Orientation:
was actually a lot of fun! The UC Study Centre [how very British of me] people, Monika and Kum-Kum are super nice and managed to make us those of us who were feeling a bit shocked and homesick [including myself] feel better about everything. They managed to jam pack a ton of activities. On the first day we went on tour of the River Thames that I unfortunately fell asleep during because I was so jetlagged, but I did wake up in time to see Daniel Radcliffe's old school! After that we all walked back under the heavy London rain to the study centre where we had pizza and some informational lectures about life in England and other academic stuff. I didn't have much of an appetite but did eat a little bit...I also tried the legendary Jaffa Cakes for the first time ever! It was pretty good I have to say, but at the time, I didn't think they were mind-blowing. We trooped back to our "hostel" which was really the London School of Economics dorm building in Bloomsbury. I was in a single, but Caitlin was sharing her room with Nicole, a fellow Davisian, and they had an extra bed in their room, so I joined them. Beats staying by myself. Our giant group tried to go to this swanky pub down the street from our hostel but we were a large group and the pub was really fancy so it was a total FAIL. So we walked around the neighborhood some more until we went until a slightly emptier one. Fun times! We played 10 Fingers and everyone was shocked that I have never had a cavity! Haha. We were all introduced to a drink known as "Snakebites." lulz. After the pub shut down, we walked back and crashed for the night.
The second day we left early and headed to the Tate Modern and had a guided tour for about an hour. The museum is super nice and had lots of interesting pieces. After the tour, we were let loose for lunch and we walked along the South Bank, which was super touristy, but I got to see the London Eye up close! Caitlin and I shared a chicken burger pack that we picked up in a convenience store. We had a walking tour afterwards around Westminster and got to see, or walked by, Parliament Building, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and some other places that aren't coming to me at the moment. Our tour guide was this really witty, cute British woman. We had an hour after the tour to "explore" Covent Gardens but really we all hit up the Carphone Warehouse to get our "mobiles". I got the cheapest phone that looks like it was made in 2001. Pretty basic but for 5 pounds I can't really complain. Dinner afterwards was fantastic! We ate in some hotel and the food was fabulous, but the best part was the next activity. WE GOT TO SEE WICKED! Now I had seen it in San Francisco, and while I liked it a lot, I couldn't see why people were fanatical about it. Only after I saw it in London, I finally got it. The Fiyero in London was also a billion times better than the one in San Francisco. After the show, a bunch of people in our group went clubbing, but Caitlin and I walked around Bloomsbury on a quest to find a store that was still open and that would hopefully have laundry detergent! We eventually gave up but picked up some onion rings to try out the CURRY DIPPING SAUCE! I love that they have that in London. Amazing.
The third day, our group split in half. Those of us going to University of East Anglia had to say goodbye to the other half who were going to University of Manchester. We hopped on our coach and drove about three hours northeast to UEA! I fell asleep during the drive, but not before catching some of East London and the English countryside. Lots of live stock and greenery. We were greeted by some UEA students who were kind enough to help us with our luggage and get us our dorm keys. Caitlin, Rachael, and I all were placed in Orwell Close so that's where we were dropped of. Each of us are in different flats, but it's nice that we're so close to each other.
UEA:
The first couple of days we were basically the only students on campus. International students all arrived a couple of days before home students, I guess to give us time to settle in? It was a bit scary being alone in my flat, with no internet by the way! But it turns out there was someone else in my flat that night, so that wasn't too bad. We met Bonnie who is also from the States and lives in Caitlin's flat. The four of us ended up at the Waffle House where we had super delicious savory waffles and afterwards, caught a cab to Morrison's, which Caitlin described as a "super Safeway", to pick up some food and essentials. The next couple of days were full of boring lectures about life at UEA. That Saturday though, the rest of my flat moved in and that was a bit exciting. I really like all of my flatmates. I think we all get on [ohhh Britishism] quite well. We've even had two flat dinners so far that we're super delicious. :)
I am currently taking three classes at UEA: The European Economy [boring], Economics of Film and TV [not too bad], and New Media and Society [love it]. The best part, however, is that I only have class on Mondays and Tuesdays! That's right! I have FIVE DAY WEEKENDS! Haha. But those extra days are really meant for private study. SIGH. I need to get on that...but those five day weekends come in handy when it comes to weekend trips abroad!
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