London-isms Part two

“Hi Ya, Mates!” I figured that it was about time for some more London-isms and updates on life in this great city. In order to keep this post relatively short and sweet, I’ll do this in list/bullet form…

1. There has been very little fog in foggy London town. One of the first things people told me about London was that the weather was awful. I packed expecting it to be rainy and cold and for my hair to frizz with all the fog. So far, the weather has been uncommonly good!! It is the end of October and I have been enjoying blue skies, comfortable days, and sun for the majority of my time here. (Sorry I can’t say the same for my friends in Worcester who are getting snow right now…lol)
2. Soccer fans are nearly impossible to understand when they are cheering/ chanting. A few of my friends and I were lucky enough to get tickets (that were 4 rows from the field!!) to see an Arsenal game on Tuesday. Being a sports fan and growing up singing the Carolina fight song, I expected to join in on some of the chants at the game. Out of 10 or so chants, I was maybe able to understand two: “AAAAAARRRRRRSSSSSSSEEEENNNNAAAAALLLLLL! “ (pronounced ‘ahh-sen-Al’) and “Who are yaaahhhhhh?!” There were times I thought cockney accents (a different form or english accent) were actually another language. Regardless, the game and the experience itself could not have been more fun.
3. Do not take the tube during rush hour or you will feel like you are a packed sardine. There have been times where I will try to walk home or leave work early/very late in order to avoid being packed inside a tube car with people who forgot to wear deodorant.
4. A Chai Tea Latte does not exist in England. I have ordered two (hoping the second time Starbucks would get it right) and have received normal tea with milk each time.
5. On the same note, there is this strange obsession with instant coffee. I had never before had instant coffee until I started working at English National Ballet. It is definitely not as amazing as my usual brew I’ll make in a coffee press at the beach, but it is really quick and almost impossible to mess up… which is perfect for late night paper writing and barely functioning mornings.
6. ‘Cheers’ is the equivalent for thank you. I absolutely LOVE hearing this; it is so typically British. I’ll admit, ever since I got an email from a rowing coach that ended in ‘cheers,’ I have done the same thing in my emails. Get ready friends and family, because I plan on bringing it back with me to the US.
7. London is an amazing city to people watch. Ok, maybe this sounds creepy, but I LOVE observing people. What they do and how they act fascinates me. Last weekend I came across the perfect opportunity - a fall festival in Russell Square Park. Rather than taking a nap post-gym, I decided to go out and get some lunch. I sat there for about an hour eating delicious food and watched what was going on around me. I saw friends share (and laugh about spilling) giant cups of churros, dog owners’ break up fights with other dogs, people dancing to the Celtic music that was being played, and parents pulling small children out of the water fountain in the center of the park. The thing that I loved most though was seeing people of all different colors and cultures doing similar things. It crystallizes the fact that we, people, are not so different from one another; regardless of what we look like or where we come from. We can all find joy in the simple happenings of life- like being with friends or chasing pigeons :) (stupid pigeons) 

I hope you enjoyed these-I’ll keep the London-isms coming as I pick them up.

 Until next time, you stay classy. ;)

Brussels - Paradise for fans of chocolate and other simple pleasures

This past weekend I went on my first trip outside of England- to Brussels! Before leaving the US, I knew maybe three things about the city (thanks to my dad and J.Moe):
1. It has delicious chocolate
2. It has delicious beer
3.It has delicious waffles
4. There is an entire street dedicated to a statue of a baby boy peeing
With my little knowledge, my friend Jackie and I decided to take the train there for our first long weekend. We literally had three goals we wanted to accomplish before leaving:
1.Drink some interesting beer
2.Eat a Belgian waffle
3.Have some chocolate... who would have known that we were going to accomplish these with in our first 10hours in the country :P

Jackie with her waffle... nom nom nom

My first Belgian beer at the brewery museum

Let me start from the very beginning....

The journey officially began at 4:25am. After getting approximately 3 hours of sleep, we trekked towards London St.Pankras station. Even though it was only 5:15am when we got there, I had a strong urge to place my backpack on a trolley and run through a wall like Harry Potter. For all the HP aficionados out there, the station looked very similar to Kings Cross station in the movie (ironically enough, the actual Kings Cross station was right next door AND our train was on, yes you guessed it, platform 9 and 3/4 ... well maybe not, but it was on platform 9). The only thing stopping me from carrying out my potter moment was my exhaustion.

I wish I could tell you about the train ride there, but my exhaustion took over that one too. Jackie and I successfully managed to stay asleep the entire ride from London to Belgium. We both probably would have slept through our stop as well if it weren't for some random passenger bumping my head and waking me up. (Thank you, random person for the wake up and the bump on my head!)

After exiting the train platform, we proceeded through the train station in hopes that we would find a map in English. Bad news-there were no English maps. Good news- there were plenty of German maps. Lucky for us,Jackie and I both have more German knowledge than other languages! ( I picked up small bits and pieces of German from my German friends and host sister Nina while in New Zealand and Jackie took a class at Clark and also has a German host sister that taught her some words.) When we finally asked a man for directions to get to our hotel, he said that a German map was of no use to us. Little did he know... haha.
With the help of our german map, we finally were oriented in the direction we needed to go and proceeded outside. The first thing I noticed wthe the buildings. The churches, shops, synagogues, and restraunts all had their own beautiful french charm. At that moment, it hit me that I was actually in Europe, having the opportunity to explore a city I knew nothing about. :)

One of many beautiful churches in Brussels

We ended up exploring quite a bit (and accomplishing one of our goals-eating a waffle!) before we made it to our HOTEL (yes,a hotel. Not a hostel!!) Kudos to Jackie for finding The Hotel Agenda Louise. It was cleen, comfortable, in good walking distance from the city center, and served free breakfast! Once we go to our room, we both passed out and took much needed naps.

From the time we got up to the time we left Brussles, we pretty much did the same thing: Explore the Grand Place. From there, it was easy to find something to do. There were plenty of great museums (The Coco and Chocolate Museum and The Belgian Brewery Museus were the two we went to), pubs (one thst was an old puppett theatre), and CHOCOLATE SHOPS.

 ---> One thing you should all know about me before I continue is that I love to be healthy. I love snacking on fruits and veggies (or what many people call 'rabbit food'), exercising, and in general living a very healthy and happy life style. One thing few know about me is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate...probably more than a LOT of things. I promise, it is a healthy relationship 90% of the time <--

Me with a giant chocolate elephant- Two of my favorite things!!

 Anyways, I tried so many different types of chocolate. To name a few: Dark, Milk,chocolate with green tea, roses, and even curry. I was definitely in a chocolate paradise. *Note to my Dad- I DID NOT get the chocolate that decided to make my mouth, for lack of better description, explode. haha*

Overall, planning the trip to Brussels was definitely a fantastic idea.

I got to visit a different country and appreciate what it had to offer.

I got to spend quality time with  a fellow Clarkie that I did not know as well coming into the trip... and can now call one of my good friends! :)

I got to eat some delicious food and drink some good beer.

I got a flavor of what traveling around europe is going to be like

Brussels was amazing. Next up: Dublin.  LET THE EURO TRIP COMMENCE!

Until next time, stay classy


PS. For more pictures of Brussels and the rest of London adventure, check my facebook page!

A part of the Grand Palace

The one-night-only ballet engagement in Crazy Town

There is a running joke on the Clark Women's Rowing team about going to a wonderful place called 'Crazy Town.'
 Last spring break after two boats had to do an emergency landing mid practice in South Carolina, my teammate and good friend Stella and I remarked,  "We must be entering CRAZY TOWN ." Since then,the term 'crazy town' or 'going to crazy town' has been tossed around at practices that:
1. Are very physically or emotionally difficult
2. Have terrible weather conditions and have to practice or race
3. Involve coach attempting to clarify something/set boats/give directions/tell a joke/talk in general
4.  Involve high tension and usually tears and some physical pain of some type from someone
Thankfully though, each trip to crazy town is soon followed by lots of jokes and laughs about it on the van ride home or over a well deserved breakfast in thrcaf.

Last night was the opening night of English National Ballet's Autumn UK tour, and the first stop was most definitely Crazy Town.

Ok, so the first stop was actually in Oxford, and  few others really experienced the crazy aspects of the night. (That's probably because I experienced enough craziness to fill the entire theatre!) Nonetheless, let me take you through my experience through the UK version of Crazy Town...

The craziness began on my walk to the Russel Square tube station. I was casually eating some raw spinach (as my good friends know, this is a typical snack for me... not just rabbit food) and listening to some new Coldplay when my left hig heel got stuck in a crack in the side walk. Sacrificing my sustinance for the rest of my body, I threw my bag of spinach and caught myself before I hit the pavement. Right then I should have turned my butt around and changed by shoes, but instead kept walking towards the station.

So, I hopped on the tube and got off at Kings Cross (sadly, I did not get to platform 9 and 3/4) to await my next train. One of the things I really love about the London tube station is its efficiency and speed. Up until yesterday afternoon,I had never waited more than 3 minutes for a train to come. Well I guess it has to be late at least once during my stay... it just didn't need to be now. It just so happened to be 20 MINUTES late and (after much pushing and running) I got to the National Railway with 5 minutes to spare.

The original plan was then to meet my co-worker who had my ticket and get on the train together. Seeing as I was so late, I figured that she was already on the train. I ran up to the ticket man and breathlessly explained my situation (I even shed a few tears for dramatic effect... or maybe because I was so frustrated lol) and begged him to let me on the train. He looked me in the eye and said, no kidding, "You stupid American, go buy a bloody ticket." I was so frustrated and upset that I lost all control and punched him in the nose and hopped the gate.... NHAT! (I wish I had done that, but I probably would be in jail of some type instead of in the mar/comm office) Rather, I gave him the saddest, dirtiest look I could muster and frantically went to the nearest ticket booth and used my last £26 to get a train ticket. After I got on the train, I saw the Director of Commnuicationsand asked her if she could call my fellow co-worker so I could find her. Well, it turned out that I got on the wrong train and she had already left...awesome.

So I eventually make it to Oxford (which I will definitely be returning to one afternoon because it looked like a great place to explore) and started looking for the New Oxford Theatre. No surprises, I ended up getting lost but eventually found my way. As I was walking up a hill to the theatre, my heels got stuck in a crack; this time they broke. That is when I lost it- I was all alone in a place I didn't know with no money to get home (yeah, I couldn't find an ATM to save my life), super hungry and thirsty, and with no ticket to the show. As I was having a little mental breakdown, I saw a woman running over to me-it was my coworker! She gave me a big hug and we decompressed over snadwiches and some much needed red wine.

After that things went pretty smoothly. I got to watch my first ballet in amazing seats alongside the head  coreographer, artistic director,CEO, and managing director. The CEO of English National Ballet and I were talking and he not only bought my train ticket home and offered to let me watch in the wings next performance (woot woot!) but also told me all sorts of great stories about the ballet as well as some great things to do in London.

And so ends my first UK experience in Crazy Town. Yeah it was really stressful and I felt really helpless at times, but just like what happens with my girls at breakfast after crazy town, I ended up laughing about the whole thing.... and I hope you, fair reader, get a solid belly laugh out of it too! Looking back on the experience, I feel quite silly for being as upset as I was. I mean, it was just a performance. If I had missed it, I could have gone to another later on. Funny how these little instances seem so huge in the heat of the moment, but in reality are pretty insignificant. But that's the lesson I took from this-take a step back and evaluate the situation before 'going to crazy town. Sometimes you'll realize that there is nothing to worry about and walk away scotch free, and others you will leave crazy town with broken high heels, an empty wallet, and a great story to laugh about in the morning.

Unitl next time, you stay classy. :)

** Wait! A quick word about the performance- IT WAS FANTASTIC! It was nothing like a traditional ballet, yet it still managed to be very graceful while being energetic. The dancers well all so,so increadable.As a fellow athleete, I understand how hard you have to work inorder to play agreat game or put on a great production and each of them did just that. I have never seen a performance so lively, and yet so graceful in my entire life. After seeing this, I know that I will be attending as many ballet performances as possible (hopefully even a "classic" ballet). Here is a link talking about the show:

London-isms Part One: Some quirky, cool, and sometimes outrageous differences I have picked up on thus far

For those who know me pretty well, they fully understand that I am not one that likes to be unprepared.  Whether the situation be big (like covering some extra material before a big exam) or small (packing plenty of band-aids in my bag when I am wearing my favorite stilettos) I try to prepare myself for what could possibly happen. Even right now, I am starting some papers that are due in a month or so because I do not know how much free time I am going to have in the future. Clearly Preparation = a key element in my life.

However when it came to preparing for this trip, I did not prep as much as some of my friends would have expected me to. I packed two nights before I left and didn't really read my guide book until getting to my flat. Usually those are things that would have been a week or so in advance.  One thing I did do though is think about some of the cultural differences I would encounter.
Upon arriving in London, I made a very small list of things that I knew would be different from the US:
- Different (and more valuable) money
- A different accent and general vernacular
- Driving on the left side of the road rather than the right side

Let me just say now that these are NOT the only differences that I have come across.  Perhaps if I had researched living in the UK before I left Duxbury (like my mom and I did before I went to New Zealand) I would have been more prepared for some of the differences. But, let's be serious: I would not have laughed so hard, been so utterly confused, or really learned if I had done the research ahead of time.
Moral of this story: it is O.K to some times NOT be 100% prepared for every situation or possible encounter. Sometimes learning that you just said something that does not mean the same thing in the US then in the UK is half of the adventure.

So, without any further due, let me tell you about some of the fantastic, hilarious, ridiculous, and potentially life threatening things that I have experienced that do not happen in the USA!

***Note to my lovely Momma and Dad: Despite what I said about some potentially life threatning things, I have NOT had to go to the hospital or get surgery on anything! (For those who do not know my awesome New Zealand stories, this is actually an accomplishment. My second week in Napier I sprained my left ankle and then the next week I ended up breaking my right wrist... awesome times lol)  But I cannot make any promises; I might get another opportunity to snow board down a volcano. :P ***

1. Squirrels are FEARLESS. My second or third day in London, I was running through Russell Sq. park and witnessed a squirrel climbing up a man's right leg to get a piece of bread. I was in utter shock that I wasn't paying attention to where I was running and almost hit a tree. Even now, seeing squirrels get that close to people freaks me out, but all I can do is laugh (sometimes uncontrolably). The only person I know that would love this is my good friend Mel- she would probably have the squirrel sit on her shoulder and become her pet.

2. Pigeons, ducks, and other birds are equally as fearless. Normally birds move out of the way really fast if they see a person coming towards them. Either birds in london have terrible reaction times or really get a kick out of freaking out poor tourists such as myself but not moving until the last possible second.

3. Pubs do not come and take your order; you must go to the bar and order if you want anything. My girlfriends and I probably stood at a table at The London Pub for 2-3 minutes before figuring that out our first night.

4. There are not container laws when it comes to carrying alcohol in public places. So casually carrying a beer around will not get you arrested, London college peeps!

5. CARS DO NOT STOP IF YOU TRY TO CROSS THE STREET. Those who call Massachusetts and New Jersey drivers the worst in the world have clearly never been to London. I will admit that jay walking is not the greatest idea in the world, but when we do jay walk (which is interestingly not illegal in the UK) cars will not slow down like they do in the US. I think I have yelled at the drivers in London more than the drivers yell at me which is DEFINITELY  a change from being in the US.

6. Just incase you do not know which way to look when crossing the street, you can look down on the street and it will say look left, right, or both ways. I was so excited to see that on my first walk to work. (Most likely saved me from getting hit by a car once or twice as well)

7. Very few people talk on the underground (aka the London version of the T). This was one of those things I found out after having a loud conversation with some friends. I got some dirty looks that would turn Medusa to stone. Also, you have to swipe you card going in and out of the underground which I find really strange.

8. Drug stores really are just drug stores.  What I wouldn't give for  24-hour CVS some nights... Thankfully though, I have discovered Tesco express which is a 24-hour grocery store! woot woot.

9. There are no leash laws in the parks, but people are not allowed to pass footballs or soccer balls. To me this makes zero sense- people cannot play together in a civil fashion but dogs can cause crazy commotions and fight each other? Positive point: I get to watch sooooo many adorable dogs horse around and be silly which is sometimes better than playing a game of pass. **Future note- NEVER bring Gralph (my adorable mini-schnauzer) to London; he would go INSANE**

10. People are all very friendly and willing to give you directions if you are lost. My first day of my internship, I decided that I would be a good idea to walk home. No surprise, I got painfully lost and had to ask for directions. The guy I asked took the time to turn on his lap top, google my location and destination, AND wrote out the directions for me. I asked if iI could buy the guy a coffee or something, but he refused and said for me to come back to his shop if I ever needed directions again. :)
On that note, I have to say that I have meet the friendliest people in London. The jerks are definitely lurking around somewhere... I just have been fortunate enough not to encounter them!! :D

I love london and all of its quirks and differences, and cannot wait to find more as I progress through my semester here.

Unitl next time- You stay classy, London.

Exhibit A-Duck coming to get our food at Regent's Park. They ended up running us out of Danielle's, Jackie's,and my lunch spot! FEARLESS I TELL YOU!

The First Thirty Days- What it really feels like to live on hyper-speed

This almost feels like a dream. One month ago, I was driving home from Worcester in a "hurricane" (Irene, you really were not that bad) , and now I am trying to plan how to get to Oxford, England to help out with press coverage of the Autumn ballet tour of Strictly Gershwin. Some one needs to wake me up before I start believing that this is all actually happening...

But before I begin, let me explain what this is even about:
For my fall semester of college, I have chosen to live and work abroad in London, England.  Over the next four-ish months, I will be taking classes at Birkbeck College (a branch of the University of London), interning in the marketing communications department of the English National Ballet, and some how find time to explore this glorious city as well as see some other interesting places. To all of my friends who have begged me to keep an account of my adventures (especially The Moes)- here it, finally, is! Welcome to my first real attempt at a blog! My intentions for this are pretty straight forward: tell you about life in London from my perspective. I'll try my best to add in as many excellent "London-isms," funny moments, and, of course, pictures. Though, I'm also hoping that by keeping this, it will help me (and maybe even you, fair reader) learn something more about appreciating and understanding other cultures as well as my own. And to take it a step further, possibly reflect on some of the experiences I have had and learn something about myself.
Enough with the heavy, let me take you back to what I was saying earlier...

It seems quite surreal that only a month has transpired, when it feels like I have been living life on hyper speed. For one of the first times in my life, I am struggling to find any free time to simply sit and do nothing:

--> When I think I have time to sit down and relax, someone messages me to come and meet them at a pub or a park to catch up. 

--> After putting my key in the door after work, friends will grab me and take me some place cool for drinks or a new type of cuisine.

--> Leaving my last class on monday, I'll contemplate starting my homework right away and then take a detour to the park and people watch (better put, dog watch. You would not believe the crazy things I have seen dogs do at Russell Square park... but I'll get to that later.)

--> Once I get out of my half day of classes and think I should get some rest, I quickly realize where I am and go on a solo adventure to a local museum or walk around a different area of London. (May I add, only to get hopelessly lost and embark on another great adventure of finding my way home... yes, only me. :P )

Besides the general feeling of being tired, one must ask, is this really such a bad thing?
My answer is no. As long as I can stay as healthy as possible (and avoid passing out in public places or falling asleep in class), I think that this life style of exploring is pretty great. To me, there is nothing better in life than having a daily dose of adventure. And better than that is being able to share that adventure with those around you.

All of this really does feel like a dream... and I fully intend on living in it for as long as I possibly can. :)

Seeing that it is now well past midnight (gah!) and have a LOOOONG day of classes in aprox.10 hours, I will give you a brief overview of some of the things I have done during my first 30 days:

1. Working for the ENB and getting to experience a new realm of athletics that I have never before been exposed to
1a. Take a flight on the London Eye
2. See a fantastic show in the West End-War Horse
3. Legally buying my first pint...
4. ... and then celebrating my 21st (might I add with some of the greatest people EVER!!) marking me as a "grown-up" who can drink in the US
5. Touring some of the finest art galleries and museums (The British Museum, National Gallery, V&A Museum, and The Royal Academy of Art)
6. Walking around historic landmarks of London
6a... and while doing so, running into David Cameron the Prime Minister. No big deal or anything.
7. Visiting the Cotswolds and getting a taste of the English country side
8. Mastering the underground tube system by taking random adventures to all sorts of places
9. Cooking my own meals (successfully!!) and feeling really healthy
10. Meeting some of the greatest people, who I hope to keep as some of my close friends. :) :) :)

Please stay tuned as I will be, now that I have this blog, frequently posting more and more about my adventure!!

Until next time, you stay classy London.

Me at the British Museum... which is less than 5 minutes from my  flat. This really must be a dream.