Sleeping through New Years… Lame

Today the plan was to go on a Seine River Cruise; see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Saint-Chapelle, explore the Latin Quarter; and to top it all off, celebrate New Year's on Champ-Elysses.  After the long traveling day yesterday, however, I felt even worse than I did before.  I was in no shape for sightseeing.  My brother and I agreed that it would be best if we took the day off and recovered so we could make the most out of the three other days we would have in Paris.  We walked around the surrounding area (see photo), bought some groceries, and returned to the room and rested.  I was running a fever and was really out of it - I managed to wake up in time to see the New Year's countdown on TV, but that was about it.  It was a cold night and it would have been a nightmare getting from Champ Elysses back to our hotel after the celebration, so it was probably a good thing we didn't go, but I still feel like I missed out...  

Traveling Day - Florence, Verona, Paris

Goodbye, Florence!

The plan was to spend half the day sightseeing in Florence, but I couldn't muster enough strength this morning to do so (getting out of bed took a lot of effort).  So my brother and I decided to leave Florence early and go to Verona, and then a few hours later catch a flight to Paris.  Usually it doesn't make sense to travel to another city to catch a flight at a different airport because trains can be fairly expensive (the high speed train from Florence to Verona costs around 30 euros when purchasing it the day of), but due to high seasonal demand for flights from many of the major Italian airports to Paris, it turned out to be cheaper this way.

When we arrived at Verona, we looked throughout the train station, the surrounding area, and the airport for a printing facility so I can print a boarding pass for today's flight (I had printed out all the boarding passes for the Easyjet flights, but had forgot to print this one because it was with Ryanair).  We had no luck finding a printing facility, which turned out to be a huge problem - we found out that Ryanair charges 40 euros per person for printing boarding passes at the airport!  No other airline does this!  We had no choice but to have Ryanair print them off and pay 80 euros.  To add insult to injury, we nearly missed our flight because we had to go to a different part of the airport to get the boarding tickets printed!  Nearly a disaster...

I was still upset about it on the plane, and was hoping the Paris would be kinder.  We arrived at Paris Orly airport at night, took a bus to the city, and then a taxi from the bus' end destination to our hotel.  Our hotel is located in the 19th arrondissement, near Parc de la Villette.  We were both exhausted from our day of traveling and because of our late arrival time, settled for some baguettes for dinner.   

Florence!

After eating breakfast at the B&B, we checked out and went to the train station.  Due to high seasonal demand, most of the trains from Rome to Florence had sold out; we were fortunate enough to grab a couple tickets on the last train to Florence that day (at a little past 11:00 AM).  After we arrived, we checked in at the Hotel and started off on another day of sightseeing.  Although the Vatican is a hard act to follow, Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, surely did not disappoint. Overall, I would say Florence is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen.  My brother and I climbed to the top of the Bell Tower -  the view from there was magnificent (the photo above was taken at the top of the Bell Tower and the building in the center is the Duomo, perhaps the most famous site in Florence).

Florence is a great walking city - my brother and I managed to see many places of interest walking on foot (this would be impossible in Rome, which is far too big for that).    We also had some amazing cake at Gilli, very good hot chocolate at a Gelato shop (it was cold so we were in no mood for ice cream) and another good Italian dinner.

The Vatican

I really wanted to see a doctor here in Italy to make sure I was fit for sightseeing; however, I was informed by the hotel receptionist that I would either have to waste an entire day waiting at a public hospital or spend over 70 euros to see a private doctor.  Neither of those options seemed very appealing, so once again, my brother and I trudged forward.  We checked out of our hotel and checked into a Bed and Breakfast closer to the Vatican - when I got there I found out that I had accidently booked the wrong night!  The owner was very angry but I did my best to diffuse the situation by apologizing repeatedly.  Luckily, he was kind enough to not charge us for the extra night.

After that experience, we walked towards the Vatican, which was about a five minute walk from where we were staying (we actually saw it from the balcony!)  The Apostolic Palace is truly a magnificent sight to behold - it is surreal standing in the courtyard being surrounded by the marble columns, statues, and, fountains and also having St Peter's Basilica in the background.  We were also fortunate that the Nativity Scene and the Christmas tree were still up on the day we visited.

I do have to say though, that the Vatican museum was more awe-inspiring than I could have imagined.  There are so many important paintings and sculptures within the museum that you almost overlook some fascinating things.  To me, the most impressive sights of all were the ceiling of the map room (pictured above) and, of course the Sistine Chapel.  I am quite disappointed in a way because I could not appreciate them fully in my state (I thought I was going to collapse), but they were truly mesmerizing.  The Sistine Chapel in particular is something I am glad I experienced.    

Ancient Rome

I feel absolutely terrible today - I am starting to think that I might have a case of the stomach flu.  But, this is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I can't let my brother (or myself) down - so I have to keep marching on.  Many of the Ancient Roman sites are located within close proximity of each other - so we decided to see those today.  We saw the Colosseum first, which was a surreal experience.  It must have been really something to experience an event here back in its heyday - when you are here, it is not hard to imagine the deafening roar of the crowd while gladiators and exotic beasts fight to the death (all with the emperor in attendance of course).

We also got a chance to see the Temple of Jupiter, the Arc of Constantine, and Palatine Hill, which are all nearby.  In addition, we managed to walk to some very famous places in Rome - the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and of course the Parthenon to wrap up Ancient Rome.  To cap everything off, we had some amazing coffee at Tazza d'Oro and some very good gelato at Gelateria Della Palma.  All in all, a great day of sightseeing!

Euro-trip Memorable Already!

And so it begins!  I woke up at 3:00 AM (I felt horrible - I only had 3 hours of sleep and I feel like I am getting sick) and took a taxi to a bus station.  As stupid as that sounds, the Underground wasn't running at that time, there was a Tube strike scheduled for today, and today was Boxing Day (the day after Christmas is a holiday in the UK as well), so I had really had no choice.  The bus was supposed to take us from West Brompton Bus Station to Gatwick Airport with plenty of time to spare before the flight, but the unthinkable happened - the bus broke down about 2/3 of the way there!  We were stuck in the middle of nowhere and couldn't get any reception with our phones, so we waited for over an hour in the bitter cold for another bus to arrive.  I managed to get to the airport but had to rush through check-in and security; I barely managed to make it through the gate before it closed.

Once I arrived at the gate, however, there were delays and I ended up having to stand in line for about an hour.  After we boarded, there were additional delays, but once we got into the air, it was smooth sailing and we arrived in Rome only about a half an hour late.  I thought I was having a really crappy day, but it turns out that a fellow LSE student I met on the bus (small world, I guess) had it even worse - in addition to all the drama I experienced, he had to deal with the airline losing his luggage!  I wish him the best of luck...

I met my brother at the airport and we took a train to Central Rome.  Once we got off, we had a hard time finding our hotel, but managed to do so after walking around for quite some time and asking locals for directions in very bad Italian.  We were both very exhausted (I had never been so exhausted in my life!) and although we had planned to do some sightseeing on the first day, we passed on that and just rested.  Since it was the 26th (also a national holiday in Italy) many restaurants were closed, but we were able to find a decent restaurant that was open and have our first taste of authentic Italian food.

A Passfield Christmas

Some residents of Passfield got together and cooked a Christmas meal for students staying at the residence hall.  For that, I am thankful!  Because my flight is very early tomorrow morning (I have to wake up at 3:00 AM), my only plans for the day were to make final preparations for the trip and rest; I had regretfully passed on the opportunity to go to an international student Christmas celebration.  (The International Student House and Cumberland Lodge are a couple of the places I was interested in initially).  This, of course came with the risk of not being able to find a good place to eat dinner because almost all grocery stores and restaurants had closed for Christmas Day.

Packing

My Christmas Eve has been fairly uneventful.  I've been really focusing on getting the Euro-trip right so I didn't have the foresight to sign up for a Christmas Eve meal at a local restaurant.  I spent part of the day packing my clothes in the Blue duffel bag in the photo and making sure I had all the documents I needed (confirmations, tickets, etc.)  I'm a little nervous and excited for this Euro-trip - I hope it doesn't snow the day I am scheduled to leave.

Fish and Chips

Today, I decided to have one of England's trademark meals, fish and chips.  It is exactly what is sound like: deep fried fish (usually cod or haddock) served with fries.  In England, they sprinkle salt and vinegar over the chips, which I found a little different.  The seasoning is rather plain, but hey, that's what traditional British food is like!  It is usually a fairly inexpensive meal, even though you often times get a whole filet of fish!  I was fortunate enough to have a good fish and chips shop nearby that offers several kinds of fish; my favorite types of fish so far for fish and chips have been plaice, a type of flat fish, and cod.  Nobody tells you that you will feel like crap after eating it though...

The British Library

The British Library is about a five minute walk from my residence hall.  With over 14 million books, it is the second largest library in the world behind only the Library of Congress and houses some historically significant documents such as the Magna Carta and Shakespeare's First Folio.  Pretty neat!

Revision not Going Well…

My Real analysis class teacher warned the class that we really needed to revise (study) over winter break because it would be too much to do in the Spring.  Yeah, about that... It has been really difficult managing my time between planning for the Euro-trip, writing two essays, cooking, working out, and revising for this half-unit module.  The Euro-trip planning is still consuming a lot of time because I have to develop contingency plans due to the winter weather situation and because there are more complications traveling so close to Christmas/ New Years (I plan to travel from Dec 26th - Jan 7th).    For one, plane tickets are very expensive on certain days due to high seasonal demand, so I have to plan my itinerary accordingly.  Also, it is nice to have a very detailed itinerary to make the most out of the limited time we are going to have in each city (3 days in Rome, 2 days in Florence, 4 days in Paris).  I also have to figure out what to do on New Year's Day (the plan is to be on Champ Elysses in Paris) and also find out what is open the following day (a lot of the major attractions are closed on New Year's Day).  Not to mention the essays are time-consuming as well because I have to do a fair amount of background research for them.

London is Really an International City…

I have mentioned this in passing before, but I think it deserves its own blog entry.  London has a more international feel than I had expected before arriving here.  Every day, I hear a lot of languages other than English being spoken on the street here, even in Central London (combination of tourists and residents of different nationalities).  Also, within a 15 minute walking radius of my residence hall, there are countless different restaurant options available, ranging from American fast food, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, French, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian,  and the list goes on and on.  Maybe this is because traditional British food isn't that great, but still...  It has been good to experience the diversity that is present here in London.

Where is Everybody?

In a previous blog post, I have already mentioned how the atmosphere at Passfield has changed drastically over break.  Since most people that I know have went home or are vacationing, it is very hard to find people who are still around.  I find myself missing the friends that I have made here in London already.  Sometimes I just want to hang out but hardly anyone's around...

Winter Weather may Mess up my Travel Plans...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/18/europe-snow-storm-closes-airports-_n_798729.html

So maybe doing a winter Euro-trip isn't the best idea... For the second year in a row, there have been airport closures and delays throughout Europe due to heavy snow.  In fact, both Heathrow and Gatwick were closed today and will remain closed until at least Sunday.  I am really starting to get worried -  I hope that the snow will clear up by Christmas so I can meet my brother in Italy with no complications.  If my flight gets cancelled, I may get a refund, but that is not the main issue; I do not want to leave my younger brother to fend for himself in a country where he doesn't speak the language...   It would also be a nightmare with the hotel reservations, as I have already made reservations for each city on our trip (Rome, Florence, Paris).

Walking in London is even more dangerous…

Last night, it snowed a little again.  Unfortunately, it melted and then froze on the streets and sidewalks, making it really dangerous to walk outside.  In front of Passfield it is almost like a skating rink due to the thin layer of ice on the sidewalk.

Cooking Everyday Now

Since dinners are no longer served during the break, my friend and I have decided to take turns each night in cooking dinner.  I have found this to be MUCH cheaper than eating out (if I use relatively cheap ingredients, I can cook a very filling meal for less than 3 pounds per person) and it is also nice to have control over both the flavor and the fat/sodium content.  It has been a little time consuming and I will be happy when I am relieved of my cooking duties when the term resumes, but it has been a good experience experimenting/ polishing my cooking skills.

Classic London: The Red Phone Booths

I’ve only seen people use these old-fashioned phone booths a few times, but they are several of them throughout Central London.  They definitely add character to the streets of London, even if a lot of them have ads for call girls on the inside…  The phone booths that are in the photo here are right next to the University of London Student Union, which is about a three minute walk from Passfield.

Must Write Essays... Over Break...

All of the classes I am taking are highly quantitative, so there is very little writing involved.  However, I somehow ended up with unenviable task of having to write two essays over winter break - one on monetary economics and the other on the role of accounting in the recent financial crisis.  Most people had essays due before the vacation, which means they were probably more constrained on time, but that comes with the benefit of having a more enjoyable break.  I also have to continue planning for the Euro-trip - my brother is flying in from the States and meeting me in Rome, so I have to make sure I plan well.

Found a Japanese Store!

My mom is Japanese, so I am used to eating home-cooked Japanese food back in the States.  But here in London, I have not eaten authentic Japanese food because a lot of the Japanese restaurants are fairly expensive and because I lack the ingredients to cook even simple dishes.  I did some research on the Web recently, and discovered that there were a couple of Japanese stores near Picadilly Circus.  I took the Tube today and visited the Japan Center and bought some groceries.  Now I can finally satisfy my craving for some home-cooked Japanese food!  London is a very international city, so if you are looking for ethnic foods, I am sure that you can find it somewhere in the city!

American Companies in London

It is quite interesting observing which American corporations have successfully established themselves across the pond.  Some of the restaurants/stores that stand out the most are: McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Starbuck's, Krispy Kreme, Walmart (Asda), TJ Maxx (TK Maxx), and some American clothing companies (American Eagle, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren etc).

Passfield has Changed

Like I mentioned in the previous blog entry, Passfield rents out the rooms to tourists over the break so they can offer subsidized rates to students during the term.  However, this means that the atmosphere at Passfield changes drastically during the break.  The once lively common room becomes deserted, and every time you pass by the reception, you see tourists checking in/ checking out.  It is also weird to see so many people who aren't students staying here.  Also, dinner is not provided during the break; instead, breakfast is offered everyday, which is a little inconvenient because dinner is a better value.

Moving Out?

The academic year at LSE consists of 31 weeks of classes and 9 weeks of break.  There is some variation in the contract length in residence halls - some are for entire 40 weeks (including breaks) and some are for 31 weeks.  I chose a residence hall with a 31 week contract because I wanted to explore Europe and didn't want to pay for my room when I wasn't living there.  I also didn't plan on traveling for the entire break, so I applied to stay at Passfield for the first week and the last week.  I was assigned a different room over break, which meant that I had to pack everything up and move.  Fortunately, I was assigned a shared room; since my other two roommates stayed at Passfield for the whole break, I could leave my belongings in the room while I traveled (LSE rents out the rooms to tourists during the break, so I would not have been allowed to leave my stuff in the room if I had a single room!)  Just remember that this is not always the case and you should think through this thoroughly when deciding on a residence hall!

Freeze the Fees! Part 2

There was another protest today, and this time around, I got first row tickets as the protesters marched past LSE!  I was wondering why Southampton Row, a fairly major street that I take to LSE everyday, was blocked off this morning.  I had guessed that a protest might be taking place, but it was impressive seeing one in person this time!  It seems like it would be an interesting experience to be a part of, but if you are a study abroad student in London, don't be tempted!  You don't have much to gain (you will be gone in a year and international fees aren't going to decrease) and if you do get in (big) trouble, you could get put in jail, deported, and/or never be allowed back in the UK again!

Christmas Season

It's Christmas season!  This photo was taken in Covent Garden, near the Apple Store.

Where's the Eggnog?

One thing I look forward to during the holiday season is eggnog.  Unfortunately, I discovered that eggnog is not as popular here in the UK - I have not seen any in the big grocery chains like Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco's.  The only place I have found it (sort of) is at Starbucks, which sells eggnog lattes during the holiday season.  I almost want to ask for just the eggnog (without the coffee) but I guess this will do.  Speaking of Starbucks, they are quite popular here in London as well.  The three main coffee chains that I have come across in London are Starbucks, Cafe Nero, and Costa Coffee; the latter two are Italian coffee chains.    

Nice Car!

Central London is a rather expensive place to live - that is why it is not unusual to see some very nice sports cars around this part of town.  

Hard Water

If you have noticed that you are losing hair or that your hair and skin are becoming unusually dry, you are not alone.  London is notorious for having water with a high mineral content, which causes minor temporary hair loss and dry hair/skin.  I guess that means that you have to use more conditioner/lotion.  Oh, and guys probably shouldn't wear shorts during the Spring/Summer.     

Fearless at Intersections

Before studying in London, I had never really lived in a city atmosphere before, so that was a little bit of an adjustment at first.  There were a lot more people in the streets than what I was accustomed to and I also had a hard time gauging when it was safe to cross an intersection.  It didn’t help that people drive on the left side of the road here, so initially, I looked the wrong way when trying to judge when it was safe to cross.  On the first day I was here, actually, I almost got hit by a police car, which would have been quite ironic.  But now that I am used to it, I have become rather bold – I don’t wait for the crosswalk light to turn green and I sometimes cross in the middle of the road if no cars are coming.  You could say I became an urbanite in a short time…   

F*** ME It’s Christmas! – Another Night of Clubbing

To end the term the right way, a group of us from Passfield went to nightclub called Debut, located under the London Bridge. And yes, F*** ME it's Christmas was the name of the party.  The location of the venue was very nice and the party was what you would expect out of the college student oriented London night scene.  It was a fun night and I would recommend checking this place out once if you are into this sort of thing!  

An Accounting Midterm Tomorrow you Say

Tomorrow, I have an accounting midterm and a marked assignment for Monetary Economics.  For both of these classes, this is the only marked work I have during the Term, so there is quite a bit of pressure to do it well.  Especially with the homework assignment, I have to be more precise than what I am used to being since at LSE, they expect you to expand and go beyond what is directly asked for the question at times!  

Snow in London (and of course, a snowball fight!)

Apparently, we had the coldest November in the UK since 1973.  It was quite difficult motivating myself to leave the warm room and walk a mile in the windy, freezing conditions, but I managed to will myself to do it most of the time (other people bought bus passes and rode the bus to LSE each way).  And today, it snowed enough to accumulate!  Of course, my friends and I celebrated with a snowball fight right outside of Passfield Hall.

Euston Station - A View of Train Stations in London

I thought it would be good today to include a picture of the nearby Euston Station train and tube station.  The station is very big and has many places to eat – I find myself coming here from time to time to grab a bite to eat because it is so close to where I live.  I must say though, that Saturdays and Sundays are very busy at train stations – I went to grab a sandwich but a few of the shops had ran out!

Queues

Three months have now elapsed here in London; it is hard to believe that I still have not blogged about queues!  “Queuing” refers to standing in line.  This is a rather convenient word to use (one word vs. three words for “standing in line”) and you find yourself using this word quite often because, well British people like to stand in line.  It is nice how orderly things are in London; however, it can be annoying sticking to this rigidly when there is hardly anyone around (must be the rebellious American in me).  

Where are the Street Signs?

This has been an issue ever since I arrived in London.  I have gotten more used to it, but I still feel a little uncomfortable navigating areas I don’t know too well due to this annoying fact about London – they do not have street signs at intersections.  Instead, they have the signs on some (not all) buildings near an intersection, so it can be slightly confusing at times…  When we go out and try to find a place, I have been saved many times by my roommate’s GPS on his Blackberry.

Canterbury Cathedral and Leeds Castle

This Saturday, I went on an outing subsidized by LSE to Canterbury Cathedral and Leeds Castle.  Canterbury Cathedral was an impressive work of architecture that has been largely intact since the 13^th century.  It was quite awe-inspiring seeing the stained glass windows and experiencing an atmosphere that seems unchanged since the Middle Ages.  The next site, Leeds Castle was interesting in its own way – it was a very picturesque castle that has been a filming site for a few movies, including Harry Potter.  Since families actually resided in the castle until the 20^th century, they had furniture and decorations from late 19^th century – not quite authentic but still interesting.     

The Comedy Store Revisited

Since we enjoyed going to the Comedy Store so much, we decided to do it again!  This time, the lineup was completely different but it was still a blast.  A good laugh (or many of them) is guaranteed!

Thanksgiving in London

I have found that at certain times during the year, I have missed home much more.  Thanksgiving was one of those days.  I just wanted to be home, have a good meal, and share a relaxing day with my family.  Passfield Hall had a Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday; I appreciated the effort, but it was still not the same… Apart from the first week, I have not found myself to be too homesick though – I have been constantly stimulated by the experience of studying abroad and making new friends, which has kept my mind off of home.  Oh, and Skype and Facebook are great – you can still feel somewhat in the loop 4000 miles away from home.  

ATP Tennis Tournament at the O2 Arena

This year, London hosted the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the match through some friends.  They bought the tickets in bulk and for a certain date/time before the match-up was determined, which gave us a good discount on the tickets (I paid about 12 pounds).  Luckily it was a pretty good matchup – Tomas Berdych vs. Andy Roddick.   It was an interesting experience to watch professional tennis live for the first time and soak in the O2 arena, which was a very interesting place.  It is a huge venue that has been home to numerous events/concerts and has many restaurants, small shops, and exhibits.  

First Office Hours Attended

Today I attended the office hours of a class teacher for the first time.  I was slightly worried because I was a little stuck  on my Real Analysis homework so I decided to seek some help at the Columbia House, where LSE’s Math Department is located.  My teacher was nice and willing to help me understand concepts, but since class is generally used to go over problem sets, she could not really help me with the homework problem that I was stuck on.  Which is a little unfortunate since homework grades factor into our class grade at the end of the year…

Clubs and Societies at LSE

There are countless clubs and societies at LSE, so if you want another way to meet people with similar interests/ broaden your horizons, joining club(s) would be a good option.  I would definitely recommend going to the LSE Fresher’s Fayre in the First week of the term – there you can talk to representatives from each club and get a feel for what each club is like and pay the marginal (1-10 pound) registration fee for clubs you are interested in joining.  Don’t sign up for too many though – you may be enthusiastic at first but then you begin to realize it is hard to be an active member in several clubs while balancing other interests!  In the photo above, my two roommates have painted their face blue as part of an activity for the LSE charter of AISEC. 

Is that a bus?

In London, you will sometimes come across a bus that looks like two buses connected together by an accordion.  These buses are yet another distinctive part of London.  I have sometimes wondered how the driver can turn…

London - Always Under Construction

According to one taxi driver, construction has been going on near Russell Square (causing unnecessary traffic) for over 3 years now.  I don’t know if this is the same across all parts of London, but this has been one aspect (or eyesore) that I have encountered everyday walking to and from LSE.  It also seems that they start construction in new places without finishing up the previous place as well…

All-Access: Entry into 6 Different Nightclubs for 7 Pounds

We got a pretty good deal through a UCL student in which we got at ticket that allowed access into 6 different nightclubs as well as free shots at a few of the venues.  The clubs we went to were Penthouse and Tiger Tiger.  Both of these clubs were very good – Penthouse had a very good view of the London skyline and each floor had different types of music while Tiger Tiger was a nice, well spread out place with plenty of places to sit and chill with friends if you want to take a break.  Remember with London nightclubs don’t leave if it’s “too early” – most places don’t allow entry after 2:00 AM!

Planning for a Euro-trip is a lot of Work...

Over Winter break, I want to go to France and Italy, so I have been busy trying to plan out the trip.  There is really a lot you have to consider, including which cities to visit in limited time, where to stay in those cities, how to get to city to city, whether or not certain attractions are closed during certain times of the year, figuring out how much it is going to cost, etc.  If you are planning on traveling during a peak season, I would recommend buying airplane tickets ahead of time, especially if you are flying on a budget airline because the prices are all determined electronically.  Also, if you are a US passport holder, then you do not have to worry about a visa for traveling Europe.  If you are not, however, you have to apply for a Schengen Visa; if you have been in the UK for a short time (most likely the case) it is difficult to get the visa during the winter break.

More on Meal Deals in London

Now that I have been in London for almost 2 months, I have a much better idea of the Meal Deal offers at many of the major stores and can give a rundown of each offer:

Tesco 2 pounds – Cheapest of the Meal Deals, but what is included in the meal deal is limited.  Sandwiches are minimal, but pastas are decently filling if not satisfying.  Decent selection of sides/drinks as long as they do not run out. 

Sainsburys 3 pounds – Better sandwich selection/quality than Tesco; it is kind of the midrange for Meal Deals.  Selection for side, however, is maybe even more limited than Tesco.  Also baguettes and wraps not included in the Deal.

Boots 3.79 pounds – The best value of all the Meal Deals, albeit the most expensive.  Can choose any drink, side, and main from the shelf.  This means that if you get an Innocent fruit smoothie (1.95 lbs), a good sandwich or salad (2.80) lbs and your choice of side (yogurt, carrot sticks, fruit pack, carrot cake, etc.) you save almost 2 pounds with the Meal Deal.  Definitely a quality/quantity issue here – you could almost buy 2 Tesco Meal Deals instead if you are willing to sacrifice your taste buds. 

Subway 2.29 pounds for the Sub of the Day – Sub of the Day is usually a good lunch option as well.  Some of the Sub of the Days aren’t very good so you have to know what day to get it.  I personally prefer Wednesdays (Turkey and Ham) and Thursdays (Italian BMT).  The good thing is you can choose what you want in it.  I usually find myself paying an addition 2 pounds to make it a footlong when I don’t eat breakfast. 

There are countless other options for eating inexpensively in London that aren’t meal deals – Pret a Manger, Eat, Sticklers (actually I think they have a meal deal), Greggs, Wasabi, Food and Wine stores, etc, but meal deals offer good value as they include a drink and a side that would normally cost at least a little more if bought individually.  You may have to indulge once in a while though – after eating a few of these meal deals consecutively, you will most likely get to the point where you NEED something of higher quality.   

Oh oh - Falling Behind?

LSE runs on a fairly intensive schedule in which each course covers a lot of ground each week.  With quantitative courses, there are very few examples that are provided during lectures.  Therefore, if you’re not careful, you could end up falling behind rather quickly and feel a little lost.  That is how I was feeling this week, so I decided to clamp down and try to catch up over the next couple of weeks.   Some students at LSE wait until the breaks to catch up, but I would not recommend this if you are a General Course student.  Unlike them, your performance in your class is a component of your grade, so you do not want to do poorly on homework assignments because you didn't understand the concepts.  There is also too much material to learn just over the breaks (what some LSE students do).  Plus we are here for only a year, so might as well explore Europe/UK during the break instead of studying!

Alright Laundry Machine, You Win

Passfield Hall really needs to get new driers.  I know that energy/rent is expensive in London, but I should not have to spend the equivalent of $16 to do a couple weeks worth of laundry or stay up really late waiting for the 3^rd drying cycle to finish.  I may start going to a Laundromat to get my laundry taken care of…  It is slightly inconvenient though as you would have to walk 2-3 blocks carrying a huge bag of laundry…

The Days are Getting Awfully Short...

Although it is quite obvious that the days get shorter and shorter in the winter (until the winter solstice anyway), the effect is quite prominent in the UK because it is farther north than most of the United States.  In the middle of November, the sun starts to set at about 4:30.  London does not get enough sun as it is due to overcast skies; the shortening of the days makes London even drearier.      

Nice Belated Birthday Dinner

Today, for dinner we went to restaurant called Joy King Lau in Chinatown.  It was huge restaurant – they actually had an elevator that took us to the floor in which we ate.  The food was good and the prices reasonable (for London anyway).  The service for our table was a little spotty – perhaps they misplaced our order?  Afterwards, we went to Leicester Square and got some ice cream from a Haagen-Dazs shop.  All in all a tasty Saturday! 

Birthday in London!

From the moment the clock stuck midnight, my friends made sure that I had a memorable birthday.  I was blindfolded and hauled to the common room, had cake stuffed in my face, tossed into the air 21 times, took 21 birthday punches from 5 people all at once, covered with icing and shaving cream, and forced into a cold shower.  Some of these birthday traditions I was used to, others I was not…  Either way, it was nice to be able to share this experience with some of the friends that I have made in the couple months that I have been here.   

Lunch in Covent Garden

The location of LSE is nice in the sense that it is fairly close to the famous Covent Garden district, well known as place for commerce since the Middle Ages and still home to many shops and restaurants.   Today, one of my roommates and I went to a Mexican restaurant and had a burrito – haven’t had one of those in a long time!  We later walked around the area a little bit and found some very cool open air markets, including the one in the photo here.  

Freeze the Fees Protest

This year, there has been quite a commotion about the newly elected Liberal Democrat/Conservative Coalition’s proposal to raise tuition by £7500.  Here in the UK, people have had free or very inexpensive secondary education for a long time, so there is quite a bit of opposition to the proposed raise in fees.   Many people from my residence hall, including one of my roommates, went on a protest that took place in front of Parliament.  From what I hear, it was peaceful towards the most part until the end, when a group of protesters became quite rowdy and made international news.  

Finally Getting Used to These Coins

Another thing that I didn’t foresee before coming here was the adjustment that I would have to make to a different currency in the UK.  Sure, I was aware of the exchange rate and the difference in coins and bills, but I didn’t think I would be as slow as I was giving change to a cashier because I couldn’t identify the coins quickly enough.  The coins also come in different denominations: 1p,2p,5p,10p, 20p, 50p, £1, and £2.  The £2 coin especially throws me off – for a coin, it has a lot more purchasing power (over $3) than what I am used to in the States.  The denominations for the bills are similar: £5, £10, £20, and £50.  However, they are worth a lot more due to the exchange rate (but somewhat negated by the high price level in central London).

Dinners at Passfield

Passfield Hall is the only LSE residence hall that has dinner included in the fees.  Since everyone in the Hall is usually at dinner at some point or another every day (between 6:30 – 8:00), this is a great time to socialize with other residents.   As a result, Passfield has a reputation for being one of the more sociable halls.  The other residence halls might have a better eqipped common area, they are not utilized as much as the common area here due to a difference in atmosphere.  The food at Passfield is okay – they usually have a wide selection (three different entrees, four different sides) and give you good portions, so if you have a normal metabolism, you are okay.  Unfortunately, my metabolism is very high and they do not offer seconds, so I do not find the dinner here to be enough food.   

Even the Elevators Have British Accents!

When you study abroad, you often take notice of many small but interesting differences between your home country and your study abroad location that you would have never found out by reading a travel guide.  It is quite interesting to hear the elevators say “Lift going down” and “Doors closing” in a British accent.  It starts to grow on you after a while.      

Guy Fawkes Weekend, but Catching up on Studies...

Guy Fawkes Weekend is similar to the Fourth of July in the United States in the sense that it is a national celebration with fireworks displays all over the city.   It is not a celebration of independence however; rather, it is the celebration of a failed assassination of King James I in the 17^th century.  It is quite odd and slightly disturbing that they still burn Guy Fawkes in effigy every year…  I, however, did not have a chance to go see the firework display because I was buried with work.  If you study at LSE, there will be times when you feel like you are missing out on some of the interesting cultural experiences here due to the workload…

Friday Nights at Passfield

Our hall is unusually social for an LSE Residence Hall so residents often go to clubs and parties as one big group.  But on nights where there isn’t a scheduled outing, most people usually sit in the common room or the dining room and hang out.   My friends and I try to make it more exciting as well…  We were wearing plastic bags over our heads because it was raining - not the best umbrella to be sure.  

Textbooks

For the most part, it seems as though textbooks are much cheaper in the UK (perhaps even half price?) .  Although living costs in London are higher than those in most other American cities, these kind of savings make it easier to live within one's means.  In addition, the LSE library has an extensive Course Collection section, so students can check out required texts  for 24 hours, 3 days, or 1 week, depending on book.  These books can be perpetually renewed, so long as other students do not request your copy.  Therefore, it is possible to get through the academic year without buying any textbooks!  You only really need to a buy a textbook if you either plan to keep it as a source of reference or if you are worried that all the library copies will be checked out at certain points in the year (this is unlikely for most classes because the library stocks a large number of textbooks).  

Wednesdays are AU Nights

At LSE, most people have a light schedule on Wednesdays by design – the School encourages students to participate in clubs and societies on these days.  I hear from friends in these clubs that they play a match and usually go out to a bar/club afterwards.   So if you are interested in studying abroad at LSE and want to play a sport here, that is how it works!  They have most sports here (except swimming, American Football, and baseball), and for some of the sports there is no skill requirement, so if you think you have the time, go ahead and try something new!

Soane Museum by Candlelight

Today, we had another Emory outing – this time at the nearby Sir John Soane’s Museum, which is a house that is filled with valuable paintings, sculptures, and accessories collected by an 18^th century British architect.  On the first Tuesday of the month, the museum has special evening hours in which the entire house is lit by candlelight.  There was a ridiculously long queue for this exhibit, so you just knew that the Museum would not disappoint.  And it didn’t – it was rather interesting seeing the various things that Sir John Soane collected from around the world.  Perhaps it would be easier to view everything in sunlight, but the atmosphere was great.  Afterwards, we went to Pizza Express, and I had quite a big meal there as well.

Rise and Shine!

Halloween on a Sunday is awfully strange.  If you go out and stay out late, it will make Monday much more painful than they usually are.  But that is what I did.  And it was quite fun.  Yes, I did go to bed at 5:30 and then attended a 10:00 lecture.  Without coffee.  Just remember, in London, because there are so many nightclubs, you could practically pick any night of the week (except Sunday usually) and find a place that has a reduced entry for students that night.  This is good because clubbing can get expensive – without student deals, you can expect to pay anywhere between 7-20 pounds just for entry (it will be much more expensive if you drink when you arrive).  Just don’t let clubbing midweek interfere with your studies…

Halloween - Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes and Ministry of Sound

British people don’t really celebrate Halloween like we do – no trick or treating.  But, they do wear costumes, which made clubbing that much more interesting.  First, we had a Passfield outing at the nearby Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, which is a cool old-fashioned bowling alley that was nice enough to have an open bar for a limited time.  Next, we went to the Ministry of Sound, which is regarded as one of the top nightclubs in London.  And it did not disappoint.  There was a lot of energy here and there were four rooms with different music.  Passfield also rented out a VIP room, which was nice because it was the only place in the club with somewhere to sit.      

Last Minute Costume Ideas

Tomorrow is Halloween, so this morning one of my roommates and I went looking around for a costume.  First, we went to a Soho costume shop, which needless to say was packed from a rather early time (11:00 AM).  The costume store was very big (4 stories) but slightly expensive, so I decided to hold off on buying any costumes.  We later went to Oxford Street and checked out a few stores for some accessories.  I found some things that I liked there, which I will unveil as part of my costume tomorrow…  

Should I Stay or Should I go?

At LSE, it is quite normal to have 2-3 days that are very busy and to have 1-2 days that you have hardly any lectures/classes.  It is also quite common that you have an awkward break in the middle of the day in which it doesn’t make sense to walk all the way back to your dorm room, so you have to stay on campus and presumably study in the library.  I have such a break from 12:00 to 5:00 on Fridays.  If I walk there and back it is 45 minutes of time wasted so I generally stay in the library for about 4 hours (after a lunch break).  At times, I get a lot of work done, but it can also be quite brutal.      

Pros and Cons of a Shared Room

Living with freshman as an upperclassman has been a fun and interesting experience for the most part.  In some ways, it has been like freshman year all over again; my roommates are much more inclined to go out than most other third-year students. This has been a good way to experience many different things in London.  But at other times, I have to commit more time to studying so there have been times where our study/sleep schedule did not match up too well.  All in all, I would recommend living in a shared room if you are planning on staying in a residence hall while studying abroad because it is usually much cheaper and has a more social atmosphere, which more than makes up for the downsides in my opinion.

Public Lecture – The Upside of Irrationality

Almost every week (or in some cases more often than that) LSE hosts some very interesting guest speakers, which is an interesting complement to what you learn in your courses.  The speaker I saw today was a prominent professor from MIT whose field of study is behavioral economics.  He presented the information in a very interesting way and had a good sense of humor.  Overall, I enjoyed the lecture and would like to attend more in the future! 

Preparing Lunch for the First Time in London

It has been over a month since I arrived here, but today was the first time I have (or have assisted in) preparing lunch.   It is usually difficult finding the time to prepare lunch – you either have to prepare it the night before and bring it to campus or have a rather large break in your schedule sometime in the midmorning – early afternoon, which is usually pretty rare.  Luckily, on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I have no lectures or classes in the afternoons, so it is possible for me to make my own lunch on these days.  Unfortunately, cooking requires a little preparation beforehand (buying ingredients) and some time to prepare, so I have not taken advantage of the favorable schedule as much as I would like.  Nevertheless, it was good to have a home-cooked meal, control what you eat, and eat cheap! 

Late Night Mischief

Unintentionally, my roommate had a rather interesting night.  We were very hungry around 10:30 PM so we decided to run all the way to an area around LSE to grab a hot sandwich from a sandwich shop called Don Quixote’s.  Then, on the way back, we were asked by a guy on the street whether we wanted a happy ending tonight (we laughed and refused).  We then stopped by a Food and Wine Store and asked for the strongest liquor they had in stock.  We ended up drinking the small bottle of absinthe straight when we got back to the room.  It was tasty, but hard on the throat (absinthe is usually diluted with water for a reason).

Electronics on Tottenham Court Road

Tottenham Court Road is also a pretty well known road/ tourist spot in London as it leads to Oxford Street, and further down, Soho, Covent Garden, and Leicester Square.  There are a number of shops and restaurants on this road as well; there is also one area that contains quite a few electronic stores (Panasonic, Bose, Apple, etc.).  One of my roommates and I went there today and he bought some Bose Headphones.  We also window-shopped and looked at some of the latest in TVs, cellphones, and laptops.

Kenwood House, Highgate Cemetary, and a Big Lunch!

Today, I had another Emory outing where about a dozen students studying abroad from my home university in London gathered and went sightseeing.  Today, we went to North London and saw the Kenwood House, a beautiful 18^th century house with interesting paintings inside, and Highgate Cemetary, where famous people such as George Eliot and Karl Marx are buried.   I also had a rather large meal at a pub in which I got almost 2000 calories!  Don’t worry healthy eaters, this is not the norm at pubs (although pub grub is usually not the healthiest) – this was mainly due to my choice of food – a huge glass of coke, 12 oz ribeye steak, chips (British for fries), and a chocolate brownie and ice cream for desert.   

Hilarity at the Comedy Store

This Friday night, we decided to go to a well-known Comedy Club called the Comedy Store in Leicester Square.  We went to a show called the Best in Stand Up, which costs 9 pounds if you are a student.  The show was very good – all 5 comedians were very funny, each with some very memorable routines.  Just make sure you don’t (or do depending on your perspective) sit in the front row of the audience – they usually give you a really hard time!  

Slightly Old News but LSE Professor Wins Nobel Prize!

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2010/10/NobelPrize.aspx

Last week, Professor Chris Pissarides won the Nobel Prize in Economics!  That brings the total number of Nobel Prizes won by former LSE students and professors to 16.  It is definitely interesting to be part of a community (albeit for a year) that includes researchers at the forefront in their fields and also this year’s recipient of the Nobel Prize!

Clothes Shopping on Oxford Street

If you want to buy clothes or if you would perhaps like to window shop, Oxford Street is definitely a good place to go.  Oxford Street is about a mile and a half long and just packed with stores; in fact, with over 548 shops in this stretch, it is the busiest and most dense shopping district in all of Europe.  From low end to high end and with special designer stores as well, there is bound to be something that you are interested in here.  In fact, even though I am usually a thrifty spender, I found it difficult to resist the urge to splurge (luckily I did!)       

Reflections on the First Few Weeks of Class

So, I am sure that some of you reading my blog are interested in what the academic life is like at LSE and perhaps in the UK in general.  So far, I would say that the material here seems a little more challenging than what I had back home, and the style of teaching is definitely different.  I have put in more time outside of class to stay on top of the material (more time in the library than I did previously).  I have had to hand in homework assignments fairly frequently for a couple of my classes (econometrics and real analysis) but in my other classes (accounting, monetary economics), I did not have to turn in the assignments.   Here, the marks on the assignments don’t count toward the grade for LSE students (although it can in some cases count towards your class grade for General Course) so many students do not take the assignments seriously and fall behind.  So, having the assignments count toward your grade is actually good in a couple of ways – you will probably be more on top of your work than a lot of your peers!  

Narrow Alleys in London

Today, a classmate and I decided we wanted to try something different for lunch so we walked towards Lincoln Inns Fields and found this alley that was hidden from the main street and led us to area with some shops and restaurants.  Even though the Jack the Ripper slayings occurred in a different part of London (East London), these narrow alleys seem a little spooky and reminded me a little bit of this darker history of London.   

Transport in London

Sundays in London are generally pretty quiet as I’ve stated in other blog entries.   I usually use this day to catch up on studies and watch (American) football – yes I am in the United Kingdom but I still follow American football as much as I can.  Instead I will cover something that I experienced nearly every day but still have not wrote about: public transportation in London.   The photo I have here is a standard Overground bus (with Big Ben in the background of course).   The fare for a bus is a fixed rate of 1.20 pounds with an Oyster Card and 2.0 pounds without one, while the fare for the Tube depends on how many Zones you travel through.   For traveling in just zones one and two (most places you would want to go in London), the rate is 1.80 pounds with an Oyster Card, but the Tube is significantly faster than the bus for longer distances.  

The British Museum: Part One

The other day, when I was walking back to my dorm room with one of my roommates, we were asked by a couple of tourists which way it was to the British Museum.  At that point, we told them “Ah crap, no clue,” but after going there today, we know now!  It is actually rather close to our residence hall.   The building itself is very impressive.   We got there a little late (they close at 5:30 on Saturday), so we only got to see only one exhibit before they closed (an enlightenment exhibit that was really cool), but we will definitely be back.  After all, many of the museums in London are free so why not take advantage of them? 

Finally a Bank Account

After almost three weeks in London, I finally opened a bank account today.  I opened it at a branch of NatWest on the LSE campus.  Many students at LSE and the nearby King’s College open accounts at this branch, so you have to wait at least a week for an appointment time. If you’re going to be in the UK for a while (more than a semester) it is nice to open a bank account because it is cheaper to wire money once or twice a year compared to most of the other options.  At many banks, you also receive a debit card, which is nice as well.  If you have an account with Bank of America, you get free withdrawals from Barclay’s ATMs, so this is a viable option as well.   US credit/debit cards work fine in the UK  as well – just make sure to let your card provider know that you will be overseas so that they will not freeze your account for suspicious overseas transactions

Take the Long Way Home

As I walked back from LSE towards my dorm, I saw barricades blocking off the road near Holborn Station (couple minutes walk from LSE).  A police officer directed us away from the scene – he seemed rather uptight about something.  I heard people around me mention something about a bomb threat, so I got as far away as I could from the scene and did not take any pictures.  The US Department of State had sent an email to American students studying abroad in the UK warning us about the heightened risk of a terrorist attack; this incident gave me a new perspective on the issue and scared me a little bit.

Phantom of the Opera

Today, I was lucky enough to attend a showing of the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theater.  I sat in the third row, so I had a fantastic view of the stage.  Although tickets are a little pricey (about 36 pounds normally) I would say if you are in London during the winter, you MUST attend at least one theater performance – they are truly captivating and unforgettable.  The sets were exquisite, the actors were very talented, the music was very good, and the attention to detail and execution was impressive.    

Old Building Adventures

I thought had plenty time to make my first class but alas, I could not find the room so I ended up a little late.  I was not alone – I was with a group of LSE students uncertain of where to go.  After going up several staircases, going through doors that said fire exit only (a lot of doors in the UK have that warning but are for the most part okay) to no avail, we discovered that the staircase we were supposed to go up was outside the building.  Go figure.  Oh, and the name of the building is "The Old Building."  There is also a building called the New Academic Building (NAB).  LSE is rather creative naming some of their buildings.

Grocery Stores at Lunchtime

Meals on average are expensive in London.  That’s why if you’re on a budget, it makes a lot of sense to either cook your own meals or buy sandwiches at a grocery or drug store .  Some of the sandwiches at grocery stores in London are actually fairly decent and you can get a meal deal for 2 pounds (under $5 for a drink, sandwich, and a side).  But be warned: the queues (that’s what they call lines in England) are long at lunchtime! (although they do move rather quickly).