Days 19-22: The Autumn Effect

Monday:

Another Paris picture- at the Louvre

Wow, I can't explain how absolutely lovely it was to sleep in "my own bed" again. Paris was a blast, but there's something perfectly amazing about coming home to London, saying hello to my room, and crashing out in my wonderfully comfortable bed. Classes again this morning- Kalie and I found out (after we got up way early) that our first class was postponed 45 minutes, so that was slightly disheartening, but at least we got a decent sleep. Had a small break between classes in which I uploaded videos, blogged, and all sorts of lovely things. Second class was Fine Arts and we enjoyed the National Gallery again and looked at some awesome paintings. I love that we can just hop on a bus and go to a museum for class. It's excellent. After class we grabbed Scandinavian food for dinner (absolutely delicious, especially the chocolate cake for dessert), ran back to the house, and decided to go out. The party never stops, now does it? So, some cider in the park later, we decided to hit up on of the closer (and far too expensive bars) and chill there with a couple of friends. It turned into a lovely social evening in which I didn't have to spend a pound (again, thank you to all my guy friends here), and we later jumped to another of the local bars called Janet's where Janet herself gave us PB&J sandwiches. Gotta love it. This was, of course, after she told us there was a 3 pound minimum to be there and ordered shots in the beginning and sitting around afterwards didn't really fly. Oops. Our bad. Kalie found mittens and decided to snag those and we made it back to the house far later than planned, but, honestly, it was such a good night back that a little sleep deprivation doesn't matter...

Tuesday:

Another Techno Parade picture in Paris

Sleep deprivation wasn't really an issue, cause I got to sleep in today! Lovely! I finally rolled out of bed around 11:45 (wow... haven't done that in a long while), went to Convo with the rest of the house, tried figuring out my credit card balance and realized Paris was a little pricier than expected, and then went to my "class" for the day- we went to another museum and got to see Rafael's tapestries and cartoons together for the first time ever. Such a surreal experience! Group dinner was at Wagamama's, an asian food place, and Kalie and I practiced our frugality by ordering lots of food with the 12 pound limit we are given and taking it home for later meals. Free food. Why not? Now I don't have to buy lunch tomorrow! Anyhow, concluded the evening by finishing Sweet Home Alabama (love that movie) with Kalie, before heading out for a fun evening at the park (after buying delicious food... again) with some of the boys. We just don't stop moving... Oh well. I love it.

Wednesday:

The boys being silly in the park

Mmm, this morning came WAY too early. But seriously, not really feeling the 6 hours of sleep thing. I kind of have an obsession with actually getting a decent amount of hours in. Anyhow, watched Kingdom of Heaven in History class today. I'd seen pieces of that movie, so it was nice actually watching the whole thing. A cool mix of gladiator epic-violence and historical value. Almost a little too epic at points, but hey, I'm totally down for watching movies in class. Leftover fried rice for lunch and 2 episodes of Glee (yeah frugality!) after Kalie and I cleaned and vacuumed our room (we really want to win the competition so we can achieve the ever-coveted prize Ben's cookies... because they are delicious), then had Humanities class and then to Italian food for group dinner! And, naturally, Kalie and I utilized our entire 12 pounds in order to get lots and LOTS of food and have leftovers again tomorrow. Fantastic. I like this way of utilizing our money. Anyhow, hung out a bit at the house after dinner, then went out for a casual pub and kebab evening with a few of the girls and boys in the house. I decided to go back early, considering I actually have to get up at a human hour to go ride horses. We'll see how my knee handles that one- it's sporting a VERY painful scab and numerous bruises at the moment. I'm really glad I tripped over that speed-bump in Paris.... Yeah. Not so much. Oh, and somehow my pointer finger is super swollen. Don't know how that one happened. Strange things abound in Londontown. So, crashing out now, and wishing it was still raining, because isn't that just a lovely sound to fall asleep to? I think so. It was raining all day. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get a ton of that in the months to come, but for now... sleep. My eyeballs are about to fall out of my face from exhaustion. Isn't that a lovely image? Yeah, I'm speaking nonsense from the sleep deprivation. Good night, London!

Thursday:

Walking to the stables in the SUN

So, woke up today to: "ANNIE!" Scared me half to death. Anyhow, Kalie thought my riding lesson was a bit before it actually was, so I got a lovely wake-up call an hour and a half early. Oh well, at least me roommate looks out for my schedule, even if it is the wrong time. haha. Gotta love it. I got to fall back asleep then wake up slowly to an absolutely GORGEOUS sunny day in London (as compared to the rainy gloom of yesterday), yet still with that crisp autumn effect setting in. I can't wait until the colors start changing. I did the 20-minute walk to the stables with one of the other girls (Carrie) and as we walked in we saw the instructors riding in on these 3 beautiful horses. Not slightly-mangy school ponies, but legitimate, pristine horses. So, naturally, we eyed them jealously as we walked around to figure out which pony we were riding today, and.... Instructor: "Annie?" Me: "Yes?" Instructor: "You are experienced, right?" Me: "Yes..." Instructor: "Okay, you ride Zack today." Me: -jaw drops- "Okay." 

Horses walking into the stables!

Yeah, I got this unbelievably gorgeous 17 hand black-bay that one of the instructors rode in on. Um, let's just say I was in horse-lover heaven. This animal was amazingggg. So, Carrie and I got put in  lesson today with two of the girls that rode there (hence the fantastic horses), which was so much fun considering I haven't done arena work in about 2 years. My knee was definitely screaming for mercy, but I guess that what I get for tripping over a speedbump in Paris. Zack was quite a dream to ride, moved really well, so when we had to switch horses and I was put on an equally good-looking liver chestnut that was way more rounded I had to refigure my riding style. Probably going to be sore tomorrow, but hey, at least we got to ride in beautiful weather on beautiful horses. Woohoo! 

So, we walked back to the house after our lesson, I decided to hit the gym and just put my poor knee through continued torture after eating last night Italian food leftovers (so good!) and then relaxed a bit to some tv shows while Kalie was in science class. Very relaxing. I can't wait to sleep in again tomorrow. The evening presented itself with some socializing downstairs with leftover fried rice (I really need to get my bum in gear and make actual people food like other people in the house as opposed to befriending the microwave and leftovers every night). After dinner, a quick skype chat with the mom- I'm coming home for Christmas!!! - and then getting ready to go out to The Rocket for our Thursday night 2-for-1 cocktails evening! London, I love you. The Rocket was fun- great atmosphere, slightly too-loud music that was somewhat reminiscent of a concert, but still fantastic. Got a free drink from a British guy finally- they really don't approach girls. Silly boys. Anyhow, all in all- a very fun night, and we actually caught the correct bus home! Brilliant. 

Days 15-18: I See London, I See France

Thursday: Part 2 / Friday Morning

Onto the ferry!

Oh, what a day. So the earlier part of Thursday was already documented in my earlier post, and as awesome as that first have, it has NOTHING on the latter half. Sorry former half... you were awesome, but not as awesome as fairytale ferryboats, small bottles of wine, and creepy truckers. But that's getting ahead of myself. So, good thing Kalie and I planned ahead and gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the Tube station, because between going back and forth on packing and getting distracted by conversation and dinner, we left a little behind schedule. No worries, because we made it to London Victoria Station, stared being obnoxious with the camera, bought some deliciously spicy spring rolls (because, you know, we didn't have half enough food with dinner already), and waited around a bit until our train departed. Took the trains without problem to Newhaven Town, found the harbor after just a little bit of getting lost (Not that you really can get lost in Europe, because there are just so many things to see. I call it unintentional sight-seeing at night).

Anyhow, made it to the ferry, which was a crazy late one so there weren't that many people at all- mainly truckers, who we took great care to avoid, because honestly, creepy guys going "ooh la la" as they walk by don't really do it for me. So, I just have to say... this ferry was freaking amazing. Honestly, though. I can't even begin to describe it... but I'll still try. It was a moving fantasy, according to Kalie. But seriously. We were both expecting some guy to come up and tell us to go down to normal class, because there was no way this place wasn't first class... but, I guess it really was normal. There were lounges, an arcade, kid-zone playground, a tv room, a full on food and drink place, among so many other things. Kalie and I proceeded to grab a table, some wine ("Kalie: Will cappuccino brownie go with Merlot? Answer... Yes."), and played cards/chatted/discussed "creeper" this guy with dreds that kept walking around. It was such a surreal experience. I mean, 4 hours long, with train rides on both sides, so it isn't a quick journey, but it was absolutely excellent.

It's cold and rainy!

The guy with dreds provided entertainment as he dominated video games, and 2 french truckers tried to buy Kalie and me coffee at one point. So, Kalie took a nap, I stayed up and watched luggage, and we finally docked around 3:30 in the morning at Dieppe Harbor in France. After that, we disembarked and looked around like the lost people were were in search of the train station. Problem- it was like a 15 minute walk away and we had no idea on how to get there. So what happens? Well, "creeper" and this other girl Jessica were walking that direction too, and apparently the guy took ferries a lot, and he led us all the way to the train station without problem. This guy was hilarious. I know it probably isn't always the safest thing to mindlessly follow someone in a new country, but between the three of us girls we felt pretty safe, and it turned out that the guy was absolutely hilarious, somewhat abrasive and loud (probably due to the copious amounts of alcohol he drank), but harmless. Between telling us art history, history of his girlfriends, how France was a communist country, how the trees looked like cans of beans, getting angry at the rain, and flinging pounds because they were "useless in this communist country!"our newfound friend Hiro got us to the station, helped us find our train, and provided us with hours of entertainment while we waited for it.

Our Polish friend, Hiro

The girl, Jessica, was traveling alone, and seemed to appreciate the company as well. And as for Kalie and me? Well, we made some new friends and got to our destination safely, which was quite a relief. As we hung out in the train station, I got some fantastic footage of "Hiro" walking around. We have no idea how much he drank, but he held it well and just seemed to process life in a constant state of inebriation. He flung more coins, told me I had "eyes like a Spanish woman", asked Kalie and me if we were Barcelona lesbians, showed us a dinosaur keychain, and continued drinking his vodka. I don't think Kalie and I could have found a crazier, funnier person. We finally got on the train with Jessica and Hiro, and the antics continued, between his profanities, pulling out christmas lights from his bag and stringing them around his neck, singing, making the other passengers look at his book, painting his nails, taking multiple pictures (and somehow remaining photogenic), showing us his passport (of which he ripped a page out to make a filter), telling us all about his history, made this really ridiculous face, told a guy he had fluffy hair ("I used to have fluffy hair- like him! Like you! Now I have a bush. It looks like a f-ing mop on my head! I am in a depression with these hairs. My girlfriend made me do it, but she is in mental hospital now." And then he did his trademark cackle), and did so many other things I can't even explain it. I've never met a more ridiculous person. Honestly... this guy was a riot.

So, we made it to the next station, made Hiro eat a croissant and some coffee, exchanged pounds for Euros, talked with Jessica a bit while Hiro walked around the station dragging his backpack with a leash, and finally got on our next train. We hid Hiro's vodka in his backpack, and I swear he was like a little kid. It was about 7am at this point and we wouldn't let him drink, so every time the train went into a tunnel, he'd stand up with his huge smile and say: "Night time! Where's my vodka?" and then it would get light again and: "Day time? Where's my vodka?" Every time- without fail. Yet, regardless of this guy's shenanigans, he did help Kalie and me out tremendously. We made it all the way to Paris, he gave us directions on which metro to take, helped Jessica on her way, and then proceeded to make us take about 100 pictures before he gave us a goodbye and his trademark phrase: "I will miss you... Now f- off!" Oh Hiro... what an extraordinary experience.


Friday: In Paris

So, after leaving Hiro and Jessica, Kalie and I took the metro and made our way to the hostel. It turned out to be much nicer than I expected. I mean, still a hostel, so not big, shared rooms, nasty public shower, but somehow Kalie and I lucked out and got a room with 4 Australian girls with its own shower. So, not a completely legitimate hostel experience, but at least we didn't have to worry so much about living with creepy guys, or even our stuff. We really did have fantastic luck in meeting new people during this weekend trip. So, after we dropped off our stuff, we decided to run around Paris and see the sights, before we (randomly) ran into some Pepperdine kids. So, we all got some crepes, then continued looking around, got caught in an insane downpour, before we went back to the hostel and cleaned up a bit. After that, the Lausanne kids finally arrived so it was so much fun getting to see old faces again and meet some new people. It was such a fun group and so nice seeing everyone! So we helped them get adjusted and then ran off to get food. We ended up finding this delicious Kebab place that had cheap prices and fantastic sandwiches. I got a chicken panini (so good). Yes, it still is all about food.

After this, we moved on to the Eiffel Tower. You know, I've seen it a couple times, but it is never any less fantastic and overwhelming, especially at night. We we "ohhed" and "ahhed" for a bit, listened to some music, watched this guy do some sort of interpretive dance to the music, before heading all the way up to the top of the Tower. I've never gone to the top before, so that was absolutely awesome! And, one of my friends got her first kiss up there from a guy who'd been planning it for so long, so that was probably one of the cutest things I've seen in a while. Very heartwarming. The group also got applause for singing "Dynamite" while waiting in line. The people probably appreciated the distraction from the bitter cold up that high. Whew. It was freezing! and windy, which didn't help matters. After this, we decided to head back. It wasn't too late, but Kalie and I hadn't slept for 2 days, and everyone else was pretty exhausted, too. So, hoping there were any disgusting bugs in my bed, I curled up and crashed out. Thank goodness. Sleep at last.


Saturday:
It was such a relief to finally get some sleep, even if we did get up at a fairly early hour to start out of the day. The hostel provided some sad excuse for breakfast, but hey "free" food. I'm not complaining. We grabbed that and began our walk to the Louvre. It was still pretty chilly, but fun being ridiculous and hanging out with everyone again. Some of the guys were making a music video, so we took multiple stops for their filming. The video itself is absolutely hilarious and turned out quite nicely. We finally got the Louvre, which was so much fun. Again, it never gets old, because there are so many things to see, although we did all get a bit grouchy as lunchtime passed.

After the museum, we headed out on an epic journey to find food. I really do love the Lausanne group, even with their inability to make decisions on where we should go for lunch. Thankfully, we finally stopped, I got a lovely croque monsieur and frites, and was put into a happier mood once again. Oh the glories of food. Oh the glories of lots of food. Definitely ate a ton on this little "vacation." Oh well... That will be remedied by far healthier eating and the gym back in London. Right.... After the Louvre we went to the Notre Dame (again, absolutely mind-blowing each time I see it).

Then, as we wandered around looking for a bar or a pub to chill out in, we ended up running into the Techno Parade, and annual thing that goes through Paris. We all thought it was over, and yet it was still going in full force.

This thing was insane. Really, though, wow. There's all these floats that have different DJs on them blasting their music, and people just run around following them. And there were thousands of people. People running around, dancing on bus station covers, dancing on cars, sitting on stoplights. I don't even want to begin to think about cleaning that place up afterwards. It was filthy! But it was such an epic experience. I mean, we had no idea we were going to run right into this parade, so it made an amazing afternoon all the more fantastic. We followed the parade to the end, trying to ignore the large amounts of crazies running around on who-knows-what-drugs, had a minor scare when one of our friends got distracted and fell back from the group, but all-in-all we had a fun time and a great full day in Paris. But, oh course, it wasn't even close to over at this point.

After the metro ride home, which had its own fair share of singing French people, overheating in the metro, some dramatic fight that delayed the train, and other such things, we dropped back at the hostel, then went out again to our favorite Kebab place after picking up some drinks at the convenience store. Note to self. Never drink French "cider." Definitely not  anything like British cider. It was like chemicals. So, being typical college kids, Kalie and I downed that nonsense and proceeded to hit up the far-more-acceptable mimosas. Dinner was yet another fantastic affair, and then we decided to go back to the Eiffel Tower and just hang out there. So we took our drinks and settled down on the grass and just enjoyed one another's company for a while, talking, laughing, taking pictures, and being silly. And it was so much fun.

We found a playground at one point, and seriously, college kids and playgrounds? Always a fantastic idea. After fooling around there a bit, we sat back down on the lawn, made some French friends who had almost as big of a group as ours (we were around 15 people at this point, I believe), and they decided to take us to a bar (Kalie had to give the guy at the door our orange juice in order to get in. Funniest thing ever. He actually drank it). So, we all headed out, chatting with our new friends. I met this lovely girl (Joan) and actually spoke decent French with her. It was kind of cool, relearning stuff, and she spoke decent English, so between the two of us we were able to have a fairly coherent conversation. We were kicked out of the bar quite quickly because no one was really buying anything, considering our earlier kickback under the Tower (yeah, doesn't that sound awesome? I think so. Partying under the Eiffel Tower...), so we said goodbye and found our way back to the hostel.

Thank goodness some of the guys in our group aren't directionally challenged like myself.

On the way back the good times and socializing with the Lausanne group continued. It was so much fun seeing them all again- and being in Paris with them? Surreal. I thought about this all summer, but now it's all coming true, which is making this international experience all the more amazing. Cue dramatic music moment, right? Well, moving away from all of the seriousness, I decided to trip over a speed-bump on the way back (awesome. so graceful). Some of the girls got to play doctor when we got back to the hostel, which was an interesting experience in itself. Oh well, it was a fantastic evening, so a few bumps and bruises are totally okay.


Sunday:

Woke up early again.... and wow. My knee was brilliantly squishy and so painful. Definitely got a few bruises here and there from my inability to pick up my feet the night before. So, limping around very pathetically, I proceeded to pack up with Kalie, and we chilled with a few of the Lausanne kids until check-out, after which we hit up the Kebab place for the third time. Yeah, it really was THAT good. After such, we made it to the metro, three of us got left behind, and then caught up with the group again (gotta love it), and finally said our goodbyes (after I slowly gimped my way down way too many stairs). Sad, but I know we'll be visiting them again soon, so I'm not too down about it. Besides, I was excited to get back "home" to London. Funny how it's already home in my mind.

After splitting with the group, Kalie and I made our way to the train station, found a nice little cafe while we were waiting for the departure (I had vegetable soup and she tried a croque madame), and then we hopped on our train. This crazy little woman decided to yell at us in French (we finally found out that she was demanding we put our backpacks on top of our seats so she could have more room), and then she stared at Kalie the entire ride. We talked with this woman from Florida to keep from laughing at this crazy little woman. She was so crazy, in fact, that I had to get a stealth picture of her. Yeah, I am that creepy.

Hippo on a ferry ;)

So after our first train we hit the next station and looked for our connecting train. One problem... it was leaving way too late and we would miss our ferry. So, we went and talked to one of the guys working there, who pointed out that our tickets were booked for October, not September. Wow. Awesome. So, what did we do? Well, we took out 50 euros each and waited for a taxi to Dieppe, because that was the only way were going to make it in time. After getting blatantly ignored by a lady who stole the first taxi (Kalie literally ran after her saying No!), we found another one, bartered with him, and managed to get a flat 100 euros rate, and considering it ended up being 160, we got a deal. Of course, we also paid way more money than we expected to. Ugh. But, we made it to the ferry! And it was a day time one, so there were so many more people, less creepers, and yet another fantastic experience.

We decided to have dinner on the ferry, so I grabbed some lovely boeuf bourguignon and fries, and some cider to go with it. Kalie and I whipped out the cards and wine again soon after, and proceeded to have a lovely journey back home. The ferry landed, we got to the station, and took our first train, only to find that the next station wasn't sending trains to Victoria any more. Really? Really? Fine, so we made friends, figured out a roundabout route, and a few trains later we made it to London Victoria Station, hopped on the tube (such a relief), landed back in South Kensington, and walked the short walk (there was actually a street detour- so many transportation fails on this trip), and entered our lovely, warm house. Honestly- such a relief after such a long day to hop into the shower and then limp my way to bed. Again, sleep has never felt so good.

All in all? A freaking fantastic weekend. Definitely one for the books. Or the blog, considering that's what this little thing is...

I'm ready for the next trip!

Day 15: Raindrops and Riding Crops

Thursday: Part One
Yeah, the whole rhyming title seemed like a good idea again. But it's totally fitting, so I know you (all however many of you, or lack thereof, that are reading this) will forgive me when I explain why it is such a perfect title. So today began in a manner of absolutely slowness. Cloudy outside, totally opposite of the Socal weather London was sporting yesterday. My bed was warm and I have no desire to get out of bed, but of course I had to. So I did. Great story right there, huh? I'm only slightly high on happiness right now after this morning. Anyhow, got into all my riding gear, grabbed my umbrella, and walked to the stables, once again getting slightly lost, but I think I've got it down now. I found a much easier route to the place. Last week I rode a horse called Archie. Today I got a large pony/really small horse (somewhere in that size range. haha) called Bill. Yes, Bill the Pony. LotR reference much? Sorry, dropping into a slightly geeky mode. Let's revert back to the story. Anyhow, got on Bill, and one of the "instructors" took one of the other girls and myself out (the experiences ones, yeah, that's right) and so we got our own fun ride today. I can't explain how gorgeous the trails are around Hyde Park. Honestly... it's mind-blowing. And in the rain? Geez, absolutely spectacular. So we walked, trotted, and cantered all around Hyde Park, rode by where the Calvary practices (definitely going out there early one morning... ahem.), all the while riding in an absolute downpour of rain. And it was awesome. I was drenched by the time I got back, but it was totally worth it, because riding in London and in the rain.... can't beat it. Until it happens again next week (haha). Anyhow, a fantastic start to the morning, and now it's time for me to go and grab a quick snack for lunch, maybe run to the gym, and then pack my backpack for - wait for it- PARIS! The laptop's staying here so I'll have an update on the weekend when I get back. That is, if I remember it. Tonight's going to be a long night of train-ferry-train travel. Whoo. Maybe I'll take a nap... But first- FOOD! (cause I don't eat enough of that here already).

Days 11-14 : In Which Time Slows & Seasons Change

Sunday:
Today was a mix of both laziness and ultimate stress. I slept in a bit and caught up on necessary sleep, and then proceeded to try and book my first trip with Kalie. What an experience. Seriously, I'm pretty sure we were about to bang our heads against our computer screens and then fling objects out our window. Booking a trip is not an easy task, especially on such late notice and a student's budget. Geez. But- we succeeded. One late night train ride, a 4 hour ferry trip, a small delay on the French coast, and then another train ride into Paris.... and we shall have made it! Goodness me. The great thing is, all those stops and jumping around plus the cost of the hostel for 2 nights remains less than a roundtrip on the Eurostar. What utter nonsense. Anyhow, got to skype with my Dad for a bit, which was lovely, and I might be going home for Christmas, which is an exciting thought. I returned to a delicious Asian food place for dinner, went to "house church" since I slept through normal church today, and now I'm off to ignore homework and watch Cruel Intentions and 10 Things I Hate About You with some of the people in the house. Lovely way to end the day and weekend!

Monday:

Weird night sleep last night- I think it was the first time I actually woke up repeatedly. Ugh. That definitely didn't help with my 9 am this morning. I feel awful, cause it's actually an interesting class, and yet I could barely keep my eyes open because I was up on the hour, every hour, last night. Blegh. Oh well, I get to sleep in tomorrow. This afternoon was relaxing- finally figured out all my plans and tickets and whatnot with Kalie, so we're going to Paris this weekend to meet up with some of the Lausanne kids! Woohoo! Super excited about this. I got to skype my lovely friend Emily (hopefully I'll be visiting her in Scotland soon), and got in an episode of How I Met Your Mother (love that show), then hit up my 3 hour fine arts class in which we attended a small lecture and then checked out a museum with a Grace Kelly collection (you would have loved it, Mom). That was followed by a return to the house and a movie on Turner's paintings, during which I think I fell asleep multiple times simply because of my current state of exhaustion. After that was completed, we woke up a bit then dashed to group dinner at Byron, reputedly the best burgers around. I found them quite good, although Five Guys and In'N'Out still own. The onion rings, however, were bomb. Yay for fatty foods. After that I went back to the house and finally hit the gym! I feel like I'm falling into a pattern now. Not so spontaneous during the first bit of the week, but that's ok. I can use some slower, more planned out days to catch up on sleep and relax. We can get crazy again on the weekends. Love it. But yeah, after the gym Kalie and I went to a pub, socialized a bit with the group over a glass of water (actual water this time), and then moved upstairs for a chick flick movie night. 

Tuesday:

Finally got a deliciously good night of sleep. I definitely needed that. Woke up to my roomie squealing over the new baby DGs (Bid night was last night), so I proceeded to hop on that train and stalk some of the new baby Thetas, although it was made rather hard by a lack of a list, so stalking must wait for another day. Had Convo today, got introduced to this homestay thing where I can go live with an English family for a weekend and get a real feel for the British life. Totally going to do that, especially since it's paid for (other than travel expenses). I feel like that is an absolutely awesome opportunity. This was followed by a little break before our 3oclock museum visit, then some Paris errands for Kalie and me, and finally "secret dinner" (basically the large group breaks off into smaller groups and tries out dinner group dinner restaurants) at a Persian place. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was delicious. We got this great flatbread and kabobs and rice and it was lovely. This was followed by another workout at the gym, then a failed outing to find a pub, but at least we have next Tuesday! Sheep mentality ensued on our journey back, as over half the group meandered off into who-knows-where, but we got back on track and figured it out. Oh London, how you remain interesting! And, honestly, I don't mind the random adventures anyhow. I love getting to know this city.

Wednesday:

Wow... I still don't think it's hit me that I'm living here until April. Really... this is craziness. Today, somewhat sleep-deprived, I made my way to History class, went to this really awesome museum section on Islam (honestly- museums and galleries for class? How can this "school" get any more awesome?) and made my way back to the house. Kalie and I then bought our final tickets for our epic Paris adventure this weekend, and I was hit my crazy deja vu at the train station, before I realized- I'd been there before! Exact same train station that I went to with my family when we were here last time. How id I recognize it? Well, it seemed vaguely familiar, and then I noticed the Toni and Guy. Yes, a hair salon was my point of reference for recollection. Gotta love it. Following our ticket purchase, we finished our laundry, made some food and hung out in the kitchen with some of the other kids in the house, has some lazy afternoon time before hitting up Humanities class, which was followed by dinner at an Indian restaurant (again, roll me away. I swear, all I do is eat here). I absolutely love all the different kinds of places we're trying. I mean, how often do we really go to all these random place at home? Very rarely. It's really quite a treat. You know what else is a treat? The weather. It's like high 60s, low 70s (don't even get me trying to convert to Celsius. I refuse, just like I refuse to try and convert my weight or distance on the treadmill). It's so nice and warm and sunny here that Kalie and I got ice cream cones today. Seriously... I'm in love. Oh, and I totally booked my Barcelona trip today. Win. So dinner concluded with a lovely walk back, where our group was sorely disappointed by the complete lack of Cheddar flavored goldfish. I don't want pizza flavored, or parmesan. No, I want the orange bag, please. Thanks. Once we returned home, Kalie (much to her chagrin) realized it was the first day of fall, so we youtube'd "fallish" music, which became more irish/celtic-festival-like music (which was remixed with Nat King Cole singing about falling leaves at one point) because we are that awesome. Right. I opted out of the going out tonight and instead made further friends with the gym and a little peace and quiet after chilling with some other members of the house downstairs. It was a nice slow-down and change of pace, especially considering the shenanigans that will undoubtably ensue this weekend. Paris- here we come!

Days 8-10: This Could Be Love

Thursday:

Clubbing at TigerTiger

So my blog was completely annihilated by a computer crash- AKA Thursday and Friday are being rewritten. And, simply to be repetitive, that means I am completely rewriting what was already written. So, to define such a catastrophe, everything I wrote has died and gone to a fiery hell of writing, meaning  it won't be half as good as it was, and it will be quite brusque, because I ad rewriting. So- Thursday, woke up early, went to equestrian for the first time in 2 years. It was absolutely amazing- I got to canter through Hyde Park and thoroughly enjoy myself. Seriously, I think I'm in love. I can't wait until next week to ride again. Later Thursday evening we celebrated a friends birthday with major (shots of?) water. But seriously... just, um, water. We wanted to stay hydrated... And the club, Tigertiger,  definitely accommodated that factor, because, as we all know, they only served water.... Right. But seriously, great night, met some non-sketchy Scotsmen and got free champagne and danced with them, which was brilliant. And so, the night was fun, and I can't remember what else I wrote for the blog.... fail. 

Friday:

Stonehenge

Today we woke up early and sleep-deprived as usual, but we got to go on a lengthy bus-ride to Stonehenge. Seriously.... it's kind of surreal seeing such a place. I mean you drive up and see these rocks and it's like- yeah, everyone knows this area, but I'm SEEING it. So that was absolutely brilliant, and after we hit a pub in Salisbury, got a delicious lunch and saw the cathedral. Honestly, my touristy pictures do nothing for it-I love seeing such amazing places because honestly- how on earth did those guys build those places hundreds of years ago? They're amazing. It puts our "industrialized" work to shame. I mean, I saw the Magna Carta today. Beat that! haha. Anyhow, after that we hit up the Courts again, had some social fun with a small group, found another random bus to get us home, and then I realized the drama of my dead computer and retyped all of this. So, I apologize for the shortened version, but I am having a lovely time here in London and can't wait for the the rest of the year. Seriously- I am so fortunate. Thank you Mom and Dad- this is going to be the best year of my life. And thanks to everyone following this blog. It makes me feel special.  Oh.... and London wins. I'm totally in love with this place. 

Saturday:

Today was the best day. That is what I must begin with, because, honestly, today is going to be the reason I am in love with this city. Kalie, Sinjin and I decided to hop on the Tube and go to Essex. After some random stations being closed, we managed to hope from Tube to train to Tube and finally to our destination, which was about 12 miles outside of London. Totally different environment and absolutely awesome. Kalie and Sinjin made their tattoo appointments and we headed back in search of the currently evasive Soho, which we actually managed to find randomly and completely on accident, which was excellent. We ran around there a bit, found the theater presenting Pricilla (a show about drag queens that I really would enjoy seeing- haha), and then hopped on the Tube again to a place called Camden Town- Best. Find. Ever. Seriously though, this is the London we were looking for- absolutely crazy ridiculous, colorful, exciting, so many different people and stores and places. We found some underground store with giant robots out front that turned out to sell rave stuff, an indoor market, some great pubs, awesome people, the London underground punk scene, ridiculously awesome stores, and so many other things. This place was brilliant. So much fun- it's becoming a regular destination. Kalie and I also found out pub- originally we wanted to find some small place with a bartender that we could become great friends with and tell our stories. Well, we didn't find that, but we found the equivalent- The Black Cat, a gay-friendly pub with a bartender hosting the same birthday as me and delicious fish and chips. Honestly, I'm in heaven. Totally going to become a regular there. So, we enjoyed our meal and a pint of cider and headed back home to figure out our evening plans! Seriously- such a great way to have dinner. I can't wait until we go back. Later that evening found us in the park with the boys (like normal) and then we met up with some more people from the group at a pub in South Kensington (our area). Super overpriced, but some good conversation. Decided not to go clubbing afterwards and opted for a quieter evening and return home by 12:30. Still, slightly sleep deprived. Definitely sleeping in tomorrow. And then hitting the gym for the first time. I need to get back in shape!

Days 5, 6, and 7: I have no creative title

Monday:

My bed and the window and desk

So those cheap little cell phones we got really enjoy sending us texts at 6:52 in the morning. Lovely sound to wake up to... But not really. Oh well, I guess it gave us a bit more time to get ready for the first day of classes: Modern History of the Middle East, Organizational Behavior, and Intro to Art and Architecture for me. Woohoo! History gifted us with a booming-voiced, slightly ruddy Irish professor. It seems like a really interesting class. Organizational Behavior is going to be a very hands-on class with a ton of work. Monday morning = need for caffeine. After my second class, most of our group accumulated in the kitchen and we all made/ate lunch together, which was kind of awesome. Living in a house with 40 other kids is really making my life right now. Especially our group- they're pretty fantastic. Anyhow, lunch was followed by a bit of relaxation before my 3 hour Fine Arts class, which is both lecture and museum visits, and then a direct jump into group dinner at My Old Dutch, where I got this awesomely massive crepe/pancake thing with bacon and ham and mushroom and peppers and corn. It was delightful. I love all the random food places we've hit up. Wagamama the first night, some chicken place, Italian, oriental cuisine- and we've go so many more interesting meals to come! Bring it on! I love food.

Tuesday: 

Our amazing kitchen! 

Well, I got to sleep in today, which was absolutely lovely, especially considering I could barely keep my eyes open during classes yesterday. I have to say, my schedule is kind of awesome. 3 classes on both Monday and Wednesday, and equestrian and a museum visit on Tuesday? Fan-freaking-tastic. So, today began with an equestrian meeting, and can I please say that I am absolutely psyched to be riding horses again? -especially after two years! Brilliant. Convocation came after this, another run around the city for some essentials followed, and then a museum visit to The National Gallery, before a quick run to the market and another group dinner at Pizza Express (I got calamari, just because I enjoy nonconformity. but not really... Sauce is just nasty). After dinner? Some girly gossip in our room to the cadence of light rain as a prelude for reading for class. About 5 minutes into my reading for Organizational Behavior, I realized there is no way I can read such a dry book on groups and leadership. I'm sorry, I tried. I'm dropping it, picking up gym's singular credit and satisfying myself with the minimum 12 units this semester. Why? Because I want to. And can. And I'm in London, so why not? Anyhow, after this brilliant realization of my slacking skills on night one, I satisfied my mind's yearning for something other than the dry pages of a musty, pre-high-lighted book and watched the Trueblood finale with Kalie! Much better. Now "group leadership" has been replaced with vampire porn. Should I be proud of this factor? Probably not, but that show wins. Life kind of wins right now. How did I get so lucky? Thank you Mom and Dad for making this happen- this is going to be the best year of my life.

Wednesday: 

Running back from the bus to our house...

Early morning again. Ugh. Too bad Kalie and I slept through our alarm. Good thing was, I woke up and we made it to History on time. By the way- that teacher is awesome. Seriously. An Irish professor? And his language makes the class hilarious. Of course, the class content itself is also really interesting, so I'm excited for the progression of the course. Much to my delight, I was able to drop my academic class and pick up PE (along with equestrian), so I am now being the biggest slacker that I have ever been. And kind of proud of it. So my class schedule now? Monday I've got History and Fine Arts, Tuesday I have a museum visit, Wednesday I have History and Humanities, and Thursday I have equestrian.

The girls!

And then PE/gym on a [hopefully] consistent basis. Awesome. So my first class today wasfollowed by a long break in which I made myself a sandwich in our kitchen (wow, don't I feel like a woman), turned in my gym forms, did a food run, and then hit up my Humanities class before group dinner at Beirut Express, a Lebanese restaurant. Can I say that Humanities is awesome? Seriously- the teacher is such a badass (excuse my French?). But really, I feel like this is going to be one of those classes you can't get through without laughing. Anyhow, such was followed by "Wankerless Wednesday" aka Girl's Night out. We finally got to hit up The Courts, a place where you purchase a yellow card and get major discounts (of course, that is if we don't flirt it up with the male population gracing the place). But yeah, The Courts proved quite entertaining, and then we hit up some other bar for birthday tequila shots for our friend Cameron. And then... well then the Tube was closed so we had to find the 10 bus, which took about 500 hours. Literarily. We could not figure out why it was ignoring us. Apparently you have to throw your hand in the air and flag it down. So after about 45 minutes of wandering from station to station, we grabbed our bus (Kalie and I were suffering from major peegret) and made it home! Home has never been so amazing. And now we're ready for the weekend! 

Day 4: School Things and Onion Rings

So I think I'm finally figuring out this whole sleeping schedule thing. After a decent 8 hours of sleep, I woke up at 10:15 and managed to get a nice bit of stuff done while my sleep-deprived roommate slept until 12:30. Gotta love it. So after a very slow morning, we got ready and hit up High Kensington for a little food and supply shopping. Let's just say that Whole Foods here is absolutely fantastic... Honestly, Kalie and I went speeding around all 3 levels staring yearningly at what looked to be delicious food and drinks. If it wasn't so high-priced I would have probably tried to buy almost all of the store. Oh well, at least they had little food and wine tasters all around. Free lunch anyone? I think so. Don't judge.

So after our sprint around Whole Foods (and our successful finding of a Mexican food aisle AND burrito bar- woohoo!) Kalie and I hit up a phone store and picked up some delightfully cheap little phones in the most excellent color of bright blue. Fantastic. Now we can connect to the world again, or at least find one another when we're running around Soho. Pharmacy stop came next, followed by the purchasing of some school supplies and finally a lovely trek to the market.

Oh, the market.

I can't explain how happy it made me to go and buy food. I think I might have gone a little overboard with my purchasing, but now I can make salads and sandwiches and eat fruit. And I grabbed some munchie food for 2 am strolls to the kitchen after running around London with the group. Totally a necessary purchase! Cheez-Its in bed are awesome, but probably not the best thing for a nightly snack... So, after battling with the obviously Satanic self-checkout counters, we began the long stroll home with nasty, tiny plastic bags cutting into our hands. I now understand why people don't go wild at the supermarket, because honestly, carrying that much stuff was no fun. haha. It made me miss the small trunk space of my Mini, because I could put four shopping bags in that, regardless of its tininess. Oh well, at least now we've bought a bunch of food and can make lunches and dinners here as a group! Which we did tonight, and it was quite a fun amount of group time. Of course, Kalie and I consumed an exorbitant amount of onion rings, because they looked so delicious in the store, so not the healthiest, but hey- again, totally necessary. They were delicious.

As a side note, I think I'm writing far too much. I mean, do onion rings really matter? They made for a good rhyming title for this post, but really... Oh well, to any of you reading this, I apologize for all the mundane matters that I note here. But, far more exciting- our window sill makes for a fantastic spot to read and skype and computer away. And it has a lovely view.

So the lovely evening continued with nail-painting and silliness with my roommate as we discovered the most amazing Google applications for finding out way around London. Seriously, though... fantastic program. I feel like we are going to have a must nicer time finding our way around... of course, now that I say that what us get lost repeatedly on our next adventure. Oh well, we'll see. For now, I'm going to make it an early evening in preparation for classes tomorrow! Yay for a 3-day school week and a 5-day weekend!

Day 3: Whine about Pricing = VIP

So today began with the sound of bells- that is, Kalie's alarm clock going off and alerting us to 10 am. Our response? No, let's not go to the Farmer's Market today. Sleep sounds way better.

Yeah, we are that lazy. Or jet-lagged. Either way, sleeping in until 11:30 was absolutely magnificent, and a perfect prelude to our scavenger hunt around London. This began with a map and a list of places we had to get group pictures of. So, our group of 6 set off and took our virgin tube trip with very little issues.  I mean, finding the right stop and losing a member of our group for a few minutes were slightly problematic, but I guess making it through to the correct stop without any purses stolen counts as a tremendous achievement. See? We're figuring this whole London thing out. Talking about that- I feel like I've been here for way more than 3 days. I mean, we have done absolutely so much in such a minute period of time. It's fantastic. I think I might be in love with living in a big city, especially after running around today.

London Eye! 

I don't even know how many miles we walked, but we saw so many amazing places, took a bus trip, figured out the tube, talked to a protester, found women dressed up like whoopie cushions, finally whipped out my camera and talked to an extremely drunk  man from Libya by the London Eye. Actually, this man was kind of amusing. He introduced himself by walking up to one of our friends and saying: "I like your hair! I like your shirt! I like your pants! I like your shoes!" and then proceeded to try and throw our map into the river. His friend was dying- apparently it was this guy's first time drinking, which was noticeable as he yelled at passersby: "hey momma, hey poppa!" to which his friend replied "that's not your mom and dad" and "grandma! grandpa!"and to a couple: "hey you! your girlfriend is hot! But you already know that!" Honestly, this guy was a riot, especially as his friend tried to take a picture and ended up on the ground laughing. It was certainly an experience.

High School Musical in front of Buckingham Palace. Totally necessary! 

After running around the city for a few hours and working on our scavenger hunt, we made it back to South Kensington, had an early dinner at this amazingly delicious place called Oriental Cuisine. Definitely becoming a regular over there, what with the great food and completely decent prices. A good day? Absolutely. And we were still back to our house by 6pm. What did this mean? Some laziness and relaxing before we went out again! There was some lovely "buy one mixed drink get one free" deal going on in the pubs tonight. Yes, I absolutely approve.

So we hit up this place called "The Archangel" and got their signature.... beverage? That's Pepperdine appropriate, yes? Sure, why not? It was decent over there, and our group remains awesome, although Kalie and I have managed to stick with a group of guys. Oh well, protection, and it's proven to be an absolute blast. After The Archangel we utilized our newfound Tube knowledge and hit up the Underground to Soho, or at least the area around it, and found this awesome bar/club called Oxygen, which (since we got their early) cost 5 pounds to get in. Being frugal, Kalie and I complained a little and got these awesome hand stamps that read: VIP.  So yeah, that whole being a girl thing? Totally works. Oxygen was fun and allowed for our group of six to chill and chat for a bit, enjoy a free shot and then further... beverages...., while watching this intriguingly giraffe-like girl (not my comparison, I swear!). Then we decided to go back to the main floor (this place had its entrance level, then an upper level which was a bit classier, and then the lower level which was a club. Naturally, I decided to stop and talk to some Australians, who proved to be absolutely hilarious. I can't help but meet new people. That's wht this is all about, right? Experiences! So why not make friends (as long as they're not nasties). Kalie joined me, and then our group joined them on an adventure for a couple of minutes, before we split and headed back to Oxygen to join more Pepperdine kids. What then? Well, I went clubbing for the first time and highly enjoyed the overplayed music and Raspberry champagne. After Oxygen we called it a night, walked a bit to a bus stop, and headed back towards South Kensington and our beautiful house. I call tonight a win. What a weekend.

Day 2: "'Scuse me, Where Do We Make Good Party?"

So I still don't think it's hit me completely- "it", of course, being the fact that I'm living in London. But I guess after a few hours of orientation after waking up to a delicious English Muffin breakfast it slowly started sinking in. So, between awkward commentary on gender sexuality being not allowed, the amount of alcohol in each drink (complete with pretty pictures of said alcoholic beverages), and academics, we 40 kids learned the basics of living in our fantastic London house, travel, and how we have more breaks than actual school days.

Girl's night out.  With Cameron

So, today consisted of more eating (I swear I'm about to pop. I mean, really, roll me away from the restaurants) and far more orientation than necessary. We had breakfast, orientation, a beautiful walk around London (I REALLY am living here, aren't I?), more orientation, dinner at this absolutely fantastic Italian restaurant (again, roll my fatty self away), and then the night was ours. So, naturally, we students took full advantage of the fact that we don't have to wake up until 1 tomorrow afternoon. What does this mean? Pubs.

Now, of course we already spent 50 pounds on our Tube cards, but that didn't mean we had any qualms against wandering around London, failing at our first pub, and then finding another pub right across from our university (literally a 1 minute walk across the park) . So Cider... this stuff is delicious. It's like sparkling cider, and yet has the potential to get you sufficiently happy if you haven't eaten about an elephant's weight in carbs. My mistake. So our huge group (yes, we basically had a sign on us saying: YES, WE ARE FROM AMERICA) enjoyed fantastic conversation and frequent bathroom runs in this first pub, supposedly a Imperial College Hangout (when all of the students arrive in October).  From this place we migrated across London, getting me sufficiently lost, and found a pub that Kalie and I found to be our first London pub experience. This place reeked of London, and, in such, awesomeness. More cider and conversations later, Kalie and I found ourselves at a table talking to a guy from Denmark who mistook us for Londoners ("scuse me, ladies, where do we make the party?"), which I guess was quite the compliment... Regardless, he was amusing and it was our first non-American "testosteronial" approach. The night continued with further conversation with our increasingly awesome London Pepperdine group, and then we migrated yet again. We found some little place that stayed open after midnight with this fantastic guitarist who played covers of most excellent songs. So, while I sipped another drink that was bought for me that evening (thank you very much, sir!), I met a French guy with one of my London guy friends. Said french guy decided it would be interesting to introduce me to his friend, Pierre, who then thought it would be smart to use me to get more drinks, and while he offered to pay for me, he decided creeping on me would be far more advantageous. Intriguing.  Apparently the French aren't as good at kissing as they proclaim to be, just saying... I would get chatted up by a sleazy guy on my first night out. Yuck.

So our night ended with a mad dash back to the house. Good thing out housemates aren't as directionally challenged as myself. So, all in all? An absolutely fantastic night. Tomorrow shall prove to be a continuation of such excellence, I should hope. And now? Now I shall romance my bed and crash out until Kalie and I wake up to enjoy the beauty of a Farmer's Market tomorrow. Peace out, America. I am.

Day 1: What up, London?

There's something about saying goodbye. I mean, you wait and wait and wait and wait and finally the desired day or moment arrives. And yet.... although you're rushing like an absolutely insane person, it still doesn't seem completely real, but rather surreal. The moment doesn't exist. Goodbyes are irrelevant because whatever thing you're waiting for really isn't going to happen. Well, at least that's how I felt. I mean, I learned in October of last year that I was accepted into Pepperdine's London program. It can't really be time to hop on a plane and live in a foreign country for 8 months, can it? Oh, wait- yes, it really is time. So 2 50 pound bags later, I've successfully employed the help of my former roommate and crammed what looks like less than half of my wardrobe into the aforementioned bags. Did I mention how absolutely intimidating such a process is? It's awful. And still, after all of this, after all the mad dashes to favorite food places and multiple hangout sessions with friends, I still can't come to terms with the fact that I'm leaving. Because now that really means I have to say goodbye.

Movie nights, exorbitant amounts of food, firepit shenanigans and 2 trips up to Malibu still don't completely drive home the fact that I won't be living in SoCal very much longer. Each day and night feel like every other- another day and night of summer, another Mexican food run, another late night drive, another Mini Cooper dance party. The pattern hasn't changed, so for me the routine isn't going to change, not really. Except- it does.

It's the morning of and I'm so wired I can't stand still. Driving turns into a ridiculous experience of loud music and offkey singing. Chairs aren't safe because I'm spinning my body off of them without care. I'm dancing around my room while my roommate stares at me like I'm mental, which I probably am. But, hell, it's finally time. I've just gone on my last walk up Spyglass hill, eaten my last home-cooked meal, among so many other random things that have become such a huge part of my daily life. And I still haven't said goodbye- not to everyone.  I think it took a spontaneous trip to my sister's high school to give her a final hug, a letter from the same sister that had me tearing up, a El Ranchito run by my mother, and the appearance of friend on my doorstep telling me goodbye to make me finally realize: this is really happening.

Didn't see that one coming.

So, I finally got in the car, worked my way through the heinous LAX lines and security, and grabbed food with people I know will creative this blog's title of "shenanigans" with me. But, finally! My year abroad has begun. School in London! With stewardesses dropping lines like "cheap as chips" and "rubbish bin", flying Swedish Fish from an over-exuberant Kalie, and 2 hours of wine-induced sleep, my adventure has finally begun.

The door to our home!

So, I guess this is where Day 2 begins, but we'll keep it at Day 1: the plane ride went without problem, we (all 41 of us students) went without sleep for what felt like days, grabbed our luggage, hopped onto our bus, and were driven to what I get to call my home for the next 8 months: Pepperdine University, London Style. I can't begin to explain this house- it's absolutely gorgeous. Not only do we live, study, and utilize an amazing kitchen all in this 4-level (plus a basement) "house", but it holds lounges, offices, an elevator (the ever-temperamental "lift"), a covered outdoor eating area complete with a ping pong table, but Kalie and I also managed to grab a 2-person room over-looking a gorgeous park with a window ledge that we can sit on. Our bedroom? Let's just say it's a little piece of heaven, and it's only going to get better as we make it home.

So, naturally we were not allowed to sleep, even though we were up all of Wednesday and arrived here Thursday at 11 am. We were given a mini-orientation, toured around the house, then allowed to unpack into our beautiful wardrobes, walked around London in small groups before attending our first group dinner. And now? Well, now I'm going to shower off all that airline nastiness (although New Zealand Air was positively fantastic, wine and dine included) and pass out and prepare for tomorrow. So, all I can say now is:

What up, London? The best year is about to begin.