30 January 2008

Saw the most AMAZING sunset today! Couldn't get a very clear picture, but you get the idea. I was leaving work for the day and looked out the window and said "WOWWWW!!!!" I spent about 5 minutes trying to get a good, clear picture, but the little crappy camera isn't good for no flash photos. Ah well.

Directly after work, I went over to Ian's house. We cooked! I'm becoming quite the chef. But first, we had to purchase the ingredients. This is where I learn the differences between the two cultures. The recipe was in US terms... and ingredients. Like, they don't have cornmeal, but they have corn flour. And Ian made fun of my pronunciation of shallots. Humpf. I just couldn't win.

It didn't stop there. I had to convert cups in to liters, which was a pain. I would say, "We need a fourth of a cup...", Ian would respond with "a quarter". Apparently they don't say "a fourth". He giggled like you wouldn't believe. I said, "Do you have a skillet?" "Do you mean a frying pan?" Grr. Whatever! It's all the same! ha ha. There were tons of instances like that.

Saran Wrap = Cling Film
Whipped Cream = Dairy Cream

Can't remember all of the others, but needless to say, it was a good learning experience. And as Ian says, "You're in England now, you've got to start speaking like it." I do?

We made Fillet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce, French Green Beans, and Mashed Potatoes. Yummm. Stomach didn't feel so well the next day. Haven't had red meat in "ages" (so they say here).

Coming up - trip to Bath and Stonehenge on Saturday with the group... party night with the girls... and movie night at Dan's. :)

29 January 2008

Met up with Dan the Man today. I was SOOO happy to see him! He's the only person I have met here, so far, that is so relaxed and easy going. It seems like most of the other boys have been really uptight lately. Dan is like a fresh breath of air.

The Dan and I went out to lunch at this Japanese omelet place. Can't remember what it was called, but it was very good and... very... interesting. It was kinda like hibachi style cooking where they sorta cook in front of you on the table. But this is at a much smaller scale. The food is mixed in a bowl with an egg and a few other ingredients. I had chicken, asparagus, and cheese. So, they cooked the chicken a little bit first and then cooked the stuff in the bowl... put the chicken in the middled along with the cheese... and then more of the bowl stuff on top. It was really cool! I'd love to go back there again some day! Love culinary experiences such as that!

Other than that, the day was rather dull. I've been watching a lot of Sex in the City lately. So glad I brought those with me. They really do help cheer me up. Those girls are too funny!!! And I can definitely relate with a lot of their situations. Heck, I should change the name of my blog to Sex in the London, but I think I'll keep it as is. My parents may think I'm being a little promiscuous . ha.

PS - Happy Birthday, DAD!!! Hope your dinner was fab! Miss you loads!

27 January 2008

Today was a relaxing Sunday. Work up rather early and Chris and I met up with Nick and Silvia for brunch. I had pancakes! Yumm! The place we went to was really nice. It was called Smith's of Smithfields. I really liked the environment - music, ambiance, art, etc. Apparently, it's a really popular place to go. There are 4 levels. The main level is the least expensive. One of the other levels is a bar. Another level or two is the Main dining room. I walked up to the top and saw a pretty view of some of the city.

When Chris and I returned back to Kew, I had wanted to test out the new shoes. So, we went for a walk along the "tow path". Not sure why they call it that, but it goes right along the river and it's absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of Chicago with the path along the lake. Not quite as beautiful as Chicago's path, but it's definitely less congested and beautiful in it's own right. Lots of dogs off of their leashes, baby carts, bikers, joggers, and the occasional stroller. We walked down to a gallery cafe (shown above) and had a coffee and then walked back.

Ed and I were scheduled to meet up at 2pm, which became 3pm. We were going golfing!!! I had been looking forward to that for quite some time! We didn't really go golfing, but we went to a bi-level driving range. It was so much fun! I actually did rather well. Out of the 75 balls or so that I hit, there were only 2 or 3 times that I swung and completely missed. And I'd say 1 out of ever 5 were a good solid hit. So, it was a successful run for me! :)

Afterwards, he took me to his neighborhood where there are lots of cafes, pubs, stores, etc. It was really cute and has lots of character. We had a couple of tapas and people watched for a little bit. It was nice! Then I was on my way home. I was exhausted!

26 January 2008

This morning, I took the tube to see Chris and we went to Richmond to go shopping for shoes!!! And to have some lunch. I went in to one of the first stores I saw that had loads of shoes everywhere! Ended up leaving 15 minutes later with 2 pairs of boots (desperately needed). Went for lunch and walked in to a few other places to find some shoes and didn't like the quality as much, so went back to the first store and bought another pair of leather Puma's. They're really cool! And great for walking around the city in. I was so excited about my deals! One of the boots were originally 125 pounds, and I bought them for 29 pounds. The Puma's were originally 145 pounds, and I got them for 35. And the other boots were originally 165 pounds, and I bought them for 60. The store was going out of business the next day because the rent had gone up so much. That's so unfortunate.

Today is Australia Day! I have been looking forward to this day for quite some time. The original plan was to go on a pub crawl with a load of Aussies, but the plan changed. We ended up going over to "Extreme Dave's" for a little party. Dave is hilarious. They didn't have a real grill, so they bought a couple of temporary ones from the grocery store. They worked! But it was really amusing to watch.

I met some really great people at the party. There was Adriana who is from Spain. I asked her where she was from and she said in a typical Spanish accent - "Valethia" - Valencia. They speak with a lisp because of one of the Kings many moons ago. He had a lisp and everybody thought that was how the language was suppose to be spoken. Anyway, I told her that I spoke Spanish, but Argentinean Spanish and she said in a really excited tone, "That's ok! Did you want to speak?!" ha ha. She was so cute. She had just moved here about 6 months ago and has really missed her interaction with language and culture. She has managed to meet a few people from Spain, but not enough, I suppose. I completely understand where she's coming from with the language barrier... always having to think and speak in English. It can be really tough and extremely exhausting.

Also met a couple of American ladies. One is from Michigan and the other from Texas. They were both really nice and a lot of fun. We exchanged numbers so us ladies can stick together. Also met another lady from Poland. It was just the International House of Mystery. ;)

They made shish kebabs on the "barbie" along with some pork and sausages. Everything was delicious! A little later, the American ladies decided we should all play Cranium. None of us had ever played before, but it was a great time! Once the Americans left, we didn't know what to do, so we all went out. The Aussie boys wanted to go to this place called Inferno. The line was really long to get in and over the years, I have not been good with tolerating long lines and cover fees, so Chris and I caught a cab and went back home. It was a fun night! Great people to hang out with!

25 January 2008

Tonight, Chris took me out to see Cirque du Soleil - Varekai! It was SOOOO amazing! The show was at the Royal Albert Hall (http://www.royalalberthall.com/flash/index.aspx?dest=info,etiquette) and our seats were in the top section directly in the center. It was really a great performance! As a kid, I don't remember ever going to a circus of any sort, so this was my very first experience. And it wasn't like a typical circus show. There were a lot of acrobats and flying people on trapezes of sorts. You can see more about it at - http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/varekai/intro/intro.htm I highly recommend it!

Afterwards, we went out for one drink and then it was off to bed for me. I was exhausted!

24 January 2008

I can't remember if I had mentioned this already or not, but Paula is one of the lovely ladies I had met at a Christmas party I went to this year in Chicago. She's friends with all of the people that I had been hanging out with over the past several months. She's an airline stewardess and has just recently moved to London for a little bit with her friend Mary.

We have been trying over the past several weeks to get together for a drink or dinner or something. Finally, it happened tonight. We met up in Exchange Square near the Liverpool station at this bar called Corney & Barrow. I had called Chris to invite him to meet up with us since he works 2 blocks from there. And I had also called Ian to see if he wanted to hang out for some beers. So they did. It was such a good time! The girls are so much fun!

We left Corney & Barrow and took the tube to South Kensington to meet up with a few other blokes (men) that Paula and Mary had met a few weeks before. We went to another pub and then out to dinner at this place called The Gourmet Burger. They had loads of burgers to choose from. I picked the Avocado Burger with bacon and lettuce and tomato. It was REALLY big and really delicious. Don't want to go back there, since I can't imagine how many calories I had just eaten.

I finally felt like I was in my element. There's something about having a few girlfriends to talk to. I've really missed that!

23 January 2008

Second day on the job went rather well. I just continued working on some of the same things from the day before, so nothing really new there.

I asked the team if they would be interested in going out to lunch with me. I'm so tired of eating sandwiches and pasta and had a coupon to eat at Wagamama - buy one, get one free. To my surprise, all but one of them came with me. It was so fun hanging out with them and getting to know them better. Everybody gets along so well! I love it! There is no cattiness going on and everybody is just at ease with one another working together as a real team. It's great! I'm not used to this, but I could get used to it! ha.

The working environment at Blackbaud is great. They have a cute little kitchen that is stocked with coffee/tea cups, plates, cutlery, etc. Somebody is always boiling some water on the kettle for tea, bringing goodies in, etc. Today, a lady (I assume) baked a cake and brought it in to share. I thought that was so sweet! And it was delicious! It was vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and little sparkley things on it. Like a big cupcake! Speaking of cupcakes, I really miss Sweet Mandy B's. They have the best cupcakes ever there! I wonder if I can convince somebody to overnight me one? ha. Kidding.

Anyway, right after work, I took the tube over to visit Chris in Kew Gardens. Nick had invited us to go out for some pizza at Pizza Express (yummm!). I created my own pizza with chicken, artichokes, and goat cheese. Yumm. It was so delicious! Now, I have another coupon for buy one get one free! ha. I'm sure I'll use that soon!

22 January 2008

Today was my first day of work. I have to say, it was such a great feeling to be there... in a office... with a lot of people that are closer to my age!

Getting re-acclimated to working was a bit tough. The type of work they gave me was very tough, actually. But it was good, since it's stuff that I normally really like to do. The first thing they gave me to do was to analyze data and determine where the errors were. What had happened was this: a report of the forecasted expenses was sent to the US. The US changed the report to their format and sent it back to the UK. The numbers in the US report differed from the original UK report and nobody was able to determine why. So, I made a lovely spreadsheet showing the differences in the two and was able to come up with some of the solutions, but there were others that I just couldn't figure out. They were suppose to call the folks in the US to figure out the differences.

The next project was a bit more difficult. Blackbaud has a ton of financial reports that go out regularly. The reports are boring and have an overabundance of information on them. What they wanted for me to do was to make it look pretty and easier for the Directors to read. This had me a bit perplexed, since the data was so extravagant. I had to think to myself, "If I was a Director, which information would I want to see?" It took me a while to come to the conclusion. I finally came up with some sort of solution and that was to put all high-level detail for each sector on their own "dashboard", so to speak. So, I made a graph that illustrated the total "bookings" (or sales) showing this months actuals vs. budgeted vs. last years actuals... and then I put a high-level chart depicting the basics - revenue, expenses, etc. We're scheduled to go over this report next week, since the big boss has loads of changes he wants to make on the report anyway. I was so relieved to hear about the requested changes. It was definitely something that I wanted to speak with each Director about... since they are my customers in this regards. I think it would be so much better to get their perspective on what information they look at when they normally receive the report, since we know that it can't be all of it. They simply don't have that kind of time.

Anyway, this picture is of the Waterloo Station. The office is right around the corner from here... and when I go to work, this is the station I arrive at. I really like it! It's beautiful inside. Has lots of shops and cafes. :)

19 - 20 January 2008

This weekend, CEA took us to York! For those of you who are history buffs, I have included a little bit of history about this beautiful city below.

OVERVIEW
The city of York considered as the second city of England has probably the richest heritage of any, and is certainly among the best preserved.

York was once known as Eboracum and was founded by the Romans in AD 71 as a garrison for the 9th legion. With Chester (Deva) it was the only town of note in the north and as such was visited by Hadrian during the construction of the famous wall in 122. Septimius Severus.

The African Emperor (born at Leptis Magna in Libya) died at York in 211 and Constantine was proclaimed Emperor here in 306 later becoming famous for establishing Christianity as the state religion of Rome.

In the 5th century the legions were withdrawn from Britain and a series of invasions by Germanic peoples began leading to the creation of an Anglian kingdom in Northumbria (Daira) whose capital York (Eoforwic - a corruption of the Latin) became. During the Anglo-Saxon period the city was renowned for producing Alcuin, a learned monk brought to Aix-la-Chapelle by Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor.

It was in the ninth century that the Vikings or Norsemen arrived in York. They sailed up the River Ouse and established a base here, from which to launch their conquest of the north, renaming it Jorvik. Overcoming their tendency to plunder and pillage they established the foundations for a prosperous merchant economy which was to emerge in the Middle Ages.

Excavations of a Viking settlement at Coppergate in the centre of York have recently been converted into an innovative underground museum called "Jorvik” which vividly recreates the sights, sounds and even smells of Viking Britain.

The Vikings also left vestiges of their language, since in York a “Gate” is a street and a (city) gate is a "Bar" of which there are four dating from the C14, all excellently preserved. This has given rise to the popular description of York as the city….


MY OVERVIEW
We were lucky enough to have a beautiful tour guide, Fiona, along with us on this journey. She was so amazing with the amount of detail she knew about the history of the city. It was so exciting to listen to here, and really great as well to get to know her on a personal level.

We stayed in a youth hostel. I've never actually stayed in a hostel before. It wasn't too bad. Almost like living in the dorms.

Our first day there was on Saturday. It was a 2 hour train ride from London. It was so beautiful to see the countryside with the rolling hills and the herds of sheep. Once we arrived, we went on a walking tour of the city... through the tiny streets where meat was sold and pigs would roam about... down little passageways where small cafes could be found... over to the massive medieval church that houses the most stained glass in the World... and then over to a museum of the city displaying what it used to be like in the Victorian times to present. Around 5pm, it was dinner time at one of the many pubs and then off to a ghost tour of the city. By that time, we were all exhausted and couldn't wait to get back to the hostel to take a shower and catch some zzzzz's.

Sunday was a short day and we had little on our schedule since the train was leaving at 2pm. The group went to another museum called Jorvik (as you know from the overview above, that was the name the Vikings had given the city). I didn't go to the museum. Instead, I was on a mission to find a new pair of shoes and to do a little bit of shopping before we left. Shopping there, as you can imagine, is a bit less expensive than in London, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of that. Besides, there were a ton of sales going on that it was difficult to resist. The end result wasn't what I had hoped, but I did walk away with a beautiful purse (much needed) and a couple of pairs of stockings. Ah well.

We met back up and then walked over to a nice little sandwich shop by the river for our last lunch in the city and then it was off to the train station.

I absolutely LOVED York. It was so beautiful and such a great journey! Definitely wouldn't mind visiting there again some day... perhaps in the Spring or Autumn.

17 January 2008

Today was my first day of the Business Law class, which is going to end up being about "English Law". I read on the Blackboard (a website that allows for the professor to post course materials and announcements) that the professor expects for us to take good notes and use shorthand where possible, so I brought my laptop with me... and I was the only one... but I was the smartest one. He wasn't kidding with the amount of notes. Yikes! I can't write that much. Hand cramps up. I'm sure you can relate.

The class was HUGE and was held in a lecture hall.

The way the classes are held here are really nice. There is an hour and a half of lecture and another hour and a half of what they call a "seminar". The lecture is a large class and the seminars are broken down in to smaller groups where you can discuss what happened in the lecture. I like it! You can ask questions and get a more detailed understanding of what you're learning. It's so much better than sitting in a lecture for 3 hours.

Haven't done much today other than sit around at school... studying a little. I'm suppose to meet up with Ian (pictured above) in about 30 minutes, so I better get going.

Just got back from "hanging out" with Ian. I just learned tonight that they don't use the phrase "hanging out", which is why it's in quotes. I also got laughed at for calling a "tap" a faucet and my "pants"... well... pants here are undies. KFoy likes to "take the piss" (so they say for "to make fun of") when I say "uh hu" instead of "you're welcome". The little trivial things... Anyway, the picture(s) I have attached were taken tonight. Ian and I went for a walk along the river (not a very long one) and this is what I saw - The Tower Bridge (most Americans confuse this for the London Bridge... the London Bridge is FAR less exciting).

16 January 2008

Today, I had an interview for an Internship at a not-for-profit company called Blackbaud. Basically what they do is create IT software for not-for-profit companies to help them manage and raise their funds. I heard from Andrea at the University that they were excited about my background, so my fear was that they were going to suggest I assist them in Project Management, which is what I didn't want to do.

Their office is located in Waterloo (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=11+york+st,+waterloo,london,+england&sll=51.447134,-0.327594&sspn=0.004467,0.008272&ie=UTF8&ll=51.502064,-0.117373&spn=0.008923,0.016544&t=h&z=16&om=0), which is close to the London Eye and the heart of the city. They're on the 15th floor and have a REALLY great view of the city. Their offices are really tiny. Everybody is squeezed in there... with teeny tiny cubicles. I honestly don't know where they would put me!

The interview went really well. I met with Mark, their Financial Director. He asked me what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. I told him that ideally, I would love to do some sort of rotation within the Finance department so I can get a broad understanding of what each role is, making it easier for me to determine what it is that I would like to do in my future. I didn't want to work in Project Management, unless it was related to Finance in some capacity. He agreed and explained all of the different areas of Finance in their tiny office and mentioned that they have several reports that are going back to the US that they would need help on. He said if I was ever bored or didn't like a task, to let him know and they will be happy to find me something else.

I thought this was great! The other place I had interviewed at had a set list of tasks the Interns would be responsible for. I was a little disappointed in that I didn't think I was going to get the experience I was looking for. They ended up not hiring me anyway because they thought that I was over qualified and I would have been bored. But with Blackbaud, I certainly will not be bored and will finally have the learning experience I was hoping to get out of this trip!

He asked me if I had any further questions and, of course, I did. I wanted to know if the company offered any concessions (i.e., pay for travel expenses, lunches, etc.). He said, "We will definitely pay for your travel to and from the office. We don't want for you to be put out of pocket to come to work with us. Also, depending on how much value you add, we will add on a little extra at the end of your Internship." That's GREAT! My other question was, "Are there any opportunities for full-time employment after the internship is over?" And he said, "Actually, there is! We have 12 positions coming open in January, 8 in February, and 5 in March. If you see something that you're interested in, feel free to apply for it. We will take care of the visa for you as well." This couldn't have been any better for me. What a great opportunity! I get to learn new things in my FIELD... FINALLY.. and I may have the opportunity to stay for as long as I want! I'm SO excited!! Now, we'll just have to see if they like me enough to keep me around for a while.

Before I left, Mark gave me a tour of the tiny office. He said they will treat me like I am one of their own and will tell me on Tuesday about the gym membership they have (yes!) and other benefits for working with the company. I can't wait to start working on Tuesday! Never thought I would say that...

14 January 2008

Today was the first day of school! I had my Introduction to Corporate Governance class today and it was... interesting. It's actually a pretty cool feeling not having to work 8 hours and then going to school for 3 hours afterwards. That makes for a long day. I'm a REAL student and it absolutely blows my mind! I kind of like it, but at the same time, I really miss working.

London is such a great city. There's so much culture and diversity here from all parts of the world. I remember when I first saw a woman wearing a burqa (a Muslim headress covering the entire face except the eyes). I was kinda shocked and stared at her for a minute and then thought of what this lady had told me about her experience in Saudi Arabia. I met her in the airport coming home from Tennessee. She said that she had to wear one of those outfits when she went to do some medical work there. She explained to me that the women wear these outfits not only for religious purposes, but so that they are judged for their personality and not their looks. She said she really admires these women and was raving about how wonderful they are.

Some people have been asking about the food. Well, one of my friends at work, Caren, told me that I will probably loose a lot of weight when I move over here because the food is so bad. And she has visited here before! Perhaps I'm not a picky eater, but everything here has been delicious. Haven't been to any bad restaurants at all. In fact, yesterday, I was walking to school and smelt this wonderfully marvelous waffle shop right outside of the tube. So, on the way back from school, I just HAD to try one. It was covered in chocolate and was soooooo tasty. Yummm. I hope it doesn't become an addiction.

11 - 13 January 2008

This weekend was a good time! I met up with the brother (Kevin Foy - pictured above) on Friday. Went to his amazing apartment right on the river with amazing views of the city (also pictured above). It was so beautiful! He made me a little canapes made with potato wedges, a dollop of sour cream, and a tiny bit of caviar. It was surprisingly delicious. Never had caviar before. Afterwards, we met up with some of his friends at the Cat and Canary. It's a pub right on the river in Canary Wharf (the financial district). We then went to have some curry at a really delicious restaurant called Lime and then to a dodgy pub to play some pool.

Saturday, Chris came to pick me up to take me to his neck of the woods, Richmond. Richmond is so beautiful with a great big park and cute little shops and pubs. He lives right on the river too, but I didn't get to see any of that. Instead, I started cooking when I got to his house. I made us a DELICIOUS meal - Roasted Orange-and-Bell Pepper Soup for the starter, and Scallops and Pasta with Pistachio Pesto. I was so surprised with the mix of flavors... and I was so surprised with myself and the surprisingly good culinary skills I didn't know existed. ;)

Sunday, Mike and I were SUPPOSE to go to this Russian Festival in Traflagar Square, but he flaked and said he wasn't feeling well. I'm really worried about him. I still haven't heard from him.

Sunday evening, I met up with my new golf buddy, Ed. He also has a lot of really great contacts in the Finance industry that he has agreed to let me use. We went out to dinner in Chinatown and then off to a couple of pubs for some beer. Mom, you'd be proud. I only had 2 half pints. I'm so tired of drinking. Ugh.

10 January 2008

I did absolutely NOTHING today. It was great! Last night when I got home from the show, the kids were playing around in the halls and making lots of noise until around 5am. I was really aggravated, but didn't want to say anything to them. If it's going to be like this regularly, I'm not going to be able to stay here for long. I need my beauty sleep!

So, woke up this morning and watched Bugs Bunny for a little bit and then went to the grocery store and bought cereal and a few things to cook dinner tonight for Mikey. It's my turn and I'm making Lemon, Basil and Shrimp pasta. Ole!

9 January 2008

My very first day to do what I want to do... which mostly consisted of catching up on my e-mails and the blog. It was nice relaxing in my little dorm room for the day and resting up a little.

Around 6pm, I was required to go to an Internship Orientation. It really bothered me that they told me two days beforehand. I had already made plans with Chris and his parents for dinner and a show. But, the orientation was over by around 7:15pm and I was able to run over to meet up with Chris at the tube stop near the theater and we saw Stomp. It was a great performance! Very creative and oh SO New York Cityesque. Loved it!

After the show, we went out for some beers (naturally). I tried a Christmas beer called Rosey Nosey. ha.

Chris's mother was so sweet. I found out that we have something in common... we are both artists. She enjoys making stained glass items and fused glass work. I told her that I couldn't wait to retire so I could become the potter I have always dreamt to be. The father was a bit shy. But once you started talking about his grandchildren, he loosened up a bit and showed me some pictures he had on his cell phone. It was cute. Then Chris sends me a text message telling me that I was the first girl his parents had ever met that they liked. Oh no.

Prior to leaving for the orientation, I had received a call from Andrea at the University. She advised me that Think London decided to choose another candidate. She said they really liked me, but they thought I would be bored there. Which is probably true. Andrea told me not to worry and that she has submitted my information to another company called Blackbaud. Apparently, they are interested in my Project Management background. I'm told they will be able to teach me financially related material by using this experience. It sounds like a perfect match! I have been scheduled an interview with them next Wednesday.

8 January 2008

Today, I was scheduled for my Registration Appointment to go over my class schedule and make any changes I needed. I had a few classes on Friday that I wanted to opt out of just in case I wanted to go on a weekend trip somewhere. I was able to get out of most of them, but the other class wasn't available any other day or time during the week. That's ok because I'm suppose to get an internship, so I will get to drop 2 of the 4 classes anyway and that will be one of them... I think.

Afterwards, I ran home before I had to go to my interview at Think London. Sent my mom her first real e-mail from me telling her what I have been up to all this time. Before I knew it, it was time for me to rush off to the interview. It took place in Canary Wharf, which is one of the two financial districts in London. They were on the 35th floor and had the most AMAZING view of the city I have ever seen! I'm surprised they are able to get any work done.

The interview went well. I was looking forward to starting the internship, but had to wait another day or two for the results. Ugh. I'm getting anxious for not having a job.

7 January 2008

We had an orientation with the University of Westminster today. I met a really cool chic from Paris who is studying US History - Feminist Movement. I thought that was interesting. She had to leave our room and go to another since the orientation was strictly for the US students. Bummer.

The orientation wasn't half bad. I learned that I could get cheap services on campus for acupuncture and massage therapy from students in their last year of their studies. May consider it one of these days.

After the main orientation was over, we went in to break out sessions and they fed us some lunch. Nothing fancy. Just a sandwich, some chips (crisps so they call them), an apple, and a chocolate candy.

Couldn't wait to get out of the orientation. Mike met up with me in Islington. He wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't hang out for long, but he helped me find the hair dryer, flat iron, iron, and some other basics that I needed. I couldn't WAIT to go home to take a shower and wash my hair. I had been putting off the washing until I had bought those things and it had been three days already. Yuck!

Later on that evening, Chris picked me up and we went out to The Vibe at Brick Lane. We met up with a few of his Aussie buddies and they were SO much fun to hang out with! After a couple of beers, we walked down Brick Lane where all of the restaurant vultures are. They come up to you and offer you different concessions for eating at their restaurants. It's really quite amusing! We ended up getting a free round of drinks and a free appetizer. It was great! There were 8 of us, so we all ordered something and shared with everybody. I'm looking forward to seeing these guys again for Australia Day on January 26th. There's a pub crawl to celebrate. Woo hoo!

5 - 6 January 2008

On Saturday, the 5th, I moved in to my dorm. It was so liberating to get all of my stuff unpacked and in a place after living out of a suitcase for over 2 weeks.

Later that evening, I met up with Ian. He took to me to two bars in Covent Gardens (Lounge and Detroit). We tried some interesting beers over a nice chit chat. After the bars, we went to a really tasty Thai restaurant. I can't remember what it was called... I couldn't even pronounce it. ha! Good bloke, that Ian.

The morning of the 6th, we had an orientation with CEA. They discussed various issues including healthcare, safety, culture shock, and language differences. Afterwards, Chris picked me up in le chat noir (his porsche) and we went over to Ikea to get some basic necessities. I bought a duvet and duvet cover, sheets, mattress pad, pillow, towels, robe, slippers, wine glasses, regular glasses, coffee cups, a vase, hangers, etc... all of which tallied up to about $500. I also bought this really cool picture to hang over this super ugly bulletin board in my room, but it was too big to get in to Chris' car. ha. So, I had to spend 45 minutes returning the thing.

Was suppose to play tennis with KFoy, but we were at Ikea MUCH longer than I had anticipated. It took us over 3 hours to get those few items. So, I had to call and cancel the tennis, which was very disappointing for me.

Mike ended up coming over instead and we went out to dinner at this cute little Italian restaurant... and I had risotto. :)

4 January 2008

Met up with Lisa from CEA today. She gave me an Oyster card (travel card for the public transport system) and a London A to Z guide... along with more information and some snacks. :) I later found out that other companies didn't give their people Oyster cards, so I felt super special. It even had $14 on it. :)

Afterwards, I went to a local HSBC branch to make sure my account was open and to see if I could transfer over some funds. Luckily, the account was open, but unfortunately, I couldn't transfer any funds since I didn't have my passport with me. Ah well.

Went searching for a Financial Times and something to eat while Mike was meeting up with a friend of his for lunch. Ended up hanging out at a chain restaurant called Pret a Manger and had a sandwich and a banana.

Mike cooked again, except this time he made homemade pizza with artichoke hearts and chicken. My favorite! Yumm.

3 January 2008

Mikey and I had a late start to the day. He took me over to Greenwich and we took an early evening boat cruise along the Thames. It was so beautiful!!!

Met up with Nicholas and Chris this evening. Nick met me at the tube station. I have been so lucky. Everybody I have met so far has been so sweet and kind and Nick and Chris are definitely not an exception. We walked over to one of Nick's favorite after hour pubs. It was tiny and cozy. They had a nice little fire, a sofa, and quite a few tables. It had a nice little crowd and some tasty beers.

Afterwards, the boys took me to this steakhouse called Black & Blue. It was SOOO good and I had a tasty fillet mignon. Yum! And Nick and I shared a dessert. Poor Chris was sick, so after dinner he was off the hook for late night entertainment. He walked me over to the bus stop I needed to get back to Mike's house. On our walk, we walked through the most beautiful shopping area... it's considered their 5th Avenue and I BELIEVE it was called Bond Street. They had all the shops there like Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, etc. It was beautiful! I must go back over there to take some pics. Haven't taken any pics with the "REAL" camera just yet.

2 January 2008

Finally recovered from New Years. Mike and I took the bus down to the city and we saw where Bridget Jones lived. The door they used in the movie was actually part of a pub. Mike said she would have had to be extremely wealthy to live in that location, and as we all know, poor Bridget wasn't all that wealthy. It was so surreal to see where they filmed the movie. We later went home and watched both BJD movies. It was great.

So, I was curious to try REAL fish and chips. Mike wouldn't let me go to the place down the street from his house, so instead, we went to a place called Fish that was next door to Bridget's. Mike had the haddock and I had the cod. It was delicious, but was the most expensive fish and chips Mike and I have ever had... it was $40 a piece. Yikes! It seems like every time I go out for dinner or to eat, really, it's $40. The prices here are so cruel!

After lunch, we walked over to this REALLY cute coffee shop. I should have taken a picture of it, but I'm sure we'll go back. We walked through the Borough Street Market to get there and then we walked around to the river and over to the Globe Theater (Shakespeare's own). Didn't take a proper tour, which is good because CEA is offering a free tour for us. We then walked around South Bank a little and attempted to get on the London eye at sunset, but there were so many people there that we had decided to do it another day. It was an absolutely lovely walk around the city and along the river.

That evening, I had requested some of Mike's famous risotto. It was sooooo good. He made it with shrimp, parmesan, peas, and I can't remember what else. He's quite the chef! Yummmm.

1 January 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This was a very tough day. I didn't want to do anything, really. My head and stomach hurt, but didn't want to waste my time since I had the cities best tour guide at my fingertips. So, Mike and I went to Soho for some "breaky" and I had a breakfast burrito and then we went for a little walk around the city and ran some errands. Mike went to O2 (a mobile phone company) and received a REALLY nice upgrade on his phone.

Later on that evening, I had met with THE Kevin Foy (a.k.a. my brother). He greets me with a huge hug and open arms saying "My sister!!!!" Ah the sweet bliss of inheriting a family member in such a strange place.

He met me at the bus stop and he showed me the view of the city at night from the Waterloo Bridge. It was so beautiful with all of the lights reflecting off of the Thames River. He then led me to one of his favorite hang outs for beer - The Porter House... but it was closed. So we wandered to a wine bar that he likes... but it was closed. We walked up the street a little more and found a place that was open and had a glass of beer. I was hungry, so he took me to a Mexican place for some margaritas and burritos. That man is too funny! He's from Newcastle originally, so he has that English/Scottish accent. It's too cute. It was so fun catching up with him!

31 December 2007

Didn't do much this day. Stayed at home the entire day and made Mike feel like a bad host for not feeding me. ha ha. Kidding. I think Hannah made him feel bad for it, but it didn't bother me much. Mike was busy doing all of the big preparations for his party. He was playing Chef for the party, cooking Tandoori Chicken on the grill (it was SOOO good) along with other really tasty curry dishes. I was so impressed with his cooking ability!!! And so was everybody else.

As the day went on and we were putting on our party gear, Hannah and MIke were ready to start drinking. I wasn't. They offered me a drink, I declined. What seemed like ten minutes later, they offered me another drink, I declined. This went on for about an hour and then I finally obliged. Kidding. It didn't take an hour. I think they started drinking around 5:00ish and I didn't start until around 7:00ish when people started to arrive. This is when I begged Mike to start cooking. DESPERATELY needed food in the belly. He hesitated at first, but when I got down on my knees and begged, he finally gave in. ha. And then he was glad he had started earlier because by the time all of the food was done, there were loads of people surrounding him breathing down his neck for food.

They had quite a nice turnout! Everybody was REALLY nice and fun to hang out with. One of the girls was completely shocked when I told her I didn't know what Top Shop was. She grabbed my arm and I was thinking she was going to pass out, but luckily that didn't happen. Top Shop is just a popular place for the ladies to find the latest fashions. She gave me her number so I could call her and we could do a girls day out for getting familiar with the popular shops in the city. ha.

Midnight struck and we were all upstairs in the loft with the tele on waiting for the countdown. I queued up my iPod to play the silly Auld Lang Syne song I had on there. But you couldn't hear it because of the noise people were making. We all held hands and danced around in a big circle. It was great fun! But... I was missing my friends in Chicago and wishing they were there with me. So I starred out of the window for a minute... took a deep breath and thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing here?" But then I reminded myself that I had made the right decision. I mean, afterall, I had never come to a city and said to myself, "Now I feel like I'm at home!" Anyway, still looking out the window... it looked SO much like the scene from Mary Poppins when they are dancing on the rooftops with all of the chimneys, etc. It was really cool!

After drinking a bottle of wine, lemoncello, champagne, and a couple of beers, it was time for me to go to bed. I wasn't feeling well at all! It was the weirdest thing! I had the chills for about an hour before I had finally warmed up. It reminded me of the time my Dad picked me up from a friends house a long long time ago. They only had heat in the main living area and we were staying in her bedroom and it was so cold that I had to call my parents to come rescue me.

29 - 30 December 2007

Ok ok. I know that I am a little behind in my writings, but it hasn't been until recently that I have had a constant internet connection. So, I'm going to back track a little.

Flew out on the 29th of December (Friday) on Virgin Airways. Aside from the itty bitty space I had, the flight was AWESOME! I would definitely consider flying with Virgin again. I mean, after all, you can play video games for FREE... and you can even play against people within your vicinity... although I never quite figured that out.

Met the cutest little girl (little meaning 20 years-old). She sat next to me on the plane and was very good at striking up conversation. She sang a little as she talked. Was a home town girl from a little town in Iowa and was going to London with a few of her friends to meet up with a couple of girls from a Summer Camp program she had participated in. She's going to school to be a teacher. I can tell she is going to be a great teacher. She exuded patience... something I could definitely work on. ;)

Once we had arrived, I turned on my phone and to my surprise the new SIM card worked! Thank goodness! Mikey was there at the airport to pick me up. He was waving his hands so I could clearly see him. He had to borrow a friends car to come and get me. When we got to the car to put in the luggage, I instantly wanted to walk to get in the drivers side thinking it was the passengers side... but made a conscience decision not to. We drove around a little. Went in to Chiswick for a little bit. It was SUCH a cute little part of town. And really just ran around for the rest of the day. We drove up to Essex to visit a few of his friends, ran a few errands in preparation for the NYE party, and finally to the final destination.

Hannah, Mikes roommate, is such a sweetheart. She's from Wales and has such a fun personality. She's very warm and friendly and was very welcoming... allowing for me to use her hair dryer and flat iron. Score!

Didn't feel this jet lag thing people keep talking about. So, we met up with my friend, Dan, for some drinks with a few of his pals. We started off with dinner at a pub and it was surprising goooodddd. Afterwards, we walked over to a hotel lounge and then took the tube alllll the way over to Brick Lane for a few more drinks. Mike was more tired than I was, so the two of us called it quits and headed home via a local bagel shop.

The picture is of Dan. Forgot to take a group picture. :\