Temptation

Coming to London from the US (and being a semi-Chinese girl), it was quite a shock to see that the prices are double on this side of the pond. I had spent my life savings on a little bag of groceries and didn't know how I'd manage to stay for the semester.

Therefore, when I saw this, I thought I had reached girl-paradise:

Primark, primarily a clothing store, is located on Oxford Street-the "hottest" place to go shopping. Incidentally, Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical star) was sighted on this street during the first week I came to London.

Not only does Primark have tons and tons of clothing, it also sells their goods for very inexpensive prices, even for poor American dollar standards. And they sell a diverse selection of products: womens, mens, childrens, bed and bath, shoes, socks, underwear...Quality, quantity, and breadth, what more could I want?

I made a beeline for hangers which I desperately needed for my mound of clothing in my flat. As I stood in line with the girls, we already began making plans for a return trip to Primark to get the one-pound shirts and the adorable shoes.

I threw out my little joke/musing: "With all this stuff, I wonder who gets exploited?"

The girls laughed, "Everything's made in China, so probably your grandma."
I picked up some items that were labeled Made in Madrid. "Oh, Tiff-it's your grandma." I responded to my Spanish friend.

Later that week in class, one of our professors handed us each a different newspaper source. I got The Guardian, a local paper. I saw this front page headline: http://business.guardian.co.uk/retail/story/0,,2161302,00.html

To my horror, Primark is ranked as one of the most unethical companies.

And sadly, it took me a while to decide what I would do. It's final: I will not support businesses that refuse to be fair to their workers & I'm going to be doing more research on this. Interestingly enough, I think that this is one of the biggest temptations that I've come across & I could use all the accountability I can get. That is why I've posted this.

Another night of Firsts

We decided to spend our evening in Convent Gardens. The Lamb and Flag is a pretty well known pub; all it took was asking a man on the street and he immediately directed us down an alley. Around Convent Gardens, it's evidently protocol to buy your drink and take it out into the street to socialize--it's a pretty friendly, open environment.

The girls and I followed suit and started hanging out in the roped off street. I had my first taste of alcohol there: less than a sip of Mo's Cronenburg beer. We were met by 3 gentlemen that some of the girls had met a few days prior, 2 Italians and 1 Mexican. I became engrossed in a Spanish conversation with the Mexican, delighted that I could practice my more-than-rusty language skills.

Without warning, one of the girls dropped limply into the arms of one of the Italians. We laid her out on the ground and it felt like ages 'til she woke from her blackout. The pub employee quickly called an ambulance. By the time the paramedics arrived, she was sitting up and felt fine...she just couldn't remember what had happened. Evidently, the issue was that she just hadn't eaten much at all that day and had a small amount of beer on an empty stomach.

Nevertheless, the EMTs wanted to check her blood pressure, etc. so I went with her into the ambulance and sat as they took her info and test results. It was awesome to be in a British medical vehicle--I hadn't expected to be in one. The ambulances here are pretty pyschedelic-looking: neon green and yellow reflective-checkered on the outside.

As I have already found with the British police officers, British paramedics are likewise very jovial and open to fun while getting the job done. I really appreciate their ability to be light-hearted in every situation & to not take themselves too seriously.

So it's accurate to say that I had my first drink and ended up in an ambulance.

A little London night life

We have seen many interesting things in regard to nightlife while here. There are too many things to be said (& left unsaid), however, I will document the events of Thursday evening:

A group of us went first to Mahiki, the club where Prince Harry reportedly frequents. It was clear that we were not going to get inside without paying a 15 pound cover fee. We then promptly went across Picadilly Circus to TigerTiger, a club that had been recommended.

Unfortunately, the bouncers at TigerTiger wouldn't let certain members of our party in because, after scrutinizing drivers' licenses, only people 21 and up were allowed inside. This shocked our sensibilities since age limits are so much younger here; the bouncer merely told us, "The younger the kids, the more trouble." I waited outside with the babies in our group so that they wouldn't be ditched.

While outside, four of us girls met a guy named Steve who asked us if he saw his friend in a cowboy hat. We answered in the negative. Steve continued to carry on a conversation with us and introduced his friend, Tim. Finally, the cowboy hat friend materialized behind me and introduced himself as Piot. He shook my hand and instead of letting go, he proceeded to play thumb war with me. When he saw that I was a seasoned pro, he started cheating by tickling me so that he would win. Fortunately, I extracted myself from the game and I guess we'll never know who won.
"How do you spell your name?" I asked.
"Why do you want to know? Are you going to look me up on the internet?" replied Piot.
"Are you famous?!" I queried. (Our conversation was becoming purely questions)
Piot told me that he modeled his backside and was pretty famous for it. Whether or not that's true, I still haven't looked it up, but I'm sure you will let me know if you find anything interesting.

Finally, my flatmate emerged from the club, bringing the manager. In seconds we were all brought into TigerTiger. Evidently Alli had told the management that if all of her friends couldn't get in, the whole group would want a refund. She was pretty brilliant.

And the club was amazing. There were several floors, each part was themed in different eras. There was a 70s/80s lounge, a hip hop dance floor and bar, and other genres that I am not good at identifying or naming. Here's a small snapshot of what it looked like:

The interesting thing about European guys is that they have no problem with dancing with their guy friends in a group, or even by themselves. They also dress really well, nice dress shirts and blazers. I think that's pretty awesome.

Oh I almost forgot to mention how the night ended. I had borrowed a pair of heels from my roommate. I am not accustomed to wearing such high shoes. By the end of the evening, I was still dancing, but I could barely walk. The Tube had stopped running by the time we started heading back to our flat, so we had to make the trek home by foot.

Finally, a few yards from Piccadilly Square, I could stand it no longer. To my own dismay, I pulled off those wretched shoes and walked barefoot through the streets of London all the way back home. I'm pretty sure I was in danger of communicable diseases.

First stage play

We were given tickets by our program to see Monty Python's Spam-a-lot written by Eric Idle. I expected to be unimpressed given my prior contact with the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." However, I laughed a lot. I think it was better because it was a musical, and I could endure even a math lecture set to singing and dancing!

Here's a picture of us during intermission in the theatre:


Our bigger group (but still not all of us):


Lesson: Try something, you'll like it.
Expanding my horizons : )

Church and Pubs

So on Sunday I went to check out a church (http://www.church.co.uk/index.htm) that I found out about through Oasis (http://www.oasistrust.org/), a not-for-profit organization I was checking out last semester that's involved with human trafficking.

After the night service, they regularly all go out to a pub, so I went with to the Three Stags Pub. It was such an interesting group of people--a banker, church worker, advertiser, and midwife student. They told me that I have a very light American accent & they say I do a great British accent! I wonder what I'll sound like after 4 months.

My roommates couldn't believe that the "church people" brought me there. Are you really surprised? Jesus was the one to keep the bar stocked : )

First day of classes

I met two of my professors today, they were both pretty awesome and complete with accents!

My female professor, however, is my hero and role model. She's teaching us a course entitled, "Media Design for Social Change." She is also working for BBC in London. AND this is the best part: she is from Ohio, moved to Argentina when she was 18, and now has been living in London.

When I was listening to her speak, I was really confused because she had a very interesting accent. It's a mixture of Spanish, American, and British...I want to be like her someday!

Next,we were brought to a welcome reception at a pub. We walked there in the rain, and despite my umbrella, I was wet on my right arm. Lesson #1: Waterproof jackets are a must.
Later that evening, my fellow flatmates (of the pinnacle that is E) bought some groceries at Sainsburys, a Trader Joe's-esque market.

My roommates & I (I'm in a triple) decided to go look for a little coffee shop in Soho. We took the Tube (with the help of an English gentleman who works at the British Museum) from Great Russell Square to Tottenham Court. My first time on the famous Tube with my Oyster card!

We walked about for a bit & ended up at Beard Papa's. Thus ended the first day of meeting London.

Observations:
-People dress well in London. I told my roommates that it inspired me to be better.
-I have really great roommates.
-Londoners walk fast says my Brazillian roommate. I felt quite at home & didn't notice.