Week 10: Done!

I will combine this week's post with last weeks as this week is the last one of the term. I head to continental Europe for 20 days and I will touring four countries (I don't want to mention specific details just in case some freak is stalking me). I promise full details when I return, in addition to plenty of pictures. What I will say is that I won't be home (in NJ) for Christmas or New Years so please comment on this post and send me love b/c I'll be missing you all. 

Now on to the juicy details. I went to see Wicked last Thursday at the Apollo (not similar to NYC's Apollo Theater). The tickets were subsidized by my residence hall, so a lot of us who may not usually go see plays went because the tickets were cheaper. The Apollo Theater isn't anything special, just a regular theater. The set for Wicked, however, was WICKED! I use to do plays when I was younger (before they stopped being "cool") yet I've never seen such an amazing set. I was also surprised to hear the Wicked Witch of the West have a British accent, not to mention every other character, as well. I'm sure L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of  Oz, would be just as surprised to hear that his children's book made it all the way to England to be changed and rendered by Brits. Not sure if the ole' chap would be welcoming of that. Regardless, the play was nice and the actors had wonderful voices. I didn't expect it to be a musical, I thought it was more of a genuine play, with little song and dance. Yet again, I should not have judged (see week 9 post for reference). Pictures from the theater are below. You'll also see pictures of some of my friends - the Americans whom I usually sing the Star Spangled Banner with at 2 AM after a fun night out. 

The other two highlights from the past two weeks were club nights. Last night and last Friday night I went to clubs that a friend is a promoter for. They were pretty fun, despite the fact that we were all squashed like sardines. No worries though, that's how all Euro-trash London clubs are like. Don't get me wrong, they are always a good time, but there is something unpleasant about some guy sweating on you when you're trying to pick up a girl - not so fun. I'm not sure if I talked about the environment of a UK club so I'll expand on it here. Before I do, let it be known that I haven't been to a club (other than Pike mixers) in Washington or New York before, so I have nothing to compare UK clubs to. Nonetheless, I think UK clubs have their own characteristics. This is why: 

1) Somehow every guy wants to get in a fight. If I'm walking to the bar or to the bathroom I usually try and avoid people or say "excuse me" at an audible level. Yet, some guys walk right into you and look for a fight. I turn right to avoid him, he deliberately turns left to strike my shoulder. Being 5'8 and 150 lbs, I usually don't look for fights - - In fact, I do EVERYTHING to avoid them. Despite my best efforts, I somehow also hit these henched (British word for meat-head) losers and then get stared down. I smile, turn away, and run as fast as I can to the other side of the room. 

2) Shots are small; I'm talking medicine cap small. Come on London, if I spend 2.50 GBP I want a one-way ticket to black-out city, not buzz alley. 

3) British girls are rude. They think they are entitled to something, IDK what, but they are just rude!! 

These are only a few aspects. I'll share more after my Euro Trip. Wish me luck and hopefully I'll make it back alive. Now for the pictures:

 

Week 9: A Very British Thanksgiving

If there has been one thing that I have learned since coming to London it is: don't expect too much! I know this sounds pessimistic and a bit cynical, but I have come to find things more enjoyable here if I limit any preconceived notions or expectations. This week was just another example of how one thing was expected and it turned out to be completely different. Here's the story:

In addition to my new found hobby of paper writing, which I despise, my week included going to see the doctor again and climaxed with  two Thanksgiving festivities. As I promised in last week's post, here is an update from my socialist British medical system experiences. I went to see the doctor again because I was not feeling better. Let me  say before continuing, however, I am not that sick; just sick enough where drinking excessive amounts of alcohol would not be good (and in a binge-drinking city like London, that doesn't fly). So, I saw the doctor during emergency hours, having only waited about 15 minutes (quite impressive). Yet, my experiences from that point on were not good. The doctor was different from the one I visited the week before and a bit more rude. Appointments are only supposed to last 10 minutes (this I don't like) but this lady seemed to be kicking me out around the 2 minute 30 seconds mark (yes, I kept track of time). She dismissed the diagnosis of the previous doctor and told me I probably had post-nasal drip (sounds just as gross as it actually is). After recommending nasal-spray to me, I was told to leave (ouch!). As you can tell, I am not a big fan of the British medical system right now. Not only was the doctor rude, but I don't think the nasal-spray is working! Screw it, I'm going to start aggressively drinking again (Mom, pretend you didn't read that). 

The week ended with two Thanksgiving feasts. My hall serves dinner every night (except Saturday's), so the chefs (that's probably too strong of a word to use) put together a Thanksgiving meal Wednesday night because they knew the Americans would not be around Thursday. Dinner consisted of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing (which was in a ball, wtf?), some pie, and greens. Not quite the Thanksgiving I accepted (should have kept my expectations low) but it did the trick. The second Thanksgiving was the next night. GW hosted a dinner at a pub called "The George" which is a two minute walk from LSE's campus. Because GW paid for it, I kept my expectations low, but it turned out to be surprisingly delicious. Lacking stuffing, gravy, mac & cheese, and a variety of greens, it did have the essentials: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, beats, salads, dinner rolls, a variety of Pie's, and of course, Turkey! The George is located across the street from the Royal Courts of Justice - the building which houses the Court of Appeals of England and Wales & the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. The building is a large grey edifice in the Victorian style, looking more like a church than a court-house. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful building and a wonderful structure to look at while shoving mashed mashed potatoes in my mouth (yum, I already miss Thanksgiving). 

Here are pictures:

(view when I was there - it gets dark around 4 PM, so it was it was pitch black when I took the picture around 6:30)

(above: daytime picture) - see what I mean, looks more like a church! 

(above: The George: I took the picture with the Royal Courts to my back, in order to get the entire building. Apologies for the light being off - not sure how to change the settings on my camera).