Here it goes: I have survived my first week in London and am happy to say that so far, I absolutely love it! Let's see if I can sum up my first week with both pictures and witticisms to keep you lot as entertained as I am.
On Monday, Piper arrived and we were able to find the big grocery store, Sainsbury, and get shopping done. We were also given a walking tour of the area where we saw Katy, who had also just arrived. Getting a sense of the area was super helpful and also just solidified the notion that yes, we are in London. It's a very different kind of city, almost made up of small city regions, so I didn't get the overwhelming NYC feeling I expected to. Wandering about a bit more really helped me get a sense of our part of London.
Albert Gate into Hyde Park
Following that we certainly didn't want to stay inside, so we wandered up the road to Hyde Park! As a full fledged lover of Jane Austen, I couldn't not visit. Miles of wandering past flowers and trees lined in rows by the winding paths was lovely. In meandering west we stumbled upon Kensington Palace and gardens as well and were floored by the beauty and magical feel. Further on back in Hyde Park, swans and ducks littered the pond and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain was stunning in its uniqueness, as children splashed through it smiling as brightly as she did in the old photographs. The park was beautiful and while more modern than my old time imagination, it more than merited my adoration and several return visits since.
Me in front of Kensington Palace, in a jacket to fend off the cold air.
We were both exhausted after that and yet had to wake up the next morning early for orientation. I admit that it was nice knowing there was now at least one other person in addition to the two staff members in the house! Tales of disaster to warn us (and poke fun at one of the programs) as well as useful advice filled our ears during the orientation sessions as mystery sandwiches and crisps filled our tummies. We had the afternoon off and Piper, Katy, and I decided to explore the Piccadilly Circus area.
Statue and an Arch on the way.
Setting off towards London center for the first time was exciting! The streets became more crowded and interesting window displays caught our attention. An impressive wall and trees off to the side caught our attention and was set aside for later exploration. More miles passed below our feet as we found Chinatown and peeked a bit at Soho, getting our London appetite good and whetted.
Piccadilly Circus
On our way back, we stumbled upon Trafalgar Square first. It was anchored by an impressive fountain with a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson, a ship in a bottle, and the looming beautiful architecture of the Naitonal Portrait Gallery. From there we turned around and began our walk back towards Kensington. We discovered that the park and wall we had seen did indeed belong to none other than Buckingham Palace! We found it after walking through another park and garden, when it popped out of nowhere. It, like many amazing, famous, and historical things here, was just in the middle of it.
Buckingham Palace and the pillar engraved with Australia
It was absolutely fantastic to have seen so much so early and, in retrospect, has made me come to realize just how much there is to see. I am sitting here knowing that no matter how many to-do lists I make, I will not see everything London has to offer. Alas, I'll just have to revisit then...such a burden! ;-) Seriously, I am thrilled that I am enjoying the city itself so much. My inner country recluse has become stronger and so I spent a great deal of time worrying that I would be too overwhelmed. London, however, feels much more homey and comfortable than I had feared.
Wednesday brought two very exciting things: a visit to Greenich and the arrival of Emily and Maggie!
A large boat brought us along the Thames River from just below Big Beg to Greenich, passing by many sites that the captain of the boat pointed out. The city seemed to stretch out for ages, littering sights here and there for our eager cameras. In between building crammed to the river's shores we caught glimpses of things I'd only seen in textbooks and google images. I was floored by all the things my eyes latched onto.
The glory of Big Ben from the water.
Greenwich was as adorable and historically engaging as Kate, a program coordinator, promised it would be. We tagged along with the CGS lecture, fascinated by the humorous and knowledgeable professor. The first thing we saw was the old Royal Naval College: it was beautiful, hauntingly so inside, and full of the significance and power the navy held in times such as Austen's. I had just finished reading Persuasion and was filled with love and interest. Following this, we hiked up a giant hill to get to the place Greenwich is most famed for: The Prime Meridian. Every geeky bone in my body twitched as I stood and smiled for a picture on that famous line. My mind was abuzz with facts for my Time and Literature class and I overflowed with fun facts about the time ball atop one of the buildings.
Kodak moment!
SED and RCM at the top of the hill.
Following that we found the oldest fish and chips shop which was mildly disappointing. I admit being biased but still love Scottish fish and chips better. Haddock > cod. Either way, it was still filling and hit the spot where our grumbling bellies were. Piper and I took off on an epic adventure afterwards to find the Cutty Sark - which was under restorative construction and therefore all covered up - and visited the National Maritime Museum. The museum was phenomenal and worth every moment as it was filled with tons of gadgets, stories of officers, and modern facts.
A model war ship.
When Piper and I got home, Maggie and Emily had arrived. It was so wonderful to be all together! We showed them around a bit and caught up. The room was finally not empty and silent like a tomb but full of life and laughter and the constant clicking of our keyboards, haha.
Thursday was a simple day of orientation at Roehampton and the beginning of our course on the British education system. It continued on Friday morning as well. We crammed full of acronyms - GCSE, KS4, A Levels, SEN - and terms - Public vs. Private schools, academy, head teacher - while being exposed to the history of the system itself. Our heads spun as we grasped at important information to store for our placements.
The most exciting part of the orientation for me was the tour by the archivist and this little gem:
A first edition copy of the first English diction ever, by Samuel Johnson in the 1700's.
I cried.
I'm afraid I was emotionally overcome by the dictionary experience. My love for old books and the English language knows no bounds! Even to the point of sheer embarrassment.
After class on Friday, Emily and I were craving baked goods so we went off in search for the nearest Greggs, a fabulous UK chain bakery. Before I was able to bite into my first sausage roll in a year and Emily was able to experience her first chocolate filled muffin, we found sitting simply in front of the tube station, the TARDIS! It was then that, completely accidentally, we stumbled upon the last reaming police call box in London. What a moment!!
Hugging the TARDIS!
On Friday night, we were eager to explore the city's vibrant nightlife and taking the advice of our predecessors and the BU London staff, we headed out to Soho after grabbing some cheap (and, of course, questionable) Chinese food. Emily, Maggie, Piper, and I managed to find Soho square and from there found the street with the bars and clubs. People were everywhere and seemed festive and happy, giving the place a safe, normal feeling. Clearly people weren't kidding when they said: You HAVE to party in Soho at least once! Soho, the old Bohemian area of London, certainly knew how to let its hair down!
All of us at the third club :)
Club recruiters were everywhere and we managed to get deals (either discounted entrance fees or a free drink) into the three places we went. Each had a distinct vibe and we liked for different reasons. The Green Carnation was quiet but cozy and fun with great music. We began and ended our night here - dancing and talking to a funny Australian traveling the world. Club number two was crowded and involved "something green," all of us getting chatted up, getting pulled to the dance floor, and having a blast despite being surprised by the forwardness of everyone there, haha. As we meandered back to the Green Carnation, we were told to try the third place. It was less crowded with slightly less good music and while we still enjoyed dancing together, it was not the best. Overall, clubbing was fun, but sort of expensive and certainly not an all the time thing for me. I'm glad that I went, but I don't expect to go again too soon, haha. I certainly prefer hanging out at a bar!
We all survived getting home on the double decker (!) night bus (!) and woke up the next morning around when intended. I was super excited because we had planned to go to the famous Portobello Road Market! It was 2 miles of market with everything from antiques to fruit and vegetables. Packed and busy with people on a beautiful, sunny Saturday, we were swept into the crowd of both tourists and Londoners.
The beginning of Portobello Road Market
Piper, Emily, and I spent several hours perusing the stalls, getting amazing deals on produce - 2 onions and 3 carrots for only a pound from a local farmer with a sweet smile and genuine disposition - and finding the new jewel of my growing collection of books: a collection of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poetical works from 1894. <3 I was trembling in love!! It's absolutely precious to me, smells lovely, and is filled to the brim with one of my top three poet's timeless voice. Known best perhaps for In Memoriam, Tennyson also wrote hundreds of other beautiful poems that are collected in this book. Its beautiful hard cover houses words that will keep me company for ages as well as a lit of cursive names that seem almost to belong to its old owners. What a find at the market!
Piper and Emily smiling with the fruit and veg stalls.
We followed our market gathering by picking up Maggie and heading to the Natural History Museum which, while not my normal style, ended up containing fascinating exhibits on geology and the environment. The building itself is enough to cause pause and gazing in awe. Its filled with so many exhibits that we in no way saw it all despite going through countless exhibits for hours. I ended up really enjoying myself and learning a lot about wildlife and other sides of history.
The entrance to the Natural History Museum!
On Sunday, London finally showed her true colours and rained on us! Thankfully, we had homework - preparing a lesson plan with a microteaching - so the morning was spent on productivity. I enjoyed busily churning away ideas for beginning a unit on Pride and Prejudice and thought a lot about early 19th century society. When I'd finally nailed it all down, Emily and I popped off for a well deserved break at the Science Museum.
In the Space exhibit!
Once again we were flabbergasted by the sheer size of the museum and its multitude of exhibits from Space to cars to steam to medicine to clocks. Spending 3 hours with only one coffee break immersed in the fascinating exhibits and new information, we became conscious of our need to finish our work (oh my need to edit!) and the impossibility of finishing that museum in one go. We realized with a grin that we'd not even seen half of what it had to offer! I absolutely cannot wait to get back and continue exploring and professing my love to the billion clocks and pocket watches!
Jess also finally arrived on Sunday! We were able to chat about Boston and I met her friend Sarah. We went grocery shopping and talked Harry Potter and our lives. It was great getting to meet someone new and of course to see Jess! I'd been anticipating her arrival and it was super nice to have another close, familiar face. It made things seem more real and made London feel even more like home. In having friends here, it gives the place a sort of ownership feel. I'm not just someone here for the touristy things - I have a place here now. Needless to say, that's been lovely.
Monday and today were back to Roehampton for lessons on the British Education system, I got a one on one about teaching English, and the history and purpose of Religious Education. My mind is still spinning but everything was so useful and practical that I couldn't help sitting there and absorbing like a sponge. I was introduced to Carol Anne Duffy, the English poet laureate, and got to do an on the spot lesson plan for the English Ed Department head. I highly recommend her poem "Medusa"! It was a challenge by such fun. :)
While school's been great, the weather's gotten worse. Piper and I were cut short from a visit to Regent's Park by a sudden downpour that reappeared this afternoon as dreadful super heavy rain resulting in everyone getting soaked and my camera's current issues. I had hoped to take some photos of Roehampton to remember it by, but the weather was unfavorable. It is London, however it's only September! Alas! Which means I'm sure you're all upset at me for not blogging sooner - you weren't out, it rained! - but Scandinavia and the World called! I kept getting utterly distracted by her humour! :-) So sorry...but not?
Also, a big shout out to Jess - Happy 22nd Birthday! (Despite this being posted 20 mintues after your birthday's ended in London.)
Hope all is well across the pond or wherever you find yourself.
Much, much love.
Cheers!
Fallon
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