Gettin' Wild in Wales!

Seeing as I haven't posted in a week, there is lots to tell! This week for my art class we visited the Tate Modern and looked at the Cubism, Vorticism, and Futurism galleries.  I would show you pictures but I forgot to bring my camera this time!  One of the many things I forgot this week (You'll see as you read on!).  It was a very interesting gallery; we looked at paintings by Picasso and many other famous artists.  There were some cool sculptures as well!  After that class, I went to work, where I got to write a blog for Kony!  It was all about how mobile social shopping is the "new thing".  Hopefully Richard will let me know what he thinks of it when I go in to work on Tuesday.  I'm really liking my internship, even though I have very little knowledge and interest in technology.  The PR work is still fun!  And I think I'm pretty good at it.  This week I am going to start working with Laura on a new project: bringing in a new client!  It is a project that will probably last the duration of the internship.  I'm so excited!

On Wednesday night, Kaeline and I went out in Harrow for a bit, where we met some funny English boys (who were not cute by the way; I'm having trouble finding any attractive English boys!).  They were pretty drunk and kept singing Katy Perry's "California Girls" because we are from California.  One of them wanted to smell the perfume that was hanging around my neck, and after I put some on his wrist he told me he was in love with me.  I just laughed and turned away.

The next morning we left for Wales!  And here is the next thing I forgot: my oyster card.  The oyster card is my means of transportation.  I didn't need it for the train to Wales but I did need it for the tube ride to the train.  So I ended up having to pay for the tube.  We met everyone at the train station at 8:30am, and the adventure began!  The train ride was about an hour and a half to Cardiff, the main city in Wales, but it felt more like thirty minutes because we were playing fun games the entire ride!  It was kind of creepy when we got there because there was no one around!  Seriously, it was very gloomy and empty.  We took a tour of the Senate, which was pretty boring, which was followed by a trip to Tintern Abbey, which was amazing!  It was this thousand year old ruin of an Abbey, and it was huge!  There are pictures below.

We didn't have much to do at night because we were staying in the middle of nowhere!  But the days were pretty tiring so that was okay.

Interesting fact about Wales: there are more sheep than there are people.  They were everywhere!  On Friday, we took a tour of the national park, where many of us tried to get close to the sheep, but they did not want to get close to us!  Unfortunately, the battery on my camera died the night before, so I don't have pictures!  It was beautiful though; lots of green, rolling hills quilted with farms.  After going to the national park, we went horseback riding!  I had a little horse named Kery, who was so sweet and never tried to do anything bad, unlike some of the other horses.  It was fun, but a bit too long.  It got boring to be walking on a horse after the first hour. 

On Saturday, we cleared out of the hostel and journeyed to a coal mine, where Martin received a call from the people at the hostel saying that they had my wallet!  I didn't even realize I had left it!  Thank God they found it!  They will be sending it to me this week; hopefully it will get here by the end of the week.  Until then, I will be borrowing money from Saida.

However, it did make it difficult to get home without my wallet or my oyster card!  I sneaked into the tube by running through the doors in between two friends.  But when we got to the overground (which we had to take because our tube line was closed) there was an overground worker standing by the doors!  He said it would only be a couple pounds to buy a ticket, so my friends gave me 4 pounds, but it ended up being 4 pounds and 50 pence!  So, like a poor beggar, I had to ask the people behind me for 50 pence.  How embarrassing!  And then I had to run to the train because it was about to leave!  I will never forget my oyster card again!

Whew!  Well, that was the week.  Today I've been sitting in bed all day being lazy, which is nice!  I think tomorrow I am going to check out Harrod's!  Cheers!

Tintern Abbey

Michael and George

Michael and George singing "Hey There Delilah" to me on the bus

What Would a Trip to London Be Without a Bar Brawl?

Well, Friday night was interesting!  We all went to O'Neil's for a few drinks, but ended up staying there the whole night.  We met some English girls who were in love with our accents and we hung out with them the whole night.  It was all fun and games until some crazy girl at the table next to us decided to start something.  I'm sitting at the table talking with Natalia, one of the girls we met, when I see my friend Krista being grabbed by the girl at the table next to us.  I can't hear what's being said, but she was definitely threatening Krista.  She finally lets go, and I look over at her and say, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?  What is wrong with you?"  For some reason she is confused and asks her friends if I am talking to her.  I say, "Yes, I'm looking right at you, of course I'm talking to you."  Then I look away and about 10 seconds later this bitch reaches across our table and grabs Natalia by her hair and yanks her head down to the table (Why she didn't grab me I'm not sure of).  While everyone else didn't know what to do, I stand up and punch this girl in the face a few times until she finally lets go.  I couldn't just sit there and watch!  I had to do something!  Nobody messes with my friends!  One of the guys she was with grabbed a hold of her, but not before she could grab a bottle from our table and throw it at me.  It hit me in the chest, but no harm done.  I got lots of hugs and high fives for that one!

Don't worry, I would never be the one to start a fight.  I will only act in self defense of myself or of a friend.  And that was the first time I have ever punched someone.  The other girl got kicked out of the pub, but everyone knew I was only acting in self defense.  After talking with a couple other girls, I learn that this girl had been trying to start fights with several people all night!  So I guess she got what was coming to her!

Well, that was the highlight of the weekend.  I'll blog again in a few days to let you know how school and work goes.  And I'll be watching the Packer game tonight!  Go Pack Go!

Cheers

PS. Why is Jen the only one who ever comments on these things?

Work, Work, Work.... Fun, Fun, Fun

I have been so busy the past few days that I haven't had time to blog!  Or when I do have time, I'm just too tired!  So let's see, I started my internship at the PR firm on Wednesday, and it's been great!  I worked from 9am to 1pm, mostly going through Twitter and finding the people/companies that JK wants to follow.  Then I had to be back at school by 2pm for my Britain Today class, in which we went to the National Museum to look at some old stuff.  We looked at some artifacts from thousands of years ago, some of which was cool, some of which was not.  George kept asking, "Why am I not interested in this stuff?"  We were all too happy to get out of there at 5:30pm to go find a pub to have dinner at.  We went to the Plough Pub.  Afterward, some people had to go see a play at the Globe, while some of us didn't.  So those of us who didn't have to go see a play went back to Harrow to O'Neil's, where we all shared a few pints!  It was a great time, and I was home by 11pm! 

The next morning, which was yesterday morning, I had to be at work again and 9am.  I started out by looking through FeaturesExec.com to find stories that Kony Solutions might be interested in.  Basically, it's a website where publications can post story pitches that they will be publishing in the future.  If a company would like to be in it, may it be just a quote or something bigger, they can contact the editor.  It was my job to look through the site to find stories for Kony, a company that is interested in creating a platform for mobile apps that will make all apps universal.  How many of you understand what I just said?

At lunch, I went out with a few co-workers to Nando's, a really great Spanish restaurant with amazing chicken!  Everyone is very nice, and I think most people aren't much older than me, so we get along well!  After lunch, it was back to the grind!  I did a few other tasks, like drafting emails to be sent to some Mac and PC magazines about a new software for their cover discs.  And then he, Johnathan, had me send them!  With my name!  Kind of cool, I think.  I also managed some event schedules for Keynote and Cyber-Ark.  What an interesting day!

I got off work at 5:30pm and went home for dinner.  I was supposed to go out with everyone last night to that pub at Picadilly Circus that George and I found, but I was too tired!  So I stayed in bed and watched The Notebook :).  Cheers!

The First Days of School

Yesterday was the first day of classes.  I had only one class to go to, Britain Today, and it was, to be honest, really boring.  It was taught by Martin, the program director, and all he did was talk at us for the entire hour.  Believe me, I was not the only one who had trouble paying attention.  On the bright side, my internship at Johnson King PR looks like it will be great!  I went into the office yesterday to have a quick interview.  We figured out what days I will be working and then I was introduced to everyone in the office.  It's just a little office where everyone works at a desk in one big room.  I have my own desk!  Something that most of you probably don't think is very exciting, but it is for me!  I will have a number of different tasks from the little ones, like organizing the archive wall, to the bigger ones, like writing blogs.  I will have my first day of work tomorrow starting at 9am!

After class, George and I went to Picadilly Circus, where we immediately went into a pub called On Anon because George was so hungry.  We ended up staying there for a couple of hours, laughing and socializing with the bartender, Felicia, a cute little Swedish girl who is here for the year.  George had to be back at school for class at 4pm, where Michael and the other George were just getting out of class.  They were on their way to the International Student House to check it out, so I went with them!  We explored the building, and ended up in the pub, of course.  We hung out there on the very comfortable couches before heading home around 6pm for dinner.  We were all supposed to go out to the clubs in Watford last night with Adam, but then he had to cancel.  So we were going to go without him, but then George canceled, so then Michael canceled, and then the other George canceled.  I got stood up by four people!  I was not very happy.  At least Kaeline stuck to her word and we went out to a pub called Cafe Cafe for a couple drinks.

Today I had my Modern Art class at 10am at the Courthauld Institute of Modern Art right off the Strand (a big road running by the river with lots of people, galleries, and shops).  I am really learning how to find my way around this city!  We explored the impressionist galleries and talked about a few different paintings.  There are pictures of some of them below!

After class, Michael, George, Andy, Krista, and I found a pub to go have lunch in, and afterward I explored the Strand a little.  I went home around 3pm and have been sitting in bed for most of the time!  I think the partying may be catching up to me a little!

George and I with Felicia

Manet

Monet

Cezanne

Van Gogh

Degas

Fabric

Well, I didn't end up getting in to Heaven because they would accept my student ID and I didn't have my passport with me.  So now I will have to bring my passport with me everywhere unless my parents can mail my license to me :).  Because George is so nice, he came home with me, but I don't think he minded too much not going to a gay club.  He was afraid of getting rufied!

Yesterday was the best day yet!  George and I went to the Thames River Festival on the south bank of the river.  It was so much fun!  There were thousands of people, loads of food, and great shopping!  It was supposedly a music festival, but we only found one band playing.  George and I have decided that we are twins because we think exactly alike!  George bought some sunglasses and a few pictures of London, and I bought an awesome painting and a new purse!  Now it's time to start budgeting.

We went home to rest for a couple hours before going out for the night!  Kaeline was finally feeling better after a few days of being sick, so she came with me to meet up with the two Georges, Michael, and Kayley in South Harrow for dinner and pregaming.  After having a few drinks and learning some dance moves, we headed into London to go to Fabric, a nightclub rated second best in the world.  It was great!  We danced so much that I am sore today.  The soreness is also probably a result of wearing heels all night.  We had an interesting journey finding our way home; the tube closes at about 1am, so we had to figure out how to get home by bus.  It took a few hours, but we made it!  Kaeline and I walked through the door at about 6am.  Now for Sunday, the day of rest!  Here are some photos:

Big Ben and the River Thames

George and me at the festival

The House of Fairy Tales at the festival

The view of London from Hampstead Heath

OMG FFN!

Last night was definitely the best night so far! Adam took us to a pub over in Northwood (a few miles from Harrow) where we met a few of his friends.  He had one friend named Goose who had a tattoo of a goose smoking a blunt on his leg!  It was so tight!  I thought it was a duck at first, my school mascot!  But then, obviously, a goose made more sense.  Adam bought all of my drinks, so I think I'm gonna keep this guy around!  He and his friends are all really cool and we had a great time with them.  When the pub was closing, we all decided to over to a club in Watford called Kandy, and that was a really good time! There was lots of dancing and free shots!  I learned not to have a jaegger bomb or a raging bull at 2am, because they will make sleeping very hard!  I had too much energy in me!  With all of these exclamation marks it probably looks like I still have that energy.

Today, I had to wake up at 9:30am to meet with the class for our walk through Hampstead Heath.  I was a little tired!  But the walk was beautiful!  I think they said it's 496 acres, or maybe 946 acres, I can't remember now.  But it's a huge park with rolling meadows and lots of dogs!  After our walk, we took the bus for the first time!  George and I sat in the very front of the second story.  It was so funny it was almost like riding in the front of a roller coaster, except a lot slower!  I got home around 4pm and have been resting since then because tonight is gay club night!  We are all going to Heaven, a popular gay club that has four floors, all with a different era of music!  I'm going to have to flirt with some girls to get some free drinks!  I will take some pictures to show you all!  Gotta go!

Winner!

I won the beer drinking contest!  Well, I won by default.  Russell didn't show up, apparently he and Damien got stuck in London because of the tube strike.  But I'm sure I would have won anyway.  Everyone met at the Castle on Tuesday night, and a friend that Kaeline and I had met on Monday night bought us all drinks!  He is a really cool guy, his name is Chris, who is sitting next to me in the picture.

After having a few drinks there, we moved on to Trinity, where there were a lot more people!  George (the only black guy in the picture) and I met this guy named Adam there.  He is really cool, and I think George and I are going out for drinks with him tonight. 

Yesterday, we slept in because both Kaeline and I didn't have class until the afternoon.  I had an introduction to my both of my classes and met with my internship supervisor, Natasha.  She is really nice.  Andy, who is the only other student doing an internship (and who I thought was gay, but when I mentioned something relating to it, he informed me that he was not- can I put my foot in my mouth now please?), and I will meet with her once a month to talk about and reflect on our internships.  We all finished around 5:30pm, so we walked over toward the Globe Theatre to have dinner before going to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor."  About half of us left halfway through the play because we were too uncomfortable standing there for so long.  It was hard to enjoy the play because we were thinking of how uncomfortable we were!  We all went home after that and had an easy night.

Today I had to be at a meeting with my internship placement advisor, Emily, at 11:45am.  I got over there early so I could stop into Nero Cafe to have a latte and a pain au chocolat!  It was so fun to sit there and watch the people walking by; I love the styles here!  And I think I fit in quite well!  Lots of earthy colors, leggings, and boots. 

Emily gave me the address of Johnson King, and they are expecting me to come in on Monday.  I'm excited, but a little nervous!

After our meeting, Andy and I decided to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum over in South Kensington, just a few tube stops away.  It was beautiful, and I would have taken pictures if my camera hadn't run out of battery right before we got there!  They have a wonderful fashion gallery.  I really loved looking at the styles from the 19th century, they were so intricate!  I will be going there again, as well as other museums in South Kensington, with a full battery in my camera.

Harrod's and Top Shop are also in South Kensington, so I will be going there soon! Until next time, cheers.

New Friends, Pints, and... Shoes.

Last night was a success!  Well, sort of.  Kaeline and I never ended up meeting with everyone else because the plans got mixed up and nobody has any phones yet.  So we went to the Castle, which was a very laid back pub, and had a couple pints and met a few new English friends.  It was a very nice group of older men, probably in their fifties I would think, and one younger man, probably in his mid-twenties.  Because we told them we were from California, the first thing they asked us was, "What is your favorite film?"  So we talked about all the great American and European films, like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest".  I'm pretty sure we talked about films and tv for about an hour, after which we decided to go over to O'Neil's Pub to check if our friends were over there.  But they weren't.  So we walked back to The Moon on the Hill Pub and went in there to have another pint before going home.  We weren't sitting at the table for very long before a guy came over and sat down next to us.  His name was Damien.

"I said to my friend that we should go over to that table and talk to those girls, but my friend said no because he thought you were lesbians." -Damien

What the fuck?  Do I look like a lesbian?  I'm pretty sure I don't.  We reassured him that we weren't.  I guess in England it is unusual for two girls to go into a pub by themselves.  I was a little offended, but his friend was gigantic and ugly so I didn't feel too bad about it.  Anyway, it turns out that Damien is the new manager of the Castle, and last night was just his night off, which is why he was at the Moon.  The big one, Russell, actually turned out to be a nice guy, so I forgave him for calling me a lesbian.  We went back to the Castle with them to have some free drinks, and in my tipsiness, I challenged Russell to a beer drinking contest for tonight!  You see, English beer is much lighter and has less percentage of alcohol than American beer, which we had learned throughout the night.  I also have a rather large ego about my beer-drinking abilities, which are almost never as good as I think they are.  So of course I can't back down, especially now that Kaeline told all of our friends about it and they are planning on coming to the Castle to cheer me on, but I am pretty certain that I will not win, seeing as Russell is about 10 times larger than me.  Wish me luck!

Today, Kaeline and I slept in until about noon, then went to the downtown area of Harrow to meet up with some of our American friends.  We all figured out our phone situations, had lunch at O'Neil's, and then went to the mall!  We walked right into H&M where I bought these shoes:

It was kind of an impulse buy, but as Saida said, "If you see something you like, just buy it."

Let's Begin the Adventure...

I arrived in London yesterday at 7:30am, met my housemate, Kaeline, a girl of only 5'2" with strawberry-blonde hair and who played Tiger Lily in her last play, outside of customs, and we took a taxi to Saida and Michael's house in Harrow just outside London.  It was so odd to see cars driving on the other side of the road!  We met Michael at the homestay, a large man with white hair and not very much to say.  He works at Notre Dame University; Saida says he is an accountant.  We quickly dropped off our luggage and went to explore the town of Harrow!  Saida, a small woman from South Africa with beautiful black hair and much to say, was working all day, she is a teacher, and didn't come home until around 5pm.  She immediately began cooking dinner, not only for that night but for the next as well!  She is an amazing cook.  Kaeline and I sat in the kitchen and talked to her while she cooked.  She filled us in on some of the previous students they have had, which included lots of drama about eating habits, relationships between students, and sex scandals!  She seems like a very loving and caring person.  We went to bed early because of the jetlag.

This morning we had to be at the AHA London Centre in the very middle of London at 10am for orientation.  Our tube stop is called Harrow-on-the-Hill, and if Kaeline hadn't been with me to navigate the many tunnels and railways I probably would have gotten very lost!  We made it there right on time and met Maggie, a stout woman with spectacles and a warm smile.  She is the housing coordinator who makes sure every student is well taken care of.  Once all the students had arrived, the program director, Martin, a tall man who looks a bit like Chevy Chase, introduced himself and began telling us about the program.  We were given a schedule of classes as well as a schedule of the entire program.  Looks like we will be going to the theatre quite often!  This Wednesday we are going to "The Merry Wives of Windsor," a Shakespeare play that is showing at the Globe Theatre, where we will be standing throughout the entire play!  I better wear some good standing shoes.  I am going to be taking two classes, Britain Today and Modern/Contemporary Art, and doing an internship with Johnson King PR.

After going over the schedule, we learned that the tube workers decided to go on strike today at 6pm and it will last through tomorrow, so unfortunately we will not be able to go into London unless we can figure out the bus routes!  At lunch I got to know a few of the other students, and it sounds like we have the same interests (And by interests I mean pubs, clubs, shopping, and traveling)!  It's great having another student staying at the same house so that I have someone to go out with!  A group of us are meeting tonight at Castle Pub up the hill from my house.  I'll let you know how it goes next time... Cheers.