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Published: March 29th 2009
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Well Hallo There!
So much to for you all to be updated on! (Preview: My No-Class Wednesday, Syracuse University taking over a London Bar, Following (by mistake walking in) a G-20 Protest, and seeing David Beckham and the English National Football team)
So Wednesday came, and I had no class (as you have all been told many times already). I thought of some of the few things in London that I have not seen yet. I actually came up with quite a list, and used these past few days to knock a few off (and knock a few back, but that's a whole other story...stories).
After having my usual Wednesday lunch with my friends Sara and Lindsay (we call our lunch "secret wednesday's"...its the 7th graders inside of us), I went off in search of the National Portrait Gallery. I have never been to a Portrait Gallery, so it was interesting going just to see pictures of people. In an academic mind-set, it actually was enjoyable to view the different rooms and appreciate and learn about the people who have shaped the nation that I have been living in for a quite a while now. From scientists to
athletes, to Prime Ministers and the Queen, it was fascinating learning about them and all who fit in between (poetic huh?). I hung around there for while, trying to see as many portraits as possible before getting bored and falling asleep in one of the rooms. Wednesday night was filled with contacting potential employers for the summer. News on that will be revealed soon!
Thursday came, and while the day was spent in class and paying our landlord the second half of our rent for the semester (If you are reading this...Hey Duncs!) I decided to celebrate life and went out. Pictures attached.
Friday came and after waking up a little later than I would have liked (understandably so) Kait and I went off to The Regent's Park. This is a park, whose tube station we go through every day on our way to and from school, which I have always wanted to check out, but never did. Located at the park is Queen Mary's Rose Garden, and Kait and myself spent about two hours walking around the park talking about our lives and stopping to take pictures of the beautiful park. Friday night came, and it was
time for the SU Basketball Sweet Sixteen game. Now if you do not know how it ended, then I am sorry to break the news, but SU got crushed (as did most of our NCAA brackets...especially Tara's, she had them going to the finals).
So, many SU Students all met up in a bar located in Piccadilly Circus to watch the game together. Although our team did not do well, we made the night a blast eating and drinking together until the early hours. We were able to do this as the game was show at 7:30pm EST, aka 11:30pm London Time.
Little known fact about the time difference. We didn't change our clocks until last night (1:00am on Sunday the 29th). So there was only a 4 hour time difference for a while, but not to worry, we are back on a 5 hour one.
Back to the game. It was extremely upsetting that we lost, but on the plus side, all of us here will get to be at SU when Jim Boeheim earns his 800th victory as a head coach!
Saturday brought about two very cool things: a G20 Protest and a English
National Team Football Match.
Deborah informed me in the morning about one of the protests that was going on, and had planned on going to watch. Being the spontaneous and crazy kid I am....I figured I wasn't doing anything else, so I joined. The main slogan of the protest was "Put People First". There were over 150 groups marching, and it was very interesting to actually see a large protest. Although the groups pledged to be peaceful (and were), there was a very large police presence which intensified the entire experience. At one point, while trying to get the end before the protesters did, Deborah and I walked a little to close to the march and basically took part (de facto). So I can now say I have demonstrated in a protest (although I still don't really know what it was all about).
Then the day go even better when Tara and I headed off to an English National Football Match, where David Beckham (on loan from AC Milan) took the field (after the 1st half was over). The game was awesome, and the fans were crazy! (In a good way). The final score was 4-0 and oh yea...I
had an embarrassing moment. I went to get food and ordered a hot dog.....sold out, so I asked for some pizza.....sold out. Then I saw some potato chips (known as crisps here, chips means french fries). I said "Can I have some chips then." (Keep in mind the vocab difference). "We don't sell those here." I say: "But I can see them, they are right there." She says "No we don't what are you looking at it?" Then it hits me...."Oh wait....I mean crisps, sorry" She replies "Oh yea, we have those."
It was extremely exciting to be at the game and we were lucky enough to be there as David Beckham broke a record with 109 appearances for England.
Make sure to check out all of the pictures, as the football match ones are at the end.
OH YEA! AND THE OTHER NIGHT SOME ONE ASKED ME FOR DIRECTIONS BY THE MAIDA VALE TUBE STOP AND I GAVE THEM THE RIGHT ONES!!! I am officially a local!
Trivia Answer: No idea actually. The G20 summit is April 2nd, so one would assume the day before. But I could not verify the answer and did not
want to publish false information.
Trivia Question: Who won the 2009 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race (that I do not know yet either as we are on our way to watch it now!).
Londoner,
Sir Darren Nigel Goldberg III of Maida Vale
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Bring Em On
non-member comment
shout out?!
i'm a little upset that I didn't get a shout out in the time difference paragraph...as you know it's a sore subject for me