Good Friends, Good Food, Good Beer

It has been another week of exciting adventures, sightseeing and eating. To celebrate our one week anniversary in London we went out on Wednesday night for Indian food. It was so good and a major step up from the mush we have been eating every other night. Rice and beans and pasta are getting old already but saving valuable money for other fun things is worth every mushy bite. Yumm.

Stonehenge 

Our first full week of classes and internship were long and a bit more work than we were all anticipating. I have two classes on Monday and two on Thursday and each one is three and a half hours. Most of my professors are really great and the classes should be interesting. It is hard to sit still for that long and focus on class when there are so many exciting things happening all around you and so much you want to see and do. Who has time for class let alone homework? Luckily it is mostly just reading but there are papers and tests throughout the semester too. I am not sure why I was thinking there would be no work required.

I went for my internship interview on Tuesday and it went really well. The people were all nice and welcoming and I am excited to get started. I will be working in the communications department on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and in the volunteering department for a half a day on Friday. I am not sure exactly what I will be doing yet but they said there will be events to plan and attend and I will also get to go to the Ambassador Clubs where there are activities for the kids and a place for them to meet other people who have been helped by WhizzKidz. I can't wait to meet some of them. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they don't want me to start until next week so I will have a lot of extra time this week to explore on my own. They also tried to convince me to join their team for the London Marathon which is in April. I laughed and said no but I did just order a new pair of running shoes so....

Crepes 

Aside from classes we have been going out and exploring our neighborhood a little more. On Thursday night we went to a bar called Princess Louise which was adorable. There were lots of little rooms and tables to sit and talk, it was really nice. We also made friends who are studying at Le Cordon Bleu London in the pastry department!! They just happened to have made lemon meringue pie and after they saw us eyeing it they offered it to us. People in London are so nice! We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet them for drinks another night this week. It may seem like we are just using them for their baked goods (and maybe we are) but they were actually nice, interesting people and very friendly. They also make amazing food. We attacked the pie as soon as we stepped out onto the street and got jealous stares the entire walk home.

On Friday night we did the Camden Pub Crawl. There were four bars, all very unique, and ended at a club called Koko. The names of these clubs are just so great. It was a very long and wet night, it rained the whole time and we didn't have coats, but it was a lot of fun and we talked with some cool people. The only downside was that the free shots we got at every bar was zombooka, which is seriously the grossest thing I have ever tried. Adjectives to describe the experience of those shots: sticky, dark, thick, licorice-like, gross, overwhelming, low-lifish.

Saturday in the afternoon we went to the Notting Hill markets. They weren't as big as Camden Markets but had a lot of vintage thrift stores that just happen to be having great sales. Helen went crazy at an antique jewelry store. She was in there for a solid twenty minutes but decided to wait on any major purchases until the end of the semester. What a smart shopper! The highlight of the day and maybe even the semester so far were the crepes Perri and I found at the market. We were literally drooling in line and could barely contain our excitement. We got a Nutella and strawberry crepe that was so big it looked like a giant burrito and as soon as we took the first bite we were in a crepe trance until it was all gone. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten and worth the 4 pounds. We agreed that any purchase from here on out will be compared to the crepes. If we want a 10 pound shirt we must ask ourselves is it worth two crepes? Most likely the answer will be no.

Today we went to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was really interesting and not really what I had imagined. The stones themselves were huge but the whole arrangement of them was smaller than I thought. It was also completely down pouring and windy so it was hard to stand back and take in the enormity of it all. Perri was especially mesmerized by them and stood out in the rain after everyone else had gone back to the trolley just to take it all in. The town of Bath was quaint and beautiful, lots of old buildings and cobblestone streets. We went to a pub and had a great dinner and got out of the rain for a little.

Driving on the backroads through the countryside was breathtaking. It was mostly green grass and farmlands but every few miles, tucked into the hillside, was a little town. I would love to one day have the chance to live in the English country because it truly is beautiful. If anyone wants to go with me I'd love the company.

I have another full week of classes ahead and days to explore different parts of the city. I plan on finding a small coffee shop to sit, do some work and read. Every week will have a similar routine but this city is never boring and you never know who you will meet.

Until next time.

Cheerio. X

The Start of Something Beautiful

I have only officially been in London five days but I already know this is one of the greatest cities in the world. It is so beautiful and so unique, every street is different from the last. But let me start from the beginning...

The flight over was long and draining. We had a three hour layover at Reykjavik Airport in Iceland and for some reason believed that even though we were landing at 6am, the sun would rise and we would get to see a little from the airport windows. Well, the sun doesn't come up until 11am and goes back down at 4pm there. Crazy, we saw nothing. But the airport was really nice and the bathrooms were super cool, very modern. I don't know why I was so obsessed with them. 

When we finally landed in London we were all tired from lack of sleep and major time changes. We got our keys and arrived at our flat to find that we were floor E and had to bring all of our bags up five flights of stairs. It was horrible but when we walked in and saw the place we screamed, classic us. It is beautiful!! So perfect and spacious and it has DECALS! We have a small kitchen where we have already made a few meals and a living room. I live in a triple with Perri and Helen and there is also a double, which two girls from Stonehill College live in. We met them after we (Helen) barged into their room while they were sleeping. We made quite the impression. 

Happy Girls 

The first night we unpacked and checked out a pub down the road. I got my first legal beer, it was pretty exciting. The next two days we had orientation where we learned about classes and our internships and got to meet other kids from our program. Everyone was really nice and helpful and excited to have us. Our classes are in the Royal District of Kensington and Chelsea (with Kate and William) but we live in Bloomsbury which is about a twenty minute tube ride. The tube is so nice and clean and well organized and luckily for us we have an unlimited Oyster Card so we can ride the tube and the buses as much and as often as we would like.

We have done lots of sightseeing already too. We walked around Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, which are near CAPA and went on a panoramic bus tour of the whole city which was great because we got to check out a lot of different neighborhoods and see how diverse the city really is. Today we went on a walking tour of Primrose Hill in Regents Park, the highest point in London, and walked down to Camden Markets, which was blocks of little shops selling anything you could imagine and so much food to choose from. 

Streets by CAPA 

This past weekend we checked out a few bars and clubs in the area. On Friday we were trying to go to Saucy but the line was down the block so we ended up at Sway. In London, arriving to a party at midnight is not acceptable, you have to be there at ten if you want to get in. This has been difficult for us Clark kids to handle. But Sway was a lot of fun, not really crowded at first but we danced for hours and by the time we left it was packed. Last night we checked out Chinatown and went to O'Neills, a bar that had three floors, and was so packed you could barely move. Because the tube shuts down around 12 at night we had to take the bus home but we couldn't figure it out and ended up walking what felt like hours back to our flat. Perri and I were especially unhappy because our feet hurt. I feel like all I have done is walk and go up and down stairs since I have been here but at least it is good exercise. 

Primrose Hill 

Tomorrow I start classes and on Tuesday I go for my internship interview at WhizzKidz, a non-profit that provides wheelchairs for disabled children throughout England. If all goes well, I will be interning in their public relations and communications department. The weeks will be busy with classes and my internship everyday but the weekends will be spent exploring this great city. I am so excited to be here and get into a routine and finally be over my jet lag (it was awful in so many ways).     

Cheerio. X 

A New Beginning

When one chapter of your life ends and a new one begins there is often this period of in-between that is hard to describe. You are ready to leave, move on and begin a new and exciting adventure but at the same time you keep holding onto the past. These last few weeks I have been trapped in this grey area. I am so excited to begin my semester abroad in London where I will be studying and interning in the heart of the city, but saying goodbye to friends, family and memories is more difficult than I would have imagined.

I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to experience a new city and culture. I will get to meet different people, explore London and travel through Europe. Although the preparations have been long and stressful, I know once I land in London it will all be worth it. I have no idea what to expect but this is an experience that will allow me to grow as a person.

Despite the sadness I feel about saying goodbye, I will only be gone a few months and I want to make every minute count. It is difficult to move on with so many mixed emotions but this is the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in my life. I will have great friends by my side to share the experiences with and I can't wait. I am ready for anything.

Cheerio!

"Today is the start of a new adventure. New challenges to face, new memories to make, and new obstacles to overcome." Nishan Panwar