A Tourist No Longer
Posted by Jackie , 02 November 2010 4:29 PM
At least I don't feel that way any more. I've gotten into the rhythm of things here and am starting to feel like I'm a normal Londoner. Of course, this isn't always the case; I still have to watch when I'm crossing the street and study the tube maps when I'm heading somewhere new. Overall though, homework is starting to limit my explorations in London and I'm not visiting as many tourist locations.
Over the past two weeks, a few things have happened to me...
I got sick two weekends ago with a major fever and sinus infection. A sad day, I was forced to stay inside and watch tv shows online (aka Mad Men, my new obsession). I caught up on a bit of sleep though, so it wasn't a waste of a weekend. I also went to Camden Town Market on Sunday for a bit. I wanted to get out and walk around, and this market is a really cutting edge, artsy market for clothing and crafts. I definitely want to head back; it was difficult to actually do any shopping while I just took everything in on my first visit.
I changed one of my economics courses. The initial class, market structure, was intensely math based at a level that I was simply not prepared to battle with. So I dropped a third year econ elective for an introductory level economics survey class called the world economy. It's a pretty basic class for me, but taking a class like this makes changing so late in the term easier.
Last Thursday I went to dinner with Elissa's parents who were in town for a week. The four of us went to a local bar called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, open since the mid-1600s. It was fun to catch up with people from Glen Ellyn and talk about my London experience with them.
Yesterday was my 21st birthday! A little anti-climactic in the scheme of life, but I had a great night out with my friends. I started at a restaurant called Little Bay for dinner, where the waiters sang Happy Birthday and Elissa gave me some fabulous little gifts from Bath inspired by Jane Austen. There was a slight snafu when we went to a bar that was closing upon our arrival, but then we went to a club in Soho with student cover called Moonie's. It was one of those kinda cheesy places with lots of light strips and a smoke machine, but fun music for dancing. All-in-all, it was a great nice of relaxed fun. Definitely the way I wanted to spend the night.
Now, I'm looking forward to my Italian Adventure! I have reading week next week which translate into a time for me to travel, and I'm doing a tour of Italy. I'm flying into Genoa, then traveling to Florence and Rome. I'm going to be alone for Genoa and Florence because my travel buddy had problems obtaining a visa (she's Pakistani and had issues with red tape), but I'm meeting one of my friends Ethan in Rome. This means that I'm going to be careful and aware of what's going on around me; not staying out too late; staying to the major tourist areas. I think it will be nice to have a few days to myself though (and in hotel rooms!), since I really enjoy having personal time to recoup from life. I also have a paper due the Tuesday after I get back, so I'll have to do some studying/reading abroad (just like the name implies, I guess).
Hmm...the only other thing between then and now is lots of work on my English paper (the meaning of the soul in Picture of Dorian Gray and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man...which might be edited down to one book depending on the time available) and having some fun on Friday, November 5th. "Remember, remember, the 5th of November," AKA Bonfire Night. I'll let you know how it goes later this week.
