hey everyone,

quick update here. i've been hitting some speed bumps recently, but don't worry it has not slowed me down. those bumps? well, the internet in my room has evaporated. alas, the only computer updates that i think i'll be doing from now on are from the computer lab, which isn't terrible since i am here four days a week. i've also been hit with the first rainy english day and i mean hit as literally as possible. i was about three blocks from the school when the drizzly mist turned into hurricane-like buckets. i got dowsed and my umbrella inverted. that happened four hours ago and my pants and shoes are still not dry. also, i went online today to try to watch an episode of lost. it looks like abc.com wont let international viewers view the the full episodes. very sad. very sad.

but like i said i'm keeping my chin up. now that i dont have internet in my house i've had a lot more time to write by myself and ive been working on a few poems. and as for lost, i think ill be able to buy the season four episodes on itunes as they come out. and i will be using the itunes gift card that renee and chris got me to do that, so thank you renee and chris. unfortunately, there is no upside to me being drenched with rain. oh well.

i'm planning on going into london again this saturday, weather permitted, to check out camden markets and abbey road studios. i'll post some pictures after that.

also, kait and i have booked our tickets to ireland. we're going march 17th-19th and staying in cork. should be fantastic.

cheers*,

roy



* i still don't actually say cheers

Hello everyone,

This past weekend I went into central London for the first time. We had a guided tour for a couple hours and then got walk around ourselves. A group of us took the train in together from Kingston which was a smooth 30 minute ride and then we had to take the tube over to Westminster for the start of the tour. As soon as I walked out of the station the first thing I saw was the amazing St.Stevens tower (home of the bell named Big Ben, as we all learned on my trivia game). It was a really great first impression. We were a little early so I got a tea and lemon cake. The walking tour showed us tons of the biggest sights: Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Tralfalgar Square and the London Eye. It was really incredible to see all the stuff in real life. Much more impressive and bigger than I expected. The tour also came with lunch at a pub nearby Tralfalgar Square. I had salmon with vegetables and a legal beer. So all that, only five pounds. Definitely, the best deal I’ve encountered so far.

We then separated into our own groups and looked around ourselves. My group took pictures in the Square for a while and then rode the Eye ferris wheel. It’s a bit expensive and I promised I'd go on it with Kait when she visits, so I saved my ride and walked along the Thames taking pictures and looking at everything. Afterwards, we went over to the National Museum of Art and got to look around just for a little bit before it closed at 6. Everyone was in agreement that we have to go back again soon. London is much easier to navigate than new york and its much cleaner too. I think I'll be going in every weekend if I can. You can get a ticket that includes train there and back and all subway access for the whole day for only 7 pounds. It’s a really good deal. I think I’m planning my next trip to explore around Camden and to see the Abbey Road street from the Beatles’ album cover.

Today was my first day of class. I only had one class, both the lecture and seminar meetings. Mondays might end up being one of my favorite days of classes. My subject is really interesting and in between the two sessions I can grab a subway sandwich on campus. The best part is the subways here have this “sub-of-the-day” deal. You can a certain sub for only 1.99 and mondays is turkey, ham and cheese. Really good. I know subway deals aren’t the most exotic foreign experience to read about but this is a very exciting and delicious prospect. Anyway, the class I had today was 20th Voices in Poetry and lots of my favorite poets are covered in it. The class is definitely not as intimidating as I thought, I think I’ll actually be one of the know-it-alls. I met with some international kids after to walk back home and we were all in agreement: in class we definitely felt very american. I think the british students kind of don’t like us, especially if we answer the questions. Oh well.

I did some grocery shopping today, for real this time. Since I’ve got here I’ve just gone a couple times and picked up a frozen dinner or a cup of soup. Today I stocked up a little more because I’ve heard again and again you need to save money by making your own stuff instead of eating out all the times. So I grabbed some coldcuts, bread, apples and some beverages... Again, I’m not really detailing any exciting foreign experiences here. Grocery shopping is pretty universal. Still, I’ve been on a mom-plan or a meal-plan all my life so this is pretty fun for me.

Tonight I’m meeting up with some friends at the Kings Tun pub, they’re going to head out to this club afterwards. I’m finding that the money/dance scene isn’t really my cup of tea, so I’ll probably head home after and do some writing. Then tomorrow is my second class and if my calculations are correct another delicious sub-of-the-day deal. Meatball hero, 1.99!!! How can I pass that by?!

Here are just a couple pictures. I've got a couple more I want to share my internet connection is being a bit slow and you know I've got places to be, people to see, so I'll post them in the next update. Plus, I've got a ton more pictures that I'll just show off once I get home.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers*,
Roy



*I don't actually say 'cheers' in real life, yet.

i'm pretty tired and i have my first trip into london tomorrow morning, so i won't write too much here. today i went to Brighton, a popular beachside town. it was really beautiful and had a lot of history. i've got a few choice pictures below. take a look, i'll post again with some real london sights soon!


This the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. It was a vacation palace used by King George IV. Faux-Indian architecture, very pretty.






This is the Brighton Pier. Out towards the end of it I got my first serving of 'fish n' chips', probably the most british thing i've done so far. Across the water (I don't think you can see it here) I could see the coast of France. During WWII, people in Brighton could hear the guns firing from across the English Channel.



Along the beach (which was all rocks, no sand) were these piles of lumber. Apparently a cargo ship sank off shore and all its contents are washing up on the beach. Pretty cool. In the background you can see the burned down old pier.

hey everyone,

As some of you may have noticed I deleted the previous entry. It was mostly just my schedule information and right now i'm switching around my schedule so much that it will probably come out much different. To avoid any confusion I just deleted the whole thing. Aside from that the entry just said how I didn't have internet in my room and how England was scoring a 3 out of 10. Luckily, both those things have changed.

I now do have internet in my room and its been really great. Not only to talk to people back home but also to do all my school planning via email rather than walking 20 minutes to campus. Plus, I can stay in contact with my new friends easier and make plans with them. COOL BEANS.

These first few days have been pretty slow going since classes haven't started yet. Its nice though. Today I took my camera around and took some tourist shots which are posted below (hopefully formated better than last time). Last night all the international kids went out to the King's Tun pub and The Works. I tried a slip of beer but it was too gross, I'll never drink that stuff again. Yuck.

Tomorrow is a trip to Brighton Beach and on Sunday is my first trip into real central London. Expect an update and some pictures soon. Until then take a look at my home away from home:

Hi there everyone,

I've got a few pictures here that show off my new room. Its a really beautiful place and my landlady, Mary, couldn't be nicer. The group I flew with were really friendly. Unfortunately, since I got off the plane I haven't seen them, since we all have different addresses. Luckily, I was able to make it to this computer lab because I found out that they are all meeting at a Starbucks in town. After I finish this post I'll be able to head over there. I've been on my own exploring the city since I arrived. It's a very pretty town, the only downside is the streets are very curvy and loopy and consequently its hard to get a feel for the map. I think I'm doing ok though and I can get to the town center, train station and the campus with no problem. The walk isn't that bad at all. I will admit being on own so much and having some difficulty communicating back home has left me pretty homesick, especially at night since all the stores here (except mcdonalds and the bars) close at about 7. Hopefully, once orientation gets done and I get a rountine going I'll be more comfortable. The library has wifi access and I'll have to try that out soon. I think I'm going to get a phone over here so I can talk to my friends easier and be able to stay in touch without depending on the computer. I send out some postcards and letters once I get settled in a little bit more. I'll update again when I can and I look forward to hearing from everyone.

-Roy