Dinner Party!

We currently have about 10 people in our flat and invite everyone that walks by. This is why I love it here. Ahhh I never want to leave. We're carving a pumpkin for tomorrow's Halloween party in the Study Centre! It's a puking pumpkin, so creative. My IA besties and I head off to Belgium next week as well!! Yippee!!! Okay well there's a ton of people here so I can't really focus on this right now, but I'll update later!! Cheers!

Frolic

Today is quite possibly the most beautiful day we've had in London all semester. A perfect day to lay in the grass at Regents Park and listen to Coldplay all day. Like something out of a movie. Too bad I'm such a good student and am writing papers instead. At least we have our door propped open to get some fresh air, and I love the constant flow of people in our flat. It makes it feel homey. Ahhhh we also just realized that when we get back from Italy, October is pretty much over. This semester is going by unbelievably fast and I'm grateful for each and every day. But it's making me sad to think about leaving. Also Brick Lane Market this morning was INCREDIBLE. Definitely going back ASAP. Back to hw!

9 Things You Should Know Before Studying Abroad (For a Semester)

1. It is expensive. Very expensive. In fact, it may very well be the most expensive semester of your life. You must accept it. Embrace it. Love it. Stop thinking in terms of dollars and realize that Europe is pricy. Don’t feel guilty every time you purchase something, but don’t be frivolous either. Buy things you need at a reasonable price FOR YOUR CITY. You will be spending more money on a day-to-day basis, but you worked damn hard to get here, so don’t worry about it.

2. Everything feels like an adventure. Buying groceries, going to the bank, even studying seems more fun in a new city. Ok maybe not studying. But since you’re a resident, not a tourist, mundane errands of everyday life suddenly become exciting. Finding a new place to buy pita and humus (which will become staples in your diet) can make your entire day.

3. 
    3. You will learn to love everyone in your little community or study center. People who are willing to leave everything they know behind for an entire semester must all have something in common, right? You will learn to absolutely adore where you live, and who you’re constantly surrounded by.  You may even use your window as a main form of communication.

4.   

4.   There are student discounts! You just need to ask. Don’t forget to ask either, or you might miss out on a great deal. Taping your ISIC card to your forehead might help you remember.

5.  Your diet will change. It will become hard to read the nutrition label. (Thank you, metric system. ) The sheer number of sweets, candies, and other goodies will tempt you, and it is highly likely that you will become addicted to digestives. But it is possible to slowly wean yourself off of these treats, and start eating healthy.  Fruits and vegetables are cheaper, and incorporating them into meals will save you money and give you the vitamins to stay healthy. Trust me, your body will thank you.

6.   You may actually have to do work. Shocking, I know. While some people’s study abroad experience may involve very little studying, you will get the short end of the stick. At first you will be angry and frustrated at the idea of being trapped inside a room when a beautiful city lay at your feet. But then you’ll realize that what your teachers have to say is actually interesting, and you may start to enjoy going to class. Even look forward to it. With such small classes it is extremely difficult not to become best friends with your classmates. You will learn with them, drink with them, spend long hours in the conservatory with them, and may even have venting sessions with them.  Without them, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays ( or any day for that matter) wouldn’t be the same.

7.    Traveling to your top destinations actually becomes possible. Not only possible, but very likely!! When companies like Ryanair and Easyjet offer incredibly cheap flights, why not hop over to Istanbul or Rome for the weekend? If you’re worried about money, see number 1!

8.   You will get crazy. Not in a black out drunk kind of way (though that may be true too), but more of a “im-weird-and-make-harry-potter-videos-with-flatmates-late-at-night” sort of thing. But guess what? Everyone else in the study center will be weird too.  A good weird. A fun weird. The kind of environment where you may do or say something completely random or socially unacceptable, and everyone around you laughs or joins in. You will be shocked at how welcoming and friendly every single person is. Enjoy it, because people like that are hard to find (see number 3!).

9.  You will never want to go home. You will start to plan your life based around living in this city, and going home for grad school is no longer an option. You will seek citizenship when out at bars (aka British boys).  So dream big and go for it!

Well there you have it, 9 things to think about before studying abroad. I could think of 100 more, but I’m sleepy. Goodnight!

EUROPE

I should be writing a paper but instead I'm marveling at the fact that I'm actually in Europe. I can hop on a plane to any major European city RIGHT NOW if I wanted to. Wow what a feeling. Like having the world at your fingertips.

Amsterdam!

So it's been a while since I've been on here. So busy!! School's going well, it's definitely hard but I really like all of my classes. I think I've learned more here in two weeks than in my entire two years at FSU. Thats how smart my professors ( and classmates) are. I love it. But I don't love all of the work. I really wish I had these types of classes in Tallahassee; it's s hard to focus when London is at your doorstep. My flatmates and I spend lot's of time in the conservatory, which is a glass study box in the courtyard kind of underground....tough visual, I know. I'll post a good picture soon. I gave my first presentation last week and it went really well! Now I'm trying to work on a paper thats 30% of my grade due in 2 weeks....and we're out of town for the next 3 weekends. Well i must go, we have lots to do before leaving for Amsterdam tomorrow!!!!!!! Yipee for stress relief.

Working hard and playing harder,
Aly

Hmm

I want to reconstruct the entire education system. Its a bajillion times more effective to go out and learn about something than to be trapped by 4 walls and a ceiling. This makes me angry.

Life Revelations?

So we had our first day of Monday classes today. Yippee! I have European Union from 10-1 and then Modern Diplomacy from 2-5. Talk about long classes. I really like my two professors for these courses, the way they teach is awesome and they're both pretty laid back. They also don't expect us to know freaking everything like my Tues/Thurs professor. So after looking over all of my syllabi (syllabuses?...sounds like a mode of transportation), I have a mere 6 presentations to give, 10 papers to write, and finals which all consist of essay tests. My flatmates literally get to play in a sandbox for one of their finals. Please remind me why I didn't just sign up for Broad Curriculum? Oh yes, Brussels. My programs trip to Brussels is the only thing keeping me semi-sane right now. Its amazing how I can go from totally stressed, to determined, to not even caring, to back to working within a 30 minute period. Its like a vicious cycle. I know the point of studying abroad is to study, but how am I expected to sit inside a classroom reading textbooks when in London?!?!  My professors are just going to have to deal with the fact that class is coming second to Europe. We have weekend trips, day trips, excursions, breaks and all sorts of fun stuff happening, and I refuse to read all the pages I'm assigned. HA! How's that for beating the system. So my grades might suffer for a semester, but today I learned that I'm not cut out for academia. I love school and learning and all of that, but doing it outside of a stuffy classroom is what really counts, I think. Why read about something when you can be out there experiencing it instead?
On a side note, I started to realize that as much as I like to learn about how and why countries interact with each other, whats really fascinating is the people and culture of that country. Not necessarily the stuff you learn about in third grade, but more about interacting with them on their turf. Travel, I guess is what I'm talking about. How cliche. But I want to do it for the rest of my life. Preferably with my sister, who'd be an awesome companion, but if anyone is having a fifth-life crisis and wants to join, let me know.

Wow I've been rambling. I'm not even going to take the time to edit this (Sorry!) because I should be finishing my presentation/starting a powerpoint/watching the news/reading textbooks.

Oh by the way, we're going to see Deathtrap on Wednesday with Jonathan Groff!! If we get there early enough we can get front row seats for cheap!!! Some theatre kids in the study centre already went and met him! SO excited. Night!!

So Bloody Knackered

Haven't been on here in a while, sorry! I've been too busy learning the language of the Brits, going to our favorite bar The Court, traveling to Stratford-upon-Avon, shopping on Oxford street, relaxing in Hyde Park, and packing more activites into each day than clowns in a clowncar. Tomorrow we're headed to Brighton, a seaside town with pebble beaches and fish and chips! But tonight we went to see Into The Woods in Regents Park in an open air theatre. It was SO good, as is every show I've seen here so far, but tonight's was freezing! Winter's definitely going to be harsh. I am so in love with this city and the people in it it's unreal. I don't think I've ever experienced this much continuous, sustained joy in my life. No joke. It's kind of weird the way it happens too; we'll be out on an excursion or just walking down the street and a wave of giddiness will hit. Suddenly I'll feel like I'm five again and every little thing becomes the most exciting experience in the world. I love everyone in this program, and I couldn't have asked for better flatmates. I wake up every morning with a spectacular selection of ways to spend my day and it is an incredible feeling. Every single penny put into this was well worth it, so thank you to those who helped me make this dream a reality. I never want to leave London.

Classy and Trashy All in One Day!

we

After spending the morning at the V&A Museum (Victoria and Albert), we decided we'd been classy enough for one day, and headed to Europe's largest street carnival for some mayhem: Notting Hill Carnival.  As a day filled with jerk chicken, alcoholic beverages,  a plethora of reggae bands, about 14,000 bobbies (cops for you non-Londoners), and all around riffraff, it was hard to believe that we were in London's most expensive neighborhood. People watching was highly entertaining, and facepaint proved to be the best idea all day. Although leaving was insanely difficult, the carnival was worth it! Go if you enjoy cheap beer, crowds of ridiculously dressed foreigners, street food out the wazoo, and live music. Here's a picture of what Notting Hill might look like on any other weekend.

The Problem with Writing After a Late Night...

Wow only now am I noticing the mass amounts of grammatical and other errors in that last post. So I apologize for writing when I got home from a night out. Won't happen again!

When London is Truly Alive

Oh the nights in London. And tonight was only our first night out. What a crazy adventure. Started out at a bar called the Court, where you can get a burger, chips (fries), and a pint for 4 pounds. Stayed there for a bit, met some Germans, and then wandered our way to Soho, the young and trendy part of London. Stopped at a few pubs but found ourself at the White Hart, a recommendation by our GC Jacob. This place was AWESOME. The drinks weren't so cheap, but so many cool people. Met a few brits who I'm sure we'll see again, and ran into kids from Notre Dame! Insane. This city is incredibly alive at night, with people everywhere hanging outside of bars with a pint or just wandering the streets. I've never really lived in a city before but I feel like no city can compare to how this place is when the sun goes down. Even now I can hear people singing in the street form my flat. Its like people are hibernating during the day so they can rage all night long. Whats fun about London is that so people who are "Londoners" aren't really from here. We met people tonight from Zimbabwe, Greece, Zambia and all over the UK. With such a mix of people its extremely difficult not to meet someone interesting.  It was a fun night indeed, but I'm exhausted and we have a Bloomsbury walking tour tomorrow at 11! Night!

Longest Day Ever

 It's raining right now, typical London, so naturally we're blasting glee. I live with a bunch of Gleeks and couldn't be happier. Haha and our upstairs shower is the size of a cubby, no joke. Its like showering in a time capsule. Luckily the downstairs one is bigger! I got so lucky that my flat is in the courtyard since about half of them are up 78 flights of winding stairs. Literally. Ok, not really...but I wouldn't want to climb that everyday.  The past 36 hours have been crazy. The flight wasn't too bad, and the bus ride to the study center provided the BEST hour and a half nap. Its still slightly unnerving that people drive on the left, I always feel like we're going to crash, or get hit when I cross the road. Everyones accents are so cute, but now I feel like I'm offending people when I fake a british accent for fun. Oh well, they already hate Americans. Tomorrow I have four meetings in a row, then a walking tour, and hopefully time to buy a cell phone. Yay! Off to bed.

Flat Tour!!

After a crazy 24 hours, probably longer, we thought you should get to see our flat! Its so cute.

!!!!

Leaving tomorrow! I'm going to do my best to keep this thing updated, but I have no idea when I'll be back on the internet. Since my brain has been on autopilot for the past 4 months, hopefully my writing will get better as the semester goes on. I've got to get whatever tiny bit of creative juices I have flowing. Or I need to read more. If you're reading this, thanks! I'm a blog newb so I'll try and keep it interesting. Cheerio!

So Close

Yay for bike rides and textbooks! Still waiting on a few to get here though, cross your fingers for me.

8 Days!!

Only 8 days until I'm off to jolly old England!! I guess I should start packing. I've been spending my days in the Barnes and Noble travel section, attempting to learn all I can about one of the biggest cities in the world, but am too excited to do anything but look at the pictures. I think their staff is starting to get annoyed, I usually just sit in the aisle instead of bothering with a table.  Now that I'm finished with work ( I'll miss my JCP aquatics staff! ), hopefully I can rest up enough to get over mono AGAIN. Frustrating. Maybe I'll catch up on some reading. If you're curious about my semester plans, here's a brief idea of what the Study Center has planned! 

First iMovie EVER!

So chronicling my adventures in the Holyland hasn't happened yet...but I did make an iMovie! Halfway decent, right?

Israel!

Well I guess the first thing I should do on here is share my adventures in the Holyland before I forget. So in the next few days, when I'm not being a slave at the pool of course, I'll try and post stories and pictures of the best 10 days of my summer!

New!

Ahh I"m new to this blogging thing so I'm going to spend the next few weeks figuring it out!