In the three weeks I've been in London, I have caught on to much of the language so far from English known as British English.
Spelling differences:
Rumour, Labour, Colour...etc.
Organise, Organisation etc...
Jewellery
Ageing
**Update: Paedophile. Makes the word even more gross
Dates:
5/6/2010 is June 5th 2010, not May 6th. Confusing when typing dates into Excel or other programs.
British Terminology I've Learned:
Dodgy = sketchy, bad
WAGs = Wives and Girlfriends...Victoria Beckham is the 'Queen of the WAGs.'
Rubbish or Litter = trash
Top Up = Reload, or refill, or just simply get more. Best used for referring to phones or your pass for the tube.
Uni = University/College
Fit = Good looking, hot
Give Way = Yield. Commonly seen on street signs
Hayfever = Allergies. Apparently also used in America but I was unaware of that.
Phone Calls:
Instead of How are you? as a common greeting, you usually hear 'Are you Alright?' This is a little weird because at first it makes you feel like you look sick or bad.
To end a phone call, everyone raises the pitch of their voice and says Cheers, Bye! Very excitedly.
The company I work for, Media Edge, is usually pronounced 'Medieredge' which always sounds a bit like Meteor to me.
Need to go the bathroom? It is quite difficult to ask. Not very many people actually say Loo, so the easiest thing to say is Toilet, however crude that may be.
That's all for now, I'll probably add more when I remember them.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Consider Yourself...
hey there! As always our weekends are packed full of activities so here's a run down of how we fared this time!
Thursday night we ventured out to O'Neill's again, and to meet up with Molly and some of her coworkers. After getting slightly lost, we found our mostly American fave bar. This time the third floor was open and we saw some really great live music! Molly and I left fairly early (2am...) and had a cab drop us off 2 blocks away from home, because that's where Burger King is.
Molly and I
Friday morning we started with our wonderful seminars from EUSA, this time the subject was culture, or as they would say it in a British accent- cultcha! After the session we headed over to Barbican to the Museum of London. We also peeked in Molly's internship to say hi since it was so close. The Museum of London was not my favorite, but they had a lot of really interesting artifacts and exhibits. I think my favorites were the sections about the plague and the great fire of London.
All day we couldn't contain our excitement for seeing Oliver that night! We decided to go to Chinatown for dinner, since it is near most of the big theatres. It was really hard to pick a restaurant because they all look good, and we had no recommendations to go off of. Finally we chose one and it was delicious! Afterwards we got ice cream (My 2nd ice cream of the day) and headed to the theatre. It's obvious how much the British love Oliver seeing the amount of people and especially children at the Theatre. Although our seats recommended "must lean forward" we could see easily and we didn't have too many nosebleeds. The show was amazing, and all the kids in the show were adorable. We were lucky to see two broadway vets, Russ Abbot and Kerry Ellis in the show as well! The four of us sang our way back home and hung out with some friends in our building for a while before heading to bed.
Chinatown
Oliver Stage
Unfortunately we had to wake up very early Saturday for KU's day trip to Stonehenge and Bath...but it was worth it. After a two hour bus ride we arrived in Bath, an amazingly beautiful city. We began the day with the tour of The Roman Baths which was incredible. I loved seeing the history behind these baths, and imagining who would have been there so many years ago. We spent the afternoon strolling around and eating lunch.
In Bath
We hopped back on the bus and headed towards Stonehenge, about an hour away. It is literally in the middle of nowhere but you can't miss it, especially with hundreds of cars and buses around the area. Immediately we all joked that there is no way humans made it, because it is just so big and the wheel wasn't even invented yet! It was really cool to see a sight that is so popular worldwide. Although we felt extremely touristy, it was fun to see and I'm glad we got to see it.
Stonehenge!
After arriving back home, Rachel, Kelsie, and I met up with some other EUSA students from Chapman near their housing, and watched the US match at the Big Chill House. However disappointing, we had fun watching it there. Exhausted from Stonehenge, we went back home and relaxed.
Sunday was so much fun, because Kelsie and I went to the Hard Rock Calling music festival in Hyde Park! Thanks to a certain family member, I got two free tickets and guest passes to the festival. Kelsie and I checked out the festival grounds and squeezed our way to the front for the first acts. First up was More Than Me, a group from NY that we hadn't heard of but really enjoyed.
Second was Josh! Although I've seen him many times in the States, it was really fun to see him again and in London.
We stayed up in front for some of Elvis Costello's set as well.
After that, we wanted to check out more of the festival so we wandered around, checked out shops and the food venues. We went back into the Guest Area where there was a flat screen and watched some of the England Match. Coincidentally, Josh was there too so we were able to talk and take some pictures together.
Kelsie and I chilled out in the Guest Area for a while and laid out in the sun during Crowded House's set. We grabbed some burgers and set up camp for Paul McCartney. We decided to sit further out, rather than try and squeeze our way through the die hard fans. We caught the end of Crosby, Stills and Nash which was awesome too. Finally Paul McCartney came on and it was amazing! Although I wasn't familiar with some of his music, he played a ton of Beatles faves (All My Lovin, Ob La Di Ob La Da, Let it Be, Something, Live and Let Die, Blackbird, Back in the USSR, A Day in the Life, Eleanor Rigby, Day Tripper, Lady Madonna and More!). He also dedicated some songs to George, John, Linda and his family.
He Ended with Hey Jude which was amazing and the crowd loved it! Kelsie and I returned home absolutely covered in dirt and just general nastiness considering it was the hottest day yet in 2010 in London.
This week I'll continue work and hopefully do some fun stuff during the week like check out Wimbeldon or other London hot spots. This weekend is our first real trip, to Paris!
cb
Thursday night we ventured out to O'Neill's again, and to meet up with Molly and some of her coworkers. After getting slightly lost, we found our mostly American fave bar. This time the third floor was open and we saw some really great live music! Molly and I left fairly early (2am...) and had a cab drop us off 2 blocks away from home, because that's where Burger King is.
Molly and I
Friday morning we started with our wonderful seminars from EUSA, this time the subject was culture, or as they would say it in a British accent- cultcha! After the session we headed over to Barbican to the Museum of London. We also peeked in Molly's internship to say hi since it was so close. The Museum of London was not my favorite, but they had a lot of really interesting artifacts and exhibits. I think my favorites were the sections about the plague and the great fire of London.
All day we couldn't contain our excitement for seeing Oliver that night! We decided to go to Chinatown for dinner, since it is near most of the big theatres. It was really hard to pick a restaurant because they all look good, and we had no recommendations to go off of. Finally we chose one and it was delicious! Afterwards we got ice cream (My 2nd ice cream of the day) and headed to the theatre. It's obvious how much the British love Oliver seeing the amount of people and especially children at the Theatre. Although our seats recommended "must lean forward" we could see easily and we didn't have too many nosebleeds. The show was amazing, and all the kids in the show were adorable. We were lucky to see two broadway vets, Russ Abbot and Kerry Ellis in the show as well! The four of us sang our way back home and hung out with some friends in our building for a while before heading to bed.
Chinatown
Oliver Stage
Unfortunately we had to wake up very early Saturday for KU's day trip to Stonehenge and Bath...but it was worth it. After a two hour bus ride we arrived in Bath, an amazingly beautiful city. We began the day with the tour of The Roman Baths which was incredible. I loved seeing the history behind these baths, and imagining who would have been there so many years ago. We spent the afternoon strolling around and eating lunch.
In Bath
We hopped back on the bus and headed towards Stonehenge, about an hour away. It is literally in the middle of nowhere but you can't miss it, especially with hundreds of cars and buses around the area. Immediately we all joked that there is no way humans made it, because it is just so big and the wheel wasn't even invented yet! It was really cool to see a sight that is so popular worldwide. Although we felt extremely touristy, it was fun to see and I'm glad we got to see it.
Stonehenge!
After arriving back home, Rachel, Kelsie, and I met up with some other EUSA students from Chapman near their housing, and watched the US match at the Big Chill House. However disappointing, we had fun watching it there. Exhausted from Stonehenge, we went back home and relaxed.
Sunday was so much fun, because Kelsie and I went to the Hard Rock Calling music festival in Hyde Park! Thanks to a certain family member, I got two free tickets and guest passes to the festival. Kelsie and I checked out the festival grounds and squeezed our way to the front for the first acts. First up was More Than Me, a group from NY that we hadn't heard of but really enjoyed.
Second was Josh! Although I've seen him many times in the States, it was really fun to see him again and in London.
We stayed up in front for some of Elvis Costello's set as well.
After that, we wanted to check out more of the festival so we wandered around, checked out shops and the food venues. We went back into the Guest Area where there was a flat screen and watched some of the England Match. Coincidentally, Josh was there too so we were able to talk and take some pictures together.
Kelsie and I chilled out in the Guest Area for a while and laid out in the sun during Crowded House's set. We grabbed some burgers and set up camp for Paul McCartney. We decided to sit further out, rather than try and squeeze our way through the die hard fans. We caught the end of Crosby, Stills and Nash which was awesome too. Finally Paul McCartney came on and it was amazing! Although I wasn't familiar with some of his music, he played a ton of Beatles faves (All My Lovin, Ob La Di Ob La Da, Let it Be, Something, Live and Let Die, Blackbird, Back in the USSR, A Day in the Life, Eleanor Rigby, Day Tripper, Lady Madonna and More!). He also dedicated some songs to George, John, Linda and his family.
He Ended with Hey Jude which was amazing and the crowd loved it! Kelsie and I returned home absolutely covered in dirt and just general nastiness considering it was the hottest day yet in 2010 in London.
This week I'll continue work and hopefully do some fun stuff during the week like check out Wimbeldon or other London hot spots. This weekend is our first real trip, to Paris!
cb
Thursday, June 24, 2010
"F!%#*G Yanks" -And other phrases heard at work..
Just a quick update on my second week of work!
It's been really great as I get more used to the different programs and clients and I'm really enjoying it. This week I did a variety of things but mostly with Chanel and Sony Ericsson. My favorite thing this week was today actually when I went to a presentation where anyone from the company could present something they had done that month. Some members of my team presented a campaign for Sony Ericsson where augmented reality was the main form of sponsored advertising. It was cool to learn how they put it together and the amazing results they got. We also heard about a new Google technology that MEC used before any other agency, and last about how packaging your pitch and campaign can make all the difference.
Things I've learned at work so far:
1) Keyboard are very different. And some keyboards that are labeled British are actually American!
2) Tea all day every day. 5 cups or more
3) All kinds of foul language are work appropriate. All the 'bad' words you can think of, I heard at work this week.
4) World Cup rules all. I got off work 5 hours early when England had a game during the day
5) Media Buying is fun. I really love learning about it and I can tell everyone at MEC loves their job and is really committed to their clients.
This weekend we will be busy with the Museum of London, Seeing Oliver, maybe Chinatown for dinner, Stonehenge/Bath, lots of pub crawling etc I'm sure, and Sunday Kelsie and I are going to the Hard Rock Calling Music Festival!
Can't wait for this weekend!
cb
It's been really great as I get more used to the different programs and clients and I'm really enjoying it. This week I did a variety of things but mostly with Chanel and Sony Ericsson. My favorite thing this week was today actually when I went to a presentation where anyone from the company could present something they had done that month. Some members of my team presented a campaign for Sony Ericsson where augmented reality was the main form of sponsored advertising. It was cool to learn how they put it together and the amazing results they got. We also heard about a new Google technology that MEC used before any other agency, and last about how packaging your pitch and campaign can make all the difference.
Things I've learned at work so far:
1) Keyboard are very different. And some keyboards that are labeled British are actually American!
2) Tea all day every day. 5 cups or more
3) All kinds of foul language are work appropriate. All the 'bad' words you can think of, I heard at work this week.
4) World Cup rules all. I got off work 5 hours early when England had a game during the day
5) Media Buying is fun. I really love learning about it and I can tell everyone at MEC loves their job and is really committed to their clients.
This weekend we will be busy with the Museum of London, Seeing Oliver, maybe Chinatown for dinner, Stonehenge/Bath, lots of pub crawling etc I'm sure, and Sunday Kelsie and I are going to the Hard Rock Calling Music Festival!
Can't wait for this weekend!
cb
Monday, June 21, 2010
21 at last!
Well what a weekend! Friday, we got to skip our weekly seminar for an "at-home" version. I got my first birthday gifts from David and from my parents (thank you!). We went for froyo for lunch, delicious and so worth the calories. The museum of the day was the Imperial War Museum. It was really interesting, we definitely could go back and spend more time there. We checked out the main floor with the huge tanks, planes, bombs etc. We wanted to get away from the million school children there, so we went into the Children of the War exhibition. This was especially cool because in America, we learn what happened in England during WWII, but not in very much detail. I really enjoyed seeing this side of things. Last, we went through the brand new Holocaust Exhibit which was kind of a downer start to the birthday weekend.
Inside the Museum
Afterwards, we headed back to The Gloucester Arms for the US World Cup game and then the England Game. We met a ton of Americans there...first a group from the University of Arizona then another group who had just graduated from school in California. After the disappointing games, we decided to check out the Ministry of Sound with our new friends.
Watching the Games
New American Friends!
The Ministry of Sound was so crazy and fun. There are tons of rooms and different areas and lots of DJs. The main room, The Box even has a warning that said "Caution Excessive Sound Levels." We had so much fun and even though we were out late, it was worth it. We even attempted to take the Night Bus home, which was a disaster. After getting home in the wee hours, we slept almost all day.
Caution!
Great Night...
After waking up at 2pm, we wanted to do SOMETHING fulfilling on Saturday. We ventured out to the Tower of London with our friends from Bryant. Also, while we were there, the Tower Bridge went up! It was really cool to see. Here are some pics!
With the Guards
Video of the Bridge
Feeling adventurous, we went to Brick Lane for dinner, for world famous Indian Food. Immediately we were harrassed by different restaurant owners trying to get us to come to their place. We settled on City Spice, which turned out to be delicious. One catch- I ate a forkful of veggies without looking, and downed a fresh green chili pepper. I honestly thought I was going to throw up on the table. I survived, and we had a relaxing Saturday night to recover from Friday and prepare for the birthday festivities!
Delish...
Now for the birthday! I woke up to a wonderful brunch from my lovely roomies! It was complete with nutella stuffed french toast, fruit salad, and mimosas!
Yum!
We headed off to the Church! for a lovely Sunday bday! This was a crazy place! Only open Sundays noon to four...and there is a "show" each week. We were lucky enough to see the end which involved a lovely female dancer and some hilarious drinking games onstage. The last part of the show was a girl's dance and all the girls get up on stage, including Rachel and I!
On stage
The View from the stage
It was so much fun and I got lots of free drinks being the birthday girl! My roomies helped me out getting me water and finding poor bar-goers to buy me drinks. I ended the afternoon covered in sharpie and paint on my face that said 21! I scrubbed it all off later!
This week we'll continue working and this weekend is Stonehenge, Bath, perhaps seeing a musical, and going to the Hard Rock Calling Music Festival!
cb
Inside the Museum
Afterwards, we headed back to The Gloucester Arms for the US World Cup game and then the England Game. We met a ton of Americans there...first a group from the University of Arizona then another group who had just graduated from school in California. After the disappointing games, we decided to check out the Ministry of Sound with our new friends.
Watching the Games
New American Friends!
The Ministry of Sound was so crazy and fun. There are tons of rooms and different areas and lots of DJs. The main room, The Box even has a warning that said "Caution Excessive Sound Levels." We had so much fun and even though we were out late, it was worth it. We even attempted to take the Night Bus home, which was a disaster. After getting home in the wee hours, we slept almost all day.
Caution!
Great Night...
After waking up at 2pm, we wanted to do SOMETHING fulfilling on Saturday. We ventured out to the Tower of London with our friends from Bryant. Also, while we were there, the Tower Bridge went up! It was really cool to see. Here are some pics!
With the Guards
Video of the Bridge
Feeling adventurous, we went to Brick Lane for dinner, for world famous Indian Food. Immediately we were harrassed by different restaurant owners trying to get us to come to their place. We settled on City Spice, which turned out to be delicious. One catch- I ate a forkful of veggies without looking, and downed a fresh green chili pepper. I honestly thought I was going to throw up on the table. I survived, and we had a relaxing Saturday night to recover from Friday and prepare for the birthday festivities!
Delish...
Now for the birthday! I woke up to a wonderful brunch from my lovely roomies! It was complete with nutella stuffed french toast, fruit salad, and mimosas!
Yum!
We headed off to the Church! for a lovely Sunday bday! This was a crazy place! Only open Sundays noon to four...and there is a "show" each week. We were lucky enough to see the end which involved a lovely female dancer and some hilarious drinking games onstage. The last part of the show was a girl's dance and all the girls get up on stage, including Rachel and I!
On stage
The View from the stage
It was so much fun and I got lots of free drinks being the birthday girl! My roomies helped me out getting me water and finding poor bar-goers to buy me drinks. I ended the afternoon covered in sharpie and paint on my face that said 21! I scrubbed it all off later!
This week we'll continue working and this weekend is Stonehenge, Bath, perhaps seeing a musical, and going to the Hard Rock Calling Music Festival!
cb
Thursday, June 17, 2010
That's Brill!
Just a quick summary of my first week of work! So far it's been really great. The atmosphere is way more casual than I expected, which is nice but bad for my wardrobe because I brought all professional clothes! I've been bringing my lunch to save money which works out because I can eat with Courtney in the cafe.
Also in the cafe, my favorite part, is the toaster(conveyor belt style) and nutella everyday! I haven't been eating breakfast at home because I want to eat my toast with the nutella they have at work! Also there is fruit every morning.
I've been doing all sorts of different things, which is what I think the whole summer will be like. So far I've worked on several of MEC's big clients; Chanel, Sony Ericsson and Danone (Which in America is Danon). The resources and programs they have are so helpful for researching and gathering information and makes me job really easy. Some of the tasks I've worked on include making powerpoints and excel charts comparing competitors to these brands and also gathering information for presentations that will be given to clients. One of my favorite things this week was sitting in on a meeting with someone from Chanel learning about exactly what MEC does for Chanel. It was really my first introduction to the beginning to end media buying process. It was so interesting and it helped me see what my role my jobs will play in the big scheme of things.
By now I have met everyone in the press team but I'm looking forward to meet more people and learn more about the industry in general. I can't wait for the rest of the summer!
This weekend we are going to the Imperial war museum, watching both the US and England World Cup games and then going out for my 21st birthday on Sunday! I'm sure it will be a blast!
cb
Also in the cafe, my favorite part, is the toaster(conveyor belt style) and nutella everyday! I haven't been eating breakfast at home because I want to eat my toast with the nutella they have at work! Also there is fruit every morning.
I've been doing all sorts of different things, which is what I think the whole summer will be like. So far I've worked on several of MEC's big clients; Chanel, Sony Ericsson and Danone (Which in America is Danon). The resources and programs they have are so helpful for researching and gathering information and makes me job really easy. Some of the tasks I've worked on include making powerpoints and excel charts comparing competitors to these brands and also gathering information for presentations that will be given to clients. One of my favorite things this week was sitting in on a meeting with someone from Chanel learning about exactly what MEC does for Chanel. It was really my first introduction to the beginning to end media buying process. It was so interesting and it helped me see what my role my jobs will play in the big scheme of things.
By now I have met everyone in the press team but I'm looking forward to meet more people and learn more about the industry in general. I can't wait for the rest of the summer!
This weekend we are going to the Imperial war museum, watching both the US and England World Cup games and then going out for my 21st birthday on Sunday! I'm sure it will be a blast!
cb
Monday, June 14, 2010
Workin 9 to 5
Today was the first day of my internship with MediaEdge:CIA, or as they call it, MEC. Luckily, another girl from KU, Courtney, is interning there with me but in a different department! After my interview last week, I felt like I had a good understanding of what I would be doing but it was nice to start.
I set up my email, computer, and security pass then started on my first little project. On the press team, the main two clients are Chanel and Sony Ericsson. Today I worked on the Chanel account planning for a proposal that is due this Friday. I used a huge database of advertisement information using Nielsen research to check out Chanel's competition. I looked at different cologne advertisements and where they place ads. I spent most of the morning looking at Dior, which wasn't too bad considering all of their ads have a huge picture of Jude Law. I compiled excel sheets and powerpoints to be shown to the client later this week. I continued this for other colognes from Lacoste, Hugo Boss, and Armani. Overall it was really great and I like feeling that I am playing in a part in such a big scheme.
Some things I learned on my first day:
1) Advertising terms are NOT universal. Strapline=tagline or slogan, Creative=artwork...and many more.
2) Even though the British speak English, the keyboard is not the same! The worst was the @ symbol being in a different place!
3) Almost of the women on the tube in the morning wear tennis shoes with their suits and then change!
4) No need to eat breakfast at home, just eat at your desk first thing!
5) Office etiquette is very different. Starting at 9:30am I heard the radio all day. I heard Justin Bieber probably 20 times
6) Lunch is from 1-2, so bring a snack.
Great day and I am looking forward to an amazing summer!
My office!
I set up my email, computer, and security pass then started on my first little project. On the press team, the main two clients are Chanel and Sony Ericsson. Today I worked on the Chanel account planning for a proposal that is due this Friday. I used a huge database of advertisement information using Nielsen research to check out Chanel's competition. I looked at different cologne advertisements and where they place ads. I spent most of the morning looking at Dior, which wasn't too bad considering all of their ads have a huge picture of Jude Law. I compiled excel sheets and powerpoints to be shown to the client later this week. I continued this for other colognes from Lacoste, Hugo Boss, and Armani. Overall it was really great and I like feeling that I am playing in a part in such a big scheme.
Some things I learned on my first day:
1) Advertising terms are NOT universal. Strapline=tagline or slogan, Creative=artwork...and many more.
2) Even though the British speak English, the keyboard is not the same! The worst was the @ symbol being in a different place!
3) Almost of the women on the tube in the morning wear tennis shoes with their suits and then change!
4) No need to eat breakfast at home, just eat at your desk first thing!
5) Office etiquette is very different. Starting at 9:30am I heard the radio all day. I heard Justin Bieber probably 20 times
6) Lunch is from 1-2, so bring a snack.
Great day and I am looking forward to an amazing summer!
My office!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
King of the Castle
After our restful Friday night, we have had quite the weekend! Saturday we woke up early to go the Trooping the Color and to be tourists! Trooping the Color is the city's celebration of the Queen's 'official birthday' and there is a huge parade out of Buckingham Palace into a private venue. We were lucky enough to get really good spots over a group of young kids so we could see! First, around 400+ soldiers marched by, some with guns, some on horses, some playing instruments and even some playing instruments while on horses! It was quite the spectacle, especially with the soldiers in their full red coat and tall back hat outfits. Finally after much waiting we saw the royal family! My favorites of course were Prince William and The Queen! We were literally no more than 20 feet from them, it was so amazing. They love the queen so much here, I think it is kind of cute because in America no one has that kind of affinity for our government officials, but everyone here was waving flags and cheering "God Save the Queen!"
The guards
Her majesty...
We were all so stressed about where to go for the world cup, but luckily Molly's friend recommended a good pub that was walking distance from where we live! So we went to The Gloucester Arms, apparently a pub that Robert Pattinson himself frequents...
We were told to get there at 6:30 (the match showing at 7:30) but we did one more and got there at 5:30! And I'm glad we did because we barely got a table! By 7:30 a group of 7 or so students in the EUSA program met up with us and the pub was packed! There was hardly any room to breathe. It was especially fun to belt out the Star Spangled Banner and have everyone boo us! I'm not used to watching football, or soccer, games so the game seemed long and even longer because I didn't really know who I wanted to win! The odds for the US were 40 to 1, so I didn't have much hope- but I knew either way I would have a fun night. Turns out, we tied and I had a fun night anyways! We made some other friends from America at the pub and had lots of different beers and drinks! The group of us drank beers like Foster's, Beck's, Stella, and Strongbow. It is hard to keep track because they serve beer in pints here, so one "drink" is really like one and a half drinks!
Gloucester Arms
Molly and I
After the game we came back to our flat with everyone and planned Sunday! We decided to take a long day trip to Hever Castle. We took our first train about 45 minutes outside of the city. We knew we were in for an adventure when the only Taxi stand in the small town of Hever was closed. We finally realized the castle was 4 miles from the train station. After much searching we rounded up a taxi and a group of 8 of us made it to the castle! The castle stands on 600 acres and although the castle is small, the area is huge and it is so beautiful. Anne Boleyn and King Henry lived in this castle for some amount of time. We toured the castle and the rose garden, labyrinth (Harry Potter style) and the beautiful lake. I'm glad we got up and did something today because I have a feeling this summer is going to go by so fast!
The Train Station
Castle Grounds
so pretty...
I start work tomorrow, I'm nervous but also so so excited!
cb
The guards
Her majesty...
We were all so stressed about where to go for the world cup, but luckily Molly's friend recommended a good pub that was walking distance from where we live! So we went to The Gloucester Arms, apparently a pub that Robert Pattinson himself frequents...
We were told to get there at 6:30 (the match showing at 7:30) but we did one more and got there at 5:30! And I'm glad we did because we barely got a table! By 7:30 a group of 7 or so students in the EUSA program met up with us and the pub was packed! There was hardly any room to breathe. It was especially fun to belt out the Star Spangled Banner and have everyone boo us! I'm not used to watching football, or soccer, games so the game seemed long and even longer because I didn't really know who I wanted to win! The odds for the US were 40 to 1, so I didn't have much hope- but I knew either way I would have a fun night. Turns out, we tied and I had a fun night anyways! We made some other friends from America at the pub and had lots of different beers and drinks! The group of us drank beers like Foster's, Beck's, Stella, and Strongbow. It is hard to keep track because they serve beer in pints here, so one "drink" is really like one and a half drinks!
Gloucester Arms
Molly and I
After the game we came back to our flat with everyone and planned Sunday! We decided to take a long day trip to Hever Castle. We took our first train about 45 minutes outside of the city. We knew we were in for an adventure when the only Taxi stand in the small town of Hever was closed. We finally realized the castle was 4 miles from the train station. After much searching we rounded up a taxi and a group of 8 of us made it to the castle! The castle stands on 600 acres and although the castle is small, the area is huge and it is so beautiful. Anne Boleyn and King Henry lived in this castle for some amount of time. We toured the castle and the rose garden, labyrinth (Harry Potter style) and the beautiful lake. I'm glad we got up and did something today because I have a feeling this summer is going to go by so fast!
The Train Station
Castle Grounds
so pretty...
I start work tomorrow, I'm nervous but also so so excited!
cb
Friday, June 11, 2010
Are you Ready?
Well hello! After my interview Wednesday I had some down time so I watched Glee after much trouble with the internet, and the fact that hulu doesn't work outside of America. Molly and Rachel cooked a lovely Mexican dinner for Kelsie and I. Our floor mates were definitely jealous. We decided to go for our first night out! Almost everyone in our building hung out together for a while and then we all headed off to O'Neill's. Rachel, Molly, Kelsie and I stuck with some girls from Bryant College in Rhode Island who seem to know their way around since they have been here for a few weeks. The place was so packed by the time we got there, but that made it more fun! The bar was three floors and more on the 'pub' side. A live band played mostly American songs which made it even more fun! We tried a few kinds of beers, including Bulmers- a cider beer. Delicious, but I am terrified to look up the calories. We have now successfully met students on our program from USC, Bryant, Chapman University in California, Boston College, Texas A&M and Villanova. Many of these kids were with us at O'Neill's. When we had had enough we took our first black cab! It was a perfect and easy way to get home and not too expensive.
Mexican Fiesta Chefs
KU Girls at O'Neill's
Thursday we MEANT to wake up early and shop, run errands and get phones finally. When we woke up at 11:00am, we knew that was not going to happen. We did get our phones and somehow it is cheaper to call America than to call any phone in the UK! We were able to get on a family plan so it is free for us to call each other.
That night we had a party hosted by EUSA at a restaurant/bar called Smollensky's. There was delicious finger foods and everyone good two free drinks- so all in all pretty good. From there, the four of us left with some kids from Chapman to another pub to hang out. Eventually we made it to Zoo Bar, where it seemed like everyone from the 'welcome party' was! It was really fun, and reminded me of the boom boom room in Lawrence-except people are from every country, speaking different languages! I failed at picture-taking Thursday...
This morning we had our first professional seminar...on Business Coms. Pretty common sense but I think it is the only way we will meet up with kids from other schools once we all start work. I did get the BEST brie cheese on my sandwich for lunch from a little french shop. Every Friday we have a different seminar and a visit to a different museum-today was the National Portrait Gallery. Fairly enjoyable, but I have got to find better walking shoes! After the museum we headed over to Knightsbridge, where all of the good shopping is! It was only two stops from where we live but we hadn't been yet. We're saving Harrod's for a day of its own so we checked out Topshop and some other different stores.
Harrod's
We just relaxed tonight since we know tomorrow is going to be RIDICULOUS. First is the Queen's "official" birthday! Her real birthday is in April, but since the weather is usually bad then, the country has a second birthday for her so there can be a proper parade! This is one of the few times she comes out of the palace and can be seen in her carriage, so hopefully we can catch a glimpse of her or the lovely Harry and William! The USA vs. England World Cup game is tomorrow night and I can't wait! We have been stressing so much about where to go, who to root for, what to wear etc. A few people even told us we would get beat up in the streets if America wins! I'm thinking we'll just go to a pub with open seats if we can find one and try not to speak to reveal that we are American!
until next time!
cb
Mexican Fiesta Chefs
KU Girls at O'Neill's
Thursday we MEANT to wake up early and shop, run errands and get phones finally. When we woke up at 11:00am, we knew that was not going to happen. We did get our phones and somehow it is cheaper to call America than to call any phone in the UK! We were able to get on a family plan so it is free for us to call each other.
That night we had a party hosted by EUSA at a restaurant/bar called Smollensky's. There was delicious finger foods and everyone good two free drinks- so all in all pretty good. From there, the four of us left with some kids from Chapman to another pub to hang out. Eventually we made it to Zoo Bar, where it seemed like everyone from the 'welcome party' was! It was really fun, and reminded me of the boom boom room in Lawrence-except people are from every country, speaking different languages! I failed at picture-taking Thursday...
This morning we had our first professional seminar...on Business Coms. Pretty common sense but I think it is the only way we will meet up with kids from other schools once we all start work. I did get the BEST brie cheese on my sandwich for lunch from a little french shop. Every Friday we have a different seminar and a visit to a different museum-today was the National Portrait Gallery. Fairly enjoyable, but I have got to find better walking shoes! After the museum we headed over to Knightsbridge, where all of the good shopping is! It was only two stops from where we live but we hadn't been yet. We're saving Harrod's for a day of its own so we checked out Topshop and some other different stores.
Harrod's
We just relaxed tonight since we know tomorrow is going to be RIDICULOUS. First is the Queen's "official" birthday! Her real birthday is in April, but since the weather is usually bad then, the country has a second birthday for her so there can be a proper parade! This is one of the few times she comes out of the palace and can be seen in her carriage, so hopefully we can catch a glimpse of her or the lovely Harry and William! The USA vs. England World Cup game is tomorrow night and I can't wait! We have been stressing so much about where to go, who to root for, what to wear etc. A few people even told us we would get beat up in the streets if America wins! I'm thinking we'll just go to a pub with open seats if we can find one and try not to speak to reveal that we are American!
until next time!
cb
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Being a Tourist...
The past few days have been hectic and busy but so great! On our second day, we started off with a orientation for the summer. We learned about the internships and life in London in general. After a break for lunch, we headed off on a three hour walking tour! Our tour guide took us on the tube over to Buckingham Palace and then we walked all around. We saw Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus and most of the popular tourist places. We were able to take some good pictures but we didn't spend too much time in one place. One of my favorite things was seeing all of the elephants around London. The elephants are everywhere! They have all been painted by famous artists and will be auctioned off in the next few weeks and are rumored to go for hundreds of thousands of pounds! The money will all go to helping with the near-extinction of the Asian Elephant. We were exhausted afterwards but we had made plans already for the night! We grabbed a quick dinner at a Lebanese restaurant which was delicious- however we experienced some intense anti-Americanism there. We hopped on the tube and went to the Jack the Ripper tour! Apparently, it is a very popular tour- so much so that there are bunches of them and we almost got scammed out of going on the 'acclaimed' tour we saw in our tour books. The tour was so interesting and disturbing. It's amazing how historic London is, and that so many of these buildings have been around for so long and every area has its own story!Today most of the students had confirmation interviews for the internships. Another student from KU, Courtney is also working at MediaEdge so we were able to travel together this morning! The interview was so informal which let me breathe a sigh of relief. I met my supervisor, Susie, and we just sat in the cafe at the office and talked about the job! The company seems amazing and I can't wait to get started!
Below are some pictures of my apartment and from the walking tour!
My Bed...
Buckingham Palace
Big Ben and House of Lords and Commons
Tower of London
Below are some pictures of my apartment and from the walking tour!
My Bed...
Buckingham Palace
Big Ben and House of Lords and Commons
Tower of London
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Welcome to London!
I have just arrived in London for the summer, and it has already been quite busy! Kelsie and I arrived yesterday morning at about 8:00 AM and were brave enough to take the tube to our apartment with our huge huge bags (or should I say MY huge bags).It was a
ctually a beautiful day, sunny and cool. We met up with Molly and Rachel at the apt, unpacked and headed out to eat. It was hard to stay awake but we tried to fight
through it. We at
e at a very American little bistro near our apartment, which was cheap and good but not very British. We walked around to see the area where we will be staying which has almost everything we could need- pubs, restaurant, grocery stores etc. Our apartment is huge! Way better than I could have expected, with tons of space and looks like it has just recently been redone. At 3pm we had a group orientation and a short walking tour of the area, and we saw where we would be going today (Tuesday). After showering and resting we ventured to dinner, and settled at a local pub that had been recommended to us. The Stanhope Arms was amazing. We had our first fish and chips and tried some different beers and drinks. This would definitely be a great place to watch the World Cup game Friday! After the long plane ride and jet lag we were all exhausted so we just relaxed in our room. Today is a longer orientation and a three hour walking tour! Below are some pictures from yesterday!
cb
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