London | Day N° 14 | Belgravia and Hyde Park

Here begins my last full weekend in London. Next Thursday, my dearest Eli, who I haven't seen in three months, is coming to join me in London for three days, and then we depart for a tour of France!! I'm so excited to see her, to show her my beloved city, and to travel to new lands together! But I don't even want to think about leaving.... I love it here.

Today when I woke, I decided I'd go do some reading for my class (and blogging!) at Patisserie Valerie in Belgravia, after a friend recommended the cafe. Unfortunately, the Piccadilly line (one of the main Underground lines that runs through central London, and the one that I rely on most) was closed for the weekend, and I had to work my way around on various trains to get to Victoria Station, which is right behind Buckingham Palace Gardens and on the east side of Belgravia.

For those of you who don't live in London, don't watch BBC's Sherlock, and aren't familiar with luxury international real estate, Belgravia is the residential area behind Buckingham Palace Gardens. It's ranked by some as the most expensive residential area in the world, where flats (flats) can go for tens of millions of pounds. And, it is the setting for my favourite episode of television ever, 'A Scandal in Belgravia' from Sherlock. I was obviously in so much awe to see these beautiful (and expensive) homes and gardens... Honestly, I was geeking out!!    

Just the neighbourhood Louboutin shop

I strolled around for an hour or so before settling outside at Patisserie Valerie, to have a smoked salmon salad and then tea and scones.  The reverie was somewhat soiled by two American women who sat down at the next cafe over and were so loud that they attracted the glares and raised eyebrows of the hushed Brits, French, and Arabs that were also eating nearby. No wonder they think so badly of us Americans - every day I find another reason why I should be embarrassed by other Americans abroad, who are generally loud and inconsiderate (though often through ignorance, not on purpose).

One example: two days ago, all the residents of my small suite in High Holborn received letters warning us of complaints about our suite: the night before around 3 am, the two American boys who live in my suite had been drunkenly banging on each other's doors for hours and shouting profanities up from the street below, then vomiting in the hallway and leaving beer cans on the floors for the housekeepers to clean up. I was furious. How can people be so rude and oblivious? How can they care so little about others, and themselves? These are students who are studying at LSE, taking very difficult, world-class courses, and somehow manage to drink themselves to obscenity almost every night. It's beyond my understanding. Anyway, the sweet (and quiet) European girl who lives on my floor complained, among others, and I'm just beyond embarrassed to be grouped together with these stupid, selfish, oblivious Americans.

Anyway, after leaving the outdoor cafe and loud women behind, I went in pursuit of the Belgravia home of Irene Adler ('The Woman'), made famous by BBC's Sherlock. I'm very much in love with Sherlock and Irene and, being a geek, it was of huge importance for me to visit the spot where the show had been filmed. I jealously passed blocks of stately, gorgeous flats, all white with black doors and black rails and second-floor balcony gardens. The whole area was very quiet and peaceful, particularly for a Saturday afternoon. Almost no one was out and about. Actually, it was a little bit upsetting because each of these squares has a fantastic, beautifully kept private garden at its centre, with paths, benches shaded by huge trees, tennis courts, fountains, and statues - but no one was using them! It was a gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon, and none of the residents were out enjoying their gardens or beautiful neighbourhood. I suppose most can take it for granted.

After a bit of walking I found Eaton Square, which is the street used for Irene Adler's home in Sherlock. Of course, it was stunning, and I was way beyond excited to see the place they staged her luxuriant boudoir. There was also a perfect little park directly across the street from her flat, with a little pool and palm trees. I creepily walked back and forth in front of no. 44 for a couple minutes, humming 'On the Street Where You Live' to myself, until I saw a security officer strolling a ways down the street and scampered off. I'm such a nerd, but it was wonderful. I would give anything to live in this neighbourhood... though no matter what I gave, it could never be enough! It's such a peaceful, truly beautiful, and elegant place, but the residents pay well to have it that way. I wish the gardens were open so that I could just come to sit and read. There's a tranquility here that one can't find elsewhere in central London.          

When I'd finished stalking the fictional Irene Adler, I walked up Sloane Street (which marks the western boundary of Belgravia) past all the luxury stores (including a baby Dior...). For your reference, the automobile demographic of this area consists of Audis, Mercedes, and BMWs, with a smattering of Porsches, Ferraris, Bentleys, and Aston Martins (actually, more than a dozen Aston Martins, more than I've ever seen in one place), a Maserati, and a single, very loud, and very beautiful McLaren. I kept stopping in the middle of traffic to gape. There are a large number of embassies in the area, which I hadn't expected, and a significant Muslim population, which I had expected. Here and in Knightsbridge (the luxe shopping area surrounding Harrods), it's quite common to see women not only wearing a hijab but a full burqa. Though I studied Arabic for four years, this is interesting for me because in the US, you will never, ever see a woman walking around in a burqa. Here, it's quite common, not only in the luxury shopping areas but around the city, on the train, etc. I don't remark on this with the intention of singling them out or discriminating, but instead to comment on the difference in acceptance between the US and Europe.  Many Americans consider all Muslims to be dangerous or extremists, which is completely untrue, but perhaps somewhat understandable because we are not at all exposed to their culture. Here, a more significant proportion of the population is Muslim, and the Brits are accustomed to their presence and culture. It's just very interesting and different, especially when I imagine the way Americans would react if they saw a group of women walking through a shopping mall or into a train wearing the burqa.

Knightsbridge and Belgravia both run along the southern border of Hyde Park, so I passed through on my way up to the Lancaster Gate tube station at the northern edge of the park. It was lovely but packed with people and pigeons, of course. Here, pigeons fill the streets and parks in the place of our squirrels in the US. I saw my first squirrel today at Hyde Park, a single little guy, almost tame from being fed by all the people. I had to laugh when two girls (who were clearly not from the US) squealed and froze in terror when he went scampering past them - to them I guess he was an oddity.

To me, the swans were the best part of Hyde Park. This is a creature that we don't see often in the US, and they're so large and handsome. In the UK, all swans legally belong to the Queen, no matter whose property they're on. There were dozens swimming in the lake at Hyde Park, along with the geese and ducks and paddleboats. Of course, there were many hundreds of people, but I was surprised to find a peaceful little swimming area and cafe to one side of the lake. There's also a beautiful and unique monument to Princess Diana in the park: a shallow fountain running eternally in a circle, with little waterfalls, but shallow enough that people can dip their feet and children can splash in the water.

Every day, I am so happily surprised by the beautiful things I find in this city. After experiencing something new, like the London Eye or Belgravia or a particular garden or cafe or bookstore, I marvel that I didn't know about this wonderful thing before. I wish I had the time to explore more of this city, but it's depressing to think that I only have a week left. I'll do my best to experience everything I can in the next week, but I like to think of it as making note of places that I can return to in the future, when I come back to London one day - hopefully in the not-too-distant future!!

London | Days N° 12-13 | Riverboat Cruise

Thursday and Friday of this week mainly consisted of classes, and the realisation that I only have a week left in London. I love this place so much. Not even the people, or the culture, but the place itself. The cafes and shops and gardens and river. I'm so, so sad that I'll be here for only one more week.

After the midterm on Wednesday, my Financial Markets class switched professors: our dear and very fabulous Dr Pascal Frantz left for Dr Christian Julliard as planned, who is teaching the second half of the course. This next week (and the final exam) will be more theoretical and less quantitative than the first half of the course and the midterm, and I'm so grateful. I haven't gotten my midterm grade back yet, but it was purely memorising formulas and solving equations, which I really don't enjoy. I'd prefer to explain these theories in words (rather than formulas) any day. Dr Julliard is young and energetic, and should be easy to learn from.

After class on Thursday, I went to Waterstones Piccadilly to read. I didn't have much homework to do, so I made progress in A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I need to finish the series before I start my fall semester, or I'll have to wait until I graduate to finish it! And then immediately after class on Friday, my friend Fidan and I returned to our residence to get ready for the long-awaited Riverboat Disco. This very popular event is hosted by LSE each summer session and is open exclusively to students, and even so, only a portion of the students are able to get tickets (the boat accommodates 600, and there are thousands of LSE summer students). After the tickets had all been sold, some of the unlucky students were purchasing them from other students for ten times their face value. My friends and I (after a lot of stress) managed to get tickets on the first day they were sold.

The riverboat (shown above!) set off from Tower Pier, which is right next to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and across the river from the Shard.  The boat was quite lovely, with a grand staircase and two bars, dining rooms, and a dance floor. My friend and I spent most of the evening on the prow, watching the Thames pass by. Tower Bridge was opened for our boat to pass under, and the cruise went down the river to the east, past Greenwich, all the way to the O2 arena. Unfortunately, it didn't head west, to pass the London Eye and Houses of Parliament, which would have been really amazing to see at night: but it was too large to go under London Bridge and the others bridges in central London.

Many of the other students went off to various clubs in London after the cruise ended at midnight, but my friend and I returned to High Holborn to have a midnight snack and sleep. We plan on doing some more sightseeing on our last weekend here in London!

London | Days N° 10-11 | Midterm, Baku, and the London Eye

Chocolates at Harrod's  

It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been in London for a week and a half! I don’t have much longer here… the time is speeding by. I took my midterm exam this morning, after studying like a madman for the past week (and particularly yesterday). It went well – I hope. The UK uses a different grading scale than the one I’m used to. In the US, a student starts with 100 points for their grade, and then deductions are made. An ‘A’ is often given for grades in the 90-100% range, ‘B’ in the 80-89% range, and so on and so forth. Here, a student starts with 0 points, and is assigned points based on their work, making their way up toward 100%. However, it’s more difficult to get a high grade this way, so an ‘A’ is given for grades in the 80-100% range, ‘B’ in the 70-80% range, ‘C’ in the 60-70% range, and so forth. We’ll see just how difficult it is to get an ‘A’ by this method, but it seemed like most of the previous summer school students at LSE have been able to get A’s and B’s.

After taking the midterm exam, my two friends and I did a bit of touring around London! This is our only full afternoon and evening off until the end of the course, so we wanted to take advantage of it and see a bit more of the city. We took the Underground over to Knightsbridge (once again) and spent a bit of time at Harrod’s. This time, I was able to see the gourmet foods section in more detail, found some rose-black tea, and purchased passionfruit macarons (yum!!). I also had to get some chocolate-covered rose-flavoured Turkish delight for my little sisters, who are fans of the Chronicles of Narnia series. It was interesting talking to my friends (who are from the UK and Azerbaijan) about the differences in food availability here. For example, it’s pretty difficult to find Turkish delight in the US, except in some gourmet food stores and around the holidays. No one really even knows what it is except for its famous role in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But it’s relatively easy to find here. On the contrary, Godiva chocolates are rare in the UK and Europe, while you can buy a box of Godiva chocolates basically anywhere in the US. Harrod’s was carrying basic boxes of Godiva chocolates (worth less than $20 in the US) for almost £40 ($60!!).  Of course, it depends on availability, but it’s just interesting to see what it is considered rare or valuable on each continent.

The main purpose of our trip to Knightsbridge was to visit Baku, a fantastic Azerbaijani restaurant south of Hyde Park. My friend (currently studying at LSE  Summer School) attends university in Wales but is from Azerbaijan, and wanted to introduce us to Azeri food. I’m always ready to try new things, and I was particularly interested in this type of cuisine because my little sister is from Kazakhstan, which borders the Caspian Sea across from Azerbaijan.

It was absolutely delicious. Between the three of us, we tried many different dishes: yarpag dolma (vine leaves stuffed with lamb), gutab (thin pancakes filled with herbs, lamb, and pumpkin with pomegranate seeds), Barbary duck and watermelon salad, a cheese-and-pick platter, dushbara (a wanton-type soup with beef parcels in veal broth), and baklava. Everything was new to me (even those dishes which I thought I had tried before, like baklava and dolma, but soon realised that the American versions are nothing near the real thing) and so, so good. In addition, the restaurant itself was stunning. The dining room was chic and comfortable, and the presentations of food were unique and beautiful (everything was served on slate tablets, except for the dolma, which was in a boat!). And of course, after lunch, I had to try Azeri tea, which I found similar to Russian tea, but a little lighter. The whole lunch was such a delicious discovery, and I wish Azeri cuisine was easier to find!

The view of the River Thames west from the London Eye

Once we were quite full, my friend and I used up the rest of our free afternoon by taking a turn on the London Eye (finally!). The queue wasn’t too bad, and I’m glad we did it. First of all, this enormous Ferris wheel is almost 450 feet high but is cantilevered (supported on one side only), which is incredibly impressive and a little scary. It’s just enormous. Its position also allows unparalleled views of the River Thames to the east and west. London is beautiful, especially along the riverfront, and the Eye gives you a pretty perfect view of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Charing Cross Station, and the Shard. It’s a shame, but because of how much studying I need to do, I don’t think I’ll be able to visit all these places in the next week. I’ve passed them and seen them from afar, but most cost so much to tour, and I feel like I need to dedicate all my extra time to schoolwork. I’ll try to maybe sneak one or two more in before I go – but I’m sure this won’t be my last time in London!

Zab in London | Days N° 8-9

I'm sorry to disappoint, but I haven't done anything thrilling over the last two days. Because my midterm is coming up on Wednesday, I've been studying as hard as I can.

I have been trying to find some peaceful places to study, though, particularly ones that are open a bit later in the evening. On the left is the 5th View at the Waterstones Piccadilly, a top-floor cafe with views of the city. I went there this evening for dinner (bangers and mash! yum!) and then sat down in the classics section to do some studying. Like I said in a previous post, Waterstones is very well-kept, quiet, and beautiful. They have nice comfy couches too!

There are a handful of cafes on the Kingsway where I've taken a couple of hours to sit down, have some tea, and study at: Bill's (pictured below), Paul, and the Delaunay Counter. All have outdoor seating, which is irresistible in this perfect weather.  Another favourite would definitely be the New Academic Building on the LSE's campus, which I've also mentioned before.  I love the open space, big windows, and views of the city. Does anyone sense a pattern here?

I was only able to visit when I first arrived, but the Victoria Embankment Gardens on the Thames was beautiful and I'd love to return to sit and read in the garden. Every day here has been only lightly cloudy and in the 70s, so I'm taking every possible opportunity to be outdoors. The picture above, at Waterstones, was the first afternoon of real London fogginess - which was equally wonderful because it was so cosy!

While I haven't done much besides study over the past couple of days, I'm still learning more about this city, culture, and people that surround me. Honestly, it hasn't completely sunk in that I'm in London, in the United Kingdom, in Europe. I don't know if I'll even totally wrap my mind around that until I leave! I've wanted to be here for so long, that it's still quite surreal now that it's actually happened...

A difference between US and UK culture that has become more apparent over the past week is the study habits of the students here.  Whereas the library and study rooms at my university in Virginia would be absolutely packed with students during the evenings, late at night, and during the weekends (even when exams weren't coming up!), the campus here (the study lounges and library and such) are essentially empty over the weekends and during the evenings. The buildings close earlier here than they do in the US (William & Mary's library is open until 2:00 every morning and 24-hours during exam weeks, whereas the LSE campus closes around 18:00). Here at LSE, the 2,000+ summer students currently in classes all have midterm exams in two days. When I went on campus to study over the weekend, I expected all the study areas to be full - but they were almost completely empty!

I've also noticed that a surprising number of students don't spend their extra time studying at all, whether on campus, in their rooms or elsewhere. Of course, some certainly do, and very good for them - but there have been plenty of weeknights (and certainly weekends) where people are coming and going early in the morning, masses of students are congregated in the residence hall lounge drinking and socialising for hours, and I find beer cans lying around on weekday mornings all the time. As I slave away at my schoolwork all day and all night, I can hardly believe that these people can spare enough time away from their books. I suppose they must be taking easier classes, or be naturally brilliant. Either way, it's very different from the study habits at William & Mary.

Of course, I am perfectly studious and never get distracted. Teehee! I wish. I'm trying to strike a balance between seeing the city and friends and dedicating enough time to schoolwork to do well in my class; usually, this means that I'll go out in the city where I can be around people and see a new place, but will always bring my notes from class and go over problems and readings. I'm not a natural finance genius, and where some people might find this coming easily to them, I have to study my little booty off to get good grades. But it will be quite worth it! I'm interested in LSE for their Masters in Finance programme, so I know the extra hours of studying will pay off!

Zab in London | Day N° 5 | Shopping and Ministry of Sound

The River Thames at night

Hullo! I had quite an adventurous day trekking all over London on Friday. The weather was beautiful, and made even more so by the fact that I didn't have lecture that afternoon!

I did have class in the morning, though, so after class I went back to Waterstones to relax for a little while. I purchased some cool (and expensive...) cards for my family and sat writing for a little while. Then it was off to the Sherlock Holmes Museum!

Damn the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I have been there twice, once early in the morning and once in the afternoon (both weekdays!), and there has been a line at least a hundred people long, probably more, stretching down the entire block. I tried to go yesterday (I had already bought a ticket!) and waited for about twenty minutes in line, didn't get anywhere, and gave up. I guess I have to get there one morning about an hour before it opens and hope to get somewhere near the front of the line! This tour had better be good... I've probably already spent an extra ten pounds just getting back and forth on the tube unsuccessfully! I did get a good shot of the front of the flat, though.
They have his hat hanging outside and everything, it's very cool. In the show, they cover up the museum (which is right below 221B) with Speedy's Cafe, which doesn't actually exist (stupid me, I thought it did). The cafe awning covers up the museum sign, and they use the same big glass windows. Quite interesting. I'm very frustrated because I would love to catch a glimpse of filming for the new season, but I can't find when or where they're actually filming. They're here somewhere though!

After my second attempt to visit 221B, I went back to Knightsbridge to do some shopping. I didn't end up returning to Harrods just yet, but instead went to H&M (the biggest branch I've been in yet, and of the biggest clothing company in the world - it was big!!) and Topshop (a UK fashion shop) and got a couple dresses and things to wear while I'm here, and a handful of men's clothes for my boyfriend Jared... notably, short European shorts! I couldn't resist.

The women's clothing here isn't much different from what I'm used to at William & Mary or the East Coast in general; it's definitely different from the way people dress in the Midwest, which is mainly in pajamas. The women do dress a bit better here, in beautiful dresses or professional attire, etc. The big difference is in men's clothing, though. Men in the US don't know how to dress (Jared, you are an exception!). The men here dress much better, in collared shirts and nicely fitted pants and proper shoes. The men in the US (even on the East Coast) wear sneakers and baggy shorts and t-shirts. Ugh. They have a thing or two to learn from European men.

Anyway, after doing a bit of shopping, I had supper at my favourite cafe, La Pain Quotidian, which is right next to my residence hall and is beautiful, full of natural wood and plants and glass windows. I was able to nap for a little while after eating, before getting ready to go and experience my first European club! I've gone out a handful of times with some girlfriends in Richmond, Virginia, but that's the extent of my club knowledge. It's much more intense here, of course. I was amazed to find that the tube was even more crammed at 23:45 on a Friday night than it had been at 17:15, during rush hour, earlier in the day!

Surprisingly, many people were not as 'dressed up' as I would have thought. Girls were wearing shorts and jeans and flats, where I had expected dresses and heels. The club was huge and packed with people: there are three separate rooms with three different DJs at any one time, a VIP lounge, and a loft. Another difference when compared to American clubs is that the men here seemed able to have fun on their own: in the clubs I'd been to in the US, single men would just stand off to the side, watching, waiting for a chance to creep up to a woman that was on her own. Horrible. Here, there were many gents who were on their own or with a group of friends, but they were all off dancing and having fun, without poor ladies to creep on. As a lone girl at the club, I was very happy to see that!!

I only stayed for a couple hours as I have tons of studying to do this weekend. Our midterm for this class is on Wednesday, after only six lectures, and this is the first chance I'll have to step back, breathe, and go back over the material that was covered in the first week. I'm destined for a boring but well-needed weekend.

Zab in London | Days N° 4-5

Sorry it's been a day or two since I last checked in! Honestly, there hasn't been anything terribly exciting to report... I've been spending most of my days on the LSE campus, and most of my evenings studying.

View from the top of the New Academic Building   

I have been getting to know the LSE campus a little better, which is good. It's actually pretty tricky: the little alleyways between buildings are convoluted and difficult to remember. I guess that's just one of the consequences of being in an old city like this. My classes are in a big theatre in Clement House, which is right on Aldwych and the Kingsway, a couple doors down from the Delaunay, and a few blocks from the Thames. LSE has older buildings and new buildings, some under construction at the moment, but they're all very nice and well kept. This photo was taken on the rooftop pavilion of the New Academic Building, which is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in London and is really beautiful and new. The top floor is dedicated to quiet study but is made up of big glass windows, outdoor seating, and a balcony, and has excellent views of London.

LSE's mascot in front of Waterstones

I've also stopped in Waterstones, the famous British bookshop.  The LSE Student Union has a shop with LSE items in the centre of campus, and I had to get an LSE sweatshirt so I can show off when I'm back at William & Mary! I haven't had the time to do any intense shopping trips yet (note: yet), just stopping in here and there. I couldn't resist getting a commemorative Prince George mug at a souvenir shop: 'A Royal Baby, 2013'. Too funny! They have dining sets and puzzles, keychains and onesies... I don't blame them, though. I'm jealous that the British have this beautiful royal family to fawn over!

On Friday, though, I have the afternoon off (no lecture!) and have quite a busy itinerary for the day. When I get out of class, I plan on finally going to see 221B Baker St - I went early one

I couldn't help it: Prince George memorabilia! 

morning this week as soon as it opened to try to get in before my 11:00 class, but there was already a line with at least a hundred people in it, so I had to give up and head off to class. After visiting Sherlock Holmes' flat tomorrow, I would like to go to Oxford Street or Knightsbridge to do some real shopping, at Topshop and H&M. Then when I get back that evening, I'll need to take a nap, because much later that night I'm going with some other students to the Ministry of Sound! This is one of London's premier clubs, and LSE students were able to get a discount on admission tomorrow evening. And then the rest of my weekend will be dedicated to studying!

But for now, I'm in my room doing schoolwork. Learning so much material (in such a difficult subject!) over a short period of time is rough. I am essentially in class four hours a day, and the professor speeds through the material. Each individual lecture during summer school is equivalent to at least a week of 'real' class during the fall or spring semester, so there's a massive amount of material to go through each day. And I don't have much time to review and make sure I know everything: the next morning, it's on to a new topic!  I've been spending most of my nights going back over the problems and formulas and examples that we're supposed to know, but the volume of material is so great that I'll be lucky if I can remember half of it by next week.

My lovely sister Emily made my day a lot better by sending a really wonderful care package to my residence hall! It's been surprisingly hard to find granola bars here (I know, weird... but most of the 'granola bars' here are sweet yoghurt bars and such, not the uber-healthy KIND and Two-Moms-in-the-Raw bars that I love in the US), and it's always difficult to find healthy snacks. These are perfect for running off to class and bringing with for a snack... I've just been buying sweets at coffee shops this past week. Not the greatest option!

I'm sorry there's nothing more exciting to report, but my days this week have been filled with school. During the weekends I'll have more time to tour and shop, but right now studying and figuring out British quirks have taken up all my time. I'm getting the hang of central London and some of the everyday British lingo, so as not to look like a complete fool, but adjusting to living in downtown London is almost enough to worry about on its own!

day three: harrods and my first day of class!

Hello again! Today was my first day of class at the London School of Economics, and I got to do a couple other things as well....

Breakfast at the Delaunay

They had us wake up early to attend a welcome address at the school; the lecture was at 8:30, which means that I was waking up at 3:00 ET. It was really great. I actually got there so early that I went and had breakfast at the Delaunay (again...). After the short address, I tried to return to my dorm and sleep, but it was so warm that I wasn't able to. I had been thinking that I needed to purchase an umbrella, because it's due to rain the next few days, and I had the marvellous idea to take the Underground to Harrods!

Twenty minutes later I was shopping the gorgeous and far-too-expensive halls of Harrods. God, what I'd give for one of those Burberry trench coats. Of course, I had to spend lots of time shopping for tea, and invested in tins of Earl Grey and Royal Garden teas. I found a cute black-and-white Harrods umbrella but only got to glimpse at the gorgeous rooms full of chocolates, pastries, biscuits, and meats, because I had to head back to LSE. I know I'll return again - not only do I want to stroll through the beautiful mosaic-encrusted deli, but there is also a Topshop across the street (I've never been!) and Hyde Park is blocks away.

I met with a number of classmates for my Financial Markets class at noon for lunch at the school, and was able to meet students from the US and all over Europe. I was amazed by how many people are enrolled in the course - our class is in a large lecture hall that seats about 200, and most of the seats were filled for the lecture today. The lectures take place from 14:00-17:00 every day of the week, and small 'classes' (about 15 students each) meet every morning for discussion of the material. This is new to me, since William & Mary's classes are all very small. The Financial Markets course will essentially deal with portfolio management; and, in addition to the 1,000 page textbook and numerous additional readings, we were given these immense red tomes with all the class notes. Quite a bit of reading.....

Just some light reading material...

The trickiest part right now is fixing my circadian clock. Waking up 'early' isn't necessarily that hard; it's forcing myself to go to bed at 23:00 (which is actually 6:00 pm for me as an East-Coaster). If I let myself stay up until 3:00 am like I want to, I'll never wake up in time for class. I know it'll just take a few days to figure out, but it's not at all fun.

So tonight I already have a bit of reading to do (lucky me), and then I'll be trying to force myself to sleep... The worst part is actually the heat. It might sound silly because it's only 65-70 F here, but no buildings (that I've been in at least) have air conditioning, and trying to fall asleep indoors without AC or a fan is quite difficult. In an enclosed space, it gets warmer than you'd expect. But it's not much to complain about. I'm in a beautiful city, in a wonderful country, lucky enough to be studying at this amazing school!

london | day two

My first cup of British tea!

Well, I’ve made it through two days in London! I’m settled in here at High Holborn Residence Hall, and I’m starting to figure out my way around the area.   

I slept for more than 20 hours yesterday/today. After doing a tour of the city yesterday afternoon and cleaning up, I went right to bed and managed to sleep until noon today. So I am all rested up! Still, the 5-hour difference is going to take some adjusting. When I woke this morning (afternoon?) I walked two blocks down to Sainsbury’s for groceries. Though I’m sure I’ll be eating out quite a bit, I wanted to get some snacks to keep in my room.   

It is also much more difficult to find drinking water here. I would never have thought of it, but almost all the taps (at least in my residence hall) have signs warning you not to drink the water. There aren’t many drinking fountains, and when I was at the café yesterday, they didn’t serve water without request, as a restaurant would in the US. So I loaded up on bottled water at Sainsbury’s, and found a few other treats that I had never seen before and wanted to try out.

Then what water am I supposed to drink?? 

Of course, I had to get some English crisps; there was gooseberry yoghurt (which is more like whipped cream than the heavy, condensed yogurt I’m used to), apple and elderflower juice, and my very favourite cookies (which my friend Mike introduced me to!), caramel waffles. I’ve had elderflower juice and the waffle cookies before in the US, but they are very difficult to find, expensive, and usually sold in specialty stores. I also noticed that many more of the foods (even packaged foods) are locally sourced; many products are labeled as ‘British’ and have Union Jack decorations, far more so than you would see ‘US’ or an American flag on foods sold in American stores. Very cool and interesting. 

After shopping, I went to officially register for my class at LSE. Getting to the school is very simple: I follow Drury Lane (the intersection for which is right outside my hall) down a few  blocks and there I am. LSE has a more extensive campus than

I expected; there are quite a few academic buildings, the library, shops, cafes, etc., and it's very close to the Thames. I know I've stayed in Central London so far, but it is such a beautiful city. The shops, hotels, statues, gardens are all clean and picturesque. There are more trees and greenery than I'd expect in a city, certainly far more than in Chicago. It's lovely walking down a city street and being shaded by towering trees. 

After registering, I discovered that the Delaunay is just a few doors down from LSE on Kingsway Tunnel. I ordered my first cup of Earl Grey tea since I've gotten to the UK (ahhhh!) and some biscuits and enjoyed them at Victoria Embankment Gardens, down near the Thames. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather has been perfect: around 75, breezy, a few specks of rain throughout the day. The garden is across the street from the Thames, and has a surprising number of tropical plants growing along its walls. I learned that the public restrooms may only be used for a fee (50p), which is interesting.  

I've been trying to keep my mouth shut most of the time I'm out in the city. I realise Americans have a negative reputation, and though I try to not be a stereotypical ignorant American (I've so far successfully managed to avoid pulling out a huge map of the city and squinting at it dumbly in the middle of traffic) as soon as I start speaking I usually get a look. So I've been sticking to 'yes', 'no', 'excuse me', 'thank you', and whatever else is pretty accent-less as much as I can. I've caught on to switching directions: when passing someone else on the sidewalk, I know to pass them to the left rather than the right. Crossing streets, I know to look to the right rather than the left (a potentially fatal mistake to make!), though the major crossways for one-way streets have very helpful directions (Look left! Look right!). Why don't all cities have these?   

My room at High Holborn Residence Hall

I begin my class tomorrow. There's a welcome lecture for the new students early in the morning, and then I'm meeting up with my fellow Financial Markets classmates for lunch before our lecture begins at 2:00 (whoops! 14:00). Class is every day of the week, from 14:00-17:00. There's a midterm exam next week and a final exam at the end of the three weeks. I look forward to meeting my classmates (so far I've been out and about or sleeping, and haven't met many other students) and settling into a schedule.      

  

london | day one

I’m in London! I don’t think I’ve wrapped my head around that yet…

Some pretty typical sights: Houses of Parliament

I survived my ten-hour flight from Richmond to Heathrow, much thanks to my Aunt Suzanne and grandmother Rhonda. I had jet-lag pills, blankets, pillows, eye shades, everything I could ever want for a comfortable flight: and I did get some sleep, which is quite an accomplishment because I have never been able to sleep on planes. My first sight of Europe was the western coast of Ireland. I could see the seaward cliffs from the airplane, and the land looked so rich and green, patched with the huge shadows of clouds up above. The island was bigger than I thought, too. As we drew closer to London and I looked down, I had that instinctual tug that something was amiss – and of course, the highways are opposite what I’m used to! I was excited about this stupid little detail, smiling to myself on the plane. But I feel like I’ve learned so much about this culture, reading endless amounts of British literature and watching James Herriot, Miss Marple, Sherlock, etc. It's a huge deal for me to finally see these things for the first time! 

Big Ben

Like I said, it’s hard to wrap my mind around London. Most of the time that I’ve been here (so far!), it just seems like any other city I've visited, Chicago or New York or Washington DC, perhaps more beautiful and green. But then little things make me smile to myself. My check for lunch was in pounds sterling! That monument is 3500 years old! This is where Sherlock Homes and James Bond had their adventures (not fictional to me)!

Anyway, when I arrived at the airport (and was delighted by the ‘way out’ signs), used the toilet, and went through the customs line, the first uniquely British thing that struck me was that it was much more quiet. In the restroom, none of the girls were carrying on conversations between stalls, shouting at children, talking on their phones, not even ‘excuse me’ or ‘thank you.’ Silence. And it was wonderful! The hallways and customs lines were also noticeably more silent than in American airports or public places: there was only hushed conversation within parties. It was different and very nice!

the London Eye

I took the Underground to my dorm, which is on High Holborn, several blocks from both the Holborn Station and the LSE campus. I successfully used my chip-and-signature card in Europe without any problems. And when I stepped down into the tunnel to catch the train, as soon as I heard the clattering of the rails and the whoosh of cool air coming down the passageway, I couldn’t help but think of the Chronicles of Narnia, when the Pevensie children are swept into Narnia by a passing Underground train. I’m such an nerd. I was also delighted 'please carry dogs' sign when I was getting on the train.

I found my way to my residence hall (without the help of internet or maps, thank you very much!) and found that I wouldn’t be able to check in for four more hours. Immediately next to the hall is a little French café, so I went down for lunch: delicious watermelon and cucumber juice with chilled gazpacho. Not very British, but it was actually pretty hot outside. Then, following the recommendation of my Grandpa and Rhonda, I boarded a hop-on, hop-off tour coach around the city. It was quite an exhaustive trip! After three hours, I had seen all the major tourist destinations and much more besides. Again, it was difficult to believe that I was really here, in the UK, in London. Hopefully tomorrow, after I’ve caught up on my sleep, I can go back and visit some of the more prominent tourist stops before my class starts.

St. Paul's Cathedral

The other students are still arriving tonight and tomorrow, and I (officially) register for my class at LSE tomorrow afternoon. I may take the rest of the evening to nap…