Just another trip to the grocery store

Not much new here to report.

Today I went with my friends Sam and Ben to eat indian food. We were the only customers in the whole place and it was hilariously awkward. The food was great though, and it was nice to have a good meal for once as opposed to the the crap I cook for myself each day.

Afterwards I went with my german roommate to hang out with some friends of hers from belgium. They were really nice and we just hung out and watched a movie. Then we walked all the way home from bloomsbury and the streets were insanely crowded with people since it is saturday night. The walk was scenic, as usual.

Although I have only had one week of classes, I am already planning on spending my entire sunday reading. Hooray. School.

guys. where are we?

Me: You're so patronizing, Adam.

Adam: Um. It's pronounced patronizing (pronounces it British way).

You know Powell's City of Books in Portland? Oh, you don't? Well it's a bookstore that takes up an entire city block, made up of a bunch of buildings attached together. It's kind of like a maze to navigate, with all the rooms on different levels and weird staircases doorways and whatnot. Well, shopping at Powell's city of books is pretty much what it feels like to attend classes at King's college, only at King's College you aren't buying anything, you're late, there are no helpful signs, there are huge crowds of people everywhere, you often feel like crying, and there are about 20 times as many rooms.

Going to class in a city is like everything else in a city-- crowded and overwhelming. My classes are in 5 story buildings with about 4 basements each. There are signs that say "Level One- 5th floor" and they are not kidding. The buildings are connected to each other by strange passageways, sometimes in the air. There are random traffic jams of students in the hallway where nobody moves for 5 minutes. There are elevators that stop on every single floor except yours. But there are also old fashioned lecture theaters with raised wooden benches. There is a marble entryway with statues and big staircases. There is, somehow, a victorian chapel on the fourth floor decorated in red and gold where a choir practices and people play the organ, and I am seriously considering joining the anglican church now. There are students smoking cigarettes under the eaves on the Strand. There are professors who talk to you about Paradise Lost in such a way that your mouth hangs open in amazement. I don't know how I feel about this place but I am definitely feeling.

I really love the facebook wall comments I get from english people. They are just so british, it's glorious. A couple days ago I got one that said, "How was the piss up in your flat?" I'm still nto sure I know what that means. Today I got one saying, "sorry only got your message there was it a good laugh?" I think the problem here might just be a lack of punctuation, but it's definitely awesome anyway. a good laugh. oh, england.

My ears are ringing and I threw leaves in the air and I have decided that I like techno. Goodnight America.

I am so frustrated with this school. None of the classroom numbers make any sense and you have to ask at the reception desk every single time. Apparently I am supposed to have done the reading for class today and I don't even have the books, nor do I know where to purchase them. There is supposed to be a syllabus online but I have no idea where. All of the other kids are smarter than I am, and that's not a joke or an exageration. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing in this place. I am going to fail fail fail.

London seems to always be busy no matter what day it is. On weekdays, there are business people with briefcases running by you to get their train and students who are late for class. On weekends, the tourists come and you see a lot of families and the riverbanks are insanely crowded and there are street performers all over the place. I feel like an outsider during the week but on the weekend I feel like a local. Especially when I am showing my friends around.

Yesterday we walked over to westminster to see big ben and all that, then over to trafalgar square. They are having this awesome exhibit of lomography photos there, where it's just a maze of walls covered in thousands of pictures. I could have stood there all day if Charlene had let me. I was like a kid in a candy shop, all, "look at this one! and this one! ooooh look! that one's cool. did you see this one?" Once we left there we stopped by Topshop and got really really sad that we couldn't afford ANYTHING. Then we had fish and chips and hung out in my apartment for a while.

Today we went over to covent garden which seems to be the place to go on Sundays. There were knife jugglers and limboers and musicians everywhere, and lots of shopping and people. We also went and looked around in St. Paul's church, which is where the opening scene from pygmalion (my fair lady) takes place! cool.

Charlene and Andy just left to make their way to stanstead airport and I think I am going to take a nap.

Charlene, her friend Andy, and I went over to the east end to check out Brick Lane last night. It's basically a really long street full of Indian food. Dozens of places. And as you walk down, all these guys try to bargain you into eating at their place. Like they'll give you 20% discount and free drinks, or whatever. They talk trash about each other's restaraunts and tell you all about how fresh and delicious their food is. It's hilarious. The bad part was that the place we finally ended up at had really bad food! It was a huge disappointment, after all our hard work trying to find the best deal. Oh well, it was cool anyway. After that we met up with my friends at the waterfront student bar. Then we tried to find something cool to do in covent garden, but the club we went to cost 12 pounds, sooooooo we went home early. As always. I am going to meet up with charlene and andy again in a little while to do some touristing. Should be fun.

I am dressed like a brit today, with a mini skirt and tights. Woo, go me. Sometime I will have to tell you all about the fashion here, because it's so so so cute and it makes me want to die of jealousy. Must go shopping. Last night Tom was wearing a vest and charlene was like I bet he got that at Topman and she was RIGHT. What the heck, Charlene. Out of control.

Three Cheers for Walking

Today I must have walked about a hundred miles (ok, maybe not a hundred but at least 5 or 6) to get my classes sorted out. Why do these people insist on actually seeing your face in order to enroll you? Before today, I thought it was charming and quaint of them, but now I have seen the light. Technology exists for a reason, trust me. Anyway, within a 5 hour span I managed to get four classes that sound pretty decent and are all at different times. Also, I just wrote out my schedule and I only have classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday! And on thursday it's only for one hour! Holy crap I take it back, I LOVE ENGLAND. England, you rock. My classes for this semester are as follows: Elizabethan Shakespeare, Paradise Lost, Modern Theater, American Fiction 1900-1945. Not bad, not bad.

In other news, I am going to meet Charlene in 40 minutes! HOORAAAAAAAAYYYYYY. We are such cool people that we are above phones (read: we can't figure out how to call each other). Instead we have arranged to meet at 6:00 PM, waterloo station, starbucks. I hope it works! I am so so so excited to see her!

Surprise, surprise!

It really does rain in London. I mean, it has rained on us a couple times so far, but today it actually rained on us. For about a mile, I'd say, and with no umbrella, of course. A good time was had by all.

My mailing address:

Amanda Ripley
127 Stamford Street
SE1 9NQ
London
Room 24B

Send me mail! Pleeeeeeeease?

So yeah, I definitely went to the club and it SUCKED. But on the way there we saw an old black and white movie playing on the side of a building. So, that was cool. I am so so tired and tomorrow I have to go to an orientation at 10:30. Gross. Ugh. Lame. Not even the waterloo bridge is doing it for me tonight.

Settling down

Ok, so. I had another extreme homesickness day on Monday. I cured this by finding some Americans who had nothing to do and making them hang out with me. You don't even know how outgoing I am now, guys. I'm shameless. You have to be. We went to the student bar, because yeah, we have one. It's called the waterfront and it's on the fifth floor of the student union overlooking the river. The real estate that this school owns is insane, honestly.

Yesterday we Americans insisted on having a tea party. Our friend Tom humored us and found us crumpets, biscuits, and hot crossed buns. He even made our tea for us because we are totally clueless about such things. It was hilarious and so fun. As we were in the middle of our tea party acting like total fools, our new roommate showed up. I think she thought we were absolutely mad for a few minutes but we had a nice chat and she seems really cool. She is a german grad srudent and and english major, woot.

Today we all went over to St. James's park and hung around for a while trying our best to teach each other rugby and football. Ok, maybe the rest of them did that; I mostly just took pictures of geese and squirrels. Anyway, it was a nice relaxing day. I think we are all starting to calm down a little bit and things don't seem quite so overwhelming. It feels like we're real friends now, and not just overly friendly aquaintences.

I still don't know if I'm brave enough to stay home tonight while everyone goes clubbing, but I am seriously considering it, and that's a start.

check it:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mandy.ripley


There you go, pictures! I will start posting them with my daily blogs, but this will help to catch up.

It's 3 AM so I will write more tomorrow. Love you all!

OMG OMG OMG I GOT A PASSWORD THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE MORE LATER.

I am definitely using some stranger's internet password in the student union right now. They forgot to log off, yes! My senior student, which is the same as an RA, refuses to give me his, but I've got a few "freshers" lined up who are going to register before me and said they will give me their passwords. So hopefully I will be online soon enough. I just bought a ticket to one of the freshers events, because apparently it's the thing to do. I don't even know what the ticket is for, some kind of club I think. That just goes to show you how desperate I am. I have gone out the last four nights in a row and I would be going out tonight as well only they are sold out of tickets for the "badge party," whatever that is. I think it's for the best, actually.

It seems that the kids here are much less socially awkward than they are in the states. It's actually really easy to have a conversation with them, if you can yell loud enough over the music that is. This might be because I'm American or something, but either way it's nice. In my flat we are still missing 2 people. But so far there are four americans and one 18 year old english guy with a cockney accent who's idea of "not drinking today" is only five pints, a couple of cocktails, and a triple shot of vodka. We can't understand a single word he says but he's pretty cool. I have already made friends with people with names like George, Philip, and Thomas. It's glorious. However, I am starting to get burnt out from all this socializing and it's getting a little forced. I kind of just want to chill in my room and watch movies or something. It's just the whole alone thing that is a little hard.

Apparently charlene is coming on friday which whould be fun. I am so overwhelmed with everything right now. I feel so cut off from home, even though I know I'm not really. It's weird.

This weekend there was a festival on the banks of the thames. Last night was the grand finale and they had a parade and fireworks. It was so so so so cool. We watched the parade, then went inside to some karaoke bar for a while, than came out at 10 to watch the fireworks. They were really really good ones and I was giggling like a 5 year old. I wasn't really feeling the karaoke bar though, so I left with some people who live in the flat above me, one of whom is german grad student with a scottish accent (swoon) to try and find somewhere cooler. After wandering for about 10 minutes it occured to us that it was sunday, so we just walked home accross the waterloo bridge with saint paul's on one side and the london eye on the other.

Call my family, tell them I'm lost on the sidewalk

My quest was successful and I found a shopping center named elephant and castle where i was able to buy coathangers, a hair dryer, a hamper, and an indian scarf/piece of cloth thing to put over my ugly ugly fridge.

My friend Marty and I went to a concert on the Thames which was cool in theory but lame in practice. Some of the people were out on a barge in the river and the rest of the orchestra were standing on the millennium bridge. This was, by the way, right in front of the tate modern, with saint paul's cathedral in the background. We got our fortune read by a parakeet and the weather was incredible and sunny. If I can ever get a chance to upload pictures (unlikely) I will show you. It was super super cool until they started playing, at which point it became clear that the music sucked. We left after about 10 minutes and had some starbucks in a moment of weakness.

Natalie finally got in touch with me and I went over to her place in Bloomsbury which is waaaayyyy nicer than mine. Apparently if she was living in there like a normal person she would be paying 400 pounds a week. Yikes. She has four roommates who are all cool. We went out to a bunch of places, none of which ended up being very fun, but it was good to hang out with someone I actually know for once and talk about old times.

It's so strange to be the outsider. Everything you do is a big deal, and little chores can seem like the most difficult thing in the world because you have absolutely no idea how to complete them. It's strange to have to ask so many questions: where can I go on the internet, which way is north, how do I call the US, which of these is a 20 pence, do you have bottled water, is it cold, what time is it, how do I get home, what's 50 miles in metric, how do I turn off my shower. I guess I am an immigrant now, and I finally understand how hard that can be, even if it's just england.

Everyone is moving in today so I'd better go and be sociable. Wish me luck!

p.s.- the value of the pound is dropping because the british economy is all screwed up at the moment. praise the lord! Never have I taken such pleasure in someone else's misfortune.

Better

As you can see, yesterday was a bad day for me. But in the evening I went out with a bunch of EAP people and we had a pretty good time. We went to a pub which was cool and then a really lame club which was not cool. We met a whole bunch of people that we will never see again, but acted like we would. I think we were hanging out in covent garden, I'm not sure. There were a lot of gay bars though, and a lot of americans, both of which don't interest me in the slightest. Anyway, I'm assuming that was a pretty lame night as far as london nightlife goes, but I still had a lot of fun. So I am looking forward to going to some places that are actually cool. I am supposed to hang out with Natalie tonight and Jason at some point. Unfortunately I can't get a hold of either one. It's too bad, cause it would be good to see a familiar face. I think today I am going to go on a quest for household items, or maybe just hang out in a museum. sometime soon I also want to go and check out brick lane, which is where all the indian restaurants are, according the the "barrister" I met last night (haha, barrister. they even wear wigs. it's funnier if you think of the accent too. barristah. not to be confused with the hipsters who work at starbucks, of course.). I wrote it on my hand so I wouldn't forget. This is an important matter. Yesterday I bought two meals that I didn't eat. I can't afford to be wasting all that money. Anyway, peace out. Thanks for all the support, you guyth are the betht.


oh yeah, i also figured out how you can call my cell phone if you want to:

011 44 79 42617758

So if you feel like forking over for international rates, you can reach me there.

i just enabled anonymous comments so you can leave one without setting up a blogger account. sorry for those who already set up blogger accounts. Some people *cough*josh*cough* are too lazy to type in their email address.

Move in

I am pretty bummed out about my room. It is really ugly and dirty looking. The bathroom looks like a bathroom on a plane. The bedding is hideous. We don't get internet until a week from tomorrow. I kind of want to cry. I got put in the same apartment as the 2 other kids from UC that are living there. I don't know how I feel about that but I am leaning towards badly. I hope the rest of the people in the apartment are english. That's kind of the point. We met our RA and he seems really nice. Other than that, the building is pretty empty. I am so so nervous about all this. I can't afford to be homesick and sad this week because I have to meet people and be outgoing. But I really just want to sit on the internet all day and wallow.

Wow, thank you so much for all the comments. You just made my day!

After leaving the internet cafe I wandered around a lot and made my way down to covent garden and then all the way to the thames. My first sight of that was breathtaking, because I rounded a corner and suddenly had the london eye and big ben right in my face. I was happy to get back to the hostel and meet some americans though, as wandering alone in a strange city gets old fast. There are like 40 people at this orientation but almost all of them are going to the university of kent up in canterbury. I am trying to stick as much as I can with the other king's people, and most of them are pretty nice.

I am now on my third day in London but it feels like way longer. I have made friends with my roommate who is also going to be an english major at kings, and so we went to gether to find this cafe which is wayyyyyy cheaper than the other one I went to! Also more adventurous since we had to ask 3 people for directions.

I have become very aware of my Californian accent and the harder I try not to sound likea valley girl the worse it gets. I know I should embrace my culture but these people never say like, dude, man, fool, or any of the other words that litter my vocabulary. I feel very judged and try not to talk too much on the tube.

Yesterday was pretty fun. We went on a tour of the parliament building which was so so so cool. I am constantly surprised at how british british people are. Like wow, they really do have a queen, for example. We got to go in her robing room and it was ridicalis. In the house of Lords everything is all gold leaf and red leather and colorfu paintings. As soon as you get into the house of commons half of the building, it's just carved wood and stone and green leather. They have to make sure you know the difference, you see. It was a beautiful day and I got some good shots of Big Ben. Also, it was 9/11 and there were a grip of protesters outside the building as well as barriers to protect from car bombs, which made me feel a little nervous but not really.

After dinner we went to see Love's Labour's Lost at he Globe! I got there late and my roommate and I practically had to run there from the tube station and showed up literally seconds before they shut the gate. Anyway, when I finally got to my seat and sat down I suddenly realized where I was and it was pretty much jaw-dropping. It hit me that this wasn't just any theater, it was actually the theater that shakespeare had in mind when he wrote it! And it was just like the old days, with people standing around in the middle leaning on the stage and the actors jumping over their heads and running through the audience. The vibe was totoally casual and fun and it was mostly young people with backpacks and stuff. I couldn't follow the plot for the life of me but it was still really really cool.

I am already really getting the hang of the tube and I feel like I will be really happy here. If I can just be strong and power through this first hard part, I will be ok. I miss you all so so so much. There are moments when I start planning how much money I would lose by coming home, but luckily it would be A LOT of money so my choices are pretty limited. Please keep the comments and emails coming.

Also, I got a cell phone! If you feel like spending the big bucks on an international call, feel free to call me, cause my incoming calls are free. The number is 07942167759. I'm not sure about the area code issue but I will test it out with my parents in a few days and keep you updated. International calls are kind of tricky that way. So far I already have one phone number in there, which is my roommate's. She is super cool and not fake or overly excited. I am talking about my orientation roommate by the way, I will not meet my permanent ones till saturday.

First day

I'm here, I'm here, I'm here! Sitting in an internet cafe with an american girl that I met in the lobby. Unfortunately she is going to kent and not king's, but whatevs, at least I have someone to talk to. Yesterday was a real adventure. The plane flight was a huge emotional ordeal but almost all of my anxieties flew out the window the first time I saw the Thames from the air. I had to drag my two 50 pound bags through the whole airport and onto the underground and then drag them off again an hour later. When I got out of the station I blinked my eyes and laughed as I looked around at all the old buildings, black cabs, and red phone booths. They weren't lying, guys. London really does exist. I opted to walk the rest of the way, cause the sidewalks were pretty empty and smooth. By the time I got to my hostel place I was sweaty and ridiculous and sick with exhaustion. The first thing I did when I got in my room was lie flat on my back for about 15 minutes. Then I summoned the strength to get up and buy a calling card, call my parents, and find some food. My first meal in London was a ham and cheese baguette at the nearby euston square train station. It was really good but I was feeling too sick to eat more than half. I went back to my room and went to bed at 3:30 PM and slept easily until 6 AM this morning. For the first time in the last week I was able to sleep soundly without worrying myself half to death. Breakfast this morning was an egg where the yolk was not runny (dunno what you would call that), a shady looking but good tasting sausage of some sort, hash browns (fried fastfood style), a croissant (amazing), an apple, orange juice, and coffee. I figured I should eat as much as possible since it was free with my room. Orientation starts in a few hours, and until then I am going to wander aroud and see what I can see. Might go over to the british museum, which is really close to where I am currently staying.

If I dont update this for a while, don't be alarmed. I dont have internet in my room and I will probably be too busy with orientation to come over here for a few days. Once I get to my apartment on saturday, though, I will have internet in my bedroom, so no worries. I havent uploaded an pictures yet but I will later. I love you all and miss you a lot!

Tonight was a really good last night at home. We went to chilis and then just hung out at starbucks for a long time. A lot of people showed up there which was fun. Santee and Whitfield surprised us by bringing a pinata filled with candy. Once we broke it open, I discivered that inside were little bags of sour patch kids, which I thought was about the best pinata candy I had ever seen. Saying goodbye was sad, but everyone was really nice and encouraging. Seeing the excited and jealous faces of my friends when I tell them about my trip really helps me put things in perspective and realize how lucky I am. It's so hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea of myself actually being in London. I get these flashes of realization and then have to stop thinking about it because it's too intense. I am so incredibly nervous but also I think I am about to have the best experience of my life. All I have to do is finish packing!

My first attempt at video editing

So, sorry about the poor lighting; you know I can't motivate myself to do anything like this during daylight hours. Also, sorry if you're not in this, I will do better next time.

Hello Everyone!

Right now it is about 9:00 AM and I have been awake all night. I had about four cups of coffee at Dennys, then came home and spent three hours making a video blog on iMovie. I tried my hardest to sleep after that but it was no use. All I could think about were tube stations and ATMs and warm beer and OMG-I-wonder-if-they-will-like-me. I tried watching Charlotte's web, but found the poor animation stressful. I tired reading Letters to a Young Poet, which was soothing, but not soothing enough to keep my mind in southern California. Finally at about 8 I got up and started packing my suitcases. Action is the only cure for my nerves, I guess. I hate to see what will happen tonight when I am done preparing.

Anyway, just as an update, and because it makes me feel good to write it down, I am leaving from LAX on Saturday evening and will arrive in London at noon on sunday, their time. Then I will take the Piccadilly line straight into the city. After getting off at my stop I will either walk or take a cab to the hotel/hostile/dorm type place where I will be spending my first week. I am arriving a day before orientation starts, so upon arrival I will have nothing to do but find some dinner and go to bed. The next day is my orientation, which will last for three days and should be awesome. That is when I will meet the other UC kids going to my school. After orientation I have 2 free days before moving into my apartment. I will probably spend these buying things I need and exploring the city *hopefully* with my new UC friends. I am placing all my hopes on the idea that these other UC kids will be as scared and needy as me, and will be down for some expatriot bonding. If that doesn't happen, I will have to form a plan B, such as perhaps hiding in my room and reading some more Letters to a Young Poet. Just kidding. Don't worry about me. I have it all figured out! hahahaha...ha.

Aforementioned videoblog is probably right above this post.