So much sightseeing!!!!!!!!!!

Hey again! I've had an awesome few days here. First, on Monday, the one class that I was supposed to have was cancelled!!!! Every kids dream! In the morning, I went to the British Museum to take some pictures of the art we looked at for my Art History class so that I wouldn't forget what we saw. Then, I went down to Green Park to meet Jen Etkin for lunch. Jen is my brother Adam's best friend from Colgate, and she lives in London. It was really nice to catch up with her. She was so nice and gave me lots of advice on stuff to do and see. She invited me over to her new apartment for dinner next week, which was so nice. Anyways, after that, I went and did some homework, and then got an email from Bob, our program director, asking if anyone could babysit for his two kids that night. So, I volunteered, and hung out with his 11 year old Jackson and his 7 year old Mason. Jackson is very quiet, but really smart and funny once you get him talking. Mason is quite the firecracker. That kid is so energetic and so funny. We had a good time, the boys taught me how to play Xbox Kinect, which was pretty cool. After I put them to bed, I did some more homework, and went home when Bob and his wife Candace came back from the theatre.

Today, I had history class in the morning. 9:30, yuck. I was up at 7:45, which is the earliest I've been awake since I've been here. But, I love the class. Keith is so funny and knows so much about the most random things. It's also nice that Liz, Michael, and Naeem are in the class also. Otherwise, it would be me and all the freshman haha. After class, the four of us grabbed lunch, and then me, Michael and Julia went on a sightseeing extravaganza. Here we go...

It's hard to see, but Prince William is in the window winking at me. Kate was not amused haha.

The square/fountain outside the palace

We took the tube to Green Park, and walked through the park to Buckingham palace. To anyone who hasn't been there, you have to find your way there. It truly is spectacular. When you get there, you can't stop staring. We missed the changing of the guard, but we still caught a glimpse of a few of them. We stood there for about 15 minutes just gawking at the palace. Michael, Julia, and I kept saying, "I can't believe I'm looking at this right now". Amazing!

After the palace, we walked through St. James's Park, which is also beautiful. We then made our way towards the big leagues, and by this, I mean Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben.

While we were doing all of these things, I kept thinking to myself that people who live and work in this area walk past these amazing monuments everyday, and don't even notice it. This idea baffled my mind. I feel like I would get lost in gawking at all this stuff. Maybe it's because I'm a huge dork, but oh well. I don't care.

Downton... whoops, I mean Westminster Abbey.

As you can imagine, Big Ben and the Abbey are crazy beautiful. Here are some pics. After these amazing things, we kept piling it on. We walked along the Thames, and looked at the London Eye!   We also found a hidden gem. We found this beautiful monument to soldiers from WWII. I found this particularly touching, as my grandfather was a pilot for the U.S Air Force during the war. It was so beautiful, and while I was looking at it, all I could think about was Gramps, and remember how lucky I am that I am there because of him.

This one is for you, Gramps.

Big Ben!

London Eye!

After all of that really heavy stuff, we kept on walking and saw the royal guards. Julia and Michael made silly faces at them, which did not break there concentration. While we were there, we saw the Chinese Paralympic team. I still think that those athletes are incredibly talented and motivated, it really is cool to watch them compete. After that, we checked out Trafalgar Square, which is being used for coverage of the Paralympics. We also happened to bump into the Canadian Embassy. I felt very at home looking at all those flags!

A guard that was much taller than me. Who isn't?

Trafalgar Square!

Oh Canada....!!!

Then, we made our way through the National Gallery. We didn't stay very long, as we were all very tired. I really can't believe we did all of this in one afternoon. I really want to go back to the area all the time. I don't think I will ever get bored of looking at all of that cool stuff. We came home, and our host dad Mark made us dinner. He is a really good cook! We had grilled salmon fillets, sauteed veggies, and potatoes. Now, I'm working on a presentation for class on thursday and relaxing. Hope you have all enjoyed being jealous of what I get to do everyday! Oh, and you will also find a long awaited photo of our host dog (lol) Coco. Be jealous. She is really posing for you all.

Today's quote comes from Oscar Wilde. He once said:

Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.

The National Gallery!

Werk it, Coco!

Exhaustion

Hello faithful. This weekend was crazy! Friday night, a big group of us went to O'Neil's (remember the old church?) to start the night off. Here is a nice picture of me and Liz at the pub! After O'Neil's, we made our way back to Piccadilly Circus, where we went to a nightclub. It's called Grace, and it was really nice. The top floor is this casual, laid back bar, and the bottom floor is a massive dance floor. It was packed with people! Me, Liz, and the rest of the group were dancing our butts off all night! We were making fools of ourselves a little bit because of how well we knew every word to every song that came on! Especially single ladies. If you didn't know, I get mistaken for Beyonce all the time.

This doesn't do the fish justice haha.

Julia, myself, and our friend Audrey had planned on going to the Tower of London on Saturday, but we "accidentally" slept until 1 PM. We were out pretty late the night before, and were all really tired. So, Julia and I sat in our room and did homework. I know, that's a bit of a bore, but yah know, I'm not just here to stay out all night and sight see. I'm trying to be responsible about my work so that I don't fall behind and get stressed. The last thing I want to be in London is stressed about school work. So, Saturday night, Julia, Audrey, and I met at this fish restaurant in East Finchley called Posedon. Our host family said they have some of the best fish n' chips in London, and they were right. It was also the biggest piece of fish ever put on my plate. Take a look!

After dinner, we hung out at our house for a while, and then met a bunch of people at a different club called East Village. This place was bigger than the last place. And, we basically made fools of ourselves again. I'm the worst dancer, but one thing I am good at is Tebowing. So, me and Leslie pulled that move quite a bit. Anyways, today, we had brunch at this cool place called Barracuda in town. They make great omelets. Then, it was more homework, and family dinner! Now, I'm relaxing and getting ready for school tomorrow. I'm meeting my brothers friend from Colgate, Jen Etkin, for lunch tomorrow. It's been 3 years since I've seen her, and I'm looking forward to it. Also , if you all get the chance, read about what my parents are doing on the West Coast. I'm so proud of my Mom for doing what she is doing! It's really amazing. Here is the link: http://duchessweisbarth.blogspot.ca/

And now, to quote the cartoon cat Garfield:

I hate Mondays.

Until next time, thanks!

First weekend in London!

Hey everyone! So, Wednesday was my last first day of school :(. It was a little sad to think about, but I got over it pretty quickly when I realized how awesome my classes were going to be. My first class was Art and Architecture, where I learned that every Thursday, we go visit museums and galleries. How cool is that? Then, I had History, and I already know that it is going to be my favourite class! Our professor, Keith, is really funny and enthusiastic. I already have homework (frown), but it's not as overwhelming as SLU. 

The sign says "Shaftesbury Avenue".

On Thursday, my art class visited the British Museum, and saw the Parthenon exhibit. It was amazing! After that, we walked a while and went to Sir John Soane's museum. He has the most incredible collection of artifacts and paintings from years ago. That whole day was great, as we capped it off by going to the theatre. We saw a production of Chariots of Fire. The theatre was right near Piccadilly Circus, which is a really cool area. We walked right along a street called Shaftesbury Avenue. This is important to anyone who is a Harry Potter dork like me. If you remember, in HP 7 part 1, Harry, Ron and Hermione leave the Weasley's after being attacked, and they end up walking along a busy London street. Well, this is that street! Crazy, right? Anyways, we walked around for a bit, then ate at a horrible Chinese restaurant, and went to the show.

Our view from our seats!

When we were handing the usher our tickets, she said we were sitting on stage. And the whole group froze a little. We all thought we were being pranked, but it turns out, there were four rows of seats behind the stage, which was actually a pretty good place to sit. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I am a bit of a rebel haha. Anyways, the show was really good, and after that, Julia and I went home and crashed. 

Today, the whole group was given a tour of the University of London Union, which is basically where all the student activities take place. I'm thinking about getting the gym membership, which is reasonably priced. After that, we had class, and then Julia, myself, and out friend Peter went to Harrods, which is a massive, high end, department store. Even though everything was way too expensive, it was cool to see all this stuff. Tonight, a bunch of us are heading back to Piccadilly Circus for some fun! I'll write again on Sunday!

Since its the weekend, I figured a Chelsea Handler quote would be applicable:

“There are two kinds of people I don't trust: people who don't drink and people who collect stickers.” 

Bye!

Settling into the daily routine

Hey everyone. Its been a crazy few days for me. My roommate Julia and I are all settled in at the Daley's house, and everything is going really well with them. They are a great family. I have a feeling my parents are going to be really annoyed with me when I come home, begging them to adopt a Yorky like Coco, which is the dog that the Daley's have. I'll post a picture of her soon.

See the London Eye in the distance???

The Irish band that was playing in O'Neils on Sunday.

On Sunday, our program director Bob Cowser invited the whole group up to his flat in Primrose Hill. It was our first experience on the tube, which I've decided is the greatest form of travel within any city. It's amazing. He served beer, wine, and cheese and crackers. It was really nice to start to get to know everyone. After we ate and drank everything in Bob's fridge, he took us up to the hill, which has a beautiful view of the entire city. Check out this picture. It was a beautiful day to be outside. On Sunday night, a bunch of us met up at a pub in Muswell Hill called O'Neils, which used to be a church (a little ironic, no?)

Then, on Monday, we all went in to 81 Gower Street, which is where we will be taking classes. After some paperwork and a little orientationing ( I know, I just made up a word), we were given a tour of the Bloomsbury area, which includes Russell Square and The British Museum. I'm really excited that we are literally a stones throw away from one of the best museums in the world!

Today, we did some more paperwork, and met all of our professors. I'm taking some really interesting classes. They include a history class (Britain in the 20th Century), an art history class (Art and Architecture in Great Britain), a film class (World Cinema), and the class that the whole group is required to take called Encountering London. We came back to East Finchley this afternoon, and Julia and I went to the post office to buy stamps, so get ready for some postcards everyone! Lorraine, Mark, Julia and I had our first family dinner tonight. They made a nice salad, corn on the cob, and cheeseburgers. Some nice, homestyle, American food. It was really good.

Tomorrow, is the first day of school. I have all my notebooks ready to go. Now that I am all moved in and have adjusted to life in London, I'm really excited for school to start. I'll check in again later this week!

Here is a quote from Tina Fey, that doesn't really have anything to do with school, but it is still funny:

A Harvard Medical School study has determined that rectal thermometers are still the best way to tell a baby's temperature. Plus, it really teaches the baby who's boss.

Goodbye, until next time!

We've arrived!

Cheers from London! I've finally arrived! What a long journey. It all started at 11 AM on Friday, when my parents and I went to Toronto Pearson airport to catch our flight to JFK. Mom and Dad were flying down with me to visit Adam, and to make sure I knew what I was doing. Our flight landed, and we went our separate ways. It was hard to let go of both of them for a while because I know its going to be a long time before we see each other, but the idea of just getting to London was helping me hold it together. Next week, Mom and Dad are heading out on their bike trip down the west coast. If you want to read more about what they are doing, check out Suzie's blog here.

After I said goodbye to the parental unit, I ventured towards Terminal 7 at JFK, where I was going to meet my classmates. After taking the wrong train to the parking lots, I had to get off and switch trains to take me back to Terminal 7. Good thing I had 7 hours to kill or else I would have been in trouble. I arrived, and was lucky enough to find Leslie, sitting and waiting at the Terminal for Dani. So, we waited, and waited, and waited, until she FINALLY showed up. Then, we checked in, went through security, and sat at the gate.

While we were at the gate, a young man sat next to me. We weren't sure if he was with our group or not, so we started talking to him. We discovered that this guy was from Northern Ireland, and was in Vermont at a summer camp all summer. Much to our surprise, Leslie knew someone who knew him. It really is a small world, and out of everyone I know, Leslie is the only person that this would happen to. Then, more and more SLU students showed up at the gate, and at 8:45 we finally took off.

I watched the Proposal and Hot Shots on the plane. I really wanted to laugh, so I chose wisely. Unfortunately, I couldn't fall asleep, so when we met up with the group, I was tired, hungry, and cranky. But, I realized that that is not the way to start off such an exciting adventure, so I snapped out of it and started absorbing the fact that I am in London. It took us about an hour to get to the meeting spot where our families were waiting. Julia and I met Mark, our host father, who helped us with our luggage and showed us around the families nice home. Julia and I have a good sized room, with a t.v. and a lot of space for clothes, which is ideal for someone like me. We moved in by 1:30, and then we both crashed. We woke up around 4, and we each gave Mark and his wife Lorraine a gift. I brought them a Hudson's Bay Company blanket, and Julia brought some great stuff from William Sonoma. Then, Lorraine brought us some sandwiches, and we started to get to know one another. We found out that Mark is a huge Arsenal fan, so now, Julia and I are also!

I think I should be pretty busy the next few days, but I will do my best to write again soon! Hope you are all doing well at home!

Because of the amount of flying I've just done, I figured a quote from Bridesmaids was the only way to go. Here it is: 

Flight Attendant Steve: You have three seconds to get back to your seat.
Annie: Oh, you can't get any where in three seconds!
Flight Attendant Steve: Well, you better try.
Annie: You're setting me up for a loss already.
Flight Attendant Steve: Okay, thank you.
[pointing to his name badge as she gets out of her seat]
Annie: Whatever you say, Stove!
Flight Attendant Steve: It's Steve.
Annie: Stove! What kind of a name is that? 
Flight Attendant Steve: Well, that's not my name. My name is Steve.
Annie: Are you an appliance?
Flight Attendant Steve: No. I'm a man and my name is Steve.
Annie: You're a flight attendant.
Flight Attendant Steve: That's absolutely accurate.

Bye!

Time to Pack!

Hello! We are now counting down the hours! It's so exciting! So the past few weeks have been very hectic. Samantha and I spent our last few weeks together on a friends marathon. No, not the show. Though, we have been doing a bit of a Gilmore Girls marathon. We basically saw every single one of our closest friends, so that we could say our farewells for the time being. For me, it is much harder to say goodbye to everyone because I won't see them for 4 months. But, all of the doctor's and dentist's appointments and haircuts and shopping trips are making this upcoming semester very real.

To be honest, this is the first time all summer that it has really sunk in that I am not packing for SLU. It's starting to hit me. And, even though I'm going to miss my sorority sisters, teammates, and all of my other friends on campus, I am at the point where I just want to go already! It's very difficult to have so much anticipation before something this exciting. 

So, on Tuesday this week, Sam, Mom, Dad, and I drove to Hamilton, NY to drop Sam off at Colgate. We stayed at Turning Stone Casino, where the three of them glued themselves to a craps table. I, on the other hand, don't have the infamous "Nadler Gambling Gene". Sam caught that one. So, instead of sitting in my hotel room alone, I called up a friend.... MOE! It was so fun to catch up with her before she goes back to campus and before I cross the pond. This morning we helped Sam move into her apartment and stick strictly to her schedule. I know how much she loved being in control. It was scary. After we helped move her in, we said our goodbye's (teary one's for Suzie), and then we hit the road.

I got home tonight, and decided that since I leave on Friday morning, I should probably start packing. So away I went, and this is what I've got:

My pile of clothes. For those of you who know my overpacking ways, this is quite the achievement.

I really have never been prouder. I am the worst packer, so for me to have this pile of clothes for a 4 month trip is quite the accomplishment. All that's left is going for a haircut in the afternoon, and picking up some last minute cosmetics. I'll post again on Friday! Thanks!

Today's quote is a little more serious. Check it out:

Robert Louis Stevenson: I travel not to go anywhere. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

Cheerio!

I have a Family!

So, yesterday was a very exciting day! I came home from work and found a letter from the Study Abroad office at SLU, and it had information about my Home-stay and helpful packing tips!

I'm rooming with a friend of mine, Julia Ericsson. We met through our mutual friend Leslie, and I can tell you that our adventures will be beyond exciting and crazy fun. We get along well, and I am really excited to meet the family. We are staying with Lorraine and Mark Daley, who live in East Finchley, London. Here is a picture from Google Earth of what the house looks like. I hope this isn't too creepy for some of you:

197 East End Road, East Finchley, London. N2 OLZ, England, in case anyone wants to send me something in the mail!

This house is adorable! It's making me that more excited to go! We haven't found out much about our family, but I can't wait to meet them! This neighborhood is around Watford, so I am curious to see which Football club my family cheers for. Look, I'm using proper "footy" terminology! 

In the letter we got from SLU, I was given helpful packing tips. Considering the fact that I am the world's worst offender in overpacking, I'm going to need major help from my Mom and Sonia. For those of you who don't know Sonia, here is a little glimpse:

I hope that was entertaining. The letter said to pack lots of layers, and bring comfortable walking shoes, and good rain gear. Not much of a surprise, but I am in for a challenge, as we are only allowed to bring one suitcase. So, that's it for now, I'll check in again when I get to packing and shopping and whatever else.

To end with a quote... this one is by Michael Scott, from the hilarious show, The Office:
Michael: "Would I rather be feared or loved? Ummmm, that's easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."

Thanks! Enjoy the long weekend everyone!