Working, Harry Potter, Stonehenge, Bath, and around town...

So, I'm here in Oxford at an internet cafe and figured I'd work on updating this a bit...

After the trip to Stratford, we made it back in time to see Egypt, one of our favorite shows here on the BBC that's a combo of historical drama and documentary of both exploration and discovery of ancient Egypt as well as the culture and history of Ancient Egypt itself. I don't know if it's ever coming to the US, but if it does, it's fabulous!

That week began my first week on my own (as in NOT training anymore). The job got sooo much better and is going v. well. That Thursday we went out after work and I got made fun of for leaving early to go buy Harry Potter tickets for the next night. I met Trace and we headed to the nearest relatively-affordable cinema and he continued to try to talk me into the midnight show. However, since Kate and I actually had to work the next day, we resisted . . . until we learned that we had the choice of a midnight show that night or an 11pm show the following night. Since we both agreed that we'd rather be dead tired at work than tired touring Bath and Stonehenge, we did indeed go the minight showing. We got to the theatre a bit early and started calling people that we thought would appreciate it. The movie was amazing and we're trying to figure out when to go again!

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Ok, no longer in Oxford, but it's been just that long since I've been able to get to internet to post anything. We've been in the midst of this huge struggle to get it at our flat. We now have internet there, but no way to access it since we don't have the modem or router yet. Sigh.

Anyway, the next morning we were up early to go on the BUNAC trip to Bath and Stonehenge. We piled on the bus, which left a half hour late, and headed to Stonehenge. Kate and I survived the obnoxious people behind us and got very hungry looking at the sheep as we drove past (sick, I know, but we were hungry...). Once arriving at Stonehenge, we were herded through into the site and given audio tour wands that we could listen to as we walked around The Henge (apparently an old word meaning something that I forgot... I think it was for circle or something, but there were actually previous henges on the site, including a wood henge and another stone henge. I'll have to get out my brochures now...). It was cool, but we also felt that you could easily have said that you've seen it as you drove past on the highway right next to it. (photo: Stonehenge)

Afterwards, we got back on the bus, and again left late, to go to Bath. The part of England we drove through was v. foggy that day and we took even longer getting to Bath. Once in town, our bus driver lost the other bus he was following and we drove around Bath for another half hour lost (noticing a theme here?). We finally got out and were able to go find some food and tour the city at our leisure. Feeling strapped for time since at least an hour of our time in Bath was stolen from us, Kate and I grabbed a sandwich at the grocery store and headed to the Roman Baths.

The baths were cool and we got another audio tour thing there to listen to as we wandered around. We walked through parts of the old temple and such before getting to the baths themselves. I really enjoyed the artifacts and thought the curses and prayers were really neat. As I waited for Kate to finish at the Baths, I wandered around the bookstore and was severely tempted to buy the Latin verison of a certain book now called "Harrius Potter" for my sister who's taking Latin, though it was a hardcover and a bit pricey.

Next we realized we only had an hour left so walked through town again towards the Great Circus and the Royal Crescent (really neat architecture pretty unique to Bath), but stopped at the Circus before I dragged Kate to the Jane Austen Centre with me. It was only ok and didn't really have much new information, at least anything you couldn't get out of a Jane Austen biography. They still had pictures of various incarnations of Mr. Darcy's everywhere (though heavily predominated by Colin Firth, of course). We rushed through that, and via a bit of a detour, got back to the coach. (photos: Roman Baths; Street in Bath that Jane Austen lived on for a while that's also v. typical of the architecture of the city; and the Jane Austen Centre, apparently of which Colin Firth is an essential part.)



The bus ride home of course was not so wonderful. We had two girls from (groan) Ohio State that flaunted their over-zealous school pride everywhere, especially since it was also the day of the UofM-OSU football game. They then convinced the bus driver to let them off early to go to the pub that they had convinced to play the game via dish. They also told about how obsesed they and everyone in Ohio were/are about the rivalry, as well as how they'd thought about the game every day that week and how, if they lost, they'd somehow manage to get up the next morning. A few of us bonded in annoyance.

Once back in London, we headed to Trace and Andy's flat for a night of cards and Italian food, though I did have to then call home for a game update. That Sunday, we went to Primrose Hill just north of Regent's Park for a fabulous view of the city and fall colors. We then walked through Regent's Park, down to Baker Street, and to Marble Arch before heading to the Science Museum. (photos: View from Primrose Hill, including (if you look really closely) the dome of St. Pauls on the left and the Eye and Parliament on the right; and a skating rink in South Kensington)

Harry Potter, Warwick Castle, and Stratford

At long last, an update that I know has been sorely missed by some. Since it's been about two weeks, I'll add them in bits (more for the wireless' sake than anything else since we're in Sam's (Mexican flatmate) office and it's not the best signal).

Well, I did go to the Harry Potter premiere, but not for long. It was super crowded and rainy and cold and I'm rather glad I didn't stand out all day in the rain to kind of see the actors and other celebrities. But from my trip through the square, I'll add a picture or two to give you all an idea of what it was like. Mostly, it was a lot of families with little kids, fans (ranging from a bit interested to ridiculously obsessed) of a slightly older age, and (the largest portion of the crowd) screaming teenage and pre-teen girls yelling "Daniel! Daniel! Rupert!" etc. Interesting experience. (photos: The theatre with the actual premiere and a triwizard cup on top; one of the actors who plays Fred and George)


That week passed as my second and last week training at the office. I was anxious to get the job to myself and make it my own. Anna, the departing receptionist, was a bit too into work for my taste. She often stayed late and did extra (fairly regularly) and did all such work without pay. She made me feel guilty (though only the slightest bit so, as well as slightly annoyed) when I chose to leave at 5.30 (the time we were supposed to leave).

That Friday was Rememberance Day (the same as Veteran's Day). I met GP and Kate at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, the oldest church in the city and the Queen's official parish, for a candlelight choir concert of Handel and Mozart. Kate and I were particularly going for the feature attraction of Mozart's Requiem (done v. well!). It rained a lot that day too, and before I met them at the church, I chose to wander a bit through town since it had a misty, eerie look to it and took some photos. (photos: From Trafalgar Square towards Westminster; just outside Trafalgar Square; and an Alley off Trafalgar with the National Gallery in the background.)



The next morning, Kate and I were up early to go on our first weekend trip out of the city (my boondoggle to Calais didn't count) to Warwick Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon. We met Trace, and his friends Alex and Amanda at the train station and headed out of town! The train ride was fine, but we had a French family right next to us that was discussing Charles and Camilla's trip to the US so loudly that it was too distracting to even read.

Warwick was fantastic. We headed from the train to a free museum that claimed specializing in Victorian history. Trace was excited to discuss the British role in the midwest (i.e. Mackinac area) in the War of 1812 and the use of the Piclhauba (sp?) in British and American military uniforms with a very eager docent. I was excited by the kitchen and medicine dispalys (though the toy display featuring everything from a 18th century wooden doll that could walk to Star Wars action figures was cool too!). We headed from there through an old cemetery up to the Castle. Warwick Castle was everything Bruce Lynn said it was and more. We saw the dungeons and the rack, the Great Hall, the haunted tower, the Peacock Garden, the mill and eel trap, and even the Catapault (they fire it a few times daily during the summer! If only Ft. Mackinac had its own catapault...)! The castle itself was built in 1068 and even held a couple of former kings imprisoned in it. The displays were pretty well done and featured lots of v. lifelike wax statues done by the Toussauds people. There were only a couple of actual costumed interpreters, but one let me try on a full outfit of chainmail! Finally, our hunger got the better of us and we headed to a small pub by the train to eat (Kate and I in our continued quest for something in some way resembling American nachos (or at least tasting something in some way close to actual nachos or tortilla chips) and watch rugby before heading to Stratford. (photos: Castle tower and countryside; Kate trying on armour and lifting a sword; me looking "ferocious" in chainmail; castle courtyard, oldest part, and countryside; and another view including the mill and the River Avon.)






We spent the night at Stratford, but first had to find a place to stay. Luckily our guide book was dead on when it reccommended a small B&B run by a cute little woman named Sylvia. There was no show by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the time, so we settled for Stepmom with Julia Roberts on tv instead. The next morning we had our first full English breakfast (cereal, oj, toast, tea, fried eggs, sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, and grilled mushrooms). I ate soooo much, but I wasn't hungry til at least 6 that night. Breakfast like that made me better understand why 2/3 Britains have "raised cholesterol." Mostly I ate as much as I did (such as about 6 pieces of "brown" toast and a bowl of bran flakes) to make me feel better about my own cholesterol.

That day we headed to the Shakespeare homes since Stratford was his home town. We walked to the Anne Hathaway Cottage first, home of his wife, where they had so many historical things that even made Trace get geeked out by the size of the hearths and the five varieties of sage and strange variety of rhubarb. Next was Shakespeare's birthplace, followed by his daughter's house, the riverside and Shakespeare's grave, and then the other house of his daughter. By the time we finished, we were super hungry and caught a quick dinner before heading back to London on the train. It was a super fun weekend that didn't last long enough! (photos: Hearth at Anne Hathaway's; Anne Hathaway's and its herb garden (the red stuff it's the rhubarb!); River Avon; and Shakespeare's grave (bottom left corner) )





That's all for this entry, more to come in another!

Bonfire Night and Kevin Spacey

Well, I can safely say that I definatley prefer the kind of jobs where you're not at a computer all day, typing mindless stuff. Yup, that's my job (reformatting people's CVs, mostly). It's not too hard, and the people are fun, but the job is definately not something I'm passionate about. However, it's money (BIG FACTOR!!!), and since a few others that I know are not having as good of luck finding jobs, I'm pretty lucky. It's also quite weird having people getting very excited to see that you're American, since apparently that's what they least expect when they come in for an interview at a British recruitment agency. I did have one guy ask if I was from Canada, so I'm not sure what that means but I laughed a lot. Work's not bad at all, but I'm also glad it's only for 6 months. I also realized that this job is the first time that I've had to be out of the house by 8am on a regular basis! No wonder it's been a bit of an adjustment...

Anyway, this week has been kind of dull. I went out after my first day of work for drinks with some coworkers, then Tuesday went out with my flatmates just to hang out. We're all trying to lay low since we're pretty broke and waiting for the paychecks to come in. Wednesday we watched "Rome" on the BBC, which was quite exciting since we've already exhuasted all of our movie options from flatmate Sam. Thursday we went out for Chinese, but then came back to do not much of anything again. Friday was a welcome treat, though we spent our night planning our day on Saturday. Also, Kate's friend Hannah came Friday (she's studying abroad in France), so we hung out around the flat that night and watched a show about the history of Bonfire Night/Gunpowder Plot. (v. interesting! Apparently the day is a celebration of religious oppression of Catholics, torturing of Guy Fawkes and those that tried to blow up the King and English nobility, Jesuit conspiracies, and all sorts of uplifting things.)

Saturday was chuck full. GP and I got up and went to try to find the Nelson and Napoleon exhibit that ends next week. We couldn't find it listed anywhere, but since we'd seen adverts for it all over the Tube, we figured that we'd have no problem finding it. Just our luck, no such adverts anywhere to be seen. We then figured that there were two museums worth trying, so we headed for the Imperial War Museum. The front hall was full of tanks, bombs, and planes (all v. interesting), and the museum did more thankfully to explain the multiple facets of war, instead of just tanks, bombs, and planes. There was a neat walk-through trench WWI exhibit, as well as an exhibit on the effects of WWII on children in Britain. GP was just excited for the tanks.

After the museum, we picked up some lunch before catching the matinee of Shakespeare's "Richard II" at the Old Vic Theatre (the oldest in London), starring Kevin Spacey. We got some 10-pound bench seats that meant we had to lean and stand to see most of the show, but the tickets were cheap and the theatre relatively small and Kevin Spacey doing his thing, so it was all worth it. We then walked across the river to catch some views of the city at night before stopping back at the flat. We then made our way to Alexandra Palace (north of the city) to catch the fireworks there. Since it was on a hill over the city, we could see dozens and dozens of firework shows. (photos: Imperial War Museum; the coolest hood ornament ever (on an old omnibus c. WWI); Big Ben and Parliament at night; and a view down the river including the Eye)





Today's Harry Potter Day, but it's cold, rainy, and blustery. Adding this to the fact that I caught a bit of a cold yesterday, I decided not to go with Hannah and Kate to stand outside the theatre to catch a glimpse of the actors for 8 hours today. Hannah called Kate around 11am, saying that she should come soon since there were tons of people there already. It's pouring now, but I think I'll take a swing by the theatre to see what all's going on. Trace said there's apparently a huge Hungarian Horntail larger than 2 cars outside the theatre, and tons of flags, etc. Hmmm...

Anyway, this weekend's the Lord Mayor's Show (ceremonial procession of the Mayor through the city and a parade), but we try to get out of the city for a weekend and get some fresh air. We might try the Stratford trip again or do something different. We'll see...

JOB!!! (and other stuff...)

As of Friday, 28 October, I have a job. It's not the most posh, but I'm excited for it and it's income. I'll be working as a receptionist for a recruitment agency near Tower Hill, which means I get to run the front desk (though I don't have to answer phones), reformat people's CVs, manage some databases, and do whatever jobs anyone needs done. It's 40 hours per week and paid holidays and apparently really busy all the time. The agency itself is comprised of mostly young people (mid-late 20s) who like to go out after work and hang out. They were all tremendously friendly and fun at my interview. So, I start Monday (tomorrow) and will shadow the current receptionist for two weeks before she leaves. Not too shabby!

Since my last post, I've been busy. I've spent a couple of days looking for jobs, etc., and then found and got this one. I've hung out with my flatmates, who are all pretty fabulous (minus one that's leaving very soon, but he's just weird...) and have watched a lot of movies and television in an effort to save money instead of going out too much. Friday Kate and I went to the London Eye and walked all over the Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square areas. This was the first time that I really saw Big Ben and Westminster, so I feel like I can officially feel like I'm in London now. (photos: London Eye; view from the Eye of Westminster, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace (and I think the neighborhood where I live off in the distance somewhere); view down the river of St. Pauls (my office is near the egg-shaped building); and Trafalgar Square)





Saturday, G.P. (another flatmate from Virginia) and I went to Guildhall and the London Museum. The ruins to the Roman Ampitheatre are below Guildhall Art Gallery, so besides neat art of London and old important British people, we got to walk among my first set of Roman ruins! The London Museum was really neat too. There were all sorts of artifacts and collections from all eras of London and British history, though we missed about 1500 years worth due to the redesigning of Post-Roman through Elizabethan period exhibits. (photo: Ruins in Guildhall)


Today we went back to Camden Market with Sam (another flatmate from Mexico), his visiting sister, and Kate and will soon go grocery shopping and maybe to a movie (a "cheap" one). Emma Watson, the actress who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, was rumored to be at Camden Market signing autographs, but we didn't see her.

This weekend we were also supposed to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle, but so many people had conflicting plans that we postponed it for awhile. We also contimplated going to one of the London Film Festival movies, but they're frickin' expensive (though many of the actors from the movies have actually been here for things like "Walk the Line").

Anyway, London is great! I'm loving it and am v. glad to be starting to earn some money. I miss good Mexican and Southwestern food, Kraft mac n' cheese, Jiff peanut butter, and cheap movies. I love the tube (esp. the Baker Street Station), the conversations I overhear on the tube, Cadbury dairymilk chocolate bars, that I have an accent (even to other Americans), and the feeling of not being in a big city while being in one of the preeminent cities of the world. The tv shows here are a bit odd and we've watched just about anything once, including the celebrity ballroom dancing show "Strictly Come Dancing", the Simpsons, realestate reality shows, and a culture piece of middle-aged baby-boomer women complaining about everything from toilet paper to punk kids with hoodies. I'm trying to read a lot and am currently reading some Sherlock Holmes, in honor of my favorite tube station. Next in line is "A Tale of Two Cities" since there's a BUNAC Christmas trip to Leeds Castle and a Dickens festival.

Coming up this week and weekend: "Egypt", a BBC miniseries on the discovery of King Tut; Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night; Possible day trip somewhere; and Harry Potter Day on Sunday!!! Anyway, I'll get the pics from the Eye and all up soon.

Harry Potter Premiere

Yes, since I'm in London, a group of us are definately planning on attending the Harry Potter premiere on 6 November. Apparently, it involves queing up starting at 5pm, so we'll be there! For details, visit: http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-on.php?event=3589

France and the Flat

So, since my last post...

* I went to France and got my passport fixed. It was quite the hassle in that I stepped onto the platform to catch the train to Dover as it pulled away, so I had to wait a half hour for the next one. Then, everything was late and the winds were so stron in the English Channel that I didn't get back to London til about 8pm. BUT, when I got there, I met friends Andy and Trace (who had to go to France on Sunday due to similar circumstances) and also met my new friend Kate (fellow BUNAC-er and also staying in and not liking The Generator) who had found a delightful flat that night. Since we'd talked about rooming together, I agreed to check the flat with her the next day (Saturday). We saw it, I liked it, and we moved in that night. (I'll post photos below this post)
The flat's in an area called St. John's Wood (apparently v. posh and including neighbors like Robbie Williams) on Boundary Road (between Loudoun Street and Abbey Road (yes, the same road as the Beatles and just a short walk from the crossing site of the photo on the cover of the album of the same name)), though it's also v. close to Swiss Cottage, Kilbourn High Street, and Camden Town. Kate and I share a room for 80 pounds/week and that price includes all utilities and taxes, as well as free wireless internet to be installed this week. We have a gareden area out behind our building with some nice willow trees. Also, there's a spare bed for guests that might visit for a weekend, though we're using it as a couch for now. As for leaving The Generator (felt like we lived in a stereotypical frat house...), Trace and Andy helped us move our bags to our new flat, which involved some v. strategic maneuvering on the Tube during rush hour. That night while unpacking, we watched our tv with 4 stations, including "Robbie Williams: Live from Berlin" on Saturday night and loved it, especially since he's our neighbor. (photos: my room from the door with my bed on the left, my bed and desk!)


* Sunday morning we went to Camden Market for food and shopping and then tried to locate the Ikea for the necessities lacking at our flat. We got some bad directions and ended up all over the place. Finally, after some walking, busing, a pit stop at an H&M, and more busing and walking, we got to the Ikea. It was a zoo and we tried to make our shopping go as quickly as possible. We made our way back, which took an equally long time, and collapsed from hunger and exhaustion on our spare bed. Kate and I tried to find dinner, which took more wandering before finally settling on a local and v. delicious Thai food place. We then watched a collage of both good and bad tv before turning in. (photos: food stalls at Camden Lock Market, main gate to Camden Market)


* Today we both headed to the BUNAC Office to start looking for jobs. I opened my bank account and bought a mobile phone. When I make my email list (which will be when I get the free wireless at the flat), I'll email out my mailing address and mobile number. After updating the blog, I'm digging in to looking for jobs!

Arriving in London

So I made it! Mom and Dad drove me to Detroit early and my flight left around 11am for Chicago. Once there, I putzed around the airport and made some phone calls before flying out to London Heathrow around 4:30pm. I rode a 777, which I think is the largest plane I've ever been on! My window seat was also really fun since I could watch as we flew over Michigan and the places Up North that I recognized (we flew over the Ludington area towards Saginaw with the sun setting over Lake Huron and Canada). I think the food made me a bit sick as I didn't feel good til I ate some not-flash-ovened food for breakfast this morning. I also didn't sleep much since we had a crying baby across the aisle and I watched an in-flight movie.

Anyway, we got to Heathrow around 5:30am local time and had to ride a bus from our plane to the terminal. I got through immigration easily and, upon checking my passport, realized that they hadn't given me the stamp specified by BUNAC as the correct stamp for working in Britain. I asked my immigration officer but she assured me that hers allowed me to work here and that it was fine, all in the attitude of "stupid American, I know what I'm doing and don't want to be here this early so go away." I was apprehensive but proceeded on since I didn't want to get stuck in rush hour tube traffic with all my luggage.

After I had gotten my bags, rearranged them, and put them on a trolley, I found the tube station and somehow got my bags through the turnstile. The tube ride wasn't too bad and I think I missed rush hour by a bit since it wasn't standing-room-only by any means. I had my morning workout by lugging my bags up the stairs from the platform since there wasn't an escalator. Ugh.

Upon arrival at my hostel, a brief walk from the tube stop, I found out that my room wouldn't be ready til 2. My dream of a brief nap before orientation crushed, I settled instead for a shower and free breakfast before hiking over to the BUNAC Office. There I found out that, though the stamp error was clearly not my fault, I would have to go to France (leave and re-enter the UK) to get it fixed. I also nodded off a few times during my orientation, which luckily regurgitated most of the program handbook that I'd already read.

I left orientation and headed back to the hostel, stopping for a hot chocolate along the way and in a terrible mood due to the lack of sleep and exacerbated by the France and bad plane food situations. Luckily, I didn't have to wait much longer for my room, gathered my bags, and promptly passed out from exhaustion on my bed for a 2.5hr nap. I met some new friends for dinner and have then embarked on the quest for train times to Calais and cheap internet.

Despite the challenges of today, London has been friendly, fascinating, and with the potential to be quite fabulous. I get to go to a castle tomorrow in Dover (as I'm determined to do more on this new boondoggle than simply buy cheese in France) and will then be able to get a bank account, one of the steps to getting a job. I'll have a couple of pics to add soon!