Most of my first day was spent shopping for dorm supplies and napping because of the jetlag, but I also got my last home cooked meal at an uncle's place in Central London (very delicious). Sunday, however, was a lot more eventful. My parents and I went along the River Thames and did touristy things like riding the London Eye and seeing 10 Downing Street (naturally I wanted to see it). We discovered the tube system (London's subway) to be clean, efficient, and convenient. On the other hand, it was substantially more complicated than the DC Metro due to its size. London is a very big city, therefore in order for the tube to reach a majority of population, more lines are needed. Nevertheless, it is extraordinarily practical.
The London Eye (pictured) is the largest "ferris wheel" in the world. We were able to sit in pods and see all of London (hence the name) in a little under a half hour. It gave us a great view of the tourist attractions in London (the House of Parliament, Big Ben, the BT Tower, most of the bridges, and the cities outskirts.) If you ever come to London you must take the ride. 10 Downing Street was next on our list. After having walked across the Waterloo Foot Bridge, my parents and I navigated the government district and saw many of the ministerial offices/parliamentary offices/Queen's Guards HQ (See Pictures Below).
When it came time to move into Hall (my residence for the academic year) I began to relate a lot of my next few experiences to ones that I have had at GW- mostly the nickel and dime part. The dorm room is very small (smaller than GW's freshman dorms) and space is limited for clothes, shoes, books, etc. Most residents use communal bathrooms that include separate toilets and showers. I learned later on that the American students are usually put into shared rooms with two or three people because the Brits are not use to sharing rooms or the concept itself. Most Brits at LSE (only about 10% of the school) have single rooms and share bathrooms, but it is rare to find a Brit in a shared room. My roommate, of course, is an exception. He is a first year student from northern England studying international history. Like most first years, he is timid and a bit restrained because of the overwhelming nature of LSE, but I assured his parents that I would help him as much as possible (my way of helping is making him more social - PUB, PUB, PUB!)
The next few nights and days revolved around several orientation sessions and numerous pub "tours." I met some really cool American students here (from Emory, Gtown, American, and USC) and we've all been spending a lot of time togehter. Like I said, the LSE only has an English population of about 10%, so they are rare to find. 70% of the school is international, including the General Course students (my department). Nonetheless, we met a very nice second and third year group of Brits on Tuesday night who live in our dorm. Most of us were tired from the "raging" the night before, so we stayed in. Finding ourselves bored of simple conversation with repeated questions like "How is America" and "Do you know anyone from the cast of the 'Jersey Shore,'" the Americans decided to teach the Brits drinking games. I've never seen someone's eyes open wider or light up more than I had that night (somewhat similar to what kids look like the first time they discover the candy aisle in the supermarket).I am not going to bore you with more stories of my antics during the night or what the director of LSE told us during orientation, mostly b/c I don't remember. I will, however, end this post with a few thoughts/experiences/discoveries that you may find amusing:
1. Running down the street at 1 AM singing "God Bless America" is neither safe for you nor the people in your group
2. When it rains in London is does not pour. There is this annoying drizzle that occurs and comes down hard enough where one will get wet, but not hard enough for an umbrella
3. In London, like in India, there is always a deal or hidden scheme. For example, after discovering that my dorm room has very little space, I put my belongings in my suitcase in order to avoid making a mess. Last night I discovered that there is a hidden storage compartment underneath my mattress!
4. No matter who you are with, where you are, or what you are doing, a conversation with a LSE student usually comes to be a conversation on either politics, religion, or economic policy.
5. July 4th does not exist on the British calendar; they don't recognize that day
6. There are Asians (Chinese, Koreans, Indians, Pakistani's, Malaysians) everywhere!
7. AMERICA will always be a better country (in every aspect).
8. During the 1940's/50's/60's the LSE was an institution that promoted Marxist teachings. Between that time period, a group of African men came to LSE, studied economics, and learned how bad free enterprise was. Well, upon their departure from LSE and their arrival back in Africa, these men took on prominent roles in their respective countries/tribes. Eventually, these men became the leaders of Africa and used the Marxist concepts they ascertained at the LSE to establish their respective countries economies. Clearly, Africans countries have among the worst economies in the world and often are on the top of lists of failed states. Therefore, LSE takes partial credit in destroying Africa. Since then, the LSE has taken on more of the Chicago style of economics (free enterprise, capitalism).
