Not your typical day at the office.....

Tonight was one of London's many rainy evenings. I thought that it was about time for me to show you what my visit has been like. It is too hard to fit everything in here, but I shall do my best to give you a taste of my London life.


Obviously, this is me. Target briefcase in hand, I walk the floors of the museum talking to patrons and doing my research. No, I do not wear those shoes until I get to the office. When I commute each day, I wear my running shoes! Ha ha.








These two pictures are of the Great Court. I have talked about this feature before and the pictures don't do enough justice. Nothing but the light stone is allowed in the court unless it is extremely important. The artist who created the ceiling wanted to get the maximum effect of the blue sky above against the white stone below. Isn't it cool

The British Museum is free to the public....which was completely shocking to me when I first learned it. Except for special exhibitions, this is true for almost all of London's museums. Being a poor college student, I find this absolutely amazing!!!





Here is the Interpretation Unit hard at work ha ha. We are part of the Department of Learning and Audiences, which encompasses education, adult programs, and exhibit interpretation. The group is missing two people, one of which is my supervisor. In this picture, we are reviewing our reflections from a visit to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. We got to go behind the scenes and get a sneak peak at one of the brand new exhibits! I love these ladies, especially since the department paid for my train ticket to go with them!





Here is my flat! My window is the middle one on the second floor. I live with my best friend Aleshia and her fiance, Rob.









This is my street! There are basically no straight roads where I live. This presents quite a challenge when I run!






Welcome to Dover Ferry Port. I think I would have enjoyed this place a bit more if I had not been up at 4am to get here. Those cliffs you see are actually made of chalk. They used to hide the queen down here during wartimes.









This is me at Trafalgar Square. Am I really being a fountain? I'll let you decide.




Meet Paul. He has been a really good friend to me here. We have talked back and forth for about two years. This was our first trip around London together. Paul attends a university in Surrey (studying aerospace engineering). On this day, I took him to Nandos (my favorite restaurant) we visited the Tate Gallery of Modern Art, and went to see the London Philharmonia. We are going to Portugal in two weeks! (and just to be clear........HE IS JUST A FRIEND). He may be English but he can't touch Brad:-)




Nandos is my favorite restaurant so far. It is actually a chain around London, but this one is the biggest. It looks a bit like a castle. They have chicken, chips, and all sorts.







I loved this artist at the Tate. He draws maps on things like furniture and mattresses. You can't tell, but he has created a map of Europe on these ottomans.









The conductor of the London Philharmonia was really cool. At one point, he accidentally threw his baton into the second violin section! Ha ha.












Last, but certainly not least, is me arm wrestling Spiderman on the south bank. I challenge anyone to beat a redheaded yank!









I have many more images, so keep a look out for fresh ones as my journey continues........

May 20: Cultured Sunday

I'll quickly give a recap of Saturday, but I really want to forget it ever happened and move on to Sunday. After a great Friday adventure with Aleshia, I had to climb into a coach and travel to Calais, France to get the correct passport stamp. This was my first trip outside of London. I saw bits of the countryside as I went back and forth between sleep and being awake. It wasn't that different from central Indiana, fields and animals dotting the landscape. Despite having to get up at 4am to make the trip, I enjoyed seeing the white cliffs of Dover ferry port and the sandy beach of Calais. Many Britons take the ferry on small holidays, as it is very cheap and easy to get from the UK into France. I basically spent a total of 14 hours on some form of transportation, to and from London.

As you can probably guess, I was quite ready to have some fun after that experience, and the next day (Sunday) proved to be just that! My friend Paul came to visit and spend the afternoon with me in London. He had planned to go to a concert with his mum, but she was having problems with her chest (she recently had surgery) and was in the hospital. While he waited for his brother to contact him about going to the concert in her place, I took him down the south bank (where Aleshia and I had visited on Friday). We watched a man build sand sculptures on the beach. He made a big lazy boy, an octopus, and a tv! I treated him to Nandos for lunch and we both went to see the art on display at the Tate Modern (a very famous museum). I have some great pictures from this that I will share at some point. When Paul's brother finally called him back and said he couldn't go to the concert, I gratefully accepted an invitation to attend! Before heading back to my flat to change for the concert, Paul got us icecream, which the Brits serve with a little chocolate flake stuck right in the top. A man dressed up as Spiderman was walking around gaining attention from lounging Londoners. I hunted him down and asked him to take a picture with me, arm wrestling. I will also share this picture with you later haha.
Paul and I raced from my flat back to the concert, which was at the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the Thames. The concert, performed by the London Philharmonia, consisted of three compositions by Elgar. The violin concerto (my favorite of the evening) was absolutely amazing. Paul's mum had purchased seats in the fifth row! I felt like I was on stage! At one point, the conductor accidentally threw his baton into the second violin section haha. I had an amazing time, and it completely made up for the Saturday I wasted. However, I had quite a somber ending to my day. I found out that grandpa had died when I got home and read my email. I cried a little, not really because I was shocked, but because I couldn't be there for my family. I felt very alone, but in some small way, I felt like I was in a special place....knowing Nana and grandpa had met here. I think they would both be happy that I was taking in this wonderful place.
To end on a happy note, I have some very exciting news! I had talked to my friend Paul about going to Portugal to fix my passport problems, but decided to go to France so I could get it taken care of sooner. His brother and friend Matt both couldn't go, so he asked me again, knowing I had expressed a real interest. I told him I desperately wanted to, but that money was tight. So, he offered to buy my ticket for me!!! Before you think anything, Paul has the best of intentions and really wants me to get the most out of my trip as I can. I will be paying him half of the ticket, as well as paying for little things here and there. His grandparents own a HUGE eight room villa near Algarve, and we will be staying with them for three days and two nights. No mom and dad, I will not be missing any work (wink wink).
I feel so lucky to be doing all of these things. I never dreamed that I would be doing this internship, let alone being in London. The only thing that I wish is that I had people here that I loved and could share things with. I miss my Brad, and Norah. I want to show all my relatives and friends where I work and make everyone some proper tea. I want to take my brother and dad to a pub. I want to take my "mum" to Camden Market. I guess that's why I made this blog, to stay connected. Someday, I hope to share this place with everyone. More to come. Ciao.

Aleshia and Aubree's Fun Day

Finally, some sunshine in London! Aleshia and I were both lucky enough to have the day off on the same day, so we decided to have some fun on the south bank of the Thames! Our journey began near the London Eye. Supposedly, it is the tallest observation wheel in the world. I am saving that attraction for my last night in London, so that I can see the city lit up. The green areas around the Eye were full of loungy business people on their lunch breaks. We passed more than a few street musicians, I even saw a violin duo playing Mozart under one of the bridges!

After passing numerous piers and spotting various landmarks (such as St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament, National Theater, Globe Theater, and the Tate Gallery), Aleshia treated me to lunch at one of her favorite restaurants called, Nandos. This eatery is tucked underneath an old bridge tunnel. It sort of feels like you are in a castle, with huge arches and wood floors. Aleshia and I were keen to have chicken and chips, so we split a platter. We also had a bowl of these delicious marinated olives. Aleshia made fun of me for eating the whole pieces of garlic..yum!

We walked back to the London Eye to cross over the Millennium Bridge (our gateway to the other side of the Thames). On our way over the bridge, we stopped to take a picture and were approached by the nicest old man. He just decided to leave his office and go for a walk. He asked us about our reasons for being in London, and when I told him I was doing my internship, he asked if I was on display...haha.

Our next stop was Trafalgar Square. I took a funny picture at one of the fountains that I will post later. The square was pretty crowded, so we did not stay long. I took a picture of this man who was surrounded by at least 100 pigeons. He put biscuit crumbs on his sleeve and five of them flew on to to his arm! He looked like a scarecrow.

From Trafalgar Square we went to Lester Square. This square was not as impressive, but it was surrounded by theaters, American-style restaraunts (T.G.I Fridays and KFC), and a special sidewalk inlaid with the handprints of celebrities. I took a picture of my hands on top of Clint Eastwood"s fingerprints for my dad.

We had walked a LONG way by this point, so we stopped for gelato at this little place called Rendezvous. I had a scoop of strawberry and chocolate, and Aleshia had strawberry and hazelnut. It was absolutely delicious. The British do not pump their animals full of chemicals, so their dairy is especially good.

We finished our day by cutting through China Town on our way to Oxford Street. It reminded me a lot of our Chinatown in Chicago.

This day was definitely one I will remember for a long time. My spirits are lifted after a week of complete gloom and cold. I cannot wait to see more of London!

First Day at the Museum!

So how do I even describe this day....IT WAS INCREDIBLE! I love my job.

I arrived at the museum about an hour early because I was nervous about my trains being late. Since I had extra time, I sat in a Starbucks on Great Ruseel Street and had a berry scone with coffee.

My favorite feature of the museum is the entrance. The British Museum used to have an open courtyard, but some time ago, an artist was comissioned to build a roof over it. The roof is made entirely of glass and swirled around in a diamond pattern. When the sky is clear, the blue soaks through the ceiling and it looks so beautiful in contrast to the white stone floors. It is the first thing you see when you walk through the doors. SOmething else interesting....there are no metal detectors or bag checkers like in Washington D.C.

I am working in a very small department called Learning and Audiences. While there are only 8 people, they have the coolest job in the museum (in my own opinion). They experiment with different texts, gallery designs, smells, and media to figure out how visitors react to the objects around them. BBC radio (sort of like our NPR) is partnering with the museum to produce a program about 100 Objects from the museum that are particularly popular. Part of my research will help them determine which objects will be highlighted on the show. My first object is an Egyptian cat statue called the Gayes-Anderson Cat. I have to observe people who look at it and find out what kinds of information they are looking for when they see it.

My supervisor is very nice. We got along straight away. I went with her and this other person in the department to lunch and to watch the first episode of a new series being featured on BBC 2 about the museum.

Tomorrow my duties include taking tours (that I get to do for free since I work here...Norris scam), looking at my assigned object, and exploring. I'll have a lot to say about that tomorrow!

More to come.

Day 3-4

I combined days three and four because day three was so stressful that I wanted to have something positive to talk about by the end of my entry..haha. The beginning of day three started off with multiple delays on the the Jubilee line (the line I take into central London). I left an hour and a half before my first meeting at 11:00am and I still was ten minutes late! The rule of thumb in London is to leave an hour before you have to be anywhere. I arrived at the BUNAC office thinking I would be late, but when I arrived, the desk attendant said that all orientation meetings were at 10:30am everyday (this was different than what I was told).

While I was upset that I would need to return to go to another meeting, I was happy that I had plenty of time to get to my next location in Bloomsbury Square. The partner organization of the group I received my internship placement from has an office there. I arrived early (so I thought) and spent some time walking around the square. I was surprised to see that Bloomsbury is only a few streets from Russel Square, the location of the British Museum. I went to my meeting and discovered that again, I had been given the wrong time. It turns out, I was forty-five minutes late to this one. However, I didn't feel so bad because two of the three other girls who were in the room had been given a different time as well.

This meeting introduced us to our overseas supervisors and provided us with information about London. The man in charge spent most of his time talking about all the preventative steps the country is taking to crack down on crime. I was happy to discover that after this meeting, we all were expected at the BUNAC office for a meeting created just for our program (so it turns out that I was able to go to an orientation meeting after all).
I felt good because I lead our group to the BUNAC office from Bloomsbury Square. The other girls had just arrived in London and did not know how to get around very well.

At the BUNAC orientation, we learned about sights, bank accounts, culture, and were required to get our blue cards stamped. This part of the day is when I almost had a breakdown. I was told by the BUNAC representative that I was given the wrong passport stamp and that I needed to exit the country and re-enter to receive the right stamp. Seven out of the twenty people in the orientation group had the same problem. It is crazy to me that someone could ask you all those questions at customs and give you a tourist stamp instead of a worker one. This stamp is important because, without it, I cannot get my blue card stamped by BUNAC (which allows me to leave the country if I want to). This whole problem will involve a bus trip to Dover and a ferry from Dover to France. My goal is to take care of things this Sunday, but I might have to wait until next weekend.

Sigh...now for the good parts of Day 4. I tried to take my mind off of things by helping Rob and Aleshia prepare for their party. Aleshia and Rob invited over thirty people to a dinner party at the flat to celebrate their recent move into the area. In the morning, I decided to make a trek to Brent Cross, a mall close to the area. I enjoyed taking the double decker bus. it was my first trip that involved going on the motor way. It is really funny to sit high above all the cars below and see masses of people driving on the left side of the rode. I kept thinking to myself how scared (and crazy) my dad and uncle must have been to drive in this country! I needed to get a new sweatshirt because it gets so cold here still at night. The mall was just like one at home, but had many English stores like Marc & Spencers. My favorites were Topshop, H&M, and River Landing.

I found what I was looking for and headed back to Willesden Green. On the way back to the flat, I ran into Rob and we walked back together. Rob is a really great guy. I haven't known him very long, but he is probably the coolest guy Aleshia has ever dated. The party was a great time! We served pizza, cake, stuffed potatoes, veggies, chips and salsa, and much more. People brought various types of wine, and we served Kool-aide and root beer (two items not sold in England). I was particularly excited to meet someone that I had invited, Paul Hutcheson. Paul and I have been talking back and forth for about two years now, but never officially met until the party. We all had so much fun! Many of Aleshia's friends are involved in the arts, which was a great conversation topic. One person, LeeAnn, is studying at the Royal Academy of Music. She is originally from the U.S and came here to study French horn. Two others are originally from Maine. In attendance were those already mentioned, plus a Romanian, a German, and several British students. It was quite a diverse group. We spent a lot of time watching "Euro-vision," an American Idol-style singing competition between countries across Europe. There are no judges, but the viewers call in and vote for the song they like the best just like Idol. The party was still going on when I went to sleep. I had a long Sunday ahead of me with my trip to France. More to come.

Day 2

Sigh.....a good night's sleep sure helps make things easier to do! Aleshia helped me learn the way to the BUNAC office and my job today. The area in which the British Museum is located is a really neat place called Russel Square. There is a little cafe at one corner and a fountain in the center. The museum itself blends into all the other buildings...I almost didn't know it was there.
I figured I would have a good walk through on Monday at the museum, so we did not stay long.

We worked up quite an appetite walking every where, so Aleshia recommended that we go to this fish and chips shop called, Masterfish. The piece of fish was huge! It was so big it hung off the plate (I took a lot of it home with me). There are a lot of fish and chip shops in London, and people are very picky about which ones they go to. Everyone has their favorite and they are quick to voice their opinion about which one is the best.

We definitely worked out the fish when we went to get groceries at Sainsbury's. I was really excited to go to an English grocery store. They had a lot of really great produce items and many types of ethnic breads. There was hardly any frozen food! It made me laugh to myself, because I thought about Walmart and the rows of frozen food. The hard part was getting everything back to the flat. I was lucky that I only had about five bags. Aleshia had four in each hand! It is a lot cheaper to cook at home, so I look forward to trying some new things and saving money.

After eating my dinner, I explored British TV channels. They really don't have that many good shows, unfortunately. I watched a House re-run and this show called "Peep SHow" that Rob and Aleshia watch on Fridays. I think we might go see Shrek 3 sometime soon. I'd rather spend the money on something I couldn't do at home though.

I got to talk to Vivian and Geoff on the phone today. They want me to come out to visit them soon. Their daughter Lisa and her children are visiting form Cape Cod right now. I answered the phone and Geoff pretended to be the British Immigration officer. He is quite cheeky!

Tomorrow will be my first time traveling alone! I am kind of nervous but Aleshia taught me well. I am looking forward to meeting some of the other students working through the same placement program as I am. Can someone please send some sunshine my way? SO MUCH RAIN!

Day 1

I arrived around 10:00am England time today at Heathrow Airport. The wonderful Aleshia Haselden greeted me at my gate and we made the hour and a half train trip from the airport to Willesden Green. I couldn’t believe how far the airport was from her flat! Aleshia helped me aquire a special weekly travel card that allows you to use the transportation in London without having to pay each time. It is going to be very useful during my first few weeks since I plan on seeing a lot of things.

I was a little intimidated about navigating the underground train routes around the city. I learned a lot by running errands with Aleshia around the city. We hopped on to a bus at one point and sat on the top level. It was nice to see the streets in a different perspective. The busiest area we traveled through on this day was Oxford Street. It is lined with clothing, technology, and nic-nac shops, and is UNBELIEVABLY crowded. The only thing I can compare it to really is Christmas time on State Street (around Marshall Fields).

The flat I am staying in is about 5-10 minutes form the Willesden Green tube stop. You walk down this long winding street (I firmly believe now that no long streets in London are actually straight) past the library centre, and up two more hilly streets to get to Bryan Avenue. I am starting to realize that I am going to be walking A LOT on this trip!

Aleshia made me my own key for the flat, so I can come and go as I please. My bed is very big and I have a large window that faces the street. I was impressed that Londoners recycle lots of there trash. Aleshia and Rob put their recycling out on the curb in little bins. We are fortunate to have a washer and dryer in the flat (many do not), as well as a dishwasher. They are so tiny compared to the ones at home!

After unpacking and running errands, Aleshia and I met Rob at this great Japanese restaraunt called, Wegamama. It is a chain or restaraunts, actually, and ours was right across from the Tower of London. I was kind of embarassed because I asked Aleshia what it was when I saw it haha. At Wegamam, I had yaki soba, something I knew I could take home and eat again. Aleshia had a very interesting chicken chili soup, and Rob had another type of chicken dish. The tables at the restaraunt were wooden and very plain, but they ahd these really neat shelves underneath to store your handbags and "jumpers" (jackets). For desert, Aleshia and Rob forced me to try this wasabi chocolate cake. I was really nervous about trying it, but it turned out to be wonderful! It looked just like normal chocolate cake, but they wip wasabi into the icing.....crazy! To top it all off, Rob picked up the check! I can't believe how nice and thoughtful he was.

We finished the evening back at the flat with a cup of PJ Tibbs tea. Aleshia forced me to direct us from the tube station, so that I would learn my way back on my own. I was glad she did it, but thankful that I didn't get us lost! I am completely exhausted and cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow to recover from the flight. It was a busy and dreary first day in London, but I am looking forward to many more!