Heyhowyoudoin’! I have just greeted you in some kind of British lingo that I have come to observe during my second full week here. I have noticed, in this time, that the Brits answer their cell phones (or “mobiles,” as they like to call them) with a very fast, very smushed together “Heyhowyoudoin’!” Of course, when I try to imitate it, it sounds completely ridiculous (no, really, try it) and I sound nowhere near as cool.
Anyways, moving on from my greeting tangent. Monday started off my first full week of classes. I take a Modern British and Irish Poetry class on Monday and Tuesday from 10-2 and my core Journalism class on Wednesday and Thursday from 1:15-5:15. I wish I could tell you that having a four hour block of classes really is not that bad, especially when you consider that I am in London taking them—but it actually is as horrendous as it sounds. Sitting in a classroom for four hours is just not fun. It does not matter how much you care about the subject because, to be perfectly honest, that is a long time for your brain to have pay attention. Regardless, I should be thankful that I do not have class on Friday.
After class on Monday my roommate and I decided we would visit our first museum in London, the National Gallery of Art located in Trafalgar Square. I am not sure how many of you have been to London, but Trafalgar Square is an awesome place. Not only is the museum completely fantastic, but the square itself is pretty spectacular as well. It is a social square with a monument and two beautiful fountains. In addition, it is home to some enormous lion statues. The best part is people are allowed to climb them. Did I try? Of course. Did I succeed? Maybe next week. There were a bunch of little kids posing for pictures on the lions and I think the whole sight really spoke to my inner child. But, I digress.
The museum houses works of art ranging from Degas to Van Gogh to Monet, and those are just some of the popular names. The many different rooms are all dedicated to a region, style of art, and time period. I saw art from early renaissance to the present. It was so wonderfully bizarre to see some paintings that I had only seen in books or in class in real life. It almost made everything that I had ever been taught about the paintings or their artists that much more real and interesting. My friend and I walked around for a long time, not even speaking because what could one say in the presence of some of the greatest art in the world?
After the museum, we sat on the steps of Trafalgar Square, a popular place for people to sit and drink coffee or eat a sandwich on their lunch break. That particular day most people were just taking in the sunny, warm weather (a rarity in London). We then walked up a few blocks to Piccadilly Circus. The only way I can describe it is to say that it is basically like Time Square in New York City, but a bit smaller. There are buildings whose windows are huge TV screens that endlessly stream commercials and ads, stock quotes, news, weather, etc. It then turns into Regent Street, one of London’s most famous shopping areas. Being a young American college student on a budget, I could not even hope to afford anything, but it was still enjoyable to walk around and pretend.
The rest of my week passed with relative ease. I finally feel like I am getting my bearings. I only got lost once and even gave someone directions one day (do not worry, they were correct). The event of me losing my way occurred when I had decided to go for a run in Hyde Park before my class. I had planned for it to only be about 45 minutes; however, I went a little too far and was just too captivated by the beauty of the park. The result: I had to run a great deal farther in order to find my way back. Hyde Park is an enormous park in London that stretches from places like Buckingham Palace to Notting Hill Gate. There are gardens upon gardens, ponds full of swans and geese, lush green paths, and fountains galore. You cannot blame me for losing track of time.
On Friday I had my interview for my internship at Simon and Schuster. It was a very relaxed, quick, meet-and-greet kind of interaction. They informed me that because it was a smaller office and there were only about six people in each department, I would be very involved and hands-on. They did not want me to just sit at one desk and work in one department; they wanted me to have a full experience with publishing and see how all the different areas work. For example, even though I am mostly interested in editorial, I do have the opportunity to pop over to another department (ie: marketing, PR, etc.) and work there for a day or two in order to see how that side of the business operates. I am very excited to start there on October 17th and cannot wait to tell you all about it. I feel like working in London will really make me feel like this is all real. Right now I feel like I am just an American student on an extended vacation. I think having a job will give me some kind of grounded structure during this whole experience.
Friday night my sister took my friend and me to a pub downtown to mingle with her boyfriend and a few of his coworkers. This was the highlight of my week because I actually got to meet people who were not studying abroad. The conversation ranged from making fun of the way they say things with their British accents to discussing LeBron James and his decision to leave Cleveland (yep, they have their own opinions about American sports).
Remember when I said I only got lost once? I lied. I actually got lost twice this week. The second was a bit more stressful. On Saturday I had planned for a friend and me to travel to Greenwich to watch my sister’s boyfriend play rugby. Rugby is basically a religious event in the UK, so I was quite excited to experience it. To get to Greenwich, you have to take the over ground train. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it sounds. Long story short, we ended up getting on the wrong train twice and then getting on the wrong bus. We missed the first half hour of the game and when we did arrive it was raining. However, it was interesting to watch the sport and meet some of the players. It is a lot like football, but seems a little more intense. More to come on this in the future, because I fully intend on being explained the game and its concept in full detail at some point during my stay. The club I went to has games every Saturday and it is free, so I feel that will be a nice way to get out of the city and meet more locals.
I have only been here two weeks, but it seems like a lot longer. It doesn’t feel that way in the sense that I am homesick, but in the sense that I feel as if I am somehow settling in. I have a regular grocery store, a regular bank, and a regular café. But, I think that the biggest thing that has helped me settle in (this week especially) was meeting people outside of my program. Meeting people who live here gives me some kind of unexplained feeling of locality, especially when I realize that I will be living here as well. It forces you outside of your bubble, and that is essentially what I need. Anyways, I’ll wrap this up and talk to you Sunday!