SO jetlag is very real...not sure how I avoided it last time going abroad but today I'm finally feeling normal!
After meeting everyone in my specific CIS program at the airport on Saturday (27 of us total from all over USA) we got checked into our accommodations. I have a single with an en suite bathroom. There are 6 of these rooms in my flat and then there is a communal kitchen. My accommodation/shoebox itself leaves a lot to be desired (#cityliving) however I have an AMAZING view and am in an incredibly central location so the pros definitely outweigh the cons! After checking in one our onsite directors showed us around the area. Fun fact: I am crawling distance to the *only* Dunkin Donuts in London that people travel great lengths for lol. She also showed us how to top up our Oyster Cards. I'm about a 2 minute walk from the Baker Street underground which has several lines. This week I will be applying for a student travel card for transit which is a 30% reduction on the regular fares which is good as it's rather expensive and this way I can explore to my heart's content. After this mini tour, I went out to dinner at a place called Bill's with some of the girls in my program and afterwards we went to Primark for some home goods.
On Sunday, I had my CIS orientation and then they treated us to lunch at a place called Brown's Brasserie & Bar. I am yet to have a Sunday Roast but I did try something new- fish pie! My dish had salmon, scallop, and shrimp in it.
On Monday I had to be at the University of Westminster orientation for 10am. I met a couple girls sitting in my row and at this orientation the study abroad staff explained all the differences we will discover in the classroom. In short, our grades are determined by 1-2 assessments, stuff is more writing based, and we need to ensure we reference things correctly the UK way. The most exciting part for me was getting my Westminster ID #studentdiscounts. After, I explored Carnaby Street area- it's very cute. I finally went grocrey shopping at the Sainsbury Local but didn't buy too much yet as I still need to get into a routine. Later in the night I finally met 2 of my flatmates. One girl goes to Babson University in MA and the other goes to VCU in VA.
On Tuesday, I was finally feeling human enough again to sightsee (also met another flatmate in the kitchen!). So I took the tube to Covent Garden, treated myself to coffee & avocado toast, and then explored Monmouth Street. I then walked (read: wandered) towards my advising appointment at Westminster. Along the way I found two cool shops I really liked: Flying Tiger (really not sure how to describe it; Google calls it a variety store; I got a few cheap things for my flat) and Paperchase (I thought this was a way way trendier/better version of of Paper Source-esque shops we have). After my appointment, I walked home and detoured to my nearest park: Regent's Park. Unsurprisingly, everything was dead, but I have confidence it's beautiful ~in bloom~. I ended my evening seeing my UMASS friend Liz. She is also in my program but lives in a different area of London. We walked along Oxford Street and went into the world's largest Lush shop (!!)- it was awesome. Then we tubed to her area (Shoreditch) and had some pints at Merchant's Tavern followed by Italian style tapas (SO GOOD) at Popolo. We loved the Shoreditch area and definitely want to keep researching it as we struggled finding the "right" place to eat but thank goodness for Catherine to save the day with recommendations!
Notes:
-where is my Almond Milk :(
-hard to resist taking a picture of every single building as they're all beautiful
-the school kids all wear uniforms and they're so cute
-as I remembered from last time, the tube is so easy to navigate
-thought my pillowcase was messing up my hair (v frizzy and weird feeling) but now I'm wondering if it's the water quality -it's probably both
-walked 11.7 miles today without noticing so I better return toned - ha!
Also, I think if you click the pictures they can be bigger :)
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Some really good lamb dish - we also had bruschetta, and a clams/noodle plate
It all sounds fabulous, and looks gorgeous. I am so happy for you. Definitely motivates me to get my passport done quickly.
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