Well...

There are no rules in London, despite the plethora of CCTV cameras claiming to stalk my every move. Also, people like you to celebrate your birthday for 5 or 6 days straight, which is tiring. That's me: avoiding 21 and keeping it trashy. Things you wish you'd seen but weren't cool enough to handle...
1) The dirtiest drinking game known to man
2) Tequila bottles with sombreros for lids. Detachable sombreros...just in case you want to wear them when you're through.
3) Evangelical wackjobs on a Sunday morning bus telling you the world is coming to an end, and (shocker) you're probably going to hell. Especially poignant when, considering recent behavior, you just might be.
4) Sexual innuendos about curry vindaloo (don't ask, don't tell)
5) Any and everything that happens here, ever.

Weekly bus & tube pass? 25 quid. Drinks at Fubar? 1-5 quid, depending on the bartender. Narrowly escaping trouble via a butch security woman at 1:30 a.m., even when the evidence is right in front of her face? Priceless.

Some people think I'm bonkers, but I just think I'm free.




xxx

Photographic Evidence

Nothing of interest to report, except that I've finally found something I'm worse at than walking down stairs without falling: rolling cigarettes. Oh my God. I've been going to lectures (I get made fun of when I call them classes here), but they don't happen that often and nobody studies abroad to waste time pondering the greatness of their module choices, so yeah. Mostly I treasure my lunchtime pint of cider, try on beautiful British clothes and devise plans to prevent myself from gaining 60 pounds by June 5. We'll see.

I sort of feel like a freshman again here, which I'm actually enjoying. It's so refreshing not to be bored, and people here are less judgmental and jaded than they are in New York. Nobody looks at you like you're the spawn of the devil if you admit to--heaven forbid--liking something. Novel idea. I'm sure most of my perception of Londoners is clouded by the fact that they're all new to me, but on the whole they've seemed more open and less caught up than a lot of the people I'm used to interacting with at home. Less insecure, self-obsessed clones of each other and more interested in having a fucking good time. Obviously I love New York, but towards the end of last semester I was finding it almost laughably superficial and the people there increasingly drove me insane. It's nice to be around people who seem to care more about enjoying what they're doing than spending their time pretending (wishing, probably) that everyone is watching them and probably wants to take their picture.

So that's London. Different every day, but definitely always lovely.


Cheers.

68 to West Norwood

Ello, mates.

Long time no blog. Mostly, this is because if I were to actually recap the last week of my life I would sound like a lazy, nocturnal alcoholic nightmare. While that may be an accurate description, I figure it's best to spare my mum (+1 for Brit-speak) the details. Since most of my classes don't start until this week, my days have consisted of waking up at 1 (1300, according to my phone), eating at 4, and spending the rest of my time forcing myself to get dressed and make plans. Also, I Skype. Sometimes, I take a picture or two. I even shop. But mostly I lounge.

Things I've learned about Britain in the last 10 days? Instead of pre-game, they say 'pre-lash', and--considering that 'lash' is another word for get obliterated--this actually makes sense. Coffee with milk is 'white coffee'...if you don't order it the right way, be prepared for a condescending look and a correction. Apparently milk is not free. There are a lot of racist people here, and they really care about passports. When taking the night bus, know at what points in the hour it comes. This is especially important if you're in the middle of nowhere, alone and caught in the snow. Almost none of the rules in dorms (halls) actually apply. I should try harder to remember the difference between northern and southern accents. 'Estates' are housing projects. Don't offer a British person a lighter with a safety on it. They become annoyed. You can 'hire a mattress' for 1.50 should you ever need to stay on a friend's floor in another hall, because crashing on a bathroom rug with a sweater (jumper!) for a pillow is much too uncivilized. Everything comes with chips...everything. Stay away from Brown Sauce. Finally, if you go to the pub, you will never make it out.

Old people keep telling me that I'll 'take something away' from this experience, but as of yet the only thing I'm taking away are McDonald's chicken nuggets and brain cells.

London is fun.

Cheerio

Hello from London!

Since I've now been here for five days, I figured it was about time that I pulled the self-important study abroad move of getting a blog. So far London has been, as the Brits would say, above average. As some of you know, the incredibly incompetent (but, of course, exceedingly charming) King's College people never sent me the letter that I needed to cross the border, so I arrived with my knickers in a twist assuming imminent deportation. The verdict? Not a problem. After a little argument over the duration of my stay (according to him, January 4 to June 4 was somehow more than six months), he stamped my passport and advised me, for some reason, not to go home for Easter? Regardless, into the UK I came with a visa and 65 pounds (not the currency) of luggage.

After dropping my bags 483983 times and generally making a mess of myself on the tube for 45 minutes, I finally unpacked in my little room and napped...for twelve hours. Oops. On Tuesday, I went to this bizarre furniture store called Argos where, much to my surprise, you stand at a computer and flip through a catalog instead of actually shopping for things. Epic success, other than the fact that I got flustered when they asked me for ID to buy a 'place setting'. Apparently people under 18 are much more likely to stab strangers with dinner knives.

On Wednesday, we had orientation, which basically consisted of walking across the bridge in a snowstorm and standing in endless lines that resulted in nothing except for internet access. I did, however, get my KCL ID, which is not nearly as atrocious as ID pictures I've had in the past (NYU card, I'm looking at you). There was a meeting where several different people from the school talked at us, and I learned my favorite word of the week: tatty, as in "if you want to see what this building looked like before it was renovated, go up to the 4th floor and see how tatty those rooms are". Awesome. Lots of jokes were made about how drunk everyone is all the time. Ashleigh and I got assaulted by a strange man selling flowers, and then I finally learned how to Skype.

I went out yesterday night and realized that there are annoying things I don't know about London, like whether or not people tip here. I'm so used to tipping anyone who does anything, but the people around us didn't seem to be doing it at all. I got a UK cell phone, so I'm no longer wandering around the streets of London wondering what people did before they had them (conclusion: before they could text, people must have actually been reliable).

Finally, things are expensive here, but not as expensive as I thought they would be. I still don't know my address. I have roommates, but I only creepily hear them coming in at 2 a.m., so I haven't introduced myself yet. When in the UK, don't forget to dial the 0. When faced with tiny bathrooms, do not under any circumstances actually look at your face in the mirror while showering. Weird. 'Cheers for that' is the best version of 'thank you' ever. I need to get my saying of 'a bit', 'perhaps' and 'I suppose' under control ASAP, otherwise I'll sound like a douche when I get back to the States.

Flushin' MCs Down the Loo.