Wow, it certainly has been awhile since my last entry. Things have been busy here. The city is just breathtaking, literally. I find myself stopping to awe at the architecture of a random building, or to marvel at a mob of people shuffling across the street before a giant red bus whizzes by. The Tube is a virtual miracle. Sure, it closes early, but it is SO fast and SO efficient! The city itself is proving to be everything I had ever hoped to expect and more. And I have barely seen all of it! It is fascinating to see how although the entire city flows together, each borough really does have its own unique feel and style.
Our neighborhood’s style seems to be a bit more Middle-Eastern than I had ever expected. Aparently our neighborhood is nicknamed “little Beirut.” The first time I saw women walking around in full burka attire, I was blown away! It’s just something that I am not used to seeing every day! Now I have become accustomed to seeing such dress everywhere: the coffee shop, department store, bus, etc. I tried Lebanese food for the first time a few nights ago at a little place on the corner of our street and Edgeware Road and it was fantastic! I had never tried lamb before and I certainly did not hate it! The Lebanese rice was great and there was so much hummus that I was in heaven.
Speaking of heaven, the night life here has been exactly what the sinful side is me has been craving. I’m not going to beat around the bush and pretend like I don’t like to have a good time on the town most weekends. The first weekend here, I had the pleasure of being shown around Soho and Chinatown by a friend of a friend from the States. My good friend Taylor and I got a local’s tour of the anything-goes hub of London. What a night! It was great having someone experienced tell us the good bars, the bad ones, what to expect from each one, the kinds of crowds, and of course, buy us a few drinks. I was absolutely tickled to visit the famous G-A-Y bar and then return after for G-A-Y late and dance the night away. This weekend I joined one of my flatmates for another round of visits to Ku Bar, G-A-Y, and then later, Heaven. I couldn’t believe that I was strolling to joints where the likes of Britney, Kylie, and Madonna have performed. There is a much greater appreciation for pop music here.
The music taste here is so much more my style. Even the supermarkets, book stores, and coaches will be playing the tunes usually reserved for the top-40 stations back home. I was like a kid in a candy store while in the giant HMV record stores here. The Brits carry the special editions and bonus track versions of all my favorite albums. I have been catching up on “The Saturdays” and “Girls Aloud” lately. Neither group really blew me away before… maybe it is the London spirit… but both groups’ music really gets me going. Last night I ventures out to the Westbury for a friend’s birthday. Even the “straight bar” music fare was just what I wanted. Now if only I knew what some of these great tunes were! I’ve got to get groove-shark or something real fast.
Speaking of technology, it is causing quite some headaches. The WiFi SHOULD be installed properly by the 25th of September. I tried to cheat the system and create an account with iTunes UK, but alas I think it is truly impossible without a credit card with a UK address. I can’t deal with spotty and slow WiFi that I have to venture to the balcony to use much longer. Both for school and pleasure, I need to be connected to the web again, soon. Starbucks WiFi has been a wonderful help, both with coffee and WiFi services. But I can’t afford in time or money to keep coming down to S-bucks when I have time between schoolwork, nightlife, when they’re open, etc. My phone situation has been trouble-free for awhile. I just had to top up after only a week and a half, but this is due to wasting 4 pounds of minutes on an on-hold call with Fed-Ex.
Fed-Ex has a package of mine held at the airport that I need ASAP. This box has all of my products for the entire semester, all of my notebooks and school supplies, and a few other handy knickknacks that I didn’t want to pack. Now I almost wish I DID pack them. I need those notebooks for school. I have a very fragile train of sanity when it comes to organization. In order to stay focused and engaged in classwork, I need to be organized and well supplied with the tools I need for school. Until I have these and start taking notes and filing, I feel like I am just waiting and passing time through class until these things arrive. This is no way to be when I only have one semester to be here.
Classes themselves are outstanding. All of my professors seem SO educated that it is almost intimidating. All of them speak in rich British accents (which I learned speaks for their level of education), save for one who used to be in the FBI and now teaches in London. Almost all of them have their PhDs in their field. I just hope I can get the most out of them this semester. Again, I wish I just had my things so I can start LIVING and not SETTLING IN. The Faraday House facility is great and it is convenient having ALL classrooms, offices, etc. under one roof. Most staff is incredibly helpful. Charine, the activities director, I could listen to ALL DAY. Her accent and British sass are just too much for me to handle. The security guards are quite a saucy team. Tough, but real. One wouldn’t let me in to class this week because I forgot my ID. Ironically, I had both my passport, license, and a document stating that I WAS indeed a student of Syracuse on me…. but alas, he didn’t care, and wanted to teach me a lesson. Because of a tube strike that day and the next, transport proved difficult and slow. I was two hours late to class that day, but went to office hours later to catch up and ended up having a brilliant conversation with the professor. A blessing in disguise.
My living arrangements are also appearing to be a blessing in disguise. I really am hitting it off with all of my flatmates. I am especially fond of the girls. We all are so different yet each bring something new to the table. Once the flat got clean-ish and we started to move in it began to feel like a home. The icing on the homey cake was the preparation of our first meals. Now that we have routines (cooking lunch, hitting the gym, going to class) it really is starting to feel like a home and I can relax a little. I went running in Hyde Park for the first time today. I got a little lost, but look forward to doing it again often. I also got my University of London membership this week and just have to pay next time I head over there to have a gym membership. Like I said, routines are falling into place and those are key to sanity.
I am trying to keep a cool head when it comes to money. I don’t quite know the approach to take. I can’t stay hung up on the outrageous amount of money I have spent thus far. It is done, and all I can do it learn from it, not worry about it. Now that I no longer have to buy each meal, and that the initial going-out hype has faded, I think things will be okay. I just booked trips to PARIS and possible FLORENCE!!! They are going to be about $1000 all together, but those are things I will possible never get to do again for such a (cheap) cost. I would like to find some sort of under-the-table work, but I have so much on my plate right now, I need some of the above to fall into place before that happens.
This weekend also traveled to Stonehenge and Salisbury. What breathtaking sights those were! I struggled to wrap my mind around the fact that I was in the presence of one of the worlds oldest and greatest mysteries. I also just loved the cathedral in Salisbury and the little town that surrounds it. I would have spent all day just gazing at the complex architecture there. I will post some photos soon! I have yet to post any photos to facebook or to the family. Again, once the internet is resolved, that will be, too.
It feels SO good to finally have all this on paper. Well, so to speak. I often worry that if I don’t jot something down like this, I will forget it and it will be gone forever. Memories are one of the most precious gifts we have and we should savor each one. One of my greatest fears EVER is forgetting. This is perhaps why I insist on taking SO many pictures and writing things down like this. I love this city and am curious how my adventures will unfold after I am finally relaxed. I miss home, but am happy here. Love from London,
- Jake.
