There is absolutely no way that I’ve been here for a month already. Would it be alright is I just never came back home?
One club I think everyone should experience when they come to London is Fabric. It is one crazy place! When we decided to go, it was a student’s night called the Refresher’s Rave (it was meant to be a “refresher” from exams). I didn’t know how literal the “rave” part was going to be, but there were definitely a lot of people there on drugs! Fabric itself was really cool; there were 6ish different dance rooms and one main room where the DJ was. Each room had different music and different lights flashing. We spent most of our time in the main room because it was the best place to dance. I only stayed for about 2 hours because I couldn’t handle the amount of other people’s sweat and drinks that were all over me and I was truly afraid that I was going to be vomited on. Aside from the gross parts, it was really fun!
A few weeks ago, I got in touch with the PSU Alums living and working in London and they invited me to a social gathering this past weekend. I decided it’d be a great opportunity to meet people that work here from Penn State, so I dragged one of my PSU friends along with me. The people that were there weren’t all from the US and full time Penn State students, a lot of them were either international students or study abroad students. It was really cool to meet all of them and talk to them about Penn State and the places they live and work. Meeting other people that live near me in London and knowing they’re from Penn State made me realize just how small the world is today. It’s pretty crazy to think about!
One thing I love about the surrounding areas I live near is that there are so many markets! This past Sunday, I went with a few friends to the markets off of Liverpool Street. It was about a 45 minute bus ride from the dorms in Chelsea and then a 5 minute walk. The first market we went to was covered by a huge roof but wasn’t enclosed. It had a ton of clothing and jewelry vendors and some food vendors. We walked around all of it and then went to check out another one. I can’t remember the names to either market, but we’re going back so I’ll get the names then. The second market we went to was amazing (and enclosed)! When you first walk in, the very first thing that’s there is the food vendors. There were literally 4 rows of any type of cuisine you want. There was even an Ethiopian stand that was veg/vegan!
I didn’t eat there but I am definitely going to when I go back to the market. It was really cold that day so walking into the heat and aroma of all the different cuisine was perfect. We walked around that one and looked at all of the clothes and jewelry; this second market was definitely more affordable. One thing about London – they don’t believe in public restrooms. And if I’m lucky enough to find one, I have to pay to use them. It is rather aggravating! But anyway, it got incredibly freezing outside so we headed back to the warm dorm rooms.
This week has been really eventful so far. Monday, I went with a few friends to Stratford-Upon-Avon. They’re all very interested in Shakespeare, which is why this trip came about. I’ll never turn down a chance to explore, so I of course went with them! It is a very cute town; I really enjoyed walking around the market street and circling around the residential part. We found this old looking tavern and decided that it’d be a good place to eat. It was phenomenal; and definitely had an old English feel about it.
Tuesday, I had a ballet to go to for my Performing Arts in London class. When I heard that it was going to be the American Ballet Theatre I was a bit upset. It ended up being a great show! Wednesday, I had a (free) tour of the Tower of London for my Historic London class. I loved it! Even though it was extremely cold, the tour was really cool. Our professor is a registered guide of London so she walked us around the outside of the Tower of London and then told us “Well, our time is up but you got in for free so stay as long as you’d like”! So with that in mind, we decided to stay and wander around. Luckily, some of the towers were heated. I got to see the crown jewels; wow was that unreal. After I was able to scrape my jaw off the ground, I realized where all of the tax money here goes HAHA. I also got to see the torcher chamber, the prison where people engraved their names and sayings before they were executed, and the displays of different aspects of the Royal Army inside the White Tower (main tower).
This weekend I’m heading to Edinburgh with some friends! I’m so excited to travel to Scotland!! I will definitely be blogging all about it.
Looking back over the last month, its mind boggling to think about how many different things I’ve been exposed to. It’s so true that no one could ever go back home the same person after doing a semester abroad. The biggest lesson I’ve been learning (and still working on) is trying to live every day for that day. Before I came here, and for the first few weeks I was here, I constantly planned for the next thing/day/event/etc. When I realized how quickly time passes here, I thought about it. I don’t want to spend this whole trip planning and looking to the next thing because I’m going to go back home in April and think “Oh my gosh, where did those 4 months go”. I don’t want to get home and realize I didn’t take the time to stop and smell the roses, wander around London, and maybe even get lost some times (or a lot!). I am really pleased that I’m learning how to relax and “life for today”; even if it’s at a slow pace.
Location: London