Bless the person who gave us umbrellas.

Hello all! In this entry I will write about all the adventures of Friday and Satuday (September 12 & 13), even though it’s Sunday morning here. Sometimes I might get a little behind, but it will never be more than a few days, so no worries. Also, the wireless internet here isn’t exactly Ball State quality, so it’s been on and off (but mostly off) since Friday morning.

Okay, so on Friday morning we all had to be at the college at 9:00 AM sharp for orientation by the British coordinator of the program and our professor for the British Life & Culture class. We went over basic rules of the college, listened to the company who is providing our accomadations while we’re in London do a little presentation, and also had a Bobbie (a policeman) come and chat with us about how to be safe while we’re in and traveling around London (Basically, hold on to your business).

We had a small break after that, so some of the gals and I went down to a little, local café and got lattes, mochas, and all those fun coffee-ish drinks. During the afternoon session of our orientation, we learned more about our classes and Wednesday field trips – all of which sound absolutely amazing! They are actually offering a class, called British Pop Music, as a free-trial run. This means it doesn’t cost us anything to take it, but we don’t get any credit for it either. However, our graduate assistant said the professor teaching it is fabulous, so I think most students will be taking it – including me. I also think I’m going to tag along with the Art History Class when they go to different museums just so that I can learn more, even though I’m not actually in the class.

After our orientation was over, most of us went out to buy a pay-as-you-go mobile (cell phone), so that we can get a hold of the other students in case of emergencies or just curiosity about what someone has planned for the day. The whole thing was an absolute fiasco because everything is extremely confusing! (But really, when is buying a mobile not confusing in the States as well?) Once we got that out of the way, the group I was with ate at a lovely, little Italian restaurant, which of course was excellent. We also stopped by a Primark store on the way back to the flats because we wanted to check out their clothing selection. That might have been one of the most dreadful experiences of my life! That store must’ve had as many people in it as the entire city of Muncie has within its city limits! Seriously, it was like H&M on steroids AND performance enhancing drugs. Absolutely insane. Oh and then we got caught in our first London downpour on the way home. Luckily I had my umbrella, but sometimes that doesn’t even matter.

That night, a large group of us took the tube to Soho (the theatre region of London) and experienced a London club. It was mostly like any other club I would assume – lots of drinks and dancing. The best part was when we met these British students and asked them about the football teams we’re supposed to be researching for our British Life & Culture. Whenever we said a name, they would just laugh and say, “They are absolutely dreadful – worst team EVER!” I asked them if they wanted to hear my southern accent and of course they thought it was hilarious and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Saturday was definitely the best day I’ve had since I’ve been here. Three of my roommates (Mel, Grace, and Tara) and I got up fairly early and rode the tube to Camden. There’s a famous market that goes on there, which is extra big on the weekends, so I’m glad we went on a Saturday. We went to a different café to get our coffee-ish drinks and then we made our way through the market. The group got split up, so Mel and I ended up by ourselves, but it was seriously so much fun. We ventured down the road and went into the Camden Lock Market, which had eclectic jewelry, vintage items, lovely teas, and indescribable food stands. There was one stand that had the most amazing donuts I have ever seen - they were filled with chocolate, marshmallow, basically anything and everything you could ever think of. There were also stands with different ethnic foods from all around the world – China, West Africa, India, etc. Mel and I bought honey chicken with rice and noodles from the Chinese stand for lunch. And we both agreed that it was by the far the best Chinese food we’ve ever had in our lives!

After we left the market, we rode the tube to the Waterloo stop where we got off and saw the London Eye (that’s the huge ferris wheel). Then we walked across Westminster Bridge (I think that’s the name) to Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. It was a beautiful day, so I was actually able to get some really good pictures! I definitely felt like a tourist though because that’s the area where everyone who visits London goes… and I was wearing bright blue and green, so I didn’t exactly blend. But most of the time in the States I don’t blend, so what’s new? :)

Okay before I end this, I want to ask everyone a British trivia question… Are you ready? I’ll tell you the answer on my next post. Alright, here it is: What is a “Chelsea Tractor” and who drives them?

Thanks again to everyone who reads this and is thinking and praying about me! I love you and miss you all so much!

Until next time,
Rachel