A Gorgeous Dose of Nature

Hello again! I had a fantastic Friday going hiking in the English Countryside. Our trip-organizer Tony led us on a seven mile trek up and down gently rolling hills, where we got some spectacular views of the Surrey region, just 40 minutes outside of London.

The weather stayed interesting. It started out raining, turned beautiful and sunny, and even snowed for a little bit at lunch! It was great to watch the rain roll in and out over the hills. Of course, with all the rain it was VERY muddy. There were times I couldn't see my feet, they were so deep in the mud! However, I wore my hiking shoes and wooly socks and had no problem with wet feet.

Surrey, the area where we walked, is a very popular place for filming movies. Every time you see a movie set in the "English Countryside", chances are it was filmed at least partly in Surrey. There are forests, fields, and lakes for every setting! The most recent "big movie" to be filmed in Surrey was The Holiday (I know dad liked it, even if it was a chick flick). But sadly there was no Jude Law here when we were.

If you ever wondered how beautiful and green the English countryside can be - even in January - check out the pictures below!



Today, because the sun was out, I went for a quick run around Regent's Park. However, the best part was watching the Gray Herons build their nests! There's a large population of herons in the park, and they've established a large rookery in some trees just yards from the path. I (and a LOT of other bird watchers, most with their telephoto cameras and bird books out), all stood and watched the herons bring in sticks to make their large nests.

- There were two herons building together. One would go out and collect sticks to bring to the other one, who stayed in the nest and arranged the sticks.
- One bachelor heron was trying to decide between two nests. One looked new this year (it was rather small), and the other was at least two years old (and one of the biggest). He would go back and forth, trying to decide where to put his sticks. I think he chose the newer one, because last I saw he was collecting willow vines to line the inside of it.

I'll be interested to visit in the spring and see how many nests are being used, and how many chicks there are!

Jumbo Photo Bonanza!

Whoo, sorry for the long delay in posting these photos. Mid-terms are coming up and things are starting to get very busy. I have an average of five hours of homework a night! So that leaves me very little time to do fun things like upload photos or blog. But here they are at long last! Each photo is captioned, as usual, so you know what they are.

WINDSOR


OXFORD


BONUS PHOTOS!
Today my Architecture of London class went back to St. Paul's Cathedral, which is a massive and awe-inspiring building in the style of St. Peter's in Vatican City (but much brighter, lighter, and with more gold). I even had a chance to climb to the top of the dome! From there, I got some breathtaking photos of the city of London. The sun and weather even cooperated. Enjoy!



Isn't London so pretty when it's actually sunny out? =P

Second Video Update!

So many things, I had to put it in video form! Hopefully I'll get those pictures up tomorrow, but for now - time to go to bed!

More About Internships...

Today heralded the start of my second week of interning at Blanchard Design. It was another nice day, with only a little rain, so I walked the 20 minute trip up. I'm not doing a whole lot of important things at the internship, but it's enough to keep me busy, and I know it must help the designers. For example - most of the time I'm answering phones, calling to check prices or availability of fabric, finding sample options, or sorting through the mail. It's not ideally what I'd like to be doing, but at least I know it's things that the designers would otherwise be finishing themselves (so I AM doing designer-things). And today, even though I was just writing new price tags for the furniture in the show room, I was also getting to know the Blanchard line of products - so now I can help customers who come in to shop! And I can't complain about making earning 15 pounds a week. Hopefully they'll let me start to be more involved in projects, however... because the thought of organizing fabric samples doesn't sound too appealing... =/

With two months to go, however, I'm hopeful!

My Photos of London are Gray...

As promised, here are the photos from my tour of London around the Thames. I think they're much better at showing what I saw on Friday than my words do! I would strongly recommend reading the captions, not only because I spent a lot of time on them, but also because they are really informative and interesting! =P Also note how gray and dark everything is. London style (interior design and fashion design) is based on this unique lighting color. You'll find a lot of Blacks, Khakis, Grays, Whites, and neutral creamy colors because these hues look the best in "London light". I'm actually doing a research project on it! Aaanyways, click on the photos below for the pictures!




Yesterday we went shopping on Oxford Street, the high-end shopping district of London. I bought one shirt (it was on sale) at Topshop, a famous London clothing store. We also visited a number of other shops such as H&M, and large department stores in the style of Macy's. There are so many shops to see, though! The only other thing I need to buy are "wellies" - or Rain boots. I like calling them Wellies though. =P My friend Bekah and I are planning on going to a store tomorrow which says they have wellies on sale. Wish us luck!

The only things I have done today are: sleep in, work on homework, eat cereal, and go for a 4 mile jog around Regent's Park. Regent's Park is the Central Park of London, but bigger! There are soccer fields, running paths, a lake FULL of Waterfowl (no, seriously, there's a bird for every square foot of water, I'm sure), and lots of people out for a stroll. Today was such a lovely day, the sun was shining and it was almost 9 degrees! Celsius, of course. I really enjoyed the run, and think I will have to continue doing it on weekends - provided the weather is nice - as a way of both bird and people watching.

Another Long Sightseeing Update

Life has been going really well here in London. My favorite class has been Building Codes and Systems, because - though I initially had some trouble getting inspiration for our large project - I'm moving on with a (hopefully) great idea. Not to mention the professor is GREAT! He's funny, entertaining, smart, and very helpful. I'm sure I'll learn a lot from him and have fun doing it. My other classes are bearable, and each one has its advantages.

My Internship class meets only on Thursdays at 8:30 in the morning (eew early!). The purpose of the class is to mainly check in with the professor to see how our internships are going, whether or not we've been keeping up with our Internship Journal, and what our research ideas are. Unfortunately the professor likes to talk talk talk talk. So what should take about 20 minutes ends up taking an hour, and we don't get a whole lot of time to ask questions or discuss what we want to. The good thing is that the professor generally talks about interesting things, and is animated enough to keep us awake.

My other class is Historic Architecture of London. I was super excited to be taking this class in the beginning. However, I'm slowly growing more and more frustrated with it. On the plus side, we do get to visit great historic sites in London every week, and learn about the history of the City. But the major downside is that the professor was just assigned to the class for this term, and has never studied the history of London ARCHITECTURE before. In fact, most of the time she gets notes from the brochures or pamphlets at the site we're visiting. The whole class has been disappointed that the professor doesn't really know the material, or what she's doing with the class. It means that we don't get to truly appreciate the great architecture that's around us! (In fact, while visiting Westminster Abbey yesterday, we followed another London university class around on their tour, just because the professor knew lots of facts and interesting things. Meanwhile our professor was simply pointing out the ages or labels of things without any in-depth analysis). Oh well, at least I'm visiting cool places!

Like I said, I visited Westminster Abbey yesterday. It was BEAUTIFUL! Alas, I wasn't allowed to take any photographs. But I did get a few sketches that I might try to post here. It's a breathtaking structure that has had improvements over the years. So parts of the building from the 1200s are in a state of semi-decay, and look ancient. While the additions from the 1700s are much more pristine, delicate, and ornamented. Even the statues on family crypts and memorials span this period of time. It's so odd to see a medieval statue, gothic statue, victorian statue, and 'modern' statue all in the same room! Some areas seem more like "statue storage" than parts of a cathedral. And, of course, the breathtaking ceilings. It was fantastic! (And a little bit pricey for admission, but definitely worth it.) My friends and I are going to try and go back for an Evensong (evening choir performance) one of these days.

Interesting fact: Westminster was founded by Edward the Confessor in the 13th century, after a dream of Saint Peter told him to build a church on that spot. A "minster" is a large, central cathedral to a region. It served as the starting point for the large city of Westminster, which now spans most of the south and central parts of "London".

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Now onto today. I signed up for a walking tour of the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Markets, and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre! Talk about knocking a whole lot of sights out in one day. We started off by touring the Tower of London, a HUGE complex originally built in the 1300s to keep the king's treasures safe. It was then converted into a palace for the royalty to live safely, and then finally turned into a prison for political traitors. So no, it's not a torture chamber or bloody prison for criminals. In fact - it's not even a single tower! It's more of a large complex of buildings from different time periods, used for housing nobility and their goods (and a few ravens!) Nowadays the Governor of London lives in the Tower, along with the Yeomen/Beefeaters (King's personal serving guards), and the Queen's Crown Jewels. Very sparkly. You'd be surprised at the crowns, scepters, rings, and other miscellaneous objects which are kept together. Each item has a very specific usage - for example, one crown is specifically for the Queen Mother, while another is for the Queen Consort (the woman married to the King, but not the ruling Queen in her own right), the travelling crown (when he visits other countries), and the Crown of State (used to open Parliament). Not to mention scepters, rings, and orbs for each function. All the crowns and scepters look very similar - except for the scepter with the Heart of Africa diamond on it. I've never seen a gem so breathtaking! Unfortunately no photography allowed.

We then walked across the Tower Bridge - NOT the London Bridge! I knew this already from my history classes, but the Tower Bridge is the famous Bridge in London. Meanwhile, the London bridge is a much simpler travel bridge that is only important because a) it was always falling down, and b)it has been around, in one form or another, since the Romans in 40 AD. So the London Bridge used to be the main artery of travel into the city. The Tower Bridge just looks pretty.

After that we stopped for lunch at Boroughs Market, a food market that was originally set up by the Romans. It's a great place to find food-to-go, such as pasties, fruit, veg, and roast sandwiches. Must go back there again!

Finally we had a private tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, where he premiered many of his plays, including Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, etc. While you kind of need to be a theatre nerd to truly appreciate the amazing work that has been put into this theater (the original has been destroyed, but they rebuilt this one to the exact historical copy of the first, right down to the thatched straw roof). To step into the space, sit in the seats, go up to the stage, and see everything as it would have been in Shakespeare's time... well, it really gives you some perspective. I think this is one of my favorite historical "interpretive centers". While not the original, it's much better than many places which either a) leave the original foundations/ruins and provide some sketches to help you visualize, or b) rebuild the theater but in a more modern, less historically acurate way (or only build part of it). The Globe was perfect for seeing things like Shakespeare saw them. The energy of the theater just made the place feel alive! It's also much more colorful and eye-catching than you might think, too.

Of course, all of these things are best described in pictures. So I'll be uploading those soon! Thanks for reading through this super-long update. I'm just getting so well-informed! =P

Camden Market Photos

As promised, here are the pictures from my trip to the Camden Markets. There are a couple of other random pictures I tossed in there from my first few days in London. Just click on the picture below to see them!

Snowing Again!

That's right, it's snowing again! The snow started a little after 2pm, and has really picked up as night fell. I wonder if it'll accumulate just as much as last time? If so, then we're in for a bunch more ice and traffic delays!

Since I last updated, I have managed to score and internship! Hooray!! Our internship coordinator was able to hook me up with a local very-high-end residential designer at the last minute. Which actually turned out to be good for them, as they were about ready to start looking for an intern when she called! The firm is called Blanchard, and is a smaller company with five designers.

The Pros:
- Close by in the quiet neighborhood of Primrose Hill. I can walk there on nice days, and take the bus or tube during the cold/rainy ones.
- They'll pay for food and transportation every day I work!
- They're a luxury home design firm, so they work with large homes and large budgets.
- They are very open to training me and letting me learn what I want from the job, not necessarily just filing.

The Cons:
- Not hotel design. Which means that I'm still not getting the relevant job experience I was looking for.
- May still be doing some filing and odd-jobs most of the time.

So, overall, it looks like a really good position! I am required to write a journal for class, so I'll definitely be posting updates here about how the jobs is going.

On Friday night we went to a nearby pub and hung out for a little bit with the local crowd. I didn't get much interaction in, but I hope to go back on days when everyone is a little less cold and tired and perhaps get to meet more Londoners our age. One popular drink out here is Hard Cider (Strongbow, Magnus, etc.) I've only had a half pint of the apple version so far, but I like it because it is a light, fizzy, and not-too-strong version of beer. More local beverage experimentation must be conducted. I think I might try the pear version next time, to see what the difference is.

Today was a busy day of walking. First we stopped in a local "catalog store". It's a very interesting shopping concept - instead of walking up and down aisles, buying what you want, you just walk up to a catalog station and flip through pages. When you see what you want, you write the number down and take your slip of paper to the front desk. You pay for your items, and then pick them up from the counter when they're ready. Meanwhile someone goes into the back of the shop and picks up your ordered items for you. Very interesting! They are the closest store to the dorm that sells cheap mattress pads, so that's why I was able to see what the "catalog store" was all about today.

Bekah - one of my flatmates - and I also visited the (very large and extensive) Camden Markets, just a few blocks north of our residence. The markets are three or four covered street markets which take advantage of the old railway bridges, storage warehouses, and stables around the Camden Locks. Most of the shops sold indie-style and vintage clothing, fast food, or jewelry. There were TONS of stalls though! And they wind like a narrow maze in and out of this great old architecture in the region. The best area was Stables Market, which is actually inside the old railway arches and horse stables near the locks. Shops are actually set up inside horse stalls! It's very historic, but colorful and unique at the same time. Such a bustling, busy, "indie" sort of place - worlds apart from Primrose Hill where I will be interning, which is only a few blocks up the hill!

I'll post pictures of the Camden Market area either later tonight or tomorrow. Hope everyone is staying warm and dry!

Not-So-Lazy Days

Hello again everybody. The past two days have been a mix of busy and not-so-busy. Wednesday, since I didn't have an Internship, I slept in super late (it felt really good though! And now I'm feeling much better). But I also got things done such as shopping for art supplies, picking up a new phone charger (the one they gave me was broken) and checking out the neighborhood shops to see where I can pick up supplies.

Not to mention it snowed all day Wednesday! It was very pretty, especially out by our housing in Camden. Unfortunately the snow melted and then froze on the sidewalks - no salt or sand here! - so it was treacherous even to walk one block. Today the ice was even worse... we were slipping and sliding our way to the bus stop. Even the side roads were covered in a thick sheet of black ice. However, the main roads were clear so we made it to class on time. So many people were slipping and falling today, though!

We have two new flat mates this week. One is Becca, a junior Apparel Design major from Wisconsin. The other is Frankie, a degree student who is filling her third term here. She's the only person who lived in the room before this term - but mostly hangs out with the boys across the hall because they all know each other from before. We took Becca out to dinner last night because she hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. There is a local and fairly good Greek restaurant close by that we went to, and they gave us a free bottle of wine!

Thursdays are my longest days of class. I have an internship class at 8:30am, a building codes class at 11:00, and a history of London architecture class at 2:00pm. Each class is over 2 hours long - making Thursday one loooong day. Especially since today both my Building Codes and London Architecture courses had walking field trips. I probably walked about seven miles today all around the lesser known areas of the city. I am cold and tired!

Good news: I have a new internship interview scheduled for tomorrow. Bad news: it's not hotel design. Unfortunately there are no hotel design internships available right now, so it looks like I'll be interning at a high end residential firm. Too bad that's not really the profession I want to get into after I graduate. The KCA internship that I wasn't able to do would have really looked good on my resume and given me much more vital professional experience. Oh well - any experience will be helpful I suppose!

I'll let you all know how the interview goes tomorrow. Jennas are going to bed early!

First Day of Classes and Pictures

Today was the first day of classes. I successfully took the double-decker bus from our flats to the AIU campus! (So proud) However, I don't have much to report about classes today because - it being the first day - we didn't cover anything much besides syllabi and the course outline. I'll try to give a better description of my classes when I've had all of them and for a longer period of time.

I DID however have an interview today for my internship. To get to the underground subway station I had to walk along Oxford Circus, London's biggest and busiest shopping street. There are giant department stores with glitter, glamour, fashion, and lights everywhere; not to mention plenty of traffic both pedestrian and vehicle!

The interview itself went very well, and I really hit it off with the people I'd be working for. I had plans to start tomorrow instead of next week! Unfortunately, as I was returning home on the subway, I got a call from them telling me that (because the only just now checked with their accountants, instead of earlier when this whole internship process began) they actually WOULDN'T be able to take me on for the term. BUMMER!! I was really excited about this internship because it was with a world-famous luxury, boutique hotel firm whose biggest project was the Burj Al Arab(expensive, huge sail hotel in Dubai). It was a huge disapointment to get my hopes up for this position, only to be told that they wouldn't be able to take me even as an unpaid intern. I wish someone had checked on that sooner! So now I'm kind of at a loss - they're working on getting me another interview, and are confident I'll have a position this term - but it won't be nearly as cool or as close to what I want to do with my career as this internship would have been. But it's just a minor setback, and I'll keep you informed with what happens next!

Finally, I've updated my photo album with pictures from our first day in London on the walking tour. You can see all of them by clicking on the picture below:



That's it for now. Oh, and it's SNOWING!! Snow update tomorrow!

Day 2, and First Video Post!

Here is my first video blog update from London! Sorry it's a day late (it was actually recorded on Sunday, but I had to find a way of getting it online!).



Today I had orientation and a tour of campus. AIU's academic buildings are a whopping 50 minute journey from the flats at Beaumont Court. However, this does put it smack in the middle of the ritzy and glamorous shopping district of West End, just minutes from Baker Street, Regent's Park, Hyde Park, etc. There are shops EVERYWHERE! And it's hard to believe that the shopping continues for blocks and blocks in either direction, especially considering everything is situated in such old and historic buildings.

So today was pretty much just a combination of meetings, presentations, and information sessions about AIU. Classes start tomorrow! (I also have an interview tomorrow for my internship, so I'll let you know how that goes.)

Cheers!

First Post!

This is Jenna, live from London! Obviously this blog will cover all of the fun, exciting, heart-pounding, funny, sad, scary, and otherwise interesting (I hope) things I do in London! This first post will outline all of the details of my trip, and will hereafter be followed by more detailed day-by-day action posts.

Who: Jenna Curtis (me!)
Where: London, England (and surrounding area)
When: January 2nd - May 28th
What: Study Abroad with American InterContinental University

This Study Abroad encompasses two "terms", which equates to one semester at GW. I will be taking two classes and an internship each term. While I don't have an internship set up YET, I will be likely placed in a London-based hotel design firm. In between each term I will have an opportunity to travel, just like an American spring break.

I am living in AIU's dorm and taking classes with AIU, NOT another London college. However, I am in the heart of the city's West End district, and just blocks from many great sites and stores!

Any questions?