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° 7 | Studying on Aldwych

Piccadilly at evening-time

I've now been in London for one full week! How exciting. I feel like an expert already and have great disdain for any tourists and Americans I run into. No, not really, but I do feel like I've learned so much about this city already in one week.

Like I said in my last post, I had to dedicate much of my day to studying, and I'll do the same tomorrow. However, I tried to make my day scenic anyway! When I woke up (pretty late, I'll admit, since I had been out the night before), I had lunch at Prince of Wales pub on Drury Lane: vegetable pot pie with mashed potatoes, and hard pear cider. Absolutely delicious, though I'll admit drinking a pint of cider before going to study isn't the best idea.

I spent my afternoon on the rooftop garden of the LSE's New Academic Building, which has gorgeous views of the city. The weather was perfect, almost a little chilly, but I can't believe that every day is so perfect here. In Virginia, and even in Chicago, it gets muggy and hot, and there are always tons of bugs... Here, it's breezy, lightly warm, and I haven't seen a single insect since I arrived.

Studying on the rooftop of the New Academic Building

It was tempting to just rest my head and take a nap up above the city, but I spent a few hours studying my notes from class, trying to put together something of a study guide for myself. There're more than a dozen formulas that we need to memorise by Wednesday, of which I know about two, and more than twenty problems that could be used as models for the ones on the midterm. Math, math, and more math!

When it got a little later I went to have tea at the Delaunay Counter, which is my favourite London cafe so far. Though it's modelled after a Viennese tea room (I think), it's just the perfect London cafe. They also serve big glass French-press pots of Earl Grey tea, enough for at least three big cups... which is close to the amount of tea I can consume in one sitting, but not quite! Anyway, I'll take it.

The Delaunay Counter 

Aldwych and the Kingsway (where LSE's campus is located) is my favourite part of London so far. It's close to river and there's a smattering of gardens, but it seems less touristy and more upscale and beautiful than some of the other places I've visited. The Strand and Knightsbridge and Oxford Street are interesting, and the historical areas are obviously amazing to visit, but they're all just stuffed with people. Aldwych and the Kingsway is more professional, classy, and much less touristy than these other areas, and it's so relaxing to sit outside, listen to the city, and watch the (well-dressed) Londoners pass by.

Anyway, after studying further at the Dalaunay Counter for a couple of hours, I traipsed down to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly to visit the large Waterstones bookshop (the one on the LSE campus is a smaller version). It's absolutely beautiful and very well kept, located down the street from the National Gallery on Piccadilly and across from the gorgeous Le Meridien hotel. There are at least five floors, one of which is dedicated to a cafe, and it puts American bookstore chains to shame. As an avid reader, I could spend the rest of my life in that building. Unique collections of books are arranged on circular tables that fill the rooms; the shelves are well-organised and filled with innumerable books that I'd never heard of before; sections are dedicated to collector's editions of children's classics, or teatime in London (with recipe books from all the most prestigious tea rooms), or classics for boys becoming men. So cool!

I spend most of my time in the science-fiction/fantasty and children's floors looking for gifts for my family (hint hint!) and found unique printings of some of my most beloved books, especially the 50th anniversary printing of the Lord of the Rings trilogy which was unfortunately too expensive to buy. I love finding UK editions of book that I'm familiar with: right now I'm reading the Game of Thrones series, and the printings of these books are different here. They're in-between the sizes of the US paperback and mass market editions, and most of the books are divided into two-parts, which in the US you don't usually see.  There was also a number of cool editions of the Chronicles of Narnia series, from a collector's paperback series with colour illustrations to careful reproductions of the first editions from the 1940s and 50s (one of which I got as a gift for my little sisters, who are reading the series now). I spent only an hour in the bookstore and it was nowhere near long enough! I'll have to see if I can make time to return.

Tomorrow I plan on making an early-morning trip to St. Paul's Cathedral, and then I hope to take a ride on the London Eye when it opens at 10:00 before settling down to study. Though I have a lot of schoolwork to do, I'm trying to chip slowly away at my list of places to visit!

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!

Abba, &c. | Our favorite Swedish bands

Three weeks from today I will be on my way to Uppsala, Sweden!  I can't wait to start my M.A. program at Uppsala University, and since I'm all packed at this point I'm spending my time accumulating as much language and cultural knowledge I can.  I've been listening almost exclusively to Swedish bands these past couple weeks - mainly because they're so. good.  Here are some of my newest favorite songs and bands, all from Sweden (or Sverige, what Swedes call their home country).

1. "On Our Way" - Royal Concept
This Swedish band kind of reminds me of One Direction, only with way better music.  This upbeat "live-while-you're-young" song has a great rhythm and a fun, partying-with-your friends vibe. If you like alternative pop music, add this to your list!

2. "Down On Life" - Elliphant 
Liv Tyler look-alike Ellinor Olovsdotter has a very unique voice, which lends itself well to Elliphant's reggae-style electropop (unlike anything I've ever heard before).  This is one of those songs that easily gets stuck in your head - super catchy!

3.  Esbjörn Svensson Trio
I truly love everything by this jazz group.  They rekindled my love of jazz music, and I was amazed to discover that they're one of many Scandinavian jazz groups!  Apparently Scandinavians know jazz, because this group is fantastic!  Sadly it's founder died in a scuba accident, and I don't believe the group is active anymore.  It really is a shame, because their compositions are so wonderful - I recommend "Eighthundred Streets by Feet", "Behind the Stars", "Seven Days of Falling," and "Goldwrap."

4. "I Follow Rivers" - Lykke Li
You might already recognize this artist - she's rapidly becoming quite popular in the US.  Lykke Li loves to have famous Swedish actors in her music videos, it would seem: Stellan Skarsgård is her costar in "Sadness is a Blessing," and in "I Follow Rivers" she costars with Fares Fares.  I love this song - it's so eerie and beautiful, blending indie rock with a lot of cool percussion/electronic elements.

5. "Vårens Första Dag" (First Day of Spring) - Laleh
This song is so cute, and it's all in Swedish!  Believe it or not I actually found it hard to find Swedish bands that actually sing in Swedish.  Just goes to show how prevalent English fluency is in Scandinavia.  Anyways, the music video for this song is pretty adorable as well.

6. "Wolf" - First Aid Kit
First Aid Kit is the folkiest band I've ever heard from Sweden.  Some of their songs remind me very strongly of Mumford & Sons, but this one in particular really illustrates their unique style.  The melody is very catchy and features the harmonic voices of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg.  Also check out "The Lion's Roar."

7. "Northern Lights" - Kate Boy
You will be hard-pressed to find a sicker beat than this, or a cooler music video.  Swedish band Kate Boy features Australian lead singer Kate Akhurst, whose slowly rotating face you see featured in this computer-generated spiral.  Kate Boy is touring in the US all through the month of September, in case you're interested in seeing them live after hearing this badass technoey song of theirs.

8. "Tough Love" - Sailor & I
Indie band Sailor & I's airy use of instrumental and percussive elements will just enchant you.  This song is particularly beautiful, with gorgeous violin forming the underlying rhythm and haunting lyrics reminiscent of the band Washed Out.  The "Tough Love" music video is eerie but enrapturing, some simple slow-motion shots of a man swimming, as if for his life.

9. "Call Your Girlfriend" - Robyn
You probably already all know this song, but did you know Robyn is from Sweden?  Kind of a one-hit wonder, but I thought I'd include her just the same.  The music video to "Call Your Girlfriend" is fun because it's done in one take, and features Robyn herself dancing in an empty warehouse surrounded by a constantly-changing lightshow.

10. "Breathe Out" - Faye
Faye is, in my opinion, the Swedish Rihanna.  She has incredible range and her angst-y, heartfelt songs really pull you in.  The piano melody in this particular track is so gorgeous, and I just love how she screams out the refrain.  Also check out "Water Against the Rocks," because the music video really captures her intensity as a singer.

11. "Snow" - Frida Sundemo
I really like Frida Sundemo.  She reminds me of Imogen Heap or Regina Spektor - sort of techno/electronic music, but airy and more melodic.  If you like "Snow" then check out the music video to "Indigo" - it's very strange, she has a giant white bunny boyfriend (idek).  

12. "Habits" - Tove Lo
I've had this song on repeat significantly more than the others in this list.  I can't put my finger on what makes it so addicting, but the rhythm and the refrain are just so catchy.  I seriously can't stop listening to this one, and I love the scandalous music video featuring haunting close-ups of Tove Lo's tear-streaked face interspersed with various scenes of reckless abandon.

13. ABBA
All of it.  We love them.  You should see how excited Zab gets before watching Mamma Mia.  It's hilarious.  "SOS" and "Take a Chance on Me" are just a couple favorites.  And who doesn't love "Dancing Queen"?

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… 

recipe: doggie fresh-breath treats

Let's admit it, pups can be a little stinky sometimes. But don't we all want to enjoy those wonderful slobbery kisses? These tasty peanut butter and parsley treats, based off Pickles & Honey's recipe, will let your puppy munch away bad breath!

Because I wanted to use a cookie cutter (rather than just spooning out the batter), and because one of my dogs can't have gluten or dairy, I altered a few of the ingredients from the original recipe. The amounts here will make 25 - 30 treats.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour (or any other kind of gluten-free flour if you want your treats to be gluten-free; you can always use white or whole wheat flour as well. If you want to be able to use a cookie cutter, have some extra flour on hand too)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup all-natural peanut butter
1/2 cup diced apple (about one small apple)
1 cup nonsweetened almond milk (or any other kind of non-dairy milk. You can certainly use cow's milk as well, if you want)
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, almond milk, and diced apple until creamy. Add in flour and baking soda. If you are going to just scoop out spoonfuls to make round treats, stick with 2 cups of flour. If you'd like to be able to roll the dough out and use a cookie cutter, add in extra flour, until the dough doesn't stick to your hands when touched. I used about an extra cup. Mix in chopped parsley.

Either scoop out spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet (if you're making round treats), or sprinkle a flat surface with flour and roll the dough out until it's about 1/2 inch thick (if you're using a cookie cutter). Cut out shapes (Petsmart and Walmart have doggie-themed cookie cutters!) and place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden-brown and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the centre of a treat. Remove the baking sheet, and allow the treats to cool on a wire rack.

Look at this little beggar! My puppies gobbled down the treats as soon as they were cool; they loved the peanut butter and apple flavours, and the parsley made their breath quite lovely. Nice and sweet and fresh!

Enjoy!