Hey guys, sorry I didn't follow through with the whole "frequent post" promise. If you know me well enough, then you didn't take it very seriously in the first place. These first few weeks have been filled with a ton of activities, touristy and otherwise, and I'll do my best to make the summary interesting.

Soon after my last post, Jordyn, her friend Steve, and I took a trip to the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. From the outside, the Tate Modern looks like an ugly factory building (redundant, I know), but the inside was quite impressive. It houses an incredible amount of modern art pieces, ranging from Impressionist to performance art. While some of it was questionable (i.e. canvases made to look like a vagina), I would definitely recommend a visit. Above is a view from inside of the museum (an example of my stealth- we weren't allowed to use cameras in there) of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millenium Bridge.

After the Tate we visited the Globe Theatre, which was absolutely lovely:

The tour was great, despite it being about 30 below. I plan to return to see a play when its a tad bit warmer. I don't want my only memory of Shakespeare's theater to be one filled with frost bite and numb appendages. 

A few days later, Conor and I made a rather haphazard decision to go to the Natural History Museum. You may not hear a ton about it in travel guides, but definitely GO. The building (or should I say, palace) is gorgeous, inside and out. Not to mention the awesomely hilarious dinosaur pictures that were taken (to be seen on Conor's facebook, if he ever puts them up). 

Which brings me to my most recent adventure: Portland. No, not Maine or Oregon...Portland, England. Its a small island town in the south of England, famous for its lighthouses and cliffs.

 Its also the sight for the 2012 Olympic sailing event, which they've already started building for. As excited as I was about going, I was not prepared for how beautiful Portland was. Kerry and Dave, my host family, showed Jordyn and I all around the island. It was refreshing to be somewhere so opposite of London or New York, and I'm definitely thinking of going back for a weekend trip. Kerry and Dave were fantastic, and they made the whole experience unique. I would highly recommend going on my facebook to see all of the pictures, because the views were breathtaking.

Sorry if that all sounded a bit guide-bookish, but everything was just so great. Next on the agenda is Brussels. I'm leaving tomorrow (!) to see John in Belgium, and I couldn't be more excited. More posts to come! (probably).

So this is for all of you friends/relatives/stalkers who are crazy curious about my goings on in London and elsewhere. So this blog, if I remember to keep it updated, will hopefully quiet those cravings of yours...

I've been here for almost a week now, and everything is finally starting to settle down (sort of). The flats are brand new and gorgeous (at least compared to fordham's standards). Unfortunately, my flatmates seem to be the quiet-types, and I've only met 3 of them! Two are from Turkey, and the other is British-Pakistani. They all seem nice enough, albeit a tad too shy. Here are a few pictures of my room and glorious kitchen..

So 

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Not too shabby, eh? The only downside is there isn't any common room, but ah well, beggars can't be choosers.

The first few days here were filled with (1) orientation, (2) jet lag, and (3) scrambling to buy necessities. It made me realize how helpless I feel without internet access or a phone. Is that sad? Woe is me, a child of the technological generation. Anyways, it took a little time to get adjusted. The first night was amazing, despite the jetlag, since Conor, Brian and I (friends from Fordham) went out to a few pubs to celebrate our arrival. The entire mood of the pubs was something I've definitely never experienced at home; just sort of relaxed and funky at the same time.

The next few days were a little more frustrating, since I had to find food, a phone, adaptors, and dishware without the slightest notion of where to go or how to get there. The tube turned out to be pretty easy to navigate (especially after dealing with new york subways), but even so, shopping on minimal sleep is never fun. After going out with a gaggle (and I mean a gaggle) of Americans on my first night at Queen Mary, I got a little taste of why we yanks have such a negative reputation abroad. After about an hour of scream-alongs to Bon Jovi and Christina Aguilera, I decided to high-tail it out of there. First night aside, I'm starting to make some great friends here, and I do not foresee any repeats of my first night out.

Today was my first day of being a true tourist. Jordyn, Conor, Brian and I went to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square. Despite the freezing cold, we walked our way all over the place, and I happened to take a few pictures on the way:

 

 

(did you notice that the fountain in Trafalgar Square is frozen over?? It was really freakin' cold!)

Hm...food...let's see. I've tried some typical British dishes, although I have yet to buy some fish and chips. I've gotten the traditional English breakfast (yum!) as well as some delicious Indian and Bangladeshi food. So far, I haven't had a bad meal here, so I really don't know what all the bad rep is about. 

Hmmm, what else? Oh, the fashion! I officially feel like a spinster here, since all of the women dress fabulously all of the time. Who knew so many cute boots existed in the world? Mom and Dad: I know you don't want to hear this, but it looks like I might have to go on a few shopping trips. Don't worry though, I'll stick to awesome vintage stores and the like.

I'm scheduled to go for a weekend in Portland, a coastal town in the south of England, for my homestay in a few weeks. I'm super excited, and I'll keep you all posted. 

I'll try to keep my next posts shorter, more detailed, and more frequent. I start classes tomorrow, woo! Love and miss you all!