Despite whatever idea of plans I had earlier in the day, they all completely changed when I learned that yesterday was Burn's Day -- a scottish poets birthday, which meant that many pubs across london were celebrating with a truly scottish celebration. I went to a pub called Rob Roys where some friends of mine had just finished eating dinner. I ate dinner at home to save money, but if I had known how much food I would be offered later that night I don't know if I would've made a point to go home. The celebration included various scottish assets. Cricket was playing on the TV (a game i've yet to understand), a man playing bagpipes walked through the tables, occasionally stopping for some sort of toast invovling the strongest whiskey i'd ever taken a sip of, this stuff just runs through your entire body and really "warms you up" i only tasted a sip of someone elses and it was so strong tasting! Later in the night one of the men wearing a scottish kilt recited a poem to everyone in front of a huge plate of haggis, if you haven't heard of this and are easily made sick to the stomach... skip over this description: its a collection of mostly lung and heart, and also kidney and liver and the fat from around organs all mixed together and typically served with mash and turnips. pretty gross ey?
but i tried it anyway! it was free for a big plate of haggis, buttery mashed potatoes, and turnips. it tasted okay... but the texture was really really hard to handle! chewy and pasty, but the taste itself was good. i don't know if i'd order it again, but i'm glad i tried it.
Later that night we went to brixton planning to hear an afro-latin quartet, but the place was packed and it was hard to hear the music. so we found yet another place celebrating burns night, this time with a whole scottish band and lots and lots of scottish dancing. not knowing how to dance the scottish way we mostly watched and clapped and listened, it was really nice though. i thought i'd re-cap that night just because it was so great! even though i'm in "england" there are so many nationalities that are celebrated here (example: today is aussie day!). but i think they don't much celebrate 4th of july for americans... ;) alright, i'm off to enjoy the SUN, yes its actually sunny here today!
jo
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Discovery of FREE events.
Thanks to the LC program, each of us are given a 90 pound stipend every thursday. I originally optimistically planned on saving a third of this money for traveling after the program... until I ran out of money very quickly! So yesterday was the lucky pay-day. And little me was sooo excited when someone announced they were going to see WICKED that night. I felt after saving so much money last week that I could give myself some treats this week, this is afterall a once in a lifetime chance to spend 4 months in london, so why should i spend it being so uptight and worried about money that isn't even coming out of my bank account?? I mean this money really has FUN written all over it (and art, and music, and food!) and so little needs to be said about how much money I now have of my stipend, I gladly let go of it for one of the best nights yet!
It started with buying the tickets, wondering around the city through hyde park and to the buckingham palace for some photos.. and then we all joined in for an italian dish, and i was impressed by andrew's sauce making skills! everyone pitched in some form of ingredients and we managed to have veggie cream sauce, chicken, pasta, salad (with dressing!) and some white wine. As if this weren't great enough, Dylan and I went in on fresh bread and i took a jar of nutella along. we ate a whole baguette, covered in nutella right before the show. and then the SHOW was magnificent. brought tears to my eyes, made me laugh, made me smile, and made me want to go see wicked every night of my life! soo i'm off to a good start this week!
Monday night dylan and i went to a blues jam session at a blues bar, and it was SO AMAZING (not to mention free). I will definitely be going back there for more blues, its good for the soul, and these guys are talented!
I'll do some quick re-capping. Tuesday I had my first art class and I was so delighted when I found out that we were all heading to the tube and having class at the british museum... not only that but all of our classes will be held at galleries and museums, a wonderful place to discuss art and artifacts is when you're feet away from the actual art objects themselves... getting the 360 view of marbles from the parthenon. we had a discussion about whether or not the marbles should be returned to greece, because a turkish ruler bought them a long time ago and sold them to the british museum... unlike the egyptian ruins which were basically stolen and put there. its worth thinking about, and trickier of an issue than it seems about where this art belongs (in a place like london in a free museum for ppl to see? or in the place where it is most historically significant?)
After class I walked around the gallery more, saw an exhibit on money, and mummies. and then i decided to walk home from hyde park (which is huge! and beautiful) and i stopped by the princess diana memorial fountain.. where supposedly crazy ppl go skinny dipping, but if you see it you'll be as confused as me because its basically a circular pool of rapids a foot or so deep.
Wednesday I had music class, which I really love, and later that night I went to an open mic night, my first open mic in london! it was really fun, two friends came along and i played my newest song and heard some really good acts. the power went off halfway through the show while someone was trying to read lyrics off of a page while playing, so someone held a candle up to help him... then we all had to leave for safety reasons because of the power outage! but it was a fun time. I'm off to meet with the music manager I'll be working with this semester. Tonight I'll be seeing more free music, this time of the afro-latin groove style. I'll report back later! Take care,
Jodi
It started with buying the tickets, wondering around the city through hyde park and to the buckingham palace for some photos.. and then we all joined in for an italian dish, and i was impressed by andrew's sauce making skills! everyone pitched in some form of ingredients and we managed to have veggie cream sauce, chicken, pasta, salad (with dressing!) and some white wine. As if this weren't great enough, Dylan and I went in on fresh bread and i took a jar of nutella along. we ate a whole baguette, covered in nutella right before the show. and then the SHOW was magnificent. brought tears to my eyes, made me laugh, made me smile, and made me want to go see wicked every night of my life! soo i'm off to a good start this week!
Monday night dylan and i went to a blues jam session at a blues bar, and it was SO AMAZING (not to mention free). I will definitely be going back there for more blues, its good for the soul, and these guys are talented!
I'll do some quick re-capping. Tuesday I had my first art class and I was so delighted when I found out that we were all heading to the tube and having class at the british museum... not only that but all of our classes will be held at galleries and museums, a wonderful place to discuss art and artifacts is when you're feet away from the actual art objects themselves... getting the 360 view of marbles from the parthenon. we had a discussion about whether or not the marbles should be returned to greece, because a turkish ruler bought them a long time ago and sold them to the british museum... unlike the egyptian ruins which were basically stolen and put there. its worth thinking about, and trickier of an issue than it seems about where this art belongs (in a place like london in a free museum for ppl to see? or in the place where it is most historically significant?)
After class I walked around the gallery more, saw an exhibit on money, and mummies. and then i decided to walk home from hyde park (which is huge! and beautiful) and i stopped by the princess diana memorial fountain.. where supposedly crazy ppl go skinny dipping, but if you see it you'll be as confused as me because its basically a circular pool of rapids a foot or so deep.
Wednesday I had music class, which I really love, and later that night I went to an open mic night, my first open mic in london! it was really fun, two friends came along and i played my newest song and heard some really good acts. the power went off halfway through the show while someone was trying to read lyrics off of a page while playing, so someone held a candle up to help him... then we all had to leave for safety reasons because of the power outage! but it was a fun time. I'm off to meet with the music manager I'll be working with this semester. Tonight I'll be seeing more free music, this time of the afro-latin groove style. I'll report back later! Take care,
Jodi
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A day of punk rockers and ancient egyptians
Yesterday a few of us went to Camden Town which is known for being home of the punk rock scene. It is also home of a giant stretch of many many many different markets covered by numerous umbrellas. You sort of have to squeeze through from stand to stand to see all of the clothing and jewelry on display, but its an interesting experience! After going to every market stand imaginable, a few of us ate at an organic food store that reminded me of Portland. Then Dylan and I headed over to meet his brother Sean at the British Museum. I love this about London, you can be out and about shopping, wondering, eating lunch, and then you can decide to hop on the tube for a few minutes (or sometimes just walk down the street) and find yourself a free museum full of amazing art/artifacts.
So it went yesterday: from Camden market to the british museum I went. I posted some pictures because unlike every other museum or famous church in London, you actually can take pictures at the British Museum. So I have a picture of the Rosetta Stone, which was quite remarkable to see! Everything there was wild, things from over 3,000 years ago, still here on earth while the people and their language and their customs have all died and been returned to the earth in indistinguishable forms. There is a recreation of the Parthenon, and many many many other things in even the small portion of the museum I perused. I admit that I didn't retain all of the information of the things I saw and even took pictures of! But I thought of the opportunity to take pictures as a way to appreciate these ancient ruins as an art form, so I hope you like the few photos I've got posted.
Since the last post I saw Stomp, which was a rhythmic world of its own! I found myself half-dreaming while it was going on, I thought it was because I was really tired, but I found the rest of the group had the same sleepy dreamlike feeling as well. They are absolutely incredibly coordinated and skilled! Thursday night we went to see a pantomime, which contrary to what I had pictured with silent actors walking around -- this was the most lively show I've been to! It was a modern day rendition of cinderella complete with audience participation (boos, awwws, cheers!, singing...) the evil step mom (a male cross-dresser) and a really hilarious spin on the whole story in general.
Friday we went to the Borough Market and OH MY GOODNESS! they have the BEST food ever, not that I could afford any of it, but thanks to countless free samples of fine cheeses, teas, olive oils, dips, sausages, sweets, hummus, (you name it-- they had it!) I got to enjoy it all! So that was something I'd love to go to again, because who doesn't love tasting a little bit of delicious food for free?? I also went to the Globe Theatre recreation, and then to Brixton where the afro-carribean community lives. They had markets there and a completely different vibe than central london. Friday night I went to a club that played punk/indie rock, the crowd was a little older but Kelsey and I made the most of the experience. Last night I was out way too late at a club called "the big chill house" a bunch of us went and even though it was crowded and sort of hectic i think we all had a really good time dancing and meeting people. I'm still navigating the whole club scene, looking for the right types to go to!
Today I'm heading back to westminster abbey to hear "evensong" a free choral church service, followed by an organ recital. I can't wait, that place is sort of magical (and sort of creepy with all the dead people buried all around, but it IS still amazing). Thanks for sticking with this post! Take Care,
Jo
So it went yesterday: from Camden market to the british museum I went. I posted some pictures because unlike every other museum or famous church in London, you actually can take pictures at the British Museum. So I have a picture of the Rosetta Stone, which was quite remarkable to see! Everything there was wild, things from over 3,000 years ago, still here on earth while the people and their language and their customs have all died and been returned to the earth in indistinguishable forms. There is a recreation of the Parthenon, and many many many other things in even the small portion of the museum I perused. I admit that I didn't retain all of the information of the things I saw and even took pictures of! But I thought of the opportunity to take pictures as a way to appreciate these ancient ruins as an art form, so I hope you like the few photos I've got posted.
Since the last post I saw Stomp, which was a rhythmic world of its own! I found myself half-dreaming while it was going on, I thought it was because I was really tired, but I found the rest of the group had the same sleepy dreamlike feeling as well. They are absolutely incredibly coordinated and skilled! Thursday night we went to see a pantomime, which contrary to what I had pictured with silent actors walking around -- this was the most lively show I've been to! It was a modern day rendition of cinderella complete with audience participation (boos, awwws, cheers!, singing...) the evil step mom (a male cross-dresser) and a really hilarious spin on the whole story in general.
Friday we went to the Borough Market and OH MY GOODNESS! they have the BEST food ever, not that I could afford any of it, but thanks to countless free samples of fine cheeses, teas, olive oils, dips, sausages, sweets, hummus, (you name it-- they had it!) I got to enjoy it all! So that was something I'd love to go to again, because who doesn't love tasting a little bit of delicious food for free?? I also went to the Globe Theatre recreation, and then to Brixton where the afro-carribean community lives. They had markets there and a completely different vibe than central london. Friday night I went to a club that played punk/indie rock, the crowd was a little older but Kelsey and I made the most of the experience. Last night I was out way too late at a club called "the big chill house" a bunch of us went and even though it was crowded and sort of hectic i think we all had a really good time dancing and meeting people. I'm still navigating the whole club scene, looking for the right types to go to!
Today I'm heading back to westminster abbey to hear "evensong" a free choral church service, followed by an organ recital. I can't wait, that place is sort of magical (and sort of creepy with all the dead people buried all around, but it IS still amazing). Thanks for sticking with this post! Take Care,
Jo
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Class Begins, and I don't want time here to end
We had our first class today with Matthew, our Classical Music in 20th Century Britain class, and I love it! We created music in a circle, listened to 5 very different pieces, and talked about music, culture, and art. The discussion was so good, and its the first 3 hour class where I didn't take any notes AND felt completely linked in to the conversation. If all of our classes are anything close to as good as this one, I am going to LOVE waking up for school.
Monday night, while debating whether or not to buy tickets to a musical, I think it was Nathan who said: If you're going to go broke, you might as well go broke for watching musicals. And that sounded convincing enough! So I let go of 20 precious pound to see a fantastically hilarious and almost too crude, but ultimately great musical called Avenue Q. The play opens on Avenue Q where a nice looking young fellow moves there after getting a BA in English and doesn't know what to do with his life, he spends the play looking for purpose (this "person" is actually a muppet!). All the more reason to feel GREAT about my BA in English. The play was hilarious though, and well worth the $.
Tuesday our art class was canceled, so instead of class we got a tour of the Westminster Abbey, paid for by the program. Little did I know, Westminster Abbey is the burial ground for a LOT of different really famous people, to name a few: Isaac Newton, Handel, Chaucer, many many Kings and Queens, Charles Dickens, etc. The one tomb no one walks over (there are literally plaques above graves everywhere you walk), is the tomb of the unknown soldier, surrounded by poppies. I'd like to link you to a poem if you're interested about this idea: taking a representative body out of the war carnage to honor and commemorate all of the soldiers. (look up "body of an american" by Toomer). My english class readings from the past are making me so thankful now that I am here, there is so much to appreciate knowing!
Tuesday night we had a free dinner with all of the other schools on FIE programs. I met lots of other students and to my happiness, the dinner turned into a dance party, beginning with 90's US hits from middle school and highschool and sort of moving through time. It was a great way to spend the night, I stayed and danced soo much. Tuesday was also Andrew's 22nd birthday! So people were celebrating when I got back and we went back to the Churchill. I got some older british men to sing me beatles songs and our a capella group sang until the owner of the pub told us to quiet down, and the people in the pub were upset that we stopped singing and applauded us! It was really fun!
This afternoon I ate lunch in the kensington gardens and threw a frisbee around with dylan for a long time. It was a sunny, relatively warm afternoon and it felt good to be outside! Tonight we go to see STOMP! I'm going to make some dinner, I found some indian spices to put on vegetables, I'll see how it goes. I love you all back home and I hope things are going well in your perspective areas of life,
Jo
Monday night, while debating whether or not to buy tickets to a musical, I think it was Nathan who said: If you're going to go broke, you might as well go broke for watching musicals. And that sounded convincing enough! So I let go of 20 precious pound to see a fantastically hilarious and almost too crude, but ultimately great musical called Avenue Q. The play opens on Avenue Q where a nice looking young fellow moves there after getting a BA in English and doesn't know what to do with his life, he spends the play looking for purpose (this "person" is actually a muppet!). All the more reason to feel GREAT about my BA in English. The play was hilarious though, and well worth the $.
Tuesday our art class was canceled, so instead of class we got a tour of the Westminster Abbey, paid for by the program. Little did I know, Westminster Abbey is the burial ground for a LOT of different really famous people, to name a few: Isaac Newton, Handel, Chaucer, many many Kings and Queens, Charles Dickens, etc. The one tomb no one walks over (there are literally plaques above graves everywhere you walk), is the tomb of the unknown soldier, surrounded by poppies. I'd like to link you to a poem if you're interested about this idea: taking a representative body out of the war carnage to honor and commemorate all of the soldiers. (look up "body of an american" by Toomer). My english class readings from the past are making me so thankful now that I am here, there is so much to appreciate knowing!
Tuesday night we had a free dinner with all of the other schools on FIE programs. I met lots of other students and to my happiness, the dinner turned into a dance party, beginning with 90's US hits from middle school and highschool and sort of moving through time. It was a great way to spend the night, I stayed and danced soo much. Tuesday was also Andrew's 22nd birthday! So people were celebrating when I got back and we went back to the Churchill. I got some older british men to sing me beatles songs and our a capella group sang until the owner of the pub told us to quiet down, and the people in the pub were upset that we stopped singing and applauded us! It was really fun!
This afternoon I ate lunch in the kensington gardens and threw a frisbee around with dylan for a long time. It was a sunny, relatively warm afternoon and it felt good to be outside! Tonight we go to see STOMP! I'm going to make some dinner, I found some indian spices to put on vegetables, I'll see how it goes. I love you all back home and I hope things are going well in your perspective areas of life,
Jo
Monday, January 14, 2008
The Journey Begins!
I arrived into London Heathrow on Thursday January 10th at 5am, having had little sleep and already passed my first test: dealing with a cancelled flight, rebooking in boston, and navigating the giant airport to reconnect with the group! Despite the challenges, I arrived feeling proud of myself, a bit overwhelmed, and ultimately delighted by the british airways flight attendants and the complimentary red wine served with dinner (chicken and rice with tea and bread) -- so much better than my countless southwest flights of starvation!
Whats London like?? It's HUGE! Our neighborhood alone has SO much in it (Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum ALL in walking distance!) So I've been busy.
Thursday was a tired blur, I fought to stay awake all day with no sleep. I am living in a flat with 18 other people, who I love, and living in a room with 4 of those people. All of us share a kitchen, and so far I've made Thai food that was delicious- - i love the grocery stores here because there is SO MUCH ethnic food for cheap! Thursday night we all went out to dinner using the number 9 bus into Trafalgar Square. The place was pretty crowded and it took a long time for all of us to get seated, 4 at a time. It was paid for though! So I ordered an 8oz steak, which I'll probably never eat again in london, not because it wasn't delicious but because I don't have that kind of $$(=single pound sign)!
Friday we had some orientation meetings and received the oyster card: free access to all of london via bus and tube! After the meeting I got my international cell phone set up and then headed off to meet Rachael Maddox, who was leaving for Florence the next morning! It was so nice to see her and talk for a few hours over sandwiches at a cafe and some comfy couches in the hotel. Friday night I went out to a pub called The Duke of York for my first beer in London (Stella) recommended to me by someone there. We read over the London paper and found out about some upcoming events!
Saturday we had a two hour walking tour followed by a 3 hour bus tour! I was very tired after that, but decided to make thai food and then go out to another pub recommended to us called The Churchill, which I loved! it was all wooden inside and very old with big pots hanging from the ceiling, not only did they have good london brewed beer, BUT they had a thai food menu!! soo i will be going back for dinner soon!
Sunday was another busy day, full of RUSSIA! In the morning I went to a Russian Orthodox Church and heard the most BEAUTIFUL choir, the songs brought tears to my eyes. I guess their choir has sang on lord of the rings soundtracks and stuff. But it was all a bunch of beautiful russian men and women and CUTE babies/children going to church! they all were such beautiful people. I took a nap after that and then went to Trafalgar Square for the Russian new year celebration!! Before entering the mad crowds, I decided to go to the Portrait Gallery where I saw faces like: William Shakespeare, John Donne, Chaucer, Milton, Mary Shelly, Virginia Woolf, SO many more, but I loved seeing those authors who I've spent so much time with in my literature classes right there painted like real people I could say hello to in their young age. ALSO we had our first star-spotting -- CHRIS ROCK walked right by me in the portrait gallery! it was so bizarre.
Around 530 we all took to the russian new year, just in time for the countdown (they were going by the time in russia) the new year consisted of a bunch of fake snow pumped into the sky and lots of yelling, chanting, and singing! After that a russian pop star took to the stage and it was soo great! an attractive russian man singing boy-band-ish songs with back up dancers to spare! We stayed until the metal band which was not worth staying for in terms of music quality considering the pain in my feet from walking all day but I'm glad I saw these old guys rocking out with mullets singing and playing their hearts out. Around 7 I gathered 2 friends and headed to a pub that plays films for a german film and dinner! I saw the lives of others, such a great film! So I heard more Russian and German than English yesterday, I like how international this city is.
Today I decided to make the move to make this blog! Pictures are coming and should be accessible on the right hand side. I'll write when I have amazing days like the past couple! Take care!
Jodi
Whats London like?? It's HUGE! Our neighborhood alone has SO much in it (Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum ALL in walking distance!) So I've been busy.
Thursday was a tired blur, I fought to stay awake all day with no sleep. I am living in a flat with 18 other people, who I love, and living in a room with 4 of those people. All of us share a kitchen, and so far I've made Thai food that was delicious- - i love the grocery stores here because there is SO MUCH ethnic food for cheap! Thursday night we all went out to dinner using the number 9 bus into Trafalgar Square. The place was pretty crowded and it took a long time for all of us to get seated, 4 at a time. It was paid for though! So I ordered an 8oz steak, which I'll probably never eat again in london, not because it wasn't delicious but because I don't have that kind of $$(=single pound sign)!
Friday we had some orientation meetings and received the oyster card: free access to all of london via bus and tube! After the meeting I got my international cell phone set up and then headed off to meet Rachael Maddox, who was leaving for Florence the next morning! It was so nice to see her and talk for a few hours over sandwiches at a cafe and some comfy couches in the hotel. Friday night I went out to a pub called The Duke of York for my first beer in London (Stella) recommended to me by someone there. We read over the London paper and found out about some upcoming events!
Saturday we had a two hour walking tour followed by a 3 hour bus tour! I was very tired after that, but decided to make thai food and then go out to another pub recommended to us called The Churchill, which I loved! it was all wooden inside and very old with big pots hanging from the ceiling, not only did they have good london brewed beer, BUT they had a thai food menu!! soo i will be going back for dinner soon!
Sunday was another busy day, full of RUSSIA! In the morning I went to a Russian Orthodox Church and heard the most BEAUTIFUL choir, the songs brought tears to my eyes. I guess their choir has sang on lord of the rings soundtracks and stuff. But it was all a bunch of beautiful russian men and women and CUTE babies/children going to church! they all were such beautiful people. I took a nap after that and then went to Trafalgar Square for the Russian new year celebration!! Before entering the mad crowds, I decided to go to the Portrait Gallery where I saw faces like: William Shakespeare, John Donne, Chaucer, Milton, Mary Shelly, Virginia Woolf, SO many more, but I loved seeing those authors who I've spent so much time with in my literature classes right there painted like real people I could say hello to in their young age. ALSO we had our first star-spotting -- CHRIS ROCK walked right by me in the portrait gallery! it was so bizarre.
Around 530 we all took to the russian new year, just in time for the countdown (they were going by the time in russia) the new year consisted of a bunch of fake snow pumped into the sky and lots of yelling, chanting, and singing! After that a russian pop star took to the stage and it was soo great! an attractive russian man singing boy-band-ish songs with back up dancers to spare! We stayed until the metal band which was not worth staying for in terms of music quality considering the pain in my feet from walking all day but I'm glad I saw these old guys rocking out with mullets singing and playing their hearts out. Around 7 I gathered 2 friends and headed to a pub that plays films for a german film and dinner! I saw the lives of others, such a great film! So I heard more Russian and German than English yesterday, I like how international this city is.
Today I decided to make the move to make this blog! Pictures are coming and should be accessible on the right hand side. I'll write when I have amazing days like the past couple! Take care!
Jodi
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