What year are we living in?

Everything goes bad in London. Strawberry Jam? Mold. Cheese? Mold. 

Things seem to get a lot molder in London which I wouldn't mind except that the mold is growing on my things. I turned up the setting on the fridge and I hope that will help some of the food last longer. Because I don't think my wallet could afford all this mold. 

On another note, I got sucked into watching Britain's Got Talent on Saturday night. I must admit that I didn't want to watch it at first but I couldn't stop laughing. I finally got to see Susan Boyle since everyone keeps talking about her. I'm not sure if I am happy with the winner but eh at least it wasn't Susan Boyle. 

Today I went to the taste of Spain where I didn't get to taste any Spanish food :\. There were a lot of people but not a lot of action. We went to different tents but left empty handed.  We thought we had scored a free "refreshment" in this store that was housing a band playing spanish food but just as we approached the front of the line.. yup they ran out of this "refreshment." At this point we decided to fork over some money for some tapas and sangria. But upon arriving at this restaurant, we discovered that they weren't serving any more tapas.. a restaurant not serving food?! 

We ended up going to another restaurant nearby that didn't have anything to do with Spanish food but knew how to cook up Portuguese chicken. The portions were small considering the price but I have to admit, its been the best chicken I've had. For some reason I have found the chicken here to be rubbery. Then we went to Camden Market... the place that stole my heart and my wallet. Camden Market is like the hippy/goth scene. It also has this amazing arts and crafts market, it was so big!!! And I didn't even get to see all of it. I ended up walking away with this really cute coin purse that had a kitty sticking out of it. I also bought THREE yes THREE beautiful scarfs. I am usually really cheap but I just couldn't resist this time around. I have Friday off and I think I'm going to go back to the market because it has so many food vendors and arts and crafts that I still have to explore. 

Journalism = experiments

Today the group went on media visits to The Guardian and to BBC. When we walked up to The Guardian my first thought was that I need to get a job there. The building was the most swank building I can remember being in. The building itself reminded me a lot of the paper's print and web layout. We got to sit in on their budget and then talked to the foreign news editor. One thing that I liked about their budget was that they discussed the most important stories rather than running through them. They only discussed two stories but I was impressed with the discussion because it just wasn't editors, reporters were in the meeting as well. 

Another thing I liked about the visit was when the foreign news editor discussed how they are experimenting a lot and sometimes failing. This doesn't sound really great but I always feel like people say "we need to change things." But how many times do people try to change things? I feel like a lot of newsrooms in America are barely beginning to change so I really like their idea that they just need to try a lot of things and see what works. I also liked how the editor said that they are trying to figure out who their audience is now that people all over the world are reading the web version of the Guardian. Did they have to spend that much money on a new building? I don't know but the design sure won me over. 

The next visit was to BBC. We mostly discussed this new program that they have created to try and reteach or have their reporters/editors brush up on old and new forms of journalism. I thought it was really interested and once again something we can bring back with us in the fall because no one ever stops learning. We also took a mini tour of the studios while they were filming some of their shows so it was kinda cool to see the technology and the behind the scenes of the BBC.

In between we went to Camden Market for a bit and it looked really interesting but we didn't have enough time to look around so maybe I can go back one day. 

As a side note - a friend of mine unfortunately lost a family member recently and not to sound like a hippie but it made me think and after you read this get offline and go live your dreams and tell the people you love that you love them because you never know whats around the corner. And if you know who I'm talking about, pray for his family because they need it now more than ever. 

The world is a market

Every trip to Mexico that I have taken with my family has consisted of a trip to la fayuca (probably spelled that wrong). La Fayuca is a big market/flea market. It didn't contain Mexico's hidden treasures but it was always so much fun to go to and see what people are buying and selling. 

After two weeks in London, I found myself at two markets that reminded me of good times at La Fayuca. The first one that we went to was the Covent Garden Market. I was really excited about the market because I wanted to go to any market so badly. Not to fulfill some shopoholic part of my life but I just wanted to be with the people. Sometimes I don't want to look like a tourist and study a map like if it was the bible. I just want to pretend like I know where I am and where I am going. Looking back at it now, the market wasn't that great and the selection wasn't that big. Still - I walked away with two small canvas Banksy replicas. I felt conflicted while purchasing the two pieces of art because it is so unBanksy for someone to SELL and make a profit from his art. But then again - aren't we all part of a capitalist society that thinks that we are only succeeding if we are selling at a profitable rate? Yeah - we all sold ourselves out a long time ago. So I ended up buying the two pieces. 

The next day we went to another market that I somewhat liked better. Spitalfields market (anyone remember the Chicago band Spitalfield?) had a little more variety as far as the crafts. The prices were a bit cheaper but I still didn't think the price was right for many things. They had some very cute dresses and lots of things that seemed to be from another countries. For example, one of the girls that went to the market with me ended up leaving with a small coin purse from Guatemala and some mugs from Israel. There were also a lot of big restaurants around that area that looked a bit diverse. I didn't buy anything this time around but I did splurge on a crepe after I ate a slice of pizza that I didn't realize was going to be cold until I ate it. 

Overall, this weekend I learned that the world is a market. And I kinda like it that way. I don't know what it is - the people, the food or maybe just being out and about. All I know is that I'm already planning on hitting up a few other markets before I leave London. 

Brits pessimistic as Speaker quits

To read an IDS story I wrote (well the AP wrote it too) follow this link:

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=68296

Cheers!

Long weekend

This weekend was too long and if I write about it all, this will be a book long. On Friday we visited Reuters, which was really cool because they aren't doing as horrible as everyone else is. Then we did a lot of tourist like things such as see Parliament and go inside Westminster Abbey, which had a lot of old things. Then we hit up a pub in the area and I had pear beer, which you shouldn't drink because it goes down like water! On Saturday we visited Hengestone and the Roman Baths. Both were really nice and old. Later on that night we attempted to go out to a club but that didn't work out so well and ended up coming home that night. On Sunday we visited the London Museum. That brings us to today - Monday. We went to class - our class is about the British Media. We watched BBC live because there is quite a scandal unfolding because of the revealed expenses. There are a lot of rumors going around that the speaker might have to step down or that parliament itself will be dissolved and elections will be held this summer. Again - all of these are rumors and we'll just have to wait to see what really happens. We have a two hour lunch break so after eating a questionable pasta salad, I and some other people on the trip headed over to the British Museum because it is really close to where our class is at. The museum is HUGE and we really only go to see the Egyptian exhibit but I hope that I can keep going back during the lunch breaks because it is free and has so much to explore. In the evening we went to see the play Burnt by the Sun, which was way better than I expected it to be. 

Overall, this was definitely a great first weekend! I am excited to go back to work tomorrow and hit the tube with all of the Londoners and explore more of London. I'll try to write in here more often so that I can write more detailed descriptions of these things and not just one big blob. 

Fear of the fork!

To read my Indiana Daily Student column about my food adventures in London go to: http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=68266. 

Enjoy!

So are we going to party on Thursday? How about Friday? We have to party.

It is a bit late and I don’t want to write a really long blog about my life. So just like newspapers I will cut to the chase with some briefs about my life. 

Work: Work got really exciting toward the end when my boss and coworkers pulled out some alcohol and we all toasted to a great day! I didn’t even know it was that great until then. At first I was hesitant because I didn’t want to seem like the American alcoholic college student but once I saw everyone was doing it, I had to be a team player. I’m liking the London working atmosphere!

Extra: Went to Oxford Circus (no not the circus) with two of my roomies to look for shoes for one of them. There were some pretty cool shops that I have to check out later. Sucks for my friend brube because she found out that the UK only carries small sizes of shoes for women. On the otherhand, this is great news for me! I think I can speak for all my fellow 5.5-6 size shoe wearing women when I say boy is it hard to find a great shoe that fits! I’m excited for these new emerging shopping possibilities. One downside to the trip was when we Zina and I thought we lost Sarah at the four level store… yeah that was a mess trying to find her. 

Domestic life: It took me about 30-45 mins to cook a frozen pizza in the oven that should have taken 5 minutes. Why? I still haven’t figured that out yet. I ended up putting it in the microwave but I was so hungry that I ate almost all of it. Later, we discovered some new neighbors that INSISTED (as in they came in to our house without knocking) that we need to party with them. When we informed them that we work tomorrow morning, they insisted on setting a date to party.. Thursday? Friday? WE HAVE TO PARTY. 

Oh London, I’m loving your randomness. 

Working hard for the... academic credit?

It was roughly about 9 a.m. on Tuesday and I was trying to walk just as fierce as the rest of the Londoners with the song “she works hard for the money..” playing back in my head like a scratched record. No the streets didn’t turn into a public cat walk but I was part of the working class! Today was my first day as an intern and I conquered the tube like a true working woman! I have to admit that I have become paranoid about someone stealing my money, which is why I can’t fully enjoy the tube because I am just paranoid at who is giving my purse or maybe my oyster card that extra glare of desire. Luckily, nothing has happened to me. (Background on paranoia: On Monday we received an orientation from an officer who explained all the ways people steal your money in London. This was followed by a trip to a cafe where I saw a sign that said thieves frequent that area.) ANYWHO, the internship went pretty well! I helped a lot with the web maintenance, which I have never really done anything like that before. I also got kinda the long term project that I will be working on. I won’t be doing any reporting or writing but I think the skills that I will learn at this internship will be extremely crucial because lets face it - the newspaper industry has to change - especially the business aspect of it. So I hope the skills that I learn through this kind of citizen journalism Web site helps me in the future - actually I know it will. It was a relief that everyone was so nice and willing to help me out. The location where I work is amazing as previously mentioned in the previous post. I know I’m not the most loud person in the world but I love being among the liveliness and everything being so busy. I went to the grocery store and to a kind of cvs called “Boots” after work to pick up some essentials such as food that wasn’t pb and j or cereal. However, tomorrow I definitely have to take a peak at Buckingham Palace. I have to, it’s in the neighborhood! I’ll make sure to take photos of that if I do end up going after work. 

Upon returning to my flat, I was greeting by my moving roomies. We changed into a different flat - in the same building - today because we could not get any hot water and it looked like it wasn’t going to get fixed anytime soon. The new apartment has a beautiful view and is really nice. Not that the first one was horrible but at least this one allows us to close our windows! 

Since stereotypes consume everyone’s lives no matter what continent you live in, I will touch upon a few that I have encounter and haven’t encountered while in London. Yes, people love their tea in London. It wasn’t too long before I was served a cup of tea at work. No, it doesn’t rain here all the time. Although showers have been in the forecast since we arrived, my umbrella has been nicely tucked away in my purse. Yes, there is no such thing as summer here. I love Chicago but I think it might be losing its title as the windy city to London! It is cold and windy here all the time. What is up with that? 

Well that is all for now. I will make sure to upload some photos next time I post. Good day!

First Impressions

I didn’t know what to expect when I first got to London and I still don’t. I have been here for about two days. So far we have been doing a lot of adjustments and orientations. Tomorrow is the first day that I begin to work and I don’t really know what to expect but I’m keeping an open mind. There is nothing big to complain about - I have even survived the food thus far. There is one small thing … our flat doesn’t have hot water running for showers and we can’t get our windows to ever close - yeah that can be a problem. Still, you have to think… at least this is happening in London and not in the states. I’ll write more in here later about first day and things like that because I am working in a really interesting area that I’m sure I can explore because it is near Buckingham Palace. I took a look at it today and there was sooo much more action going on there than where we live. For now, I’ll keep taking care of Nick because well it’s Nick and I’ll keep blogging.