This experience is something close to magical...

As I've now been immersed in the city of London for a month, I'm really experiencing the highs and lows of working and living in such an exciting, overwhelming location.

On Saturday Liz, Jess, and I went on a 5 hour walk around London, with no destination in mind. It was a beautiful day and we ended up discovering some great places. We walked first to St. Pauls church, then over the wobbly bridge to the Tate Modern. We only looked at one exhibit, seeing as the Tate Modern is enormous and would take days to truly do it justice. Next we made our way to an unexpected location, Borough Market. Now this is the place to go for any food lover. There are endless stations of all foods imaginable, from fresh baguettes to turkish delight to octopus. We clearly stayed there for a while, and finally decided on a mixed bag of honey glazed nuts and dried fruit - beyond delicious. From there we ended up at the Unicorn, and I took them on a short tour of my work which was cool. Finally, we walked over Tower Bridge which is absolutely beautiful at night. Doesn't this look fake?


Anyways, later that night we gathered Marissa and Shelby to venture out to Chinatown for some much needed Thai food. We found this amazing place that was a bit pricey but completely worth it. It was even Steph-friendly! Rice noodles, chicken, veggies, miso soup, yet another type of food I have found that I can eat. London is so good to me. The best part was my mango sorbet for dessert. There were even chunks of mango in it!





On Sunday a bunch of us got up early to head to Oxford for the day. You know what this means - Hogwarts. Again, I could not have asked for better weather and better company. Oxford is quite smaller than I expected, so it was perfect for meandering around at our own relaxed pace to enjoy the beautiful architecture and sights. Highlights include: the milkshake cafe that we found, where they served HOT milkshakes, and even made special dairy free, gluten free shakes for me!! I was in heaven. And to make the day even more magical, (no pun intended), we headed over to Christ Church where parts of Harry Potter were filmed. Basically, this is the closest I will ever be to actual Hogwarts, so please try to understand the joy of this moment for me. I have been waiting to go to Hogwarts since age 11, and here I was, walking up the steps to the Great Hall. We topped off the night with dinner at the pub where Bill Clinton smoked pot.


Monday night was another life-changing event - I finally got to see Wicked on Broadway. The tickets were only 25 pounds and our seats weren't bad at all! I finally saw the musical I have been obsessed with for years, and it exceeded all my expectations. I sat google-eyed the entire time. Everything was phenomenal, from the set designs, costumes, acting, music, I loved it all so much. Even with me knowing the whole soundtrack by heart, it brought a whole new dimension to my love for the musical. I cried twice. I have decided it is my life goal to be Elphaba before I die. Either that or be in a musical sometime soon. Every time I see a show it makes me ache because I realize how much I want to be on stage performing.

Work has been great, it's still been a mix of intern stuff (they have me running errands now, which I'm not a huge fan as the public transportation system makes me ridiculously anxious, but whatevs), and also they've been giving me more responsibilities within the company. Friday I got to work backstage on one of the performances. I'm still working on the youth theatre production which I'm really enjoying - it's much more of where my interests lie. The more I work with children the more I realize I want to go into education or psychology, but somehow combine it with the performing arts.

My coworkers invited me to the pub the other night! I was so excited. They're such a great group of people, I really lucked out. Oh and Prince Charles came in on Monday!! I stood on the same stage as him! Granted he didn't acknowledge my existence, but he made a really kind speech and seemed genuinely interested in mingling with the groups of children present.

With all this said, now that I'm finally in the working routine, I'm starting to feel the full effects of exhaustion. Getting up every morning at 8 is really strating to take its toll on me. I've been doing my best at getting to bed early (with the help of benadryl) but it's so hard to get myeslf to bed. The problem is that because I'm so tired by the time I get home I don't feel like doing anything. It's been difficult finding the balance between forcing myself to go out and accepting the fact that I need my down time.

PS - Counterpoints, I want to thank you for the Skype date. It made my day to see your faces and hear your lovely voices :)

Until next time

Highlights of the Week

Sound of Music

Our program bought us tickets to the Sound of Music Thursday night, which was not a musical I was very keen on seeing. However, considering that I have a slight obsession with musicals, I ended up loving it! The lead playing Maria was amazing, and the von Trapp children were not only precious but also quite talented. I am now very inclined to see as much theatre as possible while I’m here.

Ballet Class in Covent Garden

On Friday after my half day at work I decided to take a ballet class at the Pineapple Studios. It was perfect - a great review of technique but also a bit challenging. It was only a 7 minute walk from my house, a walk in which I discovered a whole new, adorable part of London. This is something I hope to do a few times a month.

Primark

So we all know it was only a matter of time before I thrust myself fully into exploring my shopping options here. On Saturday morning Jess and I ventured down to Oxford Street, a street akin to Newbury Street in Boston, yet substantially busier and more crowded. We went a bit crazy at this store called Primark - it has brilliantly cheap stylish clothing, with mile-long lines for the dressing room. I got skinny jeans for 10 pounds and boots for 6 pounds! We went shopping on Oxford Street which is similar to Newbury Street in Boston, yet way busier and more crowded. We wanted to walk down all of Oxford Street, but I feel it may take the whole semester to do it justice.

Coach Bus Tour

Sunday we had a 3 hour bus tour around London, which really emphasized how much there is to see in London. It was great to see the whole city and to get a better sense of where everything is in relation to each other. Our tour guide mentioned a few places that were filmed in Harry Potter, so I definitely plan on checking those out ASAP. It got me so excited though to know there is still so much to see and so much exploring to do.

Unicorn Theatre

Work's been great, I've seen a few more of the productions, yet I’ve also been doing a lot more of intern-type stuff. I got to put stickers on a bunch of brochures, I’ve stuffed thousands of envelopes – it’s riveting work. I absolutely love the people I work with too. They are so willing to help me and get me acquainted, and I am already starting feeling like a part of the company. I also have found my work fantasy love, a John Mayer look-a-like (also named John). Tres exciting. Next Monday Prince Charles and his wife (mistress?) are coming to the Unicorn! I'm getting paid to volunteer chaperoning little British children!! I need to come up with a way to somehow catch his attention...either by tripping him, spilling a drink on him, along those lines. I'll figure something out.

Organic Food Shop

So finding Steph-friendly food has been quite a process – I can get basics like rice milk, cashew butter, all that fun stuff. But crackers, bread, cereal, turkey, etc. has been so hard to find!! The only gluten free bread I can find is tiny and it’s so expensive. And all the turkey is packaged, and full of preservatives. Luckily, this afternoon after class I tried a different route home and found a cozy organic food shop by my home. It sells gluten free everything! It even has fresh food to order that I can eat!

By and large, I am having the most wonderful time. With that said, I am really lacking in sleep. I’ve been having the hardest time falling asleep at night. It’s also difficult going to bed early when I want to stay up and be social because after a long day of work I want to hang out with everyone. I am also already getting very sick of my commute to work. The tube in the morning and in rush hour makes me so claustrophobic and anxious I dread it daily. That’s probably my biggest complaint - so I guess I’m doing pretty well. The more I see of London the more I am beginning to fall in love with it. Every day I find a new street with cute shops and cafes and I start to navigate my way a little better. Life is good.

I love this city

Yo, so basically I realize I suck at updating this thing, though I did warn you all. I'll try and recap the past two weeks however so you can hopefully get a good idea of what I've been up to.

Last week was spent settling in - I am living in an amazing flat with 5 other girls, with a bunch of others living above us. My room is nice, though I could use more storage space. Our common room is huge and the kitchen is wonderful! My cooking skills are slowly improving. I made chicken parm last night and it was delishhh. We had no heat for the first half of the week which made me slightly frazzled, as I did not like sleeping in my north face and mittens, but luckily it's back to the sauna I am so used to at Clark.

We did some group activities like the London Eye on Friday and Cambridge on Saturday, which have been great. Cambridge has been one of my favorites so far - the architecture is just beautiful. I also did the Camden markets on Sunday which is this endless stretch of shopping markets for vintage, cheap stuff that I know I will spend much of my bank account. Best part is, there is a crepe vendor at the corner, and he made me a gluten free dairy free veggie crepe!! It was phenomenal. Eating here hasn't been too much of an issue, I did find a place called Planet Organic that's sort of nearby that has my essential rice products and cashew butter. OMG and I went to Platform 9 3/4! To be honest it was a bit anti climatic, but whatevs. Still one of the highlights of my life.

We have had a lot of free time as well to explore the city and do our own thing which has been nice. Already I have begun to feel loads more independent and self-sufficient. I have explored a few times on my own to get to know the area better, which has been really cool. I've definitely found myself lost a few times but I always end up finding my way back. The Brits are incredibly friendly and helpful with directions. It's been nice to work during the day and have nights free. I'm so not used to this! It's so nice to just hang out and be social, go to a pub (which I'm really enjoying...though I every time I go I order water with lemon.....seriously though I'm saving so much money by being allergic to alcohol!)

I started work on Monday and I am kind of obsessed with it already. I'm at the Unicorn Theatre, which I was a bit skeptical at first because I haven't had much theatre experience. But I have the best job ever. My supervisor Lisa is so cool, she's not that much older than me, wears jeans and cons to work daily, and is so relaxed and on my level that it makes for such a comfortable, enjoyable atmosphere. I've been basically getting a feel for the company, meeting people, helping out where needed. But I'm surprised as to how much they're letting me do and get involved with. I've been to company meetings, I've been to one of their productions already. Today I got to sit in at a rehearsal and help with a read through of a new production they're doing with a group of high school students. Apparently I'm going to help with this one.

What I love about it is that everyone is so kind to help me find where I belong at the company, so they are constantly offering me work in other departments and keep telling me to let them know what I want to do. I showed a lot of interest in the education department, where they do recruitment and do youth programs, which is something I would really like to try. The only downfall to this is that the wardrobe I brought is way too dressy. Oh well, I'll have to have Mama T mail me some things. Can we also discuss how tea time really exists? I get to work at 10, and then at 11 it's "tea time" where we take a break for an hour and drink tea and eat biscuits. I love it.

Their productions are really cool too. Though they are all geared towards children, they are nothing like American shows. There is no sugar coated plot or fluffy elements. They deal with very serious, moral issues, and still make them incredibly enjoyable to kids. I saw Duck, which was the story of the ugly duckling who befriends a boy who is dealing with a gay father. When I saw this they were doing a special production for special needs children, which was great. I really like being part of a place that is trying to do good for the population through the performing arts. It's definitely a route I want to follow in life.

Oh and I can't forget to mention the plethora of gorgeous men at my work. There are at least 4 who I get giddy with joy every time I see, and I am hoping they don't notice me staring. I told Lisa I thought one was really cute and I was like shit that was probs very unprofessional. I just love British men. Even when I went to a dance club on Saturday night they weren't as sketchy as American men. Still a bit sketchy, but I think it's because I really don't like the dance club scene. Those tight spaces make me nervous and uncomfortable.

Overall London has been such a great experience so far (despite the constant rain). I love my house mates, my room mate is wonderful, it's so nice having Liz here, I've met a lot of cool people, there's so much to see and do in the city that I want to explore every day. I still haven't felt a culture shock, but being immersed with Londoners at work is making it more and more real. I hope to be catching on to the lingo soon, like "brilliant," "rubbish," and "loo." I really needed this experience of a new scene and exploring life and I am just LOVING it :)

I hope you all are doing wonderfully! Please keep me updated with your lives as well. Here is a link to all my pictures. http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i46/Stephie3887/London/

Peace <3

Greetings my fellow Americans!

So I decided to start a blog about my semester in Europe, because you all obviously want to spend your time reading about my exciting life (As I'm sitting here alone in my room, still in my pajamas. It's 4:30 PM and I haven't even brushed my teeth yet). I know most of you are thinking to yourself, "how do I go on next semester without Steph? I don't think I'll be able to function like a normal human being." This blog was my solution to all your woes. I hope to update this as often as possible, but if this ends up like everything else I start, I will most likely get distracted in a few weeks. However, I'll do my best. I thought this would be an easier way to keep in touch with you all back home as opposed to email. This way everyone can be a part of my journey. You're ALL winners!

As of now, I leave in 16 days. I'm ridiculously excited. I just got my housing assignment, and I am living at 1 Bloomsbury Place! It sounds so British. Two floors above my dear Lizzle! I am only 6 minutes away from a Whole Foods! Isn't it sick that Whole Foods was the first place I Google-directioned?

I'm also very close to the Unicorn Theatre (the place I am interning), which is great. Speaking of the Unicorn, I am still quite unsure as to what I'll be doing. All I know right now is that it is a prestigious non-profit theatre that works closely with children. Supposedly I'm working in the production department, so we'll see what happens!

Anyways, read away, leave comments, and enjoy :)
I hope to provide you with much entertainment over my endeavors to assimilate into a foreign country. I'll do my best not to get hit by a bus, though that is one of my biggest concerns. Mama T has already instructed me to find the nearest hospital when I get there, just in case.

P.S. Did you know that "bollocks" actually means testicles?
Bollocks - This is a great English word with many excellent uses. Technically speaking it means testicles but is typically used to describe something that is no good (that's bollocks) or that someone is talking rubbish (he's talking bollocks).