Time Flies!

I find it so hard to believe that I have already been living in London for 3 weeks! Although my parents seem to think It feels like I have been gone much longer, I feel as if I have been here for barely a week! But I do suppose that in some ways it does seem like I have been here for awhile... for example I am finally beginning to walk on the correct side of the side walk (left side, just like driving) and not run into so many people, 3rd week's the charm I guess. Also, I think I am finally getting used to the time change and I have even caught myself using some British lingo! As I have started to fall into a routine, all of these things that I was so nervous about just a couple weeks ago have started to become normal to me.

However I did wake up this morning to look outside my window and see something very unfamiliar to London, but very familiar to me at home; snow. It made me laugh when I overheard a group of people talk about how they would not be able to drive if we were going to get the 1 inch of snow that is expected. It was hard for me to contain my laughter as I thought of the many many inches of snow currently in Michigan.

Fun Times at the London Aquarium! 

I feel like this past week of school many things were accomplished. I successfully learned how to locate books in the library, print, and even finished one of my two papers for one of my modules (classes). In my British Life and Culture class we started to learn about the Monarchy and its role in society here. It was very interesting to get different perspectives from different students from all around the world in the class. Our professor was explaining that this period is a high point for the monarchy, because everyone seems to be a pleased with the Queen (which explains why they sell so many things with the Queens face on it here). In 3 more years, the Queen will be tied with Queen Victoria for the longest serving monarch (63 years). This week we will learn more about the subject and on Friday we take a field trip to Parliament!

This weekend was quite exciting and went by incredibly fast, like every weekend does. On Saturday, a group of us made our way into London to the London Aquarium to escape the rainy day. It was absolutely amazing! There were many giant sharks and we were able to walk through a tunnel which went through their tank! Seeing all the colorful fish and different aquatic animals was a wonderful way to escape from the rainy weather outside. After we made our way to the National Gallery, on the way we passed an area being blocked off for filming! The rumor is, Tom Cruise is in it! After taking in all of  the beautiful painted portraits at the gallery we started to find our way out, but as we headed towards the exit we found ourselves in a room with Van Gogh paintings, including his famous Sunflower painting. It was crazy to think we were standing in front of the works of one of the most famous artists in the world!

Happy Chinese New Year!

On Sunday a friend and I made our way into London again to take part in the Chinese New Year festivities! Since the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar and solar calendars, the actual date always varies but it usually falls between late January and mid February. Each year in the Chinese calendar is represented by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and 2013 is known as the year of the snake.


The celebration was held in Trafalgar Square which looked like a sea of umbrellas with everyone trying to stay dry from the London rain. We were there early enough to be about 3 rows back from the stage and performance area. London holds the biggest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia so as you can imagine there were thousands of people present. We heard speech's from many important people including the Mayor of London. After we were able to see the dance of the Lion/Dragon. It was very cool especially because we were able to be so close!!! After, we made our way to the nearest pub to warm up with some tea, and then continued our adventure through London. We made our way to Convent Gardens, which is known for its little shops and plaza area, after that we continued to China Town for the rest of the New Year festivities. We ate some delicious chinese food and watched martial arts being performed in the streets and more dancing dragons. Beautiful lanterns and decorations lined all the streets and music filled the air. It was an amazing experience and It was definitely worth being under an umbrella all day. As it began to get dark we made our way back to Trafalgar Square for the ending ceremony which included singing, dancing, and of course fireworks. Everything was absolutely beautiful and it was definitely an experience I will never forget.