Alo Alo!
Alright, so this is going to be a crap post, but I've been getting serious threats for not posting.
So the Internet hasn't been hooked up in the house yet, and the bloody British need a WEEK to flip an internal switch and let the Internet flood my house, in full, wholesome digitalness. BLAH! But I wanted to share a couple of insights so far... Videos, images etc to follow soon, I PROMISE!
1. No shower curtains. I know I said that before - but I can't stress it enough. The new house has a bathroom with half a glass shield, but that means half the bathroom gets wet, AND you have to get in the bath to pick up, say, your face wash when you want to use the sink instead.
2. No dryer, and the washer is in the kitchen. Don't get me started, you have to lay your clothes, strewn around the house for it to dry, and then its iron, iron, iron.
3. Tube (subway) closes at midnight. And there are still TONS of people around... And a one way trip is £4 (8 bucks!!!) but its MUCH cheaper if you get one of their pre-paid cards.
4. Scarf attack: Everyone wears a scarf here. It's amazing, the boys, the girls, the grammas, the punks, the corporate guys, the fashionistas, the students. KK, you would love it here!
5. Boys dance like there's no tomorrow: I went dancing last night, and ALL the guys were up dancing with the girls... I love that about London. Some of them looked ridiculous, but I loved that they didn't care. It wasn't about going and looking good, it was about hanging out and having fun with your friends. I tip my hat to you, English/euro boys!
6. Fantastic Bookstores: There's one around my house that I love. The British like to read a lot of political books, books on the history of the empire, it was interesting to see what they liked. And they are LOUD in their bookstores, I didn't realize we're usually in library mode in Seattle. I loved the scent of the wood floors, the crispness of the books, the vaulted ceilings. Oooh! To be a Seattle girl in London!
7. No English: Of course, the language I hear people speaking the least here, is English. There is more french, Spanish, Polish, Arabic and Chinese spoken than English. Go figure. Last night I had to ask three people where the Ritz Carlton was before I got an English speaker.
Alright - that's going to be it for now. I have to head home and get ready for the theater tonight... It's going to be great fun.
Miss and love you all!
I PROMISE photos and videos will come soon.
Riani
Alright, so this is going to be a crap post, but I've been getting serious threats for not posting.
So the Internet hasn't been hooked up in the house yet, and the bloody British need a WEEK to flip an internal switch and let the Internet flood my house, in full, wholesome digitalness. BLAH! But I wanted to share a couple of insights so far... Videos, images etc to follow soon, I PROMISE!
1. No shower curtains. I know I said that before - but I can't stress it enough. The new house has a bathroom with half a glass shield, but that means half the bathroom gets wet, AND you have to get in the bath to pick up, say, your face wash when you want to use the sink instead.
2. No dryer, and the washer is in the kitchen. Don't get me started, you have to lay your clothes, strewn around the house for it to dry, and then its iron, iron, iron.
3. Tube (subway) closes at midnight. And there are still TONS of people around... And a one way trip is £4 (8 bucks!!!) but its MUCH cheaper if you get one of their pre-paid cards.
4. Scarf attack: Everyone wears a scarf here. It's amazing, the boys, the girls, the grammas, the punks, the corporate guys, the fashionistas, the students. KK, you would love it here!
5. Boys dance like there's no tomorrow: I went dancing last night, and ALL the guys were up dancing with the girls... I love that about London. Some of them looked ridiculous, but I loved that they didn't care. It wasn't about going and looking good, it was about hanging out and having fun with your friends. I tip my hat to you, English/euro boys!
6. Fantastic Bookstores: There's one around my house that I love. The British like to read a lot of political books, books on the history of the empire, it was interesting to see what they liked. And they are LOUD in their bookstores, I didn't realize we're usually in library mode in Seattle. I loved the scent of the wood floors, the crispness of the books, the vaulted ceilings. Oooh! To be a Seattle girl in London!
7. No English: Of course, the language I hear people speaking the least here, is English. There is more french, Spanish, Polish, Arabic and Chinese spoken than English. Go figure. Last night I had to ask three people where the Ritz Carlton was before I got an English speaker.
Alright - that's going to be it for now. I have to head home and get ready for the theater tonight... It's going to be great fun.
Miss and love you all!
I PROMISE photos and videos will come soon.
Riani
4:14 AM
Apa Khabar.
Nice to see you in Old London town, I'm scared to watch your vids as they might be too sad for me. Esp the Leaving Seattle one.
Keep us up to date on wat your up to. And make sure you buy prepaid train tickets!! =P
9:22 PM
Hi Riani,
Thanks for keeping us updated on your adventures. London is very expensive and the tube is not quite as available as the subway in NY.
We are getting ready to fly off to Mexico in a week for some R&R. I am really looking forward to it.
Keep having fun!
Love,
Mom T.
9:23 PM
Interesting! #7. I'm sure that England is far more cosmopolitan than America. America is multi-cultural, but I think that people in America get Americanized quickly. It's a lot about convenience and self in America. In Europe, cultures still retain more of their own culture, it's steeped in history, and Europeans can easily visit their neighbours. So many cultures co-exist very near each other with no one culture influencing all the others. In America, I expect that many cultures are greatly influenced by American culture and lose a lot of their traditional essence. I know from living in Japan that many Americans I've met accept very little of the Japanese culture, learn very little of the language, and compare everything to American things. In Europe many people are multi-lingual and probably learn a lot about many different cultures first hand. Of course, all cultures have their good and bad points. Difference is good, but can be difficult and inconvenient though.
How long are you staying in England?
Sounds like you saved a lot while studying, well done !! That's difficult to do !!
9:23 PM
Hey killer, just wanted to let you know that I have been keeping up on your London madness and point out that whenever I try to play your vids I get a msg saying that the video isn't currently available. Anyone else having this problem?
have fun, Jason
11:26 PM
Oh look at you complaining about the shower! I don't believe the problem is the half-glass, rather it's the user. I have a half-glass and water rarely ever hits the ground. If you weren't maniacally trying to splash around in there, the floor would remain dry. Remember, it's a shower not a bath. :-)
-Tchaka
www.tchakaowen.blogspot.com/