Details

I was told by my friend Tiffany that I am too vague in my posts. I need to add "more personal stuff, the juice, some specifics" as she said. So I will try to adopt this new method and give more details to my experiences. I only find this difficult now because I don't really think I have done anything that is detail worthy. But I'll give it a go...

Back home, I do not go out. It just is not something I do. My version of going out is going to get sushi at around 9pm with my best friend. I'm more of a party at home kind of girl (only with my brothers friends, really).  So coming here, I was nervous about that because I didn't know what "going out" consisted of. I don't drink so I really wasn't looking forward to going to a bar and getting drunk, so this caused me some serious anxiety. I thought I was going to feel awkward and out of place. The first night we tried going out, I was still jet lagged and we ended up not finding a place because everything closes so early. Then the next day, Saturday, we had the boat party which was fun, but I went home afterwards. Then, Sunday night, we went to a bar around the corner called the Metropolitan. My friends ordered £8 cocktail pitchers. I ordered a coke, of course, and it was the first night of actually going out, and I must say, I enjoyed it. Now, I want to go out every night. I even told myself that I will get my first beer soon, which is a very big step for me. Its not that I am anti-alcohol, I just never found any interest in it. So, when I have my first beer, I'll be sure to let you all know, with every detail I can remember.

Class

Today is my first full day of classes. I was scheduled for two yesterday, but my second class was cancelled, so today is my first official day. I actually love my classes. My creative writing class may be a tad boring, but my other two profs so far are really interesting. I completely forgot that I am in a Shakespeare class. It makes sense that I chose it because I am in England, but it was a pleasant surprise to walk in and have a British man named Olaf speaking to us about Will. I am extremely excited for my History of London class. Not only does my teacher remind me of a mix between Richard Hammond and David Tennant, but we go one about six field trips through the semester to various places around the city. I have a feeling that I will really learn a lot from that class. 

Room

I finally bought tape and decorated my side of the room. It is a work in progress of course, but it is a start.

Feeling better

I had such a good day. This was the first day that I finally felt like I was the normal Kim and was enjoying my time in London. I haven't been excited to go out at night or do anything because I am either in a strange mood or too tired, but tonight, I had such a great time. I was laughing and joking like my American self and did not feel out of place. Maybe things are beginning to look up.

It also probably helps that I have been listening to 'Don't you worry child' on repeat. Makes me feel like I am driving to work with my best friend and puts me in a good mood.

First Time

I walked around alone for the first time today. Went all the way to Oxford street which is about 15 minutes away. I did not feel as uncomfortable as I anticipated nor as uneasy. I think I have a handle on this whole city livin thing.

Tour

We had our tour of London yesterday. Reminded me of when we went to Spain. Sitting on a big bus being told all of these random facts and trying to remember them. It was a cool experience though. We saw the touristy areas of the city including Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey. Then we went out to dinner with the head RA of the dorms and Monmouth was paying, so we went a little wild with the ordering. It was nice to laugh. Our group is getting along well now that I am finally really laughing. Nothing like endorphins to put you in a good mood.

St Pauls Cathedral

St Paul

St Paul

St Paul

Lisangi, Lauren, Kelly

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Day 2 was better

London shopping.

I am exhausted

It has snowed our entire first full day in London. Which according to a British boy we met, rarely happens.
----
I am experiencing the highest form of jet-lag. This is the flu of jet lag, not the cold version. My body is aching to the point that I can feel every muscle. My mind is borderline mush, I still have my sense of direction, though, which I am extremely grateful for. Once I lose that, I know my brain is gone. I do not know how people can travel across the world for work and be completely fine to fly back after a short period of time or to go on to somewhere else. This is NOT something to mess around with. I keep trying to keep myself positive and say that this will only last for a few days. I am not homesick (yet), I am just tired. It still feels like a vacation, maybe, so I am only dealing with the anxieties of being in a new place and not the not being home bit. Today was an improvement from yesterday, and tomorrow will be even better.

I have discovered that London is just NYC except that it does sleep. The streets look similar and the atmosphere is like NY, but as we discovered tonight, everything closes around 11. On a Friday night. At least by where we are.

My group has also realized that America does everything in the dumbest, most obscure way possible. The English simplify things. Instead of saying 'candy', they call them what they are, 'sweets'. Instead of 'exit', they say 'way out'. 'Bathroom' is 'toilet'. I think the USA just wanted to do everything so ANTI British back in the day, that they decided to invent new, "sophisticated" words for things.
Londoners also have a very strict escalator policy. I have heard of this before, but have never seen in enforced so strongly. You cannot stand on the left side of the escalator. That is for walking/running commuters who need to get to where they need to be, FAST. It makes complete sense, though. The Tube is so much easier than the subway. The map is not confusing and you pay based on how many stops you take along the way, not a flat fee like New York.

There is so much I have experienced in such a short amount of time, but I am excited to see what each day brings.

^This is Piccadilly Circus. It is the first touristy place we have been and I love it. 

Oh yeah...

I forgot to mention that this thing goes past my window at like 630am and it is so incredibly loud that I was literally terrified. It's a sweeper, I guess, but it looks too much like it would be out of an episode of Doctor Who and would sweep people up and turn them into other sweeping robots that would convert the entire city then the entire world.


I need more sleep.

24 hours

I have been in London for 24 hours now, and I can't believe how many mixed feelings I have. I am incredibly excited to be here and thrilled that I enjoy the people I am traveling with and my roommate, but there is just something off. I can't put my finger on it. I guess that's a bit of an understatement considering I am in a foreign country living in a setting I am completely unaccustomed to. Dorming is a little odd, not going to lie. Having never done it, I am a complete fish out of water and need to figure out a good routine for everything. I went to go wash my face and brush my teeth last night and forgot a towel to dry my face off with so I ended up walking down the hall with my face soaking wet. It's just little things like that that will make me continue to feel foreign. Once I get everything sorted out and I can get settled, I have a feeling I will be much better.

Things I've learned in the last 24 hours (well 48 if you count the plane ((and I think it's been 48 hours since leaving NJ? My brain has turned to mush)))
1. Virgin Atlantic is great. For our six hour flight, they gave us free headphones, a feel good pack including a toothbrush/toothpaste, an eyemask, earplugs, and socks, and they gave us a menu. Yes, a menu. Our first course was salad, second, I chose the macaroni, then tiramisu. Then we got breakfast. They made us little people feel important.

 2. The English call candy "sweets" and people from Scotland say "sweeties".
3. Primark is h&m + forever21 + steroids. That store is three floors of pretty much all clothes and shoes for under £10. I completely understand why previous study abroaders told us to pack light because we will most likely buy a new wardrobe here. That store can be dangerous.
4. Despite all the warnings from people before leaving about how terrible this is, I do not mind room temperature ketchup. I like it. It reminds me of the diner.

D-Day

Today is the day that I begin the most difficult and rewarding experience of my life. I can't believe I am finally just hours away from boarding that airplane for another continent and will be living there for fifteen weeks.
Two and a half months ago, I sat in the hospital after my accident and told my dad that I think I am going to have to cancel my plans for London. He naturally told me I was crazy, but for days afterwards, I did not think I would be able to do much of anything normal let alone leave my family and friends for months and explore the world. I have never been more proud of my parents and my brother for helping me get through such a difficult time in my life and pushing me to do something that is going to make me so incredibly happy. Thank you to each of them and all of my friends and family who supported me and got me through it.
I'm finally ready and can't wait to tell everyone about it!!

Stats

I have a feeling I am going to be obsessed with this feature. I'm already excited about my view in Germany. Even if it was only once...

Packing

My packing is done!! It may be a lot of stuff, but my mom is right, if I am paying the extra money for an extra bag, and I can maneuver around the airport, why not bring the biggest bags I have?

Here is a list of what I packed (or what I can remember at least). I wish I would have made a complete list because I think it would have helped me when I got there; I hid a lot of random little items in all sorts of nooks and crannies.

Jeans
Shirt
Sweaters
Sweatshirts
Bathing Suit
Dresses
Tights
Pajamas
Socks
Slippers
Robe
Flip Flops
Trench Coat
Hat
Blazer
Tank Tops
Shorts
Pillow
Sheets

Blanket
Duvet
Towels
Pillowcases
TOMS
Sneakers
Boots
Heels
Flats
Backpack
Laundry Bag
Hooks
Shoe Organizer
Hangers
Steamer
Laundry Detergent
Deodorant
Toothbrush

Toothpaste
Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Lotion
Baby Oil
Shaving Cream
Razors
Vaseline
Listerine
Face Wash
Nail Clippers
Nail File
Tweezers
Perfume
Makeup
Digital Camera
Film Camera
Laptop

New camera

My parents bought me a camera for my birthday. It was a Nikon, and I thought I was going to love it. It turned out to be the worst camera I have ever owned, which is saying a lot considering its my 6th one. So I wanted to return it, but of course my dad threw away the receipt. So to make a long story short, I exchanged the Nikon for this baby, and I am obsessed.

Going away...

This is really happening. I had my going away party last night and talking about it to so many different people made the reality of this experience sink in a little more. I will be away from home for four months. There is no other way to say it. I will undoubtedly miss my family and my friends, but this semester is going to fly by.
If there was one thing I learned at my party yesterday, it is that I have some very good people in my life. Thank you to everyone who came; I felt very, very loved.

Free time

I've really been imagining what my daily life is going to look like while abroad. About how much time I am going to have to myself. It is going to be a completely new experience to, one, live in a dorm, and two, live in a city. I'll be able to pack up when I am bored, and just walk around, take the tube wherever I want, find some place to hangout, do some shopping. I've walked around New York alone for an hour or so, but I have never had free, independent reign of a city. I think that experience is going to be absolutely liberating; allowing myself to be completely dependent on my ability to navigate and explore. And I'm not trying to make anyone worry; I will wait a few weeks to get acquainted with London first before venturing out solo. I have to admit though, it is one of the things I am looking forward to most.

#1

People don’t take trips – trips take people.
-John Steinbeck

New books

I spent 45 minutes in Barnes and Noble trying to think of how to start my collection. Wanted an Amsterdam book, but settled with Paris.

Cat

One final matter of housekeeping, I would like to thank Mr. Cat Stevens for the title of this blog. Its rather fitting seeing that he is a Londoner.

How this works...

COMMENTS
I just wanted to explain this whole blog situation to everyone so you know how it works. I will post a paragraph or a picture regarding my trip and you can comment on it by A) clicking on the title of the post, in this case it would be "How this works..." B) clicking underneath the post text on "comments".

If you do not have a GMAIL account then you will not be able to post. I have made a fake account for this reason. When you want to post, put in this email address and password and you will be able to do so. But MAKE SURE YOU SIGN YOUR NAME TO ALL COMMENTS, otherwise I won't know who it is from.
Just message me on facebook or email me at kimberlyburnett29@gmail.com to get the username and password. I was going to put it on here, but Marcus scared me out of it.

EMAIL
I added an email feature the the top right of my blog, above the information about my past posts and myself. You put in your email and follow the steps in the pop-up. Then you MUST go to your email and follow the link in the email from  "FeedBurner Email Subscriptions". This will allow you to receive an email update every time I post something, and only when I post something, so that you can follow me every step of the way.

Thanks guys and I hope this helps.

Beginning...

Hello World!

I was hesitant in beginning a blog for a couple of reasons. One was because of the unfamiliar. I didn't know if I would keep up with it, or what I wanted to write, or if anyone would follow it, but then I remembered a fortune cookie my brother gave me a few months ago. He was passing it along to me like a father passes along life's most important lessons to his children. It said, "Don't spend time stringing and tuning your instrument. Start making music now!"

Also, to me, a blog is very personal, or at least it can become very personal. Facebook allows you to post pictures and put a status about what you are thinking or doing, but I knew this blog would be way more personal than Facebook could ever be for me. I will be writing about my life for fifteen weeks: my feelings, my fears, and my anxieties. I have the ability to write something on here about how I am feeling at that moment and have my family and friends read it and hopefully comment on it is what made me change my mind. I know that I can write about missing my family and someone will comment on here and know the right thing to make me feel better. So in the end, I have convinced myself that the personal aspect of this blog may be what helps me get what I really need out of it. 

So with the words of a Chinese fortune cookie, I throw away all of what is stopping me and begin my blog. It is about everything I discover over the pond during my 15 week study abroad experience including every place I visit, person I meet, and obstacle I overcome.

I am hoping those who follow can live vicariously through me. And do not hesitate to comment. 

Enjoy!

Kim