These Boots Were Made For Walking...

...and that's just what I did. All. Day. For hours.

I woke up around 10 and Katie, Lauren, Renee and I finally got cell phones! The phone itself was only 5 pounds, and the pay-as-you-go service is pretty cheap as well. However, since everyone who ever encounterend me with a phone knows that I am text message-obsessed, it hurts my soul that this phone has by far the worst texting I've ever used. The buttons are big hulking things that really decrease typing speed by astronomical amounts. I will suffer in silence.

After the phone purchase, we all walked back to the University of London Union (ULU) and got a free lunch - which was actually GOOD! Wraps with peppers, onions and chicken, and mozzarella and tomato sandwiches on focaccia bread (I apologize to my Italian relatives for the butchering of the spelling of these delicacies). I have renewed hope for the British cuisine.

Then, we went to a student fair where you could sign up for clubs, organizations, and email lists that enter you to win some pretty cool trips to Scotland, Amsterdam and other sweet places. I also signed up for this organization called SHINE that meets once a week -it's a volunteer program where you are put into an elementary school in London and serve as a teacher/classroom aid. I can't wait! I knew I wanted to do some kind of community service while I was here, and this seems the perfect outlet - hanging out with adorable children and fascinating them all with my Yankee accent.

After the student fair, we bought all of our books for our classes. I spend 117 pounds buying 15 books - that's what you get for being an English major. However, my elective class was missing 2 books which my friends and I tried to track down by going to no less than 3 book stores in Soho. None of them had them, so I resorted to ordering them online. However, the walk all throughout Soho and St. Pancras was so awesome - it's such a quaint and fascinating area, and it really reminded me of a more historic looking and authentic Manhattan. The lack of a grid pattern also makes the streets wind this way and that in a really interesting way that makes you feel like you're in a really colorful and exciting maze. However, it also makes crossing the narrow streets a really trying experience.

Once we walked all around town, we got dinner at a Fish 'n' Chips place called Munchkins. It was my first authentic fish 'n' chips meal and I was quite pleased - the cod was pretty yummy and it also came with mashed peas that were surprisingly tasty, although they looked like alien snot. For dessert we got Baskin Robbins and some tea later on. I really dislike hot beverages.. mostly because I feel like you need to buy it 45 minutes before you actually intend on drinking it, unless you don't care for the outer layer of your tongue. But I figured I was under some obligation to try British tea, since they practically pee it. I bought a cup, thinking it would convert me to a tea drinker because it would be so amazing. It did not. Sorry, tea drinkers. I'll stick to water.

That's all for now... tomorrow we have a mixer run by NYU at a local pub called Smithy's from 8 to 12... should be a lot of fun. During the daytime we'll probably go on some sort of excursion nearby, but mostly we'll see where the day takes us!



British term of the day:
"Bang on!" -- apparently, this means "correct" or "bingo!" Example: "Doesn't your mum make a mean bangers 'n' mash?" "Bang on, mate!"