How to be a Londoner, Part I

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally come: I've done something interesting.

If you’ve heeded my advice (/fears of blogs) and looked at pictures of baby panda pictures instead of reading my posts, you may want to pause your ogling and read (some of) this post. I’m not saying this post will be more exciting than pandas, but it’s getting closer. You can also just skip to the bottom or look at the pictures; that's alright too.

First- I went to Borough Market, a large food market undr the London Bridge. According to Wikipedia, it was "first recorded in 1014", so it's been around a while. They have just about everything: teas, spices, breads, cookies, cereals, sauces, olives, fruits and veggies, freshly prepared food, and meats and seafood- even ostrich steaks and eggs. One of my roommates bought some pesto and some veggies to cook up, and I got some bread. Later, with a few extra ingredients, we (ok, mostly Dana) made a delicious dinner that fed 3 of us for 2 nights. Hooray for being adult-like and having an Italian roommate! After the market, we took a walk through London, saw the replica of Shakespeare’s Globe, and walked over the Millenium Bridge (I think), the one that collapses in Harry Potter. Hooray for culture! Since we happened to go with one of our professors, whose expertise is in medieval art and architecture, we had a guide to point out architectural highlights in London’s skyline and give us a quick run down on an old church we visited. Hooray for knowledge!

Second- Over the course of 3 days, I have officially gone to a London pub, eaten fish and chips, tasted British aleand taken photos in a phone booth. These were all of crucial importance on my to-do list. All I have left to do is take a double-decker bus tour, eat a British pie and watch the changing of the guards and I am an official, 100% London tourist. Yes.

Here’s some proof:

Third- I am starting to learn British slang. I found a website (http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml if you're interested) with a ton of British slang, and I’ve been going through it a bit at a time to try to learn. The other daymy roommates and I accidentally watched a show that highlighted the top ten moments in this comedy tv series called “The In-Betweeners”. A few of the slang words I had just read actually came up, which was cool because I was slightly less confused and I got to practice my new vocab a little. Most of the time, the worst language differences to deal with are (Am) bathroom= (GB) toilet, exit= way out, pants= trousers and underwear= pants. The whole pants thing is what I’m most worried about. I’m afraid I’ll accidentally mention, in casual conversation, that I never wear pants with a skirt, as it’s simply not my taste. However, I would appreciate knowing if I am being insulted by a Brit or if someone ia simply talking about what he or she would like for dinner. Some things are seriously weird and a little off-putting, like how they call meatballs “faggots”. Seriously, what? Others are less weird, or just a matter of commonly using a word to mean one thing when we normally use it to mean something else in the States, although both meanings could be understood. For example (last one for now): UK: Thanks for poppin’ in! US: Yo, this lip gloss be poppin’!

Fourth: I also went to the Spitalfields Market, aka hipster/etsy paradise. There were tons and tons of old “vintage” clothes, most of which seemed to be legit (I’m assuming) because they were labeled with dates from the 1940s-50s. Lots of places sold antiques, including some magazines from the 40s, 30s, and even earlier. They also sold buttons and watch faces and watches without faces and paper fans and scrabble-piece necklaces and beads and huge 3D charms in the shape of bird-in-birdcages, anchors, etc, etc, etc. And it was all expensive. So hip.

Fifth: Lastly (for now), I went to the annual Nottingham Carnival. It’s a big celebration of Caribbean culture on the Sunday and Monday of each Bank Holiday (similar to Labor Day in the US). I heard that it would be really crowded and crazy, but I didn’t think it was all that bad. I heard there were about 20,000 people there, but spread over 4-5 huge city blocks, it was nothing too terrible. Honestly, I thought the crowd to pet the black bear at Bucknell last spring was a bit tougher to deal with. The carnival itself was a lot of fun. They had tons of food vendors (I had some jerk chicken- it was delicious!) and a huge parade of people dancing (well, we got there towards the end so most were more like mopers) in giant, fantastic costumes, complete with tons of big, brightly colored feathers and sequins. There was also a giant peacock puppet thing, which was very cool. There was litter everywhere, and people just doing their thing, like dancing (3 random guys just danced on the street by this DJ for what seemed like 20 minutes), playing music, or handing out gospel/church postcards. There were tons and tons of police officers. Apparently they were taking some extra measures after this summer’s riots. Fortunately, we did not run into any problems- thank goodness. When we got off at the tube stop, I thought some incident must have just gone down because there were so many officers. Turns out they were only there as extra carnival security. We also concluded that our entire train got off at the same stop to go to the carnival. We were a little nervous seeing so many outside the station on the street, staggered in formation. But we soon found out they were actually a pretty chill bunch (a good amount of them, anyway) and took pictures with one constable who let us (and a whole line of people) wear his hat. Another constable up on a platform actually posed for someone below who wanted a picture, and even one at the parade fence smiled a bit at some of the performers’ antics (I think one tried to dance with him). The train ride home was very crowded, like I-really-really-hope-I-remembered-deodorant-this-morning crowded. But the London Underground is great, and it didn’t take long. Overall, it was really fun and a great experience. I’m glad the four of us decided to go. It was nice to see another side of London, its people and its varied culture. The performers (and vendors) were just a bunch of ordinary people doing what they love and celebrating their unique culture, even if that involves a sequin bikini and feather headdress or a whole lot of tasty chicken.

30 second summary: I did things. It was fun. See bold print. (And I did remember deodorant, in case you were wondering.)

Cheerio!

I am finally in London. No plane crashes, no riots, all is well. Our flight was delayed over 3 hours, which was fantastic (not really). A rather amusing flight attendant explained that our original plane was broken (first delay) so they brought over another plane to save time. Turns out this plane was meant for Delhi, meaning it had 3 times the amount of fuel we needed and way too much for us to safely land in London, so they had to take out the extra fuel (second delay). However, there was so much fuel that the available trucks could not hold it all, so they had to go empty the trucks and return to get the rest (third delay). I sat next to a couple from Australia (who I first thought were from England, oops) who were very nice and quite funny, in typical Aussie style. We complained about the delays and discussed traveling and Australia. While the delays were a bit of a bad omen, the Aussies were definitely a good one (because I basically love Australia).

Ok, it's finally time to write about something interesting, since I'm actually in London now. You know, that whole "abroad" part of a study abroad blog. But it doesn't feel all that different. The shock of living with new people, having to cook for myself, and living in a city overshadows being in another country. They just have funny-looking traffic signs and taxis, and vacant red phone booths everywhere. I keep thinking in a British accent, but I still find the general accent a little weird. It's like I just happen to be around a big tour group of British people, and keep running into them... working at the grocery store, and the market, and the subway... We all seem to assume that every accent we hear is just a fluke or a fake, even though we know they aren’t. I think it's just that they all sound a little different, so there's no new "normal"- just a bunch of funny-talkin people. A number of people have a foreign accent as well, like an Indian or French accent on top of their British one. Weird. I swear I heard people speaking English on the street but could not understand them at all. It seems there are light, cute British accents and Are we speaking the same language? accents.

Other than that, my flat is very nice, and London is actually cool, if not entirely unfamiliar. London is like a clean, old, shorter New York. The tube/Underground/subway/metro is really nice and easy to use. The streets, on the other hand, seem perfectly logical until you hit one five-road intersection after another, and cannot figure out how you turned when you tried to follow a single straight road. And of course, road names change with no warning and similar sounding roads have no relation (for example: Bloomsbury Street and Bloomsbury Way).

It does rain often, but not all day. It feels like fall here (60s-70s, it’s hard to remember that it’s actually August). There is so much history, and it seems like nearly every building has a story (though some are certainly better than others). We live near the first YMCA, and saw a church built on top of a Roman road (it was exposed due to excavation). That’s pretty cool. We travelled down around the Thames on Saturday, and it was pretty and very nice. I really enjoyed that area- it’s a good place to visit as a tourist, and certainly a nice place to live too!

Debrief

This will be my last post in the States, just to go over the last few days.

My second round of goodbyes is complete. Going to West Virginia was pretty much how it always is, although I was able to be a little more observant of things, which I think was good. It was nice to see everyone there before I left to go abroad. As for Bucknell, I was a little disappointed when I didn't get any homey, excited feelings when I arrived. It was weird not having a dorm or room that was mine, and Rochelle and John (who are also going abroad in the fall) felt the same way: we had no home to go back to. Getting a parking ticket and sleeping on the floor one night added to the feeling of not belonging at Bucknell, at least for the time being. In addition, I still had 2 more days at home (during which I plan to pack, see a movie, go on a coffee date, and maybe see the beach one last time) so I was still in summer vacation mode. The truth is, I wasn't ready for "back to school". It was like one of those mid-summer nightmares where you're suddenly back in school. The ticket and almost running out of gas on the way home were certainly nightmare-worthy. Still, it was nice to see both family and friends. I'm excited for all the things happening at Bucknell this year, and I'm looking forward to hearing updates! I got a lot out of the IV leadership training I did there, and I had a nice conversation with God, too. And room trashing/cleaning/claiming a little was awesome.

The best part was when, on the way to pick up my suitcase and leave, I saw a blue Bucknell balloon float away. There's a story behind it, but essentially my favorite thing to do at graduations is to count the number of balloons that float away, and to watch one until it disappears. I'm sentimental about these run-away balloons, and it was such a perfect ending.

...I'm really going abroad.

Busy, Busy Busier.

This has been a crazy week, with my last day of work at both of my jobs, round one of goodbyes, packing nearly all my stuff, a visit to Philly, and dinner with my dad. Tomorrow I drive 4 hours to my aunt's house in West Virginia, spend the night there, drive 35 minutes to have breakfast with my grandma in the morning, then drive 3 hours to Bucknell, with IV leadership training for 3 days, and finally a 4 hours drive back home to New Jersey on Monday night. Adding to the excitement, I thought that this leadership training was maybe 3 hours each of the three days. Wrong. We have 3 hours of free time each day, in which I will be begging Bucknell to buy my textbooks back, dropping off supplies, and maybe getting a haircut. (Secretly, I'm only going for the haircut. My last one in Lewisburg was the best I've ever had.) I'm already tired.

I haven't figured it out yet, but I seem to be perpetually compelled to drive on long, convoluted trips, and I don't even like driving. I drove to upstate New York, Long Island, DC, and Philly this summer. And the best part is my GPS only works when it feels like it. Not super helpful. But at least I have an excuse to buy the super cheap gas Wawa had today! Down to $3.29! New Jersey is kind of the best. (For gas. Not the actual driving, as I almost witnessed a horrible, messy, and very inconvenient accident the other day. Sometimes I think tourists should pass a traffic circle and jug-handle proficiency test before coming here. But sometimes I just think they should not be allowed to enter South Jersey, period. Sorry, I digress.)

Packing up my bags was way more difficult than I though it would be, since I forgot to weigh them earlier. I added another suitcase, and I think we're set. I don't think I want to pack ever again. I may have an inappropriate compulsion to do that, too. I try not to think about how I packed almost all my roommate's stuff. Speaking of packing bags, working my last day at Target for four months was a huge relief. I'll be abroad on Black Friday, which is just about the best thing that ever happened since Black Friday was invented. It's certainly an interesting experience, but my soul and body take the hit, and they now can remain intact the day after Thanksgiving. Ah, to food coma in peace. Depending on how things work out, I may have worked by last Black Friday ever. I won't miss waking up at the crack of dawn and stepping on my sleeping cousins, the smell of plastic bags or burnt pop-corn, the crazy crazy people, or saying "you're welcome" when someone tells me to have a nice day. Leaving my office job was a little sad, since I only work with five people, and they were all kind of convinced I was going to run into looters/die. I won't, so don't you go get worried, too.

I think I'm out of things to say. After this trip, I'm home for two days and leave the country a week from today. I am still not sure how long this flight is, and I am scared. Until then, look up where cashews come from!

30 second summary: I had a busy week, I am doing a ton of driving in the next few days, and I go to London a week from today. I am done working; packing is my life now. Also, I am tired.

Ready, get set...

Welcome to my blog! I figured updating a blog on a regular basis is much easier than telling 50 individual people everything I did in a day, week or whatever. I already spend too much time on facebook and dealing with email, so hopefully this can be a one-stop update :) If you feel the need for a more personal/private/still on the internet interaction with me, I'll still be around on facebook, email (laina.lusk@gmail.com/bucknell.edu), and now through skype (laina.lusk)! Calling and texting are not really going to happen. Please continue to talk to me; just because I'm in London doesn't mean I no longer exist. In return, I will try to remember that I have friends and like America.

Anyway, time for real blog things. I guess I've thought about having a blog for a while, although I've only written on blogs for classes, which does not count and is not fun. Still, I have some reservations about the blog thing. The only blogs I can bring myself to read over 5 posts involve funny things and usually some pictures. Ok, a lot of pictures. (Seriously, who likes reading on the internet?) And I don't really comment or participate in forums. People who enjoy broadcasting their trite or deeply intellectual musings over the internet, expecting their peers to pore over every word, generally concern me. But I think that there really are people that like reading these kinds of things, and commenting on them to boot. Beats me, but we'll give it a try. I will probably become addicted to blogging and tell everyone about how I love blogging, and refer any and all people to my blog. I may very well become one of "those" people, and I will not protest if you feel an intervention must be staged. The internet does strange things to people, and I'm accepting that risk here.

At this point I may have lost all or most of you, but that's fine. I wouldn't have read past the first paragraph, so don't feel bad if you want to leave now and just google "panda babies". I know I do. Since this is the first post, I figured I would get some of my meaningless and/or misanthropic ramblings out of the way, before I do something interesting enough that people might want to read about it. Right now, I've just started packing. I usually don't mind packing, but this is especially rough. Four months of things, all crammed into 1.5 suitcases. Holy moly. It looks like I'm going to make it, but I am not a 1-to-2-pairs-of-shoes kind of person, so I have no idea how they are all going to fit. I am confident, however, that my years of working as a cashier and experience packing all of my college stuff four times (not to mention that one time I packed all my roommates stuff) has prepared me well for this moment. Unfortunately, I'm working 6 days a week leading up to my trip to Bucknell/departure for London, and I'm feeling a little pressed for time. Well, work and all the tv watching, beach lounging, and sleeping I do. It's the summer; I have 3 months to do these things before abstaining for 9 whole months.

I think I'm going to stop this sleepy rant now and go get something useful done, like learn spanish or eat brownies. For those still around, it's been a pleasure, and I hope you'll read again soon.

30 second recap: Yes, I will be visiting Bucknell on August 20-22. My flight for London leaves August 25th from Newark. Until then, I am working, packing, and sleeping on the beach/couch. I feel weird about blogging.