So, instead of telling you about all the great places and things that I experienced this week, I will take this opportunity to explain more about some of the cultural differences that I have picked up on since I have been here (It would take A LOT of blog entries to explain every little detail).
Being here for almost six weeks, there's a lot of subtle and non-subtle differences b/w the Brits and Americans. For one, the Brits are more laid-back and informal in the workplace, especially when it comes to communication. Don't get me wrong, they have great work ethics and are very productive, but the actual work environment and "water cooler conversations" are much lighter. Also, London is a very secular city. According to a guest speaker for my British Life and Culture class, only 10 percent of British people attend church/temple/mosque regularly. Just like in the states, consumerism and shopping are a cultural phenomenon here. I can personally attest Oxford Circus (the really big shopping street in London) is always packed on the weekends, particularly Sundays.
Other differences are more obvious, such as the "up escalator" is on the other side, and obviously cars drive on the other side of the road.
Read my next blog entry for more on my prospective adventures. But for now, cheers!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
London Calling
Yesterday, I went to Dover and Canterbury. In Dover, we took a tour of Dover Castle. Since Dover castle was a medieval castle/fortress, it was interesting to learn and see all the history behind it. For instance, there was a replica of the medieval "stone hurling" catapult and the drawbridges, etc. However, I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get to see the white cliffs of Dover. From the castle, I went to one corner and had to look up to see part of a white cliff. Apparently, you have to take a boat ride to see the amazing white cliffs. Oh well- I guess I can't see everything. After that, we took an half-hour bus ride to Canterbury. We had a tour of Canterbury Cathedral. The architecture and everything in there was gorgeous. It can't compare to St. Paul's Cathedral in London, but it's still very cool. Afterwards, we had time to explore the town of Canterbury. They had a quaint market area with tons of shops and food places.
Besides that, my flat has had a bunch of maintenance issues. Living in such a trendy part of London (a.k.a. The Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), it's kind of surprising how many maintenance issues we have had. For one, the wireless internet is still less than stellar. In our flat, it's a guessing game- whether or not we have internet that day! Then, we have had major issues with our shower. I have already mentioned our issues with the hot water, but I can now add problems with water pressure and a broken shower head. Luckily, our shower head got fixed very quickly. But, for a day in a half, our shower was far from pleasant considering you needed to bring a plastic container in there due to the lack of water pressure and the giant leak in our shower head and tube-thingey that connects to the faucet. Thankfully, it's better now.
Besides that, I have just been working my internship at MSN. I have been very busy since I have been there. This is in part because I'm working for two different departments- money and travel. So, it gets interesting having to balance stuff from both the money and travel sections. But, I still love my internship and enjoy working four full days every week.
Besides that, my flat has had a bunch of maintenance issues. Living in such a trendy part of London (a.k.a. The Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), it's kind of surprising how many maintenance issues we have had. For one, the wireless internet is still less than stellar. In our flat, it's a guessing game- whether or not we have internet that day! Then, we have had major issues with our shower. I have already mentioned our issues with the hot water, but I can now add problems with water pressure and a broken shower head. Luckily, our shower head got fixed very quickly. But, for a day in a half, our shower was far from pleasant considering you needed to bring a plastic container in there due to the lack of water pressure and the giant leak in our shower head and tube-thingey that connects to the faucet. Thankfully, it's better now.
Besides that, I have just been working my internship at MSN. I have been very busy since I have been there. This is in part because I'm working for two different departments- money and travel. So, it gets interesting having to balance stuff from both the money and travel sections. But, I still love my internship and enjoy working four full days every week.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Living in the Dark Ages
Well for the past week. I have been living in what seems like the dark ages. Yet again, the wireless in my flat is down. Apparently, it's supposed to get fixed on Monday evening. Cross your fingers it actually gets fixed this time. In the meantime, I have been scoping out places in London which have free WiFi. So far, the only places I know are McDonald's and a local pub across the street from the tube station ironically enough. So, my apologies for not updating my blog until now.
The past week has been fairly uneventful. Just been settling in to my daily routine of working at my internship, class, and exploring London. On Monday, I actually went out and helped produce a video for MSN about Valentine's Day. (By the way, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day!) I went out and conducted man-on-the-street interviews with Londoners about their best and worst Valentine's day experiences. On Wednesday, I went to the British Museum for our weekly class field trip. I must admit that the British Museum is incredible. Many ancient artifacts, such as The Rosetta Stone and ancient Greco-Roman statues and paintings, are housed there. It was interesting to see firsthand things that I only read about in books.
On Saturday, I went back to Portobello Road in the morning. It was just as cool the third time around. A definite must-see. In the afternoon, I went to 221B Baker Street (for those of you who don't know, that Sherlock Holmes' address). This "quasi-fictional address" has been turned into a rather corny museum and gift shop. This was far from my favorite London excursion. For one unlike a lot of museums in London, it cost money. (It was 6 pounds, approximately $9). Two, the museum is tiny! Three, it was very cheesy with wax figures and corny Sherlock Holmes memorabilia everywhere. At the end, I felt sort of ripped off by a clique tourist attraction. It's definitely NOT a must-see attraction. While the museum proved to be kind of lame, I really enjoyed walking around Baker Street. It's a neat area to explore with all kinds of restaurants and shops.
This Wednesday, I am going to the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury, which I really want to see. So, more to come on that.
The past week has been fairly uneventful. Just been settling in to my daily routine of working at my internship, class, and exploring London. On Monday, I actually went out and helped produce a video for MSN about Valentine's Day. (By the way, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day!) I went out and conducted man-on-the-street interviews with Londoners about their best and worst Valentine's day experiences. On Wednesday, I went to the British Museum for our weekly class field trip. I must admit that the British Museum is incredible. Many ancient artifacts, such as The Rosetta Stone and ancient Greco-Roman statues and paintings, are housed there. It was interesting to see firsthand things that I only read about in books.
On Saturday, I went back to Portobello Road in the morning. It was just as cool the third time around. A definite must-see. In the afternoon, I went to 221B Baker Street (for those of you who don't know, that Sherlock Holmes' address). This "quasi-fictional address" has been turned into a rather corny museum and gift shop. This was far from my favorite London excursion. For one unlike a lot of museums in London, it cost money. (It was 6 pounds, approximately $9). Two, the museum is tiny! Three, it was very cheesy with wax figures and corny Sherlock Holmes memorabilia everywhere. At the end, I felt sort of ripped off by a clique tourist attraction. It's definitely NOT a must-see attraction. While the museum proved to be kind of lame, I really enjoyed walking around Baker Street. It's a neat area to explore with all kinds of restaurants and shops.
This Wednesday, I am going to the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury, which I really want to see. So, more to come on that.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Greetings from London!
Well, I'm currently blogging in a McDonalds, as the wireless internet in my flat is less than stellar. Anyway, the past few days have been fairly uneventful. Yesterday, I went to Nottingham and Portobello Road with some of my roommates. Portobello Road is basically a giant, outdoor flea market for all sorts of cool antiques as well as amazing and very cheap food. There is a cupcake bakery called "Hummingbird Bakery" which has the most delicious cupcakes!
Afterwards, I went exploring in Chelsea (that's in West London). I think Chelsea is my second favorite area in London. My first- is obviously Covent Garden. Covent Garden is in the heart of the theatre district in London. It's a short walk away from both Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Anyway back to Chelsea, I saw Chelsea stadium (the soccer stadium). The outside of the stadium is amazing by the way. I really want to see a Chelsea game while I'm here, but the tickets are very pricey (cheapest tickets I have come across are 50 pounds (that's about $75) for the worst seats) and sell out very quickly. So, keep your fingers crossed. I promise pictures of the stadium will be on my blog shortly!
Besides that, I am feeling less like a tourist and more like I belong here. Something amazing happened today as I was walking back from Sainsbury's, the grocery store here, a tourist asked me for directions. I was actually able to give him directions to the place he wanted to go- in this case, The Natural History Museum. This was a complete 360 for me- since I'm the one usually getting lost and having to ask for directions all the time. Cheers!
I have not had the chance to upload my images yet, but here are some images of Chelsea stadium (Stamford Bridge) that I found on the Internet!
Aerial View of Stamford Bridge
Inside Chelsea Stadium
Afterwards, I went exploring in Chelsea (that's in West London). I think Chelsea is my second favorite area in London. My first- is obviously Covent Garden. Covent Garden is in the heart of the theatre district in London. It's a short walk away from both Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Anyway back to Chelsea, I saw Chelsea stadium (the soccer stadium). The outside of the stadium is amazing by the way. I really want to see a Chelsea game while I'm here, but the tickets are very pricey (cheapest tickets I have come across are 50 pounds (that's about $75) for the worst seats) and sell out very quickly. So, keep your fingers crossed. I promise pictures of the stadium will be on my blog shortly!
Besides that, I am feeling less like a tourist and more like I belong here. Something amazing happened today as I was walking back from Sainsbury's, the grocery store here, a tourist asked me for directions. I was actually able to give him directions to the place he wanted to go- in this case, The Natural History Museum. This was a complete 360 for me- since I'm the one usually getting lost and having to ask for directions all the time. Cheers!
I have not had the chance to upload my images yet, but here are some images of Chelsea stadium (Stamford Bridge) that I found on the Internet!
Aerial View of Stamford Bridge
Inside Chelsea Stadium
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A Day At Oxford
So, yesterday I went down to Oxford. It was pretty awesome. There was a guided tour in the morning that took us to some of the historic landmarks. Oxford actually is composed of 39 different colleges. A couple of the colleges just have professors and faculty- no students! But, the tour was fairly interesting. In the afternoon, we had a chance to explore the city. That's when I discovered that Oxford is a great place to shop (a.k.a. lots of stuff- very cheap). So, I definitely took advantage of that. In addition while exploring, we came across this little outdoor market that sold everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to scarfs and electronics. I bought quite a few random souvenirs from this market. In addition to the gloves (which I desperately needed since my hands were numb from the cold) I bought the best apples there. I also bought an Oxford University sweatshirt- which was something I intentionally planned on getting.
Besides that, I have been working at my internship four days a week, going to class and exploring London.
*Please post comments on my blog!*
Besides that, I have been working at my internship four days a week, going to class and exploring London.
*Please post comments on my blog!*
Monday, February 2, 2009
Snow Day!!!!!
My tube stop
My snow-covered street
So, there's currently six inches of snow on the ground in London. For those of you who don't know, it NEVER snows in London. According to CNN and the BBC, this is the biggest snowfall in 18 years! All classes are cancelled and after two hours of work at my internship, I was told to go home because it was supposed to snow more and they didn't want us interns to be stuck in Central London. It's amazing how six inches of snow (I might add it's the perfect snow for snowball fights and making snowmen) can completely disrupt a city. All the buses are closed. Heathrow Airport closed both runways for an extended period of time, and now only one runway is open. The London Underground is slower than usual with more limited service. But, I can attest it's still working and not that much slower than normal. So, I'm going to go out and enjoy my unexpected snow day!
Attached are some articles about the snowfall in London. Cheers!
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/02/europe.snow/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7864395.stm
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Living like a local
Sorry, I haven't posted in awhile. The wireless in my flat has been down.
Three weeks into my adventures abroad, and I'm beginning to feel like less of a tourist. I'm no longer getting lost all the time. I have become completely comfortable using "the tube" by myself. I'm even picked up on some of the British lingo and mannerisms while traveling on the tube. For instance, "mind the gap" means "watch your step." I even read the free papers, such as The Metro and The London Lite, on my way to and from work like the rest of the commuters. I'm also becoming increasingly comfortable with having "my personal space" invaded by what seems like a million other tube passengers. The old adage, "there's always room for one more," definitely applies to the tube. Because no matter how crowded the train is, someone else can always find a way on to that train. It's kind of miraculous!
Besides that, I went to go see The Lion King on Thursday night. It was definitely amazing! If you haven't seen it already, it's a definite must-see in my book. I have also been exploring the city of London, going to work (at my internship), and doing homework for my classes.
I also compiled a short list of subtle differences between London and the U.S entitled:
"Things Learned the Hard Way"
English Mustard is NOT the same as American mustard!
Mind the Gap- Watch your step!
Food goes bad a lot faster here, because they don't use preservatives!
There are virtually no trashcans along the streets here due to the threat of terrorism
It's "Toilets" not "Bathrooms"
It costs more to eat in a cafe than it does to do take away!
It's "Take away" not "To go"
British keyboards are different than American keyboards.
Three weeks into my adventures abroad, and I'm beginning to feel like less of a tourist. I'm no longer getting lost all the time. I have become completely comfortable using "the tube" by myself. I'm even picked up on some of the British lingo and mannerisms while traveling on the tube. For instance, "mind the gap" means "watch your step." I even read the free papers, such as The Metro and The London Lite, on my way to and from work like the rest of the commuters. I'm also becoming increasingly comfortable with having "my personal space" invaded by what seems like a million other tube passengers. The old adage, "there's always room for one more," definitely applies to the tube. Because no matter how crowded the train is, someone else can always find a way on to that train. It's kind of miraculous!
Besides that, I went to go see The Lion King on Thursday night. It was definitely amazing! If you haven't seen it already, it's a definite must-see in my book. I have also been exploring the city of London, going to work (at my internship), and doing homework for my classes.
I also compiled a short list of subtle differences between London and the U.S entitled:
"Things Learned the Hard Way"
English Mustard is NOT the same as American mustard!
Mind the Gap- Watch your step!
Food goes bad a lot faster here, because they don't use preservatives!
There are virtually no trashcans along the streets here due to the threat of terrorism
It's "Toilets" not "Bathrooms"
It costs more to eat in a cafe than it does to do take away!
It's "Take away" not "To go"
British keyboards are different than American keyboards.
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