Sunday, August 31st
Bill took us on another walk this morning to some of the markets found around Liverpool St. in London. We started out at Petticoat Lane which was mainly street vendors selling clothing and other goods, not too much food (I bought a towel with a flower print on it…don’t judge me). After that we went to Spitafield Market (which is in the neighborhood where Jack the Ripper murdered all of those prostitutes). This was a nicer, upscale market complete with really awesome food (I had a long, thin flaky crusted “pizza” with spicy lamb meat, and it was great). After that, we went to the Up Market which was all about food (Indian, Japanese, Lebanese and one booth for English food). Then we made our way to the Brick Lane market, which was sketch. Random people on the side of the road with really old computer parts, shoes, clothes, etc.. Then we ended up at a Beigel Shop (established by the Jews in 1855). I bought 6 plain bagels for just over 1 pound, and they’re amazing. We’re definitely checking all of these markets out again in the coming weekends.
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Week 2
Saturday, August 30th
Today we took a walk with Bill around the western part of the business district of London. We saw St. Pauls Cathedral (holy crap it’s huge), St. Bartholomew’s Church (holy crap it’s old, and beautiful) and Guildhall (holy crap it’s nice in there, and the Arab guard did not like us too much). St. Pauls Cathedral is enormous and has been rebuilt 4 times (hopefully I’ll get the pictures up soon). St. Bartholomew’s Church dates back to 1120’s, and is the oldest parish church in London (it’s also where Shakespeare in Love was filmed). When we walked in, the choir was rehearing for a wedding later that day which gave an extra kick to the beauty of the place. Guildhall is where the City of London’s Mayor would hold meetings and all that jazz. Cool stuff.
Later on I went running with Erin in Hyde Park and it was beautiful in the evening. It was packed with people playing Frisbee, catch, everything. There was a random lake in the middle of the park (of maybe not even that, cuz the park is huge) with paddleboats and canoes. It felt great to go vent some stress and actually get a chance to run in London.
Friday, August 29th
Today I learned how to play cricket, and it was awesome. I won’t explain everything, but it’s almost like a variant of baseball (a bit more intense though). We played in Hyde Park, which is enormous and absolutely beautiful. Our backdrop was the memorial to Prince Albert, which is quite an awesome sight. Our team won because we had less drama majors than the other team. Go us.
After that, we took a tour of the International Student House (ISH) which is a place where students from around the world can live or hang out. They have a bar and food, and the prices aren’t bad at all. They also have places where bands come to play, sort of like a night club. It’s only two tube stops away from us, and we’re automatically members from our enrollment in Ithaca, so I think we’ll spend some of our Friday nights there (1 pound specials on select drinks).
In the evening, we went to see a Proms concert again, this time the New York Philharmonic playing Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin and Tchaik 4. That was amazing. After their program, they played 3 encores because we wouldn’t let them go. Afterwards we went to ISH for some cheap drinks and to celebrate Laura’s birthday.
Thursday, August 28th
British Pop is my only other class, and it’s awesome. The teacher is this lady who apparently knows a lot of people “in the business” and knows a heluva lot about the history of rock ‘n’ roll and the people behind it. This should be a fun class.
Later on I went to a play for my Shakespeare class, “The Revenger’s Tragedy” by Tourner/Middleton (no one’s sure who wrote it). The production I saw was very intense, and they left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It opened with a crazy loud explosion of noise and a techno beat broke out, and then a girl was raped. Seriously, on stage, **bam** right there. I felt violated just watching it. Then, some 3 hours later, everyone died. I’m sure what I saw was commonplace for theatre, but woof.
Today we took a walk with Bill around the western part of the business district of London. We saw St. Pauls Cathedral (holy crap it’s huge), St. Bartholomew’s Church (holy crap it’s old, and beautiful) and Guildhall (holy crap it’s nice in there, and the Arab guard did not like us too much). St. Pauls Cathedral is enormous and has been rebuilt 4 times (hopefully I’ll get the pictures up soon). St. Bartholomew’s Church dates back to 1120’s, and is the oldest parish church in London (it’s also where Shakespeare in Love was filmed). When we walked in, the choir was rehearing for a wedding later that day which gave an extra kick to the beauty of the place. Guildhall is where the City of London’s Mayor would hold meetings and all that jazz. Cool stuff.
Later on I went running with Erin in Hyde Park and it was beautiful in the evening. It was packed with people playing Frisbee, catch, everything. There was a random lake in the middle of the park (of maybe not even that, cuz the park is huge) with paddleboats and canoes. It felt great to go vent some stress and actually get a chance to run in London.
Friday, August 29th
Today I learned how to play cricket, and it was awesome. I won’t explain everything, but it’s almost like a variant of baseball (a bit more intense though). We played in Hyde Park, which is enormous and absolutely beautiful. Our backdrop was the memorial to Prince Albert, which is quite an awesome sight. Our team won because we had less drama majors than the other team. Go us.
After that, we took a tour of the International Student House (ISH) which is a place where students from around the world can live or hang out. They have a bar and food, and the prices aren’t bad at all. They also have places where bands come to play, sort of like a night club. It’s only two tube stops away from us, and we’re automatically members from our enrollment in Ithaca, so I think we’ll spend some of our Friday nights there (1 pound specials on select drinks).
In the evening, we went to see a Proms concert again, this time the New York Philharmonic playing Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin and Tchaik 4. That was amazing. After their program, they played 3 encores because we wouldn’t let them go. Afterwards we went to ISH for some cheap drinks and to celebrate Laura’s birthday.
Thursday, August 28th
British Pop is my only other class, and it’s awesome. The teacher is this lady who apparently knows a lot of people “in the business” and knows a heluva lot about the history of rock ‘n’ roll and the people behind it. This should be a fun class.
Later on I went to a play for my Shakespeare class, “The Revenger’s Tragedy” by Tourner/Middleton (no one’s sure who wrote it). The production I saw was very intense, and they left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It opened with a crazy loud explosion of noise and a techno beat broke out, and then a girl was raped. Seriously, on stage, **bam** right there. I felt violated just watching it. Then, some 3 hours later, everyone died. I’m sure what I saw was commonplace for theatre, but woof.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Art, Plugs and Slugs
Tuesday, August 26th
My day started off with British Art & Architecture, which was a very interesting class, albeit a very dry lecture. It was neat to learn about the different types of architectural styles that came about which were directly affected by certain happenings in history (Romans invading, Protestant Reformation, fun stuff). I think I’ll have a better handle on this class compared to Shakespeare. Also, I spilled coffee on my white shirt. All-star.
Next I got a very solid practice session in which felt awesome. I think my euphonium is the only thing I have here that can make me forget about where I am or what I’m supposed to be doing. That sounds horribly dorky, but I don’t care: Heidi and I are the shiz.
After I had enough euphonium I went on a hunt for the correct plug adapter. I found one in this hole-in-the-wall corner store for 5 pounds, so I bought it. When I got back to the flat to try it out, I realize that it doesn’t work at all because it’s max 230v (not 240). So I go to the electronics store on the corner next to my flat (a different one than before) to buy the correct one. I make sure that it can handle 240v and spent 3 pounds this time. When I get back to the flat to plug this one in, I see that there is this random circle of plastic around the input of the plug which makes it impossible for my macbook adapter to plug into it. What the hell?? I have no idea what purpose that serves, except maybe to waste all of my money.
Later, we went out to a flat belonging to other students in the ICLC program to play beer pong and kings. This was a great time, especially when I downed the 500ml can of Carling and burped constantly for the next 5 hours. On the way home, I got to ride the bus for the first time, and it was loud. Next time I’ll be sure to get up on the top deck, I hear that’s more fun.
Wednesday, August 27th
I woke up at noon. Yessss. I almost feel bad because I’m in London, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve done that, and it was amazing. I made breakfast, read a play, and got to school to practice and see about taking that Shakespeare class pass/fail so it won’t kill my gpa. I also have to start looking for jobs, and Bill found me one that looks interesting: a bar assistant at The Slug in Fulham. That’d be epic. I might also look into trying to become a Busker (street performer in the London Underground). There are colored in half-moons at certain places in the Underground stations where licensed Buskers can perform during their designated time slots, and you need to audition to get a spot. Maybe I should start learning some British pop songs.
My day started off with British Art & Architecture, which was a very interesting class, albeit a very dry lecture. It was neat to learn about the different types of architectural styles that came about which were directly affected by certain happenings in history (Romans invading, Protestant Reformation, fun stuff). I think I’ll have a better handle on this class compared to Shakespeare. Also, I spilled coffee on my white shirt. All-star.
Next I got a very solid practice session in which felt awesome. I think my euphonium is the only thing I have here that can make me forget about where I am or what I’m supposed to be doing. That sounds horribly dorky, but I don’t care: Heidi and I are the shiz.
After I had enough euphonium I went on a hunt for the correct plug adapter. I found one in this hole-in-the-wall corner store for 5 pounds, so I bought it. When I got back to the flat to try it out, I realize that it doesn’t work at all because it’s max 230v (not 240). So I go to the electronics store on the corner next to my flat (a different one than before) to buy the correct one. I make sure that it can handle 240v and spent 3 pounds this time. When I get back to the flat to plug this one in, I see that there is this random circle of plastic around the input of the plug which makes it impossible for my macbook adapter to plug into it. What the hell?? I have no idea what purpose that serves, except maybe to waste all of my money.
Later, we went out to a flat belonging to other students in the ICLC program to play beer pong and kings. This was a great time, especially when I downed the 500ml can of Carling and burped constantly for the next 5 hours. On the way home, I got to ride the bus for the first time, and it was loud. Next time I’ll be sure to get up on the top deck, I hear that’s more fun.
Wednesday, August 27th
I woke up at noon. Yessss. I almost feel bad because I’m in London, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve done that, and it was amazing. I made breakfast, read a play, and got to school to practice and see about taking that Shakespeare class pass/fail so it won’t kill my gpa. I also have to start looking for jobs, and Bill found me one that looks interesting: a bar assistant at The Slug in Fulham. That’d be epic. I might also look into trying to become a Busker (street performer in the London Underground). There are colored in half-moons at certain places in the Underground stations where licensed Buskers can perform during their designated time slots, and you need to audition to get a spot. Maybe I should start learning some British pop songs.
Monday, 25 August 2008
First Day of Classes
Monday, August 25th
Today is the first day of classes, and I started out my super senior studies with Shakespeare, which scares the hell out of me. I thought it would be a class that is geared towards an easier approach to Shakespeare because I am certainly not well read in that area of literature, but it’s definitely not that at all: papers, quizzes, class presentations… blech. It’s strange to go to class after I participated in commencement; going to class and doing work isn’t really high up on the list of things Mike wants to be spending his time doing right now, but I guess my degree depends on it.
After class, we checked out the Natural History Museum, which was awesome. We only hit up the dinosaur and human biology exhibits, which were both kick-ass. The human biology exhibit educated me on everything from memory, to sexual reproduction to the female menstrual cycle. Woof. Maybe the British have it right, though, by not charging admission to the museums which probably wards off many possible patrons to the museums in the US.
Following a small dinner (tasty baguette sandwich deal with salami) we ran (literally) off to tonight’s Proms concert at Royal Albert Hall, featuring the Royal Philharmonic playing Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, followed by Tchaik 5. Freaking mind-blowing concert. We paid 5 pounds for standing room only tickets, which were way up at the top of the hall, and that was fine with us. The brass playing, especially in the horn section, was absolutely phenomenal, and everything else was still awesome. It had been a while since I’d gone to a professional concert like that, and that was exactly what I needed to refuel that musical flame.
Shortly after the concert, we went grocery shopping at the Somerfield store (discount food) across the street from our flat. I got a good deal of stuff, but ended up only spending 24 pounds, or roughly $45, which isn’t too bad considering it was my first grocery shopping experience in this country. I hope my sliced chicken on ‘mature cheddar’ with English mustard sandwiches will suffice for a couple months. It’s a good thing I didn’t go for the discount chicken, cuz Omar did and when he opened it up, the terrible stench of rotten eggs filled our flat. He promptly walked back across the street, stench-bomb in hand, and got his money back. I love Omar. I have a feeling this will be one hell of a semester. And I also feel that once class work starts to pile on, these posts might become more infrequent. We’ll see.
Today is the first day of classes, and I started out my super senior studies with Shakespeare, which scares the hell out of me. I thought it would be a class that is geared towards an easier approach to Shakespeare because I am certainly not well read in that area of literature, but it’s definitely not that at all: papers, quizzes, class presentations… blech. It’s strange to go to class after I participated in commencement; going to class and doing work isn’t really high up on the list of things Mike wants to be spending his time doing right now, but I guess my degree depends on it.
After class, we checked out the Natural History Museum, which was awesome. We only hit up the dinosaur and human biology exhibits, which were both kick-ass. The human biology exhibit educated me on everything from memory, to sexual reproduction to the female menstrual cycle. Woof. Maybe the British have it right, though, by not charging admission to the museums which probably wards off many possible patrons to the museums in the US.
Following a small dinner (tasty baguette sandwich deal with salami) we ran (literally) off to tonight’s Proms concert at Royal Albert Hall, featuring the Royal Philharmonic playing Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, followed by Tchaik 5. Freaking mind-blowing concert. We paid 5 pounds for standing room only tickets, which were way up at the top of the hall, and that was fine with us. The brass playing, especially in the horn section, was absolutely phenomenal, and everything else was still awesome. It had been a while since I’d gone to a professional concert like that, and that was exactly what I needed to refuel that musical flame.
Shortly after the concert, we went grocery shopping at the Somerfield store (discount food) across the street from our flat. I got a good deal of stuff, but ended up only spending 24 pounds, or roughly $45, which isn’t too bad considering it was my first grocery shopping experience in this country. I hope my sliced chicken on ‘mature cheddar’ with English mustard sandwiches will suffice for a couple months. It’s a good thing I didn’t go for the discount chicken, cuz Omar did and when he opened it up, the terrible stench of rotten eggs filled our flat. He promptly walked back across the street, stench-bomb in hand, and got his money back. I love Omar. I have a feeling this will be one hell of a semester. And I also feel that once class work starts to pile on, these posts might become more infrequent. We’ll see.
Sunday, 24 August 2008
First Week
Monday, August 18th
The trip to London began with the road trip to Albany on Sunday, the 17th, where I said bye to my parents. It was a rather casual “goodbye!” as I joked about getting deported. Then Omar and his mom, Mitzy, drove me down to New Jersey to hang out at Andre’s house for a bbq. It was quite a bit of fun with the people who showed up (myself, Omar, Andre, Shannon, Kim, Andrew, Jason and Elliot). That night Omar and I stayed at Kim’s house, and we left the next day (on her birthday). The following day (Monday the 18th) we departed from Newark to Gatwick, London. I definitely forgot to take the water out of my Nalgene which proved to be an awkward moment at security. I’m an all-star. Luckily, I didn’t get sick on the flight and my horn wasn’t damaged.
Tuesday, August 19th
After we landed, the Immigration Officer lady gave me a little bit of a hard time as I was trying to enter the UK, asking me all sorts of questions about why I was coming into the country and wanting supporting documents. I had already gone through all the trouble to get the Student Visa which required all of that. Ah well. We retrieved our luggage, made our way to the London Center group and boarded a coach bus for the trip into the city of London. The jet lag was killer, and I was really dragging all day, trying not to fall asleep.
We checked into the Holiday Inn in Kengsington, and immediately ran over to the London Center for a quick orientation session, followed by a short walk around the surrounding blocks of the London Center. I had the worst time focusing on anything, and I was very overwhelmed with everything. Later on, after getting food, we went flat-hunting. This was when it really set in that I am going to spend the next 4 months of my life in a foreign country. I guess it hadn’t sunk in that I was going to be away for so long. In the months and weeks leading up to the trip, I tried to keep a very level head about it, but the truth hadn’t hit me like it should have.
After this, we came back to the hotel, crashed for a small bit, and went out to dinner at Nando’s Chicken Restaurant, which, although we couldn’t figure out how to properly order and receive our food, was extremely tasty. After this we went out on the town with nothing but our Oyster passes (unlimited weekly Tube pass) and a camera. We went straight to Buckingham Palace, then to Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. This was exactly what I needed to feel better about being so far from home. The shear amount of history and intricacy in the buildings was mind-numbing. Although we were rather tired, Omar, Andrew and myself had an amazing time for our first night in London.
Wednesday-Friday, August 20th-22nd
Flat-hunting sucks. It was fun at first, but after the 4th place we’ve looked at, it all ran together and made the decision become much more difficult. We nearly got a flat on Abbey Road but it was taken from us at the last minute, and we were also offered two flats by Nick, one near Edgeware Rd. and one above the pub that he owns (also near Edgeware Rd). We turned both of those down due to two other flats that we had to make a decision about. One in Brixton and one on Edgeware Rd (also looked at one up in Dollis Hill). We eventually took the Edgeware Rd. one, owned by Amman (maybe Arab? Maybe Egyptian? Not sure yet, but he lives right below us). It’s not a dream house, but it will do for 4 months. Needless to say, not much was going on these past 3 days besides ramming around town looking at flats from 8am-8pm. One positive thing from the experience is that we know how to use the tube much better now.
After signing the lease, we all went out to dinner (Andrew, Omar, Eric, Laura, Megan, Robin, Rebecca, Seth and myself) to celebrate. After some burgers at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, we went to a pub. Andrew, Robin and I tried to go back to the hotel to drop off our bags and come back, but we got lost walking back and found ourselves at the High Kensington St. tube station, which wasn’t where we wanted to be at all. We tried taking the tube back to the hotel, but got on the wrong train and headed straight back to Earle’s Court, where the pub was. I gave up and had a drink.
Saturday, August 23rd
This morning felt great, not having to find a flat and all. We went on a huge walk with Bill Sheasgreen, starting out at Westminster and ending at the Tower of London, seeing a changing of the guard, some parliament buildings, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, Royal Festival Hall, London Bridge, and a food market that was amazing). After this, I did some practicing and catching up with people from home. Later, we hung around the hotel room and watched the Proms concerts and some British television shows, including the ‘X-factor’ (Britain’s American Idol), ‘Mock the Week’, ‘Last Choir Standing’ and others. This was our first real time to crash.
Sunday, August 24th
Today was the Notting Hill Festival, a celebration of the cultural diversity in London, mainly Afro-Cuban. It is the second largest carnival/festival in the world (right behind the one in Rio). It was so much different than the festivals and parades in the states, mainly due to the amount of crazies that were there, along with no open container law. It actually reminded me a bit of Ithaca, with the care-free attitude toward everything. We bought some liters of Bulmer’s cider (reminiscent of the Ireland tour) and walked around town drinking them. It was rather strange walking by the police and having them say ‘hello’ to you without thinking twice about someone downing an alcoholic beverage in front of them.
After the festival, we moved into our flat on Edgeware Rd. This proved to be a pain in the neck, walking around Underground stations with all of our luggage and the trains being packed, and us not getting on the correct train at first (I feel really dumb doing that now). Once our stuff was here, we went back to ICLC to grab some things, came back to Edgeware Rd. and had dinner at this Halal place just around the corner from our flat. We ate some chicken tikkamasala, chicken something-else-that-was-very-spicy, and lamb curry, with mango lassi to drink. It was delicious, and I hope that my body copes well. It feels great to finally be settled into a flat, although we still only have one set of keys. We went out shopping (around 8pm) and found some small food shops still open, which was an experience to say the least. Just about everything is different than in the states (brand names, types of food, ideas of ‘snack food’, pineapple jam, etc.), except for Oreos, Ovaltine and some types of cereal. We bought a liter of 1.5% milk (best of both worlds I guess) and some other household things (trash bags, dish soap, some cereal, some instant noodles for lunch, etc.). All that is left is to decide the rooming situation, then sleep.
The trip to London began with the road trip to Albany on Sunday, the 17th, where I said bye to my parents. It was a rather casual “goodbye!” as I joked about getting deported. Then Omar and his mom, Mitzy, drove me down to New Jersey to hang out at Andre’s house for a bbq. It was quite a bit of fun with the people who showed up (myself, Omar, Andre, Shannon, Kim, Andrew, Jason and Elliot). That night Omar and I stayed at Kim’s house, and we left the next day (on her birthday). The following day (Monday the 18th) we departed from Newark to Gatwick, London. I definitely forgot to take the water out of my Nalgene which proved to be an awkward moment at security. I’m an all-star. Luckily, I didn’t get sick on the flight and my horn wasn’t damaged.
Tuesday, August 19th
After we landed, the Immigration Officer lady gave me a little bit of a hard time as I was trying to enter the UK, asking me all sorts of questions about why I was coming into the country and wanting supporting documents. I had already gone through all the trouble to get the Student Visa which required all of that. Ah well. We retrieved our luggage, made our way to the London Center group and boarded a coach bus for the trip into the city of London. The jet lag was killer, and I was really dragging all day, trying not to fall asleep.
We checked into the Holiday Inn in Kengsington, and immediately ran over to the London Center for a quick orientation session, followed by a short walk around the surrounding blocks of the London Center. I had the worst time focusing on anything, and I was very overwhelmed with everything. Later on, after getting food, we went flat-hunting. This was when it really set in that I am going to spend the next 4 months of my life in a foreign country. I guess it hadn’t sunk in that I was going to be away for so long. In the months and weeks leading up to the trip, I tried to keep a very level head about it, but the truth hadn’t hit me like it should have.
After this, we came back to the hotel, crashed for a small bit, and went out to dinner at Nando’s Chicken Restaurant, which, although we couldn’t figure out how to properly order and receive our food, was extremely tasty. After this we went out on the town with nothing but our Oyster passes (unlimited weekly Tube pass) and a camera. We went straight to Buckingham Palace, then to Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. This was exactly what I needed to feel better about being so far from home. The shear amount of history and intricacy in the buildings was mind-numbing. Although we were rather tired, Omar, Andrew and myself had an amazing time for our first night in London.
Wednesday-Friday, August 20th-22nd
Flat-hunting sucks. It was fun at first, but after the 4th place we’ve looked at, it all ran together and made the decision become much more difficult. We nearly got a flat on Abbey Road but it was taken from us at the last minute, and we were also offered two flats by Nick, one near Edgeware Rd. and one above the pub that he owns (also near Edgeware Rd). We turned both of those down due to two other flats that we had to make a decision about. One in Brixton and one on Edgeware Rd (also looked at one up in Dollis Hill). We eventually took the Edgeware Rd. one, owned by Amman (maybe Arab? Maybe Egyptian? Not sure yet, but he lives right below us). It’s not a dream house, but it will do for 4 months. Needless to say, not much was going on these past 3 days besides ramming around town looking at flats from 8am-8pm. One positive thing from the experience is that we know how to use the tube much better now.
After signing the lease, we all went out to dinner (Andrew, Omar, Eric, Laura, Megan, Robin, Rebecca, Seth and myself) to celebrate. After some burgers at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, we went to a pub. Andrew, Robin and I tried to go back to the hotel to drop off our bags and come back, but we got lost walking back and found ourselves at the High Kensington St. tube station, which wasn’t where we wanted to be at all. We tried taking the tube back to the hotel, but got on the wrong train and headed straight back to Earle’s Court, where the pub was. I gave up and had a drink.
Saturday, August 23rd
This morning felt great, not having to find a flat and all. We went on a huge walk with Bill Sheasgreen, starting out at Westminster and ending at the Tower of London, seeing a changing of the guard, some parliament buildings, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, Royal Festival Hall, London Bridge, and a food market that was amazing). After this, I did some practicing and catching up with people from home. Later, we hung around the hotel room and watched the Proms concerts and some British television shows, including the ‘X-factor’ (Britain’s American Idol), ‘Mock the Week’, ‘Last Choir Standing’ and others. This was our first real time to crash.
Sunday, August 24th
Today was the Notting Hill Festival, a celebration of the cultural diversity in London, mainly Afro-Cuban. It is the second largest carnival/festival in the world (right behind the one in Rio). It was so much different than the festivals and parades in the states, mainly due to the amount of crazies that were there, along with no open container law. It actually reminded me a bit of Ithaca, with the care-free attitude toward everything. We bought some liters of Bulmer’s cider (reminiscent of the Ireland tour) and walked around town drinking them. It was rather strange walking by the police and having them say ‘hello’ to you without thinking twice about someone downing an alcoholic beverage in front of them.
After the festival, we moved into our flat on Edgeware Rd. This proved to be a pain in the neck, walking around Underground stations with all of our luggage and the trains being packed, and us not getting on the correct train at first (I feel really dumb doing that now). Once our stuff was here, we went back to ICLC to grab some things, came back to Edgeware Rd. and had dinner at this Halal place just around the corner from our flat. We ate some chicken tikkamasala, chicken something-else-that-was-very-spicy, and lamb curry, with mango lassi to drink. It was delicious, and I hope that my body copes well. It feels great to finally be settled into a flat, although we still only have one set of keys. We went out shopping (around 8pm) and found some small food shops still open, which was an experience to say the least. Just about everything is different than in the states (brand names, types of food, ideas of ‘snack food’, pineapple jam, etc.), except for Oreos, Ovaltine and some types of cereal. We bought a liter of 1.5% milk (best of both worlds I guess) and some other household things (trash bags, dish soap, some cereal, some instant noodles for lunch, etc.). All that is left is to decide the rooming situation, then sleep.
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