Claire in London

Hello! Today was quite an eventful day. I was up at 8 to get to my 10 o’clock Greek History class, but when I got there I found out it had been cancelled! Too bad I had already had an espresso, so going back to sleep really wasn’t an option at that point! I went down the street and had coffee and a long conversation with a new friend from class. From there, I went to the Victoria Embankment to find a spot to sit overlooking the river, do some reading and watch the world go by. Instead of finding quiet solitude, I got harassed for a good ten minutes by a man claiming to be psychic. He was chatting [...]

I am in the second week of class and finally starting to feel like I have a better handle on things. I have made it to every class on time so far (a MIRACLE for me!) and am no longer scrambling around the halls like a rat in a maze, looking for a hidden classroom. Now when I refer to the Strand Campus as being like a maze, I am not joking. Rather than a distinct set of different buildings like my home campus, all the buildings are jammed in next to each other with little to no congruity. Which means sometimes you look out a window and you are looking at just a small square space where the corners/sides [...]

  Peep this pic of the Pieps posing with the Iron Skillet. Class of ’13 and ’15 celebrating our victory over TCU this past weekend. My youngest brother took a picture of me along when he went to get his photo taken so that I could be a part of the magic, even though I’m in London. So proud of this picture, and it is definitely getting blown up and hung on my wall. Love, love, love it. Thanks, Andrew! I know I haven’t updated in awhile. I have been very overwhelmed now that classes have started. Adjusting to a different system has been a challenge – but I feel like I am starting to understand more about what [...]

Let me start off this post by saying Go Ponies! I am so proud of my team, and anyone who knows me knows how badly I would’ve loved to have been there last night. As a long-time diehard SMU fan, one of the things I knew I would miss the most while I was away was football season! Last night was just more proof that good always triumphs over evil! We started off the morning by heading straight to the Musée du Louvre. I was so excited to get there, and as we walked into the courtyard, my mouth dropped. The queue snaked all around the courtyard and doubled back on itself several times. I immediately thought I would be standing in the [...]

Hello! I just returned from Paris yesterday afternoon. and I have to say, it was quite a whirlwind adventure! Tenley and I accomplished everything on our list and more! Our first day, we arrived in Paris at 8:30 in the morning and we went nonstop until after 10 that night! First, we got breakfast at the boulangerie that was voted ‘Best Baguette in Paris 2011,′ and afterward we agreed the award was well deserved! From there, we took the Metro (like experts, I might add) to Notre Dame. The cathedral is nothing short of beautiful, inside and out. The stained glass is incredible, and all the small chapels that line the walls are so interesting. It was different from what [...]

Yesterday I went to a Church Finder’s picnic with my flatmate Lizzie. The event is put on by the KCL Christian Union to help King’s students find  church homes while they are studying here in London. We all met in St. James’ Park, a massive park sandwiched between Buckingham Palace and the Thames. Students from different churches in the area stood up to give a brief description of their church and the service times. From the park, we walked up Oxford Street to All Souls Church. We met up with a few of Lizzie’s friends, including two girls who live just one floor below me at Great Dover! It was a wonderful service, and I really enjoyed the worship portion [...]

Going abroad as an American student is certainly a lesson in humility. Not everyone is as big of a fan of the good old U.S. of A. as we might like to think. And while I have not directly encountered any blatant anti-Americanism, it seems that our reputation precedes us. During our first days here, the IFSA students stayed at a hotel before moving into the dorms. We would encounter people from countries all over the world in the elevators, and almost immediately after the doors would close, they would turn to us and say “Are you Americans?” Sometimes without even hearing us speak. Is it our clothes? Our look? Do we emit a subconscious American obnoxiousness — like a cultural dog whistle that [...]

Yesterday I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and spent just over four hours browsing the massive collection. The experience was incredible and I can’t even begin to recite all the many things I saw. I was able to take several pictures because they allow flash photography in almost every part of the museum! The museum building is beautiful, and I could spot it’s tower from quite a ways away.    Two exhibits that were off limits to photography of any kind were the Raphaels and the Jewelry collection. In the Raphael room, the canvases were massive, lining the walls all around a large set of panels. The fabric panels were in three layers, with the two [...]

Well, we are finally a complete set! All of my flatmates have officially moved in. Our newest resident is an international student from Canada named Kirk. All the rest are U.K. students, and most are from about an hour and a half outside of London. While some felt sorry that Kirk had to live with all girls, I think he lucked out! After all, I have lived with boys and can tell you right now that girls are typically much cleaner, much quieter and much better cooks. (Except me, since I’m loud, messy and a rather unaccomplished chef). Last night we all went to Roebuck’s, our pub next door, for a drink. I am lucky to have gotten such a great group [...]

Because if they can, mine are definitely about to. You don’t realize how much you drive EVERYWHERE in Dallas until you walk around a city like London. My feet forgot what they were for, besides pressing a gas pedal. Today was no different – I walked practically all day. I am having some trouble with downloading photos from my camera into iPhoto, so today I shot all JPEGS. Here are a few pictures from today. Nothing special, but gives you a glimpse of what I saw on my walk.                             That’s all for right now. Hopefully I will have more up [...]