J.K. Rowling...the J stands for Jesus?

Week 4 in London! 6/28-7/1

Monday we had class. It was going to be a good day I could tell, there was a 0% chance of rain...which is just about as rare as a unicorn. The 5th day of lovely summer weather in London. One odd thing that I did see was a man walking to work and wearing a sweat band. It was warm, but not that hot. When getting to class, we had some extra time to sit and enjoy the weather, and I wanted to go get any sun I could (salvage what I could of my tan that I started before I left) When sitting on my sun drenched bench there was a line of budweiser bottles. One cool thing about London, you can walk around without hiding your booze bottle and be drinking it. It made me laugh that this was on the campus grounds...someone had a good night.

To start things off on even a better note...my Alan Hertz quote of the week. We asked him where to find good Indian food. The answer I wrote down but he described it this way "you will love it, its like eating a rainbow" I laughed because of how he said it. Let your imagination go with it. In class we talked about colonization and imperialism. That leads to my second Alan Hertz quote of the week. "Colonization is just sending people to settle a place and imperialism is just screwing strangers from far away." Also found out the origins of the "I'm a little teapot" song came from. George III suffered from an intense mental disease. When hidden away for treatment, he apparently would ask for his tea by doing the little dance (here is my handle, here is my spout). When the public found out...this is how the song started. I digress....

For lunch we went to this place called the Onion and it was fab! I had a spinach, avacado, and feta sandwich. YUM YUM. After that we met up and did the Inns of London walk. Not that exciting we were just on the west side of London and the coolest part for me was to see the city marks where the "real" London border is. It is a gryffin(dor---haha to my HP nerds). At the end we walked to through the meat markets and ended class in a nice little circle park. When sitting there he explained how close we were to Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd anyone?) and that this nice little park is where people were taken to be executed. They found it funny to kill someone in a park between the meat market and a hospital. One of the famous people who were executed there was the one and only William Wallace. There is a memorial to him (see picture) and there is another piece of history there too. The hole in the wall was damage from the Blitzkreig that never was fixed. Yay history! He also explained the story of the scratching fanny ghost...this gets a little graphic. Not in a bloody way, but in a way that I would feel awkward talking to my grandma about it. So the story goes that on Cock Street--which was named after what was sold there (did I mention Monday was also the day of inappropriate/important signs? hehe)--apparently there is a ghost of a woman who scratches her fanny. In England fanny means va-jay-jay and scratching means pleasuring one's self. So Alan pointed out that men did not run from this particular ghost...they tended to run toward it. bahahaha. After that class ended. Hailey and I decided to go find Fleet Street...more important 186 Fleet Street where legend said this horror took place. Oh we found it. It was awesome. The ironic part now is that a church is now next door. Makes me wonder if it was there when this story happened....many people are still arguing if Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett really existed. Doesn't matter I found it and that made me happy. From there we went and found Drury Lane...only a few blocks down. However, most of the establishments on Drury Lane were theaters and not bakeries. If I started a bakery on Drury Lane I would call it the Muffin WOman.

After that I went to Oxford Street to do some shopping. London is much hotter than I anticipated. I was expecting cooler temps low 70s and cloudy. Well it might be like that, but it is HUMID as all heck. So dresses, skirts, and shorts are being purchased so I don't overheat. I have seen people in jeans and long sleeves and I don't know how they do it...even in the tube its worse. Complete dead air.

On Tuesday was a busy day at work. Learning more things every week. More tasks means the day goes by faster. I broke one rule (my rule that I wasn't going to do) and left the house without the umbrella. Sad morning. The first day without sunshine all day. It was sunny later, but walking to work...I got wet. The down side to my place of employment, no air conditioning. So my office has two windows but each of them dont open that far and there is no air flow. I could feel the heat radiating around/off me. Lots of water drinking...its too hot for tea now. This one guy at work is trying to push me to drink a redzone which is the equivalent to our red bull. I think he wants to see me hyped up on sugar or something. Whatever...that is way too unnatural. After work I went to return the clothes I bought yesterday (from the God-forsaken Primark) and went to another store and experienced the BEST customer service I've ever had. I asked for shorts and she ran around the store, picked out all their styles, and brought them back to me. I was in shock...very helpful and successful, got a pair of shorts. The best part about this store, I get an extra discount because I'm a student. Gotta love it. I also recieved my first piece of mail from a loved one. Grandma and Grandpa Bormann sent me a card. I was so pumped. Who would have thought that a letter would get me so jazzed? Other random things that I encountered during my day.

-Low pants on the tube....apparently belts dont exist here either. seriously. I would feel uncomfortable with that much of my undies showing to the world.
-I was updating websites and a title of one of our videos is "Is Bin Laden a security guard?" and I laugh because I could ask that about my boyfriend. "Is my boyfriend a terrorist?" hahahaha.
-HP trailer came out that day. Now that England is out of the world cup, this was the top/breaking news story of the day. I was excited, but I heard someone say "really? this is the biggest news we have?" Apparently not all England people like HP.

-The word "queue". Pernounced Q like the letter. I am not a fan. The one phrase that I strong dislike it. Worst part if I ask someone if they are in line....the have no idea what I mean. They look at me as if I am speaking a foreign language.

Wednesday was a very uneventful day. I am at the point now where I should start feeling homesick and I'll admit it, there are times when I long for the country air, wide spaces, fishing, and the sound of crickets. But I'm not wishing my time away, I am just truly appreciating Wisconsin...something I never thought I would say. ha. This day was defined by random happenings and a long day of work. I finally figured out the sizing system here which I'm not a fan of. Clothing you go two size up and shoes down 2 sizes. So not only does it look like I have mini feet but the numbers on the clothes make me feel frumpy. Ah well. Another random happening...there has been a summer international conference at our hostel for like a week and that morning I had to do a double take. I thought I saw Nathan...but he has a twin who is French. Hot sticky day at work. But one funny quote. For our entertainment channel we compared J.K Rowling v. Stephanie Meyer (aka HP v Twilight) and someone asked what the J in J.K. Rowling stood for. After a few guesses one lady said, "I dont know...Jesus?" I laughed...to myself...very hard. Yes, Jesus Rowling...that makes sense. Also was a long day at work stayed an extra hour to revise a spreadsheet the boss lady wanted, but the plus side is that her and the managers loved it. Very impressed I guess. Finally my random moment topped off on the tube ride home....where most of my people watching occurs. Best place for it really. I wonder how many people watch me and experience the same thing.

-There was a 14 year old girl witha pin button that said "I <3>

-Some man yelled at me from across the street as I was walking to the tube, "Nice legs" This man was old enough to be my father. The men here do not have filters at all. Everything that happens in their head comes out of their mouth. Disgusting really.

Finally to talk about the "tube rules" There are two rules. If sitting in a seat, watch who enters at each stop because you should offer your seat to 1) a pregnant women or 2) an elderly person. Here are my issues with the rules. How embarrassing would it be if the person was just heavy and not preggers? Imagine if I was attempting to be nice when I ended up insulting the person and then worse yet, I'm stuck in a tiny car with them for goodness knows how many more stops/delays etc. Also the fact that alot of other people in the car would see/hear this and collect mean thoughts about my originally nice gesture. Almost the same thing goes with an elderly individual. When I get older and someone would offer their seat to me I would automaticaly think shoot, I look old. As my mom always reminds me age is only an age, and you don't always have to act it either. So what qualifies as elderly? Grey hair, wrinkles, cane? You tell me. Personally there are some clearly elderly people who probably shouldn't ride the tube. It is a mad house during rush house and they could get trampled if they dont keep up. One lady I saw the other day...it probably ended up taking her 10 minutes to climb the steps, but what could I do?

Thursday. Last work day of the week! I enjoy my internship, just the days get long. Everyday that I'm there they keep adding more things for me to do, so that must be good. They must like me enough to keep giving me more projects and assignments. That is usually a good sign, right?

Anyways I decided to be brave and wore jeans. Bad life choice. HOT. I am now offically the coordinator of our facebook and twitter accounts. That is MY project. Yay for social networking being incredibly popular...and in my case...fun! Not that eventful of a day overall, but I do have a hot date tonight.

Like most weekends, I dont know what I'm going to do yet, but I'm sure it will be fun :)

Cheers until my Sunday update of my weekend!--Heidi

Windsor gvards like Abba

Hello everyone!

Here is my update from this last weekend. Weekend 3: 6/25-6/27

On Friday a group of us were going to see Macbeth in the Globe Theater. The tickets were sold out, so that was no go. New plan was Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Park. The palace was fun, we just chilled out on the memorial. The weather has been so unseasonably warm lately. Ready for this? 80-85. I know. Heat wave. Before this the weather was 60ish and cloudy so not the nicest. The last week has been woooooonderful because I love summer. Anyway back to my weekend adventures. We walked through Green Park and I swear the trees there are so weird, I cannot even explain it but I have my top experts on the case. The picture I have of me and Buckingham looks like I'm more interested about the rear of the man and lion. Jake, who was taking the picture, was supposed to get a pic of me and buckingham, clearly not what he did. Ah well.

From Buckingham we walked to Hyde and Kensington Park. We went to yet another part of Hyde park that I have not explored yet and found an awesome tree hut/house thing. (see picture). We of course went to explore inside. Under the tree it was completely empty....as in no random branches poking around places. It was like a blanket of leaves and branches and inside was a hut. Anyways, it was pretty much the coolest tree ever. I wanna know what type of tree it is actually and how we can get them in the states. I never thought that while I was away I would be wanting to know so much information about trees before. Probably because I was getting "Learning your trees 101" before leaving Wisconsin from Aaron during our random adventures. Under this tree, while we were exploring, a little girl was popping in every 10 seconds and just staring at us. She brought back a dead branch and leaves and then started "sweeping" her "house." I think we may have invaded her space and she was unhappy because she did not invite us in. Too cute. Isaac decided to climb the tree because straight up the center there was no real top coverings. It was a fun time. This tree kinda reminded me of what the lost boys would live in. Very magical and has multiple options for imaginations...it felt like being a dream. I never thought I would be reconnecting with my childlike part of my imagination while in London either. It makes me appreciate the little things in life and what is a tree to one person may be an adventure waiting to unfold for someone else. From there we got an afternoon snack on the lake in the park at a cafe and then wandered down the Serpentine enjoying the sun and water. Rowboats, ducks, swans, and families were everywhere. There was one couple we saw out on a rowboat and they both looked naked. After a while of trying to figure out who had the best zoom, we hoped they weren't. No definate answer. As we walked on we stopped at the Diana memorial and peterpan statue again. We had been walking around London from 130-8.

After a short rest we met up for dinner at a Spanish resturant called Tapas. The idea of this place was that everything on the menu were appetizers, so each person ordered about 3 tapas. I had a pear and cheese salad, potatoes with salsa and cheese, and bread with dipping sauces. It was delicious and only around 10pds. I do however do think next time I have pears I am going to need cheese. At first it was weird, but I got acquired to it quickly and liked it. Another thing I am enjoying on this trip...all the different types of food to eat and that I'm not scared to try them. Sometimes I won't even know what it says on the menu but just try it anyway. Hasn't failed me yet.

On Saturday we went to Windsor and got a great deal on tickets. 10 people round trip was 51 pds which is about 5 per person. We had an epic moment of trying to order tickets and getting to the next possible train...which was leaving 5 minutes after getting the tickets. Very movie-esque moment running through the station and down the platform, engines starting and whistles blowing, conductors yelling.........and end scene. We all made it just in time, I even got to secretly sit in first class. We had a fun day exploring Windsor castle. One thing I got to see was the changing of the guard (or gvard...like its spelled on the sign). In the courtyard the new guard squad and the old guard squad faced eachother. The band then royally marched in across the square. The band then played a mini concert it consisted of no national anthems but of an Abba medley. I immediately started laughing, it seemed really out of place...more than me being in London. I of couse video taped it. These royal men in uniforms and playing Abba....just writing about it makes me laugh. Half way through the medley I looked around and people were either staring or the lady behind us was grooving. Such a cool but funny moment. At Windsor it must be the main path to Heathrow...every 15 seconds a different plane flew over preparing to land.

After the guard was changed out we went to the chapel in the castle. Very cool, learned about knights and this was also where Henry VIII was buried....stubborn, egotistic man....but I did say hi. From there our large group was broken up and so I moved onto the Queen dollhouses with Val. Of all the expensive and detailed things royalty could have, the made a dollhouse that was REAL. Running water, electricity, real tiny plates, paintings, furniture. The guide explained that everthing in this house was real but miniturized. Crazy. No photos allowed. Down side to Windsor, no pictures anywhere indoors. That is convenient for them though....makes you buy postcards for sure. After that we went to lunch in town at Wagamama and I had some sort of chicken ramen soup stuff. Very good, but no room for the actual soup broth. After lunch we went down to the Thames and explored the park. However there was a festival going on and it was crowded with families doing the typical carnie things with kids. Something not so typical...duck races and quakers. Each rubber duck had a number and was purchased for 2 pds. All the ducks were thrown into the river at the same time and whichever duck got to the designated "end" first, won 200pds. Very funny to watch, very funny to listen to commentary, and very nice to know that even in England they have hokey festivals and activities.

Week 4 begins tomorrow. Wish me luck and I will update this in a week!

Much love, smiles, and sunny weather your way!

What state is Wisconsin in?

Hey all! Week 3: 6/21-6/24

Had a wonderful week! I started with 70 days in London and today I am offically down to 47. Time is flying by! Here is what I did this week.

On Monday we had class. I honestly zoned out a little/a lot during his class indoors. So dont ask about it. I have notes, but dont really remember. Anyways, for our out of class time he told us to meet him on the south bank of the river "under the lion's balls". I am going to start a new portion of my blog...the Alan Hertz quote of the week. This week's featured quote goes something like this, "Now just close your eyes and imagine with me, because I know you all wanted to at one point or another..(long dramatic pause)..imagine that you are the pope." Random. We were talking about the creation of the church of England and Henry the VIII and repercussions of it. OH! I guess I did remember something from in class! Success! Out of class, we met "under the lions' balls" which he thought were very impressive, while I thought we must look like tourists now, staring at lion's balls as he is talking about them. Nice view of Big Ben and such though. Of course the days that I am down in that area, the clouds are around too. One of these times the sun will be out, and then it will pay to follow my rules. Rule #1-never leave the room without my camera (never know when I'm gonna see something weird, cool, funny, etc.) and rule #2-never leave the room without my umbrella (never know when its gonna rain, seriously) The one cool story I remember from out tour part of class was the mysterious story of Codestone. Codestone was developed by a chemist and it was a type of statue/building cement that had very unique qualities that made everyone want to use codestone above anything else at that time. The man who created it, passed away and his wife took over the company. Although codestone was in such high demand, the woman still managed to plow the company into the ground. Here comes the mystery...which should be started as "the story goes..." the only written formula for codestone, the wife hid in a lion statue and has never been found. The craziness continues, the lion is a very popular statue in London and England, so if the story is true, it could be ANYWHERE. To put the cherry on top, even with all of today's technology the formula to remake codestone has never been figured out. So what did I learn? To become a millionaire...figure out how to remake codestone STAT!

That night was Erica's 21st birthday (one said thing about this country, the don't get hyped about a 21st as much as we do since they can drink at 18....and NO free drinks for any birthday. sad) We had dinner at an Italian place on the southbank of the Thames called Strada. Delicious. I had Rigatoni Siciliana. Afterwards we went to bar inside a college that looked over the Thames River. It was alot of fun. I came home early because I had skype plans and I had to work the next morning.

My week at work....this week at work I am fitting in much better and got to do some new stuff. I am really enjoying my time there and every day flies by faster. On Tuesdsay I did my regular things like upload photos, update web pages, and emailed servers for information. Wednesday we had a short day....so I uploaded videos and then we went to check out our new offices. Our new location is about a 15 minute walk from where I live now. Good thing that when I wont have much money for the last few weeks of the trip (at least a budget from school) I will be able to hopefully walk to work. We are scheduled to be in there by August 1. It felt like we were going on a class field trip, it was a good time. Following that we all went to Potion bar and had a grand old time watching the England match. I got to meet and get to know more people from the company including the trifecta owners/managers of the company. Very nice and hospitable people who would not let me drink go dry during and after the match. By 6 most of the people there were intoxicated or at least feeling it. I now know that rum and cokes, champange, and wine will give anyone a headache...and it did, but I had a blast. The atmosphere at games in a packed pub was fun to experience. I think I surprised my gentlemen co-workers about how much I knew about soccer and such. Ah it paid off playing soccer for so long. As I was explained to by my co-workers "if you want a class in British life and culture....this is it. Drinking and football" Fair enough. I had a fun time. On Thursday I did my normal things but in the afternoon I got to shadow a producer, Alex. Working with him was so much fun. We worked on and finalized 3 projects that day. We chatted alot about Wisconsin (which is where I got the title of my blog from. He was unaware that Wisconsin was a state, even though he has visited Michigan...odd) the states and alot of random stuff as things were rendering. Putting my ideas towards videos is fun to do and see. Bouncing ideas off of each other was alot of fun and made the afternoon fly by. When putting my ideas forward I told him "if you ever want me to stop, just tell the intern to shut up" but that didn't happen. Good day...good day.

After work on Tuesday I decided to walk off some energy and explore Hyde and Kensington Parks. The weather this week has been unseasonably warm and sunny, so I figured it would be a good time to get some nice pictures in. While there I found the Princess Diana memorial fountain. It was super cool. A round loop of flowing water that wasn't too deep but deep enough to wade in slightly....and that is exactly what they invited everyone to do. So when in Rome...or in my case London...you wade in the memorial. It was lovely. Unfortunately one individual took the wading too seriously and came in a very tiny speedo swimsuit and was asking the park worker if his outfit was "too much" I was disturbed, so you all know my answer.

After that I wanted/needed to find the Peter Pan statue. A tribute to a writer, a character, and the idea that we never really have to fully grow up. I feel like that should be my new motto since age is only a number. I digress....finding it seem to take forever because I was so excited to see it. When I did my child like side of me took over and all I kept thinking was one of my favorite quotes from that movie...not because its classic, but because Peter says it like it's common knowledge and doesn't sound bizarre. "There's it is Wendy. Second star to the right and straight on till morning" I think of that scene when I'm looking at Big Ben as well. Not only did I think about that movie, my mind flashed to Winning London (darn those Olsen twins). Makes me miss my girlfriends back home....you know who you are :)

After that I discovered the Italian Fountains, wrote in my journal, and then walked promptly home. I left the house at 6 and got back around 930....new rule no being out by myself after 9. I just dont feel right for reasons I will not share. The whole walk was about 5-6 miles. Good workout AND exploration if I say so myself. Most importantly got home safe and sound.

Will write about my weekend later today after some shopping, writing and laying out in the sun. Lovely Sunday afternoon...gotta get the sun now, I checked and the clouds/rain is coming back next week.

Cheers!

I'm in Sussex...England!

Hello all! Weekend 2: 6/18-6/20
So this weekend was fun! On Saturday Elizabeth, Hailey,Lindsey and I went to Brighton. I didn't know what to expect, all I knew is that it was on the coast. As we traveled south I realized that we were going to be in Sussex, England. Oh Sussex, how my ties to you will never end. First thing I did when we arrived was started looking for signs with "Sussex" on them. The first one I saw was the Sussex BBC office. Lovely! From then on we just had a good calm day exploring Brighton's beach and shops. We had a wonderful relaxing day. Brighton is on the English Channel (so I got to stand in that) and is best known for Brighton Pier. In the morning we wandered through the beach side shops and got to see some beautiful photography and lots of art. I have never seen so many artist stands at a beach before. It was very neat. Lots of canvas paintings, photography, and even stained glass. Also there was lots of seafood resturants (thus the picture of me and Hailey and the giant shellfish) as well as a beach carousel. It was cute and hokey, so of course I rode it. You are only at Brighton and the British Channel once...might as well make the most of it. Most importantly I am a kid at heart and it was very old fashioned. My horse even had a name....it was Terry (haha, sorry mom. good thing its not spelled the same way)
It is a typical coastal town, and very fun. Brighton Pier reminded me of Coney Island, and where some older people must come back to reminise about the "good old days." I thought of the movie the Notebook, and imagined of how the pier must have been back in its hay-day. When eating lunch on a bench, I people watched like I usually do, and saw a few older individuals walking the pier by themselves. My mind of course went to the worst and thought of their spouse may have passed and that they come back to remember the first time they met. Very romantic and depressing my thoughts. Sorry. I would like to see them as beautifully devoted and romantic, not so much depressing. However, these are just stories I make up in my head, the old man probably wanted the exercise.
The pier goes pretty far into the channel and at the end it was full of carny rides and games. It was rather cold and windy when we were on the pier, but it was still beautiful. From there, looking back on the coast and to the east, I could see the white cliffs in the distance. Then, I thought of the movie Atonement...another beautifully depressing movie. I hope people understand my movie references, sorry if not. The cliffs were still brilliantly white even in the cloudy weather. It was nice to get to a beach, however England weather is usually not that nice. The weather all day had long periods of sun and long moments of cloudiness. The beach in Brighton is all rocks...it made me really appreciate sand in the states. The rocks were not sharp, just annoying when walking down to the water and getting them stuck in shoes.
We went to the Royal Pavillion and looked at the outside. It was a beautiful Indian styled place where George IV and his mistress went to vacation. Funny story. We were not sure where this place was so we asked someone who worked at Brighton Pier for directions or at least to point us in the right direction. "The Royal Pavillion? I have no idea what you are talking about." Once we explained what it was they said that it should be that direction but it is a ways down. We started walking and got there in 5 minutes. Makes me wonder if the person really knew what they were talking about or just pulling the tourist's leg. It was very pretty to look at from the outside, but you couldn't take pictures inside it so we decided to save the money. There was also someone getting hitched that day and were taking pictures outside of the pavillion. The reason I mention this? They were all cute in their penguin suits and were being driven around in sweet 1930s cars. I really liked them. We then ventured to the Lanes of Brighton, the shopping area of Brighton. I found two cool things. 1) The Sussex--see in picture and 2) a hunting and gun shop! Hunting is not that big here and I think the rules are very very restrictive so I was surprised to see that. I took a picture with it (on someone else's camera...in time it will be up)
From there we decided to relax on the rock filled beach, and it surprisingly was a good nap area. Chilly, but we did get chunks of sunshine. Through all of this the temperature was around 65 F and the crazy thing is that people were still swimming in the channel. I was in the channel for about 10 minutes and had enough. While on the beach I gathered alot of seashells...perhaps too many. I think I was just shell happy, finding them in all the rocks was like a game. So when I found them, I just threw them in my purse. I may have to sort them out hehe.
From there we had one last walk through the beachside shops. I bought some postcards, a necklace, and ice cream. One final thing I got was at the train station and that was two pasties. I have been told that it is typical English food, so I must at least try it. It looked like a personal calzone, but filled with non-Italian things. Served warm as well. I had my veggie one for dinner and also brought a tomato, cheese, basil one for home. Overall it was a lovely Saturday and it was just what we needed.
That night I decided to get my laundry done. That was silly. I did not notice the sign saying that the laundry room was only open until 1045...my laundry was getting done at 11. So my laundry was locked away for the night. I don't like people touching my laundry so I got up at 8 (when it opened) grabbed my stuff, threw it on my bed and then slept until 11. I was very tired for the last few nights I was up late, and did not sleep as much as I usually do on the train ride.
One more thing I noticed. This is only my second day trip but everytime I feel like I have a song to go with it. When I visited my relatived the whole day I had "God have mercy on a country boy" by Josh Turner in my head. First time in the country since being in the city. When in Bath I had the opening song from Beauty and Beast stuck in my head. "Little town..." I think the town just reminded me of the movie. It was a cute little city and very friendly....just that we weren't in France so no random shouts of Bonjour! And when I was in Brighton the song in my head was "By the Sea" from Sweeny Todd. The dream that Mrs. Lovett had to live by the sea with Mr. Todd. "Think how snug we would be underneath our flannel, when its just you and me and the English Channel." Yes, that is being a trend of mine. Song of the day for trips.
Today was much more chill, since it is Sunday...the day of rest. Like I said, slept until 11 and then went grocery shopping in Camden. It is about a 3 mile walk round trip and I was packed to the max on my way back. I had a hankering for fruit so I got alot of it. Apples, raspberries, strawberries, and grapes. I stocked up on alot of other sandwich stuff as well....so I will be good for a while. Which is good because when I was paying and packing my things the lady behind me in line looked ticked that I was taking so long. As I finished up packing I apologized just to be nice. (I didn't think I was taking up that much valuable time). Here is our conversation. "I suppose you are carrying that all the way home?"--"Yes I am"--"I suppose you are American too?"--"Yes"---"Typical". Dont know what that attitude was about. I just smiled and told her to have a nice day. I really wanted to say, "Your right, a typical American would jump in their Hummer to drive across the street...I AM a typical American. Walking to get my load of groceries and be resourceful." However, I took the high road. Sorry for the mini vent session.
Finally with today being Father's Day I had a skype date with mom and dad. It was good to see him. It was good luck that he was in town with my mom to be able to skype with me. It was niiiiiiiiiiiiiice. Felt like I was home again...him sticking his tongue out at me and the two of us making faces at eachother while mom talked. Just like being at home. He is my superhero and I am so lucky to have a fantastic father and good friend in him. You made this trip possible for me dad...THANKS! You are the best, dont ever doubt it. Love you.

The last thing I did today was broke down and bought a new camera. So photos will be coming before you know it.

Hope you all have a great week and happy thoughts/moments your way!

Below are more pictures from Brighton.

Its always sunny when I'm working

Hello all! Week 2: 6/14-6/17

It's been a while I know, but I've been burning the candle on both ends. Lots of stuff to see and do!

On Monday we had class. In the room we start every week by him answering our random tourist like questions. For example "Why does my internship offer me tea like 5 times a day?" and we talk about them in class. Then we actually get to the meat of the subject and he begins to lecture on London history. This last week we talked about medevial times and such. As usual the time went by quickly in class. After an hour lunch we meet up at a different spot in the city and start up a walking lecture around town. This week we focused on the east end of the city. We started in the banking district and saw the Royal Exchange building, the Bank of England and all the different stages of British banking history was at that point. We walked through the Royal Exchange building. It was like a fancy mall center surrounded by super expensive and fancy shops that you hear celebrities talking about, but the average person never even thinks about buying things from there....thus my Tiffany & Co. picture. Probably the closest I'm going to get to ever getting Tiffany in my life. Which was exciting! I'm girly what can I say. There was also a Cartier and Louis Vuitton. Such expensive things and only because its the name....makes one think. We just walked through this building and this is all that was going through my head. From there we discovered parts of London I probably never would have if it wasn't for the class...like the history of the shopwindow (all within an alleyway) and the world's oldest coffee shop in London. We ended class across the street from Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Learned alot. From there most people went home to MTH but I decided it would be wise to find my internship since I was starting the next day. So took the tube to the Notthing Hill area and successfully found my internship. However, it had been raining on and off all day and I looked like poo so I didn't go in to find them specifically/personally. I then topped up my phone and talked with the boy for an hour and a half. That was nice. I decided to get a good nights rest and went to bed "early".

The first day of work was a learning day. I have decided not to put too much detail about it in here, so here are the gerenals. I have my own mac, I'm the first station on the left (right next to the tea station), our one big window overlooks the highway since we are on the 3rd floor, and I have a skylight! I did little administrative work...my main task was revising a spread sheet of information for them. So everyday I came to work, did my daily taks, and then worked on other random assignments for 8 hours a day. Things that are weird, from an American perspective. I get asked for tea at least 3 times a day, usually more. I take my tea green with a little bit of sugar. Yum. I look at it as good my for immune system, it has good antioxidants and such. To our pandora is their Spotify...that really helps me jam through the day. Ok finally I have to explain the situation first. I work in an office/studio complex of about 100 offices. None of the offices are the same. So some people who may own their company...bring their dogs to work. The first day I noticed this I was eating lunch down in the main big lobby and a little dashound trotted by me. The first thing I thought was "weird" followed by "is it bring your dog to work day today?' Following up those thoughts were 3 other dogs being brought in. Not used to it. by Wednesday I knew it was not a work holiday, and that these people actually just bring their dogs into work. This brings me to a point that I need to thank the people of London about. YOUR DOGS ARE WONDERFULLY TRAINED. Working a vet clinic for 4 years....it is a nice change.

After work on Tuesday I needed a walk, and a long one. I wondered around Regents Park for about an hour and when I got back the roomies were just about to go down to Trafalgar's...another favorite place of mine, so I joined them. Lovely clear night and we walked to Big Ben. I got so excited I really wanted to run up to it and kiss it. As I looked over to plan out my attempt, their was a guard there...bugga. It was beautiful though just as the sun was setting. That to me is London. End of sentence. We walked home through Piccadilly Circus (like a mini Time Square of London) and got home and then I was exhausted. A good 3 hour outing. Off to bed I went.

On Wednesday, went to work from 9-5. Got a twing of homesickness because as I was searching for things for my spreadsheet I came across Wisconsin news stations. I never thought I would be happy to see WTMJ on a computer screen. My after work activities were attending Billy Elliot the musical. I took the tube to Victoria Station and there was the theater. So I look a long dinner a the Pret A Manger and people watched. I think I saw a celebrity...he may have sat next to me at Pret. Thing is I can't think of his name, so not a real big name. I cant even think of a movie he's been in, so maybe I was just wanting to see a celebrity...? Anyways, the musical was FANTASTIC! I laughed, I teared up, and it had a deep, multi-faceted plot that was interesting to anyone. Music was done by Elton John...didn't know that. The kid who played Billy....AMAZING! Holy man...words can't describe how cool it was to see such young kids be so talented. We got home around 1130 and I went straight to bed.

Worked on Thursday from 10-6. After work we went out for drinks at the Met. It was alot of fun. It was nice to get to know the people I work with. Everyone in the office is so work orientated (which is awesome) but we don't chat that often, and if they do its work centered. Our topic of discussion was Wisconsin and drinking games. I represented Stevens Point proudly and wowed them with Ella's game of Nails. Needless to say, I now think that everyone in my office thinks we (from Wisconsin) are crazy. Also talked about the hobbies of hunting and fishing that people in Wisconsin do...they are amazed by the idea of these. Its kinda funny to see their reaction to hunting things. It was fun overall. I left there around 8 and then chilled at home for a bit and then attended kareoke. Jake, Layla, Lauren, Carrie, and Jayson and I were all hanging out and picking out our song selections. I sang a Kelly Clarkson song, it was a good time. Shortly after that I had to get back for a skype date. Was up until 130 or so. The next day I slept in until 11....I was sleepy.

On Friday I slept alot and then decided to not be a lazy pile and walked to the Victoria & Albert Museum my class assignment. It was in the Kensington area to get there I wandered through Hyde park. When I got back to the city I passed by Harrods, very ritzy. The museum was fun. They had a history of fashion part and I saw the development of women's shoes from 1720-1996. Also I saw a dress that was made for and worn by Princess Diana. It was white and full of pearls. Very pretty. On the way home I again appreciated the parks of London. It is a cool place for a person to collect their thoughts or for groups of people to hang out and play around. I am a fan. I have to go back when I get a camera to visit the Princess Diana memorial and the Peter Pan statue.

I will write about my weekend tomorrow! I'm off the bed though since my laundry got locked away, silly rules. Night all! Cheers!

Heidi

Bath...like a sheep with a lisp

First weekend in England had ups and (a) down, but I got alot accomplished! Weekend 1: 6/11-6/13
On Saturday morning roomie Lindsey and I went to explore Camden Market (which I found out in class today that it is the most popular tourist place in all of London...boggles my mind. Yes, even compared to all the cool places like Big Ben, Tower of London, and British Museum). Anyways, we wanted to explore and doing some shopping. There are multiple alleys and blocks that are FILLED with shopping. Souveniers, shoes, clothing, food, tattoo/piercings are just a few things that lined the streets. We got there early in the morning right when shops were opening and I'm glad we did. The first alley we stopped by was a block away from the actual "Camden Market" sign. Camden shopping you can find some really good deals, persistent flatterers, and weird punk style everywhere (on people and for sale) First thing I needed to buy was a watch. Luckily the first place we stopped had a large array of watches. I bought a necklace watch. No worries, it's nothing like Flava-Flav...much smaller more pretty, classy, and sophisicated. It's on a long gold chain so I just wear it everywhere but under my clothing. I am a big fan of it. The cover on it pops open like a man's pocket watch. Good investment. As I moved on through different areas I soon figured out the lingo of market shopping.
1) If you look and dont touch, vendors dont bother you. If I came within a centimeter of touching a dress to get a feel of the fabric or something, an alarm goes off in the vendors head followed by directly in my face questions. "Do you like? Very pretty? Would you like to try on? Did you know it comes in other colors?" etc etc. It's kinda scary.
2) Apparently my lack of buying on inpulse is interpreted in the market as me bartering with them. I tend to think about my possible purchases (less than Lizzie, but still :P) and my himming-and-hawing attitude is translated in my bartering technique. Not the case...I'm really just not sure. They followed me calling out prices that were lower and lower in hopes of making a sale. "this is the best price just for you...my first customer of the day"
3) If you try to bargin, some vendors will not want to make a deal. Found that out the hard way. The dress I debated over and brought up multiple times during the day after passing it up the first time I ended up going back for. The reason I passed it up was because the woman did not even care that I was trying to bargin....15 pounds is 15 pounds. Take it or leave it. Worth it. I really LOVED it.
Ups of this day: weather was lovely, alot of vendors were playing beyonce, and bought 3 dresses and my watch.
Down: my allergies caught up with me and kicked me in the rear, hard core.
When we got back from the market aroun 130 I slept for 2 hours because that is how hard they kicked me. Now I am fully medicated and feeling great.
Saturday evening was the futbol match between England and US. Went to watch it at the pub and met my first British friend. The game was a fun atmosphere to experience. He could not understand why futbol (soccer) was not that big in the states. He only asked this because I could not name one player on our team, and he could name at least four...and he was cheering for England. Simple, "because WE play real football." Game ended up tied and was fun to watch.

Sunday a group of us went to Bath Spa. Our professor informed us that the proper way to say is like a sheep with a lisp. We left the Paddington station at 8 and got to Bath Spa at 930. I fell asleep on the train, I have a habit of doing that. We had a nice full day there. Bath is a lovely town that is a larger city, but nothing compared to London. When we first arrived we just wandered the streets that were pretty much empty on a Sunday morning. We reached a little square-ish area with little bistros, shops, the Roman Baths, and Bath Abbey. At that time in the morning it was practically deserted as the sun rose higher in the blue sky. (oh yes, the sun does exist here too...when it feels like showing up) We got some coffee and pastries and made plans for the day. As we sat there the church bells started to ring. Something I never appreciated or heard much or back home...but these went on for a while. It really finished the setting of the town. All through this pretty architecture, setting, and natural sounds...what pops into my head? Beauty and the Beast. Dang Disney invading my special moments in Bath. "little town, full of little people" Needless to say that song was in my head for the rest of the day....and the sad part was I wasn't even in France. So when I got to the part in my head when they yell "Bon jour!" it didn't feel right.
The Roman baths were awesome. The museum had alot of information and history presented in a very cool way. The water of the bath was a lovely seafoam green...it reminded me of the color of pistachio pudding almost. Interesting/funny stories of my people watching that bath.
1) There are signs talking about how the water is not treated so its probably not safe to touch, let alone drink. However we saw a lady not only put her hand in the water, but then lick her hand afterward. The odd part after that was that she looked around all paniced as if she was worried that someone saw her. If you are ashamed....ya shouldn't have done it, because its plain gross.
2) A lady was up on the edge of the bath and accidently threw her sweater not next to the bath, but in the bath. Yummy. To have to carry that around for the rest of the day must have smelled great. ooooh my sassy side is coming off in my writing.
After visiting the baths, we visited a park that was on the River Avon. When the Celtic people told the English what the name of the river was....they thought they were asking for what it was. Silly English thought it was the name of the river, so it's really River River (Avon is the Celtic word for river). From there we explored Bath Abbey. It was beautiful. Walking around these large abbeys it really puts into perspective how much the architect must have really loved Christ, had a strong faith, and wanted to make some beautiful for all worshipers (or visitors) to enjoy. While walking, every floor tile was a tomb marker. The ceiling was sculpted stone and in complete gothic style. The stained glass windows were breathtaking. As I wandered, they began to play the organ and it really was the cherry on top to frame up the scene. We wrapped up our day in Bath by taking a siteseeing tour (where I got smacked in the back of the head by a branch) dinner, and ice cream.
On the way home I slept. When I did wake up the stranger I was sitting next to I wanted to smack. She was on her phone about the jewelry she bought. "This bracelet I couldn't say no to. It was only 195 pounds" I was shocked and started to do the math in my head for american dollars. Then, "I don't really wear rings that often but it was priced right at 65 pounds." Still to me, alot of money. Later in the conversation "I'm traveling abroad soon, and I'm alittle worried about the money" I wanted to smack a silly girl. Seriously! You are worried about money for your trip but you can drop around 250 pounds on jewelry? I don't like spending money on food but here I am....call me frugal, not cheap.
Up of Sunday: Bath overall was goregous
Down of Sunday: Dropped my camera about three feet--in its case--and now its broken. boo. Figuring out something to fix the problem.

Gotta take the good with the bad, that goes when at home or abroad.

Well, I start my internship tomorrow. So wish me luck!
Cheers! Heidi

My first week in London....

Week 1: 6/6-6/10
...has been a wonderful blur of exciting adventures, breath-taking moments, and cherished moments!
I arrived here last Sunday and was completely overwhelmed by the city. The flight was the smoothest I could have asked for since I was deathly afraid to even be in the airport when I got to Chicago. I only got a few hours of sleep on the flight, so my rule was not to sleep unless it was night time here in London. It was 830am here and 230am back home. So I was up for over 24 hours. We arrived at MTH around 1130 and weren't unable to unpack right way, so we went down to a market. The first British food I had was a onion, cheese, pesto, and potato pie. It was natural and delicious. We then got to move in where I live with three other lovely ladies: Lindsey, Ashley, and Heidi. (I've never been in close living quarters with another Heidi before in my life...we are working on how to between the two of us) We unpacked and then had orientation at 3. I nodded off about 4 times when sitting there. I was a little embarrassed. After that my roommates and I picked up some groceries, and decided to explore to find a place for dinner. We (the roommates along with Elizabeth and Margret) ended up in the Soho area and went to Nando's (a spicy chicken place). After that we split. The whole day I didn't feel like I was in London. Driving in from the airport you don't see any of the main sights, so for me it didn't feel real yet. Yes, there was alot of buildings, double decker buses, and people talking with an accent...but didn't feel like I was out of Chicago. My roommates went back to the room and Elizabeth (who has been here before), Margret and I went to "make it real". We walked to Trafalgar's Square and we arrived I gasped because my idea of London..hit me in the face. The hundreds of people of all different nationalities were around the square and enjoying the evening. My heart was pounding in excitement. My dream since I was 10 was FINALLY here! Elizabeth then took me to another look out place at the top of the square and there was BIG BEN! I may have gotten alittle misty because I was SO HAPPY...and I had definately made it. I had to get back to our room by 9 for a skype date, but we made the most of that hour. After going gaga for Big Ben (sorry Carrie) we walked down to Buckingham Palace. The entire street was closed off for some reason but we did get some good pictures and got some rain. Ah the first London rain....

Day 2 we had our first class. First we walked over to our internship agency. From there we went to our college to get orientation on the internship and had our first in class session. Cool thing about our class: our professor is histarical. He studied history, so extra interesting for me, and he is the Larry Ball of London no joke. All the UWSP people know what I'm talking about. So we have class on Mondays in room from 11-1230 and then we get a break for lunch and meet up at wherever we are discovering out of the classroom that week from 2-4ish. Alot of the places we are going to visit in/out of class are places I wanted to go anyway so that will help me conquer this big list of "to-do" that is infront of me.This week we met up at St. Paul's Cathedral and continued our walking lecture. We walked by alot of churches and the Guildhall. We ended up at the Museum of London and were lectured through the Roman exhibit. We were done by 4 and we all traveled back to MTH. Margret, Hailey and I went to Oxford street to check out the shopping and pick up a mobile. Walking down there I realized that Baker Street changes to ORCHARD STREET :)

This is a picture of ritzy Orchard Court. When we returned, we went ISH bar to relax, and it was a nice time.

On day 3, Linsey, Heidi and myself went to Morrisons in Camden. It is a farther walk but MUCH cheaper groceries. At least the walk is pretty, its through Regents Park. However on our way there it was pouring, and I was not prepared. I did have an umbrella, but my flats were filling with water and I was having to dump them our every 10 minutes or so. Not because of the puddles, but my jeans were dripping into them. The umbrella that Grandma Violet is letting use has been getting ALOT of compliments. What can I say, my grandma has good taste. Our walk there was really pretty, after Regents Park there was a lovely river walk to Camden. When we got back we ate some food and then wandered down to Oxford Street to attempt shopping again. Primark is known for its cheapness of clothes but I honestly cannot do it! It is absolutely and utterly crazy. Everyone shops there and its shopping on a new level. It feels like Black Friday everyday. People wait for hours in line to get into dressing rooms, so most people TRY THINGS ON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORE! It is so nuts there that I wasn't in there more than a half hour. There were so many people every where doing all different types of things that I could not enjoy my shopping experience, I was on edge the whole time. I always felt like I was always in someone elses way. One of the workers said their "slow" time was Monday mornings when they first open. We shall see. Another shop that Erica and I discovered was Accessories. Cute stuff that I might so splurge in at the end of the trip. I'm trying to be a money savvy as I can, and I think I am doing really well...granted its only week one. We got back to ISH around 6 and then Hailey, Jake and I went to a great little Indian resturant, Shikara (made me think of Shakira) and had a great dish called Lamb Rogen Josh. YUM! After a quick pint at the bar, I returned to the room to plan out my trip to Hertford to see the Enlgish relatives the next day.

Day 4 I attempted successfully a trip to Hertford by myself. I switched from underground to overground train with some help (I wasn't sure what overground train to get on) from a nice older man. The whole trip was about an hour one way which I didn't mind. The farther I got, the more farm fields and blue skies I saw. That is what I'm used to. Not to say that I dont like the city, but it is nice to get away back to the country side that I'm used to. So anyways, I got there around 1030am and was picked up by Maribel. It was so nice to finally meet this person that I've been writing back and forth with for a while before arriving there. She took me on a ride through Hertford. It was a nice town, not too big and not too small. We arrived at her and Graham's cottage and it was like something out of a movie! I fell in love with it. They did alot of great work with it and made it wonderful. It was what anyone would positively stereotype as a typical English country cottage. Not only does it look the same from the outside as it did since it was built, but the gardens are LOVELY! I fell in love with them. It was layered garden with a fountain in the middle and tall hedges surrounding it. Very picturesque...thus why there are so many pictures of it on facebook. Maribel started lunch and Vanessa and her sister-in-law Wendy (who is married to my father's long lost twin) came so we could all visit. The last time I saw Vanessa, I was about 10 years old. It was soooooooo lovely to see her again and get to know the rest of the family. Oh family ties. My great great grandfather (and theirs) were cousins....that is how we are related. Very distance but it is SO nice to have connections that I know I can count on and visit while I'm here. Maribel made a wonderful homemade lansagna and salad with strawberries and cream for desert. YUM YUM :) At lunch we had a good conversation. Graham came home from work to join us and one of the first questions he asked me was "are all men in America like Homer Simpson?" I hesitated and was taken aback from the question. It made me laugh actually. I think it is possible that this is how British stereotype all Americans, which is unfortunate. I'm not going to say that any country is better than another, but all countries have the good and bad people that represent them. After lunch the ladies of the group took me out for proper tea at a beautiful old farm/stable that has been converted (on the inside) to conference areas, rooms, and resturant. I had coffee and a scone with cream and jam. Delicious! After our coffee, Maribel and I went to go pick up the girls from school. I got educated about the English schooling system....so different from ours. The girls are darling Isabelle is 7 and Clarabelle is 5. We played a few games of Guess Who. Little Clarabelle wanted to play chess and when I informed her that I didnt know how she said she would teach me. Very bright for a 5 year old. I got back to London around 6, so I nice full day in the country. Had a chill night and planned out my Thursday (lots of exploring on my own).

Day 5 was my busiest day. For class we have to write a journal answering some specific questions regaurding our exploring of certain exhibits at museums. This week it was Museum of London and British Museum. I decided to make a day of it since my roommates were either working or off doing other things. I arrived to the British Museum at 1030 and didn't leave until almost 245. On my to the museum I got asked for directions! That was a highlight of my day...it made me feel like I must be looking like a natural. The museum was a great thing to explore by myself. I went to the exhibits that we needed to for class, had my packed lunch, and circled all the other exhibits that I wanted to visit. It was lovely. I love being surrounded by old historical objects. After that, since I stayed longer than anticipated, I took the tube to St. Pauls to go back to the Museum of London to finish the second half of my homework. By 330 I was exhausted and ready to go home. Then St. Paul's caught my eye. Do I save the tube fee and just go explore it by myself....answer is YES! So I had limited time there so I made sure I got to the top first then explore the wonderful ceiling (the two things I wanted to see the most). So I achieved that on my own! Woo hoo! I felt very independent. Then I had a skype date with mom at 6pm my time and surprised the boy with a phone call. After that Heidi, Ashley and I went to Pizza Express for dinner followed by ISH kareoke. Fun night, but all my runnings and exploring hit me around midnight. As we were walking home last night there was a fox on our road! Apparently they are causing quite a bit of trouble lately (two babies were malled at a park last week by a fox). Talk about habitat encroachment and nature fighting back.

Day 6 I had a very relaxed day. I slept until 10 and then spent the day organizing my things more. I got my pictures up finally and made a list of things I need but didn't bring. Around 330 I got to raid the Wisconsin room and made my list shorter. I picked up silverware, lotion, shower gel, baby powder (for my soaked shoes), toothpaste, two mugs, a bag and three pairs of flats. Good day indeed. The group of interns went to dinner with our group leader, who leaves tomorrow morning back for the states, at a pub caled The Globe. I ate ALOT. Had garlic mushroom toast (delicious!!!), chicken tikka masala (and indian type of dish), and chocolate ice cream for desert! It was nice to catch up with the other interns, who have been working this week. After ward we watched the Uraguay v. France game. It is alot more fun to watch futbol here than in the states. Tomorrow should be interesting...England v. US. Going to enjoy it! To end the day Elizabeth, Lindsey, Jake and I went for a walk in Regents Park as the sun was setting. It was SO beautiful, like something out of a fairytale. Queen Anne's Gardens are filled with multiple types of roses. I would have taken more pictures but I forgot my card. Lack of room on the internal hard drive.