Hi everyone! I’m
assuming the entire audience for this blog will be friends and family from back
home, but in case anyone else happens to stumble across this page:
Welcome! I’m Jen and I’m spending the
next year living, working, and studying in London. I plan to keep you all updated with my
adventures (both in London and on holiday) and post pics when I can. I invite comments on my posts, but please DO
NOT post where I work. Though most of
you back home know what my job is while I’m here, getting too specific is never
a good idea. Along that same line, I’m
never going to post anything specific
about where my flat is, particular work stuff, or detailed upcoming plans.
My time in London thus far has mostly consisted of
orientation to the program and then starting work. I haven’t gotten to do anything touristy yet,
but that will all (hopefully) change this weekend. With Easter on Sunday, we get a four day
weekend. My roomie and I plan to go
exploring. Unfortunately, I have a
terrible cold right now. If it doesn’t
go away quickly, I might not have the energy to do too much.
The one touristy thing I’ve seen so far is the London
Bridge. Last week for lunch some of us
from work headed to Borough Market and on the walk there and back, we had a
clear view of the London Bridge across the Thames. The Market itself was awesome. What seemed like millions of food vendors
were set up with foods from around the world.
I had a bratwurst that was so good it could give the West Side Market a
run for its money.
Since I don’t have fun Traveling-Around-London stories to
share yet, I’ll fill you in on my day-to-day.
So far, I’ve walked to and from work every weekday. It’s a half hour walk each way. It’s been very cold out; that’s probably why
I’m so sick at the moment. Getting
around London can be confusing because there are so many little alleys and
there are streets that change names every ten feet and then there’s my personal
favorite, the 35-way intersection near my office. Okay, I confess, 35 might be a bit of an
exaggeration, but it is a lot and it made it very difficult for me to learn
directions to my office. The highlight
of one of my paths to work is walking through a really old cemetery. It’s a very popular shortcut. The cemetery closed for burials in 1854 after
serving as a burial site for over 1,000 years.
The poet William Blake is buried there!
I meant to write more, but as you all know, I’m easily
distracted. Spent time talking about
Doctor Who with the roomie and now it’s time to get some sleep if I ever want
this cold to go away.
Warm regards,
Jen