always busy...

Well lets see.... thursday we just had class. found out i have a face-to-face interview with MSN in the travel, money and tech department tuesday morning. the head of the department and the editor in chief of MSN are interviewing me... scary.

then we all went out to celebrate our placements- because we all pretty much got what we wanted! so we went to tiger tiger... a club in piccadilly circus. it was quite fun. still a bit of an older crowd out though....

friday we had a guest speaker- the guy who writes from London for USA Today.

got out and did laundry. blah. at 5 pounds a load! just for the washer. it was insane. so basically i am never doing laundry again.

its almost cheaper to just buy clothes !!! (yay!)

then we got dressed up and went and saw Sex and the City the movie. and it was FABULOUS. it was absolutely wonderful...

came back made dinner and just chilled.

Today we woke up early and went down to Portabello Road in Notting Hill. 

its a big market and its absolutely amazing.

at first i thought it was going to be all vintagey stuff- which isnt my fav.

but after the bananna/nutella crepes- the day just got sooo much better.

i am in LOVE with every purchase i made today. i got some really cute clothes for work and a couple other awesome things. it was cool because we got to meet some of the designers. one dress i tried on the designer even picked out a belt and helped me fit it properly. it was soo cool.

then jen and i were just wandering and saw this guy taking his pictures in front of a sign. 

so i waked behind the photographer and in front of what turns out to be a body guard.

jen pulls me back.... uuuh kaylin. thats Chris Rock.

i turned around and sure enough- it was!

we were going to ask for a picture but then his bodyguard wisked him away.

it was still pretty cool getting to see him out though!

now back to make lunch (we spent our food money on super cute one of a kind clothes!)

before getting ready to hit up the town tonight.

cheerio!

who knew shakespeare could make me feel so uncomfortable ?!

seriously.

so today we had an academically enthralling day.

we had a field trip for our british life and culture class....

we started at Warwick Castle.

which wouldnt have been so bad if it werent misty... so wet and cold.

it would be have been a nice little tourist attraction with all of the dressed up staff-- but everyone just wanted to be inside!

the figures in the castle.... which is the UKs best preserved fort- were all wax figures made by madame tussand's- so that was pretty neat.

but we really were just hungry and such when we were there. rose garden was pretty though.

then we got back on the bus and went to stratford-upon-avon.

well we started at Anne Hathaway's house. (NOT the actress... much to my dismay)

really it was william Shakespeare's wife. (who was 26 and pregnant when they were married and he was 18.... scandalous)

it was very.... old house like. imagine. kinda cool. not worth spending an hour at.

then we ventured on to Shakespeare's birthplace. 

yes... they have not only his house preserved... but also like a museum/exhibit attached.

it was quite shrine-like.

SO i loooove theatre dont get me wrong. 

but is it really necessary to take everything he touched and preserve it ?

i mean i was in the room where he was BORN.

to be honest. thats a little creepy.

then we were finally done with our Shakespeare-athon we got free time.

from 3-7.

four hours.

im not sure if you can gather.... but stratford-upon-avon..... not a great metropolis.

and right before we stepped outside it started pouring.

all the Londoner's say... it never pours- just drizzles.

this= pouring. (although... to give them credit.... it wasnt london)

we ate what was supposed to be lunch (oh yeah- no lunch break from 8a-3p)

at a great fish and chippery.... where i had really good shrimp.

at sat there and read our homework and books.

then we got up and moved to a pub and did the same thing (more comfy chairs)

before finally we had to head off to the theatre.

we were going to see Taming of the Shrew.

which i thought... wow seeing a Shakespearian play in his hometown--- pretty neat. must be awesome.

well..... just because Shakespeare wrote it one way- does NOT mean that is how everyone interprets it.

the play started off present day time with a bachelor party and a stripper pole. (NO JOKE)

and then went off onto the play... which was full of awkward, unnecessary sexual innuendoes. oh yes.

and the way the tried to modernize the play... with actions and certain accents and such--- just pulled from the plot rather than helping it further along.

it was confusing to follow (although- it is shakespeare...)

it was just uncomfortable at times and inappropriate.

acting was good just again.... im not sure that is the interpretation Shakespeare (or anyone ever before) had in mind when reading the play.

finally got home at 1am our time.

lovely.

off to sleep before much to do tomorrow.

fab.

"time goes by so quickly when you are sitting on this couch..."

haha sooo true megan.

i love our big red couch in our common room. we just sit on it and time seems to fade away.... and when we finally pull ourselves away from facebook, skype, perez.... or ultimately homework and time kicks back in- unfortunately what seems to be hours later.

today was another fabulously boring day.

just class followed by intern orientation where we learned----pay attention now--- dont chew gum when being interviewed- dress properly and ask questions.

who would have thought to do that in an interview?! Ms. V would have been so ashamed.... 

after that i felt like i was in supermarket sweep.... we went into primark (aka walmart) to buy some shirts- rain boots etc. because i cleverly enough didnt pack anything but going out clothes,  work clothes and shorts... none of which ive worn yet. obviously.

we had 30 min. in the store.

now imagine walmart on the day after thanksgiving sale.

yup that crazy. even on a tuesday afternoon.

i got to the point where i wasnt even looking what i was grabbing i just saw the size and threw it in and ran ( and amazingly got some really cute clothes out of the process...)

the lines are incrediously long- but im telling you they have it down to a science- its incredible.

american stores would do well to take notes from them.

anyways after that extravaganza- we went to Sainsbury's- our grocery store and went up and down every aisle buying stuff to store up so we never have to go out to the store again--- or for that matter go out to eat.

this whole money thing is insane. but i am learning how to properly budget. because being broke (my current financial situation until sunday rolls around) in week 2 of what... 16? is a bit rough.

i guess its teaching me good skills though... like cooking. (jury is still out on that one...)

so now we are all just chilling in our flat.

well some of my roomies went out tonight- but i bought a good 600 page socialite novel turned murder mystery for 3 pounds (i was REALLY excited) and i opted to stay in and read.

yeah i know im a dork.... get over it.

MY PHOTOS !!!!!!

http://web.mac.com/krashalan/iWeb/Site/London-%20the%20beginnings....html

my pictures !!!! finally !

and you can click on the different tabs to see different adventures !

Edinburgh, Scotland

how do i even begin...?

well when we were deciding to go to Scotland i was like.... well lets not waste a weekend- i mean i guess Scotland might be cool to visit. but really-- i was going to say i went.

when we got there... i had very little expectations and i was completely blown away.

edinburgh is absolutely beautiful. and the weekend turned out being one of my favorite vacations and cities of all time.

the city is all old... every building is hundreds of years old. to the point of where you are like...psh another old building who cares- and you lose some of the beauty in it all.

we got there friday evening and really just dropped our stuff off at our hostel- which was acutally pretty nice (had better showers than the one i have in my flat.... sad?)- and went to a pub and had dinner and drinks.

we didnt realize that we went to an irish pub... and i ordered fajitas... in scotland ! crazy.

but the weather was perfect and the people were friendly.

saturday we woke up and just did our own thing. we found breakfast then went and walked around the outside of Edinburgh Castle (which was literally right outside the door of where we were staying) we didnt end up going in though because it was 9 pounds. and well... thats expensive.

then we went on "the scotch wisky experience" (there it is spelled wisky) and it was actually super interesting. i had no idea scotch was just scottish wiskey.

we got a free sample and a free glass and instructional videos and a ride. it was great.

then we meandered our way down the Royal Mile... which is like the main street with shopping etc. and we saw Hollyrood Castle... which is the Queens Summer residence.

again didnt go in due to 9 pound fee.

we also stopped by the Elephant Cafe- which is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. I took pictures. it was great.

we stopped for a quick lunch and took a nap before going out for a really nice italian dinner.

then stew and jen wanted to go on a ghost tour. which i did not.

but hey--- 2 against 3... going on the ghost tour was better than staying alone... right?

well our tour guide seemed like a sweet old grandma at first.... but things got scary as the sun went down.

and we ended up walking through underground vaults that were incredibly creepy.

after that we stopped by a pub before heading home. the name of every pub there had to do with some ghost, killing or death of some sort... it was really weird.

also there were a lot of irish pubs and irish stores and such- not really what i expected.

as well as a ton of american music everywhere. it was great sitting in an irish pub, eating mexican food listening to call on me.

also there were sooo many bachelor/bachelorette parties ! or stag and hen parties as they called them. it was really weird. you would have thought we were at vegas or something... and edinburgh doesnt seem like that crazy of a town to me...  but hey i guess you never know

then sunday we woke up early because we set up to go on a tour. we drove and went through the highlands and stopped at random places. we also go to see Ben Nevis- the UKs tallest mountain.

main highlight was Loch Ness. we went on a river cruise there and it was truly spectacular. the lake is like pitch black.

we really lucked out our whole time in Scotland with great weather- and this day trip was no exception!

our guide said usually you cannot even see the top of the mountains--- and we saw everything and it was clear and gorgeous.

we did NOT see the loch ness monster .... stew was quite upset about that one. (i was a little relieved - i mean it could have come up and capsized our boat. and ruined the pictures on my camera- and i was not going to have that)

then we just wandered back to edinburgh through quaint little towns and it was really quite enchanting.

also one thing -- every where you go there are sheep. im not kidding. like the most sheep i have ever seen in my life. just chilling on the hillsides.

the highlands were absolutely breathtaking. we got to even see the guys house who invented the stretcher (what they use in ambulances...) no joke.

but really they were so serene and natural (well...duh)

but it made me want to buy a house and move there and denounce all technology and sit and read and write novels by a fire place.

if i actually had the ability to write novels... or go more than a weekend without my comptuter/iphone that might also be possible.

but really i think one day when i make money (in a career that is obviously not journalism- because there is no money in that) i will have a vacation home out in the highlands and only take a CD player and get a newspaper subscription and sit around all day writing fabulous intriguing novels and cook amazing food all day. (crap... that also means i have to learn to cook)

maybe ill just marry a capable highlander and ill allow a coffee machine in my house too and ill count making coffee as my daily domestic duty.

today we woke up- had some brunch and hopped on a train back to london so we can do our homework for tomorrow...ugh and just errands and such.

so thanks mom and dad for an unforgettable time !!!

pics will be up soon somehow!

off to have yet another healthy dinner of pasta and butter w/parm.

if you guys have easy recipes made with CHEAP ingredients let me know.

seriously.

i feel like i need more in my body other than carbs and cheese everyday.

although... those 7 flights of stairs i have to walk up and down to my flat might work off most of it...

off on holiday

Jen, Stew and I are going off to Edinburgh, Scotland today until monday evening for May Bank Holiday. (which is monday- so no school or anything!)

again, not really clear on what a bank holiday is.... but i am grateful for the 3 day weekend so i'm not asking any questions!

so have a good weekend... and ill return soon with lots of fun entertaining stories!

its been less than a week ?!

crazy to think ive been here what... 6 days ?!

feels like ive been here for forever.

columbia seems so far away.... and the great spring time at mizzou seems like they were a year ago.

well we finally learned the short cut to class. so we pretty much just went to school and did homework yesterday.

then it was the big chelsea v. manchester united football match. it was the championship for all of europe !

we happen to live in the kensington/chelsea borough so we just hopped on the tube and went a couple stops and got off at Kings Rd which is like the main road in Chelsea.

we saw some guys in blue tshirts and just followed them to a pub.

the pub was INSANELY crowded. like you literally could not even move.

but it was one of the coolest experiences.

chelsea lost... :( but it was awesome to say we were in chelsea watching the game.

instead of cheering--- they sing. they have a bunch of different songs and they all sing them.

its quite disorientating at first, but very spiritful.

today we just went to school then we walked through kensington gardens for a while.

its very serene. and much greener than i expected. i guess i expected more flowers-- but it was beautiful none the less.

then we wandered home and have just been doing homework and working out weekened/life plans.

hope all is well back home.

xoxo

kk

another day of adventures

today we had our first real class.

it lasted the full 2 hours. blah.

then we hopped on the tube and rode over to St. Paul's stop.

we had lunch at an AMAZING cafe and sat outside in the little plaza where the stock exchange is located.

there were so many people dressed in suits and all proper and then we come in looking like total americans in our jeans and polos trying to figure out exactly how to order.

it was a very classy place and is one of my fav spots in london so far.

then we went to the Museum of London. which was a total bore and a waste of my time.

it was less than half a floor full of exhibits and lame ones at that.

i see now why museums are free.... 

just kidding. kind of.

then we walked around a bit before wandering across the millennium bridge (beautiful views of the London bridge) and we ran into the Tate museum of Modern Art. 

before going in- we decided to stop at a pub on the Thames River and took a break for Pimm's and Lemonade which comes with cut up lemons, limes, oranges and oddly - cucumber. it was a great break with awesome views. 

then we went into the Tate which was free as well-- and that was actually pretty cool. Ally has this thing where she puts on her ipod and walks around the museum- so i tried that and it was actually very cool- completely different experience.

then we took forever to find our way back to a very crowded tube station- and ended up back at our lovely flat.

had another fab dinner of noodles, butter and parm before sitting down with some gossip girl!

think i am going to go to bed early tonight because it is the Chelsea v. Manchester football (soccer game) in Moscow tomorrow and its something big - like some championship and its the first time its been 2 teams from England? i think... who knows.

but we are going out to Chelsea tomorrow to watch the game at a local pub! (chelsea is quite close to us)

so- sorry today was very academic filled ... well i guess thats the reason im here --- right mom and dad ? ;)

and my family decided to come visit me- for which i am very excited.... they just need to give me some dates so i make sure im around ;)

xoxo

goodnight darlings.

p.s. just kidding mom and dad-- ill be here..... but really dates would be appreciated ! (and its also cheaper to book sooner rather than later !)

day 3?

it feels like i have been here for much longer than only 3 days !

today was fun filled with orientation after orientation.

we did get to walk around the campus a bit which was pretty cool though.

apparently Imperial College is really prestigious (especially in medicine, science and engineering and such) .... like the MIT of europe (although they prefer MIT is the Imperial of the States because really... Imperial was here first) AND apparently it is better than OXFORD. like top 3 universities in the WORLD. (after cambridge and harvard.... followed by oxford and yale).

so i cant wait to get my student card and walk around and show it off... you know make people believe that i am super smart.... haha- little do they know....

but main and most exciting part of the day was planning our first weekend excursion !

this weekend we are going to Edinburgh, Scotland.

we leave friday afternoon and return monday evening. 

there is no school or anything on monday because of the Bank Holiday... not really sure what that is.... but i am grateful for the 3 day weekend to go explore the UK!

i am BEYOND excited i cannot even explain it.

its crazy to think that scotland is only a few hours away by train....

its starting to feel like real europe now... navigating our way around and figuring things out for ourselves.

after a wonderful homemade dinner of pasta with butter and parm we went to the wine bar across the street and sat there for a while before walking back and having some ice cream.

now that all of the orientations have been taken care of (for the most part)

its nice to just sit back and get aquatinted with our area. our new home really.

oooh today i got a cell phone!

its one of those pay as you go deals- and i can call the states for less than 8 cents a min. but depending on peoples plans it can charge them up to 50 cents a min... i think.

0044 7503592746

if you are interested.

but you arent- so go download skype and we can talk for free!!!!

well off to attempt to do homework....

but things are really looking up as we now have much to look forward to.

traveling and local festivals and such weve heard about and really just feeling comfortable enough to wander around the city by ourselves. 

so im off- but im sure well chat again tomorrow love.

day 2

so still jet lagged- but at least today is a nicer day!

sunny and only a bit chilly...

we started off on this tour of London with this crazy peppy lady named Trudy.

we drove everywhere and im not even sure which part was which-

it all kind of looks the same.

we stopped by china town then we walked around picadilly circus and shopped around a bit.

we also got to see the changing of the guard- which was actually really cool because it is the first time in 1,000 years that the Queen has been guarded by someone other than the british guards. The Malaysian guards now guard her- and we got to see them change from British guards to Malaysian. It was actually pretty tight.

today has just been long- and my continued jet lag and disorientation does not help.

the neighborhoods seem to all run together- but im sure once i get more acquainted with the area and different boroughs i will have a different view.

London is very different... but also very the same. They all speak English so it doesn't seem like i am even in Europe.

i still havent completely grasped the concept that i will be living here for the next 3 months.

our apartment isnt bad- but the shower gets either scalding hot or freezing cold so its a bit of an adventure.

the area we are living in is even nicer than i thought. its filled with a bunch of shops and pubs and great little places to eat.

i am really looking forward to having more time to explore the city on my own. (when i am not tired)

i also really want to go to Hyde park and sit and read a book.

most of the museums are free and there are lots of little areas and such to spend a day getting lost in.

im looking forward to getting to know and love this city.

i think once i really get the hang of things ill never want to leave.

although i might want to leave this flat.... so i can get warm water and not have to walk up 7 flights of stairs...

Arrival

Sooo...

im here !

im my lovely flat.

There are 6 of us in it- but its really not that bad.

The area we are living in is extremely nice. 

Apparently we are living in Earls Court... which is in South Kensington which is apart of Kensington/Chelsea.

yeah... its confusing. but it is a great place to be.

We are on the top floor... which was not very fun for moving in.

already did some grocery shopping and such and we are getting ready to go out with the group before our full day of tours tomorrow.

download skype and skype me !

or send me some mail !!!

my address:

40 Hogarth Road

Flat 5

London SW5 OPU

United Kingdom