Today, I did not go to class. I was to attend the International Law class on the first two days because it is the first class of the day. Then on Monday, I stayed and went to Finance and on Tuesday, I went to International Marketing instead. From seeing the classes in action and hearing about the assignments, class structure, style of instruction, etc I can say this will be a challenging few weeks for the students. I may pop in to one or two more classes, but I am more looking to document the co-curricular and experiential learning that occurs. For example, I will be going with the International Marketing class to Harrods tomorrow where they will examine different marketing strategies.
I did, however, go to Leicester Square this morning with Jim and Aimee (Richard Mason's wife). We were able to purchase half price tickets for everyone to see Billy Elliot tonight. I really wanted to see Wicked again, but the tickets were not discounted and paying 37 pounds is much different than paying 75 pounds. :) The show is tonight and I think it will be a fun experience. After we returned from Leicester Square (pronounced Lester) I ran into Jim and Carina. Carina is an MBA student from UNR. The three of us went to lunch together to Jim's favorite indulgence while he's here...the Chicken Cordon Bleu. I was happy to go and try it. After lunch, I met up with my students and Yu he decided he wanted to go to see Billy Elliot, too. Carina and I went back to Leicester Square and purchased two more tickets- one for Yu and one for her.
On the way back from Leicester Square, Carina and I passed this little french pastry place that we have been drooling over since we got here. I can't pass it without staring in the window and ogling all the pastries,etc. We succumbed to the pressure and went inside. I got an eclair. It is less expensive if you choose 'take away' as opposed to sitting in the restaurant to eat it. That is cost effective, but kind of disappointing when you want to sit outside at the little cafe tables. It's one or two pounds more, but really...it bothers me to pay to sit. Either way, the eclair just as delicious eating in the lobby of the dorm.
After dinner at the dorm, we took the tube to the theatre. Sabrina kept telling me I needed to see a show while I was here and I am glad I did. It was a fun experience with my students. Dinner was fun. We got a little fancy and Marie and Aimee bought a bottle of champagne. They shared it at dinner with Jim and I. We got to the theatre with about 5 minutes to spare. We found our seats and Yu and Carina had seats a few rows from us because their tickets were purchased separately. Carina decided to trade Yu in for Berto instead...so Yu sat with the rest of us. Interesting...hmmm. Annie, Emily, Alex, Yu, Marie, Aimee, Mike and I all sat together. After the intermission, Carina and Berto snuck into the box seats. Mike tagged along, too. I think they would have got away with it, but Berto kept taking pictures and the flash gave them away. The show was fun. It took a little while to get going, but the kids stole the show. The boy who plays Billy was amazing. What a career he will have!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, 6-21-11 Part Two: British Museum, Ice cream and Heineken's
After lunch we met up with the students and faculty to walk to the British Library. It was about a ten to fifteen minute walk from the dorm. It is very pretty from the outside. Mike decided he wanted to do a handstand on this statue outside the Library (he likes to do handstands where ever we go...). There was water on top of the landing so he slipped. "He's lucky he didn't really hurt himself"...I am learning this is my signature phrase for Mike this trip.
Once inside we were able to see some incredible things. There were Shakespeare's Sonnets, sheet music from Motzart and Handel, but my two favorite things were an original Gutenberg Bible and some parchment found in Greece with writings from the Gospel of St. John depicting the last supper.
I will be honest with you...the Magna Carta was a bit disappointing. I was pretty excited to see it, too. It was in this dark room and it really wasn't anything too pretty. I appreciate the historical significance, but it was king of a bust.
We stopped for ice cream from this little truck on the street. The ice cream here is interesting. It is all vanilla and it has the weirdest texture. It's not very cold at all (nothing here it...more on THAT later) and it comes with this 'flake' sticking out of it. The flake is chocolate and I'm not sure what purpose it serves. Fun, but confusing. Ah...culture! :) We also went to Carphone Warehouse to get the students' mobile's. It took a while because there are six of them. The phone plans here are expensive. I did not get a phone and it has been an experience being 'unplugged'. It's not my favorite.
After dinner in the dorms, we heard there was a little pub across the street in the student union. We went over to check it out. There are actually two! Tuesday is 'Two For One Heineken Night'...fantastic. :) So, for 2.50 you get two beers. This is a great deal because a pint of Stella Dark in the pub, for example, is 4.00. Hello, Heineken! The students had a bit of fun with all the bottles (in their defense these are the bottles from about 10 people...not the two in the picture)!
Once inside we were able to see some incredible things. There were Shakespeare's Sonnets, sheet music from Motzart and Handel, but my two favorite things were an original Gutenberg Bible and some parchment found in Greece with writings from the Gospel of St. John depicting the last supper.
I will be honest with you...the Magna Carta was a bit disappointing. I was pretty excited to see it, too. It was in this dark room and it really wasn't anything too pretty. I appreciate the historical significance, but it was king of a bust.
We stopped for ice cream from this little truck on the street. The ice cream here is interesting. It is all vanilla and it has the weirdest texture. It's not very cold at all (nothing here it...more on THAT later) and it comes with this 'flake' sticking out of it. The flake is chocolate and I'm not sure what purpose it serves. Fun, but confusing. Ah...culture! :) We also went to Carphone Warehouse to get the students' mobile's. It took a while because there are six of them. The phone plans here are expensive. I did not get a phone and it has been an experience being 'unplugged'. It's not my favorite.
After dinner in the dorms, we heard there was a little pub across the street in the student union. We went over to check it out. There are actually two! Tuesday is 'Two For One Heineken Night'...fantastic. :) So, for 2.50 you get two beers. This is a great deal because a pint of Stella Dark in the pub, for example, is 4.00. Hello, Heineken! The students had a bit of fun with all the bottles (in their defense these are the bottles from about 10 people...not the two in the picture)!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, 6-21-11 Class, the Park in Russel Square and Pizza?
The day started as normal with breakfast in the dorm. We went to Business Law first and discussed the different types of businesses (partnerships, llc's, etc). I took some great pics of the students in class today. There is one that I really like. It's the back of Mike sitting at his desk. You can see Dr. Mason teaching and on the ground near Mike's feet there is his UNR bag along with his UNLV binder. I hope we are able to use it in some of our marketing materials.
In between classes we walked through the park in Russel Square to get some coffee. The park is so pretty. It's surrounded by flowers and trees and is open in the middle with lots of grass. There is this really cool canopy of trees. There are pidgeons and squirrels in this park and you know I had to get some squirrel pics. Berto fed one by hand the next day so now my goal is to do that, too!
After the quick coffee break, I went to the marketing class. This class should be really fun for the students. There is a trip planned to Harrod's later this week to talk about how marketing strategies differ in other countries. I'm hoping to tag along!
Once class ended, we had some time to get lunch before heading to the British Library. Jim, Corina and I went to a little Italian place Jim has been wanting to try. I got a margherita pizza...should have known better.
In between classes we walked through the park in Russel Square to get some coffee. The park is so pretty. It's surrounded by flowers and trees and is open in the middle with lots of grass. There is this really cool canopy of trees. There are pidgeons and squirrels in this park and you know I had to get some squirrel pics. Berto fed one by hand the next day so now my goal is to do that, too!
After the quick coffee break, I went to the marketing class. This class should be really fun for the students. There is a trip planned to Harrod's later this week to talk about how marketing strategies differ in other countries. I'm hoping to tag along!
Once class ended, we had some time to get lunch before heading to the British Library. Jim, Corina and I went to a little Italian place Jim has been wanting to try. I got a margherita pizza...should have known better.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, 6-20-11 First Day of Class, Indian Food and the London Eye!
Today started super early at 6am. Marco and I had a Skype day, which I apparently stood him up for! He thought it was 5:30am, I thought it was 6am. We were able to connect and talk for about 20 minutes. Billy was waiting at the airport for Marco to pick him up. It was a nice start to the day. :)
I went down to the cafeteria with everyone (except Annie, who overslept - good thing we knocked on everyone's door!) at 7:45am. We had sausage, eggs (hard boiled and fried), hash browns. I got some, then turned around and saw there was oatmeal and cereal- I'll be having that tomorrow. The milk has to be whole milk- it's so thick it may as well be paste. On second thought maybe I won't have cereal tomorrow. :/
We headed to the first day of class after breakfast at 8:10am. Jim and I walked the students and professors to the classroom. The International Business Law class meets first. It's taught by Dr. Richard Mason from UNR. All 11 students are in this class together from 8:15-10:15, then they split up and take either FIN 301 or MKT 456. Dr. Mason's class is very interesting. He asked the students if they could change one law what would it be and why. The answers were very interesting from helmet laws, to the war on drugs, to legal age for alcohol, etc. I think they will be very engaged in this class and Dr. Mason makes the subject matter interesting. He started with The Code of Hammurabi and tomorrow we will be headed to the British Library to see the Magna Carta. I also sat in the on the Finance class today (I will go to Marketing tomorrow). This course is taught by Dr. Thistle who is the chair of the finance department at UNLV. I have a feeling these students will be very busy...There was good discussion and all six students have a lot of reading to do tonight. :)
Once class was over at 12:30pm we decided to go to lunch and do some errands. We wandered in a direction that looked good and found a Barclays (ha!) for Annie and Mike to get some cash.
We were deciding where to go eat (Yu wanted the sit down Pizza Hut) and we stumbled upon this little Indian restaurant. It was SO GOOD! I got a lamb dish and I really liked it. We had a fun time. :)
After lunch we caught the Tube to the London Eye. It was really cool to see all the landmarks at once but I'm really looking forward to getting a close up look. It was huge! We got to watch a 4D movie before we went on it and that was cool. It shot bubbles and water at us and was windy and the seagulls nearly killed Annie- it was a close call. LOL! They take your picture when you are done and you have the option to but it for something ridiculous like 15 pounds...um, no thanks. So, instead I was sneaky and took a picture of our picture on the screen. :) They didn't like that.
We took the most packed Tube ride ever! We were packed in there like sardines, it was hot and there was no air conditioning. It's a good thing I am not claustrophobic because there was no way out of it. We made it back to the dorm just in time for dinner, which was gross. It was the first nearly inedible meal. We ate what we could because we didn't want to pay for a separate meal. I stayed up until almost 12:30am because I couldn't fall asleep. I uploaded the days pictures and emailed them out. I have to get up at 6:15-6:30 tomorrow so that should be interesting. We are off to the British Library after classes tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing the Magna Carta!
Cheers!
I went down to the cafeteria with everyone (except Annie, who overslept - good thing we knocked on everyone's door!) at 7:45am. We had sausage, eggs (hard boiled and fried), hash browns. I got some, then turned around and saw there was oatmeal and cereal- I'll be having that tomorrow. The milk has to be whole milk- it's so thick it may as well be paste. On second thought maybe I won't have cereal tomorrow. :/
We headed to the first day of class after breakfast at 8:10am. Jim and I walked the students and professors to the classroom. The International Business Law class meets first. It's taught by Dr. Richard Mason from UNR. All 11 students are in this class together from 8:15-10:15, then they split up and take either FIN 301 or MKT 456. Dr. Mason's class is very interesting. He asked the students if they could change one law what would it be and why. The answers were very interesting from helmet laws, to the war on drugs, to legal age for alcohol, etc. I think they will be very engaged in this class and Dr. Mason makes the subject matter interesting. He started with The Code of Hammurabi and tomorrow we will be headed to the British Library to see the Magna Carta. I also sat in the on the Finance class today (I will go to Marketing tomorrow). This course is taught by Dr. Thistle who is the chair of the finance department at UNLV. I have a feeling these students will be very busy...There was good discussion and all six students have a lot of reading to do tonight. :)
Once class was over at 12:30pm we decided to go to lunch and do some errands. We wandered in a direction that looked good and found a Barclays (ha!) for Annie and Mike to get some cash.
We were deciding where to go eat (Yu wanted the sit down Pizza Hut) and we stumbled upon this little Indian restaurant. It was SO GOOD! I got a lamb dish and I really liked it. We had a fun time. :)
After lunch we caught the Tube to the London Eye. It was really cool to see all the landmarks at once but I'm really looking forward to getting a close up look. It was huge! We got to watch a 4D movie before we went on it and that was cool. It shot bubbles and water at us and was windy and the seagulls nearly killed Annie- it was a close call. LOL! They take your picture when you are done and you have the option to but it for something ridiculous like 15 pounds...um, no thanks. So, instead I was sneaky and took a picture of our picture on the screen. :) They didn't like that.
We took the most packed Tube ride ever! We were packed in there like sardines, it was hot and there was no air conditioning. It's a good thing I am not claustrophobic because there was no way out of it. We made it back to the dorm just in time for dinner, which was gross. It was the first nearly inedible meal. We ate what we could because we didn't want to pay for a separate meal. I stayed up until almost 12:30am because I couldn't fall asleep. I uploaded the days pictures and emailed them out. I have to get up at 6:15-6:30 tomorrow so that should be interesting. We are off to the British Library after classes tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing the Magna Carta!
Cheers!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
6-18-11 Windy Rain, Barlclays, Faculty, Pub
I slept like the dead last night. I stayed up until 9:30pm and started reading my book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hossein (really good so far). I woke up at 7:15am because I had a Skype date with Marco and Bella. It's our first time using Skype, except for when we tried it out at home before I left. It was so cool. I know I am really far behind on this, but it was great to see them. I was talking to Bella and she kept trying to jump out of Marco's arms and run to the door. She was looking for me. Really cute, but kind of mean too...it was like I was teasing her.
We talked for about a half an hour, then I got in the tiniest shower in the world. It's a little stand up box and it's got pink tiles from floor to ceiling. The shower head has this one little hole that must be clogged because it shoots up and to the right. It's one of those removable heads, so when it is in the holder this little stream shoots onto the ceiling and over the shower door. Ha! So, it was quite interesting figuring out how to position the shower head so the water would stay inside. My room is nice. It's perfect for one person. There is a desk area and built in closet and shelves and drawers. The bed is...well it's lumpy and springy. I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in because I was so tired, but I woke up achy. It's a twin size bed which fits me just fine and the blanket is nice and fluffy. I think it's down. I am very glad I brought my own pillow and towels. Once I got out of the shower and put my makeup on, I was ready to use the hairdryer and flat iron that Sabrina lent me. I panicked for about 30 seconds because I thought they would fit in the outlet, but it turns out I need an adapter for them, too. I have two adapters (also from Sabrina) so I alternate them for charging my computer and cell phone to the hairdryer and flat iron. Oh, and apparently you need to turn the outlet on...ok.
I was checking my work email before I had to meet Jim and there was an email from one of my students. He is having passport trouble...what?!?! Apparently, he applied for it and expedited it so he'd have it in time. He went back to Alaska to visit his family during the time the passport was to arrive....instead he got a letter in the mail stating he needed to provide additional information. Holy crap, I flashed back to the week of my wedding and the disaster that was my passport. He was headed to the passport agency to get it same day. I haven't heard from him yet to see if everything worked out.
I meet Jim at his room and we set out for our morning adventure. We walk down to Covent Garden (the birth place of the flea market) and watch a street performer. He was pretty bad. We couldn't figure out why he had these people laying on the ground and didn't care enough to stick around and find out why. We walked around for a bit and checked out some of the shops. I was still on a mission to find a Barclay's ATM. Barclays is linked to B of A so I don't get charged a fee when making withdrawals. Finding this place was a mess. In Covent Garden there was an Apple store! Yay for wireless and nice people. Jim, being the manly man he is, does not stop to ask directions (his statement) so I said, "No problem, I'll ask." So we went into the Apple store and the nice girl looked it up on the Mac and gave us directions to Barclays. We planned to stop for lunch on the way. We took a wrong turn (the first of many) and ended up in Trafalger Square. We decided to stop for lunch and ended up at this little pub. The fish and chips I had last night were greasy and I didn't eat very much of them, so I decided to try them at a pub instead. Much better. I haven't had a beer here yet, but I am sure that is going to happen soon. I bought lunch because Jim has paid for our cab ride and my muffin. :) We both had fish and chip (Jim got the Cod Father platter) and two soda's (they serve Pepsi). The total was 31 pounds. After three more wrong turns, a cute little coffee shop with nice people who couldn't help us, we walked and walked and finally found a Barclays. I was so excited, I clapped. ATM withdrawal complete...thank you American dollar for sucking so badly.
Jim wanted to go see a movie, so we parted ways. I decided to take the Tube back by myself and Jim was nervous to have me go alone. If I can figure out the NY subway, I can handle to Tube. It was easy enough. Once I got off the Tube I had to find my way back to the University of London. It started pouring...like holy crap take cover pouring. Umbrella's sprouted up everywhere and then all of a sudden there was no one walking. Everyone took cover under the store awnings or went inside stores and waited for it to pass. I walked a bit further before I learned the duck for cover technique and my feet got wet. I stopped under an awning for about five minutes and it let up. Right now, it's sunny like it never happened. What bi-polar weather. I am very happy I got this raincoat and my little umbrella. It's windy here too, which is not my favorite.
So, now I am going to venture out on my own and check out the nearby shops. It should be a nice afternoon. I'm excited for the students to come tomorrow!
My solo adventure lead me back to Covent Garden. I left the residence hall and started walking near what looked familiar...and ended up there. It was fine though because it is so bog and there is so much to see along the way. I went into this little store called Accessorize, which Sabrina recommended. I left my black headband at home, so I bought a pack of four different colored ones for 5 pounds. What a cool store. They had lots of hats and this one lady was trying them all on while her husband took pictures of her from outside the store. I walked around for a bit, then came back to my room to relax a bit before dinner. I ready my book for about 30 minutes.
At dinner, I met up with Paul Thistle and his wife Mickey. Paul is the chair of the Finance Department at UNLV. I also met Marie, who is the interim dean at Truckee Meadows Community College. She flew in with Jasper, who is one of the students from UNR. They're dating...wait, what?! Yes, and they are lots of fun. After dinner we all went to the pub and I got my first beer in London. I wanted to get a Peroni, but it only came in a bottle and I thought it would really be a shame that my first beer in London didn't come in a glass. So I got a Stella Artois instead. :) Nice and cold! While taking a potty break with Marie, she filled me in on her and Jasper's relationship. Jasper is my age and Marie is a bit older. She has an 18 year old and a 14 year old who are cool with this whole thing. It's very Ashton and Demi but neither of them are as cute as those two.
Now, I am back in my room and it is about 10pm. I am going to get ready for bed. Jim and I are going to attend mass in the morning. A lot of it will be in Latin and I think that is kind of exciting. Also, Berto got his passport and will be here tomorrow. The students will be checking in around 3pm and orientation is at 7pm.
We talked for about a half an hour, then I got in the tiniest shower in the world. It's a little stand up box and it's got pink tiles from floor to ceiling. The shower head has this one little hole that must be clogged because it shoots up and to the right. It's one of those removable heads, so when it is in the holder this little stream shoots onto the ceiling and over the shower door. Ha! So, it was quite interesting figuring out how to position the shower head so the water would stay inside. My room is nice. It's perfect for one person. There is a desk area and built in closet and shelves and drawers. The bed is...well it's lumpy and springy. I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in because I was so tired, but I woke up achy. It's a twin size bed which fits me just fine and the blanket is nice and fluffy. I think it's down. I am very glad I brought my own pillow and towels. Once I got out of the shower and put my makeup on, I was ready to use the hairdryer and flat iron that Sabrina lent me. I panicked for about 30 seconds because I thought they would fit in the outlet, but it turns out I need an adapter for them, too. I have two adapters (also from Sabrina) so I alternate them for charging my computer and cell phone to the hairdryer and flat iron. Oh, and apparently you need to turn the outlet on...ok.
I was checking my work email before I had to meet Jim and there was an email from one of my students. He is having passport trouble...what?!?! Apparently, he applied for it and expedited it so he'd have it in time. He went back to Alaska to visit his family during the time the passport was to arrive....instead he got a letter in the mail stating he needed to provide additional information. Holy crap, I flashed back to the week of my wedding and the disaster that was my passport. He was headed to the passport agency to get it same day. I haven't heard from him yet to see if everything worked out.
I meet Jim at his room and we set out for our morning adventure. We walk down to Covent Garden (the birth place of the flea market) and watch a street performer. He was pretty bad. We couldn't figure out why he had these people laying on the ground and didn't care enough to stick around and find out why. We walked around for a bit and checked out some of the shops. I was still on a mission to find a Barclay's ATM. Barclays is linked to B of A so I don't get charged a fee when making withdrawals. Finding this place was a mess. In Covent Garden there was an Apple store! Yay for wireless and nice people. Jim, being the manly man he is, does not stop to ask directions (his statement) so I said, "No problem, I'll ask." So we went into the Apple store and the nice girl looked it up on the Mac and gave us directions to Barclays. We planned to stop for lunch on the way. We took a wrong turn (the first of many) and ended up in Trafalger Square. We decided to stop for lunch and ended up at this little pub. The fish and chips I had last night were greasy and I didn't eat very much of them, so I decided to try them at a pub instead. Much better. I haven't had a beer here yet, but I am sure that is going to happen soon. I bought lunch because Jim has paid for our cab ride and my muffin. :) We both had fish and chip (Jim got the Cod Father platter) and two soda's (they serve Pepsi). The total was 31 pounds. After three more wrong turns, a cute little coffee shop with nice people who couldn't help us, we walked and walked and finally found a Barclays. I was so excited, I clapped. ATM withdrawal complete...thank you American dollar for sucking so badly.
Jim wanted to go see a movie, so we parted ways. I decided to take the Tube back by myself and Jim was nervous to have me go alone. If I can figure out the NY subway, I can handle to Tube. It was easy enough. Once I got off the Tube I had to find my way back to the University of London. It started pouring...like holy crap take cover pouring. Umbrella's sprouted up everywhere and then all of a sudden there was no one walking. Everyone took cover under the store awnings or went inside stores and waited for it to pass. I walked a bit further before I learned the duck for cover technique and my feet got wet. I stopped under an awning for about five minutes and it let up. Right now, it's sunny like it never happened. What bi-polar weather. I am very happy I got this raincoat and my little umbrella. It's windy here too, which is not my favorite.
So, now I am going to venture out on my own and check out the nearby shops. It should be a nice afternoon. I'm excited for the students to come tomorrow!
My solo adventure lead me back to Covent Garden. I left the residence hall and started walking near what looked familiar...and ended up there. It was fine though because it is so bog and there is so much to see along the way. I went into this little store called Accessorize, which Sabrina recommended. I left my black headband at home, so I bought a pack of four different colored ones for 5 pounds. What a cool store. They had lots of hats and this one lady was trying them all on while her husband took pictures of her from outside the store. I walked around for a bit, then came back to my room to relax a bit before dinner. I ready my book for about 30 minutes.
At dinner, I met up with Paul Thistle and his wife Mickey. Paul is the chair of the Finance Department at UNLV. I also met Marie, who is the interim dean at Truckee Meadows Community College. She flew in with Jasper, who is one of the students from UNR. They're dating...wait, what?! Yes, and they are lots of fun. After dinner we all went to the pub and I got my first beer in London. I wanted to get a Peroni, but it only came in a bottle and I thought it would really be a shame that my first beer in London didn't come in a glass. So I got a Stella Artois instead. :) Nice and cold! While taking a potty break with Marie, she filled me in on her and Jasper's relationship. Jasper is my age and Marie is a bit older. She has an 18 year old and a 14 year old who are cool with this whole thing. It's very Ashton and Demi but neither of them are as cute as those two.
Now, I am back in my room and it is about 10pm. I am going to get ready for bed. Jim and I are going to attend mass in the morning. A lot of it will be in Latin and I think that is kind of exciting. Also, Berto got his passport and will be here tomorrow. The students will be checking in around 3pm and orientation is at 7pm.
Friday, June 17, 2011
6-17-11 London!!!
I can't believe I am here! It was this mystical trip I was taking and it's finally real. This post will not be as long as I would like because I have been awake for over 24 hours and sleep awaits. I can't upload pictures yet, because I am waiting for the cords I left at the office.
The day started super early. I was up at 4:30am to jump in the shower for my 8am flight to San Francisco. I met Jim there, my counterpart at UNR. He likes to say 'we are here from the University of Nevada' when we check in places and I cringe a little every time.... :) I met Jim in San Francisco and we took the same direct flight to Heathrow. The flight was about 10 hours long...the longest I have ever been on. I was expecting more. The overhead bins were larger but the seats were pretty much the same. I had a window seat and there was only one seat next to me (2:5:2) and an attractive young man sat next to me. :) There are worse things in the world. He was from Austria. I know that because he told the flight attendant when she offered him the customs form.
The meals were ok. Lunch was a choice of beef or pasta. I chose pasta. I think it was a Lean Cuisine meal, no joke. It came with a little salad, roll, and brownie. Breakfast (yes, there was no dinner...)was a banana, yogurt, biscuit thing and a danish that was pretty gross. I stuck to the banana and yogurt. I tried to stay awake for the first few hours. I fell asleep after lunch for 2-3 hours. By the time hour #6 rolled around I was over it. I only got up one time (to pee) and that was before lunch. I was feeling cramped and my butt hurt from sitting so long. I'm only 5'1 so feeling cramped was quite a feat. Those snazzy first class cubicle things that recline to a full bed are worth it...one day, Dana...one day. :)
The landing was the quietest one I have ever experienced. I was really surprised with a plane that big. It took about an hour to go through customs and I got my stamp! I like the stamps. :) We took a cab from Heathrow and Jim has used this same driver for the last three years. His name is Bill, appropriately enough. Bill was funny. He told us about the 'pictures' he goes to with his daughter (movies) and how Osama bin Laden went to school in London and was an Arsenal fan so he couldn't have been all bad. I will pay the 40 pounds to have him take me back to the airport. My luggage is heavy and I don't walk in the rain and cold on purpose as it is, let along dragging two suitcases. It will be money well spent. I don't know how to make a 'pounds' sign on the laptop so I have to write it out every time. Using 'lbs' doesn't seem right, but I may have to adopt it because it's faster.
Once we arrived at the University of London at around 9am we checked in to College Hall, the residence hall we are staying in. Well, we tried to anyway. They held our bags because check in wasn't until 12noon. I thought I might collapse right then and there from exhaustion. Lol! Jim gave me a tour and we found the classroom where two of the classes will take place. We set up the classroom then took a little tour of the surrounding area. First we went to the Tube station and I got an Oyster card (like a Metro Card), then we ended up at the student union and I got a chocolate muffin. It is cold here! It was 105 when I left Vegas and the high today was like 60, cloudy, and now rainy. We killed about two hours then went back and they checked us in at 11:30am. I unpacked, got the laptop set up and emailed home that I made it safe and sound. I was nervous to use the adapters like they wouldn't work right and I would blow up the College of Business laptop...ok so far. :)
I took the most glorious nap of life today! I slept from 1:30-4pm and I could have slept all night. I met Jim around 5pm and we went downstairs to the refectory (dining hall) and met up with one of the professors and his wife. Dr. Mason will be teaching International Law. He was an entertainment lawyer for 20 years before he started teaching at UNR. They are originally from New York and my new friends. After a dinner of fish and chips (with tartar sauce and lemon) I am finally back up to my room and happy to be headed to bed momentarily. Tonight it is supposed to be heavy rain and tomorrow scattered thunderstorms and a high of 63. Jim and I are headed to the oldest farmers market in London at 10am. I'm pretty excited. Also on the agenda is finding a Barclay's ATM. They are affiliated with BofA and I don't get charged to take money out. It'll be worth the Tube ride.
I will try to add pictures to the posts as I go but if it's not possible, I will upload the pics in a separate post when I get back.
Cheers!
The day started super early. I was up at 4:30am to jump in the shower for my 8am flight to San Francisco. I met Jim there, my counterpart at UNR. He likes to say 'we are here from the University of Nevada' when we check in places and I cringe a little every time.... :) I met Jim in San Francisco and we took the same direct flight to Heathrow. The flight was about 10 hours long...the longest I have ever been on. I was expecting more. The overhead bins were larger but the seats were pretty much the same. I had a window seat and there was only one seat next to me (2:5:2) and an attractive young man sat next to me. :) There are worse things in the world. He was from Austria. I know that because he told the flight attendant when she offered him the customs form.
The meals were ok. Lunch was a choice of beef or pasta. I chose pasta. I think it was a Lean Cuisine meal, no joke. It came with a little salad, roll, and brownie. Breakfast (yes, there was no dinner...)was a banana, yogurt, biscuit thing and a danish that was pretty gross. I stuck to the banana and yogurt. I tried to stay awake for the first few hours. I fell asleep after lunch for 2-3 hours. By the time hour #6 rolled around I was over it. I only got up one time (to pee) and that was before lunch. I was feeling cramped and my butt hurt from sitting so long. I'm only 5'1 so feeling cramped was quite a feat. Those snazzy first class cubicle things that recline to a full bed are worth it...one day, Dana...one day. :)
The landing was the quietest one I have ever experienced. I was really surprised with a plane that big. It took about an hour to go through customs and I got my stamp! I like the stamps. :) We took a cab from Heathrow and Jim has used this same driver for the last three years. His name is Bill, appropriately enough. Bill was funny. He told us about the 'pictures' he goes to with his daughter (movies) and how Osama bin Laden went to school in London and was an Arsenal fan so he couldn't have been all bad. I will pay the 40 pounds to have him take me back to the airport. My luggage is heavy and I don't walk in the rain and cold on purpose as it is, let along dragging two suitcases. It will be money well spent. I don't know how to make a 'pounds' sign on the laptop so I have to write it out every time. Using 'lbs' doesn't seem right, but I may have to adopt it because it's faster.
Once we arrived at the University of London at around 9am we checked in to College Hall, the residence hall we are staying in. Well, we tried to anyway. They held our bags because check in wasn't until 12noon. I thought I might collapse right then and there from exhaustion. Lol! Jim gave me a tour and we found the classroom where two of the classes will take place. We set up the classroom then took a little tour of the surrounding area. First we went to the Tube station and I got an Oyster card (like a Metro Card), then we ended up at the student union and I got a chocolate muffin. It is cold here! It was 105 when I left Vegas and the high today was like 60, cloudy, and now rainy. We killed about two hours then went back and they checked us in at 11:30am. I unpacked, got the laptop set up and emailed home that I made it safe and sound. I was nervous to use the adapters like they wouldn't work right and I would blow up the College of Business laptop...ok so far. :)
I took the most glorious nap of life today! I slept from 1:30-4pm and I could have slept all night. I met Jim around 5pm and we went downstairs to the refectory (dining hall) and met up with one of the professors and his wife. Dr. Mason will be teaching International Law. He was an entertainment lawyer for 20 years before he started teaching at UNR. They are originally from New York and my new friends. After a dinner of fish and chips (with tartar sauce and lemon) I am finally back up to my room and happy to be headed to bed momentarily. Tonight it is supposed to be heavy rain and tomorrow scattered thunderstorms and a high of 63. Jim and I are headed to the oldest farmers market in London at 10am. I'm pretty excited. Also on the agenda is finding a Barclay's ATM. They are affiliated with BofA and I don't get charged to take money out. It'll be worth the Tube ride.
I will try to add pictures to the posts as I go but if it's not possible, I will upload the pics in a separate post when I get back.
Cheers!
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