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 the way we got caught up in a cute artsy market where Erin got a beautiful pair of glass earrings and I got a much-needed handmade leather belt from this sweet old man. I was ... read more

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 got our abnormally massive glasses of wine to help ease us into the ridiculouslness we were about to encounter and went downstairs to check out the setup....definitely not what we anticipated. I always pictured speed ... read more

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 we headed back to Catherine's house for dessert and cinema, where we watched Wallace and Grommit, which is a famous English cartoon about a wacky inventor and his dog, Grommit, who are always trying out ... read more

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 not used to the fact that classes are only once a week because I'm used to the reinforcement of talking about one subject twice a week. However, the timing of it all is really nice ... read more

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 that feels foreign. In the afternoon we checked out the “Fresher’s Fayre” which is the London version of the Involvement Fair for all the clubs and societies at City. I found a women’s football (soccer) ... read more