Amazing.

On Thursday we went to the V&A Museum for our seminar. We had the choice to either go there, or to The Natural History museum and we chose the V&A because we though we'd learn more to have our seminar leader there with us rather than the Natural History. The V&A is hands down the best museum I've ever visited. It reminded me of the museums that we went to in Chicago, Dad! While I enjoyed the British Museum, the V&A was structured in a way that was easier for me to follow and I was therefore able to learn more rather than simply walking around looking at artifacts that I had no idea what they meant. For seminar, we were instructed to pay attention to questions like, "How have the exhibitions been assembled?-e.g. are there information boards/scripts at the beginning? What is the relationship between objects and text? Is the emphasis on text or objects?" Knowing to pay attention to these things before entering the first room really set a good groundwork for how I was supposed to look at the exhibitions in order to gain the most information. That's what this course is really about .. learning how to look at museums in the most information-gaining manner. I love it. After we had two hours to explore the museum on our own, I went to lunch with Cori and two girls in our module. We went to a local pub and had fish and chips and a beer. It was the first time I got fish and chips since I've been here and it was delicious. (This is completely random, but I think it's interesting to share that people here have baked beans with their breakfast haha). After lunch I came home and hung out with Taryn for a bit. My flatmate Richie's brother was visiting, so we hung out in the kitchen with them for a bit and then a few of us went to Blu (a local pub) and had fishbowls (look at facebook for photos). Then we went to Roadtrip with a few people and had a drink and then I came home and relaxed.

On Friday, ISA had arranged a trip for us to go have afternoon tea at Harrods! We arrived at the tube stop right outside of Hyde Park and took a quick tour of the park and then proceeded to Harrods. This was the first time that I've seen Harrods and it blew my mind. When we walked into the restaurant where we were going to have tea, I've never seen such a fancy place. Massive crystal chandeliers everywhere, and huge flower arrangements. Everyone was dressed to the nines .. and in walks a group of 20 Americans. I'm sure they loved that haha. We had all you could eat sandwiches (cucumber, ham and mustard, salmon, egg, and aged cheddar and balsamic), desserts (with fruit, with chocolate, mini cheesecakes), crumpets, and all you could drink tea. It was phenomenal and we all DEFINITELY took advantage of the "all you can eat" haha. After tea we went and explored Harrods. There's a huge pet store in there where you can buy puppies. There's also a "puppy spa" that has a mini massage table and fluffy pillow for the puppy to pay on, surrounded by candles and aromatherapy. There's also a treadmill in the puppy spa, that has a 42 inch flat screen LCD television at puppy eye level. Your puppy can happily enjoy the spa for only 1,700pounds for two hours ..... ridiculous haha. I also saw a 94,000pound cell phone that was encrusted with diamonds .. and a 164,000pound ring. We then went to the "cheaper" section of Harrods, and saw 80pound socks ...... we then left haha. It was just beyond ridiculous to even imagine being able to shop in that building .. but it was certainly fun to look around. Friday night we hung out with Richie's brother again, and just hung out at the flat to save money.

On Saturday, ISA arranged a tour of Parliament for us. When we got to our meeting place, we were told that Parliament was closed because of the riots. There were at least 200 police officers lining the streets around Parliament and Westminster Abbey and a TON of people picketing. It was cool to see this in action. The riots ended just in time for us to be able to continue on our tour. We were handed our tickets, and then proceeded down a long walkway that lead us to the entrance of Parliament. We were only allowed to enter 4 people at a time, because once you walked through the doors you had immediate screening. I'm talking full body metal detector, shoes and jackets off, scanned bags and cell phones .. every safety precaution that would be taken at the airport. We then had to wear a lanyard around our necks the entire time with a sign that said, "VISITOR HAS BEEN SCREENED." Once we were appropriately screened, we were able to proceed to the next room, Westminster Hall (the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate). Westminster hall has been the center of the Parliament since the 11th century and it holds about 900 years of England's history. It is an EXTREMELY huge room with a very high ceiling. This was the only room where we were allowed to take photos, but it wasn't well lit so I didn't get any good shots besides the one of the stained glass window that I posted on Facebook. We waited for about 20 minutes in the hall, and then met our tour guide, Helen. We then proceeded through the doors into Parliament and began the tour right inside the entrance where the Queen enters when she comes to Parliament once a year to begin the Parliamentary year. We walked the route that she walks from that door, into her Robing Room. The Robing Room had a red velvet chair with a red velvet foot rest at the end of the very long room, surrounded by velvet red curtains .. all were extremely tattered from age, wear, and sunlight. When the queen arrives at Parliament, she wears a long, white dress and a diamond tiara. Her crown arrives 45 minutes prior to her arrival in its own carriage. When the Queen enters her Robing Room, she puts on a red robe and then proceeds into the room where her crown waits. We went into this room, where there was a decent throne made of gold. The Queen would then put on her crown and begin her procession to the House of Commons. We walked in her footsteps, and entered the House of Commons, where her MASSIVE THRONE resides. Seeing the throne was legit the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Her throne is surrounded by walls that are laden in gold and exquisite detail. The King's throne (which is right next to hers) is 4 inches shorter than hers, because the Queen needs to be at least a head taller than the King at all time to symbolize her stature (although the current King and Queen end up about the same height when sitting down because the King is very tall). We were allowed to stand in between the seats that would usually be filled with people appointed to sit in the House of Commons (we, of course, were not allowed to sit down because we are not worthy). Once the Queen takes her seat in her throne, she gives what is called the "Queen's Speech," even though she does not write the speech. It is in fact written by the Prime Minister and it entails all of the laws that he wishes to be passed during the newly begun Parliamentary year. Once "her speech" is finished, a guy who holds a 6 foot long white staff signals the House of Lords by waving his staff. The two houses are separated by what I would estimate to be about 100 yards, and through MANY MANY doorways (that are perfectly aligned) another guy is standing next to the Prime Minister (who sits in the House of Lords) with a 6 foot long black staff. Once the House of Lords receives the signal, the members proceed down the long walkway to the House of Commons. Upon reaching the entrance, the House of Commons slams the door in their face and the House of Lords has to knock on the door to be allowed entry. There is nowhere for the House of Lords' representatives to sit, but they are permitted to stand in the back of the room below an overhang. The two houses then listen to whatever needs to be listened to, and then separate to discuss what they think about what was discussed when they were together. (Sorry if this is vague .. there was a lot to remember). I really like the next step in the process. England is all about history and preserving traditions. When Parliament first began, there was obviously no electronic counting devices to tally votes .. so obviously once electronic counting devices were invented, this had no impact on how Parliament counted their votes since traditions DO NOT CHANGE HERE. After the two houses split to discuss how they believe the joint discussion went, they have 8 minutes to cast their vote for any laws that are up for voting. They proceed to either the "Yes" room or the "No" room. Once inside their respective rooms, they check in and then leave the room through doors that are situated in a way that only one person can go through at a time. This is how they vote. No "miscounts" no "recounts" no bullshit .. you either vote yes or no, and that's it. Everyone in Parliament is required to vote, and they NEED to be there within 8 minutes (I'm not sure of the consequence). Something interesting that we learned when we were inside the House of Lords was that you are 1. Not allowed to call someone a liar and 2. Not allowed to insinuate that someone is drunk. Winston Churchill got around both of these rules by, rather than calling someone a liar, claiming that something that someone just said was a "Terminological inexactitude" ... he also, rather than calling someone drunk, claimed that someone was just "tired and emotional" so in England if anyone calls you tired and emotional, they are insinuating that you are drunk. Haha I love it. This was a random rant, but interesting. After we left the "Yes room," we walked down a few more halls and then back into Westminster Hall where we finished our tour. I loveddd this tour and it really changed my view of America and it's government. I want to learn more about the government here and the government back at home before I make any claims regarding which government I like better, but my view of America has definitely changed as of right now. After Parliament I came home and took a nap and then all of us headed to a nightclub by Green Park called Aura. We were there for all of 20 minutes and then came home and drank there because one drink at Aura could cost up to 16pounds (about $32).


Yesterday (Sunday) ISA arranged a tour of Tower of London. We walked across Tower Bridge to get there, and that was pretty awesome. Tower of London was beautiful and it was really cool to be inside of the walls. We saw some torture rooms, and torture devices. There are ravens that live all throughout the grounds of the tower. I forget the exact reason why they are kept there, but they even have cages and homes which they can live in .. something historical regarding a tradition, I'm sure. The royal jewels are in the tower, too. We saw a 500+ karat diamond the size of a fist that is conveniently placed inside of a crown. All of the crowns are placed about a foot away from each other in a long narrow case. On either side of the case are moving sidewalks (like the Jetsons) that you stand on and go very slowly past the crowns. You're not allowed to stand and look at them at your own pace .. the pace is set for you as to allow everyone their fair share of viewing time. After the tour of Tower of London, we went on a tour of  the history of Jack the Ripper. We saw where some of his victims' bodies were found and walked the streets where the murders took place. The tour guide was really cool and he really contributed to the feel of the walk. It was absolutely freezing yesterday, but the sun was out so I can't really complain. The Jack the Ripper tour ended at Spitafields Market, so after it ended Natalie and I walked back to our flat. I stayed in for the rest of the night with Taryn and relaxed.

Today I did all of my laundry and cleaned my room. It cost me 14pounds to wash/dry my clothes .. bullshit. But it feels so good to have all of my clothes and room clean! Last week, I sent my Color Theory professor from last year a picture that I took while here in London because it reminded me of a painting of his that was hanging in his office. He responded to my email by telling me that his son was going to be in London this week with a band called "Gage the Elephant" .... this was right up there with dad's "Spacebook" or "Myface" because the band is actually called Cage the Elephant (I love them). He asked if he should have his son (Jay) contact me once he got here, and I of course said yes. He facebook friend requested me almost immediately and said that both of Cage the Elephants' shows while they are here are already sold out, but asked if he could get me on the list to a show if I'd be interested in going. Of course! So tonight they are all coming down to our area to get drinks with Taryn and I .. I'm really excited. I'll let you know how that goes, and if we'll be able to go to a show!

Love you <3

Yess!

Ahhh! Such a crazy last few days. This is the first week of actual classes, since last week was "syllabus week" .. and it's the first time that I feel like I actually live in London. Up until now I have felt like I've been on vacation, and now it is starting to feel like home .. SO WEIRD! On Monday I had to wake up at 7:30 to be able to make it to International Marketing at Harrow in the morning since one of the lines that leads out of the city was "in good service" (being worked on). As soon as I woke up I knew it was going to be a hectic Monday morning  ..... obviously a Dave-on-my-iPod kind of day. I put the music on as high as it could go and headed for the tube station. I had to make four exchanges on the tube .. during rush hour ..... it was fantastic. Rush hours on the tube are like a video game, and this was the first time that I experienced what it was like to be on the tube .. all noises cancelled out .. music in my ears. It was the first time that I felt like London was becoming my home and it was amazing. With the line being in good service, I barely made it to class on time but when I got there he hadn't started the lecture yet since he knew people would be late. This was the first time that I enjoyed International Marketing and my module leader. My seminar leader was out sick, so I got to see the module leader in seminar form and he was completely different. It's crazy how the professors here don't allow you to see their personal side during lecture! So formal and structured .. I love it so much more than school at home. After seminar I met Cori at ISA for soda and a little chill time before she had class. Kate and Kim showed up, and were going to go explore somewhere and said I could go with them, and it was a really good night. We went and explored Notting Hill and walked down Portobello Road and looked in some shops. Our destination? Gourmet Burger Kitchen ( http://www.gbk.co.uk/menu/burgers/ ). I got the Mexican Burger (Sour cream, avocado, spicy kidney bean salsa, mayo and salad). There are pictures on my Facebook .. so ridiculous haha. Once we were done eating we went outside and it had started to rain, so we stopped in a local shop and got some posters for our rooms and Kim got a really cool ink pen. Then I came back to my flat and hung out with Taryn. Taryn is my flatmate from Chicago who I didn't really meet until last week. She is also a Virgo, she is a Psychology major, and she is beyond unbelievable. We went out and explored our area around 10pm and it like a completely different city to me for some reason. Since I always travel by underground tube and never by car or bus, I never get to actually visibly see what landmarks I am passing during the commute. But now that I've explored so many areas just by walking around, I'm starting to understand and find a sense of direction here .. so cool. 


And here comes the reason for this entry being titled "Yess!" ..... yesterday (Tuesday). I met with Henry, Emily, Mary and Taryn at 9:15am to head to our Sexualities class that we have together. We had different lecture and seminar leaders yesterday because our regular module leader was out on bereavement. After class Taryn and I went to Argos and got some stuff for the kitchen, and I came home to meet Cori, Dori, and Kim to BOOK OUR TRAVEL SCHEDULE!!! I just finished filling out my calendar, so I'm going to list everything that I'm doing and when I'm doing it so anyone who had planned to visit can see times for when it would be possible. Some of the trips are included with ISA.

January 28 .. Afternoon tea at Harrod's and Hyde Park tour - ISA
January 29 .. House of Parliament tour - ISA
February 1 .. Totem Cirque du Soleil in London
February 2 .. BBC World Studios tour - ISA
February 4 .. Visiting Ben Franklin's home, the Freud Museum, and Sherlock Holmes Museum
February 5 .. Stratford on Avon & Warwick Castle
February 9 .. Tour of Chelsea Football Stadium - ISA
February 10-14 .. BARCELONA, SPAIN!!
February 24 .. National Gallery tour
February 25-28 .. DUBLIN, IRELAND!!
March 3 .. Tour of The Bank of England - ISA
March 4-7 .. AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS!!
March 9 .. V&A Museum and Natural History Museum - ISA
March 12 .. Stonehenge & Bath - ISA
March 13 .. Cambridge - ISA
March 16 .. "We Will Rock You" - ISA
March 18-20 .. Paris?? (not booked yet)
March 25-27 .. Edinborough?? (not booked yet)
April 1-April 17 -- FREE SO FAR .. Mom, Dad? This is over Spring Break.
April 18-27 .. ITALY!! (Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence, back to Milan)
April 29 .. The Royal Wedding
May 7 .. Windsor Castle - ISA
May 19 .. ISA Farewell Thames River Cruise & Dinner

I'll be going to Croatia and Prague for a week at some point in May .. we're just waiting for our exam schedules to be released (sometime in February). So .. besides whichever week I end up in Croatia and Prague, the rest of March is FREE. All of June is also FREE .. Mama's coming at some point and she has first call.

June 25 .. Final day in London :(

Ahh! Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me this once and a (rare) lifetime opportunity! I love you both so much and can't wait to share my life here with you!


Ok. That was my Tuesday! Today (Wednesday) I had Public History lecture 10-11am. After class I came home and slept until 4:30pm, and then left for Marketing Research from 6-9. Now here I am, wide awake, and somehow it's already 1am. I honestly don't think I'll ever get on a good sleeping schedule while I'm here. At least I got this written!! Tomorrow we're taking our first Public History seminar trip to the V&A Museum and The Natural History Museum. I'm so excited!

I hope I have passed all of my positive energy to you through my keystrokes .. I've had a smile on my face this entire time. I love knowing that people are reading this :)

LOVE YOU <3

Week 2

I figured I'd wait until I had a full week of classes so that I could adequately recap my week. My classes are amazing, and so are my professors. The way that Uni (not college) works here is you have an hour lecture, and a subsequent seminar for each module that you take. Sometimes the lecture/seminar are right after each other, and sometimes they're on different days. I really like this format because you get to have two professors for each module .. the lecturer is a lot more rigid than the seminar leader, and the seminar is much more informal and helpful. We get to discuss everything that we learned in lecture, and have discussions on any assignments that we may have coming up.

On Monday morning 10-11am I have lecture for International Marketing, and then from 11:30-12:30 I have my seminar. Both of these modules are held on the Harrow campus, which is 45 minutes outside of the city (without tube delays) so I need to leave my flat at 8:45 to get there on time. My lecturer for this module is insanely monotone and boring, but the class seems like it's going to be a lot of fun. The seminar leader is hilarious, and is personal friends with my favorite Consumer Behavior psychologist, Michael Solomon .. which is pretty amazing. It was really interesting to learn about the other students in my class .. there are students from the UK, Beijing, Denmark, Sweden, France, America and Morocco. I only have three assignments for this module, and no exams.

On Tuesday 10-11am I have my lecture and 12-14pm I have my seminar for Sexualities, my Sociology course. I have a couple friends in that class, which is really nice because we do a lot of group discussions. This will be one of the easier courses. My seminar leader is the same as my lecturer, and we only have two grades (one essay, one manifesto) and no exams.

Wednesdays 10-11am is my lecture for Public History: London, History and Museums, and my seminar is on Thursday from 12-14. Cori is in both my lecture and my seminar, and this is going to be a great class! We talk about history for an hour during the lecture, and then for the seminar we go to a different museum every week for two hours. This will be the class that teaches me the most, and I'm really looking forward to seeing and learning a lot about London and history in general. Both my lecturer and seminar leader are a lot of fun and it's going to be a great course.

Wednesdays from 18-19:30 I have my lecture for Marketing Research, and my seminar is 19:30-21. Having class until 9pm isn't that great, but this is the class I was most looking forward to. Most of my work this semester will be for this class, but it will be fun and nothing I haven't done before. We have to form research groups and then conduct 200 interviews on something regarding marketing research, analyze the data, and write a formal essay as well as give a presentation on what we found. We formed our group so far, but we haven't finalized what we're going to research. I think it's going to be a fun project, especially because we have to do so many interviews .. it'll give us a chance to get into the city and talk to some random people. Research is my favorite, so this is easily going to be my favorite class.

So those are my classes .. no class on Friday! Last Sunday I went to a fantastic church service at Westminster Abbey with Cori, Kim, Mike and Sam and then we all met up with Natalie for dinner at Pizza Express. I kept kind of low this week with classes and all, but I got to go shopping for a new coat and a pair of boots and a few shirts. We explored Camden Town which is AMAZING! So many cool shops and HUGE markets. I got a great tapestry that I hung behind my bed .. if any of you Skype me you'll be able to see it :) Thursday night was kind of crazyy. Cori and I made dinner (pasta, and Salmon with lemon and capers) for Mike and we finalized our traveling schedule. I'll post that for you all to see once we book the trips this week! After dinner, Cori and I met up with Emily and Addie for girls night and we went to this really nice bar called Callooh Callay that is right around the corner. Emily knew the bartender because of a family friend, and he hooked us up with drinks and an exclusive table that you should have to reserve. They closed at 11, so then we went to a local pub called Trafik and everyone that we knew was there. We stayed there for a drink, and then we went to a local club called Mothers for a drink. Then we went to Roadtrip for a drink, and then we went to Bar Aquarium. Bar Aquarium has a full-sized, heated pool inside of it! Cori and I met some boys there, and we stayed until 4am. We came home and went to bed around 6:30 haha. It was the best night I've had in London so far! On Friday I took Natalie, Dori, Cori and Mary to Spitafields Market (the one that I found with Mike in my second post). We ate lunch at Chopp'd again, and then decided to head home because it was the first day that was actually really cold. We decided to take the tube because it would be quicker than walking, but when we got there I realized that my Oyster card was in my other purse so they all took the tube home and I walked because it wasn't that far and I didn't feel like buying a day pass. I took some photos that day, and they're posted on my Facebook. After that I came home and rearranged my room, hung up the tapestry that I bought, and then went out with some people to The Light (a local pub). It was really crowded, so we went to Trafik again until they closed. After they closed I came home and Skyped Joanna immediately. She then brought the laptop down into her family room where the ENTIRE Caruso family was celebrating Joey, Rachel, Carolynn and Suzy's birthdays! I got to say hi to everyone, and sing happy birthday to everyone! It made me so happy <3 <3. I love that family so much haha. On Saturday, Natalie and I went to Primark - it's a MASSIVE store that is basically the combination of Target, Kohls, and Forever 21 .. only cheaper and better clothes. It was the most heinous experience that I've had since I've been here and I really don't want to talk about it haha. There were just SO MANY PEOPLE there, we had to wait in queue for a half hour to try our clothes on, and then wait in another queue for a half hour just to purchase the clothes. I bought one pair of jeans and chapstick. The whole ordeal took 3 hours. It was pure insanity, and I will never go back there again. Saturday night I was going to stay in, but I ended up having a beer in Mary's flat and then we went to Roadtrip for a beer and then I came home. Aunt Sandi, Uncle Pete and the kids were at my parents house, and my dad was making his FAMOUS and DELICOUS homemade pizza. There is nothing better than his pizzas!! It was torture watching them eat, but it was so nice to get to talk to and see everyone! I love you guys so much! Seeing everyone at my house made me sad for the first time since I've been here. It made me really homesick, but it was still really good to see you guys! I went to bed after Skyping with them for about an hour. Today I woke up at 10, did some homework, watched the last two episodes of the first season of this British series called Misfits (Joanna, WATCH IT .. you will LOVE IT!). Then I met up with Natalie, Jordan and Kentucky(Mike) and we went to a beautiful church service at St. Paul's Cathedral. What a breathtaking building! After the service we went to dinner in Chinatown, and then we came home and here I am. It has been a great week, and I'm looking forward to classes this week so that we can finally get into the swing of things and I can get a good schedule started.

Sorry for slacking on entries. I'll try to update this during the week now that things are starting to calm down. Love you and miss you all! <3

Quick update.

Today my friend Mike and I explored all of Hoxton area, and a little bit of the city. We found this really old church with wood and stone floors, and when we came out there were two homeless men sitting on the front steps and another man on a bike. We asked the man on the bike, Chris, what religion the church was and he believed it to be the Church of England, and told us that it was bombed during WWII. He told us that the homeless use the church to worship, and he is part of an organization that works to help them. He asked if we were interested in seeing some old churches and then told us about this other one that was right near where he was about to go and offered to lead us in the right direction. It was about a 20 minute walk and the entire time he told us everything he knew about every single part of the area. He moved here from Canada 12 years ago so he knew quite a lot and he really helped us get a good feel for the area. On the way we passed Spitafields Market and spent a good hour in there. They had fantastic clothes and jewelry and scarves and everything! We ate at Chop'd, a chain around here .. I had a delicious mozzarella, pesto and roasted red pepper wrap. Then we walked through the city and got on the tube, which we took to St. Paul's Cathedral. I can't believe how massive and beautiful the building is! To enter, we needed to pay 15pounds so we are going to wait until we can get in for free during a service. When we walked out, the sky got really dark, and with a single flash of lightening the rain started coming down torrentially along with hail. There is a picture of me standing on the steps of the cathedral looking out over the city right before all of this started. After that, we came home .. I cleaned my room, and then had some people over to my flat. Everyone just went out but I'm staying in tonight to get some sleep because I think I'm getting sick. Overall, it was a great day. I'll write tomorrow .. I have some fun things planned. Goodnight <3

The first week

So I'm sorry for not updating everyone sooner, but here we go ....

How does one pack for six months?? I obviously should have started packing more than two days before my flight, but that didn't happen .. so my final days in the states were decently stressful. To be able to make it to JFK on time for my flight we had to leave the house around 2pm, and I finished packing at about 1:45 haha. When I say that I finished packing, I mean my parents finished removing about half of the stuff that I packed so that my bags would be accepted (thanks mom and dad). We went and said bye to the rest of my family, and were off to New York early enough to get some dinner at the Sheraton by the airport once we got down there. So we ate some food, drank a decent amount of wine, and then they dropped me off at the terminal. Sad/excited/scared to death .. I said goodbye and began what I can only assume will be the journey of a lifetime. And wow, has it been the journey of a lifetime so far ...

I am traveling with a program called ISA (http://www.studiesabroad.com/) and they have made everything ridiculously easy for me so far. When I arrived at Heathrow at 11am London time, I had instructions to walk to Terminal 3 where ISA representatives would be waiting for me. They were waiting at the top of the stairs, holding ISA signs and smiling! They walked me over to the waiting area where the rest of the students in the program were sitting, and I got to meet everyone (some of whom were waiting there since 6am .. sorry guys!). I was then given a packet with everything that I'd need, including an international cell phone with two fully charged sim cards, and my Oyster card (for unlimited access to the tube and buses for the first week while I'm here). After waiting for another hour for the remaining students to arrive, we left Heathrow and headed for our residence halls. My flat (Alexander Fleming) is located right in the center of Hoxton Square, which is like the Brooklyn of London. We're surrounded by pubs, and nightclubs, and restaurants. There is the most beautiful graffiti that I've ever seen on most of the walls, and I can't wait to take some photos and post them for you guys. I have five flatmates, four of whom are from the UK (Leon, Richie, Becci and Barbie(Krista)) and one is from the states (Taryn). I couldn't have been luckier with the flatmates that I was assigned, and I can't even begin to explain how much their presence has helped me ease into this whole situation.

The first day there, we got settled into our flats and were shown where we could buy groceries and bedding. After that, all of the Fleming kids went out to dinner at the local Noodle Bar (delicious!). We were all advised to be in bed by no later than 9pm ... but that didn't happen even though we were all exhausted. We went to a local pub and I didn't get to bed until around 5am. I justified this by telling myself that it was only midnight at home. However, I neglected to admit to myself that the following morning, when I had to be at the ISA office at 11:30, it would really be like 6:30am at home. Waking up was a task, but I made it to the office and we had our orientation to the program. We then were taken on a 3 mile walking tour of London! We saw Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Circus, Kings Cross, St. James Park, Green Park, Liechester Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, House of Parliament, London Eye and Trafalgar Square. Then we went to dinner with the Kings College kids (where my friend Chelsea goes) down by Tower Bridge. Once I figure out how to post photos in here I'll do so, but until then go check out my Facebook for the picture of the view that we had from our dinner table. So beautiful! After dinner we went to a few pubs and was in bed by about 5am .... oops. At 9am the next morning we had a four hour orientation at Westminster and we learned about how our classes are going to work and anything else we'd need to know about attending a Uni in London. Classes start on Monday  (the 17th) so I'm really looking forward to that! After orientation, my friend Natalie and I went on an adventure to find Hogwarts via Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station (again, refer to Facebook for photos). While trying to find it, we walked down this very long platform only to reach a dead end. We turned around and were walking back, and from the train that was about to depart yelled the conductor, "Excuse me miss, but are you trying to find Platform 9 3/4?" It was a mixture between his accent, the train, being in Kings Cross station, and about to find the platform, that we came to the conclusion that he was magical. He directed us where we needed to go and we found it! Amazing! After that I took a 3 hour nap and then we went out to the pubs again. On Tuesday I had my department meeting with my advisor to finalize my class timetable (schedule). I'm taking International Marketing, Sexualities, Public History: London, History, and Museums, and Marketing Research. After my meeting, my friend Cori and I went and found ABBEY ROAD!! Again, refer to pictures on Facebook. To walk across and see the crosswalk, and Abbey Road Studios, was an amazing experience. Cori and I continued to explore that whole area, had a great lunch, took some photos, met two amazing Australian girls, and then ventured home. When we got home we met up with our friend Jordan and headed for Leicester Square to see Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams at the premiere for Morning Glory. I have a video of that, and will post it when I get a chance. Then we went to Chinatown and had some dinner, came home, hung out for a bit, and went to bed. Yesterday, ISA took us to the British Museum with the Kings College kids and that was pretty amazing. I've never seen history like that before, it blew my mind! After that a few of us had a fantastic lunch at Munchkins (a small pub by the museum) and then I headed to go see Joe (one of the 3D artists that I worked with this past summer at my internship) at his studio. It was surreal to see him in London and now that I have seen him it has officially hit me that I'm here. Going to see him was the first time that I ventured somewhere new on the tube by myself, and I still can't believe how easy their underground system is. I'm going to try to find a documentary on how the system was constructed because it is beyond quick, clean, and easy. After I saw Joe, I came home and all of us (about 20+ of us) went to this pub down the street called Trafik, and then to another pub called Roadtrip.  It was quite a long night, and I'm glad to say that I finally got more than 5 hours of sleep since I've been here. Today I have been relaxing and later on all of the ISA kids are going on a Boat tour on the Thames. I can't wait for that!

I'll try to keep up with this blog as often as possible. Pictures are posted daily on my Facebook. My Skype name is oascott7 and anytime that you see me on there, I'm available to video chat (as long as I'm not on another call). I'm excited to keep you updated on my adventures! Love you all <3