I'm becoming British

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Today was another beautiful day in London. Well, that's sort of a lie. My umbrella flipped inside out and smacked me in the face on the bridge today because of the rain and wind. Ouch.

The weekend was a fun one though. It's very nice to not have homework! Sorry to brag to everyone back home. Friday night we went to a bar where they claimed we only got in because we had 'cool American accents'. Most people say Americans have the worst accents. I agree.
Saturday I went with some of the guys in our group to attempt to go watch a football game (soccer), but unfortunately it didn't work out. We did get to see all of the excitement around the stadium though which was fun.
Sunday was shopping day. We discovered the wonders of Primark which is an extremely cheap clothing madhouse. I heard one of the employees say they were having a slow day and I waited in line about 20-30 minutes just to try on 8 pieces of clothing.. they won't allow you more without standing in line longer. If you can stand the closterphobia and masses of people in the store, it's way worth it though because their stuff is very cheap and actually very cute as well. I bought my first pair of European skinny jeans. They put my American skinny jeans (which look flared in comparison) to shame, but I enjoy them, especially since they only cost me £8! I also finally found the only store in the city who sells cheap fleece blankets. I no longer have to sleep cold! This was also at Primark.

In Hyde Park (near where I live) there is a corner designated Speaker's Corner and apparently anyone can make speeches about whatever they want there. On the way there there was a protest about what is going on in Gaza. I'm not really sure, but I feel like I need to know because foreigners keep talking about it. On the way back a girl in my group and I explored the park a bit and found some beautiful fountains. I then did some more shopping at the mall closer to my hostel. I finally feel like I have some clothes that don't look half bad here. I was so behind on my fashion compared to London girls. My looked screamed American tourist! But it must have worked because today someone asked me for directions! I must look British!

Last night we hung out in the TV room of the hostel. This is fun because you get to meet people from all over the world! I met 2 girls and a guy from Spain (Sara, Jose and I forget the other name), 2 guys from Holland (I forget their names), a Danish guy (Jesper - we bonded over our heritage!), and of course Nanou-Michele is always wandering around. He is an Indonesian-African-Fenchman looking for a place here. I love this about living in a hostel.

Today was wonderful. It finally made me absolutely fall in love with the city and if anyone visits me I know exactly where I am going to take them! We started at Primrose Hill which is in Regent's Park and sits up above the city so you get a great view. It is also where the midnight bark happens in 101 Dalmatians. I can see why, this park was filled with dogs. We had fun narrating every dog we saw in different British accents, 'Mother, throw the ball, throw the ball, I'd really love for you to throw the ball!' 'Could I have another treat? Please sir?' (Try this with an English accent, it's histerical!)

We then went to St. Bride's Church which has been the site of a place of worship for some 1500-2000 years. The church was rebuilt in 1936, but the crypt in the basement has ruins from every church that has been there since, it was amazing! After this we at lunch at a Belgian restaurant which quickly became my favourite restaurant in the city! It used to be the cellar for a church or a Convent or something and the restaurant is fairly modern, but not in a cold way. It's filled with bright colors and the most interesting bathroom I may have seen so far. The food was amazing! The £7.50 lunch special was about half of a whole chicken covered in a sweet chili sauce and frites which are french fries. Delectable! Would have had a nice Belgian Cider, but Rumiko said no drinking during class time. (Mind you, all of these place I visit, this is my class.. I still cannot fatham that! I love it!)

We then went and crossed the millenium bridge to the Tate Modern again. This is by far my favorite spot in the city! The bridge is gorgeous and you can see so many amazing parts of the city along the river. The Tate Modern is a spectacular art museum. I will go there another time or two to actually see the exhibits, but today we went to the 7th floor where there is a restaurant and espresso bar and we just looked out at the city. What a gorgeous view! After our teacher left, we had tea at the bar. My first tea in London! Oh it was amazing! One of my best moments here so far. I feel like a Londoner now. We looked at one exhibit and of course scoured the gift shop. I love all of their artsy stuff and I got something very exciting that I am going to send to people, so if you would like to recieve one, please email me your address ([e-mail]). As we walked back it got a little darker and all of the lights along the Thames were sparkling and reflecting and it was just so beautiful! I love it here!

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