The London IES Centre & All Of The Good Things About My Study Abroad Program

I have really been very lucky with the IES program here in London! I feel like they do a very good job taking care of us all. First of all... look at how lovely the IES Centre building in Bloomsbury is (pic on the left)! It's right by a few parks, close to bus stops and tube stops, there are several reasonably-priced lunch and coffee options nearby, and it's not too far off central London. It's really ideal, in my opinion!

The people who work there and take care of all of us are all very nice people and they've always been really helpful and friendly.

There's a library in the building so we don't have to buy any books.

IES planned and facilitated the trips to Dublin, Scotland, Belgium, Stonehenge, Charleston, Brighton, Stratford, and Oxford that I went on and they organize (er, organise, ha ha) other events and get-together's here and there, too!

My classes (except for one, but that's not IES's fault) have been really interesting and the professors are top-notch. I really can't pick a favorite but it would probably be one of my history classes: British Women's Social History and History of London. Which is a bit disconcerting considering my other three classes are English classes and I'm an English major.

The view out of a window on the top floor of the centre:

Little patio in the back where we used to eat lunch... it's far too cold now:

So basically... I really, really recommend that anyone planning to study abroad in London do their program through IES. (And I promise they're not paying me to say this stuff! I'm just happy! ha ha.)

[November 20] Stonehenge & Salisbury

Wow. Stonehenge! I'm not entirely sure why, but as long as I can remember knowing about Stonehenge, I've wanted to see it. Then all of a sudden (more like 2 hours on a bus later) we were there. Ultimately, it is a pile of rocks in the middle of the countryside and you can only spend so long looking at it. But what's interesting is imagining how people got those rocks there, why they arranged them like that, and what aliens are... well, nevermind.

How English... sheep in the gray and misty countryside:

A rock that wandered off from the others:

A cute little birdie:

A drawing of what I guess Stonehenge used to look like?: 

This struck me as pretty hilarious... Chewing Gum Disposal? HAHA! Then look at all the gum on the ground!

Then we got back on the bus and headed to Salisbury... and one of the first things I saw there was this swan with it's head under water. I just thought it looked funny...

First, we went on a walking 'tour' of Salisbury. Well, there wasn't much to it! First we stopped at a 'small' cathedral:

There happened to be a parade of soliders:

We went to the Salisbury Cathedral which, of course, was huge, impressive, gorgeous... I say "of course" like that because well... you can only see so many cathedrals before they lose their impressiveness. It's too bad, but it's exhausting to constantly be in awe. Don't get me wrong—I still really enjoyed seeing it and it was truly beautiful.

This is stained-glass window is my absolute favorite that I've ever seen:

I really liked the music this band was playing on the street:

Mmm then lunch time! I went with a couple friends to this bakery:

And ate a chicken curry pasty! It was SO GOOD!!!

Hung out with these two cool cats the whole time:

I bought this little mouse cork at the Cathedral... it's kind of silly but I just thought it was SO cute! And she's holding a violin... and she's pink... she's just really cute... and before going out with friends here, I like to drink wine. Really, really cheap white or pink wine. :]

[November 17] London: Ceremony of the Keys @ The Tower

A couple weeks ago on a very rainy and cold night, I went to see the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. Basically it's the ceremony where the guards lock up the tower and it's been happening every single night, on time, for 700 YEARS. Wow! Except one night... during WWII... when a bomb dropped nearby... well... they were ten minutes late... tsk tsk... and they wrote a formal apology to the king. Ha, ha. Just a neat little piece of history to witness!

[November 25] London: My first Thanksgiving away from home...

This is Bloomsbury Square. It has nothing to do with this post, but it's a random picture I have that I like... it's near the IES Centre.

This is my first Thanksgiving that I won't be spending with my family. I didn't think I would really miss Thanksgiving, to be honest, but now that the time is here... Well, I just wish I could teleport home for the weekend. It's snowing at home and I just imagine being cozy by the fireplace with my family and cuddling up with my puppy dog Bella and sleeping and eating A LOT of delicious Thanksgiving food. Sigh. It really sounds perfect. But I have so many things here in London to be thankful for, and my time abroad really 'makes up' for missing the typical Thanksgiving at home.

Some specific things I'm thankful for right now:

-I'm thankful that my parents let me come to London and that they're supporting me in many ways here. I remember when I first talked to them about possibly studying abroad in London and my mom said that she wanted me to have the experience of studying abroad if I wanted, and my dad said that London is huge and has millions of people! And then he looked kind of stressed out. Hahaha!

-I'm thankful I've made friends with so many lovely people here in London. I don't know what it's going to be like to leave them all and honestly maybe never see some of them again. But on the bright side... now I have an excuse to travel to visit these people.

-I'm thankful for my friends at home and that I can still count on from across the globe.

-I'm thankful that I'm an American. Before coming to Europe, I was nervous that everyone here would really dislike or even hate Americans. I thought I might begin to really despise Americans as well. But actually, I've heard really positive things from the 'natives' I've spoken to regarding Americans and in many ways I really prefer my American 'way of life'. I actually have more pride in being and American than I did before.

Well, there is A LOT more I'm thankful for of course, but these are the main things on my mind right now.

Oh, how I really miss home right now...

[November 15] London: Casiotone For The Painfully Alone

When I bought tickets for Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, I should have known that I would end up going alone. It was a really lonely night but it's my own fault for buying tickets anyway. Besides, when else will I ever get to see him, I wasn't doing anything else that evening, and it's his last London show, under the name CFTPA anyway.

No one told me this was not only going to be a concert, but a meet-up headquarters for London hipsters. But I was still the only one cool enough to stand RIGHT next to the stage. I had a really perfect view and danced and felt quite happy. There was also a very cute young man standing nearby who was also alone and I had fun stealing glances. Tee hee.

He played my two favorite songs, so I was satisfied. One of those songs is called 'Scattered Pearls', which I thought he wouldn't play because on the album a female voice sings.

the clasp broke at the disco Mom I'm sorry

& the older men who hit on Becky

nearly broke their necks on scattered pearls

& we searched the best we could

for two entire songs we knelt & felt along

the place where we had stood

but we only found 7 of Grandmother's pearls

& as we rode the bus home I thought surely

I'd wake up tomorrow just to find

that I had dreamed up everything

there'd still be pearls on a string

I wouldn't smell like smoke & I'd still

have the cash that I had spent on drinks

oh I feel as scattered as Grandmother's pearls

Mom don't cry they're only pearls 

[November 14] London: Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, & Platform 9 3/4!

Last weekend I finally did some typical London sightseeing, with Peter. We started out in Parliament Square, walked down Whitehall, and ended up at Trafalgar Square. Well, I'd already been to these places a few times, but they were on walks for class and I didn't really get to gawk at Parliament or Big Ben.

Really fantastic architecture, right? Positively iconic!

He was embarrassed by my rainbow umbrella but he was a trooper and held it anyway, haha.

These protestors are ALWAYS camped out here. I think there's one guy there who has literally been camped out there since we invaded Iraq/Afghanistan...

Westminster Abbey... didn't get to go inside because it was a Sunday but I definitely have plans to!

Crosses with poppies for Remembrance Day:

Good ol' Abe Lincoln, right in Parliament Square:

There just happened to be a sort of ceremony going on in the middle of the street... For Remembrance Day, I assume. It's a really, really big deal here. Not that it isn't at home, but red poppies are really everywhere.

Ye olde Scotland Yard:

Trafalgar Square!

And finally... Platford 9 3/4! BUT WAIT A SECOND. Where is it??? Only magic folk can find it! Or... I asked one of the tube workers. Well, actually, all I did was walk up to him and say "I have a question—" and he said "Harry Potter: Left, then left." very briskly. Hmph! Fine! Well thank you. Ha ha, poor tube workers!

The wall wouldn't let me in, I was SO disappointed. You don't understand... you don't understand what it's like to hope for ten years that when you find the Platform it will let you in... and then you find it... and it doesn't... you just can't understand... ;P hahaha.