Tower of London

Today we went to see the Tower of London! Very cool and historic; right up my alley. We saw where all the famous prisoners were kept, the Crown Jewels (including the biggest diamond in the world) and the roayl armoury. The BeefEaters (those guys with the big hats) give the tours and are HILARIOUS. They actually live inside the compoud, and the gates are locked at 10pm every night! I got some really good picturs, and bought mom and ornament and a few postcards. Also a teddy bear dressed as a Beef Eater for myself. So cute.

Tonight we were going to go to Ice Bar, a club made entirely out of ice. You are only allowed to stay in for 45 minutes so you don't get too cold, and they give you big fur coats when you get there. It's definitely a one time thing, but an experience we have to have while we're here. Unfortunatley, you have to make reservations two weeks in advance! So, we're going in a few weeks I guess.

The boys who live in our house are all gone for their homestay this weekend, so we're going to have a girl's night and watch some movies and stuff.

Ahoy!

Last night was pretty fun. We went to a new bar called Ghost that was opening in a really rich area of Chelsea - lots of rich kids. The atmosphere was good, but even though it was free to get in, they charged like 8 pounds for one drink! Give me a break. We came home and all just hung out in the kitchen for a few hours, and I FINALLY got to watch some Lost before going to sleep.

This morning we woke up and I booked a trip to Barcelona with Andrea for March! I can't wait to go - she's one of my best friends from IU and is also studying in London, but not on the same program. After, Eliz and I went for a "run" in Hyde Park. (We ran about 1/5 of the time). We were inspired by a race that was going on though, in which 100 year olds were doing way better than I would have, so we decided we'll run again tomorrow. We saw the famous Peter Pan statue! It's so cool - we definitely need to start exploring Hyde Park more.

After coming back and doing laundry and whatnot, we went shopping for a little bit. I'm still on the hunt for my perfect pair of boots that dad is getting me for my birthday. I found near perfection, but they didn't have my size, so the search continues :) I did get a really cool pair of sneakers from a second hand store though.

Just got back and showered, and am getting ready to go on a boat cruise on the Thames with a bunch of kids. It's 007 themed, so we're all getting decked out (no pun intended). Tomorrow I think we're going to check out Portobello Road market which is really near our house and I've heard has some awesome stuff for sale (ie, I watched Notting Hill the movie and saw some cool stuff). I think we're also going to go check out all the places featured in the movie. I think the house with the blue door is currently up for sale and going for something like 4 million pounds.

Friends and Family

Worked the Friends and Family sale again today for NINE hours! It's exhausting watching other people spend thousands of dollars :) Also found out that since Stella is part of the Gucci conglomerate, we get invited to the sales for Alexander McQueen, Gucci, YSL, and a few others. Exciting! The best part about today was that we really got a chance to talk to the other interns and get to know them - they're all young girls, unpaid like us as well. All seem very nice and very willing to help us get acclimated. None of us can get over how unorganized our office is - nothing is on computer, all paper. It's ridiculous. We wish we could just take a few days and set everything up in Excel; we would literally save hours everyday that are spent just searching for invoices. Geez.

Also, met the head of operations for Stella, Fizel (probably spelled wrong, but pronounced
F-EYE-ZEL. He is absolutely hilarious, is a fitness instructor, and calls everyone dahhhling. He told us about some great restaurants and we all talked about what kind of men we like. He loves Germans :) He was great fun, told us about some awesome restaurants to go to on a budget, and we're going to make Skyline Chili next week in the kitchen at the office so he can try it! He's also never had deep dish pizza, so we'll have to find that somewhere. He in turn, is going to make us flapjacks, which apparently are like oat biscuits. Interesting. I wish Logan could mail me some Mother Bear's. Also, learned that here, a tank top is a "vest", a vest is a "waistcoat", and still can't bring myself to call a sweater a jumper.

Just finished dinner, and am getting ready to go out with the gang to celebrate surviving our first week of work and school! We're going to a place called Ghost Bar. Evan's internship is in music promotion, and he's getting us in for free, so that makes it all the more appealing. Still can't believe how much snow you guys are getting; I am SO jealous. It'll be really nice to have a whole day tomorrow to do laundry, go for a run, etc. I feel like such an old person complaining that I don't have time to go buy groceries!

More tomorrow! Love and miss you all so so so so much.

Mauled By a Shower Door

Yesterday was sooo long, but fun. At work, I got to work the "Friends and Family" Sale, where everything was 75% off. So many tall skinny women I didn't know what to do. And they all knew each other, it was so weird. But the clothes were gorgeous, and I was allowed to put aside anything I wanted for myself! Unfortunately, at 75% off the cheapest thing was still over 50 pounds, and it was a sheer tank top. Still, thought about getting a really pretty dress. After work Eliz and I grabbed lunch and went to our first class, Marketing in the UK. Our class only has 7 kids in it, all from our program, and I really liked how intimate it was. The teacher is great at keeping us engaged with different kinds of examples (classes here are 4 hours long - yikes) and it shouldn't be too bad. All of the classes here grade so differently though. Usually, your final is at least 70% of your grade. Can you imagine if we did that at IU? After that, we went to the Student Union and hung out for awhile (they have a full bar) and went to our intern class. The two guys who teach it are hilarious. We talked about leisure in the UK - how they spend their time when they aren't working, relationships, etc. Then took the tube home and finally arrived around 9:15. I feel like an adult and just wanted to go to bed! Bita, Audrey, Kaitlin and I went down to the Champion for a little bit and had a pint of Hoegaarten though before bed :)

Heard you guys all had snow days. Of course I'd miss that. It's warmish here! I'd like to see the snow this winter though, I miss it.

In regards to the title, it's pretty self-explanatory. I got out of the shower and shut the door on my heel, and have a huge gash in my foot now. Lovely. Am just about to head to work all day!

PS- We found out last week what our mascot is for City University. It is, get ready, a CARROT. Not just that either, one that looks like he's been smoking the reefer. Apparently, a long time ago, we didn't have enough money or a way to get our rugby posts to a match, so we had to have a donkey haul them there and the only way to get him to move was to dangle a carrot in front of him. Really?!

Why Send a Courier When We Have 2 Americans?

Wow. First full day on the job. Got to work and was told that Eliz and I were going to be taking 6 deliveries because there was a problem with the courier today, then found out that they were ALL OVER London. We thought it would take maybe 2 hours, and got back 4 hours later to be yelled at for not hurrying. VERY cool though, delivering to Vogue, Elle, INStyle, you name it. You walk around one corner from our store and there is a Porsche dealership, and another is a Bentley dealership. Is this real life? Many times though, we were asked to go to "the back", you know, where deliveries go. Can't be seen mingling with the pretty people. We were always asked what courier company we were from; people found it very hard to believe that we were actually working for Stella. After we got back, we had some more work to do (searching through rooms for "looks" from the most recent line to send to a magazine) and then after one more delivery got to go home. I honestly think I walked 8 miles today, but had to eat lunch on the run so grabbed a burger and proceeded to feel like a sourdough pretzel in a world of pretzel sticks (at least I'll always have my wit.) London is so old, nobody has ever heard of a straight street. I guess a 6 hundred years ago when someone built a house, they just built the road around it. Anyway, the numbers go up and down and every which way, and the streets end wherever they want, so we were insanely confused all day. When we tried to explain this to the girls we worked with, they just kind of looked at us.

After work, went to H&M to buy some black flats because my brown ones are giving me massive blisters, especially after today, and went to the grocery too. I bought a canvas bag for my groceries because I'm trying to become a friend of Mother Nature. (Actually, I knew the plastic bags would break on the way home because of all of my heavy crap, so I had too :)

About to try and illegally download LOST, my favorite show, and head to bed. Tomorrow I have work until 12:30 and then class until 8. YIkes! Sorry if I sound like I'm whining; I'm really having the time of my life. Can't believe I'm really here and doing all of this. Love you all!

PS- heard about all of the snow at home, and wish it would snow a little bit here! It's been around 45 (Fahrenheit- no idea how to spell that), and everyone here complains that it is freezing. I laugh :)

Final Thought: The only real bad thing, aside from carrying groceries 20 blocks home, that I have found about living in the city. You don't really notice it during the day unless you get caught behind a truck, but I just got home and blew my nose and had pollution snot. Ewwww

First Day of Real Life!

Today was great! Went to my internship at 9:30 with Elizabeth, and met the other new intern, Kate, who is British. The whole office (10 of us) are girls in their 20s. We spent the first two hours going through magazines and newspapers looking for any references to Stella, her family, her brands, etc. These we have to tag, scan, and crop to be archived. All day we send and receive packages to various magazines and celebrities (Elle, Vogue from every city imaginable, etc.) There's a huge board with pictures of all of the collections on it, and we have to sort the clothes accordingly. Eventually, we're going to help sort out the archive room, and possibly pull clothes for photo shoots and polaroid the looks as well. Exciting stuff! Definitely a look into an entirely new world. Our boss, Imogen, is headed to Paris tomorrow to meet our boss boss, Marina for the autumn trunk show.

We left work at 1:30 to head to class at 3, International Human Resources Management. It was actually pretty interesting, helped by the fact that there are 14 IU students in it because it counts as a class we have to take at home that everyone hates. Only have to buy one book! Course packets and stuff are free, but then, we're paying out the wazoo to go there so I guess a few measly pieces of paper is the least they can do huh?

Just returned, and am going to get some reading done before I meet one of my best friends from home, Andrea for a drink when she gets out of class.

One More Thing

So, last night a promoter on the street was trying to get us to go into his club. We walked there and were thinking about it, until we saw the clientel (probably spelled wrong) walking out of it. They were:

1. A girl with her ponytail tied at her chin, you know, so it looked like a beard. Not ok in any setting.
2. An old bald man and his wife, dressed like they were about to go to the opera.
3. A girl wearing either a garbage bag as a skirt, or a pleather skirt. I couldn't tell, but either way it was the final straw.

Needless to say, we didn't go in.

Soggy Nugs

Last night we went on the London EYe and it was INCREDIBLE! It was a very clear night, and you could see for miles. All 25 of us went up in one capsule and took lots of pictures, then went out to dinner at a really great Italian restaurant, Prezzo. huge portions and plenty to share. Then we took the tube to Picadilly to go to a club, but nearly everywhere wanted 10 pounds to get in, so we said no thank you and Haley, Eliz and I went back to Redcliffe (where a lot of the kids in the program live) and just hung out together. We tried to go into a convenience store to buy some beer for everyone and when I asked if we could, the manager simply said "Hymus Flimus" (or something to that effect). It was the only thing he would say to us, so of course it has become a new staple catch phrase with our friends.

This morning we got up and went to the Brick Lane market in the rain. It was still really cool though. Inside giant warehouses were stalls containing food from all over the world that was being prepared right in front of us. Chinese, sushi, ethiopian vegetarian (didn't know that existed), crepes, everything! We sampled a lot of it, and looked around at everything else for sale. It was a lot like GoodWill, with all kinds of eccentric things, only much of it was overpriced. Haley, Chad and I came across a man representing artists who was selling sweatshirts with kittens on them though, and when we found out we could get a group deal, of course we bough matching ones. I'm not sure I'll ever wear it in public, but it is VERY soft Turkist cotton (apparently those Turks know their cotton, maybe he was lying to make a sale, who knows). In any case, it was good for lots of laughs when people found out that we had actually purchased them. There was lots of artwork for sale, thrift stores, anything you could think of. We headed home around 3 though, since we've heard that it gets a little dodgy there after dark.

3 of the Tube lines are down this weekend for construction, and on top of that, there were severe delays on the one we needed to take home becuase of "signal issues". It took us about an hour to go 3 stops, so we hopped off and the 8 girls split up and just took cabs the rest of the way.

In reference to the title, Eliz grossed us all out by eating chicken nuggets she had leftover from breakfast on the tube ride home - which we promptly dubbed her "soggy nuggs". In other nug news, everywhere here people put their children in strollers with these sleeping bag/pod like looking things to keep them warm, and Haley and I have decided that it would be a good business venture when we return to the states since we have never seen them there. We're thinking either "Tod Pods" for Toddler, or Nug Pods, since the kids look like little nuggets once they're safely inside. :)

Scheduling our classes here was an absolute nightmare. They let us loose in a big room to try and figure it out, only for us to find that they didn't have updated schedules for us to look at! I have my first day of work tomorrow, followed by class at 3, so I'm sure I'll have lots to write about tomorrow. Tonight we're going out with our housemates for dinner at our local pub called The Champion - it has soft couches and stuff to sit on, and kind of reminds me of Central Perk in Friends. Stay tuned for my first day as a fashionista! (Yea right - that'll never happen; more like throwing myself into a sea of fashion without a life raft. Luckily, I'm very good at treading water.)

Last Night Before Real Life Begins

How did I forget to blog about my dinner with dad and Stan? It was so much fun; we went to a pub for a beer first, then went to Gaucho's an Argentinian steak place. The food was delicious! OUr table looked out the window straight at the Tower Bridge. After, we went up to an E&Y get together at the restaurant next door, then dad walked me to the tube station where we said goodbye :( It was SO incredible having him here with me, I hope he gets a chance to come back while I'm here! Mom would love everything we're doing too, so preferably they'll come together and I can show them the sights since I'll be a true Londoner by then!

Today we got up and went to the Tate Modern art museum, which was very cool. Free admission, which made it even better :) I know as much about art as the average 2 year old, but I SO enjoy going to art museums. I love the idea of going in and being able to have your own interpretation of each piece, and having there be no "right" interpretation. There were some incredible pieces, huge installations down to tiny paintings. We went through about 3 floors of it, then hopped the tube and went shopping for a bit. We wanted to go to the Globe Theater, but it was getting dark and we wanted to see it in the daytime (maybe re-enact a sword fight?)

Tonight, we're meeting up with some kids at the London EYe at 7 to go up in it at night, which I have heard is incredible. It was a very clear day here (hooray!) so hopefully we'll be able to see the entire city lit up. Don't worry mom, lots of pictures will be taken. Tomorrow morning we're going to get up early and go to Brick Lane Market, one of the famous markets in London where you can buy literally anything from all corners of the globe. Can't wait! Stay tuned!

The Semester Begins...

Went to City University today to schedule my classes, none on Friday! I'm taking Marking in the United Kingdom, and an international human resources class that I have to take for IU to graduate, so I figured I might as well get it over with here as everybody says it's just a pain at home. I will go to class on Monday mornings, then to work for the afternoon, work Tuesday, work Wednesday mornings with class in the evening, and work on Thursdays. LOTS of commuting, but at least I'll have three day weekends to travel!

Yesterday for lunch we went hunting for a pub in between lectures, only to find that the nearest one was closed - what we happened upon instead was really interesting. I'm pretty sure it was the British version of Bob Evans, but with beer. We were definitely the only people in there under the age of 75. BUT, we got burgers, fries (chips) and a beer for only 4.70! Senior citizen discount?

Tonight, we're going to lay low and go to a local pub and try to let our poor shrunken livers recover a bit from the past two weeks. :) This weekend we're going to do touristy things like museums and Big Ben and whatnot since it's one of the only weekends we'll all be together in the city. I'm going to try and figure out how to post some pictures on here for all of you to see all of the cool stuff I'm getting to do..more to come!

Just returned home from a great dinner with some friends in Picadilly Circus! I took the tube all by myself for the first time and felt very adult. I felt so independent walking around London alone - I feel like I'm already growing up and know that this trip is going to be life-changing! Yesterday after my interview, Elizabeth and I took a "run" (more like a walk, as I brought my camera) in Kensington Gardens, which is about 200 feet from our front door. We cooked a huge lunch, and went to a bar to watch the inauguration speech. After that we came home and got ready to go out with everyone, and went to a bar called The Roxy. It was ok, but they only played techno music and it wasn't very full so we went back to Zoo Bar and danced for awhile before coming home. Tonight everyone is going to a sort of gallery-bar type deal, very artsy from what I gather, but I'm super tired and wanted to catch up wtih Logan for awhile since I haven't talked to him in a few days. It'll be nice to get a good nights sleep for once and not have to nap in the afternoon :)

I think that since this is our first true weekend in LOndon (last weekend we were at our Homestay) we are planning on seeing some sights and going to a few markets. I'm very excited to do the touristy stuff, as well as go to museums, of which there are a TON. Looking forward to having a quiet night - I think I just need some time to myself to be alone. I haven't been by myself since I got here, and it'll be nice to just chill for awhile. More tomorrow!

STELLLAAA

Just got back from my interview at Stella McCartney and it went great! The head of PR, Imogen interviewed Elizabeth and I and said we both got the job! We're going to be doing all kinds of cool stuff; photographing clothes for photo shoots, sending samples to magazines, calling assistants to make sure celebrities are coming to the shows, and actually working the door at events! They said at events they'll dress us all in head to toe Stella also. I'm sooo excited, but definitely a fish out of water. Elizabeth and I will both definitely be learning as we go, but we can't wait to see this whole other world that exists. About to go for a run in Hyde Park, then to a pub to watch the inauguration!

Birthday Aftermath

Just got in from grocery shopping - got carded for a bottle of vodka!!! In America, they card you if you look under 35 I think. Here, if you look under 21 they card you! They lady asked for my ID and I told her "absolutely, I'll show you three forms if you want!" Had to carry my groceries back 20 minutes and felt like the kid in Home Alone when all of his bags break in the middle of the sidewalk! Also picked up a ton of boring stuff like laundry detergent and "topped up" the minutes on my cell to call mom.

Last night was great! We went to dinner at a place called the Gourmet Burger Kitchen with a bunch of people for my birthday, then went back to RedCliffe where the girls had party decorations for me! They had also gotten me a princess crown that we're going to pass around to each girl as she turns 21. Later on we went to a club in Picadilly called On Anon, where everyone was VERY eager to buy my and Courtney, who's birthday is also today, drinks. Needless to say I was a tad overserved, but luckily inherited a cast iron stomach from my parents and only had a slight headache today. Oh the joys of being young huh?

Tonight I'm going to go have a beer with my good friend Andrea who is also studying here before she jets off to Paris for the week (lucky.) Then it's off to the pub with dad for dinner, and early to bed because I have an interview at 11am tomorrow with Stella McCartney! I'm actually irritated with them right now because we were told that the interviews were mainly a formality, but found that it's possible to get rejected only from mine. Another girl and I, Elizabeth, are interviewing together (lame) and we were told they'll most likely only take one of us based on need. Hope they don't ask me to list my top 20 favorite designers!

Thanks to all for the great birthday wishes! Love you!

Birthday Party!

Just returned from my homestay in Surrey - I stayed with a great family. The husband was out of town in Barcelona, so it was just the mom, Sue, and myself and another girl Cassie from our trip. She was so nice, and a GREAT cook. On Saturday, we went to Windsor castle and explored, then went to see Eton school for boys where the two princes went to school. I had my first full English breakfast today, mom will be proud to know that I actually ate baked beans! Everything is very very compact in the towns in England - small houses, tiny yards. Makes you feel grateful to have a backyard to hang out in at home. She also had an evil cat that absolutely hated me named Archie.

We're about to leave to go over to Redcliffe Gardens where most of the kids in our program are staying for dinner, then out to Picadilly Circus to a club for my birthday! We have a long day tomorrow with lectures and advising meetings regarding our classes and internships, so I'm anticipating being pretty tired after tonight :)

First Post!

I thought this would be an easier way to keep in touch with friends and family to let you know what I'm up to while abroad, and so I have a record for myself. Can't promise eloquent prose, but hopefully there will be lots of funny stories about living abroad!

We're about to leave for our homestay in Surrey, which is south of London. We'll be there until Sunday, and I'm really anxious to get out of the city and see what true England is like. I was told yesterday that 2/3 of the people living in London aren't British, which seems pretty accurate based on what I've experienced. I feel like I hear every language BUT English being spoken around me sometimes.

Last night I got to go out to an Indian restaurant with dad - it was DELICIOUS. I've never had Indian food before but loved it. It was great to catch up with dad too, and so nice to have him here while I get adjusted. Nice to be able to drink too! Even though my birthday is on Monday, I still get really excited whenever I order a beer here :)

That's all for now! Stay tuned!