School is done differently here in the UK. When students attend the University they focus on one subject and only that subject. Because of that, departments schedule classes whenever they would like and do not offer multiple sections. I'm taking four different courses from different departments and it took Hanna and I about a week to finally figure out how to schedule all the classes we wanted to take. I am enrolled in: European culture & Society, Spaces of Uneven Development, Architecture of London and Text, Art & Performance in London. I'm really excited about my classes because a lot of them have field trips around London which will be the perfect opportunity to experience more of the city. Another interesting fact about schooling here is each class is only two hours a week so I have eight hours of class total and I do not have school on Mondays or Fridays. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with so much spare time but hopefully I can get lots of travelling in :)
Before I left for study abroad, I understood that I would have some culture shock but was pretty confident that going to an English speaking country it wouldn't be too difficult to transition. I am constantly amazed at the cultural differences I am experiencing here! Everything here is super tiny. We share a fridge and freezer in my flat with five girls and it is about a third the size of refrigerators in the US. Last night, I realized that the fridge is considered an XXL refrigerator. The sink in our bathroom is also tiny. It is a little bigger than a grapefruit so that has been another size adjustment. The buildings here in London have TONS of fire doors. There are loads of fire doors in the hallways here. Just to get to my flat I have to go through 6 fire doors. I'm not sure why they have so many fire doors but I'll try to figure it out...I have also found it really hard to get used to how cloudy it is here. I have seen the sun once since being here and other than that it is constantly overcast and dark outside. I'm appreciating Minnesota weather SO MUCH MORE. Holy cow. I would even take freezing cold weather with sun over this overcast weather.
Saturday Hanna and I ventured into central London and got to see Big Ben, the London Eye, Picadilly circus and the parliament building. It was so fun to see all those beautiful places in London. We felt a little at home with all the tourists too :)
We walked out of the tube station and looked up to see Big Ben!
Yesterday, Hanna, Zach and I went to the Olympic Village. It is just a short bus ride away from our University and at night you can see the buildings from Queen Mary. When we got there we were really disappointed because they do not allow visitors in the buildings and we realized that they are tearing down the buildings. I'm not sure why they would destroy them so soon after the Olympics but we got to see from a viewing platform the track/opening ceremony, water polo and aquatic stadium. Near the Olympic Village they have a huge indoor/outdoor mall that was PACKED! I don't think I've ever seen that many people in one place before.
Hanna and I have officially booked our first tickets to visit family friends in Belgium. I cannot wait to have a home cooked meal and see familiar faces. :) We are going to Ireland and Scotland later on in February to visit Jenni and Maggie. It will be nice to have the month of January to get to know London really well and then begin our adventures in other countries. This weekend we go on a field trip to Eton and Windsor (where Prince Harry and William went to school!). I'll try to post after that!
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