Mango Juice

These are my travels through London and so on. Mango Juice is my drink of choice along the way. Fruity and satisfying, kind of like London.

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Live From the Asian Delight Bed and Breakfast

Yo dogs, I’m in Rome. First time in Italy for me. First time on the European continent, actually, come to think of it. And I’ve been to foreign language countries before and gotten by just fine, but we didn’t even look up how to say fundamental Italian phrases. I really wish I knew how to say “sorry.” This has got to be the most unorganized trip I’ve ever been on, but I’m really ok with that. Makes things adventurous, right? I walked through my dark neighborhood streets of London at 2am this morning to get to the bus station, totally paranoid because my bag (which I was dragging behind me) kept getting off balance and tripping me up and it was like “hey, I’m just screaming to be victimized!” One safe arrival to the bus, one bus ride and one sketchy Ryanair flight later, I made it to Rome and the previous transits were all a blur. Asian Delight is where I’m staying. Totally weird name for a bed and breakfast, but turns out that it’s actually just a really nice, rustic apartment. This is way better than my apartment in London, but really, my apartment in London is a piece of shit, so it doesn’t take a whole lot to top it. Got ripped off by the “cab driver” who said he was going to take us to Vatican City, but really he stopped at a gas station a few bocks away from the Vatican and said “I need petrol, Vatican five minute walk,” forcing us to sprint several blocks back and forth in the rain tying to find wherever the hell we were supposed to meet our tour group (we were running late—traffic in Rome is nuts!). But we made it. Sistine Chapel and the rest of Vatican City have been seen by my eyes. And I think my neck is still aching from all the ceiling gazing. And I’ve eaten some really delicious pizza and pesto pasta and I can tell that this week in Italy is going to make my stomach happy.

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After Stonehenge we went to Salisbury, England, which turned out to be a really great, small town. This is inside the Salisbury Cathedral, a famous cathedral which houses the Magna Carta.

After Stonehenge we went to Salisbury, England, which turned out to be a really great, small town. This is inside the Salisbury Cathedral, a famous cathedral which houses the Magna Carta.

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We went to Stonehenge a week ago and, if I’m absolutely honest with you, I have to say that it was, well, not like you might expect. Upon first glimpse of it I thought “that’s…that’s it?” It’s much more compact than I had imagined. I’ve seen photos of it and it looks so spread out—not the case. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still cool and, as you walk around it, you still ask “What the hell is this?”

We went to Stonehenge a week ago and, if I’m absolutely honest with you, I have to say that it was, well, not like you might expect. Upon first glimpse of it I thought “that’s…that’s it?” It’s much more compact than I had imagined. I’ve seen photos of it and it looks so spread out—not the case. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still cool and, as you walk around it, you still ask “What the hell is this?”

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Lolita Comes to Regents

I’m sitting in my Script Analysis classroom a couple minutes before class starts. One of my classmates, a European student who goes to the school full time, walks in, leather Louis Vuitton bag on her arm. She sits down next to me. Class starts. We’re discussing a short film called No Man’s Land and I look over at the girl sitting next to me because she’s saying something about how the people in the movie would never get along or something like that, I’m not really sure because when I look at her all I notice is the bag sitting on a chair next to her. It’s not the bag itself that I notice, but the two large, black eyes looking at me from within the bag. These eyes belong to the body of a tiny Chihuahua. A very fashionable Chihuahua. It is fashionable because it is wearing a winter coat complete with a fur-rimmed hood. The dog is staring at me. I turn away and bite my lip to keep from laughing aloud (this only half works).

“What is the dog’s name?” I ask the girl at the end of class.

“Lolita.” She tells me. “Or Lollipops.”

I like that. You can tell I like it because I repeat “Lollipops.”

“I had to take her to the vet before class. Normally I wouldn’t have her with me,” she says.

But all I can think about is the fact that the dog has its own tailor fitted, fur-rimmed hooded coat. These people have more money than I will ever know. She walks out of the classroom and the dog stares at me the whole way out the door. I can’t help but laugh partly because I can’t believe that people actually do things like that and partly because of the look of those big, round eyes coming from such a small, hooded dog head.

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The Beatles at The Cavern Club in 1961

The Beatles at The Cavern Club in 1961

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Inside the Cavern Club where the Beatles used to play. This is the Cavern Club at day, which explains why there aren’t so many people inside. We only popped in to check it out at this point, but we returned in the evening and spent our night out there. It was Friday night and Fridays at the Cavern are Beatles days, so various musicians play Beatles music and the occasional request from the audience (such as Oasis—they’re all obsessed with Oasis here—or Leonard Skynard for some reason). There were loads more people when we returned in the evening. Several heavily intoxicated men were dancing in front of the stage, spilling their beer on the floor. A couple of guys approached my friend and I and were surprised to find that I was American. “We thought you were scouse,” one of the guys told me. It took me a minute to remember that “scouse” is what the local Liverpudlians call themselves. I felt a bit honored.

Inside the Cavern Club where the Beatles used to play.

This is the Cavern Club at day, which explains why there aren’t so many people inside. We only popped in to check it out at this point, but we returned in the evening and spent our night out there. It was Friday night and Fridays at the Cavern are Beatles days, so various musicians play Beatles music and the occasional request from the audience (such as Oasis—they’re all obsessed with Oasis here—or Leonard Skynard for some reason). There were loads more people when we returned in the evening. Several heavily intoxicated men were dancing in front of the stage, spilling their beer on the floor. A couple of guys approached my friend and I and were surprised to find that I was American. “We thought you were scouse,” one of the guys told me. It took me a minute to remember that “scouse” is what the local Liverpudlians call themselves. I felt a bit honored.

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Albert Dock on the River Mersey in Liverpool, England When the sun sets, Albert Dock and the area surrounding lights up. There’s a beautiful cobble stoned street bordered by trees laced with white Christmas lights. And when you turn around, you can see the silver ferris wheel glowing. (Liverpool, I love you)

Albert Dock on the River Mersey in Liverpool, England

When the sun sets, Albert Dock and the area surrounding lights up. There’s a beautiful cobble stoned street bordered by trees laced with white Christmas lights. And when you turn around, you can see the silver ferris wheel glowing.

(Liverpool, I love you)

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Lately

Eating lunch on campus and watching the European students walk past is like seeing a fashion show. So much high fashion running around. The women wear fur coats and heals every day and both men and women carry around designer leather bags. This is no exaggeration. Regents is a very wealthy school, one of the most expensive schools in Europe. All these European students make me feel like a slob (they’re all so beautiful), but you know what, I refuse to walk two miles in heals every day just to go to school. And I’ve never been into the whole fur thing. I don’t fit into European fashion and that’s ok with me.

I went to Liverpool this past weekend and it was incredible! The people were so friendly and the place seemed more real in general. What I mean by that is that it was far more laid-back than London and it was full of a larger variety of people. People of all ages. It had a really good, homey, accessible vibe to it. And all of the Beatles stuff was great as well (of course). It’s Beatles day every day in Liverpool and that’s something I can stand behind.

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been in London for a month now. It feels like it’s gone so fast, but looking back, that day that I flew here seems so far away. Maybe that’s because I’ve already seen so many changes within myself. I don’t know if these changes can be detected by anyone other than me, but they’re there. It’s interesting to see how much I’ve adjusted to being in a new place so far away. I know people don’t see Britain as being particularly “foreign,” but if you spend enough time here, you’d be surprised. Try eating the food and tell me that the blandness isn’t foreign to you. Britain takes bland food to a whole new level. They’ve even managed to make Indian food bland! Anyway, it’s cool to see how the city and I have clicked. I don’t know if the whole big, metropolitan city living thing is for me, but it’s good to experience it for a few months. I’m learning more and more what I look for in a place that I’d like to live. In Iowa I learned that a small town/city wasn’t for me. And London is teaching me that maybe a huge (10 million + population) city isn’t for me either. I’m thinking a mid-sized city surrounded by/close to nature (mountains, preferably) would be just right.

But for now I’m in London and I’m going to enjoy that ride.

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Abbey Road Studios in St. John’s Wood, London Watching people pose on the crosswalk is almost like attending a sports match of some sort. Abbey Road is a busy street and a lot of tourists aren’t willing to wait for the ideal time to cross. Local drivers have it rough—there’s always someone standing on the side of the street, contemplating when to pose, and they never choose the right time. Cars always come at the times that the people decide to cross. So I took a seat on the wall in front of the studios/right in front of the crosswalk and I watched as sets of people showed up, posed on the crosswalk and then left. But my favorite is watching how the local drivers react. Some drivers speed up when they see people posing—they speed up and stop right at the last second as if they were really contemplating hitting the people. But most of the drivers stop and wait. And I wonder what they’re thinking about. Are they annoyed? They’ve got to be annoyed, I would be. Did I take a picture walking across the crosswalk? No. But to be honest, that’s only because I was with one other person. I’m going to take one later because I’m sure my family would really get a kick out of it and because it’s the ultimate cheesy tourist picture that you can take while in London (and you know how I like cheesy tourist pictures). And believe me, when my time comes to take a crosswalk picture, I’ll take the extra few minutes to wait until there aren’t any cars coming (it is possible).

Abbey Road Studios in St. John’s Wood, London

Watching people pose on the crosswalk is almost like attending a sports match of some sort. Abbey Road is a busy street and a lot of tourists aren’t willing to wait for the ideal time to cross. Local drivers have it rough—there’s always someone standing on the side of the street, contemplating when to pose, and they never choose the right time. Cars always come at the times that the people decide to cross. So I took a seat on the wall in front of the studios/right in front of the crosswalk and I watched as sets of people showed up, posed on the crosswalk and then left. But my favorite is watching how the local drivers react. Some drivers speed up when they see people posing—they speed up and stop right at the last second as if they were really contemplating hitting the people. But most of the drivers stop and wait. And I wonder what they’re thinking about. Are they annoyed? They’ve got to be annoyed, I would be. Did I take a picture walking across the crosswalk? No. But to be honest, that’s only because I was with one other person. I’m going to take one later because I’m sure my family would really get a kick out of it and because it’s the ultimate cheesy tourist picture that you can take while in London (and you know how I like cheesy tourist pictures). And believe me, when my time comes to take a crosswalk picture, I’ll take the extra few minutes to wait until there aren’t any cars coming (it is possible).

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You’ll never guess where I’m going today. It’s Beatles Day No. 1 So far Beatles Day is not off to the best start. I was going to go with my friends Molly, Nathan, and my roommate whose name is also Molly. But Molly no.1 had to bail because she’s not feeling well (had a bit too much fun last night), roommate Molly bailed because she’s actually sick, and Nathan just called to bail because he got confused and thought he was going to meet me at St. John’s Wood and turns out he already walked there and now he’s heading back because he has to do homework. So I said forget them, I’ll go by myself. I’m going today no matter what—it’s Beatles Day. I’m a bit disappointed in my friends (minus the ones who are legitimately sick), but I guess it’s hard for others to understand just how important this kind of stuff is to me. Oh well, I’m still going. And with one of my roommates Steph. No cheesy crosswalk picture today, but I’ll be back with my lame friends another time. Probably even later this week.

You’ll never guess where I’m going today.

It’s Beatles Day No. 1

So far Beatles Day is not off to the best start. I was going to go with my friends Molly, Nathan, and my roommate whose name is also Molly. But Molly no.1 had to bail because she’s not feeling well (had a bit too much fun last night), roommate Molly bailed because she’s actually sick, and Nathan just called to bail because he got confused and thought he was going to meet me at St. John’s Wood and turns out he already walked there and now he’s heading back because he has to do homework. So I said forget them, I’ll go by myself. I’m going today no matter what—it’s Beatles Day. I’m a bit disappointed in my friends (minus the ones who are legitimately sick), but I guess it’s hard for others to understand just how important this kind of stuff is to me. Oh well, I’m still going. And with one of my roommates Steph. No cheesy crosswalk picture today, but I’ll be back with my lame friends another time. Probably even later this week.

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