I just got back from a lovely weekend away in Paris--it was my first time and I absolutely loved it! Moreover, I stayed with Tanya, my second cousin who I haven't seen in ages, so it was fantastic to see her again and catch up. Saturday morning we took a quick 2 hour train ride on the Eurostar directly into the center of Paris to Gar du Nord and started off the day with delicious french pastries and coffee after dropping our things off at Tanya's flat. With our bellies full of deliciousness we began our stroll towards Notre Dame. Along [View Full Entry]

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Halloween + 4th of July = Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night. Most ridiculous holiday. The photos speak for themselves. [View Full Entry]

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A few weeks back the topic of speed dating came up in conversation with Erin's Mum about how hilarious it was for her, and of course we decided to actually do it. So last night we went to a posho wine and champagne bar called Amuse Bouche in Soho with our alias': Erin would be Betty the Butcher and I would be Fran the Fish Monger, just in case we weren't feelin' it... However, once we got there we got little name tags and numbers so Betty and Fran went right into the bin! Realizing the predicament we were in, we [View Full Entry]

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So it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve last posted because school has been eating up my life and nobody wants to hear about that so I’m just going to move onto the Halloween Party that Erin and I threw this weekend. Friday night we began the prep by going to a Lidl, which is a cheapo supermarket chain, where we go lots of food and drinks for insanely cheap. It’s quite ghetto with the vegetable isle next to an automotive/cleaner isle, so that was a whole separate experience all in itself. Then Saturday was literally non-stop cooking, decorating, and [View Full Entry]

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So this weekend was the first Rutgers group trip to Lewes, and Jess and I got to meet the other 3 students studying in England: Jonathan, Ariel, and Jessica. Last night we got into Lewes after about an hour-ish train ride from London and went off to dinner after checking into our rooms at the White Hart Hotel. At dinner we met Catherine's husband, Roger, and Stephen, who is married to Jennifer, the president of Rutgers Alumni Association. Jennifer didn't make it because she is a busy corporate lawyer, but the company was good and the food was delicious. After dinner [View Full Entry]

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This past week was a roller coaster of good events and bad events so I'll just go through the ups and downs... So I joined the football (soccer) and basketball teams at the uni and I had my first practices this past week. The skill levels are all varied on both teams because athletic programs are not as developed in the UK compared to the US, especially for women, but the girls are super friendly and I love being in a team environment again. Also, the fitness aspect is also amazing. I haven't done basketball sprints since high school so my [View Full Entry]

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So last week was my first week of classes and I think it went quite well. My Spanish for Business class is by far my favorite. There are only 5 of us in the class and I actually get a bit nervous when I have to speak because it's been so long since I've had to speak beyond a conversational level. My vocabulary recollection is horrible right now and I am so excited to have the grammar review and the speaking practice all in the context of the business world. It's an advanced class and I really feel challenged. I'm still [View Full Entry]

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The rest of the weekend was pretty much one big party. Thursday night I went out with Jess, Cassie, Melanie, and Jenny (my uni girls) to a bar called The Roxy, which had a really funky ambiance and played more alternative music, which was fun to dance to. Afterwards I found my way home by myself via bus so I'm slowly mastering all facets of the London transport system...even at 2 in the morning. Friday night the uni girls didn't want to go out, but I really wanted to dance so I venture out by myself to the clubs in Leceister [View Full Entry]

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So today Mommy left in the morning and I went off to school for orientation. It was a lot of fun seeing the "uni" and meeting new people, even though they were all Americans. I also got to check out Jess’s dorm room on campus, which is where I would have lived if I wasn’t staying with Erin. To say it like the english, the rooms are absolute rubbish. They are small and the toilettes and showers are not even in the same room. I’m so glad I have a home to live in rather than a strange room with bedding [View Full Entry]

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Mama had a really eventful and fulfilling week so today was more of a low key last day. We did a river cruise down the Thames all the way to Greenwich, where we unfortunately did not spend too much time, but I learned a fun fact about the famous Big Ben. I always thought that Big Ben was the massive clock; however, the title refers to the massive bell that resides at the top of the tower above the clock, apparently named after a short, portly man named Ben back in the day. Then we caught the matinee of the Phantom [View Full Entry]

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