Just touched down in Londontown!

So I've been in London for about a week now and figured this would be the easiest way to keep you all updated about my semester abroad. The weather has been such a shock for me... so different for a girl that grew up in California! At first when you step outside you think, "Hey it's not that bad. I can handle this." However, as the moments tick by, the cold begins to seep in and it continues to get worse until you go back inside. London has not been too windy... I'm assuming because the buildings are so close together that they block a lot of the wind. Once you get closer the The River Thames the wind begins to pick up.

The first night there we were taken to a local pub. The place was packed with Brits out with friends and it was a great introduction to the culture. We had some British refreshments that looked like they should be familiar but after tasting them they were so strange.

On January 8th, I saw British snow for the first time! I had orientation at Accent (the study abroad center where classes are located) and went out to lunch at a cafe called Eve's with a few other girls. Our waitress was not too friendly. Later, when paying at the register, we were waiting for our change (tip is included in the prices). She seemed taken aback because many British people assume they will receive a tip from Americans. But when in London, do as the Londoners do! We waited until we had received our change from the scowling woman.

My study abroad group (which has 20 girls and 6 guys, all communication majors from USC) went on a walking tour with our personal tour guide, Angie. Angie is a short, somewhat squat lady in her 70s with a bit of a bum leg. She has the cute, dry British sense of humor and is a lot of fun. I believe she has a degree in architecture that she applies toward the conservation of old British buildings where she appraises the condition and helps fix anything that needs to be upgraded.

Back to the tour... we walked through Soho (the music center of the city) and saw Paul McCartney's office and one of the homes Charles Dickens wrote about in A Tale of Two Cities. (On a quick sidenote, this is going to be quite a long entry just because I am summarizing so many days. I created this blog to catalog my personal memories and thoughts as well... You are free to read as much or as little of it as you would like. Hope you enjoy them!) The term Soho is not an abbreviation for anything such as South of Houston like it is in New York. It is the word hunters used when they spotted a fox, calling out SO-HO! in excitement. Present day Soho is an area that used to be a big hunting spot. Around the 1600s it used to be a luxurious area for aristocrats. As the neighborhood went out of style, houses became affordable for immigrants. As their financial status increased, they moved out leaving room for newer immigrants (while leaving some of their restaurants and influence... causing the area to become quite diverse). We walked back through Covent Garden past the Royal Opera House. After the tour our entire group went to Carphone Warehouse to get mobiles. They took us downstairs and after much debate, we were able to choose our own pay-as-you-go plans. Our program took us out to dinner at a Turkish restaurant called Tas, which is only a couple of blocks from our flats. It started with about 6 different dips/salsas that you put on your bread. My main course was a sort of lamb lasagna that had a layer of potatoes... it was very good!