts, i must do some actual work this weekend (shocking!). more updates to come.

much love and tired teabags,
lilly

i could star in shaun of the dead

i'm slowly turning into a zombie, due mostly to lack of sleep. and no, i haven't been partying every night, haha, i just am having problems falling asleep and staying asleep. i think my body is trying to tell me i should be out abusing it, rather than resting it. perhaps i'll heed the advice!

not too much exciting news for this week, so far...just school and instant coffee and a dwindling clothing supply (laundry day is imminent).

WAIT the inauguration yesterday---a few people from our flat gathered around the telly with champagne to see the beloved obama. so maybe i cried a little...but it was so good! we all hypothesized that bush was going to get proper pissed that night, haha. i wish i could've been there in dc, but i got the next best thing. hooray!

anyways, just letting you know that i'm not dead! i have lots of reading to do today, so i'd better crack on.

puffy-eyed,
lilly

love the love

ever since i stepped on the british plane in los angeles, i've been fondly(?) called "my dear," "love," "sweetheart," and most often, "darling" by almost every english person i've encountered, male or female. and for some irrational reason, it makes me feel GREAT every time! does that make me a bad feminist??

at home, once in a while at work i'd get called "honey" or "hun," and even "baby" a few times--but almost always by older women. when it happened, i took little notice. in my own speech, i sometimes refer to friends as "love," and would never use a term of endearment on a stranger, except maybe a baby...or a dog.

but here, the love runs rampant. this morning i walked to the grocery store, and was charmed for the umpteenth time by a british person calling me "darling". the accent makes it so much better, too. da-ling! that's quality stuff. i don't know if the brits say it to everyone. maybe it's becuase i'm a young woman, or because i'm ginger and they feel badly for me. perhaps it's because i'm always smiling randomly, hahaha.

but really, for being a population stereotypically considered stiff and proper, affection flows like beer and cider. maybe that's the explanation...everyone's just drunk. at any rate, i'm looking forward to more weeks of being verbally coddled by strangers.

so long, my darlings,
lilly

nature withdrawals

one thing i've always loved about california--and particularly la/redondo--is the proximity to the beautiful ocean. it's really lovely to be able to live the city life (or redondo-townie-life), but be so close to nature. true, sometimes the beach is dirty or crowded, but just being able to listen to the waves is soothing. now that i've been in london for over two weeks, i'm jonesing for some natural beauty. earlier this morning i saw two crows fighting, but i don't think that counts.

i'd love to see some of the english countryside. hell, i'd love to see forests or woods or something (do they even have forests here??). at usc, i always missed seeing children and animals (haha, one in the same...). it's funny that no matter where you are, you're always missing something.

this past week was fun and horrible. i slept through my alarm on two different mornings, which has never happened in the past six years i've had this alarm. it resulted in my running (literally) to class barefaced and hungry, hahaha. poor peasant. my classes have been piling on the work, which i'm not thrilled about; at the same time, though, i'm learning things i never would have studied at home. i GUESS i can study while i'm here...pfff

on wednesday, alex, lizzie, and i went to primark and oxford street. i was expecting to splash out hardcore, since i left most of my clothes at home and have been recycling numerous outfits here, but i ended up only spending 20 pounds the whole day. alex and i went to selfridge's so i could buy perfume, but once i saw all the salespeople (LOADS), i chickened out. i realize that i'm technically a salesperson, as well, but i definitely don't have the saleslady personality. i always find that customers prefer to be left to their own devices, rather than being smothered. silly department stores, scaring away customers.

last night, chris and i went to see "slumdog millionaire," which i thoroughly enjoyed. i really like movies that show different parts of the world and the ways that people live and survive. parts of the movie definitely reminded me of "city of god," indian style, haha. jamal (slum dog) was so cute--i hope he appears in future films!

well, my friend sally and i were supposed to go shopping today, but seeing as everyone here is going to start drinking at 3 in the afternoon (wtf culture shock hahaha), we decided it would be best left to another day, when we have more time. tonight is "school disco" at the campus bar, meaning peeps are dressing in school-uniform-esque attire and dancing. oh me, oh my. i don't know if i'll be posting pictures.

jolly olly,
lilly

beans and toast....exactly what it sounds like

i had always thought there was a secret ingredient in beans and toast...that it had some special spices or toppings that gussied it up a little. turns out, it's really just beans on toast. i really wanted to try some, though, so chris offered to make some this afternoon. it was a little different than i had anticipated--the beans weren't pinto or black beans, as i had imagined--rather, they were white beans in tomato sauce.

i had also imagined that you'd put a thin later of beans on top, and pick up the whole toast. instead, you dump loads of beans on the toast and eat with a knife and fork (seriously, the manners here...they eat fries with forks, too! we americans are barbarians). anywho, it was quite a delicious snack, followed by cheezy toast (made with "REAL" cheddar cheese). i want to make some sort of american dish to return the favor, but i don't know what to make. my usual choc chip cookies are impossible because we don't have a mixer. suggestions?

not everyone has great manners, though. last night chris yoinked the cadbury creme egg i was eating out of my hand and shoved it up my nose, sticky fondant and all. i was displeased.

as far as classes go, mine are okay still. i have more work than i expected, since everyone basically said the classes would be a joke. tonight i have to memorize all of ireland's history so that i dont look like an ignoramus in my irish writing class on thursday, and tomorrow night i have to read an entire virginia woolf book. bollocks, i say!

luckily, i'm finally going to primark again tomorrow, with alex, beryl, and lizzie. i plan on going cray-cray, legitly.

i had a nice coffee with my friend sally today, in between our lecture and seminar. perhaps it'll be a tuesday tradition? haha, the guy who works behind the coffee counter at the cafeteria is completely gooftastic. you'd just have to see him...he's reallllly british, in a very adorable sort of way. mark my words, by the end of term we'll be bffs. i'll keep you updated, i know it's oh-so-exciting.

i'm listening to the beatles (paperback wriiiiiter), and wish that they were still all here. i would totally be one of those screaming fans, a la my mother.

well, off to learn,

auf wiedersehen (?),
lilly

what a beautiful day!

i know, i know--two updates in one day? i shouldn't spoil you so...but i had to let out the grand news

its 8 degrees celsius outside (46 fahrenheit), and it feels so incredibly lovely. i feel as if i could prance around in a sundress and sandals! it's true about thickening your blood and adapting to the cold. last night was pretty miserable because it was 25 degrees fahrenheit outside, so today feels absolutely amazing.

i just walked to the grocery and back, wearing just my coat over a shirt (no layering, sucka), and no scarf or gloves. it felt so good.

ah yes, and in other weather-related news, i truly think that the lack of sunlight has made my hair fade (already?!). looks like i'll be a muddy brunette by the time i come home.

sunnily,
lilly

biscuits and digestives

i've been here over a week, and naturally am still learning slang and colloquialisms. last night i tried a digestive, which basically was a cookie covered in chocolate (and was quite tasty!). apparently they were initially marketed to "aid digestion" decades ago, but now people just eat them for the taste. they don't call them digestive cookies, though, they're digestive biscuits. the brits call crumbly, packaged cookies "biscuits," and the "lumpy" cookies you make in the oven "cookies". also, candies here are not called candies. they are sweeties or sweets.

i had been skeptical all week about my friends' claims that british chocolate > american chocolate. i'd tried cadbury eggs at easter, and they were okay, but the chocolate part tasted old, crumbly, and fake. i suppose it was because that chocolate was made in america, under the british name; before chris, alex, mike and i went to see "the reader" last night at the cinema (only 4 pounds, woohoo), we stopped by the grocery to get some sweeties, and i sampled a few types of cadbury and "galaxy" sweets.

i almost wept.

i've wasted years of my life eating substandard chocolate. their chocolate makes ours taste like corpse. it's sooo creamy and sweet (but not saccharine), and makes you feel better the second you eat it. no wonder the kiddles in harry potter eat honeydukes chocolate when they feel ill! i would eat cadbury every day for the rest of my life if i could. i'm planning on bringing bars and bars of it back home to prove that their candy is infinitely better.

but anyways, onto more important news...

my classes last week were really good, but i know they'll be difficult--mostly because they concern topics and themes i've never studied before (the caribbean novel, irish history, in-depth modernism, etc). i have to read a book today that i've been putting off for a few days (didn't help that i was up till 6 in the morning hanging out), as well as go to budgen's to get some food. literally right now i have a can of veg soup, porridge, peanut butter, cherry tomatoes, and a bit of diet coke. i think that i have already lost some poundage (or stonage, rather), merely because i've been skimping on food to save moolah and because i can't figure out how to use the stove in our kitchen to save my life.

no worries, though. what i lack in nutrition i'll make up for with strongbow cider.

and now i'm off to eat my porridge and high-tail it to budgen's. so nice to chat!

x, (that's how the end all online convos here)
lilly

tubularrrr, braaaa!

so much has happened in the past few days that i haven't had much time to blog to your hearts' desires. sorry, chaps! udpates galore:

on tuesday night, we had the usc orientation dinner at wagamama's, a trendy asian fusion place in central london. i had ginger chicken noodles, which were quite tasty, as well as my first legal drink here--tiger beer! as i gorged, i chatted with other trojans and commiserated about the beastly weather and expense of london. thankfully, usc paid for our dinner! and theater tickets!

after dinner, we walked a little bit around piccadilly circus, and saw an unseemly amount of sex/adult/xxx shops, which was quite amusing and unexpected. we were freezing our bums off, though, so we hustled into the criterion theatre (opened in 1874, no less!) to watch a parody of alfred hitchcock's film "the 39 steps". it was quite a laugh, indeed!

then, of course, we had to hit a pub. oh cripes, i've forgotten the name of it. it was my first pub drink, too! i clearly wasn't in the blogging mindset. anyways, i got a half pint of hoegaarden (belgian beer, not that great actually) and downed it because i was insensibly thirsty.

i was chatting with my friend beryl, when a very ugly 40-something man from vancouver approached us. he introduced himself (forgot the name), and then to his two fat forty-something friends from manchester. they started hitting on us hardcore, which was REALLY creepy since they were twice our age, and telling beryl she should model (she's gorgeous). it was very unpleasant, and as we tried to ooch away i heard them drunkenly murmuring "garrrrr, scared them off!". yes, they were piratey. luckily this is not just a cultural difference that we're not used to. the bartender (who had HUGE spacers, btw) kept shooting me sympathetic glances and shaking his head. at least we know not all brits are creeper mcgillicuddies.

anywho, that night had been my first time on the tube this trip! it's quite convenient, actually, though expensive. i put twenty pounds on my oyster card, and today i'm down to about 10. but, that includes yesterday's excusions! read on.

as you may have read, chris (my british flatmate) offered to take me into camden town yesterday. i was very excited to go, since that's where davius spent his semester last year, and happily followed chris to the tube station. first we went to oxford street (shopping like whoa) and went into primark. he wanted to buy a lot of stuff, but didn't find anything. i wanted to go crazy in there, but didn't want to have to drag him around, so i practiced extreme self control and only got three necessary things (sweaters, raincoat, etc). primark is awesomely cheap, but doesn't have dressing rooms, so i blindly bought the goods (upon coming home, i tried the things on and they were very weird, so i'm going back this weekend to return them and spend hours in the store sans chris).

then, he very kindly agreed to help me find a british phone. i got one for a tenner at t-mobile, pay-as-you-go. hooray. (boring)

we took the tube again to camden, which was very cool indeed. there were multiple outdoor markets, selling band shirts, shoes, hemp, punk gear, sex crap, vintage clothes, smoking paraphernalia, everything! we walked around for about an hour, looking at all the hardcore punks and making "your mum" jokes. he then insisted that i try kaBAB (not kabob, apparently), which was tasty as hell and very satisfying. we then tubed and bused it back to campus! i was really glad he was taking me, since i'm still very much a transportation n00b.

upon getting home, i had to quickly get ready for our boat tour of the thames! i met up with beryl, walter and mike (flatmates), and our friend nick, and our hapless group of course took the wrong tube. we were starting to panic that we'd miss the boat, but made it just in the nick of time! we also met another study abroader, erica, on the tube and quickly befriended her.

the boat ride itself was really funny. there was no tour, it just went up and down the river multiple times. the promised dinner ended up being an ice-cold buffet (chilly samosas? frosty chicken? thanks, england), but the dj and dance floor definitely made up for it. we danced for hours, and made friends with this jamaican guy who kept coming over to dance with us. jolly good fun, indeed! ah, and here are some craplicious blurry photos to show you--sorry for the quality. they were taken from the inside of a moving boat, have mercy.

beryl + me recovering after dancing

PRIME MERIDIAN, YO!

london bridge!

cool hospital

london architecture > la architecture

the eye of london!

unidentified sweet building

snap its the palace!

hai big ben!

another big ben/palace photo

well, i suppose i could tell you about my classes, too, since i've had two more since my last post. but, not today! i have to scarf lunch and head off to modern irish writing. tonight apparently we're all getting toasted, going to get some curry at brick lane, then doing karaoke.

uh ohhhhhh,
lilly

i am lilly-livered

i've slowly been getting used to living in the east end of london. on sunday, after our orientation finished up, i walked by myself to sainsbury's, a local supermarket. it was a 25 minute walk there, and i spent about an hour in the store, which was insanely packed with people. i've never seen so many people in a supermarket at once. i was happy to finally get a towel, mattress cover, and other necessities, though.

on the way back home, i'm pretty sure i scared away a potential thief, haha. i was having trouble carrying my bulky bags due to my frozen (and gloved) fingers. i paused for a moment at a bus stop to rearrange my bags, when i noticed a sketchball walking towards me (no other people were nearby). i stopped rearranging my bags and gave him the look of death, which made him turn slightly and avoid coming any closer. crisis averted.

then, yesterday, classes began. i had my "play and book" class, which will cover medieval drama (or dramerrrr, as they pronounce it). the professor seems very sweet and knowledgable, but unfortunately the class is almost entirely american students--i hope my class today has more brits!

in more interesting news, i've been getting to know my flatmates a little better. last night we hung out in the kitchen for hours, and i had my first taste of "strongbow" (canned english cider), which kind of tasted like very sweet beer. i liked it! however, many of the british kids here party almost every night, which i already know won't be happening for me. of course i'll go out with them and such, but these kids get wankered nightly, where as i'm more of an occasional imbiber. plus, who drinks on a school night?? oh right, everyone else...

haha, last night was quite fun though. i'd like to meet some more brits and see some more of london. actually, i'm going to have the opportunity tomorrow! chris is taking me into camden town, which apparently is the "rock and roll" part of london. should be proper fun! more details to come.

tonight i'm going to the usc orientation dinner and "39 steps" show, which is very exciting. i'd better get my atm card to start working soon..since i'm rapidly running out of quid and want to buy things at the camden market tomorrow! and i have to get my oyster card and mobile...

anyways, blog to-do lists are boring and no fun. so i'll end it here. sorry for no pictures, perhaps i'll take some tonight and tomorrow.

sod off,
lilly

INDIAN FOOD

last night i finally got a chance to get out of the lonely hotel, and was picked up by peter and pippa (parents' british friends) in the evening. they gave me a lovely little tour of the city by car--though i must say peter drives a bit erratically--and we made it to their friend robbie's house on the other side of town.

i was offered a beer, but politely declined (like a fool) because i'm so unused to being able to drink openly and legally. american prude!

we walked to a vegetarian indian place called "kadoosh" or something like that, and it was bloody cold outside. i was read for some hot, delicious curry...and the restaurant certainly delivered. we had at least five different types of curry--banana curry, pumpkin curry, mung bean curry, and others i can't even remember. all of them were so unique and complex and AMAZING! LA indian food should kill itself.

afterwards, peter and pippa very kindly drove me back to my hotel, where i had a good night's sleep. this morning's breakfast wasn't a madhouse, but still swimming with frenchies.

but the biggest, most glorious news is that i finally got to move into my room today. the cab dropped me off randomly on campus somewhere, and i wandered around with all of my luggage for awhile before i spotted some peeps who had just gotten back from the airport, and got the lowdown.

so i got to unpack, and was delighted to find that i have my own shower and toilet (though the toilet is located practically inside the shower...see pictures below)

the usual clutter

view from my room

with the curtain closed

with the curtain opened (toilet practically inside shower)

my colourful room

i met a very friendly girl who lives on my floor, named alex--she took me and a guy named mike to "budgen's" store, which had some nice fruits, veggies (or vedge, as they call it here), and yogurts, among other things. after we got back, alex invited me to tea in our kitchen, and we chatted for a long time, comparing english and american school systems, sports, etc.

then, we got a complimentary irish dinner at "the curve," the restaurant located at the bottom of our building. i had a hearty vegetable soup with cabbage and carrots on the side--jolly good!

and alexcat and i figured out how to use our webcams via skype. we're so high-tech!

lastly, there are between 4 and 5 squished mosquitos on various walls in my room. why though.

cheerio,
lilly

ps...for some odd reason the blog's posting time is inaccurate. i actually posted this on jan 4, at 12:07 am. freaking amateurs.

oh yes, and i added the pictures to the post below. hooray!

london should be renamed "new paris"

after last night's late post, i decided to try to get a few more hours of sleep. unfortunately, since i had only eaten a small yogurt and apple within the previous 24 hours, my rumbling stomach kept me awake for a few hours. luckily, i eventually fell asleep, waking up a few hours later to rush down to the hotel's "continental breakfast".

the cafeteria--or canteen, as they call it here--was bursting with people, mostly families, couples, and people my age. i grabbed a roll and a bowl of granola, but they didn't have spoons, so i ate the granola with a fork, haha. it tasted so good after being really hungry. plus, they only offered whole milk, which made it extra delicious! i had also spooned some orange chunks onto my plate, but it turns out they had been canned...i've been trying to eat fruit and such. dont want to get scurvy, haha.

anywho, over breakfast i caught snippets of people's conversations, and almost every single one was in french. the few that weren't were in italian. it seems the royal national is a hotspot for euro holidays!

i didn't really want to walk to the british national museum after breakfast because i was still tired, dirty (the hotel only has soap, no shampoo or conditioner), and pretty unsure as to how to get around. but i decided that i had to press forward! i google mapped how to get to the museum, which should be a 10 minute walk. i got a little lost, so it took me 20 minutes, but was well worth it! the place was flooded with people (again, mostly french), and it is gigantic. i skimmed half the museum, and it took an hour and a half. the other half i'll save for another day!

i must admit, it was nice going by myself, because you can go where you want, rest when you like, take your time or hurry up. the museum had all sorts of interesting and beautiful things, from ancient egypt, greece, rome, medieval europe, and 19th century england. the british museum is run a bit differently than ours; there are no guards, you can take as many flash photos as you want, and they have tours for the blind called "touch tours" where they can touch the artifacts! very cool.

and now, for photographic evidence...

cool architecture!

OH SNAP ITS THE ROSETTA STONE! and yes that's my reflection in the glass

THE GUY ON THE RIGHT = VOLDEMORT!!!

my next birthday presents, obvi

mosaic-laden stairs

modern chinese sculpture

1/1937576th of london

outside of the museum

the view from my room at 4pm. yeah, it was already dark.

ahahaha me right after getting to the hotel. i wasn't tired or anything

daytime view from hotel room

after i went to the museum, i moseyed around in search of a chemist (pharmacy), thinking perhaps they'd sell shampoo and lotion there. i didn't find one, but there was a tesco (supercheap british chain), so i got shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a banana--all for a fiver and pence! i felt very accomplished, haha. even the simplest tasks here (buying things, crossing the street..) are difficult, just because they're different. identifying streets is slightly problematic, too...because there are no signs, haha. but i enjoyed my jaunt around today, so i'm sure i'll get used to it! when i had to cross the street i just lingered behind people who knew what they were doing.

as for the weather, it's really not bad! it's been a little cloudy out, and chilly, but at least there's no wind or rain! my coat and chucks are holding up just fine. and now, i'm off to read my book and await dinner with peter and pippa, some british friends of my parents. i hope that it's somewhere good, since i'm only having a banana for lunch! i'm skimping on food so that i'll have more money for travel! clever, clever!

much london love,
lilly

london calling, see we ain't got no swing

i know, i know--everyone warned me that i should stay up as late as possible on my first night, but i ended up passing out at 7 (or rather--19:00). so here i am, wide awake at 1:30 in the morning and ready to spill the beans on my travels thus far!

might as well start at the beginning. my flight left (yesterday? i suppose two days ago) from lax at 5:40 in the evening. my parents were kind enough to make sure i got through check in alright, then left me at security. it was very hard saying goodbye, especially since i've never been far away from home. however, my tears were soon dried when i got to the end of the security line. there was a man asking each person a different question about the US government. the girl in front of me was asked "who was the 16th president of the united states?" and i thought the guy was just being facetious and messing around with people. turns out, nope, it's a legit test.

when he asked her i realized if it had been me, my mind was so clouded and convoluted that i probably would have said "king james" or something equally preposterous. i resolved to focus very hard when he asked me my question. it was, "under what branch does the president work?" i successfully replied "the executive branch," and was congratulated. i got off easy!

i smilingly asked the man what would've happened if i had gotten the question wrong. he said i would've been led away and subjected to further questioning. thank goodness i know the rudimentary basics of our government!

anywho, finally i got to board the plane. i asked the british woman sitting in the aisle seat if i "she would care to switch seats" with me, since i had the window seat and knew i'd have to get up to climb over her and her child. she declined the offer, so i squished into my dratted window seat.

the plane was filled with children. i don't know why people think it's a grand idea to bring their infants on international flights, but apparently it's fairly routine over here. i would guess that about 25% of the plane was under the age of 3. at any given point during the entire flight there was at least one baby crying. it's okay though, it wasn't miserable. the 11 hours didn't seem very long at all, and british airways has decent food.

before we landed, i cracked open the windows and looked outside to see a thick blanket of clouds below us. since we were above them, the sun was shining brightly through the window. as we were landing, we were submerged in clouds for about four solid minutes--then, beautiful, green england came into view! i peered out over farms, old, dilapidated houses, and cars driving on the left side of the road. i couldn't wait for the drive to the hotel!

however, there was a little delay getting our baggage. while everyone waited for the bags to come out, an awkward, middle-aged british man who worked at the airport struck up a conversation with me. he asked how long i was staying, we spoke about different neighborhoods and the weather, etc. he gave me some helpful hints! the only probalem was that he mumbled a lot, and i couldn't understand half of what he said because of it. i just kept smiling and nodding, like a fooligan. eventually he said some rather nasty comments aboout romanians and bulgarians, which was when i decided it was time to seriously look for my baggage and get going. other than that, though, he was a friendly (though a little odd) guy.

the english border control is really loosey-goosey. i was like "well, i'll be here for five months" and they didn't ask to see proof of roundtrip or anything. they said "alright, then!" and stamped my visa on my passport! they didn't even notice that i had smuggled an apple into the country in my purse...

anyways, my hotel shuttle came about an hour later, and the driver was everything i could've hoped for--knowledgeable, hilarious, and oh-so-british. for the first fifteen minutes of the drive it was just the two of us in the van, and he must've though i was delirious, because i was cracking up at everything he said. the only thing that didn't amuse me was when he started talking about how my school's neighborhood--mile end--was a bad area and full of "coloreds." i didn't appreciate the comment at all, but didn't know exactly what to do, so i just kept my trap irritatedly shut.

however, later, when we picked up more passengers, our driver started joking around even more and making ridiculous announcements over the van loudspeaker. i was giggling at everything he said, but apparently no one else thought he was funny. oh well.

the drive to the hotel was beautiful. there were so many old, british-looking homes, countless soccer fields, cows, and some cool-looking, modern buildings. the driver dropped me off at my hotel--the royal national--and pointed out the british museum, which is only a few blocks away. i'm planning on going later today! it has to be in the morning, before it gets dark. the sky is pitch black by 16:40.

the hotel instantly reminded me of either a hostel or a dorm, because it's kind of run-down and all of the guests are european (french, german, italian...i've heard all sorts of voices outside my door!). at the moment it's a bit lonely being here by myself, but i know that in a few days when i move into queen mary it'll all be jolly-olly. it's a bit scary traveling by yourself as a female, but i've been keeping my eyes peeled. the people i've spoken to here so far have been surprised that i'm by myself.

in the airport i looked like a freak because i kept swiveling my backpack around so no one could touch it, hahaha.

well, i'm right knackered. i'm trying to use as much cocked up british jargon as possible so that i'll fit in more, bahaha. like that will happen. bloody ginga.

cheers,
lilly