In England they Drive on the Left?

Hello readers! I am in fact alive in London, even though my blog would indicate that I got lost somewhere in the Atlantic. People tell you about the double-decker buses (they do exist!) and the Tube, and the cathedrals and the London Eye, but what they fail to tell you is that time moves at a completely different speed! So my apologies for neglecting you.

I will have to take a hiatus from food-blogging because, although my host cooks me great meals, they aren't necessarily something to write home about. But tonight she made mashed potatoes with regular potatoes AND sweet potatoes! As for my host, Margery, she is fantastic. I feel like I have known her for years. She is so easy to talk, we can chat for hours. And every time I mention traveling she starts researching for me and giving me tips and suggestions. She seems to know a thing or two about jet-lag as well. The morning I arrived she dragged me and my housemate Megan out of the house and showed us the little town of Pinner that she lives in. Pinner is in an area called Harrow which is considered to be in Northwest-ish London. Then she took us to a park to go for a walk. And she kept me up until after 8 p.m., so by the time I woke up in the morning I was on London time.

Riding the Rails

Megan and I had our first adventure on the Tube the very next morning (it's always an adventure). It takes two transfers (if we are lucky) and about an hour and a half (when you factor in possible delays) to get to school. Unlike the New York subway, the Tube is very clean and most people who ride it are nicely dressed reading the newspaper. There are two free newspapers in London, so it's very easy to stay in the know about current events. And what better way to spend a commute! I really don't mind the commute, which comes as a surprise to me. What I don't like, are the delays. It is never as simple as getting on one train and then getting off at your destination. But all the passengers grumble together, it's a bonding experience. Today I had to wait as three trains came and went, before I was able to squeeze onto the fourth one. The first three were quite literally filled to capacity. Then I had to transfer to another train and get off to get back on the same line because the first train was planning to skip my stop. It was quite the ordeal, and all I have to say is, at least it wasn't pouring when I got back. But the trains are great. Coming from Santa Cruz where I probably took the bus twice (?) it is an amazing feeling to be able to get anywhere I want to go for free.

View of the Financial District from Greenwich

Our second day we made a group trip to Greenwich where I got to straddle the Prime Meridian. It was a beautiful day. Tomorrow I am going back to Greenwich to go to the National Maritime Museum with my history class. Then we are going to see Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. I am also going to the British Museum in the morning. I have heard that you could spend a week in the British Museum and still not see it all, but I think I have plenty of time. Lucky for me, the British Museum is a 10 minute walk from school.

St. Albans Cathedral

Last Saturday Margery took Megan and me to St. Albans. There is a cathedral there and we happened to go when they were rehearsing for a concert. It was really great to walk around with beautiful music in the background. There was also a small street fair there and I was longing to buy a whole cheese cart. But I resisted. Margery then took us to a museum about the Romans who had conquered the English and lived in St. Albans for a time. There were some neat artifacts, but we were all disappointed that the Roman dress-up bin was gone.



Today I started my internship with Johnson King PR firm. I think it's going to be a great fit. Since their focus is mostly social media, my first task was to set up a Twitter and a LinkedIn account. Today I worked on a blog post about how social media can be used to plan events. It should be posted on their website at the end of the week. All the people are really friendly and create a great work atmosphere.

I think that brings you up to date. Next time I can tell you about the pubs and the double-decker buses.