What a Great Week!

So, as you may have seen in my last post, I went to an Arsenal game last night. I cannot believe how much our flat owners (Anglo American) hooked us up! We left for the game last night and low and behold the tube we were supposed to take to Arsenal was down... Luckily, we had left earlier on to go to the store before the game and just have some extra time. So, after moving 1 stop down we had to leave the tube and head to a bus stop... Now, normally this wouldn't be much of a problem, but on the way, we passed a lot of fashion stores and it's apparently London's fashion week or something. This definitely seemed to slow things up a bit. So, we took the bus to the Piccadilly Circus underground stop and got off to take the tube the last bit. You would know that it was a match night in the area as many Arsenal jersey wearing fans go on the tube to head that direction with us. We arrived at the Arsenal stop and stepped out into a fan filled street. It was pretty awesome to see them all and hear people doing chants and screaming things like, "Red Ar-my". (Red is team color) So, me and 3 others walked, following the fans, the little bit towards Emirates Stadium. We then, ran into the merchandise store and true to others words, jerseys were 40 pounds. Not too bad really for an official jersey. We then headed in and I bought a program for 2pds. Good souvenir I figure. Well, I was actually wrong about the price of the tickets being 30pds as they were 25! (Or roughly 40ish American) Also, we were 5th row club level seating! This meant that we had access to the restaurant and bars and it was quite fancy. We weren't high up at all and I took a lot of pictures even though you weren't supposed to when players were on the pitch. muahaha I'll try to upload them soon! The game was going great and competition was fierce as they took on West Bromwich Albion. It was so amazing to see such a talented group play so intensely. It was awesome to see how much communication they had going all of the time and most could generally put the ball where they wanted it and had incredible touches on the ball. The fanbase was amazing! The stadium houses a little over 60,000 and it was filled with 57 and some. Pretty impressive turnout. Everyone was so excited to be there and cheer on their team! Even the foreign West Bromwich fans were going crazy chanting. I sat next to a dad and his kid and the kid would occasionally get mad at their fans and once yelled some obscenities. haha It was pretty funny in the accent and all! Halftime came and the game stayed a scoreless, but very entertaining, match so far. We herded into the lobby close by and were greeted by tables filled with pints of beer. What kind you ask? Why... The best kind. FREE! So, we hung out in the lobby for the remainder and headed in shortly after the 2nd half started. In the second half, Arsenal scored two goals and we ended up hanging out in the lobby for a bit after the game and got some free sandwiches as they were going to throw them away. So, all in all we had a great time and it was so much fun to actually see a professional game here! Especially one in the Premier league! (Top league) We headed back on the tube pretty late and I went to bed for the night. I then woke up at a bright and early 7:40 to get ready for a 10am meeting at the base of Big Ben. Well, on the way there, we entered the underground and took an escalator down to the tube. Strangely, it stopped partway down and we walked the rest of the way down in a stairlike fashion. No big deal right... Well it wouldn't have been if it wasn't a forshadowing to the tube stopping 3 different times for delays on our way to meet Dr. Pinger. (The trips American Director) So, we arrived 25 minutes late. Really it wouldn't have been that bad, but I was tired and standing on a hot and unmoving tram is not good early in the morning... The day was great after that though as we walked from Ben over to the closely located Westminster Abbey. And all I can say about that place is that it is amazing! Such elaborate architecture adorns every wall and crevice of that church! Sadly I was not allowed to take any pictures inside of the building... I did get some of some inner courtyards and halls outside though! This is another thing that needs to be looked up if you have the time... Description really won't do it justice, but it was so beautiful in there. There was so much to see and it was very peaceful. I guess that the general public can attend service there on Sundays free of charge and I think I may try to actually do that one Sunday just for the experience of it all. After we had left there, we had a lunch break and then met Lyndon under Big Ben for a tour of the Houses of Parliament! Amazing architecture inside that place. The ceilings were very elaborate. It was also really cool to be able to put to picture what we'd learned in class about Parliament to the actual rooms that these things take place in. We got to see the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Once again, no pictures inside though... We also got to see where the Queen sits in there with a throne and very decorative area around it that is apparently painted in 23k gold. Very neat experience to be had and it was pretty interesting even with the monotonous old English tour guide lady. Then, later tonight I met up with Cassie and Carey at about 7:30ish. We went out to eat and took the tube down to the Westminster stop that outlets you right by Big Ben and walked the Thames some. Very pretty at night to see all the lights on the water and The Eye lit up in blue. Anyways, it was great to see them and we parted at the Tube to go our separate ways and here I am now. It was nice to hear from them what they had been up to and how the Au Pairing was going. I might eventually try and visit them as they are in Northern Italy on a lake by mountains. It sounded like a really cool area! Well... Thanks for reading!


Joel

Beginning My 2nd Week of Classes

Today I began my 2nd week of classes. Mondays consist of a British Life and Culture class that is 4 hours with an hour and a half break in the middle and an Art History class. Everyone is required to take the BL&C class. I awoke to a rude awakening as I, along with most others, were under the impression that class this week started at 9:30, but apparently it was to begin at 9... So, at 8:31 my roommate Adam wakes me up telling me that we have to be there at 9. So, I get up and get dressed and pretty much immediately have to head out to the bus stop towards the College. (It takes about 20 minutes) I make it at 9:03. Not too bad really. The day was actually pretty great as our professor for the BL&C class is really great. In the first 2 hour session we spoke about some research that we had done for a river walking tour last week. This entailed researching either a King or Queen and telling about each of them in a chronological fashion. We also, had to have done research on a futbol team we were assigned. We discussed each of our teams and what their presence meant and represented throughout history. We have much more to do on it, but it's amazing how much religion and region has played into futbol history. I already am gaining a much greater passion for the game than I've had before. This is perfect because I, along with two other guys on the trip, got tickets through the group that owns our townhouses to an Arsenal game tomorrow! Going to be an AWESOME experience. Especially when you're 5th row for only 30 pounds and get free drinks at half time! Incredible deal... Moving on though. Then, we talked about what we had learned on the tour by diagraming out a circle plot in groups. Following this, we took our lunch break for a while. After returning to class, we started on a different subject. We had a homework assignment from last week to answer quite a few questions on England's Parliament. This was actually quite fun to research as I have a much firmer understanding of how their Government runs here. We set up tables and chairs all over the room to represent the official positions of members of Parliament and their tables. (Complete with Queen, Prime Minister, and Chancellor) Then, we went through a fake official process of creating a bill to be passed. I was part of the Labour Party and in the House of Commons group. We got to decide what law that we wanted to pass and exited to the hallway to decide on a "real" law to pass. We ended up settling on changing the side of the road that people drive on from the left to the right. haha It was quite fun to see Lyndon's reaction. The day then passed from there (3:05) to catching the tube to meet at The British Museum for Art History at 3:30. Our professor for that class, Mr. Giovanni, is really, really cool as well. (Way too perfect of a name for an Art History Professor right?) Amazing building! I suggest looking it up as the roof in the lobby is an all glass cover as of the year 2000. It used to be open air I guess. The entire place is set up in sections of continental history showcasing artifacts. We took today to go through the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sections. I had a really good time there. Giovanni kept it very engaging and is very enthusiastic about the subject. I learned a lot about each and actually took notes. We also went through to see the Rosetta Stone and at the end saw pieces of the Parthenon. Today had a lot of talk with religious overtones honestly. I knew that religion had caused a lot of clashing through history, but it was something to hear of some of it. After this, we left and went on about our own business for the day. So, I came back to the townhouse and cooked and Iceland deep dish, chicken sweetcorn pizza I got for a pound! mmm It was actually the best one flavorwise that I've had yet. Then, I tried to upload pictures 2 times and they failed at the very end both times. So, I tried again and got them to work. Thankfully! I'll finish captions later as I have some homework to do now. Thanks for reading and I'll update again soon.

Joel


Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that Cassie and Carey are coming to visit me on Wednesday! For those who don't know, I originally met Cassie years ago because of being friends with her brother Andy circa 5th grade. haha Carey is her boyfriend. He is awesome as well. It's going to be so cool to meet up with them here in London. They are working as Au Pairs in Italy right now. Also, I was going to schedule a last minute trip to Ireland with some other kids from the group, but ticket prices skyrocketed as they were booking so I'm not going... It's cool though. I'll still go soon!

Finally Right?

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post. It's been great spending time here just getting to feel out the city and adjust to being so disconnected. I appreciate everyones support and will hopefully be updating this more often now. Wow... So much has happened so far. Lets see... We went to the Globe Theatre on Monday to watch Shakespeare's, "As You Like It". I went in with no real expectations and came out very pleased! I was one of the lucky, or unlucky if you get tired easily, people in our group who got to stand in front of the stage for the entirety of the performance. This used to be a standard thing for commoners who payed, I believe, 2 pence for it. I liked it a lot though as it really gets you up close and personal with the show! The acting was awesome and made it a lot easier to stand for the duration. It was such a strange feeling to know that i was in London in the Globe watching British performers... I was also glad that we went to a play that was a comedy as it was fun to laugh with the audience and the performers obviously really enjoyed it. The play apparently was the sparking of the famous line, "The whole worlds a stage" and the origin of the term, "too much of a good thing". Very cool. I think that I am going to come back in incredible shape at no effort as much as I walk here. Sure the tube helps you get around, but you'd be amazed at how much you really walk outside of this. I enjoy it though because it allows me to take time to soak in the little things and nuances of the vast array of culture that London offers. I really can't believe how many different kinds of people there are in the area! London is definitely a multicultural existence. It's really cool to see everyone interact and get along with that culture gap being so prevalent. As a side note, I feel incredibly safe here and have no worries honestly. As long as you take a few safety precautions such as: wallet in front pocket, don't wonder around in shady areas at night, don't go too far South of the Thames at night and you're good. London is an expensive city, but luckily we live close to central London, but not right in it. This is ideal because food and drink is so much cheaper outside the touristy areas. Their soda here is great and doesn't contain all of the unnecessary high fructose corn syrup that our drinks offer. They use sugar and it makes for such a better drink that isn't so thick... blegh Fruit is incredibly cheap here and actually makes it easy to buy. haha I stopped by a vendor and got a bowl of apples and a bowl of oranges for a pound each. This gave me about 7 of each product. A pound is sitting at about $1.60 right now so it's still a great deal even at this rate. Also, we generally shop at a store close to the townhouses called Iceland. I would compare it to Aldi I guess. They have awesome prices and when not eating our I have gotten great deals on food there. Anyway, to get back on task, we went to Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle on Wednesday! There is no comparison to in a book or movie to seeing these sights... Just ask some of the girls on the trip that are considering skipping our flight home and finding work in the small cosy town of Canterbury now. haha It really was amazing seeing the Cathedral. We had a tour guide, but we had a limited time there before heading to Dover so I kind of lagged behind and took pictures and video instead! I hated to miss some of the details, but I can read all about those in books and the internet. I can't just be there again right? One standout detail to me though was that there was so much history in the architecture of the Cathedral. Our guide said that they constantly updated the architecture through the years so we were seeing the design work of at least a couple centuries! Awesome... We even went down to the crypt there! I really wanted to take pictures in there because it was straight out of a horror movie, but they wouldn't allow it. :( We then left and ate in the town. I had a really good lunch of a baguette sandwich that had ham and tuna on it. We also tried some ice cream from a small shop there and I actually got vanilla. The only reason being was because it was kind of yellow and looked like it was different than ours. It was quite different actually. I'm not really sure that it was better or worse. I also made a purchase of "Cough Candy". It's basically a thicker jolly rancher shaped hard candy that tastes a little like licorice, but sweeter and not so strong. They are really good actually! Back to order though.  I was so excited once we left for Dover Castle though! We saw some of the typical England landscape of large fields and sheep. It was cool to actually see that to me. Approaching in the Coach bus we had was so awesome. A legit castle that sat up on a ledge overlooking water to France and the town of Dover below. It was incredibly windy up there and I just sat for a while outside the walls of the castle on the grass overlooking the water and just felt the wind for a while wishing Anna was there to sit with me. (You would have loved it!) Going inside the castle was indescribable. The setup inside was too cool. You could take a winding stone staircase up to the top of the castle to see off below. On the way up there were side rooms to stop off in with banners and crests and beds and even a few actors to fit the bill of commoners in the castle. Also, there were windows that were just a narrow vertical slit on the staircases. On top of the castle there were four corners with the typical square towers and you could take a small staircase up to them and see off the castle by look between the stone squares cut in the sides. There was nothing like it... To imagine that people once lived and battled there is one of the coolest things in the world to me. So awesome. The money for the trip is already out of my mind. It's one thing to imagine being here, but to actually BE here is incredibly worth every penny. I already have so many memories and I'm just out of the gates in scope. People here are so friendly. Yes, you do have the fast city life people, but someone who is a native or just takes the time to live outside the fast lane is so nice. I've already talked to two policeman here and both were actually nice and informative and had no sense of a powertrip about them. It's almost impossible to get lost as people are so helpful in helping you find your way and a tube stop is usually relatively close so I can just get on there and figure it out on the way. There are so many signs in stations that you always know where your are at on or off the tram. It's so cool to even just hear the accents in everyday life. Some are much thicker than others and people from Liverpool are almost speaking another language! haha Some people pronounce "th" as an f. So instead of saying "three" or "through" it becomes "free" or "frew". We went to a pub called Powers the other night and watched a few live acts play. (One of which is a friend of ours from here that one of the girls has a thing for) An interesting observation is that they sing, generally, in an American accent... I don't get it. Another thing, the United States is truly infecting the world... They listen to all of our crappy music here. I was so sad to see this and hear songs like Fergilicious playing. Ouch America. I will do another update soon and upload a ton of pictures tomorrow probably of my latest ventures. I want to thank all of you so much for your support as this is shaping up to be one of the best experiences I'll ever have and I wouldn't be here without influence from most of you at some point in my life. Till next time...

Joel

Day 2

Well I've survived two days in London and it has been great. I think that it is finally starting to hit me that I am going to be here for more than a slight vacation. Not complaining though! haha We actually had a really good day for the first day even though everyone was quite tired. The nap didn't inhibit my sleeping for the night as I was pretty worn out still. It was just too hard to sleep on the plane from the excitement. After getting the bus to our townhouses from the airport, Dr. Pinger and his wife had made us sandwiches. It was really nice so we could go on with our day. At this point we took naps for a bit. Later that day, we got our tube passes set up. (Which is an incredibly simple system to use) The stations are set up so that every stop is announced and very clearly marked outside the tram. The bus system is very easy to use as well and is also included in our tube pass. We also took a bus over to the Westminster College where we will be taking our classes. Other than that, we were free to do what we wanted and most went shopping and searching for electric adapters or converters. Luckily I found out that my computer, hard drive, and camera are all rated from 120v-240v. This meant that I could buy two adapters for 2.99p (or roughly 5ish dollars) and run my components easily and safely. Moving on, I fell asleep at about 11:30-12 last night. Then, we woke up to leave at 8:30 to meet Lyndon Sly, our soon to be British Life and Culture Professor at W.C. to hear a little introduction and set up our student ids. Annoyingly, I was assigned into the last group which was due to process them at 11:10 when it was currently 9:50 at the time of group assigning. In the end, me and some of the others from late groups went to a nearby pub coined, "The Green Man" for coffee. (My idea) haha Of course I needed a cup of joe! I got a cappuccino , which was quite tasty, and relaxed and visited with the others for a bit before heading back. After going and getting our id's, we left and got in a larger group to go eat at, yet again, "The Green Man". Always Sunny in Phil. fans rejoice! I ate a "spicy beef", which I guess is their equivalent of a burger and some chips. (No, not Lays or Ruffels... Fries) Pretty good, but nothing special in the end. We then took the tube back to our flat to meet for a River walking tour by a man from the Anglo company. (The company that owns our townhouses) We took the tube down from Kilburn to Oxford and transfered over to the Central line, which then took us down to Holborn. This was an awesome tour that had so many great stops along the way! The man was an awesome tour guide who really knew his material. We started at Bloomsbury (apparently the area where Wendy and family from Peter Pan were to have resided) and traveled through around to Picadilly, Leicester, China Town, Charing Cross, The Shaftesbury Theatre, Temple Church, and over to Fleet Street. I got a lot of video footage, which I don't have done yet. Other than that, we went back to the flats and were free again by 4ish. I stayed around and messed with some video footage. Sorry for the delay, but I'm still adjusting to this awesome city and experience around me! Hopefully I'll have pictures and video soon! The Thames is just as cool as I thought it would be, although we only saw it briefly off of the Waterloo bridge. I'm going back very soon needless to say! Sorry for the somewhat long post, that really didn't give that much detail... I'll have better ones soon when I'm more adjusted. For now, Thank you for reading and I'm hitting the sack.

I am here!

Hey everyone. Just wanted to say that I am here in London and very excited to see all that it has to offer. I had a safe trip here that ran as smoothly as it could have. The only problem was that I stepped off of the plane only to be kicked in the face by the giant foot that was jet lag. I only could sleep for a half hour the entire flight. I was too excited to arrive. I will probably put up more details later, but for now I am going to take a nap for a bit to catch up on some of that sleep. I think that we are all going to watch a soccer match (on tv) with England against Croatia later tonight at a local pub. Thanks for reading and keep watching for more content soon with video and pictures!

Joel

One Week Until Liftoff

I just set this up and will be emailing out the link to people soon. I hope that many of you will become followers of my blog as I think that it will be quite interesting throughout my journey if I can fulfill the photo and video content that I wish to. Next post will probably be on next Tuesday the 8th after my arrival in London!