King of Wee Britain

Final Thoughts

2009-08-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I've just gone through this blog and edited my academic entries so that they can be graded.

After almost two weeks away from London, I can say that this was the best experience in my life so far. I hope that life only gets better for me, and I know that if it does that this trip was the catalyst for everything.

Some memories I'll keep forever from this trip:

Falling on the train while trying to get to the dining car, and Bookie falling from laughing at my fall.

Joe Wisdom - maybe the world's coolest librarian.

Finding out that my iPhone has a subwoofer.

Raggae party on the Thames - I got hit by a wheelchair!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

The couple I ate Sunday Roast with who taught me how to have a perfect English accent - by trying to sound Australian.

Hearing Michael Jackson everywhere.

The Karen Millen dress...

Discovering Flight of the Concords.

"Please mind the gap."

Touching a Shakespeare First Folio.

Going to see Coco Before Chanel at the Barbican.

All the great friends I made.

Getting to see Big Ben everyday and especially getting a beautiful painting of Ben along the Thames.

Seeing the Oscar Wilde statue for the first time.

Gasping at portraits and the National Gallery of Ireland.

Meeting Euan at Edinburgh Castle.

Doing whatever I wanted and not worrying about my daily life.

I know that I will definitely go back. I go through periods where I am a little depressed about not being there now, but it's good to be home. One day though, if everything works out for Nicole and I, London will be home. I can't wait to call that great city home!

Keats House

2009-08-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today I traveled to Hampstead which is in the north part of London with Lauren to see the Keats house, where the Romantic poet John Keats lived for some time. We both thought there were original manuscripts there so we were a little disappointed but the house was still beautiful and walking around the Hampstead area was really nice. It's a cute neighborhood. The Hampstead tube station is the one that's deepest in the ground. There is a sign saying that if you take the steps it's 320 steps so please do so only in emergency situations. We took the lift :)

Afterwards I wandered around Oxford Street so that I could find the perfect gift for my brother (hey, any excuse to go to Oxford is a good one). Once I finally found something I thought he'd like I came back home to a chill evening eating pizza with Christina and Kendra.

We only have two more days in London. I'm a little sad about it. I've made such good friends here and have been able to see and do things I never thought I'd actually get the time or money to do. I've been blessed in a lot of ways on this journey.

I bumped into Dr. Welsh today with some others and she said that this experience has set us on a path that we don't know yet. In other words, coming here to London will affect the rest of my life. Decisions I make, people I meet, opportunities that come my way will have something to do with the time I've spent here. I'm just excited to find out what else is in store for me!

Camden Town loves you

2009-08-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

And they have horses! That you can not get on... My two lovely friends here made the most of it though.

My camera takes awful pictures at night, oh well.

Last night Jenn, Kendra, Natalie, and Betsy (our new addition to the club) went to a club in Camden. It was like a barn converted to a dance club and in different horse stalls there were places to dance and hang out. We met some Londoners and they were sorta nice but also hated on Americans at the same time...? You get that a lot out here. "Oh American girls are so easy" or "Americans are thick" or "Americans are so extravagant" or "American tourists are the worst" etc etc. Sorry we won the war and you live on a tiny island. But get over it dudes.

I really do love the British people though. I just gotta stick up for the good ole US of A from time to time.

Cobb Salad

2009-08-06T04:02:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just want a good salad. Just a nibble of what my life will be like (minus the chicken and half the dressing, oh and the egg) when I jump back into Weight Watchers land.

Bleh. London forever.

One Last Time

2009-08-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

... at UNIQLO

I loved it! I got a skirt and some tops and I also got a pair of shoes at Topshop. I think my clothes shopping is complete. I think.

I went with Bookie and her daughters and good friend Shelby. Such good Kentucky company!

After shopping ourselves to death we went to Fortnam & Mason for tea and lunch. I got scrambled eggs and salmon. Really good. The salmon was raw which was fine, but I can handle only so much fish in one setting. I don't regret it though. It's fun to order things I don't usually get at home.

Tonight will be another lazy night I think. My body and mind are starting to ware down after 3.5 weeks in Europe. Unfortunately when I get home, I have to travel that week to Nashville for business but hopefully after that I'll get to RELAX!

Coco Before Chanel

2009-08-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last night Christina, Kendra, Jenn, Nicole and I went to the Barbican and saw Coco Before Chanel. It was fantastic and so amazingly sad and beautiful and French all at the same time. I almost cried. At the very end is a great scene featuring vintage Chanel.

It was really great just to watch a movie one night here in London. Plus, I'm not sure it's showing anywhere in Lexington right now...

I love scones!

2009-08-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

I really do. I had this one at the Hugh Lane Gallery. Delicious.

Oustide the Hugh Lane Gallery

2009-08-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's a woman walking on the screen there.

Don't we have the guy version of this in Lexington? Right off of Broadway where they are building the new apartments? That's what I think.

Garden of Remembrance Sculpture

2009-08-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Full Irish Breakfast

2009-08-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Great service and way too much food!

BOBO for the win

2009-08-03T07:44:00.002-07:00

Seriously when can I go to Dublin again so that I can eat more yummy cheeseburgers and chips with ROSEMARY.

The Tart with the Cart

2009-08-03T07:44:00.001-07:00

Hello Molly!

Yummy Pasta in Dublin!

2009-08-03T07:42:00.003-07:00

I had a great lunch with Kendra and Emily. It was so great being the only three people in the restaurant, especially when the food is so delicious and it was a two for one special.

Can you see me?

2009-08-03T07:42:00.001-07:00

This is a great sculpture on Trinity's campus. It spins!

ACADEMIC - Marsh Library

2009-08-03T07:39:00.001-07:00

The Marsh Library was Ireland's first public library, founded in 1701, and still serves that purpose though the library no longer collects books. There are over 25,000 books in the collection, all from the 16-18th centuries. The books are stored on oak bookcases and the order of the books has remained the same since the library first opened. The library is run as a charity but has recieved some governmental funding in order to improve reader services.

Kendra came along with me and we got to enjoy an exhibition entitled "Beware the Jabberwock!" of animal books within the library. It's so much fun to see drawings and descriptions of animals from the 17th century and beyond.

The library smelled of old books and the floors creaked and there was a whole case about Jonathan Swift there. It's the place where he wrote Gulliver's Travels apparently. The Marsh Library is located next to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The library is open to visitors for a small fee. For more information click here.

Like I said before,

2009-08-03T07:37:00.002-07:00

I was really excited to go to the Abbey. I wish my little 5 person class on Modern Irish Drama and Claudia could have been there with me!

Dublin is cooler than you.

2009-08-03T07:37:00.001-07:00

Because you know, they quote Ulysses ON THE STREET.

What I ate at the National Gallery of Ireland

2009-08-03T07:36:00.001-07:00

It was all great but the sesame dressing on that salad was INSANE. My mouth went into shock.

I found him!

2009-08-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

Oscar Wilde and I are BFFs. In case you didn't know.

ACADEMIC - National Library of Ireland

2009-08-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

On my first day in Dublin I visited the National Library of Ireland. I wasn't shown a tour but the nice staff there let me see the reading room. It's gorgeous... no pictures allowed though. This library also puts on great exhibitions. I went to the one celebrating W.B. Yeats. I cried. I know, I CRIED.

There was this part of the exhibit where you could hear his poems being read and I was just really caught up in the moment and so I cried. The exhibition was great because items were donated by his son for it. I saw a lock of Yeats' hair! This might be creepy to you, but that hair used to be attached to the scalp of the greatest poet of the twentieth century!!!

The library was founded in 1877 by a government act. The library's first collections was the collection of The Dublin Society, a society whose goal was to improve vocational studies and arts and sciences. The library is not a lending library. Like the British Library, books are given to readers with a valid reader's ticket.

The library also includes The Genelogical Office and the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar. For more information about the National Library of Ireland, click here.

Scots heart McDonald's

2009-08-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is Euan, the helpful guy at Edinburgh Castle. Bookie tried to get him to go to lunch with us, but he really wanted McDonalds... and we were just not down with that.

spicey camden town

2009-08-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here is some chicken I ate at a chain restaurant in Camden. I picked medium but I think I should have gone up one level on the spicyness.

I would post the picture of me on the scooters that now serve as seats while you eat in Camden but I look hideous. Realllllly. Plus I'm really into this posting what I ate thing.

CREPES

2009-08-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

This is from my second visit to World of Crepes that same day. Starting clockwise at the top: Nicole, Jenn, me, Kendra.

Picture Timez

2009-08-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

I added some pictures to some older posts, but others I'm just going to add as new posts so you don't have to scroll down to read the posts again...

I was right about Dublin

2009-08-02T03:19:00.001-07:00

I knew it would be the most amazing place in the world. After reading so much of the literature from here duing my time at BYU I've wanted to come to Ireland and explore Dublin. I feel like I'm in a dream right now...

My first day started off with a bang. I went to The Abbey first and got a ticket for that night. They are performing The Rivals by Sheridan right now. It was fantastic. They took a Gregorian period play and were able to bring in some of today's technology into it in a really clever way. The play was hilarious and one that I hadn't read before so yay.

After I got my ticket I went to St. Stephen's Green and found the most beautiful park in the world. I then went to Merrion Square and found "The Fag on the Crag" AKA Oscar Wilde statue. So amazing. I went to the National Library (which I will write more about later) and one of the National Museums. I also went to the National Gallery and found out that John B. Yeats (father of W.B. Yeats) is my new favorite painter.

More pictures and detailed posts to come later as I am paying for this internet right now.

The second day was a waste and not a waste at the same time. I went with some of the girls in our group also staying in Dublin to Cork... which was too far away for a day trip. Oh well. It rained and was cold. We got over it. It was fun to at least be with my friends. That night at the hostel was not good however...

So I woke up yesterday and booked a hotel room for the rest of my stay. I had enough money to afford it and I didn't feel hostel dirty anymore. :)

Yesterday I went to the Marsh Library and St. Patrick's Cathedral with Kendra. AMAZING. We met with Emily and went to Trinity to see the Book of Kells. Tourist overload but worth it.

We went shopping and then sat down at St. Stephen's. I really love that place. I checked into my hotel and then met the girls at BOBO - greatest burger of my life. Picture to come soon. The happiest cows (and tastiest) live in Ireland.

Then we went to the Library Bar - fitting. Had a fantastic (and very long) conversation. I took a taxi ride home and was taught life lessons by the driver. Apparently I'm too pretty to ever let my guard down. Not in this city. Not in any city. Not even in Kentucky. I must always guard myself. It was like riding home with my Irish dad or something.

I love the Irish. Anytime I ask for anything, they help me out and always ask, "Where you from?" The Irish know more about Kentucky than the English do, as in Jack Daniels DOES NOT come from Kentucky.

Anyway, it's awesome. I'm getting ready to head to Dublin Castle, then the Dublin Writers Museum and who knows what else. Tomorrow morning I fly back to London so I'm going to soak up all of Dublin that I can. Who knows when I will be back - but I will be back (Terminator voice lolz)

Next stop: DUBLIN

2009-07-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving Dalkeith at 5:30 in the morning to get to the airport in time. I should be arriving in Dublin around 9am.

I'm so excited I have no words!

Rosslyn Chapel

2009-07-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in Scotland so Dr. Welsh took Christina, Rachel and me to Rosslyn Chapel. If you have ever seen The Da Vinci Code this is the small chapel where the movie ends. Our tour guide informed us of how wrong the depiction of the chapel was in some of the scenes though... and there is no room with Jesus' bloodline records at the bottom.

Anyway this chapel is still amazing. There are so many interesting carvings, including some of American plants which suggests the Scots discovered America before Columbus. After touring the chapel we went down a little path and took some pictures of the countryside (which is breathtaking) and some castle ruins. We ate at a great little pub there and I got a steak sandwhich. It was such a fun day trip!

I love how friendly people are in Scotland! Really, everyone wants to help us get to where we are going and I haven't felt unwelcome at all. It's a little sad to be leaving this place.

I'm writing this from The Elephant House, which is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. It has a laid back vibe and I like how they don't have Harry all over the place around here. It feels like how it might have when JK Rowling was scribbling on napkins or whatever.

Nicole and I will be leaving here soon to go on a ghost tour that ends at the most haunted pub in Scotland!!!

ACADEMIC - National Archives of Scotland

2009-07-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the National Archives of Scotland, our last official vist to a library as a class.

The Archives aims to keep all Scottish records, and has three buildings to help them achieve this goal. I am amazed at how organized this system is and that it has been seen as something important to the government. It was government started and funded by the government since the 1770s (it formally became a government agency in 1993)... such a wealth of records is found there.

The Archives helps maintain serveral websites that help people with research. One main objective of the Archives is to aid in people with geneology work. This really struck a chord with me because growing up Mormon I've always believed that family history is something important. Our tour guide, Maggie, actually said that couples from Utah come to Edinburgh for a year and take digital pictures of records that they get to use for the Church's database. So I'm assuming that's the older missionary couples that she was talking about.

We were shown several different examples of the Archive's materials. There was a mortgage loan book detailing Scots buying property in Mississippi, a fragile cook book, woman's sufferage documents, etc. We were also shown the internet sites/databases the Archive helps manage. It was a great visit but a sad one because it's the last one we will do as a class.

For more information about the National Archives of Scotland, go here.

Picture from http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/default.asp

ACADEMIC - Central Public Library

2009-07-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we visited the Central Public Library in Edinburgh. This library is a Carnegie library which was so cool because I've never been inside one before! I don't think...

The library is in a great old building filled with old bookcases. I wanted to take one home with me. We were shown the Music and Children's libraries which were in a seperate building. The Music library is the largest in Scotland. In the main building we were shown the reference rooms, the Edinburgh room, and the stacks where they keep some books because like every other library there is just not enough room for everything. The Central Library works hard with other libraries in the area to see what things they have in order to weed thier collection down some. After our tour we were treated to tea and we got to hear from Colm who headed up a program to promote reading with children in resident homes. In other words, they are in the state's care. It was great to hear his stories and his philosophy on why reading should be encouraged for all people.

I liked his belief (because I share it to) that a librarian shouldn't ever judge a person for what they want to read, no matter what. When you start imposing your standards on someone else, it makes them not want to read and that's something every librarian should avoid doing. I say this, because I don't think all librarians think the way Colm and I do.

The library was founded in 1886 with Carnegie laying the foundation stone himself. It's run by the government in Edinburgh and has more than 850,000 items for the public to use and borrow.

The best part of the visit was that they let me use the internet as a guest. Really, librarians are just the most helpful people in the world. For more information about the Central Library, click here.

Picture courtesy of Dr. Welsh!

ACADEMIC - National Library of Scotland

2009-07-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

On our first full day in Scotland we took the bus to Edinburgh and visited the National Library of Scotland. It's a copyright library so it gets copies of all things published in the UK. This library began as a library for advocates, aka lawyers, in the 1860s. It became a copyright library in 1710. So it was initially a law library! This means though that some things were weeded out a long time ago that the lawyers didn't think they needed to keep, even though the library was deemed a copyright library.

The NLS is the largest library in Scotland. It houses about 14 million items. It is funded by the Scottish Government.

Now the library collects all things, especially items pertaining to Scotland. The library also puts on exhibitions. We got to look around the current exhibition titled "The Original Export: Stories of Scottish Emigration" which was filled with suitcases that displayed items from Scottish emigrates. I thought the best part was this wall with luggage tags that you got to write your own emigration story on, if you knew of one. I thought about writing my mom's name down but I didn't.

The library also features a great cafe, shop and internet wi-fi area that seems to be heavily used. Our visit there was short but informational and the exhibit was one of the best I've seen in the UK so far. For more information about the National Library of Scotland, click here.

Dalkeith and Scotland Day 1

2009-07-27T14:12:00.001-07:00

This is my second night in Scotland. So far I love it. We are staying at Dalkeith which is an estate about 7 miles outside of Edinburgh. Its a little bit like summer camp. We stay in rooms of 4 or 6 or so and we share a bathroom with only 2 stalls for about 20 girls. There are tons of hallways, staircases, empty dressers and it's creepy. There are stories of ghosts here. It's in the country though, so I get to experience some actual darkness as opposed to the always burning lights of London. We have to take the bus into town and its a little confusing but I'm sure I'll survive.

Yesterday we just tooled around Dalkeith, a great little town. We ate at an Italian restaurant to celebrate Chai's birthday. The house where we are staying has a movie room with lots of movies so we watched 10 Things I Hate About You and called it a night.

Today we went to Edinburgh which is a great city! Everything is so old! All the streets have cobblestone and there are entertainers on the streets. I think the best part of my day was the people watching I got to do.

Bookie, Chai, Christina, Jenn and I went to the St. Gile's Cathedral. There was a stained glass window depicting the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors, which is my favorite story from the Bible. The building was beautiful. We went to the cafe and had a great lunch. I had a jacket potato, which is just a baked potato and you get to choose what toppings you want stuffed in it. I got carrots, cheese and tomatoes... yummy. Everyone else got Shepherd's Pie which looked delicious. Bookie got a ginger cake that she let me eat some big bites of, because that's just what she does. Yes, I've been adopted while in the UK. Which is great, since when we get home she can still take check in on me and let me bum some food from time to time.

After our library visits, Bookie and I went to the Palace of Holyrood House. This is where the Queen stays when she is in Scotland. WOW. I am so taken back by the beauty surrounding the Palace and how stunning it is inside. Pictures aren't allowed and I got some postcards but no justice is done to the interior. One room is a gallery of portraits that made me gasp when I entered the room. It's hard to believe that for part of the year anyone actually lives there. It's a museum practically. Part of the rooms are dedicated to Mary Queen of Scots and her story, which I didn't know much about. It was really interesting to see everything in the Palace. Outside are the ruins of an Abbey that were haunting and beautiful and the Queen's Garden. I thought I had seen some great gardens, but this was like stepping into the Secret Garden or something. I took some pictures and I'll post when I can but being there is what actually takes your breath away.

Afterwards, we ate at a local pub (I didn't try Haggis yet and I don't know if I will...). Then we got lost on the local bus and finally got home after running to catch another bus. Bookie let me take a shower in her hotel room (she's not roughing it in the haunted house withs us) because I've carried her bag around Scotland the last day or so. Now I'm here in Dalkeith hunting ghosts!

ACADEMIC: CMS Cameron McKenna

2009-07-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today was an independent research day so I visited CMS Cameron McKenna, a law firm with an office in London. I met with one of the librarians there, James Mullan. I read James' blog The Running Librarian back home and I think it's interesting and links to some other great stuff so I'm really happy he agreed to meet with me.

We chatted about what he does for his firm and what I do for Stites. I was interested in using social apps and Web 2.0 in the work place. I liked what he told me about RSS feeds for routing and having a firm blog. We talked about databases we use and some other resources. He also told me about the organization of the library and who works there. I think it's been one of the most informational visits for me since he does what I do. He also gave me a tour of the firm's library. I like how open of a space it is and that there is a place to eat in the library. I thought of my cubicle back home, piling with mail and filings, and the little drawer I stuff food into. I wish we could reorganize but the way the building where I work is set up I don't think anything like that is possible. I also liked that there was a computer station for someone to access the catalog on and that there was a seperate space for the messes that tend to pile up and stay out of public view. Again, I thought of my cubicle... I guess it is tucked away from mostly everyone's view.

He also advised me to visit CILIP while I am here and see what they are about. I will be doing that soon.

For me this was a great chance to talk to someone who works in the same kind of library I do back in Kentucky and to make another library friend.

Westminster Abbey

2009-07-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

I went but it costs £12 to get inside! So, I think a picture outside of it will do just fine for now.

I'm actually running out of places that I HAVE to visit before I leave. This is giving me a lot of free time to just roam and explore the city.

I have no new pictures of food. This bothers me. I ate at a cafeteria like place called EAT and it was good. I got the best dessert there (well not the best, nothing tops sticky toffee pudding). I also ate the greasiest chips in the world today. I'm never going to Fishcotheque again.

ACADEMIC - Bodleian Library

2009-07-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Image from http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/owl/Current_posts&profiles_0809/bodleian.html

On Thursday we traveled to Oxford and took a tour of the Bodleian Library. Our tour guide was so quiet and short and REALLY GREAT. He taught us that the library was founded in 1602 through the generous funds of Sir Thomas Bodley. However, Oxford has had a library since the 1300s and some of those collections, like the collection of Duke Humfrey, is housed at the Bodlian. He showed us the procedure for calling an end to the reading day which is a long standing tradition there. Basically a librarian has to ring a bell to signal it's the end of the day for the readers. Another interesting tidbit I learned is that before the author or title was displayed on the book's binding the library wrote numbers on the outside of the pages instead. So the books on the shelves faced the other way. The Bodleian is another copyright library so every book published in the UK sends a copy to the Bodleian. This is just one of the reasons the Bodleian is the ultimate example of an academic library. Our tour guide also said that the Bodleian used to use a form of Colon Classification and is in a transition to using Library of Congress eventually. I was surprised. I'm getting used to the fact that most of these institutions just have thier own in-house classification system. The library houses 11 million volumes and provides more access to online databases than any other university library in the UK.

In the Divinity Hall there are carvings of in honor of the big donors during the building of Oxford. Christoper Wren's was the nicest. He designed one of the buildings there. The Divinity Hall was also where the infirmary scenes in Harry Potter take place. Yeah, I've been to a lot of Harry Potter sites now which is cool but I didn't take any pictures because I wasn't feeling that great that day.

I actually left Oxford pretty early, which was sad. Also, I got on the wrong train on the way back costing me some lost time and about 8£. Boo. For more information on the Bodlian Library, click here.

We Conquered Trafalgar...

2009-07-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

With the help of some guy. He lifted Kendra and me up there with one hand like it was nothing. Impressive.

ACADEMIC - National Art Library

2009-07-22T14:07:00.001-07:00

Today we visited the National Art Library at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Our tour was given by Jenn, one of the library assistants, and she was so nice and bubbly and excited about showing us the library. That's the way I would be if I was giving a tour of the library I work in... but most people would not be excited about how I helped move WFPD 4th. Charles Dickens' original manuscripts is a little more exciting. The National Art Library is a public library, with holdings that specialize in the decorative and fine arts. To access an item in the National Art Library, one must obtain a reader's card.

This library is experiencing a problem I deal with and that is one of lack of space. I understand what it's like to have to worry about where to put things, which is what led to the moving of the WFPD (That stands for West's Federal Practice Digest. Another acronym that can be used for this publication is LAME). Like the British Library, they organize everything by size. This is so novel, I really wish I could do this back home.

After the tour we were shown some of the archive/special collections items. I got to see a poem hand written by John Keats, one of the Dickens manuscripts, "art books" which are really cool, and another Shakespeare First Folio. Except with this folio I got to touch it.

I need to repeat this: I TOUCHED AND FLIPPED THROUGH THE PAGES OF A SHAKESPEARE FIRST FOLIO. If I fail at everything else in my life I'm still going to feel pretty acomplished just because of this one event.

Because of this and the hospitality of the staff there, this is probably my favorite academic visit so far. For more information about the National Art Library, click here.

Fancy Fish N' Chips

2009-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Had this at the Slugs and Lettuce (it was called something like that but I have a hard time remembering things here... and everywhere else for that matter).

Mushy peas are yummy!

Things I Thought About Harry Potter

2009-07-22T04:39:00.000-07:00

1. Of course Hermione puts back her books in the library.

2. It's so cool to see places in the movie and actually think to myself, "I've been there."

3. I want that liquid luck stuff.

4. So I didn't cry when you thought I would. I cried when Hermione does because it's sad when a girl cries over a boy. I'm so lame.

5. I don't read Twilight, but that new movie looks pretty awesome.

6. Overall, I give this movie an 8 out of 10. It felt like something was missing but I don't know what.

I heart UNIQLO

2009-07-22T04:36:00.000-07:00

Just so you know... my retail love affair with H&M has lost some of it's heat while here in the UK. I'm in love with UNIQLO now.

I went with Bookie, Kendra, and Christina today and yeah love at (now second) sight. Bookie talked me into buying this amazing jacket and I got a pair of jeans, which were desperately needed.

All of you should be pretty proud of me for not spending all my money on clothes in London. I've been shopping lots but not too much is really "talking" to me so I don't buy it. I pretty much counted on losing all my money by now but so far I'm under budget. YAY!

ACADEMIC - British Museum

2009-07-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today we went as a class to the British Museum and got to explore on our own.

THERE ARE TOO MANY THINGS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

It's mindblowing. I got to see the big things like the Rosetta Stone but I probably only saw 5% of the stuff there. It's just too much. I looked for anything from the Philippines, but didn't find anything. I explained my theory to Bookie that maybe the Philippines hasn't contributed enough to world history to be included... except for killing Magellan.

I've noticed that this museum just seems more "classic" to me than the others we have visited. Not a lot of interaction or things like that just, "Here's parts of the Parthenon." I'm not saying this is bad, the history really confronts you this way. I'm just staring at sculptures and can't help but think about that time period and the people of it. It's blunt and I like it.

The museum was founded in 1753 and holds around 7 million items, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive world history museums. It's government funded through the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport.

We didn't have a guided tour, but that's to be expected. I mean, I'd still be in there a week later listening to an exhausted guide talk about stuff three rooms down from where we started. It was sad that we didn't get to see the reading room though, it's closed for a couple years.

I just bought a postcard and called it a day. For more information about the British Museum, click here.

It doesn't work...

2009-07-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Because it's not real.

This is the best picture I have ever been a part of...

2009-07-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Oh Brick Lane, I miss you.

Pictured left to right: Jenn, me, Kendra

Brick Lane

2009-07-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

After Greenwich some of my classmates and I traveled down to Brick Lane which is full of vintage clothing shops and curry restaurants.

Of course I got curry. I loved it! I also got mango lassi which is the best drink ever. It really does taste better here but that really isn't surprising to me. The whole time we got to listen to Indian music and it was the most authentic experience I've had eating curry. The restaurant didn't do just curry but also other dishes from other areas. I wish I could have taken pictures of everyone's food but I didn't.

ACADEMIC - Caird Library

2009-07-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Image provided by National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

On Monday we visited the Caird Library which is housed within the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. As Carlye can tell you I have an affinity for the sea and this was a great visit.

Before you enter the library there are computers in the lobby from which you can access the library's electronic resources. Visitors can use the databases for no charge. The furniture in this library was really nice. Great old bookshelves, maybe not practical but gorgeous. We were shown various archival materials and manuscripts in the collection. We got to see a signal book, which explains all the signals the navy would use. These books were really valuable and in the wrong hands could hurt the navy. So the book we saw had weights in the spine. This way if a ship was captured by pirates the book could be thrown overboard and not float into enemy hands. I thought that was really interesting to see. The book in the picture is one of many tiny books with covers from the wood of the Royal George.

Throughout this trip I'm getting to see a lot of archive materials and its great to watch these librarians handle these materials. I'm actually really envious and I wonder if I could ever do that kind of work...

The Caird Library is named after its main founder Sir James Caird. The library contains over 140,000 items and is the largest library of maritime subject materials.

The library is now open less hours than it was before, due to planned reconstruction of the museum. The staff has been facing many organizational problems because the reconstruction has forced them to move materials. It was interesting for me to see other librarians, especially in library where many materials have to be retrieved for readers, deal with moving and organizing items during transition. It's these technical issues that interest me, probably because they are the issues I end up dealing with in my work. To learn more about the Caird library, click here.

Winchester

2009-07-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

After Stonehenge, we traveled to Winchester which a long time ago used to be a major urban center in England. We got to go to Winchester Cathedral and visit the grave of Jane Austen. The building is beautiful and there were monuments and books of names of people who have died in different wars. It made me a little sad. I wanted to see the Winchester Bible but the library is closed on Sundays :(

Before the Cathedral, I went to Royal Oaks pub with Christina and a couple who helped guide us on the trip. Royal Oaks is supposedly the oldest pub in England but who knows. I got the Sunday "roast" which is a Sunday tradition in England. Basically it's roast beef or chicken (it was beef today) with potatoes, vegetables, and something called Yorkshire Pudding. It's like a pancake. The food tasted great and I've discovered I really like coke with a little ice and a lemon wedge in it. Our conversation was great and I learned that I have a great English accent... when I am trying to impersonate an Australian person.

We took a walk and visited the house where Jane Austen died. It's a private residence so you can't go in. We walked over to the Great Hall and saw the Round Table. It's on the wall which is fine but I guess I thought I was going to sit next to it or something. Just one of the many touristy silly ideas I've had while I've been here.

Winchester was great because it is so old and the streets are so small and the whole time I could hear bells. Maybe because it's Sunday. We visited a nice garden outside the Great Hall and I took a picture by the Law Courts, but I'm not sure why they are significant if they are.

Now I'm back at the dorms exhausted, not sure what to do the rest of the day. Tomorrow I travel once again to Greenwich because I can't get enough of it!

Stonehenge

2009-07-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today we got on a bus and about two hours later I ended up in Stonehenge. It was great just so I could say I have been there. There were of course a lot of people there and it was hard to get some good shots but I think I managed to do OK. This one I think is pretty good even though the wind is blowing in my face.

I didn't get anything at the gift shop because all I really wanted was this picture. I'm glad I went.

More things I've noticed

2009-07-18T11:15:00.001-07:00

I tend to say "It was so good" whenever I describe food on this blog.

The food here is so good.

Signs here are polite. For example, at Hyde Park owners of dogs are informed that thier animals should not "worry" the wildlife.

I should have brought another pair of jeans and another light sweater and some flip flops for when I'm just at the dorm. I hate putting on my sneakers just to run a simple errand.

My toe really itches but I'm in the computer lab.

The library at King's is called the Information Services Center. It's fancy like that.

I may not actually see Harry Potter here in London because movies are expensive and it's the same movie back in the US. Who wants to take me when I get back?

I'm dying to go thrift store shopping.

Portrait Gallery and Hyde Park

2009-07-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today was a non-academic day so Christina and I decided to visit a couple of places. We went to the National Portrait Gallery. It was free! They have tons of portraits from the Tudor period to the present. Some of my favorite portraits I got to see (the links should take you to the NPG website with the portrait):

King Henry VIII

Queen Elizabeth I

Jane Austen

Bronte Sisters

Thomas Hardy

William Wordsworth

Oscar Wilde

Virginia Woolf

James Joyce

Dame Judi Dench

Harry Potter Trio: Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint

Lily Allen

Princess Diana

Queen Elizabeth II

Seamus Heaney

Of course I liked all the literature-minded ones. Some were just really interesting portraits. My favorite was actually one of King Charles II as a baby with a dog (now called the King Charles). We spent hours in there.

After the gallery we went to Hyde Park. It was great. I got to eat an ice cream cone with a Cadburry's flake in it. Apparently the people of London were trying to learn to rollerblade and all of them were failing as I would have. I watched this one guy fall but my hands were full of ice cream and guide book. We got a little lost looking for the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain but we found it. Kids were playing in the water and people were relaxing on the grass. It was a nice day outside today too so it was a great time to be at the park. A lot of football (soccer) was going on and I'm jealous of the skills little kids have here. We wandered through Kensington Gardens and ended up at the Albert Memorial. I didn't even know what it was. It's crazy. To me it looks out of place and a little gaudy but Christina told me that Victoria was crazy about him and she told me about some stuff she knew. Did you know Victoria and Albert were cousins? I didn't know that. I mean, I guess all royalty was related anyway...

Albert is this gold statue in the middle of the memorial. It's phenomenal. Well, we were really tired by then so we sat on the steps of the memorial for a long time then headed back to the dorms. I'm not sure what I'm going to get into tonight. Today has been a long, exhausting, but terribly fun day.

Stratford Wanderings

2009-07-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

Before the library a group of us (Bookie, Kendra, Christina, Nicole and I) went to a restaurant called Cafe Pasta. I got the ravioli special. It was so good.

After our visit to the library, Chistina and I roamed around Stratford which is really small. We ended up at The Oppo for dinner with Bookie which was a lot of fun. I got a burger so no picture but Bookie got this dessert called Sticky Toffee Pudding or something like that. It was so good! It was like a little cake surrounded by caramel and topped with ice cream. It melts in your mouth.

Then the whole group went to the Courtyard Theatre to see the RSC production of As You Like It. I thought it was really good and I wasn't bothered by the fact that they skinned a real rabbit on stage. The actors were all so great. The guy who played Jaques looked like Gene Wilder and the actor playing Touchstone was my favorite. He was hilarious. All of the actors were good at engaging the audience while still performing the play. I loved it.

ACADEMIC - Shakespeare Centre Library

2009-07-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

Photo of Shakespeare's Birthplace courtesy of Dr. Welsh.

Yesterday the class traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon (about 2 hours away from London) and visited the Shakespeare Centre Library. This library has some commonly used items out in shelves but most of its collection is housed in "stacks" which are rooms closed off by vault looking doors, so you have to request items in order to see them. They get a lot of Shakespeare researchers, theatre actors studying for a part, theatre students, people doing family history and other visitors.

The library is part of the Shakespeare Trust, formed in 1847. It gets all of its funding through the Trust. The Trust also comprimises Shakespeare's birthplace.

This library houses the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) archive full of pictures and prompt books from productions dating back to the 1800s. We got to see pictures from A Midsummer Night's Dream production over 100 years old.

We were also shown the kind of exhibits these librarians do. Many school groups etc. are brought in to see materials housed by the library. The staff has to choose what to exhibit and they have to work to keep the materials preserved and unharmed from exhibition. The best thing in the exhibit shown yesterday was one of the First Folios. Joan, the librarian showing us these items, actually flipped through the pages up until the first page of the first play in the book The Tempest. It was breathtaking to be that close to one of those.

I enjoyed seeing such a specialized library. It was also interesting to visit a charity library, meaning they get no funding from the government. So, if you are ever in England vist one of the sites in Stratford and you will most likely be contributing to their great work. To learn more about the Shakespeare Centre Library, click here.

Stuff from yesterday I forgot

2009-07-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

After the Museum of London and our lunch at the Barbican we went to the Imperial War Rooms which is where Churchill met with his staff during WWII. Everything is perfectly conserved. It's kind of eerie. There is also a Winston Churchill museum there. There is an interactive table that you can touch to highlight pretty much any day in Churchill's life and see what he did that day. He lived to be 90 years old I think so it's a really long table. I went through and saw what he did on the September 14s he lived, because that's my birthday.

I guess growing up in America you don't learn about him very much but I've grown an appreciation for him now. On the wall they had his quote, "We are all worms, but I believe I am a glow worm." I may have misquoted that I have no idea.

Then I went with Kendra to Buckingham Palace because she really wanted to go. We took mandatory tourist pictures, I tried to copy a statue, and we left.

Dirty Dancing

2009-07-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

So I wasn't sure what show I wanted to see while I was in London but it didn't take much for Christina to convince me to see Dirty Dancing. I love the movie. I used to watch it everyday.

This wasn't a musical. It was "the classic set on stage" so it was like watching the movie all over again. There were a few things that were different but they stuck to the movie mostly, especially with the dancing. It was so great! It was so hot! Racier than the movie, but only because you were watching real people dancing and being sensual. It was a great atmosphere. At the end they played music and let the audience dance in thier seats. It was so much fun.

The singing was done by only a few castmembers but it was excellent. The actors who played Johnny and Baby did a great job too. They did a really good job casting people that looked like the characters in the movie. Maybe I was sitting too far back but it could have been the original cast.

Christina said after the show was over that she wished she could have a summer love. I think that's why I love this movie and now this show. The idea of meeting someone one summer that totally changes your life is something I wish for. It's like a fantasy. This show put me back in that fantasy and was worth the £33 to go.

Also, I sat by a German family that may have not totally known what was going on the whole time. Hilarious.

I'm like the wind

2009-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

JUST SO YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO SEE DIRTY DANCING IN ABOUT 2 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLICK HERE!

ACADEMIC - British Library

2009-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

My whole life I've wanted to visit the British Library and now I finally have. Yeah, my whole life I've been a dork who likes to read too...

It's a huge building with artwork and exhibits and of course books. Our tour guide pointed out that it can be hard to tell what the mission of the library is with all these other distractions. By law, anything published in the UK is to be sent to the British Library within one month of publication. So the library is a depository. This also means that they do not intend to get rid of anything. The library also strives to make it's collection available to the public through the use of reading cards and reading rooms. This way, the book is brought to you. We were shown the fancy automated system they have for tracking and delievering books and it was very impressive.

The library sorts all thier books by size, not by subject. I'm pretty sure I knew that but when the question was asked during the tour I had no idea what to say. It was interesting being in that kind of library because the patron can't browse the stacks. You have to know what you want before you go. The only library books I saw there were part of King George III's personal library through glass. Our tour guide was really funny and had a pretty decent singing voice.

The library began as part of the British Museum but was officially seperated in 1972. It holds 150 million items, with items in most known languages. It adds 3 million new items each year!

The British Library has an exhibit featuring rare books. I got to see a Shakespeare First Folio, a working copy of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, a letter written by Sylvia Plath, versions of works written by Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte oh AND original lyrics written by all four members of The Beatles!!

At the cafe I ate salmon with broccoli and potatoes and a chocolate tart. I wish all library visits included food like this.

We also got to tour the Preservation Studio. I loved this. What is so great is that you don't just walk by the workstations hearing something like, "This is where the conservators work." We actually got to hear from three of them about projects they are doing or just completed - at thier workstations. It was more like an academic visit instead of a tour because we weren't just rushed by. I loved that. Of course, that hour did go by really fast. I learned limestone is used to make leather thinner and I got to see a pamphlet on becoming a pigeon expert in need of repair.

It was a really great experience. To learn more about the British Library, click here.

The EYE & Cheshire Cheese

2009-07-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I got to go up on the LONDON EYE, all caps used for special emphasis. It's not scary but it is a lot of fun and I had a great view of London. Luckily it did clear up by the time I went up there, earlier in the day it was raining and very cloudy.

Before the EYE I had a pasty at the Waterloo station. AMAZING. Must eat one again. Reduced me to sentence fragments.

After that I went with some of my classmates to the Cheshire Cheese which is on Fleet Street and is one of the first pubs rebuilt after the fire. It was really cool to find all these little tunnels and tables fit into cramped spaces. Famous writers used to meet there apparently, but I have no idea. I'm not a pub expert. On Fleet Street I did pass the Old Bailey which is the criminal court here in London. My teacher suggested I visit the Old Bailey for my research on law librarinship in the UK, but I don't even know if there is a librarian that works there. Either way it was still a cool looking building that I should try and visit when it's light outside.

ACADEMIC - Museum of London

2009-07-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today our class visited the Museum of London. Our lecture was given by Jon Cotton who is one of the senior curators of the museum and one of the people in charge of the "London Before London" gallery. It's a prehistoric exhibit that focuses on the people living in London before the Romans came and turned Londinium into an urban center. It was very interesting. I liked how he spoke of the challenge of educating tourists and Londoners at the same time. His goal in the exhibit was to present the people of prehistory as actual people and not caveman or whatever images we think of. I think the exhibit does a great job of that, especially with the tools of the people. I saw some beads that were used as jewelry and that, for whatever reason, made me think of what life must have been like for the prehistoric London lady.

The Museum also has great exhibits on the Great Fire, the Black Plague and Tudor London. I liked listening to Old and Middle English and trying to figure out what was being said. The museum was incorporated by Parliament in 1965 and holds over 2 million objects in it's collection.

My favorite thing about this visit was the giant photographs taken by Tom Hunter. Click here for a sample. My favorite pic isn't featured but the ones in there are also stunning. To learn more about the Museum of London, click here.

After the museum visit we went to the Barbican and had lunch. I had a great sandwich and potatoes in greek yogurt. It was actually really good. I also met an attorney there who is going to introduce me to the librarians at her firm. Yay!

OXFORD CIRCUS

2009-07-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

After The Barbican, Christine and I went shopping on Oxford Street! I have been excited about this for a long time.

I got a magnet for my mom (I hope she likes it). We went to Topshop first. This is thier flagship store I believe and it is huge! I didn't buy anything but I promised myself I'd come back if I have enough money closer to the end of the trip.

We went to H&M, which was the biggest H&M I have ever been to. I got a trench coat and a cute long sleeve t-shirt for £22. Then we went to Uniqlo and I fell in love. I got two shirts, one has pockets. It's so cool. They cost around £22, and I got a 10% student discount!

After the shopping we ate at Pret a Manger which is a chain here. Basically they make fresh sandwiches and salads and they package them up. You choose what you want to eat like it's a grocery store. I got a chicken avacado sandwich, chips, and sparkling apple juice which was really good.

I will put up pictures soon but it seems I've left my jumpdrive someplace. List of things I have lost while in London:

1. Lucky Umbrella :( - sometime at the Hard Rock
2. Notebook - at Carphone Warehouse
3. Jumpdrive - at the computer lab where I am right now searching in vain

I'm not usually this forgetful. I don't know what's happening.

ACADEMIC - The Barbican

2009-07-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Barbican Library which is in the City of London (AKA the center) and is surrounded by the Barbican Complex, built up in the 60s after years of deciding what to do with the space flattened by the Blitz.

The library is like a public library in the states but very spacious with specialized Children and Music libraries. There are display cases throughout the library, one in particular that I liked focused on poverty in London in the 1800s. There was a "descriptive map of London poverty in 1889" in the case. It was interesting to look at.

I bring this up because public libraries can enrich the lives of the poor better than almost any other government or other funded institution. In today's time we are facing an economic crisis, but it is not a reason to deny libraries the resources they need to strive. People and libraries coexist in times of hardship and plenty. Also, in poor times where else can a person access the information they need to in order to better their situation?

I enjoyed exploring the library on my own (we had no guided tour) and seeing how public libraries operate here in the UK. To learn more about the Barbican Library, click here.

After St. Paul's

2009-07-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

After visiting the St. Paul's library Bookie, Chai, and I stopped at a little shop to get something to drink. I got a Mocha Frappe thing that was really really good. Then we walked back to the dorms with Nicole. We walked over the millenium bridge which was a blast. On our Greenwhich boat tour the guide called it the "Wibbly Wobbly Bridge" and it can make you scared of heights.... :-/

Afterwards we had a reception at King's College. The college chaplain spoke to us about enjoying London and watching cricket and told us about The Ashes, which is a pretty big deal here.

We had drinks and free food served to us and I took full advantage. I thought it was really good but I have probably eaten too much mozz and tomatoes for one day.

It's only been one weekend but this is quickly turning into the best thing I've done with my life. I feel like I can explore and be myself and not worry about things that may worry me back home. I feel like the world is more open to me now than ever before. I'm so glad I took this opportunity.

ACADEMIC POST - St. Paul's Library

2009-07-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

If you click on the picture to enlarge it you'll see that there is something really wrong with my pants. I look stange and sloppy and mannish, what is wrong with me? lol

These posts are ones directed towards my teacher for our reflective journal assignment but everyone else should enjoy reading them as well because libraries make the world go round.

Today we visited the St. Paul's Cathedral Library which is located on the second floor and is not something that most visitors get to see. Our tour was given by Joe Wisdom who is the librarian there and a charming and knowledgable man. I was impressed by his ability to answer any question thrown at him, and the fact that he loved being asked questions but that shouldn't surprise me since he is a librarian.

One thing he said that struck me was, "Every building is a text." He meant this in a lot of ways: the architecture and the context of how you work in a building. It made me thing of my tiny cubicle at Stites blocked off by book carts. He advised us to read the libraries we work in as a text of thier own. My workplace text may not be the lovliest but I'll spend more time reading it and trying to learn from it. He also said that he thinks libraries with high ceilings are best because your thoughts can go up and up. I like that idea.

The library holds many old items and so conservation is a giant mission of the library. Inside the library was old and haunting in a very "I could study here for hours" sort of way. I hope that one day I get to work in a library with that look and smell and feel but I probably never will in the field of law.

Mr. Wisdom also advised to mark the texts we own, because often the thoughts of the owner of a book add so much to the work. Many of the volumes in his collection would not be the same without annotations. The library's collections focus mostly on theology and works of previous deans.

I really enjoyed this as our first visit and will be holding all the others to a pretty high standard thanks to the hospitality and educational value of Mr. Wisdom's lecture. To learn more about the St. Paul's Cathedral Library, click here.

my new favorite thing in the UK

2009-07-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

FANTASTIC!

The boat ride

2009-07-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Our travel guide for the boat ride was hilarious and full of "useless information" which made me think of my dad. The only difference was this guy made up his useless information.

GMT

2009-07-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today I took a boat ride through the Thames and into Greenwich which is apparently the place they invented time. Or something. I had a lot of fun because I got to take a picture of me on the Prime Meridian, so I was East and West at the same time? Also I got to eat a "parker porker" which was yummy. Also, I got to ditch the rest of my class with Chai (which is pronounced like Shea, only some of you will get this).

I'm posting all my pics at the front of my posts because these computers are a little tricky at times.

some interesting things i forgot to say before

2009-07-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw a man in a suit get into one of the red telephone booths and relieve himself.

I like how all the food here is in smaller portions.

British people on the tube like my jokes more than people back home.

That's all, I just really didn't ever want to forget about that guy in the suit.

chips

2009-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today has been a very eventful day. It started with the first class meeting and orientation, which was really boring. The program director spoke a lot about date rape, which is scary but I think he was talking more to the undergrads who are much younger and may be in a more dangerous position than someone like me.

After that I went with some friends to a little restaurant in the Waterloo station and had a panini with chicken and pesto. I also had coke with lemon, which was good. Some may think it's strange that I'm recording what I eat but I'm on weight watchers so it's a habit.

After that I went on one of the program's London Alive walks. Our leaders were a married couple. The woman is from London and her husband is from Kentucky! They were so nice and informative and helpful. We walked through the South Bank of the Thames, then on to the West End where there are a lot of theatres. We walked through Chinatown in Soho and Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden. We stopped at a shop to get Fish and Chips. The chips here are so good. They are softer in the middle, because they are like big wedges. It was like eating french fries and mashed potatos! So yummy. I put a lot of vinegar and salt on mine and my teacher was glad since most of the other people didn't do that. We also walked down Brick Lane which has all these thrift stores that I want to spend more time in. Seriously people dress so much better here and I feel a little outdated or shall I say "American." Either way I want to be a little more posh here.

After the walk I met up with some friends and we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It's the original or "authentic" one. I got to see a lot of cool stuff there and had a pretty decent burger. Also, I lost my umbrella there or it was stolen... oh well they sell umbrellas at every corner here.

Anyway, I'm pretty tired and will write more later but I wanted to remember all I got into today.

Oh is this rush hour?

2009-07-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

So I have made it to London in one piece. I got really lucky and was able to talk to people willing to help me and forgive my stupid American-ness. I arrived here at 6:30 AM BST and got through customs really fast. I converted some money, took a train and hailed a cab all by myself. I was nervous about the cab, about tipping him. The driver was so nice, he asked me all these questions and told me about where he was driving me.

I'm still in shock about it. When I got to London from the airport it was about 8 AM and there were people EVERYWHERE and cars everywhere and the streets look so small and people will push you when you are just standing around trying to look up the address you need to get to.

I asked the driver, "Oh is this rush hour?" and he told me that we were in the thick of things and he drove all crazy and got me where I needed to be real fast. He pulled a U turn in the middle of Stamford street which is a pretty busy place. I liked him. I didn't wear a seatbelt.

OK so the keyboard here has the @ sign where the " usually is. It's freaking me out. Also, I still haven't figured out the pound notes yet so when I buy stuff I just give the cashier some money and hope it works out. I checked into the dorm and slept for maybe 2 hours then I walked around on my own some. I found a grocery store and got a few things.

Walking around London is so great because people wear whatever they want and all the girls wear cute little flats! I belong here. Also when I talk people look at me like I am the one with the cute accent not the other way around.

No pics yet but there will be some soon. I took a walk with my class around the Thames and ate at a pizza place that was so good! The weather is great here, in the 70s during the day. It seems like there was always a breeze which is nice since we do not have AC in the rooms. It rains a lot though.

I know this blog makes no sense but I'm blaming it on jet lag. I love it here. I really really really love it. I can't explain how pretty and old and loud it is here.

I will share some funny things to me. I love the red buses and the ads they have on them for movies. I saw a bus with a sign for The Hangover and I put one finger up in the air and shouted "WOLFPACK OF ONE!" and some guy laughed at me. Seriously this jet lag is messing me up. But the sign was just really cool. Also I saw a cute guy at the grocery (there are a lot of cute cute guys here..........) and he smiled at me. I said hey and I called him "shorts" because he was wearing skinny black shorts.

Anyway, more to come later on at some time in the future you know?

King's College Map

2009-07-08T05:33:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

London Preview

2009-07-08T05:13:00.001-07:00

So my teacher for the class, Dr. Welsh just sent some pictures of what I'll be seeing pretty soon:

This is King's College in London, where I will be staying. Yeah, it's named after me. This is what my dorm will look like...

The Thames! King's College is right on the river.

Oh and this is London getting ready for the HARRY POTTER PREMIERE! There is an IMAX theatre right down the street from the dorms. I'm so excited!

Hello

2009-06-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

This blog will chronicle my time in the United Kingdom from July 9 to August 9.

Pray I don't get attacked by the Poppins.