The first few days..

I have been in London for 5 days now and I officially LOVE it! The city is so beautiful and diverse, the people are so stylish and friendly, and i've done a lot of really cool things.

On Monday (June 10th) I arrived at Heathrow around 10:40 am. Thankfully, I had met two girls that were in my program at the airport in Detroit and we got off the plane together and helped each other find the residence hall. Because of cost, we decided to take the tube to the dorms and it was definitely an adventure lugging our bags everywhere. The residence hall is new and really nice. It's called Nido Spitalfields and it is in the neighborhood called 'City of London.' The area is really nice with pubs, shops, and train stations really close by. My roommates name is Sarah and she goes to IUPUI and we get along really well. On the first day we went out a tour of the area and then I think I collapsed from exhaustion at 9pm.

On Tuesday we all took a double decker bus to the IES center where the classes are held. The building is an 18th Century georgian home that has fireplaces and chandeliers in every classroom. Only 2 blocks away from the center is the British Museum which is ENORMOUS and probably the coolest museum I have ever been to. It is home to the Rosetta stone, many old Roman and ancient Egyptian artifacts, and really cool mummies. I attended some seminars about safety, academics, and London in general and then ate my first bit of British food. I had a cold egg and mayonnaise sandwich which is actually better than it sounds.

That evening we went to a pub called the Square Pig where all of the students in the program (30 girls and 8 guys) got to know each other and have free food and drinks. All of the people here are super nice and i've gotten along really well with everyone. I already have a little group of friends that I do all the activities with! We went to a different pub later Tuesday night and I had my first Pint!

Wednesday was the first day of class. My Monday/Wednesday class is Architecture of London. The instructor is incredibly nice and we learned about the construction of London and the London fire. Our classes from now on are going to be taking place all over London learning about all of the architecture first hand by seeing it! As a class we walked to Covent Garden, an area of London filled with a lot of stores, markets, restaurants, and street performers. After the lesson some friends and I decided to stay in Covent Garden and explore the area. We ended up going to eat at an italian restaurant and walking around for hours and getting lost.

On Thursday I had a class called British Youth Culture. I think I am really going to enjoy this class. It is taught by a man who is an author, a commentator for BBC documentaries, and has his own radio show! We learned about the Beatles effect on youth culture, the differences between the US and UK, and listened to music. After the class I met up with two of my friends and we went to Harrods department store for High Tea! It was so fun and a really great experience. Harrods is enormous and absolutely beautiful. We all got to choose a tea, and were served scones, mini sandwiches, and an array of desserts.

Afterwards, we explored the neighborhood of Kensington which is really upscale and beautiful! We went to Kensington Gardens and walked around the park even though it was a little chilly outside.  I have been taking the underground Tube everywhere for transport and I am really impressed with it. The stations are clean and filled with food and shops. Unfortunately, you have to pay to use the bathrooms here. I found this out the hard way as I was sprinting to get to the restroom in the tube station and was stopped at a gate that made me pay 30 pence. I almost peed my pants as I struggled with my change purse to figure out which coins amounted to what.

Today, Friday, I woke up early and we went on a guided double decker bus tour around the popular tourist spots of London. The guide was a really funny and nice lady and we went to places like the Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster, and watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace! We didn't have a lot of time to spend at each place, but it gave me a good idea of where things were so I could come back at a later time and explore some more. After the tour we went to Oxford Street which is extremely busy and reminds me of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. I did some shopping at Primark and walked around a few bookstores before making my way back to the residence hall with my friends where I am currently writing this!

I know this was a bit of a long post but because I have been slacking there was a lot to cover :) I will try to keep it updated more regularly from now on. 

Tomorrow I am waking up early and going to the Queen's birthday parade and then to the Globe Theatre to see Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream!

xoxoxo