Pretending to be Anglican, the Chinese New Year, and (GASP) Studying

Your eyes don't deceive you! This is the SECOND post by me in one week! I think I'd like to pat myself on the back for that one! (Too much sarcasm and self-praise here? Ok. I'll tone it down).

Ahem, so on to the things that have been happening aside from me getting older the past couple of weeks.

First off, let's discuss my "sneaking" into St. Paul's Cathedral without paying the £15 admission. I think the idea was genius. I wanted to check the church out. Last week (or was it two weeks ago already?) was Ash Wednesday. They have services at the cathedral for Ash Wednesday. Two birds. One stone. You see my logic... one little thing. I didn't realize until living here that St. Paul's is actually an Anglican church and not a Catholic one! Truth be told... I was even more intrigued to check out an Anglican "mass" at a "cathedral" (which I mistakenly thought was a term saved for Catholic churches). So off I go. 8 am mass. Mom - you should be proud! ;)
Things I learned/observed there:

• The church. is. amazing. Didn't disappoint in it's beauty. See below for proof.
• They seem to call their priest a "president"??
• The rest of the "mass" seems nearly identical to me. No joke. Except they didn't change their creed. ;)
• The statues in the cathedral are not of any religious figures...but instead famous English solders, and I think a view writers. Weird.
• Their ashes don't stick. Seriously. I thought I'd be "branded" all day per the usual method of American Catholic churches. I feel a little scammed. You couldn't even see mine! 

As for the Chinese New Year...I do have to say I find it slightly humorous that of ALL of the places I've been going out to eat since arriving here in London (which is not many, since I'm on a student budget and trying to save money), I've been to eat in Chinatown TWICE....at the same restaurant both times. Now, granted we went there because our Thai friend assured us that it was one of the best/most authentic. And I can't disagree. It was fantastic. But it's still funny to me. So a couple of Sundays ago, Natalia, her husband Chris and I ventured out into the gross, cold, rain to explore Chinatown for the celebration of the Chinese New Year. They claim to be one of the biggest in the world outside of Asia. However Wikipedia put emphasis on the word "claim" so I assume that it may not be the case....
It was a pretty crazy celebration though. It was a Sunday (with previously mentioned gross weather) and it was still packed. Restaurants were crammed full. Pubs were crowded. The streets even were wall-to-wall. We also finally had peking duck, which was super exciting to me (although my Chinese roommate Paul tells me I don't say "peking" right....but I told him to bugger off).
One of the traditions seems to be what I thought was a dragon going around from door to door of different restaurants and eating lettuce off of the door while a Chinese gong bangs in the background, and then essentially "throwing up" the lettuce back into the restaurant as a sign of good luck. Right. Throw up. What's more, is that now I'm not even sure whether it was a dragon or a lion, because after Googling this tradition it seems that this is actually done by a lion....?? I thought I could tell the difference between a dragon and a lion...but it seems not.)
Take a look for yourself.

 

Peking Duck at the Four Seasons

Now before I move on to the studying portion of this description which I'm only including for 2 reasons: 1) so that my mom and dad actually think I'm doing some work here and 2) to let you know how cool I think studying at pubs is.... let's talk about a few of the random things that I've seen.

List of Randoms:

Random 1 - Swans in the park

I went on another run in Regents Park at sunset (which was insanely beautiful), and ran along the pond. There were two beautiful swans that everyone was taking pictures of. Suddenly they start going crazy. Well, see for yourself.

Sunset over the water in Regents Park

The seemingly docile swans

Well...here's the video of the swans. See for yourself.

Random 2 - People take instruments with them everywhere. Completely unexpected for me to see a girl carrying what looks to be a cello on her back. And I complain about my backpack!!!

Spotted on the loooooong escalator

 

Random 3 - They like mustaches here too!!! (And yes.... I did buy this)

 

At the Camden Market

Random 4 - Valentine's Day dates at a Mexican place in Britain with a dance club in the downstairs.. on a Thursday.

 

Random 5 - Stumbled upon this graveyard over on the East side of London after a day of ice skating. Apparently William Blake is buried there! I felt like this should be meaningful to me... so I took some photos.

Random 6 - Natalia's gorgeous street in South Kensington. Can't deny that a rainy day almost makes this look cooler. I love her area of town. 

The Dirty 3-0

I know I'm a bit delayed on this posting .. but let's go ahead and give me a break understanding the fact that the past week was either spent celebrating, or recovering from my big birthday celebration. In an effort to actually post something (and not make this too long - as my brother Kyle told me nicely "he'd like to hear from me more often but with less length"), I figure I'll post about the birthday celebration and then backtrack to the week before.

So… the big 3-0. Seriously.. I think I could've pulled off a 24th birthday celebration and no one would've been the wiser if I hadn't told them. That said… last weekend truly made me realize how amazing people can be. Between my new friends here going overboard to make me feel special after only having known me for 6 weeks, to my family and friend's from the States calling, texting and sending me birthday cards and flowers (thanks Mary! They are still on my kitchen table!) I can honestly say that I really couldn't have asked for much more (except for my mom being here and making me feel like I'm the most important being on the Earth for that 24 hour period, which she always does!). Even today I was STILL getting birthday presents in the mail (ok it was Mary again, and she spoiled me….but you get my drift).

Mary sent me these awesome yellow roses

Starting last Thursday at school my classmates already were wishing me nonstop "happy birthdays" since we didn't have class Friday. My actual birthday started off with sunshine (something pretty rare this time of year) and coffee which I'm convinced was just for me. I won't duplicate post every photo that was on Facebook, but below are a few to document the weekend.

For some reason I really like this photo with the sunshine watermarks, and my London mug. :)

The day continued with a breakfast of Bloody Mary's, Eggs Benedict and dessert (thanks Branislav).

I went on a run in the park, did a yoga class at a new studio I found, and then had friends over to my apartment for a bit if a pre party before going to The Blues Kitchen. This "pre party" to be clear included some of my all-time favorites: margaritas, a huge vat of homemade guacamole (thanks Chris!) and more French cheese than I've ever had in my life thanks to Sharon's French friend whom I didn't even meet! Not to be a total food dork…but this cheese seriously was out. of. control. (and I'm not just talking about the stinky ass smell it's been emitting from our fridge for the past week! ;)

I realize not everyone appreciates "food pictures"....but tough. I was pretty pumped about all these soft cheeses! And it's my blog! :)

I think this is our first official roommate picture - albeit not the best one since we all have night raccoon eyes

My roommates were all so amazing in making me feel like the center of the universe. Then I did a typical "Kirsti friend merge" and pulled a bunch of people who didn't know each other together for a night to pretend they all were best friends. Between everyone though, the thoughtful cards and gifts I got were so sweet. The rest of the night was spent at The Blues Kitchen (would you expect anything less from me??) ordering the best Manhattans I've ever had and dancing to funk and soul bands. Apparently some other random impromptu dance moves took place (ahem - Australian Andrew and the pole dance?!?!), but lucky for those previously named, I don't have any photographic evidence.

Prime example of friend-merging: Andrew (from class) on the left, Chris (Natalia's husband) and then Alex (Laura - my roommate's - boyfriend).

My friend Dave is on the left, Veronica and Natalia from Uni (who have already made appearances in this blog) and me! :)

Again, friend-merging at it's finest. I managed to pull together an American, an Indian, a Bolivian, a Chinese/Brit and a Dutchwoman. :)

My best attempt at an "action shot"....sorry guys but you got caught! :) This was sort of funny because it's the American KPMG peeps and the American E&Y peeps. They are typically mortal enemies...

Sam and Cristy and the mustache necklace

Fuzzy? Yes…but after the amount of Econ help Valentina has given me this week… I must include her!

My pretty little Bolivian - Veronica

Paul and Veronica are new buds - and I have to say their conversations may be the most entertaining of any I've heard

This is admittedly a ridiculous picture. I'm not entirely sure what is happening other than Sharon and Natalia seem to be wrapping my head in something. But clearly we are having a good time.

Think that was it? Nope! The rest of the weekend was filled with homemade cupcakes (and icing!) and mimosas from Sharon (who thoughtfully took into account the fact that I can't have chocolate since I gave it up for Lent and made me vanilla/lemon cupcakes…

Breakfast in bed from Alex (Laura's boyfriend) who made me an egg and sausage roll as I watched Game of Thrones and recovered. (Although I have to tell you, I didn't realize that an "egg and sausage roll" was essentially an egg sandwich. So, I basically had two egg sandwiches on Saturday.)

And then Saturday night, I met up with new friends on a "friend date" - Deepti, her fiancé Greg, and their friend Kayla. They were honestly amazing. I have to admit, I was feeling apprehensive about another friend date given the night I'd had before…but somehow despite the fact that Deepti and Greg were literally JUST engaged, the entire group got a bottle of champagne and managed to make me feel like the evening was all about celebrating ME turning 30! So sweet! (And it was my first experience with sushi here! Let's say I was not disappointed).

Lastly on Sunday, Jen (my amazing boss from Leo Burnett) and her husband Des were in town and made time to meet with me. Let's rephrase…not only "made time" but also put up with me walking them WAY out of the way to try to find a "highly recommended" pub to satisfy my fish n chips craving despite the fact that they didn't know they signed up for a 5k to do it. Apologies and thanks at the same time… I'm not on my A game in terms of restaurants here yet. But promises to those who visit next, I'll do better. Either way, it was an awesome way to round out the weekend - spending time with loved ones from home. (Well, if we're being completely honest, I finished out the weekend at Jenny and Matt's watching OSU lose to Wisconsin….but I figured I could gloss over that).
Just wanted to thank everyone again for an awesome 30th. I honestly kind of can't believe it's over already. Can't we drag this out into a birthday month!??!?!

It's Not ALL Fun and Games

TGIF! Happy Friday! Hope your week has been awesome, and that your upcoming weekend is even better! So today, I figured that I will give a slightly humorous account of several of the less-than-sexy occurrences of the the past week or two so you don't all seethe with envy every time I post. ;) Not to worry, all is well, but here is a list of a few things showing the less shiny side of my life....

1. Last Sunday (at my friend Sam's Super Bowl party) I sliced thru my finger AND my fingernail. There were no band-aids to be had, so below is the best we could do to stop the bleeding. Let's just say that I'm with Buddy the Elf on this one: my finger had a heartbeat.
   
   
2. Itches!! I came down with what seemed to be hives more than a week ago! Doesn't help figuring out what caused it when literally everything in my life is new, so instead I've been itchy (and embarrassed by the rash) for quite some time. (No picture with this one...lucky for you!)
   
3. Finance-induced tears. This may sound dramatic, but it's sadly true. I got so frustrated this week that I maaaay have bolted from class immediately after to the bathroom and burst into tears. Sigh... let's just say that accounting and analyzing financial statements are not my forte. I think we know where I will not be heading after graduation.
   
4. I had my first terrible tube experience. I was literally shoved into an already-too-full rush hour tube. Picture my face against the window like Steve Martin in Father of the Bride 2 (because I know you've all seen that as many times as me). On top of that, the train seemed to be basically backfiring while moving causing a start and stop motion. It was a lovely ride. And you thought the El was bad!
   
5. Poor English. Ha! I'm pretty sure that the down side to hanging out with a bunch of non-native English speakers is that my English skills are actually deteriorating.  It's like instead of picking up a sweet British accent, I've started speaking with incorrect grammar and using unnatural phrases like a lazy speaker. I'm sure I'll sound way more intelligent by the time I get back to the States with this Masters degree...
   
6. The weather blows. Seriously, this week it has been exceptionally terrible. Yesterday it was sleeting. Somehow I decided to walk to a bar nearly a mile away without realizing just how heavy the rain was. I showed up drenched. And this seems to be the norm. (Although as I sit in my room typing this, it's lovely and sunny out, so maybe I should stop blogging and get outside!)
   
7. The WORST cell phone experiences. Seriously... AT&T, Verizon and T Mobile are like angels in my mind. I switched providers this week because I was so fed up with the customer service at O2 (my last provider). I'm sure they will really miss my £20 so I'm sure I made a big statement by switching. Either way, I was trying to port my old number over to my new provider and it wasn't working for who knows what reasons. So I finally just resigned myself to taking on a new number and told all my "friends" here. Next thing I know I'm getting calls to one number and texts to another. I'm still not entirely sure how this is possible, but there was an hour in time when I didn't know which number was actually working. Seems they were actually successfully porting my number, which is great. But for that hour, things were getting a bit crazy.
   
8. Saturday class. Ok, not just Saturday class. Saturday class with the MOST boring instructor ever, teaching us 7 hours of Business Research Methods - the most pointless topic ever. Last week we spent an hour practicing how to reference properly. I wish someone would've given me the memo so I could've skipped that class. But anyway, now we apparently need a whole day to discuss devising a research plan. I'm fairly certain given how long-winded this instructor is (last week he also went into depth about his Dyslexia), that I could cover the material in an hour max. So I'm meeting a classmate for bloody marys before class and taking my laptop. If you seem me facebooking tomorrow, just assume I've zoned out in class. 
   
   
   
   And while this week was one of the first that I spent hours studying, I'm confident I'll get in a zone and things will start feeling a bit more normal. 
   
   
   On a lighter note, I went to an awesome authentic Indian dinner with school friends on Tuesday. I still don't know what I ate (Randi, Jen, Emily - you still will have to order when we get Indian), but everything was outstanding including the Mango Yogurt smoothies we got to help temper the spiciness. I ate so much I think I could've been rolled out of the restaurant and down the street to my house.
   
   

   

   Veronica passing around one of the many dishes

   
   

   

   Some of the girls in my program. Shamama is the one from Saudi Arabia that ordered most of our food for us.

   

   Mitesh (our other Indian host), Natalia, me and Jan at dinner

   
   

   

   Shamama trying to show us some after dinner weird-tasting food they eat.

   
   
   Also, this weekend is the Chinese New Year which apparently is a huge deal around here. I'm going to have to check out Chinatown again to see what these festivities are. 
   Sunday is live Blues (obviously something I'm looking forward to), and then next week is..... the dreaded 30th birthday! EEek! 
   
   
   Ok, off to go make some coffee and study for me! Enjoy your weekends! 

My Surreal Life

There were several times this weekend when I seriously wanted to stop in my place and either laugh or cry from the insanity that is my life right now. I still cannot believe that I actually LIVE in London! I feel like this is a dream, and I’m going to wake up and be in Chicago any moment.  The fact that I’m already one month in is so wild to me. This year really is going to fly by!! That said, I’m already feeling behind in my updates. The sheer volume of funny incidents, and new experiences I could post about are more than I can keep up with. So here’s a shot at a combination of some touristy experiences, and some Kirsti-craziness that’s sure to make you at least crack a smile. 

First off… I really think this 30^th birthday of mine that’s rapidly approaching is trying to make it’s mark on me. Not only did I find a white wiry hair right on top of my head this weekend, but I was forced to acknowledge the fact that I really suck at walking in high heels these days. Not only do I suck at walking in them (something I already knew), but I actually think it’s taking me longer and longer to recover when I do decide to wear them! This I don’t think is fair. If I’m going to make the effort – say when I go to a salsa club with my roommates – to put on a nice pair of heels and dress like a lady, why is it I should have a painful limp and several blisters for days after?! Ugh. Oh well. Either way, both of those things have made me acutely aware that I’m (shhh) getting….. old! :)

I’m in live music heaven around here. Tuesday I had the easiest time ever convincing two of my favorite classmates/friends (Natalia and Veronica) to go to a bar called Blues Kitchen in Camden to hear a swing band! This was honestly so much fun. They had tons of whiskey cocktails (so an Old Fashioned seemed to be in order), and there were dancers who were doing the Charleston in the middle of the dance floor. I felt like I was in the middle of a Woody Allen movie in Paris. So much fun! I also found out that every Sunday they have a blues jam that I plan to check out next week.

 

 

Swing band - complete with a trombone!

Veronica (from Bolivia) is on the left, me, Natalia (from Russia) is in the purple, and Anna is in the green

This is clearly me showing Mitesh how to do the Charleston. What else would I be doing??

Dance party!

Then Sharon came with me to a bar in our neighborhood (Maida Vale) that supposedly had free jazz on Thursdays. Now this place is really cool… it’s not a typical pub. It’s a bit more modern feeling, but there is a huge outdoor patio and it’s right along the Little Venice canal, so in the summer apparently it gets super crowded. They also have a fireplace and couches, so it sort of had a ski town feel which I really liked. But the band playing consisted of two guys that looked like they walked right out of the late 60s. And the lead singer (reminiscent of Bob Dylan to me), was definitely rocking out. Not at all jazz-like, but still a fun live music night. (All free I might add). The amount of music options around are endless, and I really am loving it!

This is the alleged "jazz" band. See fireplace to the right (next to the guy slumped over looking like a weirdo).

So, the salsa club. This was a first for me. Super excited to go dancing…..however I guess I sort of didn’t take into account that I have no idea how to salsa dance! That seemed irrelevant when I agreed to go a few weeks ago. So I get all dolled up, wear heels (pack flats for later), and get to the club, only to realize we were too late for the lesson and I have no idea what the steps are in salsa. Sharon, my roommate, tried to teach me some of them, but it was actually a huge Nigerian guy who ended up throwing me all over the floor that “taught” me (if you could call it that) how to dance like a Latin American.  Apparently all you need is a guy who knows how to dance to lead you, and you look like a natural! Almost. Trust me though when I say, I’m still limping from that experience.

My roommate Laura (left), Sharon (next to me on the right) and Laura's boyfriend's niece visiting from Australia on the way to the Salsa club.

Sharon (left) and Laura (right) - both of my roommates

Natalia and I at the Salsa club

Sharon and her dance partner

We finally convinced Paul - our 3rd roommate - to come meet us out. He did not salsa dance.

I realize that talking much about going on runs isn’t very interesting. However I’m going to bring it up only because I feel like some of the best pictures I have from going on these runs! As some of you saw on my Facebook post, I just realized pretty recently how close I live to Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles famous Abbey Rd shot was taken. It’s in the neighborhood directly next to mine called St. John’s Wood. A very very posh area, where I think Paul McCartney may still actually live…. But it was a beautiful sunny day last week, so I figured I had to take a few photos!

My run down Abbey Road, in St. John's Wood

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On the same run in St. John's Wood/Abbey Road

This is the actual Abbey Road studio - clearly some graffiti has happened

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I also went on a run with another “new friend” Cristy who also happens to be from Chicago. She lives by Hyde Park, so I took the tube and met her there for a run on Friday since I didn’t have class. Holy crap! What an amazing park! There is a pond in the middle that’s about 2 miles around that has swans, and is right next to the memorial for Princess Di. Again, beautiful sunny day… hard to beat these views!

Entrance to Hyde Park

Another view of Hyde Park entrance

 Another thing I’m realizing about myself as I pack my days full of touristing, trying new things and endless social plans is that sometimes (more noticeably recently) I am just plain exhausted. I’m starting to recognize more my need for alone time, and that sometimes I actually prefer to spend some time alone. So yesterday, I was feeling a bit pooped, and decided that after a leisurely morning omelet and some coffee with Sharon at my flat, that I’d venture out to the Portabella Market in Notting Hill.  Now it’s worth mentioning that there are tons of markets in various neighborhoods of London, and so far I am loving all of them. But this market is one of the more “famous” ones I guess I’d say, and Notting Hill is absolutely one of the cutest (if you can call million dollar homes cute) areas around. The homes are all really colorful, and the market is packed full of antiques, shoe and clothing stores, accessory vendors, live musicians playing on the street, fresh food and veggies, and an amazing number of food vendors selling crepes and other street foods that were assaulting my nose in a wonderful way.  Here are a few of the photos to give you an idea of what the area looks like, and just how crazy busy this market gets in the middle of the day.

Portabella Road - Notting Hill

Portabella Road Market

 It’s hard not to feel like you’re in a movie walking down streets like this, while a Charlie Chaplan street “performer” attracts attention on one side, and while local acoustic musicians are playing on the other side of the street. If the weather hadn’t been so chilly, I probably would have just plopped on one of the sidewalks with a book and hung out all afternoon. It really was pretty amazing. I also was interviewed by some British camera people who were asking people what makes them laugh. Me – being the giggly one I am – told them that it doesn’t take much …but that I’m especially prone to fart and burb jokes. Ha! I’m not sure how much footage of mine they are going to use in whatever documentary they are doing…but I found myself to be pretty funny.

Once I couldn’t take any more of the cold, I was literally speed walking around trying to find the nearest pub or café to sit in and warm up. I’ve actually found myself doing that quite a lot lately. It’s like I stay out in the cold until the last possible second, and then suddenly I feel like I’m going to freeze to death if I don’t go inside immediately. So I did just that yesterday, which is how I found myself in a pub on one of the side streets in Notting Hill. Now… I will say that it was a little more crowded than I anticipated it being for an afternoon, but I still grabbed a cider from the bar, and plopped on an open couch to relax and warm up. I had hoped it would be quieter and that I could read the book I brought with me or write in my journal, but I quickly realized how silly that would look given the tables of people all around me watching some sort of game on TV. No more than 10 minutes after I arrived, the bar got even more crowded and I realized there was a huge rugby game about to start.  Short story long…. I made friends. A couple of British dudes, a girl from Bulgaria, and a lovely man from South Africa who talked to me about training for triathlons and how much he loved his wife for an hour. It was really random. And several times I wondered how the heck I ended up alone at a pub surrounded by people I have never met. Nearly 3 hours later I finally was able to convince my new group I didn’t want any more Guinness and that I needed to head home. Only in Europe…honestly, it’s crazy the things that just seem to happen when you’re open to them, and I’m loving every minute of it.

Today I tried out a new Catholic Church in a quest to find one I might actually like. I have to say the Catholic churches here pale in comparison to the ones I was spoiled by in Italy. And truthfully even Chicago’s churches are prettier than what I’ve seen so far. Clearly the Church of England rules around here. I’ve also never seen so many Asians and Middle Easterns at mass! Quite unexpected. Somehow I ended up taking my friend Branislav to church too…. But I didn’t realize until we were about to walk in that he has essentially never been to church and proceeded to bombard me with tons of questions like a 5 year old. Anyway, I’m holding out hope that one of them might be pretty and not make me feel like I’m in the ghetto…. But I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m either going to have to travel more for that… or I’m going to have to be an Anglican for a few months…

Okay enough for today.  Here are a few more of my “touristy” pictures just so I can share some of the awesome shots I’ve taken. I’m headed off to my friend Samantha’s as she and her boyfriend are hosting a Super Bowl party. I’m seriously packing my pajamas to stay the night, and we’re all staying up to watch the game!

Along the Thames - with my friend Samantha who is going to a different university here - with a view of Big Ben at sunset

Another shot of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament across the Thames

With Cristy - from Chicago - in front of Big Ben

I'm not going to lie - I don't know what this guy is called...but I thought a big lion was cool

On the other side of the Thames, looking back at the London Eye (that's the name for the ferris wheel)

The London Eye again walking along the river

one of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster

This is Westminster Abbey - didn't get to go inside yet, but it's amazing on the outside

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The Shard (the name for that crazy building) by night. It's kind of crazy to me how much more modern this section of London looks compared to so many others with the neon lights.

Another day - this was a walk along the Thames after it snowed. That's the Tower Bridge (not the London Bridge) ahead

Samantha and I in front of the Tower Bridge

Warwick Avenue is in Little Venice and is a famous road. Duffy sang a song about it because she lived in this neighborhood. It's right down the street from me.

This is in Covent Garden. It's an exposed gutted train station (I think) that's been turned into cafes and shopping. Very cute and quaint inside. Not sure why there are tables for eating outdoors though as it was pretty cold!

Natalia, Veronica and I outside the National History Museum which is an absolutely beautiful building in South Kensington

One of the dinosaurs inside the National History Museum

Natalia and I pretending we are dinosaurs. I'm sure we had everyone fooled....

The exterior of the National History museum by night. Awesome. Across the street is the Victoria & Albert Museum. This whole strip of museums is in South Kensington and all of them are free!

Trafalgar Square right in front of the National Gallery (the free art museum)

Another view in Trifalgar Square

This is also Trifalgar Square, but it's facing the other direction on the stairs in front of the National Gallery, facing down towards Big Ben and St. Paul's Cathedral.

This is me and Rachel - a girl from Chicago who was on my same flight moving to London the same day! We went exploring and walked through London's Chinatown.

This is some monument on the south end of Hyde Park, walking towards South Kensington museums.

These are just a few giraffes leisurely strolling around the north side of Regents Park. I saw them on a run one day since it goes right by the London Zoo. The Zoo is pretty expensive, and I've heard not that amazing, but I didn't mind some giraffe time on the run!

Last but not least, this is Picadilly Circus. A well-known square that marks the start of a big shopping district. I actually remember this from my last trip to London 8 years ago!