Git 'R' Done: London Trip #2

Last Saturday I took a second trip to London. I love how easy it is to make day trips to London from Hatfield. I went with Andrea, Mike, Tyler, Jen, and Grayson and it was definitely my favorite trip yet. We got up early, took the bus to Hatfield station, and got a round trip ticket to London that includes a travel card (which lets you use the tube all day) for eight pounds, which is really good. Rode my first train in England! I couldn’t believe how fast they go, or how much your ears pop when you go through tunnels!

It took about 15-20 minutes to get into London, at which point we had to make a detour to Platform 9 ¾ to take about twenty pictures. Then we crossed the street to the tube station, where I was devoutly thankful to be there with people who can navigate well. Tyler wanted to go to Camden Town Market. I had my doubts about it but the market turned out to be very cool. We’d gotten warnings to be on guard for pickpockets, so I was extra wary as we wandered around the stalls. The people selling things are very pushy, but you have to know how to work them. I got a dress at a stall for 13 pounds, but as Andrea said I probably could have gotten it for ten if I’d haggled a bit better. The trick is to put the item down and start to walk away, and then they’ll quickly relent and give it to you for the price you want. Oh well!

There was a lot happening on the streets, including some interesting shops like a place that sold flashing light-up T-shirts. They also had multiple indoor areas selling anything from jewelry to scarves to paintings and photos of London. One of my favorite parts (predictably) was the outdoor area lined with food stands. It was freezing out and we were starving by that point, and a lot of the stands were giving away free samples. I must have went up and down those rows about 4 times getting free food—they had lamb and chicken wraps, fish and chips, hot churros with caramel or chocolate sauce, traditional English pies, huge brownies and cakes, and there were also odd things like Peruvian food (no idea what that would even be) and an “exotic meats” stand selling antelope, ostrich, zebra, etc. Weird! Anyway, once the Greek giving out the free samples recognized me and said, “You been here before, yes?” I decided I should probably actually buy some food from the man. I got a lamb wrap, which I probably would’ve thought sounded gross if I hadn’t had that sample. It was so good and tasted extra delicious because it was so cold out! Andrea got a big bowl of homemade mac-and-cheese, which also looked great. We ate and looked out over the river, where people were kayaking (what were they thinking? It was freezing!).

Then we hopped back on the tube and popped in to the Natural History Museum. It was free and full of cool stuff to look at (and best of all, warm inside). We split up for an hour and tried to see as much as we could in that amount of time, which probably wasn’t much considering the size of the place! It reminded me a lot of the Museum of Natural History in NY, but it was still cool in its own way. They had a dinosaur exhibit that I didn’t have time to see, a mammal exhibit with a giant blue whale, an earth exhibit, and much more. I think my favorite part was the earthquake room in the earth exhibit. It’s set up to recreate an earthquake that happened in Japan, so it looks like you are standing in a Japanese grocery. I was really confused at first, but then the floor started to shake and they play sounds and footage from the actual event. It was pretty cool!

I really wanted to see Westminster Abbey, so we headed there next. Unfortunately, it closes early on Saturdays so I didn’t get to go inside, but we did take a ton of pictures of the outside, which was beautiful. There is a quiet little close just behind or to the side of the abbey that we wandered into, which was set apart from the bustle just outside and very peaceful. There was a little cave-like entrance there that looks like it leads into the abbey, but we hadn’t gone very far in before a policeman told us to clear out because it was closed. Dang.

By that time it was getting dark, so we walked over to Covent Garden to look for a place to eat. Sadly the rest of London had the same idea, and we must have looked at four or five different pubs/restaurants but all of them were packed. One of the ones we walked into was extremely posh—we immediately felt underdressed when we walked in. I don’t want to know how expensive that place was! Finally, we found a Pizza Hut and decided to go for it because everywhere else was so busy and pricey. As it was we still had a 30 minute wait! Londoners love themselves some Pizza Hut. There was a line going up the stairs by the time we got seated. It was actually pretty fancy inside, with bottles of wine lined up on shelves and nice decorations. It took us forever to decide, but we got 3 large pizzas and split them so it wasn’t too bad. Mike had a funny incident where he walked in on someone in the loo, a story that got retold a LOT as the night went on. After that we decided to head to a nearby Canadian pub called the Maple Leaf (no one there was actually Canadian), where we had some drinks and Mike got us poutine, a Canadian dish that’s just fries, cheese, and gravy. Wish I could’ve eaten more of it but I was still so full from pizza! We sat near an older Irish couple, who chatted to us a bit even though I could not for the life of me understand the man. I did catch that they had flown in to London for the weekend and that the man recommended we visit western Ireland if we got the chance. It was nice of them to talk to us, anyway. Later on I chatted to two British women who asked me what American high school was like and if it was anything like Mean Girls, haha. It was sort of hard to explain what DHS was like but I did my best!

After that the boys wanted to head back, but Andrea and I insisted we make a run to London Bridge and take pictures. It was definitely worth it, even though it was cold. We goofed around there for a while just taking pictures. We asked a passing couple to take a picture of all of us, and then the woman randomly handed each of us a rose from her bouquet! It was so sweet and out of the blue. So there’s a ton of pictures of us dragging roses around the streets of London at midnight. We had a bit of a panicked rush through the tube back to the station, but we managed to catch the last train to Hatfield at about 1 a.m. Phew! It was a long and busy but very good day, and I can’t wait to go back!

Cambridge and London

London and Cambridge were really cool. I can’t decide which I liked better, but maybe it’s unfair to compare them because they’re both such different experiences. Cambridge seemed busy but obviously that’s nothing compared to London. Cambridge is about an hour away from the school. Once we got out of the buses we got sorted into different groups and given tour guides. Ours wasn’t the best. He was French, randomly, and a little hard to understand. I also felt like he rushed through a bit, so unfortunately I can’t remember a lot of the details and some of the buildings I couldn’t tell you what they’re called. I did like hearing about the history and the long-running battle between “town and gown,” or the locals and the students at the school. I also liked hearing about the pranks students have played, such as taking the gold scepter from a statue and replacing it with a chair leg, and putting a toilet seat on top of one of the college towers.

The buildings were really grand and beautiful, and the streets were full of fun shops, which unfortunately I couldn’t explore. After our tour guide finished we had 4 hours to do whatever we liked, so I went with my K-State crew and some awesome Canadians we met and wandered to a street market where I got a Jamaican jerked chicken wrap, which was really good. Then we signed up for a boat tour of the River Cam, from which point you can see a lot of the colleges. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable and told some interesting stories as we passed Trinity College and the other colleges visible from the river. I felt bad for the poor guy, though; he was clearly freezing and getting wet as he punted us along the river (can that be used as a verb? Oh well, it can now). After punting we went to King’s Chapel, which was beautiful, and then wandered around the gardens. Then we walked for a bit, found the Fitzwilliam Museum randomly, and explored it since it was free (it’s huge and full of art and artifacts from all different eras—Greek, Egyptian, etc.). By that point it was time to go. I think the boat tour was my favorite part. Our guide was very cheeky and that made it amusing, but we still got to hear a lot of cool stories.

On Sunday we visited London. I didn’t do a lot of the things I’ve wanted to do there, such as visit the Tower of London, but it didn’t bother me since it’s close enough that I know I can return. Our buses dropped us off near the River Thames, in sight of the London Eye and Big Ben. A bunch of the student guides led us in a circuit, so it wasn’t really a tour so much as…walking. There were a lot of buildings and sites I would have liked to hear about, but I guess that can wait for another time. We walked through St. James’ Park, saw Buckingham Palace, and ended at Trafalgar Square. After goofing off there for a while (we watched a street performer who put his entire body through a tennis racket…really not as interesting as it sounds like it would be), we headed toward Leicester Square, but stopped to have lunch at a place called the Brewmaster, which was very quaint and traditional. I had the fish sandwich with chips or fries and a Guinness, because hey, I was in a pub and it seemed like the thing to do.

Then we hit up Oxford Street and walked around the shops, none of which I could’ve afforded anything in, I’m sure. I did go to a souvenir shop to buy some postcards. Then we met up once again with the Canadians—Mike, Jen, and Katie—and wandered around together. Mike wanted to go to a sports pub because a team he knew was playing. He advised us not to mention Manchester United because a lot of people in the area hate them, which is unfortunate because that’s really the only football team I know. Mike navigated on his iPhone and took us through some detours, one of which was filled with some shops of a questionable content so I guess I got to see a lot of different sides to London. Anyway, after asking a local we found a pub and squeezed into the very back. It was actually a pretty tame group in there—only some yelled swearwords at the screen now and again. After that we had to race through London to get back to the Victoria Embankment in time. I did have to stop a couple times to take some pictures as evening fell over London—it was so pretty, almost prettier at night than in the day. As we were hurrying through Trafalgar Square a bagpiper started playing. It was sort of surreal but very cool. I hope I get to come back to London soon and take some tours of the area so I can hear more about the history.

I started classes on Monday, which was interesting. I’m taking History of the English Language, Romantic Poetry, Becoming a Writer (a creative writing workshop), and Writing in Britain Since 1945. Classes are set up very differently here. Each class—or module, as they say here—has a one-hour lecture with a pretty big class, and from there the class gets split up into seminar groups to allow for discussions. So you go to your lecture and then you go to your one-hour seminar an hour or two later. One of my seminars yesterday for History of the English Language only had four people in it! Luckily all my teachers—or “tutors” as they say here—seem nice so far. I only have one class I haven’t been to yet, Writing in Britain, which is tomorrow. The good thing is I should have Thursdays and Fridays off! It's starting to get busy here (busier, anyway) but I will update when I can!

Just what England needs...another Elizabeth...

I can barely believe I’m saying it, but I’m in England right now. It’s been something of a whirlwind so far. The last couple of days I’ve been so busy I can hardly keep things straight. This blog is my attempt at doing so. Warning: I like to write a lot of details. This is why I could never keep journals when I was younger. So feel free to skim as needed.

I flew out of KC on Tuesday with two other K-Staters—Emma and Tyler—at 1:47, switched planes in Detroit, and then flew overnight to London. Emma kept saying that every time she flew internationally, one or more of the flights got delayed, but we were lucky and all the flights took off right on schedule. They gave us nice meals on the plane, dinner and breakfast, but surprisingly I didn’t feel very excited about what I was doing despite the fact that I’d been so determined to do it for so long. I think nerves and exhaustion played a big part of that, since despite my best efforts I could not sleep on that plane (there was a couple ahead of me that talked the entire time as if everyone around them wasn’t trying to sleep). As it got closer to the time we were scheduled to land, I kept looking at the moving map (there was a touch screen on the back of the seat in front of me), watching as we flew over Ireland and then over parts of England toward the little dot that was London. I still didn’t feel anything except annoyed that I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t until we were actually a few minutes from landing and flying over London itself that I got excited and really appreciated what was happening. I remember watching cars pass below and feeling impressed that they were driving the wrong way.

After we got off the plane we had to go through customs, which was so much less intense than I thought it would be. I was still really nervous as I got asked what I was doing and when I would be leaving and how I was paying for my stay. I think I said something like, “K-State is helping me pay”...like he would know about K-State. Anyway, our luggage also arrived without a hitch, when I’d been picturing it ending up in Bangladesh or something. University of Hertfordshire said they would pick us up from Heathrow at Terminal 3, which was a long way from where we were. I was glad Emma and Tyler were there or I would’ve gotten so confused. We walked down halls, up ramps, took an elevator (aka “lift”), then had to go on a little train before getting to Terminal 3. I kept smiling when I saw signs saying “Toilet” instead of “Restroom” and pound signs instead of dollar signs. Anyway, our good luck ran out when we reached the place we were supposed to meet the school in Terminal 3, which was empty. We waited and waited while trying unsuccessfully not to stand in people’s way. Finally we noticed other college-age kids standing around nearby, so we joined them and found out they were waiting for the Hertfordshire bus as well—mostly Americans, but also a Canadian and a girl from Singapore who’d been waiting at the airport for about five hours already. Finally the U of H people showed up, apparently there was some weird delay; then it was a 45-minute bus ride to the university. Didn’t get to see much of London, but I got to see some of the countryside on the way. I love how the grass is emerald-green even in January.

When we got to the uni I really just wanted to get my room and sleep, but there were a lot of us and it was kind of a long process. Finally I got my bedding pack and key and set off with Emma and another girl I’d met to find our rooms. I actually live in a house instead of a dorm, but it’s similar to a dorm in a lot of ways. There’s an upstairs and a downstairs, two bathrooms (but only one shower, unfortunately), a pretty big kitchen area with microwave, stove, freezer, etc., and the rooms are just the same as dorm rooms that you lock up after you leave. I share my room with a girl from Oklahoma. We don’t have a ton of space but it works out fine. We have pretty big shelves, two closets, bunk beds, a sink and mirror, two mini fridges one for each, and a floor-to-ceiling window. I didn’t meet my roommate till later—at that point I just dropped off my luggage and then I went with two other girls because we had to find our way (on our own!) across campus to the Student Centre (yeah, that’s right, I’m spelling it that way) and then the Lindop Building to get orientation info. Even though I haven’t been here long I can already tell British universities expect you to be way more self-sufficient than American ones. Anyway, we found it fine (thanks more to them than me) and then it was a long process of waiting in line to sign contracts, then another long line to pay for housing. I felt tired and gross but still pretty impressed every time I heard a British accent. The housing lady called me love and then exclaimed over me being from Manhattan before I told her it was the other Manhattan.

Then we went next door for free tea and coffee and to get orientation information. We had to get our passports checked to make sure we’d been given the right stamp, then given all sorts of maps and schedules (aka timetables) about where we were supposed to go this week. Everyone was pretty polite and helpful. I found out the school is offering trips to Cambridge and London this weekend for 10 pounds apiece, so I signed up for both. We’re going to Cambridge tomorrow and I’m really excited!

Looking back, I can’t believe how much we did that day. At that point I’d been up over 24 hours but I still went with some people to the Forum (same thing as a student union) to ask about cell phones. Most people bought their pay as you go phone (you can get them here for really cheap—as little as 3 pounds), but I haven’t got mine b/c the ginger behind the counter told me I could just use a new SIM card in my old phone but he’d have to get the unlock code so my phone will accept a new SIM. Still waiting on that code. If it doesn’t work out I’ll just buy a new phone for really cheap. I do hate being without a phone b/c it makes it so hard to coordinate with people.

We may’ve done more, but I’ve honestly forgotten, I was so jetlagged by that point. I went back to my room and met my roommate, Chelsea. There are six other people in the house, all British, and I think I’ve met all but one by now. I didn’t know this but the UK doesn’t really care about keeping genders separate like Americans do, so the house has three guys. It’s actually not a big deal since we all have our own rooms, and the kitchen and bathrooms seems pretty clean. Anyway, one of my housemates named Tom and his friend Ender offered to take Chelsea and me to the grocery to show us where it was. Plus I didn’t have anything to eat but stolen plane food and a granola bar. So even though I really just wanted to shower and sleep, Chelsea and I went with them to Asda, the grocery about 15 minutes’ walk away. Tom was really chatty and exuberant, and Ender just walked along peaceably and occasionally mumbled assent in an Irish accent. Apparently he’s growing a beard “for a laugh.” I don’t know why I find that explanation funny, but anyway.

Even though my feet were killing me for the extra walking, it was nice to talk to Chelsea and some locals so I didn’t feel alone. We talked about differences between US/UK and how our accents are so different. Apparently to the British it sounds like we talk really slowly and draw out words too long. I also got laughed at for using the term “jetlagged,” which I guess they don’t have here. Go figure. They were also pretty knowledgeable about random American things. Tom asked me what Fruit Loops were like b/c they don’t have them in the UK and explained weird facts I didn’t know, such as the fact that the British need to pay for licenses to own a TV but the upside is they have far fewer commercials than Americans do. He also said British people are polite but they won’t go out of your way to help you; they’ll help if asked but usually won’t offer it. I’ll have to see if that’s true.

Anyway, got to the supermarket finally, which looked surprisingly like Wal-Mart—apparently Wal-Mart owns Asda—but it’s organized much differently and a lot of the foods and brand names are very different. Tom and Ender went to look for a converter for Chelsea while she and I got some groceries for ourselves, which took forever b/c we were so disoriented in there.

Then we went back to the house, I unpacked a little more, showered, and then we headed over to the free dinner organized for the international students. We had a choice between fish and chips and some kind of Indian meal with curry. I got the fish and it was so good; the fries were huge and really delicious. I was so tired I couldn’t finish it, and I had to leave early. I still didn’t get to bed until 10, but I passed out right away. It was such a weird day, ricocheting between excitement, frustration, happiness, fear. But I’ve talked to other exchange students and found out they felt the same way. Chelsea said she was trying to figure out how to get a plane back to the US when she first got there, and Tyler told me he was miserable the first night.

This post is already way too long, but I wanted to write it before I forgot things. Thursday and today were less eventful—going to orientation and running around campus most of the day. The Dean of Students talked to us and told us things like, “The English are a strange bunch…but the Scots are even weirder” and advised us to learn to make a British cup of tea. We got a lot of info, but there’s still a lot I don’t know. I don’t know my way around the campuses all that well (there’s two, about a mile apart, but they have shuttles going between them), and we haven’t registered for classes even though they start next week. Should be interesting!

Still haven’t taken any pictures yet, but I’m sure I’ll take a lot this weekend. Since you’re now thoroughly sick of me, I’ll say goodbye for now. Cheers!