Where to begin. These past 3 weeks have been some of the most eventful times of my life. Every single day was packed with exciting new experiences. I feel like I didn't waste a single minute of my time. All the things I had heard about how studying abroad will change your life forever is absolutely true. Hell, this experience felt life changing within the first 48 hours of arriving over seas. And I still have another 3 weeks to go.
It's hard to put into blog format how rewarding this trip has been for me. It without a doubt gave me a greater perspective and insight into culture and society in general. Living on the other side of the world will do that to you. This trip has also given me a stronger sense of independence. Even though I was with other friends/students most of the time, the fact that I was doing all of this without my parents (I mean without them physically, financially they are the reason why I'm here) gave me a feeling of accomplishment and adventure that I've never felt before. I also acquired a wealth of new knowledge about British history, media and lifestyle. I learned what its like to live in a big city and became very well acquainted with public transportation (perhaps a little too acquainted at times). This city living experience was significant to me since I have had plans for years and years to live in a big city such as New York or Chicago after I graduate. This trip has completely reinforced the fact that I know I want to live in a big city sometime in the future.
Lastly, I think the people on this trip have made a profound impact on me. Before studying abroad began, I was only really friends with Rob - everyone else I was acquaintances with or didn't even know at all. Now after 3 weeks, I can honestly say that I've made at least 10 legitimate new friends here. They've each helped me grow socially. Seeing as with your with the group every single day, you bond rather fast with these people and almost instantly make connections. It has been a wonderful time spending such an amazing trip with equally amazing people.
Here's to another 3 weeks.
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Monday 8 June 2009
Day 18: Parliament, Most Epic Dance Party of my Life
Recap:
- Took a tour of Parliament in the afternoon. Parliament was really nice, but our tour guide was a little cold. I got yelled at for attempting to take a sip of water. Theres too much authority in that place. Haha.
- That night some of us ate a really nice Italian place near ULU. Some of the best Italian food I've had in a while actually, and it was in London - interesting. Then we embarked on which turned out to be on probably the most fun night of the entire trip. The whole group met at the bar/club at ULU and it broke into the biggest dance party I've seen in years. It felt like a wedding reception or something. The place played a lot of American classics such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Shook Me All Night Long" which really got us all revved up. I bet the other Londoners at the bar were thinking "I didn't know Americans could rage like that" hah. There was some drama towards the end of the night but everything worked out.
Thoughts:
- I know I've said this before, but I need reiterate how great everyone on this trip is. I really, really like nearly everyone in the group and I think we all have became closer than we ever thought we would have. It seems as though I can't imagine a better collection of people to take such a journey with (Insert "awww" audience track from episode of Full House).
- Even outside of our group, I have run in to hardly any rude Londoners. Sure at first glance most them seem unhappy and have a "do not disturb me" look. But once you engage in conversation with, you will sure learn this is not the case at all. After all, the UK are our America's greatest allies (dumb analogy).
- Took a tour of Parliament in the afternoon. Parliament was really nice, but our tour guide was a little cold. I got yelled at for attempting to take a sip of water. Theres too much authority in that place. Haha.
- That night some of us ate a really nice Italian place near ULU. Some of the best Italian food I've had in a while actually, and it was in London - interesting. Then we embarked on which turned out to be on probably the most fun night of the entire trip. The whole group met at the bar/club at ULU and it broke into the biggest dance party I've seen in years. It felt like a wedding reception or something. The place played a lot of American classics such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Shook Me All Night Long" which really got us all revved up. I bet the other Londoners at the bar were thinking "I didn't know Americans could rage like that" hah. There was some drama towards the end of the night but everything worked out.
Thoughts:
- I know I've said this before, but I need reiterate how great everyone on this trip is. I really, really like nearly everyone in the group and I think we all have became closer than we ever thought we would have. It seems as though I can't imagine a better collection of people to take such a journey with (Insert "awww" audience track from episode of Full House).
- Even outside of our group, I have run in to hardly any rude Londoners. Sure at first glance most them seem unhappy and have a "do not disturb me" look. But once you engage in conversation with, you will sure learn this is not the case at all. After all, the UK are our America's greatest allies (dumb analogy).
Day 17: British Media, Windsor Castle, Drunk Old Men etc
Recap:
- Had another really good lecture about British Media by Dr. Alex Seago, who was hilarious and intelligent. I seriously wanted to ask him if he had a comedy tape out and where I could purchase it. He discussed many of the differences between European and American culture, society and media.
- Headed to Windsor castle for the afternoon. This was another sight that I had seen the previous summer with my family, so I couldn't get that much out of it. It was still really cool to see such a grand place as well as the intimidatingly mechanical castle guards. One of them almost slipped and fell and it could of been one of the top 5 funniest moments of the entire trip.
- That night we went to our Goose again where we ran into some interesting characters. And by interesting I mean blackout drunk, 40 year old men in business attire. And this was at like 8 o'clock. One of them went into the womens bathroom and stayed in there for about 30 minutes. Another one advised Justin to be a male stripper. It was clearly a little uncomfortable to be around.
Thoughts:
- During our British media lecture, we talked a lot about British newspapers and what kinds of people read certain ones. It was interesting to see how prominent newspapers still are in the UK, while they are slowly becoming a dead species in the US.
- I cannot believe anyone doesn't think the Beatles are the greatest band of all time. Even if its Lacey.
- I encountered a weird moment in Starbucks in Windsor when I asked for a frappucino and they said they had no coffee, just cream. Really? A Starbucks that doesn't have coffee? Thats like going to McDonalds and them saying "no, we don't sell meat, just bread".
- Had another really good lecture about British Media by Dr. Alex Seago, who was hilarious and intelligent. I seriously wanted to ask him if he had a comedy tape out and where I could purchase it. He discussed many of the differences between European and American culture, society and media.
- Headed to Windsor castle for the afternoon. This was another sight that I had seen the previous summer with my family, so I couldn't get that much out of it. It was still really cool to see such a grand place as well as the intimidatingly mechanical castle guards. One of them almost slipped and fell and it could of been one of the top 5 funniest moments of the entire trip.
- That night we went to our Goose again where we ran into some interesting characters. And by interesting I mean blackout drunk, 40 year old men in business attire. And this was at like 8 o'clock. One of them went into the womens bathroom and stayed in there for about 30 minutes. Another one advised Justin to be a male stripper. It was clearly a little uncomfortable to be around.
Thoughts:
- During our British media lecture, we talked a lot about British newspapers and what kinds of people read certain ones. It was interesting to see how prominent newspapers still are in the UK, while they are slowly becoming a dead species in the US.
- I cannot believe anyone doesn't think the Beatles are the greatest band of all time. Even if its Lacey.
- I encountered a weird moment in Starbucks in Windsor when I asked for a frappucino and they said they had no coffee, just cream. Really? A Starbucks that doesn't have coffee? Thats like going to McDonalds and them saying "no, we don't sell meat, just bread".
Sunday 7 June 2009
Day 16: Tate Modern, Bob Craigness, Wicked
Recap:
- Took a long trek to the Tate Modern, which was the nicest modern art gallery I've ever been in. Even though I didn't "get" some of the art there (a glass display of 3 vacuum cleaners for instance), theres was still plenty of awesome work to check out. The Tate also had one of the most best gift shops I've ever seen. Seriously, it should have been its own store.
- Received a lecture on WWII from the fountain of knowledge aka Bob Craig and then we headed to the Imperial War Museum. This museum was spectacular and definitely one of my favorites of the trip. They had a terribly sad yet immensely important Holocaust exhibit on the top floor which I checked out.
- At night, we had Wicked. Before the play started, I foolishly spent $9.50 on a Jack and Coke. I was pretty upset about it. Since I already saw Wicked last summer at the exact same place with the exact same cast, I wasn't as floored by the performance as everyone else was. Don't get me wrong, it was still an amazing show. The song "Gravity" could be a #1 hit on the radio instead of all the other crap on the airwaves these days.
- Took a long trek to the Tate Modern, which was the nicest modern art gallery I've ever been in. Even though I didn't "get" some of the art there (a glass display of 3 vacuum cleaners for instance), theres was still plenty of awesome work to check out. The Tate also had one of the most best gift shops I've ever seen. Seriously, it should have been its own store.
- Received a lecture on WWII from the fountain of knowledge aka Bob Craig and then we headed to the Imperial War Museum. This museum was spectacular and definitely one of my favorites of the trip. They had a terribly sad yet immensely important Holocaust exhibit on the top floor which I checked out.
- At night, we had Wicked. Before the play started, I foolishly spent $9.50 on a Jack and Coke. I was pretty upset about it. Since I already saw Wicked last summer at the exact same place with the exact same cast, I wasn't as floored by the performance as everyone else was. Don't get me wrong, it was still an amazing show. The song "Gravity" could be a #1 hit on the radio instead of all the other crap on the airwaves these days.
Day 15: Westminster Abbey, BBC, Nightlife
Recap:
- Visited Westminster Abby in the morning. Even though I had already been there the previous summer with my family, it was still a spectacle to see once more. I swear that it has to be the most architecturally detailed place ever created.
- After grabbing lunch at ULU, we headed to BBC for our guided tour. This was one of the things I was looking more forward to and I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint . Although I wish the tour could of been a little longer, the BBC headquarters was really cool place to see. I also learned how crazy Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and Prince really are.
- That night we went out to this new bar called Kiss the Sky for Meredith's birthday celebration. It was smaller and more low key than the places we've usually been going out but it was still a great time. There was live acoustic music as well as a really talented dude on the electric violin. I was going to go up and play but unfortunately the night was all booked up. I ordered a drink called "Sea Breeze" and it was definitely one of my most embarrassing moments of this trip.
Thoughts:
- On BBC, it was nice to do something directly media related. I think everyone in the group payed close attention to the tour and the surroundings since we are media/communication's majors after all.
- I'm missing my guitar more than any other object right now. Its been like an itch I can't scratch. I somehow want to find a place where I can rent one for the remainder of the trip.
- Kiss the Sky was probably the place where I most felt like I was really part of the London culture. One of musicians that played that night told us that he didn't play his two Anti-American songs because we were there. How nice.
- Visited Westminster Abby in the morning. Even though I had already been there the previous summer with my family, it was still a spectacle to see once more. I swear that it has to be the most architecturally detailed place ever created.
- After grabbing lunch at ULU, we headed to BBC for our guided tour. This was one of the things I was looking more forward to and I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint . Although I wish the tour could of been a little longer, the BBC headquarters was really cool place to see. I also learned how crazy Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and Prince really are.
- That night we went out to this new bar called Kiss the Sky for Meredith's birthday celebration. It was smaller and more low key than the places we've usually been going out but it was still a great time. There was live acoustic music as well as a really talented dude on the electric violin. I was going to go up and play but unfortunately the night was all booked up. I ordered a drink called "Sea Breeze" and it was definitely one of my most embarrassing moments of this trip.
Thoughts:
- On BBC, it was nice to do something directly media related. I think everyone in the group payed close attention to the tour and the surroundings since we are media/communication's majors after all.
- I'm missing my guitar more than any other object right now. Its been like an itch I can't scratch. I somehow want to find a place where I can rent one for the remainder of the trip.
- Kiss the Sky was probably the place where I most felt like I was really part of the London culture. One of musicians that played that night told us that he didn't play his two Anti-American songs because we were there. How nice.
Day 14: Parliament and what not
Recap:
- Received a lecture on Parliament and Politics by Graham Brady MP. The lecture was interesting at times and a little dull at others. It was still really cool to just be inside of Parliament and Big Ben. It seems like one of those buildings that I never thought I would be able to go inside of.
- Had another lecture about the European Union at ULU. This lecture was very interesting for a few reasons. First off, I had no idea what the European Union was nor did I know much about European whatsoever, so the lesson turned out to be very informative. The professor was really cool too - he spoke to us in a way that was funny, realistic and intelligent. I think he made a good connection with all the students in our group.
- We then had to rush to catch a train to Hampton Court Palace. Once we got there, we did a few random things like take a tour of the maze (I was little disappointed by the maze since for some bizarre reason I thought it was gonna be like the maze from The Shining - not the case). We didn't stay too long since we were all a little tired and worn out from tours and British History.
- A bunch of us went out to Goose for dinner and had a fun time as usual. We talked about things such as Biggie vs. Tupac (Biggie) and Aliens vs. Ghosts (Aliens).
Thoughts:
- I really wish European history was more incorporated into the educational system back in the States. The lecture on the European Union made me realize how little I know about Europe. There should be a General Education requirement for Radford on Europe.
- Received a lecture on Parliament and Politics by Graham Brady MP. The lecture was interesting at times and a little dull at others. It was still really cool to just be inside of Parliament and Big Ben. It seems like one of those buildings that I never thought I would be able to go inside of.
- Had another lecture about the European Union at ULU. This lecture was very interesting for a few reasons. First off, I had no idea what the European Union was nor did I know much about European whatsoever, so the lesson turned out to be very informative. The professor was really cool too - he spoke to us in a way that was funny, realistic and intelligent. I think he made a good connection with all the students in our group.
- We then had to rush to catch a train to Hampton Court Palace. Once we got there, we did a few random things like take a tour of the maze (I was little disappointed by the maze since for some bizarre reason I thought it was gonna be like the maze from The Shining - not the case). We didn't stay too long since we were all a little tired and worn out from tours and British History.
- A bunch of us went out to Goose for dinner and had a fun time as usual. We talked about things such as Biggie vs. Tupac (Biggie) and Aliens vs. Ghosts (Aliens).
Thoughts:
- I really wish European history was more incorporated into the educational system back in the States. The lecture on the European Union made me realize how little I know about Europe. There should be a General Education requirement for Radford on Europe.
Monday 1 June 2009
Second Weekend: PARIS! To Be Continued...
Like the weekend in Amsterdam, I'm just gonna pack my entire weekend in Paris into one epic blog. It was one of the coolest weekends of my life.
Recap:
- Took the EuroStar train and arrived in Paris around 3. Immediately went on a great bus tour through the city. Once the tour got into the heart of the city my thoughts were "Wow this is the nicest city I've ever been in" (Rome was #1).
- Checked into our hotel which was only a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower - AMAZING. We found out that the rooms cost $550 a night to stay in, so we somehow got some ridiculously good group discount since the entire trip cost about $700. Quite a step up from staying in Bobs Youth Hostel only a week ago.
- Had a superb dinner on Friday night with the entire group. One of the best meals I've had in years. Completely splurged and spent 35 Euro but it was completely worth it. For my main course I had roasted duck because I've always wanted to say "Oh, the duck was splendid". Now I can.
- After dinner, we bought cheap wine and headed to the Eiffel Tower. The spectacle of the Eiffel Tower at night is truly incredible. It doesn't even seem real. It was just great to drink with friends near one of the most famous monuments in the world.
- On Saturday, we bought 2 day museum passes and went to the Louvre which was obviously incredible. To call that place gigantic would be an understatement.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Recap:
- Took the EuroStar train and arrived in Paris around 3. Immediately went on a great bus tour through the city. Once the tour got into the heart of the city my thoughts were "Wow this is the nicest city I've ever been in" (Rome was #1).
- Checked into our hotel which was only a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower - AMAZING. We found out that the rooms cost $550 a night to stay in, so we somehow got some ridiculously good group discount since the entire trip cost about $700. Quite a step up from staying in Bobs Youth Hostel only a week ago.
- Had a superb dinner on Friday night with the entire group. One of the best meals I've had in years. Completely splurged and spent 35 Euro but it was completely worth it. For my main course I had roasted duck because I've always wanted to say "Oh, the duck was splendid". Now I can.
- After dinner, we bought cheap wine and headed to the Eiffel Tower. The spectacle of the Eiffel Tower at night is truly incredible. It doesn't even seem real. It was just great to drink with friends near one of the most famous monuments in the world.
- On Saturday, we bought 2 day museum passes and went to the Louvre which was obviously incredible. To call that place gigantic would be an understatement.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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