First Day of Class

Today was my first day of class.  I was both nervous and excited.  I am taking Video Production this summer.  I knew it was going to be a fun hands on experience, but I also knew that it was going to be a lot of work.  Plus, my class is everyday at 9:30 in the morning and I was really not looking forward to the early mornings.

But before I went to class, I got up even earlier so that I could sign up for the cultural events my program provided. Sign ups started at eight, and I figured I would be already so I might as well get mine in early.  When I went downstairs in my lame pajamas I was really surprised that the lobby was packed and there was  already a huge line.  Apparently, everyone was feeling super productive that day too.  I think the fact that it was the first day made everyone want to get up and get coffee.

While I waited on the extremely long line I started talking to the people around me and met a fellow Long Islander.  There are a couple of people from Long Island on this trip, but he was the first person that I met from Nassau County! He was from Bellmore and we knew some mutual people.  It was kind of cool, I didn't really expect to run into anyone from the same area.

After at least a good twenty minutes, I was signed up for some cultural events and went back upstairs to change and get ready for class.  When I got to class I was very surprised that there were only 8 people in it and more than half of them were girls.  Film is a very guy heavy major, so it was surprising, but also nice in a weird way.    Everyone in the class is super nice and we collectively have a lot of experience.  I think I've seen more films than everyone else, because when we were analyzing trailers I had seen most of the films.  It made me feel like Trey (my film friend who has legitimately seen every movie), but in a bad way.  I feared that I would sound like the smart ass and become exactly the kind of Film Major I hate.  The ones that know everything and constantly try to one-up you.

I have to say though, I love the class already.  While I have three video projects due each made in a week, I already know it's going to be a fun time.  Everyone is so chill and the professor is awesome.  He has this Chiarulli air to him, but is not as bad ass.  I can't wait to see what I end up making, hopefully it all turns out well. Though knowing me there will definitely be some scrambling at the last minute.

P.S. One of the cultural events was for Wicked.  It was kind of the main reason I went down as early as I did, I need to see that show again!

Orientation and Sightseeing

I had orientation today at 10AM.  It is going to be weird adjusting to these morning schedules (my classes are at 9:30AM) because I've been so used to sleeping in this summer.  I think the jet lag is an advantage here because I've been crashing earlier than I do.  When I woke up this morning I didn't feel as dead as I would have last week.

Orientation was pretty boring, just your standard stuff.  The highlight was definitely when the policeman spoke to all of us.  Unlike most safety talks that you usually get from them, this guy was hysterical.  He was cracking jokes every fives seconds while also telling us not to get into trouble.  He was so dry and ridiculous, it was great!  I wish he had just briefed us on everything, it would have been less boring.

After orientation, I went on a brief walking tour of the surrounding area.  Then I got lunch with a couple girls from my floor and then headed to the sight seeing tour that was scheduled for the day.  The tour was really fun, we got off the bus a bunch of times and got to take pictures at Buckingham Palace.  It was kind of a brief tour, even though it lasted two and half hours.  The tour guide brought us to places like Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Tower.  We weren't at each place long and it was nice to get a general sense of the sights we wanted to see.  For instance, I really want to go back to Tower Bridge, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace.  We also passed by the West End briefly and I know that I'll end up there at least once at my stay here.

The most surprising thing I learned on the tour was definitely about London Bridge.  Everyone knows that song "London Bridge is Falling Down" and you'd think it would be really extravagant and pretty.  Turns out it is just a bridge, there's really nothing special about it.  The tour guide told us we were driving over it and all of us were really shocked.  London Bridge just sounds more extravagent than it really is.  Turns out Tower Bridge is really where it's at.  They raise the bridge every week or so (I forget what exactly the times were) and we were told that we should definitely see it.  I plan on doing just that and I also really want to walk across the bridge.

After the tour, I went with some girls on my floor to dinner. We decided that we wanted to have a picnic in Kensington Gardens.  There's a Whole Foods right by, so originally we were going to eat there.  However, a lot of shops close early on Sundays because in England it's thought to be a holy day, so by the time we got there it was closed.  This was a blessing in disguise because we stumbled on this great restaurant called Nandos.  They basically were a chicken sandwich restaurant, and the food was amazing.

We ordered take away (take out) and as we were waiting for our food, there are these very attractive policemen also waiting.  One of the girls from my floor, Ashley, decides that to start a conversation with them.  She end up flirting with the most attractive one and it was just really funny.  They probably thought we were silly American girls or something.  I must say, we Americans are very entertaining.  Unfortunately, they left before Ashley could exchange numbers.  I don't even think she caught his name!

When we finally got our food, we headed to Kensington Gardens.  The park was extremely pretty and we could see Kensington Palace (where Will and Kate live) from where we were sitting.  Our dinner became "girl time" where we talked about boys (especially cute British ones), and bitched about our single lives.  You know, real girl stuff.  We decided that we would do this every once in a while and that no boys were ever allowed.  Afterwards we got drinks at the local pub.  It was a great first day and made me more excited for the ones to come.

P.S. Marley stole these.

P.P.S. While a lot of the food here has been hit or miss, Nandos had some of the best food!

Meeting New People and Mastering the Tube

After arriving in Heathrow airport, I had to pass through immigration.  I don't know why but it was really scary.  The immigration officers were very strict and I kept rambling on about stupid things.  Luckily though, they let me through and I was officially in London.  I was super excited and the fact that my bag didn't get lost along the way was a bonus too.  One girl on my floor was not as fortunate and had to go shopping for clothes as she waited for it to arrive.  Then it was off to the Tube!

Since I booked my own airfare, I had to get to my dorm on my own.  I am living in Kensington, which is a really ritzy part of town.  My program gave us many options on how to get from the airport to campus.  They  warned us that a cab ride could get expensive, and recommended the Tube or bus.  It was cheaper and the stop was a ten minute walk from campus.  So obviously I chose to take the Tube because not only am I cheap, but hate buses.  Recently, I have been getting the hang of the subways in New York and figured it couldn't be worse than that.

Turns out, the Tube is much easier to figure out than the subway.  You can only get the Piccadilly line from Heathrow and from what I can gather there is no such thing as an express train.  Those are the ones that can really screw you up in New York.  Also I know that in the morning some of the trains don't start running until a certain time so you the express runs locally instead.  It's all very confusing, but I just hopped on and off the Underground.  It was also nice to take the train because part of it ran above ground and I got to see the outskirts of London.  I felt like an expert after only taking the train once.  

The only difficult part of this trip to campus was probably the walk there.  The street signs are a lot different than ones back home.  They are on the sides of buildings,so it was harder to navigate the streets.  Also, London is not set up like a grid so the streets aren't as easy to maneuver.  However, by some odd struck of luck I ended finding the place pretty quickly and didn't end up getting lost.  My street smarts are better than I thought.  I was super pumped and according to an advisor I talked to, I had a leg up on everyone else. 

I'm living in on the fourth floor of this resident hall nicknamed Atlantic House.  It's so weird living in a dorm room.  I've really been spoiled the past two years in Bouquet Gardens.  Not only did I have me own room, but I was basically living in an apartment complex.  Aside from my family, friends, and pizza, I really miss having a kitchen and shower curtains.  Yes, I said it shower curtains!  The communal bathrooms shower's have doors instead of curtains.  It wouldn't be so bad if the doors were less see through.  I hate it and plan on avoiding busy shower times.  Also, there are so many stairs here too and no elevator.  I lived on the first floor in my apartment, I'm not used to this many stairs.  Thankfully, I ran into this guy and he helped carry my  suitcase up the stairs.  

After getting settled in I met a bunch of cool people on my floor.  We got a big group and went to a one of the local pubs.  I was super excited that I didn't get carded, I'm glad some people think I look 18.  It was a pretty good time and then we walked down High Street.  High Street is kind of like 5th Ave in the city.  Tons of high end shopping and really posh people walking around.  I wish I brought more of my nicer shoes because I cannot keep up with these people.  I already love London, I cannot wait to spend the next three weeks here.  Super pumped!

Lonely Flight From JFK

Apparently, no one else in my program flew out at JFK or at least around the same time as me.  I was kind of surprised because JFK is a pretty popular airport, but I guess everyone chose to go to Newark instead.  As my friend Flute Jim would say, sucks to suck, because JFK is better in my opinion (even if I am biased).  It felt weird saying good-bye to my mom at airport security and going off on my own.  I think the fact that I was really going to London started to hit me then.  

The plane ride was really nice.  Their entertainment system had a lot of movies to choose from and they even provided us with some sort of a meal.  Les Miserables was one of the movies we could watch, and I almost did, but ended up deciding against it.  As much as I love that movie, I knew I would sob and was not ready to do that yet on an airplane.  I watched Pitch Perfect again and had to refrain from singing the big numbers like the Riff-Off.  It helped pass the time, and man did time fly.  

I think after all of the band trips and long bus rides to and from Pittsburgh, I'm used to long trips.  The plane ride was so short that part of me wished that the plane was longer!  It was only a six and half-hour flight, which really isn't that long.  Especially compared to all those trips to Alabama.  Part of me wished that the flight was  a little longer so that I could get more than two hours of sleep.  I left at night and got into London in the morning.  I knew I was going to spend the rest of the day up, so it would have been nice to get at least two more hours of sleep.  When we landed I was already feeling like I did a few days ago at Shakespeare in the Park.  Hopefully I won't crash randomly.

Pre-Departure Jitters

It's hard for me to believe that I am actually going to London tomorrow.  It really hasn't hit me, which is kind of crazy.  To be honest, it probably won't hit me until I'm on that plane.  

I cannot wait.  London's been on my list of places that I need to see since like forever!  If you know anything about me then you know I have this love for musicals.  I've been dying to go to the West End since I've heard that it's Europe's version of Broadway.  Plus it's supposed to be an amazing city, aside from the fact that it rains a lot and is an expensive city.  I'm totally prepared for this though, because I go to school in Pittsburgh where the sun rarely shines and am from New York. I'm just super excited, but also really nervous at the same time.

This is not my first time abroad or my first time doing something like this.  When I was 13, I traveled to Australia with this teen program for 19 days.  We toured the East Coast of the country and it was one of the best and craziest experiences of my life.  I have many great memories from that trip that I will never forget.  It was honestly life changing.  I mean, I know I was 13 and it didn't take much, but I really grew as a person.  Now I sound cheesy, but because of this trip and my weird luck, I'm pretty nervous.  Things just happen to me where I stop and take a moment to make sure it's real life.  For instance, in Australia we went camping and our bus driver put a live rooster in the girls tent as a joke.  It woke us up at 4 in the morning and ran around the tent possessed!  Never have I ever been more terrified of an animal in my entire life, the llama who spit in my face when I was 5 comes in a close second.  

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know this trip will be a crazy experience and what makes me nervous is not knowing what exactly's going to happen.  It's stupid I know, but at the same time helps fuel my excitement.  Hopefully, my nerves die down when I'm on the plane!

Disclaimer: I will try to update this blog as best as I can.  Don't hold it against me if I miss a day or week.  Also, I apologize in advance for the super long posts, what can I say, I'm long winded!