As I said in Adjusting to London: Part One, there were, and are, a few challenges that I needed to overcome after I made the big move to London. As time goes on, I am figuring out how to overcome them, and make my experience in London the best it can be! I tried a different format, so let me know how you like it. First, I put my initial notion (and what may be a common notion), then whether it is fact or myth and how I overcame the challenge! Here we go!
Notion: Europe is expensive.
Fact: Unfortunately, if you are coming from NYC, this is a true. This covers a few different aspects of life in London. Food is more expensive, whether you eat out or cook. If I eat out, a meal costs around 10 pounds, which is about $15. I have found groceries are a bit more expensive as well, which makes cooking a bit more expensive too. I would say it is about the equivalent of going to Whole Foods to buy groceries. This is not atrocious, but it is quite a difference when you're used to buying from Trader Joe's!
What I have done: I have to give credit to my suite mates for the next few findings. The first "secret" to reducing grocery costs is to find a farmers market. I absolutely loved the one in Union Square, and was more than happy to accompany my suite mate to one in a London only a few blocks away from our dorm. It is much less expensive than the grocery store, however it is limited. I purchase vegetables, fruit, cheese and some bread products from there for less. Plus, the farmers are all quite nice! The second action I took to reduce costs was to become a member at The People's Supermarket. TPS is a co-operative grocery store that strives to bring healthy food and social value to the community. If you become a member and volunteer four hours a month, you receive 20% off your groceries. I wanted to volunteer as well, so I was extremely happy to "kill two birds with one stone". The people at TPS are some of the most genuine I have found. It will be an amazing experience.
Notion: I can just ship the items don't fit in my suitcase to London.
Myth: It is very costly to send over even small packages, which I unfortunately found out the hard way. Not only do you pay the expensive cost of the package, but you have to pay duties on it once it gets to you in London. Not the way to go. If I had to redo my packing, I would bring two large suitcases, one carry on and a backpack, instead of a small suitcase and a large suitcase, a carry on and a backpack.
Notion: If I have a converter, I can use my straightener from home.
Myth: I found that I could not use my straightener/convertor, when I previously thought I could. On my converter there is a high and a low switch. The low switch is for low wattage items, to use with hairdryers, computer chargers etc. The high switch is for items above a certain wattage. The issue with using the high switch is that you can only use it for a few minutes, 10 minutes at most, and they recommend that you consider not even doing that. The high voltage may harm your item (in my case a hair straightener), harm your convertor, or blow a fuse.
What I have done: I purchased a blow dryer and a curling iron from Boots. I might also buy a hair straightener, or I might just rock curls for the next four months. See "Europe is expensive," haha.
Notion: People in the UK drive on the left side of the road.
Fact: Obviously! I just wanted to make an few important point here for potential London students. 1) Cars do drive on the opposite side of the street than the US. Thankfully, London has painted "look right" and "look left" signs on the crosswalks, so you look the correct way and remain safe. However, I have found that it is still confusing. Just pay attention and look both ways multiple times before crossing the street (I'm not joking here). 2) New Yorkers are accustomed to taking a few steps out into the street while cars are passing by, but this is simply not safe in London. The red buses, and cars, drive extremely close to the sidewalk. Stand a few feet back from the curb.
Notion: NYUL is a small community, so everyone knows each other.
Fact: I have not yet met everyone, but I imagine I will by the end of my four months. The best way to make friends is to go to the orientation events before school starts, and be friendly in your classes! Students here are quite friendly because everyone is in the same boat and wants to make new friends.
Notion: People in the UK love tea.
Fact: NYUL provides you with an electric tea kettle. Use it. Tea is wonderful.
Notion: "We only show affection to dogs and horses."
Myth: First off, if you know the movie, then kudos to you! It's one of my favorite chick flicks (the thirteen year old girl in me lives on). As I mentioned in my Part One post, I found people in London to be a bit more stand offish than I was used to in NYC. This is not exactly the case. As I said, I think people in London, and in the UK, are a bit more introverted than people in the US. That said, as I am starting to meet local people, I am finding them to be quite genuine, and I am enjoying getting to know them. The people at TPS are some of the most genuine, dedicated, and caring people I have met and I am very excited to start volunteering.
I hope this was helpful! I quite liked doing it as well, so I might do a few more as the semester goes on. If you want to know more about TPS let me know, and I will do a blog post about it!
Until next time,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Loo, noun, bathroom. I heard someone use it the other day!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Adjusting to London: Part One
When I started thinking about how I was going to spend my time in London, and accomplish all of the things I wanted to do, I saw a golden road paving my way to an excellent semester. I envisioned weekend trips around Europe with my soon to be life long friends, one amazing attraction after another, and a continuous stream of unforgettable moments. A four month long vacation, if you will. I rejected the idea of "culture shock", and pretentiously assumed that since I spoke English, I would easily assimilate to the British culture. I just had to get used to cars driving on the left hand side of the road, right?
I quickly found out that my semester would be different than I had expected. In the beginning, I struggled. Literally. I had to fit my entire life into two suitcases and a backpack, and haul them across and ocean to my new home. Once I was unpacked in my new home, many other challenges arose. Despite the three maps that NYU graciously provided me with, it took me a good week to realize that I thought was north, was in fact south. The New Yorker in me cringed. After a bit, I started to get my bearings for the local area. We don't have a meal plan option here, so I ventured out to the nearby grocery store and drug store to buy food and necessities. I quickly realized that items are expensive, really expensive. The two issues that cause this are the exchange rate, and the simple fact that I had to fully supply myself again (shampoo, conditioner, milk, you name it). Eating out is much easier, but also much more expensive. Luckily, I opted out of a meal plan this past semester, and was sort of used to making meals on my own. Right now I'm still in the process of finding a cost effective way to eat!
I also found myself missing things. NYUL suggests we venture out and try new products, but at the end of the day, everything was new, and I tremendously wanted something that was familiar. I was extremely lucky though, and had already scheduled a trip to meet my Dad in Sweden early in the semester. He brought over some of my favorite things that didn't make it in the initial move. I also missed my friends. I am blessed to have wonderful roommates. However, I had an unrealistic expectation that I would make friends extremely quickly. I am so happy to be meeting such nice people, but it is still taking time!
Another aspect of life in London that shocked me a bit is the difference in culture. In the beginning, I didn't find Londoners to be particularly friendly, which unfortunately exacerbated feelings of confusion and isolation. During a class we discussed the idea that people in London are quite introverted, while people in New York are quite extroverted. I was forced out of how I was used to thinking about things. I had to understand that people were not being rude at all, they just tend to stay to themselves. This, I think, will be the most beneficial type of learning that I do here, the type that exposes me to other ways and shows me that they are not wrong because they are different. I think this idea is extremely powerful. Most negative things in the world have a strong basis rooted in the idea that "I am right, and you are wrong" instead of appreciating differences or working together to find common ground. I think the mastery of the skill will make me an excellent global citizen and human being. What are your thoughts?
I wanted to go into further detail about how I have overcome some of these challenges by finding unexpective but amazing channels in London, but the post was simply getting too long. I'm am going to save these items for Adjusting to London: Part Two.
I know this post was not as upbeat as my others, but I feel that it will be most beneficial to future study abroad students. I didn't know how many challenges there would be, and it took me by surprise. If I had been a bit more prepared emotionally for what was going to happen, I think that would have helped a lot. Hopefully, this will help a bit too.
Until next time,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Cheeky, adjective, it says offensively bold, but I understand it to be something that is quite funny, but it toeing the line.
I quickly found out that my semester would be different than I had expected. In the beginning, I struggled. Literally. I had to fit my entire life into two suitcases and a backpack, and haul them across and ocean to my new home. Once I was unpacked in my new home, many other challenges arose. Despite the three maps that NYU graciously provided me with, it took me a good week to realize that I thought was north, was in fact south. The New Yorker in me cringed. After a bit, I started to get my bearings for the local area. We don't have a meal plan option here, so I ventured out to the nearby grocery store and drug store to buy food and necessities. I quickly realized that items are expensive, really expensive. The two issues that cause this are the exchange rate, and the simple fact that I had to fully supply myself again (shampoo, conditioner, milk, you name it). Eating out is much easier, but also much more expensive. Luckily, I opted out of a meal plan this past semester, and was sort of used to making meals on my own. Right now I'm still in the process of finding a cost effective way to eat!
I also found myself missing things. NYUL suggests we venture out and try new products, but at the end of the day, everything was new, and I tremendously wanted something that was familiar. I was extremely lucky though, and had already scheduled a trip to meet my Dad in Sweden early in the semester. He brought over some of my favorite things that didn't make it in the initial move. I also missed my friends. I am blessed to have wonderful roommates. However, I had an unrealistic expectation that I would make friends extremely quickly. I am so happy to be meeting such nice people, but it is still taking time!
Another aspect of life in London that shocked me a bit is the difference in culture. In the beginning, I didn't find Londoners to be particularly friendly, which unfortunately exacerbated feelings of confusion and isolation. During a class we discussed the idea that people in London are quite introverted, while people in New York are quite extroverted. I was forced out of how I was used to thinking about things. I had to understand that people were not being rude at all, they just tend to stay to themselves. This, I think, will be the most beneficial type of learning that I do here, the type that exposes me to other ways and shows me that they are not wrong because they are different. I think this idea is extremely powerful. Most negative things in the world have a strong basis rooted in the idea that "I am right, and you are wrong" instead of appreciating differences or working together to find common ground. I think the mastery of the skill will make me an excellent global citizen and human being. What are your thoughts?
I wanted to go into further detail about how I have overcome some of these challenges by finding unexpective but amazing channels in London, but the post was simply getting too long. I'm am going to save these items for Adjusting to London: Part Two.
I know this post was not as upbeat as my others, but I feel that it will be most beneficial to future study abroad students. I didn't know how many challenges there would be, and it took me by surprise. If I had been a bit more prepared emotionally for what was going to happen, I think that would have helped a lot. Hopefully, this will help a bit too.
Until next time,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Cheeky, adjective, it says offensively bold, but I understand it to be something that is quite funny, but it toeing the line.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Chinese New Year! (and other adventures)
Hello, hello!
Out of all specials nights I thought I would have in London, I wouldn't have expected Chinese New Year in Chinatown to be among them, but, boy, was it fun! Kylie, my suite mate and an avid explorer, suggested we venture to Chinatown to celebrate Chinese New Year. I have never done this in New York, but thought it would be a great time to get out and about, eat some Chinese food, and celebrate with friends!
 |
| Alex, Kylie, Eliana, Kyung (Kyle). |
We loved all of the lanterns, decorations and masks. There were many mock fights that broke out between people with the inflatable batons they gave us!
We decided on one of the Chinese restaurants that looked good and wasn't too busy. We were seated at a table meant for 10 people, and had a very neat rotating circular table that made it easy to share dishes and taste test.
 |
| Kylie, Eliana. |
Walking home, I snapped some pictures of the local restaurants.
We had such a great time walking around, and looking at all the shops! Recently, I've been looking up more places to visit that are not normal tourist attractions. So far, I've been lucky enough to be around Kylie when she has been looking for someone to accompany her on another adventure. We went to the Maison Bertuax the other night, and a nearby farmers market today!
At Maison Bertaux, the oldest patisserie in London, we both got a bit of cake and tea. I had the cheesecake and red berry tea, and it was all splendid. Kylie got a piece of chocolate cake, and mint tea. The venue was so quaint and cute. We plan on going back for Sunday brunch for some quiche and pastries.
Today, after a run down to the Thames, Kylie and I ventured over a few streets to a local farmers market she found. I picked up a baguette, pain au chocolate, and quite a big bag of brussels sprouts. I baked the brussels sprouts with some salt, pepper, garlic, oil, and they were wonderful!
I am loving these mini adventures. They remind me of things I would do in the city, and as wonderful as London is, I am enjoy doing familiar things. There are some hurtles I am overcoming, being in a new city, but I will save that for a post in a few days! I finally received my package in the mail (what a fiasco that was!), and will be putting up a recommend packing guide this weekend as well.
I hope you all are enjoying coming along for the ride with me. If you have any recommendations in regards to how to make my blog better, please feel free to contact me! I love talking to you all!
Cheers,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Peaky, adjective, slightly ill, often looking pale. (We have a sign on our refrigerator that says "are you feeling peaky?" and I had to ask my british suite mate what it meant.)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Panoramic Coach Tour
Mates,
On Sunday, we had the pleasure of hopping on a 57 person bus to see the remarkable sites that London has to offer. It was quite chilly and windy, but we had a splendid time. I decided to bring my normal camera and my flip camera along to capture the afternoon. I hope you enjoy the video!
On Sunday, we had the pleasure of hopping on a 57 person bus to see the remarkable sites that London has to offer. It was quite chilly and windy, but we had a splendid time. I decided to bring my normal camera and my flip camera along to capture the afternoon. I hope you enjoy the video!
The song I featured in this video is "Out On My Own" by Gabrielle Aplin.
I did not create the song nor do I own the rights to it. It's a great song though.
Enjoy.
I'm going to put up some posts later this week about Chinese New Year in London, and what worked and didn't work in regards to packing (in retrospect), so look out for those!
Cheers,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Mates, slang, friend in New Zealand, Britain, Australia and Tasmania (Urban Dictionary).
Friday, January 20, 2012
Run along the Thames
I went out for my first run today. It's the best way to see a new place, in my opinion. Here are some photos I took along the way.
 |
| The Waldorf Hotel is just to the left of this building. Quite beautiful. All of the buildings in this area are. |
 |
| Waterloo Bridge (couldn't escape if I wanted to) |
 |
| London's Eye. |
 |
| Hullo, Ben. |
Thursday, January 19, 2012
First Day Adventures
I had an exciting, educational and tiring first day, and I just wanted to share some of my adventures with you! Not to worry, there will not be Second Day, Third Day and Fourth Day Adventures posts, but I did want to relive my first day and share with you my first experiences (I didn't get lost on the tube!), as I imagine they will be some of my most vivid memories.
After getting a few hours of sleep on my flight over, I met up with another study abroad student, Sue, to share a cab to our dorms. We used Just Airports, which worked out really well. The experience went smoothly, and the price was reasonable.
After arriving, we decided to meet at noon for a traditional fish and chips lunch, and an ale (since we are of age here). We decided to try The Fryers Delight for fish and chips. We both tried haddock, and I showed Sue how to properly cover her chips with vinegar and then salt. Yum!
Since The Fryer's Delight didn't have any ale, we decided to stop at a promising pub.
We ran across this beautiful pub, which shall remain nameless for the moment because I took a picture of the font, but didn't capture the name. However, I did snap a few pictures of the inside and of the windows.
It is quite a beautiful establishment. Sue and I enjoyed our first Guinness ales as well!
On this same trip we decided to stop at a well known drug store, Boots, for toiletries, etc. My roommate informed me that Superdrug is also a good place to find the same sort of products. I did bring travel sized amounts of shampoo, conditioner, but I was itching to buy full sized products, so that I felt more settled in.
I also discovered that I would need towels (I forgot one), and a mattress pad for my bed. NYU London has stocked us quite fully with the necessities, silverware, pots, pans, and even an electric tea kettle, but the beds could use a little extra padding. My suite mate and I, Marianna, traveled on the tube (with our Oyster Cards!) to the House of Fraser to pick up these items.
We popped up from the tube in Oxford Circus, which is quite a beautiful circle, and holds many (familiar) stores.
At the end of the day, I was quite tired from both jet lag, and shlepping around the city to buy groceries etc. I have found that there are two ways to approach the first day.
Cheers,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Cheers, expression, expressing good wishes, or good wishes before drinking.
After getting a few hours of sleep on my flight over, I met up with another study abroad student, Sue, to share a cab to our dorms. We used Just Airports, which worked out really well. The experience went smoothly, and the price was reasonable.After arriving, we decided to meet at noon for a traditional fish and chips lunch, and an ale (since we are of age here). We decided to try The Fryers Delight for fish and chips. We both tried haddock, and I showed Sue how to properly cover her chips with vinegar and then salt. Yum!
We ran across this beautiful pub, which shall remain nameless for the moment because I took a picture of the font, but didn't capture the name. However, I did snap a few pictures of the inside and of the windows.
I also discovered that I would need towels (I forgot one), and a mattress pad for my bed. NYU London has stocked us quite fully with the necessities, silverware, pots, pans, and even an electric tea kettle, but the beds could use a little extra padding. My suite mate and I, Marianna, traveled on the tube (with our Oyster Cards!) to the House of Fraser to pick up these items.
We popped up from the tube in Oxford Circus, which is quite a beautiful circle, and holds many (familiar) stores.
At the end of the day, I was quite tired from both jet lag, and shlepping around the city to buy groceries etc. I have found that there are two ways to approach the first day.
- The first option is to scout the area, buy the products you need and stay active. The benefits are that you are moving, get things done, and do not fall asleep. The downside is that you are exhausted at the end of the day.
- The second option is to take the day easy, do a little site seeing, and use the toiletries you brought. Many times yesterday I wish I had taken this path simply because I was so tired. The benefits are that you do not further exhaust yourself, and do not feel rushed (especially since you are already trying to get acclimated to a new city). However, the downside is that you will probably be fighting to stay awake during the afternoon, if you don't actually fall asleep!
Cheers,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Cheers, expression, expressing good wishes, or good wishes before drinking.
Monday, January 16, 2012
A Bucket List
I decided the smartest thing to do was to create a list of places I want to see in London before I arrive, and get caught up in the hustle and bustle. I find myself to be much more productive when I write down goals, agendas, and the like. When I have a spare hour or two, I see myself pulling up this list, and rushing out the door to embark on a new adventure. I have a lot of places I want to see, and four months just doesn't seem like enough time to see it all!
I also want this bucket list to serve as a running list of places people suggest I visit. The excitement, interest and support I receive from family and friends about my trip to London is simply wonderful. Everyone is always suggesting a new place to go, see or eat, and I need a place to keep track of it all!
If you have a place (or many places) I just can't go to London without seeing, please email me or comment below, and I will be sure to add it to the list!
Here we go! (In no particular order of importance)
(Note: I got a great portion of this list from Frommer's London 2012)
I'm sure there are a lot more wonderful places that I will visit while I am there! As I said, please contact me if there is one that I do not have on my list!
On a side note, I decided to take both Frommer's London 2012 and British English from A to Zed with me. They are quite large books, but great resources.
Until next time,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Lift, noun, to go higher in a building without walking. Americans call these elevators. (What you didn't know: In Britain, an elevator is a device you put in your shoe to make you stand taller. In Americas call these lifts. Tricky, tricky.) (From the British English A to Zed dictionary by Norman w. Schur).
I also want this bucket list to serve as a running list of places people suggest I visit. The excitement, interest and support I receive from family and friends about my trip to London is simply wonderful. Everyone is always suggesting a new place to go, see or eat, and I need a place to keep track of it all!
If you have a place (or many places) I just can't go to London without seeing, please email me or comment below, and I will be sure to add it to the list!
Here we go! (In no particular order of importance)
Westminster AbbeyThe House of Parliament/ Big BenTrafalgar SquareBuckingham Palace(This might be near the top of the list in importance)- Changing of the Guard
St. James ParkNational Gallery(I love galleries/museums. If you do as well, you'll be getting plenty of that here!)Leicester Square- Cafe in the Crypt
- Somerset House
Covent GardenSt. Paul's CathedralMillenium Bridge/ River ThamesTate Modern- Routemaster Bus
Tower of LondonTower Bridge- London Theatre (A show)
- Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
- Kensington Palace (I also love royalty, you can also expect a lot on palaces and British Royal history!)
- Charles Dickens Museum
- Shakespeare's Globe (Also, close to the top of the list)
British Museum- Museum of London
- Tate Britain
- Victoria and Albert Museum
Dining at The Blue Elephant- Having afternoon tea at the Ritz Palm Court
- Take a picture at Abbey Road (Visiting Abbey Road)
- Science Museum
(Note: I got a great portion of this list from Frommer's London 2012)
I'm sure there are a lot more wonderful places that I will visit while I am there! As I said, please contact me if there is one that I do not have on my list!
On a side note, I decided to take both Frommer's London 2012 and British English from A to Zed with me. They are quite large books, but great resources.
Until next time,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Lift, noun, to go higher in a building without walking. Americans call these elevators. (What you didn't know: In Britain, an elevator is a device you put in your shoe to make you stand taller. In Americas call these lifts. Tricky, tricky.) (From the British English A to Zed dictionary by Norman w. Schur).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)