Friday, January 15, 2010

Mind the Gap!


Hello from London!

After 2 days I am starting to feel more comfortable around London. It is such a fabulous city, and I love it already, though I have barely seen anything it has to offer.

After surviving the plane ride, I got my first taste of a British cabbie, cockney accent and all. He taught us many helpful things, including how to spot a legit cab and that the trunk of the car is called the boot.

All of the Londoners were in a tizzy when we arrived because of the snowfall, which maybe amounted to 3 inches. This is not a winter country, and apparently the day before the city had come to a stand still, with all of the public transportation ceasing to run. For a girl from Missouri, this seemed a little extreme, though the city is beautiful with the snowfall.

My flat looks like the house from "The Parent Trap," back when Lindsay Lohan flashed an innocent smile rather than her undergarments. It was built in the 1800s, and though quarters are cramped, it is all part of the experience.

Even though I have been here for 2 days, I only just felt tonight that I was really in London. Before then I had just traveled to my flat and stayed in the area attending orientations and whatnot. However, tonight a group of us went to Westminister Bridge, which is right by Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminister Abbey. As we walked out of the tube station, Big Ben rose above us to our right. It was the most surreal experience, I still don't quite know if it was real or not. We walked along the Thames (which is pronounced Tems, I thought it was pronounced like it looks until Senior Year in Dr. Coopers class when we read "Heart of Darkness." Joseph Conrad is one British aspect I will not be seeking out in my time here)

Tomorrow my flatmate Emily and I are visiting the Tower of London, which I am beyond excited about. Then we have another orientation, a welcome dinner, and then Flat 2 is going out on the town to finally celebrate being in London.

Oh, and if anyone is interested, my internship post is at a magazine called Professional Beauty, which is the beauty industry's leading magazine in Britain. I will be working with the editorial department and also with event planning. I can't wait to get started working and get on a normal schedule; hopefully that will stop me from feeling like such a tourist.

Cheerio!

Allison

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