Bonjour and Au Revoir to Paris

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted, but I have been busy being a worldly citizen. Today (1/31/12) I came back from Paris at 8:30 AM after being there for approximately 4 days. One of my flatmates is French and invited me to visit the city when she went home for the weekend. This post will be mostly a recap of my trip to Paris and some highlights from the previous week, which I failed to blog about.

We departed from St. Pancras station London at approximately 4 PM on Friday. After arriving at Nord in Paris, we took the metro straight from the train station to her family’s apartment. Plus side of Paris’s metro in comparison to London’s tube is that it is much cheaper and it has more stops; down side is that it is dirtier and slower. The apartment was in a more residential part of the city, which meant it was quiet and nice to walk around at night without being harassed by tourists. The first night we had dinner at a restaurant that was literally half a block from the Eiffel Tower. My 6 years of Latin proved little use, as I used my flatmate to constantly translate the menus and order for me. I am AWFUL at languages and just too embarrassed to even try to pronounce the words. Even if I did try, I wouldn’t be surprised if the French people couldn’t understand me.

Ze Eiffel Tower

On Saturday, we woke up early eager to walk around and see the city. Paris is a relatively small city and easy to walk. It is especially nice when you have a native with you who can mindlessly lead you around, so one does not waste time getting the bearings on a map. We walked back to the Eiffel Tower then over the Seine River to the rest of the city. My flatmate knew all the best restaurants, cafes, and sights, so I must say I ate and toured well. After walking around for the morning, my flatmate took me to a well-known restaurant named Angelina’s where I got the best hot chocolate of my life. It wasn’t actually a drink. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was in the back melting a bar of chocolate and just putting it in a cup to serve. No matter what this chocolaty liquid actually was, it was delicious. It was so good that I could not finish the full serving…which is saying a lot. Speaking of food, I have a serious addiction to baguettes now. Not just any baguettes, but the French, daily baked baguettes.

After the coffee/hot chocolate break, we made our way to the Louvre to snap some pictures. No worries mom- I made it into the museum later that weekend. The next few stops on our journey were to the shopping district (which had AMAZING hip stores), a view of the city from the top of the Pompidou modern art museum (free for EU citizens, but costly for me!), the gay district, and onto the Jewish quarter. Like a true Hyder, I decided to visit the Jewish quarter on Shabbas, so NOTHING was open. I found a shwarma place (owned by goyim obviously) and got my lunch. I did have the pleasure of seeing the French Frums on their Shabbas walks.

Me & The Louvre 

View of Paris from the Pompidou Museum

From there, my flatmate left me in order to spend some time with her family. Her advice: walk along the Seine river towards the Eiffel Tower (which can be seen from any part of the city). I had my metro tickets in hand, a French cell phone, and a basic understanding of the metro. By myself, I ended up finding Notre Dame. While I was hoping to see the church, it was pure coincidence when I walked up to it. When I found out that the church was actually THE Notre Dame, it made much more sense why it was swarming with tourists.

Notre Dame

I realized that the day was getting late and I was determined to see the Arc de Triomphe. My French flatmate had warned me that the arch was deceivingly far from everything, but me ‘the know it all’ thought that it would be a nice walk. I ended up walking from Notre Dame to the arch. Just walking up the Avenue Des Champs-Elysees took 20 minutes alone. Being the somewhat athletic, rushed American, I got to the arch before dark and snapped a few pictures, while dodging traffic at the same time.

Arc de Triomphe

I found wandering Paris relatively easy since there were maps everywhere and the Eiffel Tower is a great guide. Also, I viewed this venture as a test run for my future spring break endeavors.

After successfully journeying back to the apartment via the metro (very proud of myself), Jade and I prepared to go out that night. She took me to a crepe restaurant which I had a tuna, olive, egg, and cheese crepe and for desert had a savory crepe for desert.  There we did a pub-crawl, as my flatmate decided to show me all the bars in the area. The plus of this was that my flatmate knew all of the bar owners/bartenders/bouncers. No coverage charge and good atmosphere. This was the night I was informed by the French people that I had to be either Middle Eastern, Cuban, or Puerto Rican. I wasn’t about to jump in and tell the French people around me that I am actually an Eastern European Jew since that may not have gone over so well, so I took their genealogy guesses in stride. Thank you Cills-Hyder genes for my dark skin, hairiness, and dark hair. Also, I was informed that it was good that I was American since I am loud and they could hear me over the music. Thank you again Cills-Hyder genes.

My flatmate and I at a local Bar.

Side note on the bars: It was all American music. At one point, a bar was playing Gangster’s Paradise, which is probably the whitest, least bar-scene song ever written by man. Moreover, I had the pleasure of watching Washington play Arizona in college basketball.

On Sunday my flatmate cooked me a typical Sunday brunch, which consisted of baguettes, eggs, croissants, and everything else that was good in the world. My flatmate took me to an open market where I saw interesting French food, which by Kosher Laws I was forbidden to eat most. I did try a fascinating food that was a paste made out of fatty duck liver. Mmmhm. Later we went to the Luxembourg Garden where the senate building is. In the afternoon, I was left alone again where I finally went to the Louvre. I got to geek out with the Ancient Roman art, such as the Winged Victory and Venus de Milo. The museum is huge, but I did get to see the big things, such as the Mona Lisa, and I reached the required quota of Jesus pictures.

Venus de Milo

Winged Victory

That night, my flatmate took me to a Canadian bar, which she liked and visited frequently. There I ran into an amalgam of people: Canadians (weird, right?), Swedes, Mexicans, French, and American. Since once again my flatmate was best friends with the bar tenders, we got to help them close up and stay after hours.

On Monday, the two of us journeyed up to Sacre Coeur to get a nice view of Paris. We went into the church too, which was very nice inside. I saw pictures of Pope John Paul visiting the church and decided that this must be a great church since that Pope was the man.

View from the Sacre Coeur

Sending love from the Moulin Rouge

The whole area on the hill was filled with artists, so it was a nice walk around the streets. While walking down the hill, I was given a tour of Paris’s red light district and I got to see ‘the’ Moulin Rouge. I got the afternoon alone again, in which I wandered more aimlessly around the city. The place was literally freezing and at one point it started snowing, so I was forced back to my American ways- meaning I went into a Starbucks and got a coffee, as I let the snow blow over (no pun intended?). On this walk, I saw a man get arrested on TV and cute elderly couples walk in the garden in front of the Louvre. Truly eventful. Later, my flatmate and I went to an authentic French-Japanese restuarant and then called it a night early since our train was early the next morning.

Arriving at Kings Cross was at first a relief, but remind me never EVER attempt to take that tube from that stop at 8:30 AM. We had to wait like 5 trains before we finally forced ourselves on. Rush hour on the tube is not a pretty sight.

Now back, I was hoping that London would be a little warmer than Paris, but alas- it started snowing here too! What?!

Some highlights of the previous week were:

1. Going to the British Museum. The amazing part about London is the free museums. You can go to for an hour one day and then go for an hour the next without feeling guilty about buying a ticket. It is so awesome.

2. Finally going to the National Gallery. The first time I went was with my health and society class, where we studied the depiction and influence of medicine in art. A fun fact I learned was the Monet suffered from cataracts, which influenced his art later in life. Also, van Gough was a fan of drinking absinthe. The drink has been known to cause people to see things in a tint of yellow, which would explain why a lot of his paintings have yellow themes. I went again the next day with a friend. This time we put on an improv show for ourselves as we comically narrated the paintings.

3. Booking my spring break! This spring break I will be spending two weeks making a loop around Europe! Cities that I am visiting consist of Amsterdam, Vienna, Prague, Krakow, and Berlin. I now have the burden of e-mailing every person I know who have been to those place asking about public transportation, sights, and hostels. It will be worth it though!

That is it for now!

I will post again at the end of this week!

Au Revoir!

A Week of Firsts

Happy Friday everyone! I am currently writing this after eating my home cooked chicken tikka masala. I am very proud of my cooking and I would be asking for recipes from home, if that didn’t mean I had to convert all the measurements over to the metric system.

This week was exhilarating and it is not over yet….but I shall come to that later!

I wish everyone could meet my flat because they are all awesome. I live with 4 guys and 3 other girls. Their majors range from biomedical (like me) to English literature to history to business and management. I must say I am very lucky since most study abroad students I have talked to say that they don’t know anyone in their flat or are only friends with Americans. Well, not me! I have my own personal Brits taking me around London, teaching me the lingo, and helping meet assimilate into British culture. Also, since my flat is abnormally nice/big, my flatmates always have their friends come over here, so I have been able to meet a lot of different people with a lot of different accents. I must say the Cambridge British accent is ‘lush’ and professional, while the Northern Manchester accent is impossible to understand. On the flip side, I have been told that my American accent is rubbish and that they cannot understand me. Along that note, my flatmate has informed me that Americans don’t properly use sarcasm and that British humor is better. I will leave that one open to debate.

There have been some culture misunderstandings on both sides in which hilarity always ensues. These are examples of question that my flatmates and other Brits have asked me-

“Do you guys all live like the show Friends?”

“Does everyone dislike the south? I mean, that Rick Perry guy…”

“Is your life like Gilmore Girls?”

Questions that I have stupidly asked always seem to make sense at the time and then with reflection make me realize that I am a typical American. Examples-

“Do you have squirrels here?”

“Have 3D movies come to London yet?”

Not my proudest moments.

It has been fun to explain ‘Kosher’ to my flatmates and other Brits. Coincidental, one flatmate is named Oren and is Jewish. But according to him he is “not that Jewish...really…at all.”

This was the conversation in which I discovered that in America, we would be considered a super Jew.

“Hey Oren, are you having a Seder for Passover?” – Sydney

“I mean…we are not really religious, but yeah.” – Oren

“Oh! I have been looking for a Seder to come to this year…” – Sydney

“Well I am actually going to be in Israel for my Seder.” – Oren

“Israel?” – Sydney

“Yeah, that’s where my grandparents live. We go multiple times a year.” – Oren

“Lucky.” – Sydney

“Yeah. I mean after they survived Auschwitz they just immigrated over there like most other Jews.” – Oren

“That’s really interesting” – Sydney

“Yeah I mean… I speak fluent Hebrew…but I am not religious at all. Nope, not Jewish really…” – Oren

Sorry sir, but in the states, people would consider you prettttty Jewish for just knowing how to speak Hebrew.

Sorry for digressing, but back to the Kosher topic. My flatmates had never head of this ‘Kosher’ thing and, like every gentile out there, is fascinated with our ancient laws. Now I get the continual question of “Is this Kosher?...What about this? What about that?”

My other flatmates are interesting in their own way. One guy named Toby embodies British humor. He was the one who informed me that Americans were not funny and then proceeded to spout the driest jokes ever.

Thomas, who shares a wall with me, blares music at all times. While this would usually be annoying, all of his music is AMAZING and I just end up stealing it. I am slowly falling in love with British music.

Jade grew up in Paris, but has American parents. The other notable girl is Emma, who is an amazing cook and fashionista. (Today is actually her 19^th birthday!)

Classes are really whatever and have become a nuisance. I mean I goooo to them and they are always interesting, but that is 2.5 hours I could be spending on Piccadilly Street or Sloane Square.

Highlights of my week:

1. Running with Zach. I have always wanted to run over the Tower Bridge and see the Tower of London at night. Check!
2. Going ‘clubbing’ on a Wednesday night. It would have been much more fun if it wasn’t super expensive. Clubbing is an expensive hobby and I just can't support that lifestyle. I don’t know when the next time that will happen. Also, fun fact: the tube closes at 12:30 AM and if you don’t understand the bus system- be prepared to walk. My group of friends and I had a nice hour and a half walk back to our dorm. It was a long walk, but London is quiet and beautiful at night.

The building is my guide home.

1. Taking my flatmates to Chipolte for the first time! Chipolte is a Mexican burrito restaurant and has a cult following at Haverford. When I found out where it was in London, I knew I had to go. The guys in my flat decided they wanted to try it too after I attempted to explain what Mexican food was. I didn’t realize it would be that difficult to describe the difference between a burrito and a taco. It made me very happy when the guys told me that the burrito “really wasn’t that bad” and that they “would come back.” Side note: Being the American that I am, I did not appreciate the burrito size that this Chipolte offered. I did not get my normal ‘baby sized burrito.’ Instead I got a normal portion size…ugh! Also, the Brits were confused when I ordered 'chips and guac,' but instead of 'chips,' I got tortillas. Cultural differencessss.

Had to get the chips and guac. Go big or go home.

1. Going to Kings Cross station to see station 9 ¾.

[Funny story about going to Kings Cross. I was actually meaning to go to Strand Campus, but after transferring through the Moorgate stop, I realized that the train I needed to get on was down. THAT is why you do not have earphones in on the tube. While I sat at Moorgate for 30 minutes reading Lord of the Rings, I actually could have been listening to the announcements made by the loudspeaker telling me that I 'must find an alternative route.' Igave up on Strand and chose a new destination. I chose Kings Cross.]

Let the magic begin.

1. Speaking of Harry Potter things- A major highlight was finding out that one of my best friends, Chris Gall, booked her tickets to come visit me over her spring break! AHHH!!!
2. A friend studying in Berlin told me I could stay with her when I visit. SO I must book those tickets PRONTO!
3. Taking a solo walking tour of London. I love getting lost and that is exactly what happened. I found myself in the middle of Occupy London where everyone was hearing Guy Fawkes masks. While the location smelled like urine, I still enjoyed getting lectured about how capitalism is the Antichrist.

Occupy London directly outside of St. Paul's Cathedral.

1. ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS! Was getting a tour of Soho, which is basically where all the gay clubs are here. While I hear the gay clubs are the best of clubs, I must go back another day to give a personal account. While there we ran into a friendly group of Christians handing out tea and cupcakes (which were actually from a really famous bakery). As we enjoyed our free delights, we were informed that Jesus loved his prostitutes and that is why it was only proper that the church set up camp in the gay square of soho. The moment I finished my cupcake came at a great time, as it was the same time the man asked me “if I was a Christian.” I calmly responded with “oh! My friends are leaving….I have to go, but thank you!” We found out that they hand out cupcakes every Thursday in Soho, so that may become my new stomping ground. I love my Hummingbird Bakery Cupcakes.

The public urinals in Soho. When I asked why they were there, the boys responded with, "It is better than peeing on the buildings." Touche.

1. 80s dance clothing shopping. Tonight is a 80s themed dance and I plan on wearing my high top Nikes that my mother hates (but the rest of the world loves).

I am off to get my 80s outfit on as I listen to “Come on Eileen.”

Haverford beat Swarthmore in basketball for the 9^th time in a row.

Erica completed her comps.

All is well in the world. 

Sending everyone love from Borough Station.

First Week DOWN.

It is now the weekend here in London and I have completed my first full week of classes. My British friends just finished their finals, which are after their holiday, and the rest of my American friends start class Monday. My run in with the European education system has been interesting to say the least and there are definitely pros and cons to each, which I will neatly write out for you all.

PROS.

-       The classes are only once a week! Also, for almost all science classes, they are in the morning, so we have a lot of time in the afternoon.

-       For undergraduates, there is almost no opportunity for research…which for a person who has been dying in SuperLab back at Haverford, this is a nice vacation.

-       There is like no homework? It is hard describe, but basically the ‘tutors’ (or as we know it, the professors) assign recommended short readings that are never discussed in class. No one really does any work here unless a paper or test is coming up. This is a HUGE difference from American schools.

-       Speaking of papers and tests, there are only one or two a semester. Most of my classes have a poster presentation or 5-page paper and a final exam. No real assignments in the middle.

-       Class sizes range from 14-100 people here and we are in it with all British students (which is different from some other study abroad programs).

CONS.

-       For only being once a week, the classes are 2.5-5 hours long. Let’s just say caffeine is a must before class.

-       For every lecture there is a different professor, as they bring in specialists from the field we are discussing in class. The con about this is that you never really become close with any one professor. They don’t care about your name or interests, which is a huge difference from Haverford.

-       Even though there are only 2 real assignments, they count for A LOT. For example, one of my classes has a poster project that is 20% of my grade and a 3-hour final worth 80%. The worst part about this is that so far my impression of British students shows that none of them do any studying until like 2 days before. While this is not any different from most American students, it is kind of scary to think that something worth 80% of your final grade can be pushed off until last moment.

-       Their grade system is the most confusing. Basically anything over a 60% is AMAZING and 40% is average. Hmmm…..

There has been a slight change in my schedule from what I mentioned before. Instead of taking regenerative medicine, I am taking physiology of exercise. After sitting through the class, I am real happy with the switch for it is just much more interesting to me and its not for 5 hours on a Friday.

Living in Southwark, or as we Americans like to call it ‘The Borough’ is a blessing to be honest. People may argue that ‘anything south of the Thames is run down and the ghetto’ and I would reply with the simple statement, ‘then you obviously haven’t spent much time here.’ My area is awesome in that while it is not touristy at all, we are only a 20-minute walk to Parliament and if you walk quickly, a 30-minute walk to Trafalgar Square. With the expensive tube rides, this has become such an advantage. Schools like UCL are in Camden, which is in a nicer Northern part of London, but nowhere near the heart of the city. As Kings College likes to prides itself on, “Kings is the most central university in London” and they could not be more right. I can wake up in the morning and run to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and then later walk to Parliament and the National Gallery. 

Just a normal view from The Borough!

Moreover, we are right down the street from the Borough Market. I recommend it to ANY person visiting London. Right now it is only open Thursday-Saturday and it provides fresh veggies, awesome cheese, Turkish delights, and fresh bread. There are so many different meats like quail, kangaroo, duck, rabbit, and ostrich. I have even seen squid there. The best part about the market is that each stand gives out free samples and it is a nice free meal. Just walking around the booths, you can try a variety of food and fill up.

Borough Market

Borough Market

So, Highlights of this week-

1. Going to the National Portrait Gallery- This gallery is actually right behind to the National Gallery and not highly visited. The museum houses portraits of all kings since Henry VI and up until Queen Elizabeth II. It’s just rooms of portraits of famous people ranging from Princess Charlotte to Michael Faraday.

The forbidden picture I took of Queen Victoria's Portrait

Banksy work near Oxford Street

1. Going on a Banksy scavenger hunt- Banksy is a famous street artist in London. http://www.banksy.co.uk/. No one knows who Banksy truly is and his art is hidden around the city. Our journey took us from Borough to Goodge Street to Oxford Circus to Old Street. While we all got lost multiple times looking for his work, we got to explore London in ways we could not have imagined. Walking around the streets we were like, “WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD ABOUT THIS PLACE?!” I have officially found so many museums, pubs, restaurants, and stores that I now need to check out. Also, I can now say I officially saw Banksy!

Banksy work off of Goodge Street

1. Going to Portobello Market- This market is only open on Saturdays and it mostly sells antiques. The shops were to die for and I wanted to spend all my money there, but alas I am not that rich and I do not have much suitcase room. But I know I will have to go back to get things for my sisters (I am already planning this out!).

Portobello Market near Notting Hill

1. My flat family dinner! Now that everyone on my flat has moved in and finished exams, they are much more sociable and willing to hang. Friday night we had a family dinner in which we all made a dish. I made a nice American dessert, which resembled smores (which they don’t have here!). I baked cookie dough flat on the bottom of a pan then on top of that put crushed cookies and marshmallows (which we then put back into the oven to melt). The food was a hit and now they think that is all we eat. My flatmates are all first years, or freshmen as we call it, but are still awesome. They have been giving me good music, good food, and good tourist recommendations. 
2. Hitting up four tea places. A friend of mine invested in a good book about the best tea places in London and our goal is hit up as many as possible. So far we have found four and have experienced amazing tea and scones. SO British, right?

One of the many tea places we stopped at. Shop is in the Theatre District.

GOALS OF THIS WEEK: Take my flat to Chipolte. They want to experience the burrito and I am so ready to assist them.

Haverford starts on Monday so it is weird that all my friends at home are going to be there without me. My study abroad junior friends from home are also starting to move into their respective schools and I cannot wait to hear about their adventures!

No pressure but....

Just in case you wanted to send me love mail, here is my address!

Sydney Hyder

165 Great Dover Street - Flat 106G
Southwark

London SE1 4XA 
England

Hope to hear from you!

A view of Guy's Campus where I am studying

Life on Great Dover Street

Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to post. I just got Internet in my room yesterday and most of my days so far have been dedicated to registration and orientations. I actually just got off my [cute little British] phone after figuring out my classes and now the big decision has come: do I want class on Friday?! As biology major, this is a HUGE deal and I don’t know if I can pass this opportunity up. On the flip side, the class offered Friday is about regenerative medicine/stem cell biology and sounds pretty cool. Stevie E would be so proud of me.

Let me fill you in my mini journey so far:

January 3^rd- Move in Day.

Erica and I wake up in our hotel and move our (AKA my) 500 bags out and into the tube. The tube is the best thing ever created by G-d, but definitely not the most accessible to the handicap or rolling bags that weight over 60 pounds. After transferring once, we landed at my stop, Borough, and ventured out into the rain. It was good planning by Erica and I to find my dorm last week because it would have been such a sin to have to wander through unknown territory in the pouring rain…with all my belongings (Sorry Zach). Making it to my dorm, I was assigned my room and that was the first time I was confronted to the realities of security. Being out here makes Haverford look like a utopian hippie society. This is the process in which I must undertake to get to my dorm room everyday-

Swipe into the building, show my keys and ID card to the security officer, swipe again into the courtyard, swipe to get into my block, use my key to unlock my hall, and use another key to unlock my door. My key card only opens my Block, but none others, which makes it a little difficult to visit friends or having people over.

As Erica and I unlocked my door we were surprised by how huge my room was. Its actually abnormally big because every other room I have walked into has been embarrassingly miniscule. I have my own bathroom, which is awesome, and my toilet is in my shower…which could be even better. 

The view of my room when you walk in. The door on the left is my
bathroom and the door on the right is my closet.

My desk!

My room from the back. 

While the room is inappropriately humongous, we found there to be no drawers…no hangers….no blankets…no internet…and no toilet paper in my personal bathroom. So before we did anything, Erica and I trekked over in a mini-hurricane to Tesco, which is almost like their Wal-mart but with less stuff, to grab necessities. Tesco is a mile away (kind of in a ghetto type location) and the walk was made more fun by the torrential downpour. My jeans are still drying three days later. After getting our supplies, since we did not want to take a bus or understood the bus system well enough to get home safely, we had to walk back home with everything in the rain.

Once my room was unpacked, I still had no Internet and now no heat, but we could finally pee. I found my friend Zach, who is living in the same building as me and we started to wander a little in our area. We found Tower Bridget, grabbed some quick lunch, and went food shopping back at the shady Tesco. Zach and I literally had the same exact food except he probably bought 5 pounds more pasta than me and I bought 4 more liters of Diet Coke than he did (priorities, right?). We lugged our good back to our dorm, relaxed [without internet, if that is even possible] and went out to dinner to have a mini-going-away-party for Erica. The restaurant/pub we found was really nice and we played scrabble as we got served our 2 for 1 burger for 8.50 pounds deal and then called it a night.

January 4^th- First Day of Orientation

Yesterday I woke up early to see off Erica to her plane. I could not get too sad since I knew I would see her again soon (cough cough mom). Getting back to my room, I got ready for my day ahead and met up with Zach to make our way over to Strand Campus for registration and orientation. In the process we ran into some girls who were planning to walk there so we tagged along and chatted. After getting to Strand (which is across the bridge from my Guy’s Campus and somewhat near Parliament) we got our ID cards and Internet usernames. The girls and Zach needed to get cell phones so we found a store and I helped them pick out plans since I had done the process already. At the store we serendipitously ran into another Haverford kid, Trevor. The three Haverford kids ended up grabbing lunch and then making our way to the first orientation that Trevor promptly fell asleep in, Zach went on facebook, and I won a couple solitaire games.  After what seemed like a forever Q&A at the end (literally it was more than an hour) we went to a store on Oxford Street named Primark [http://www.primark.co.uk/]. Let me give this store a plug. This place is LITERALLY THE BEST STORE EVER. It’s target, but cheaper. A dress for 3 pounds, yes please! We need one in the states! The boys had to restrain me from wanting to buy everything in the store, but I did successfully leave with a duvet cover and a blanket to keep me warm in my igloo-of-a-room.

Once back, Zach and I attended a pizza mixer for our dorm, which was just as awkward as first grade when you have no friends and are forced into a weird environment. I ended up playing pool (and winning) against a kid from Hong Kong and then went out with some of the girls I met while walking to Strand earlier that day.

January 5^th- Today, I have orientation at 2 PM here which is 9 AM at home about ‘Living in London.’ O00oh! I am just so excited. Afterwards there is a pub quiz, which I hope to use my random knowledge of the royal monarchy to help win.

Important Updates so far:

- They fixed my heating, but the thing only heats for an hour and then shuts off…which means the night is the worst.

- The girl in the Q&A who asked ‘how do I have tea with the queen’ à you are not funny.

- I have internet obviously, but no Hulu, so I can’t watch my Jon Stewart. I feel so out of touch with America(?)

- I cooked myself oatmeal for breakfast today and I feel very accomplished. Maybe I will go crazy and make a tuna salad for lunch.

- I want the British students to come back so it isn’t quiet here any more…I am the only study abroad kid on my hall and the one other British person I met here hasn’t been around for me to talk to?

- Everything is just too expensive.

- I found out where Kate is going out on her 30^th birthday so I plan to stalk her on Leicester Street.

Classes start Monday and so far I am registered for: The Practice of Medicine, Medical Microbiology, Infections and Diseases of the Modern World, and Regenerative Medicine. The lucky humanities people here start the 16^th. See I told you…Biology kids never have it easy!