Happier Post- Pictures from last week and weekend!

Last week I was able to go to some museums, see friends and spend time some the family

About 7 minute walk away from our flat is Kingston Upon Thames .  It is really scenic & relaxing. I went running along the river a few nights ago and it was really beautiful when the sun was setting! When I was little my grandpa & I would go on walks & always bring a bag of bread and feed to their local swans. They are so pretty but surprisingly large & aggressive. Make sure you throw the bread as far as you can because they are always hungry & will try to get very close to you :)

home to lots of hungry swans & ducks

me, evie, lucy on my iphone 

if you have some extra time to kill, look at THIS. It my uncle's youtube video for his hobby.  I was really surprised to see that it had 24,539 views!!

I was also able to try a new museum, the London Design Museum. Unluckily, I didn't take any pics but it is my new FAV place to go! It has a a really cool exhibit with so many different things. My favorites were about fashion (Alex McQueen, environmentally friendly furniture, as well as new inventions. My friend was really impressed with bikes that you can fold up! My favorite was the PANDAS!!!!!!!! Loads of rows of little toy pandas with red eyes are connected to a motion detectors. They "watch" you move and can spin around as you change direction. Make SURE you youtube that video! My friend and I walked around in circles several times, which was def entertaining!

Some pics from the photo exhibit at another museum the  V&A!! 

Crazy right! Some guys I know CLAIM they are huge redskins fans... would you do this?!! Their roster might take up more space!

classic LBD from 1955: I am OBSESSED

in a new city be VERY aware of your surroundings :(

I had some bad luck on weds. I went to lunch with some friends at a nice restaurant (yum! on baker street) that wasn't very crowded. I was texting with several classmates, checking email and doing stuff with my iphone. A homeless man walked into the restaurant and approached our table, I turned to look at him and PUT MY PHONE DOWN. He said he wanted to sell us a newspaper for 50 pence and displayed it on the table. We all said no thank you and within 2 minutes the restaurant owner escorted him outside. About 5 minutes (UGGH!!!) later I wanted to check for responses on my phone and it was GONE! He had SLID my phone off the table underneath that dirty awful newspaper, right under my nose!!! I ALMOST gave him 50 pence!!!!!!

Apparently, professional thieves do this all the time. After speaking with several classmates I felt SLIGHTLY better (No, not really!!!) because this is a frequent occurrence and I am not the only IDIOT out there. Everyone had a similar story about themselves personally, a family member or friend that was scammed & robbed. One friend had his wallet stolen in the same fashion (newspaper trick), another girl's friend had had TWO iphones stolen within a week of each other, and were lots of stories of stolen purses, phones, wallets, passports etc. I am hoping insurance will cover my phone but if not i will miss it & the apps, photos, music, GPS, etc, very very much. 

:(

the "Big Smoke"

 I am getting into a more routine schedule with school now that induction are over! I have classes 4 days a week Mon-thurs which means I always have a 3 day weekend!

I have been going out in London, seeing some museums, spending time with new friends, and seeing some family!

No question about it- London is it dirty! One of the yuckiest things I have noticed is when all stores, restaurants, shops etc close the staff simply leave their huge trash bags outside on the street. They must be picked up very early in the morning.  I snapped a picture when i was in Leicester Square a very popular  tourist area last night.

YUCK!!!!

I didn't have very good luck with my camera because none of the other pics from that night turned out that well! :(

words!

One of my friends has a blog and created a list of her favorite british sayings! She came up with:

1. Rubbish. Usually meaning garbage or junk, but also often quoted as such, “I did this essay the other day. It was rubbish.”

2. Que. Said instead of line up. ie. There is a large que right now to buy train tickets.

3. Query. A question or inquiry. I also love the way inquiry is pronounced here - “in kwee ree”, instead of “in kwi ree”.

4. I love love love the way Londoners pronounce the word Yogurt as Yogg gert. Just watch the move Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and skip to this part to see what I mean…

Spike: “This yogurt tastes as if it’s gone a wee bit sour.”

William: “That’s because it’s not yogurt. It’s mayonaise.”

…..

I can ADD to this list:

1. People here do NOT refer to anything over the age of about 10 as school:

school= American elementary school

college= American high school

university=college & grad school

and everyone shortens it to just "uni"

2. "brilliant"= awesome, sweet, (or Kewl for a certain population in rockville)* of course we do have this word in the states it is just used in everyday convos or as frequently!

3. Stunning=hot, pretty, good-looking

4.full stop= period (.), the symbol to show the end of a sentence

5.brolly=umbrella**

(**my mother might have made this up as she is the only one who i have heard actually say this)

6.redtops= crappy newspapers like the Mirror or The Sun

7.prof= professor or teacher

some of my favorites

I have been exploring some of London's Tourist Attractions, Museums, and Art Galleries.
Here are some of my favorite pics I snapped with my iphone!

The London Eye! this was taken from London Bridge. You can actually go on it at nighttime I think! There is always a insanely long line but you sit in a little box on the wheel and you can see the whole city.

(friends from class Rashie, Neelam, Fabio, Stacey and Sahill. They rep India, Russia, and Italy!)

Pictures from Regents Park! Everything that you would expect from an English garden. We can actually walk here from campus in about 10 minute.

New Diet

A few people know that since I have been here I have been experimenting with a vegan diet! I choose to try it for health reasons. Many people have been very confused with the decision and it has been really challenging because, of course, i love meat & cheese (as you can see from my previous post).

To my surprise, it has not been as difficult to cook or go out with friends as you would expect! I have had no meat or cheese and only a handful of dairy products since Dulles airport.

I'll show you some things that I have been eating recently:

*My first experience cooking with puff pastry ... haha hopefully it will be better next time!

I am a fan of chicken pot pie & i was trying to replace it with something with veggies.

Alot of things I have been trying! Fake meat seem to be pretty good with the exception of sausage. It alls tastes good with alot of Franks!(yes !!! hot sauce has made it over here)

Eating out:

London is such a diverse city there are soooo many choices! Alot of great vegan/vegetarian options!I had actually met up with friends at a wonderful restaurant called "Gourmet Burger" and was able to leave full & happy!

                                                                   my "burger"

Last night I went to a restaurant called "El Cantara"in SoHo. Soho I think is my new favorite spot & i can't wait to go back!! Unluckily... all I took a picture of was the sangria! haha, yes since  it is a new change I have cheated a little bit. I have had 2 hot chocolates from the school's coffee shop, a gin & tonic, and a few glasses of sangria!