First Week of Classes: January 12 - 18

So I might have been a little too ambitious about the whole two posts a week thing, but this was the first week of classes so I was figuring my new schedule. Hopefully I'll get back to the two posts a week thing next week. But I thought I wouldn't leave you completely hanging and tell you what I've been up to this week.

Monday, January 12th:

I originally was supposed to have class today but I decided that I didn't want to have class on Monday so I spent the morning wandering to different departments to switch from a history class into a drama class and a different history class. Afterwords, I decided to have some lunch and went to Piccadilly Circus. I walked around for a while, went to a bookstore, ate a donut, got some postcards that I keep meaning to send out to the tribe but haven't yet (sorry tribe, look forward to those kind of soon). It was raining and typical me has an umbrella and always forgets it, so I returned damp and cold at like dinner time. Afterwords, Lauren and I hung out for a while and then I watched the Vampire Diaries before bed.

Tuesday, January 13th:

Today was the first day of classes omg so scary. I don't have class until three so I spent the day just hanging out and getting ready for class (more Vampire Diaries heyo) before I left at like 2:45. Something that I don't get about classes in the UK (or maybe just my school) is that if a class starts at 4 people normally don't show up until like 4:05 and class starts at 4:10. I don't get it and I don't like it because I always show up to class way too early but I don't want to be late and it's very frustrating. But, when my first class, British and American Musical Theatre, finally started I really enjoyed it! In this class we discuss different aspects of musical theatre, it's origin and techniques. We see four musicals throughout the semester, the only one we know that we are for sure going to is Assassins, which is currently starring Catherine Tate (I won't get to see her in it though sad day) but it looks really good. My class goes until about 6 so afterwords I did dinner and Vampire Diaries before I went to bed (This is an exciting week if you didn't already notice).

Wednesday, January 14th:

This morning I woke up and had breakfast and hung around waiting for my class to start and at 10 to 4 I walked over there only to realize that it actually started at 4:30 so I waited in the hallway with a couple other confused people for a while. This class was London Theatre which is similar to British and American Musical Theatre. We talk about the theatre in London (shocking!) and it's effect on society. After every class we see a show. On the way, we stopped at Nando's but we only had time to get chips to go which was a disappointing because it smells really good in there. After 'dinner' we saw A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts which was an interesting show, I didn't really get most of it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Afterwords I was pretty tired I just went straight to bed.

Thursday, January 15th:

I once again don't have class until 4 so I just hung out for the morning again. I got some food and then watched some more of Vampire Diaries before heading over to the library where I hung out and wrote my review of the play I saw yesterday. At 4 I walked over to Museums and Galleries as Social Entrepreneurs. This class is really interesting as it explores the ways the museums and galleries here in London have to be entrepreneurial because most of them here are free. We spend a lot of class time at local galleries like the Tate, Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery which I think will be really fun. A couple of my friends were planning on going out but I have class tomorrow at 10 and seeing as all my other classes aren't until 3 I am a little worried I won't wake up on time.

Friday, January 16th:

I made it to computing class this morning--score! My morning lecture is only and hour (10-11) and I usually have a lab following from (3-6) but today there was no labs so I had the rest of my day free. 

Lern and I on Trafalger Square

that typical tourist thing
at King's Cross

Lern came into town today for her orientation before she leaves for Wales so I met up with her at about 1. We did all the touristy stuff from Piccadilly Circus to Trafalger Square. 

Then, we went to Kings Cross to stand on platform 9 3/4 before she had to head back to her hotel for more orientation. So I went back to my flat where a couple of my friends and I went to another friends flat and hung out for a while before I came back and went to bed.

Saturday, January 17th:

My uncle is here on a layover from Chicago so we met up for lunch at a tavern off Piccadilly where I had a club sandwich, which was ok, not the greatest thing I've ever had. Afterwords, we wandered around near Piccadilly Circus and Green Park before we hopped back on the underground toward home. It was really nice to see him and catch up. I accidentally missed my stop (of course) so I made an unexpected detour around the stop of Canary Wharf. 

Canary Wharf is beautiful

Canary Wharf was beautiful, but very under construction (like all of London) so I expect it'll be even more beautiful when it's finished. There's a very pretty view of the London skyline where you can see all the major buildings from the shard (tall one on the left) which is the tallest building in eastern Europe. and the Gherkin (middle with the different colors twisting around it) which I don't really know what exactly that is but apparently it's important. They also had a shopping centre which I spent some time at buying some more necessities before getting back on the tube toward St. James Park to meet up with Cheyenne and Matt for dinner. 

We went to this tavern where I had a strawberry and lime cider which may have been the greatest think I've ever tasted. Afterword, we hung out for a while before I rode the train back to my flat.

Sunday, January 18th: 

 Today was a productive day. I didn't actually leave my flat until 4 and was in my pjs until like 3. I went to get groceries at like 4:30 and was there until well after Sainsbury's closed at 5 which tells you how bad I am at grocery shopping. It's kind of sad to watch my wander the aisles mumbling to myself trying to figure out not only what I need but where things are, except this is extreme because I walk around like "I need sour cream, does England have sour cream? In America it's next to the cottage cheese. Where is that? Does England have cottage cheese?" Turns out that England does have cottage cheese but I gave up on trying to find sour cream. Every day is it's own struggle. 

After that I pretty much left right away to get on the tube to meet Lern at her hotel so we could walk together to meet two of our other friends from home, Nick and Ethan, at a restaurant about 10 minutes away. 

Nick, Lern, me, and Ethan. Photo stolen from Nick

We went to this place called the Byron on Wardour street which was the best burger that I've had here so far and I ordered a chocolate and bailey's shake which was amazing. Lern, Nick, Ethan, and I were there for like 2 or 3 hours just catching up and then we decided trying to find a pub that was playing the Packers-Seahawks game. We eventually found one and watched up until the last five minutes because the pub was closing and the Packers intercepted the ball, basically it looked like the Packers had won. It wasn't until I got home that I learned that the Seahawks beat the Packers in overtime--go hawks! Now I have some stuff that I wanted to do today that I never got around to because I was too busy laying around in my pjs to get done so I'm going to finish that and go to bed.

I'm hoping next week I will actually get two posts in but we'll see how that goes. Having one class a day and watching The Vampire Diaries is exhausting. I'll see you next week!