Clear as a Bell

I'll refrain from apologizing for being crap at keeping up with the blog. There was a busy couple of weeks and I lost track of time. Since the last post we have had our 'reading week' which is like a mid-term study break. Needless to say I didn't do much towards school work since Shannon and I decided to run away to Scotland instead. It was a much needed break after spending a flurry of days in our flat trying to revise resumes and cover letters for some of the graduate recruitment scheme deadlines. I've just heard I was not selected to interview so I suppose I now have no excuse but to go back to focusing on school and this blog.

Scotland was delightful, if not seriously cold and dark. It reminded me of being back in Alaska when the sun set around 3:30pm. Alaska is sadly short on ruined castles and kilts so there were some perks in the frozen north of the UK. We managed to see most of Edinburgh and took a day trip down to the borderlands in the South for a visit to Rosslyn Chapel. You'll know Rosslyn from the final scenes in The DaVinci Code. I have to say that it is far more creepy in person. It's used as a church but you get the definite feeling that the purpose for it being built had nothing to do with God. That's just my opinion but I don't feel I'm wrong. At any rate I will be glad to go back to Scotland next summer when it's a little more daylight filled and go north to the Highlands that we have heard are stunning. The train ride to and from was just beautiful and we got to remember what the ocean looked like.

Back in London it had gotten darker as well but it was a bit warmer and definitely felt even more like home. Our classes are beginning to wind down a bit and it's scary how quickly time is flying by. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house yesterday. It was complete with tension, some fighting, food explosions, and at least one person ended up with a cooking injury but those are all of the things that made it feel exactly like every other Thanksgiving I've ever been to. Our turkey was beautiful and the company was lovely. We had quite a time trying to find certain things deemed 'American' in the week before. We finally came across the American foods section in the big department store Selfridge's where we happily bought Jello, canned Pumpkin, chocolate chips, and a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to be savored at some point later this week. We had to face facts that Cool Whip and Pillsbury biscuit dough were not going to be found anywhere in the country. We did, however, manage to score the last two tins of French Fried Onions to be had at Sainsburys the morning of, and the green bean casserole turned out just fine. Beth has a really eclectic and truly wonderful group of friends that Shannon and I have managed to start co-opting as our own, and school is also providing some truly fantastic people that have made our transition here a little more easy. This is not to say that on Thanksgiving day while all our friends and family were back home celebrating we did not wake up a little bit sad. I think I had a generally lonely dismal day for some reason and Shannon's was similar...I believe there was a meltdown of sorts, trying to locate a pie pan. We found a pub over by Parsons Green and consoled ourselves with lamb shank and sausage and mash. There's nothing like hearty comfort food for the soul.

The next challenges will be our course assessments that will be due after Christmas. I'll be back in Dallas for some of the holidays and am hoping to get the largest chunk of the work done since I'll have a friend in town when I get back. We're not sure about the grading system here...it seems easier than the states, you only need 50% to pass. But how hard it is to get a 50%? We're not sure. Meanwhile, I'm dreaming of getting a chick-fil-a sandwich, riding in a car again, and being back somewhere familiar. No matter how much you want to be somewhere it's always hard to exist in a new world. We keep ourselves very amused though as the British have a sense of humor I can get behind. We've started discerning the various types of accents and have determined that we do not like the one we've titled 'nuffing.' The offending accent says fings like, 'Bef (Beth), would you mind helping wif the fing I asked you about? There's nuffing I can do about it from ova 'ere.' It's hilarious. Public transport is also a prime area for amusement. We were waiting for the train to leave the station the other day and the driver comes over the PA system with the normal, "Please stand clear of the doors, this train will depart shortly." That's normal. He comes on again, "Stand clear of the doors, please." And then, "STAND clear of the DOOOOOORS!!!!" The entire train started laughing. I do not want that guys job, for sure.

Sex Crackers and Pub Quiz Champions!!

I was just sitting outside and the sky was amazing. The clouds were flying past the moon and the garden is starting to fill with roses. The weekend was a load of fun...which meant I wasn't exactly as well-read for my class today as I could have been. Saturday Shannon and I went out with a plan, only to find that the tube wasn't running in our area of town. So we got familiar with the bus system very quickly. The London buses are actually a great way to get to know the city better and if you ride up top the height and perspective makes the ride a little exciting as these giant double-decker buses seem to squeeze where it doesn't seem like they should fit.
We walked up to Kensington Gardens and Palace to have a quick look around and then spent the rest of the afternoon in a shopping frenzy on the high street. I came with almost no appropriate clothing and now I have a perfectly serviceable wardrobe mostly. We got back home and spent the rest of the night relaxing and eating the pumpkin soup Shan made.
The next morning we meant to do the chores of going to find more hangers and stopping at the hardware store to rig up something to insulate and close up the chimney holes. We ended up going for a jog in our park and then got caught up cleaning for the lunch party Beth had planned. The walk was beautiful again, I swear I'll have pictures of that in the next post. The Thames was low and there were dozens of rowers fighting for space with the swans in the diminished water. We were laughing as the coaches would follow behind in their nice motorized boats, yelling out instructions with their megaphones. If I were sweating it out, I might have a few choice words for where that megaphone could go.
Anyway, the lunch party turned more to a dinner party as the lack of transport made the guests later than expected. No matter, we had wine and appetizers while we waited for Beth's dinner of roast pork, goat cheese and mushroom polenta, and green beans. For dessert a chocolate and pear tart. It was very good! There wasn't too much time after clean-up before we were due to leave for the pub quiz at our new favorite place, The Pear Tree.
It's not too far from here and the atmosphere and staff are really great. We tried to do the quiz last week but it was suspended for some sort of impromptu play. This week it was on! A hilarious and heavily accented Scotsman was heading up the somewhat unusual quiz. He kept saying at one point, 'six crackers,' which sounded like 'sex crackers.' Jokes, jokes... Beth's friend Max, Shannon, Beth, and myself. There was a 10 question 'general' knowledge part, which we thought we did okay at until he read the answers later. One particular question - "Harvard did a study asking people this....If you were in a port-a-loo(potty for those in the states, which I think is everyone) and you were sitting down to have a number two, and you look up to see the ceiling covered in spiders do you a. finish and then go or b. run like the wind." Needless to say there was no lack of interesting discussion as we tried to figure out what people would have said.

There were other parts - anagrams, which we sucked at....alot. A movie section. And then a section that looked like the last round of family feud. You know, pick the most popular answer out of 100 people surveyed? That one was my responsibility. The random section where you did a little red/black betting, went to Max who managed to score a massive 7 points. And last, but not least, was what they call a bush trucker trial...yeah ok. Apparently it can be like a fear factor thing...luckily for her it was just 5 giant crackers and what turned out to be a shot of balsamic vinegar. She and nine other people raced to finish the crackers and then take the shot of vinegar. The early lead went to some guy who polished off three but Shannon came up from behind and kicked the pants out of everyone! It was amazing. The entire pub was in a frenzy. Somehow even with our crap answers the first round, and dismal showing in the anagrams we ended up winning. And the prize was a bottle of champagne...bad news bears. This morning didn't feel stellar but it was so worth it.

Life in London

We're finally living in London! I can't believe it's been over two weeks already. We've had some troubles with actually getting internet in our apartment and the sketchy one we've been paying for has finally decided to work properly so I thought I'd start my blog again.

We got here and pretty much jumped right into things. We had welcome drinks at the wine bar down the street with our roommate, get signed up for classes, and everything else administrative that needed to be done. And that sentence makes it sound so much easier than it was. The first week or so it seemed like we hit every possible frustration and annoyance. The dogs had a bit of trouble but managed to make it here. From money issues, to having pants too long for shoes that weren't comfortable enough to walk anywhere, to the Tube pass machines not taking credit cards for no good reason...it has been a bit of a struggle but we've managed alright. What is most surprising is how at home I feel here.

I've joined the university chorus which makes me proud of myself. Since I'm normally terribly lazy I struggle to make the changes in my life I want to see. I said before I came I wanted to get back to singing and now I have. Now after the first rehearsal I realize that so much disuse of my voice has cost me most of my range. Oh well, practice will help. Poor neighbors...

We've been getting the in's and out's of traffic here as well. Apparently a green man doesn't always mean walk if you're in the driver's seat. A car nearly hit a group of us and one girl yelled out, "IT'S BLOODY GREEN!" Which just made me laugh like a maniac. For the same language there are quite a few sayings that do not translate or they translate but the comic factor is out of this world. Some of the girls in my program and I went for coffee in the cafe that is actually inside Russell Gardens (very pretty) and discussed the differences. Speaking of my program. I really love it! Global Migration and UCL was definitely the right choice. There is only one guy in the program, which is hilarious, and the group is very diverse. There are quite a few countries represented which brings an interesting dimension to discussions - England, Estonia, Norway, Canada, Italy, Romania, etc.

Well, it is time I did my reading for my International European and Refugee Law course....yeah I'm hoping it's not as bad as it sounds. Pictures to be posted on the next entry.