I Think I'll Call It "Pasión"

THEY HAD DUNKIES! Alright, real talk now. This past weekend my friend Vicki and I set off to Madrid, Spain to visit mi amor Ava. To start off, we decided to fly out using EasyJet which was surprisingly awesome. Flying out of London Luton was a fun experience for the two of us. Basically, instead ofknowing immediately which terminal to wait at, Luton Airport makes there customers chill at a wicked nice food court area to eat Krispy Kream Donuts, and drink Stella (nice.) At about ten minutes before you're supposed to stand in the cue (British term for 'lining up'), your terminal location will show up on a television screen without any clear signal as to when it shows up. Once your location is revealed, it becomes a mad dash to the terminal to hold a good spot in the cue (important to be in a decent place in line since there are no assigned seats for EasyJet). Luckily, we were faster than most of the middle aged adults flying with us.

After safely landing in Madrid, we proceeded towards the Spanish Metro System to meet up with Ava. I was pleasantly surprised to how clean and reliable their Metro System was (definitely something for America to pick up on). Once the three amigos were reunited, we proceeded towards the hostel. Hosting us for the weekend was The Living Roof Hostel. The hostel itself was very interesting. As you walked past the check-in desk, you enter a courtyardish area that has a completely open roof (sick). We then went off to find our room and dropped off our belongings. The funniest part of the hostel would have to be the showers. You had two options for bathing. You could select shower number uno on the left that provided you with a crazy shower head that was held together with bandages (also includes an uncontrollable water stream that generally sprays the walls of the bathroom more than your body), or you could select shower number dos. Shower number dos on the right side provides hostel residents with a lovely view of the courtyard where all the other residents can watch you as you bathe. Choices.

The first night out on the town began with a stop at the famous tapas bar called El Tigre. Packed with a ton of people, the place was raging with alcohol and HUGE plates of tapas. Basically, the idea behind tapas (for those who are unaware) is

that you purchase a drink (I recommend the mojito that is the size of a slurpee), and in return

you get a giant plate of food that includes potatos (nom), slices of bread with ham (nom), and these little fried potato con queso y jamon (nom nom). Definitely a great way to fill up before going out for the night. Following El Tigre, we decided to venture out to the clubs of Madrid with some Spanish amigos we met along the way. Enter Kapital..where they have the SICKEST smoke machine things! Definitely a crazy night out to say the least haha I think the best way to sum up the night would be Danza Corduro.

On Saturday, we all walked the city checking out the incredible views and sights (also stopping into tapas bars every once in a while). Throughout the day, we would see notices for a manifesto that was going to occur around 18:00 at the city center of Sol. Naturally, we ventured off to Sol to prepare for the manifesto. On our walk over, we passed by mariachi bands (how ironic), some souvenir shops, and street performers. Arriving at Sol, there were THOUSANDS of people with signs and t-shirts ready to protest. Basically, we were about to become a part of Occupy Madrid. Standing in front of City Hall, we got to experience one of the most powerful events we had been a part of. It was wicked uplifting to see all the different political issues that were being represented through one combined union of civilians. It was definitely a life changing experience to be a part of this movement.

And of course, we couldn't leave Madrid without saying hola to Mamacita (Ava's host ma). We arrive a la casa de Mamacita and immediately greeted by non other than the infamous stinky TUCCO! After chillin out for a little, the rest of the familia came home. Mamacita is literally the warmest person you will ever meet. She was so welcoming and sweet to all of us. Ava, you are wicked lucky. The entire time we were chatting it up with the family in Spanish since they knew little English, and it was literally like I was back at home to T's.with my own family being loud, laughing, and just loving life; truly an incredible feeling. The funniest part of the night came when Mamacita noticed that I looked like her son Bruno. We all had a great laugh after about twenty pictures were taken of the two of us next to each other. Later that night, we went out Pacha Madrid to celebrate our last night out together in Spain. After raging late into the night, the three of us walked back to the hostel, but stopped along the way for pizza of course. SO GOOD. Made me feel like I was walking back around West Campus after a night out..

Domingo, we traveled around the areas we had yet to see. WE GOT TO GO TO DUNKIES FOR COFFEE! Literally the happiest kid in Europe that day. Oh yea, we got churros and chocolate for breakfast too (nom!) We went off to a beautiful park that was full of rollerskaters, peacocks, and gorgeous scenery. The scene was absolutely incredible, and soon became my favorite spot I have seen in Europe yet. After wondering a while and enjoying the park, we realized it was time to head back and say adios to Mamacita, but not before we got more gelato. During our farewells, the family offered their home as a place to stay if we ever wanted to visit again. To Mamacita, I'm coming back and I promise this time I'll sing for you. Yep, look out for Madrid Part Dos coming to a blog near you.

Madrid was absolutely breathtaking. The city is full of life, passion, and culture (and tapas..) The lifestyle is very relaxed, but everyday is lived out to the fullest. I could definitely envision myself living here at some point in my life. Not to mention how much easier it was knowing the language! (thank you Ven Conmigo Holt Spanish) If you ever get the chance, GO TO MADRID (and I'll come too!)

Je Suis Un Ananas

To start out, let's rewind to the summer around early August at The Quad. Mia, Danny, and I made a promise to each other that during the Fall semester we would all reunite in Paris for a weekend. This would inevitably become known as the

"Paris Pact."

Flashing forward to September, we all contacted each other and got two more friends, Kyle and Kaitlin, to plan an incredible adventure together. On this past Friday morning, we would all arrive in Paris together; but of course, the reunion could not occur without some bumps in the road. Mia and I decided to take a bus out of London that morning. Right as we sit on the bus, cue Funky Town. Hokay. After eight hours of driving through England, under the English Channel, and through miles of France (with which we missed our actual bus stop), we officially landed in Paris! Now was time to navigate to our hostel and find baguettes. Literally stuggle-bussing our way through the public transportation (we'll call it PT for this post), Mia and I eventually made it above ground to the beautiful sight of the Eiffle Tower and began to fall in love with this new city.

We arrived to our hostel, called The Aloha (...) and by 12:30am, the five of us were united in Paris. The first night consisted of a late night picnic of sorts with wine and pizza (nom) in front of the Eiffle Tower and led to a short night's sleep. Everyone woke up early to get the day started right away, so we each grabbed a baguette and were off! The day consisted of a lovely free walking tour of the city that highlighted the history, architecture, and tourist spots of this beautiful capital. My favorite part of the tour was when we crossed a bridge that was decorated with locks. At first glance, you may think this was some contemporary art exhibit; however, we were taught the French tradition: bring the one you love to the bridge, have a lock with you, write both your name and his/hers, lock it to the bridge, then throw the key into the river. Someday I'll go back there, and in due time place my lock to join the others :)

Later, we perused the Champs-Elysées and then continued to the Aloha to prepare for our fancy dinner. We arrived at the restaraunt and ordered the most delicious food I have ever consumed. THE MASHED POTATOES WERE OUT OF THIS WORLD. Enough said. After indulging ourselves, we went off to the Eiffle Tower to see the city at a new height. The five of us scaled staircase after staircase and made it to the mid-level of the Eiffle and had one of the most incredible panoramic views of the city. Luckily, we made it down to the quad just in time to watch the Tower glisten! It was the perfect movie moment, especially considering Kaitlin had successfully bartered a bottle of champagne down to 10 Euros (Kaitlin: 1, Thug Trying To Rip Us Off: 0). As our bottle popped and the amazing crowd roared with flashing lights and alcohol, we stood in awe at the incredible metal structure. Very interesting to me how beautiful an incredibly ugly structure can be. Truly an incredible work of art.

Once our bottle was consumed and the crowd began to dim, we decided to stroll throughout the city. I also had a personal mission to complete before leaving Paris. In case you hadn't heard, Adele released her new music video for the hit "Someone Like You" the night before we went to France, and ironically enough, the entire video was shot in Paris! So obviously my mission was to sing Someone Like You on the same bridge as she did (duh). The slight problem was that we weren't sure which bridge it was...and for anyone who hasn't been to Paris before, they have A LOT of bridges. So as we were walking, I would stop at every bridge and start singing (poor friends who had to listen to it). Luckily, I ended up singing on the correct bridge and got documentation of my bonding moment with Adele.

The nightlife in Paris is phenomenal. Everyone of all ages roams the streets and indoor venues consistently throughout the night with bottles of wine. The Parisians are always loving life, an emotion that became very contagious for our group. After enjoying our stroll, we crashed back at the Aloha to prepare for our last day. Our first stop was to make it to Notre Dame and explore both the inside of the church and make our way to the top of it to see the city during the daylight.

The inside of Notre Dame was absolutely breathtaking! A service was occurring while we explored, so we had the opportunity to

attend the mass in all French. Wicked awesome. Heading to the top, we went up a zillion windy stairs and made our way to one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. As if the moment wasn't picturesque enough, a bride and groom were taking wedding pictures below us in front of Notre Dame!

After some nutella crepes and cafe au lait, we ventured off to visit any touristy spots we may have missed and pick up some souvenirs. Of course, we also picked up more wine to enjoy on our walk (thank you lack of open bottle laws).

Funny enough, I found this weekend to be the one where I had used Spanish to communicate with locals more than English! It's wicked impressive to know most Europeans can all speak multiple languages, something I think Americans should pick up. Just an observation. Also, I found that the locals happened to be some of the nicest I have ever met. Originally I had the notion that the people of Paris were wicked snooty and looked down on Americans; however, it was just the opposite! Just another factor that made everything absolutely perfect.

Overall, this was probably the most incredible weekend of my life, so far. Incredible people, incredible food, and one beautiful city: Paris. All of it which I will remember forever. The bar has been set extremely high, but I cannot wait to continue my travels throughout Europe! Next stop: Madrid a visitar mi novia bonita, Ava!

Cappuccino Culture

What an incredible week this has been in the beautiful city of London! A lot of things have been happening, so it's time to update the blog. My first class titled "London Architecture and Urbanism" started this week, and so far has been my favorite class I've ever taken. The instructor, Caroline, is an expert in her field and really makes the lecture interesting. My abroad program makes classes run very differently than in the States. In fact, this class runs only for about two weeks and varies in lecture hours from 3 hours up to 8 hours! The course consists of 50% note taking in class and then about 50% traveling London! On our first meeting, we got to visit the British Museum. Here, we got to see the Rosetta Stone, touch the Parthenon, and learn about the influences of the Roman Empire on London. Wicked awesome! Later in the day, we were taken the British Library, which didn't turn out to be your typical library. The British Library contains an incredible amount of archives that have been collected for decades andrange from the remains of the original Magna Carta, scribbles of the first Beatles' lyrics for their hits such as "Yesterday" and "Michelle," and even original copies of Shakespeare's works! Pretty frickin awesome place they have there.

For this course, one of the goals is to learn how to navigate around the city of London and

understand all the 32 boroughs that it consists. This means every time our course meets, we will venture out to a new destination using the Tube (which is sick) and learn about the area's history, tourist attractions, and useful everyday cultural things that locals can benefit from. Thus far, I've seen the area called "City," which is in the center of the city of London and was the original enclosed area of London when it was first settled. Enough of the history lesson. It

was SICK. City contains many of the star attractions of London such as the Tower Bridge, London Bridge (which is wicked lame haha) and City Hall. This area reminded me of NYC because of its density and huge buildings. Definitely my favorite area experienced so far.

Something I found interesting from the lecture was a quote from my lecturer Caroline:

"The dirtiest word that begins with a "C" is class."

First thought for me was 'I can think of dirtier words that that..." but she began to explain her thought. She described that "class" creates a division in society that raises concerns for every individual on each level. Interestingly enough, she had a good point. The people of London always

underestimate their "class" in fear of declaring themselves of too high of a "class." For centuries, society has made huge efforts to either be accepted or marry into the Upper Class, but to no avail. It was interesting to learn how a simple five-letter word could be the dictator in such a respected culture. Get it, Caroline.

I also learned how separate the United Kingdom has been from the rest of Europe. Considering themselves an 'island race," England especially has always been last to forward their culture at the same pace as the rest of Europe. Whether it's technology, food, or drink, England typically is on the back of the strug-bus. London, however, has been a huge advocate of this new European-esque "Cappuccino Culture." What is this exactly? Basically, it is what you think it would be. London has been pushing for new cafes where locals can purchase and enjoy lattes and other cappuccino drinks in a social venue. Interestingly enough, it seems that the locals have been enjoying this movement to become more European and "hip."

I finally had my orientation for the Royal College of Music!!! Woo!! Prepare yourself when I tell you my class schedule for the semester. *clear throat* Mondays: class from 9:00am-16:30pm. Wednesday: choir from 10:00am-12:30pm. Fridays: class from 12:45pm-13:45pm. Ready to add to the joke? Choir stops midway through October. LOL. So I'm not complaining. Actually, I'm ecstatic (understatement). Ironically enough, the song "I Love College" came up on my Itunes shuffle for this whole paragraph, I kid you not.

So typically floor events consist of movie nights, or pizza nights, etc. However, in Europe we believe in fun floor events, like bar nights! TOO MUCH FUN. The GFlat (name for the ground floor, which would be called the first floor in

America) went to the Imperial College Pub and had a blast! This pub is actually a two minute walk from where I live, and the drinks are wicked cheap (only about 2lbs a pint. awww yeaaa). Nothing says welcome to your new institution like tequila shots with your RA! Unreal hahaha

Earlier this week, a group of friends and I went out to a bar (not sure what it was called. oops.) and experienced an amazing night of drinks, dancing, and awkward Brits. If you ever wanna cause a scene, start doing the Stanky Leg in the middle of a group of Europeans. It's almost like dropping a porpoise in the middle of a hockey rink. Not quite? I'm still working on my metaphors..Anyways the night was incredible, and I was still able to wake up and survive my lecture the next morning. Tonight will be Round 3 for this week in celebration of Mia's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Mia!!! Let's hope my body will bounce back well for tomorrow's

eight hour lecture beginning at 9am. Fingers crossed! Even if I strug my way through class, it'll all be worth it knowing I'm just living the dream.

Cheers Mate!

There's the Common, Central Park, and then there is Hyde Park. One of London's most infamous attractions continues to be a popular location for locals, tourists, and student such as myself. Enjoying the beautiful weather we have been experiencing the past couple of days, my friends and I had a lovely lunch of fresh baguettes and gelato. After our meal, we decidedto explore a portion of this beloved area. Hyde Park is home to many trails for walking and biking, memorials for the deceased, palaces, etc. The sights were surely astounding!

Across the way, we noticed a father and son kicking around a soccer ball over the green plains. It made me nostalgic on one end thinking of playing catch with my dad when I was younger, and it also make me realize how much I want to play a real football match here in England. Certainly something added to my Extra Credit list.

Speaking of, my Extra Credit list is a play-off of the overused phrase "bucket list."

Idea sparked by Critty, we figured that making a goals list is much more efficient because if something is completed, you can reward yourself with the memory of having it done. If something is not completed, there is no penalty; you just have to keep it on the list for next time. This Extra Credit works out well since there's no real way to lose!

Throughout Hyde Park, there were SO MANY PUPPIES. Being a huge dog lover, I was imploding at the sight of all these pooches. In fact, one dog (coincidentally enough named Pooch) approached me while running through the park!

Prior to this incredible day at Hyde Park, I needed to finally pick up a European pay-as-you-go phone at the Orange store (Orange is a popular phone company in London). The friendly employee was wicked helpful, and the purchase was made with no issues..until...SPLAT. The

sandwich I was holding in my arm fell out of its bag and landed all over the floor. Thinking it

was my fault, I made contact with the employee and apologized. Before I could even pick it up, the employee had gotten a roll of TP and picked up the sandwich pieces on the floor. Not knowing what to really do, I let out a "aww, woof" and skidadled my way out of the Orange store. I'm not planning on returning to the store for the rest of the semester hopefully.

This morning required an early start for me and my colleagues to travel to the Hatchlands. Here, we were scheduled to visit with Mr. Alec Cobbe. Cobbe is the owner of many various keyboard instruments ranging in harpsichords, keyboards, and pianos. We met up to this beautiful gate that led to acres and acres of green grass grazed with cows. It was a beautiful sight to see and was a nice change from the city. When we approached Mr. Cobbe's mansion, a lovely woman brought us in to enjoy some tea and biscuits. The home was

absolutely breathtaking! Every room had multiple instruments, statures, and beautiful

artwork. It was like his own MFA! From one of King Charles' II original keyboards, to Chopin's favorite piano, all of the archives were astonishing! Mr. Cobbe provided us with a brilliant tour of his instruments, and at the end, I found a great appreciation for the development

of such an iconic instrument.

After our trip to the Hatchlands, we traveled back

on the Tube. Today was actually my first time on the actual Tube, and it was a great experience! The Tube is 100 times better than any transportation I have ever been on. It's clean, fast, on time, and was pretty easy to figure out. Highly commend England and their great work with their public transportation system. I felt like a pro using my London version of a Charlie Card, called an Oyster Card. The most astonishing part of the Tube was just how deep underground the system goes. When you take the escalator's up or down, you realize just how steep everything is built in this system. And of course, 'Please mind the gap' is always dependable.

Tonight, my friends and I went out to the Queen's Arms to enjoy a few brews on a perfect night in the city. There we enjoyed the locals and the beauty of knowing we're living out the

opportunity of a lifetime. Once we made our way outside of the bar, my roommate and I met some other students from Arizona University who happen to live right around the corner from us. They were wicked nice people also studying abroad and completing internships like the BU students. Though we are all looking forward to embracing the British culture an meeting locals as our friends, having met fellow Americans from different places of the country was still an exciting part of the night!

To all my friends in the states, on abroad programs, and just met tonight, cheers to you!

Scheiße

Londoners can spot out Americans almost instantly: fact. I thought we would all in blend in together; however, when us Americans do certain actions or dress a certain way, we place ourselves with a huge target waiting to be thrown at. Though this may sound scary, it's actually a wicked fun game.

Game you may ask? Well, I call it a game because I've made a list (to myself that I will share with the world) of things Pete shouldn't do if trying to fit in as a resident Londonee. We'll call it the TPSDITTFIAARL list for short. Actually, that's hard to remember. Screw it. It's now called Code Scheiße.

Here are the rules to Code Scheiße:

Rule #1: When crossing the street, abide by the rules. Simple right? Eh, not so much for a Masshole like myself. We Bostonians are notorious for not paying attention when walking, looking the complete opposite direction, taking our sweet-ass time walking, and of course J-walking. In order to fit in as a resident and not look like a complete moron, it is important to simply read what the road tells you to do. It's actually pretty much stupid proof! When the street tells you "Look to your right," you should probably look to the right side.

Continuing with Rule #1, it is important to look for crosswalks when attempting to cross the street (no shit huh?). Anyways, you may think you're crossing the street with no cars coming, but as long as that little green man ain't shining (that's right, it's green instead of white in London), you probably shouldn't take your chances on main roads. Taxis thoroughly enjoy driving as fast as they can to almost hit morons who think he/she can cross the street at any time. Don't be that guy (or girl). Plain and simple, listen to what the street is telling you. It's correct more than 99.9% of the time.

Rule #2: Remember you speak English too. Intrigued, eh? There's a story for this one. While going to pick up groceries at Stainberry (it's not actually Stainberry, but I always forget what it's called. Over it), my friends and I decided to pay for our groceries using the self-checkout. Thinking that it has to work the same as Shaws back in the Bean, I begin to scan all my groceries and bag them up. Mind that the set up is LITERALLY the same set up as back in America with these self-checkouts. So all the groceries are scanned and bagged, and it's time to pay for them. Since I had just taken out pounds at the atm, I was not going to use my debit card to avoid dumb charges from the American bank which will remain unnamed (hint: Citizens). I go to press the button that says "Pay With Cash," and it tells me there's an error. The red light starts flashing above my checker-outter, and then comes this frightening older looking version of Betty White (Betty is a babe compared to this sucker).

Upon arrival, she starts muttering this weird version of British lingo that I had never heard before. She looks at me and points to this paper about the size of a kit-kat bar that says "CARD ONLY." Oops. Feeling a little dumb at my lack of observance, I click the cancel button on the screen to cancel the purchase and she begins to tell me "NO NO NO." Double oops. She then took my groceries and put them all in one bag and walked away. Confused. So I decided to go to a different self check out and start scanning my groceries again (this time I checked to make sure I could use cash). As I'm about to pay for my food, Betty comes over and starts 'NO NO NO-ing" again. Oh boy. She brings my bag over to this nice cashier's station, then turns at me to grimace. As she walks away, she told the cashier "HE DOESN'T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH." Que?

The cashier lady ended up being very nice, and I was able to buy my groceries with my pounds.

Rule #3: Carry Your Weight. This is referring to the London currency Pounds just to clarify. Basically, if you know what you're going to spend your money on, prepare it ahead of time. This way, it looks like you know what you're actually doing! For example, you know the Bus fair is going to be 2.20 lbs, so get your shiny coins out and count it out BEFORE you get on the bus. Example B, a pint is commonly 3.70 lbs at bars, so bring that amount with you. When you always have the right amount of money, everyone assumes you know what you're doing. It's great! Don't be a rook and stand there trying to figure out how many pence are in your hand in the dark bar with strobe lights and a huge crowd. All you'll do is look like a strug-bus. Get your

helmet son.

So those are basically the rules to this new game. The reason why its called Code Scheiße is simply because if you commit any of these game felonies, you along with everyone in your group of friends who know you're struggin' can shout 'Scheiße!' and it makes you feel a lot better about yourself looking like a newb.

Getting away from this game, last night was quite the adventure. Me and my friends decided to check out a bar called the Blues Bar. It was a smaller but nice space that had friendly workers and good entertainment. Great thing about going out on a Tuesday is that there is no entrance charge either. We enjoyed some classic rock hits, and some original music from this three man band of about 50 years of age. Even though they were older, they were still very entertaining!

After they took a break, my roommate and I decided to chill outside a bit and socialize with the locals. Right away we meet a younger couple and begin conversation. The guy was a London resident while his girlfriend was from Brazil. How we found out they were dating was one of the funniest parts of the night. She introduced herself, and said to us "This is my boyFRENCH." Oh, okay. Bahahaha!

We started talking more, and then Brazil started to give us her best American accent impression. Assuming she was attempting her American Biddie, she stated "Oh my COD you are so pretty.' Well, she fit the biddie role well as informed her that cod is a great fish and is very popular where I'm from. Drunk off her ass, she rolled hysterically on the ground and the rest of us, including, her boyfrench, shared more laughs.

For the rest of the night, me and my friends kept making friends with the local crowd and found that London is an incredible city for its pride. The people of London love their city, and they only have good things to say about it. Not only do they love their city, but they certainly love their football! Many of the locals ranged in favorite clubs, from Arsenal, to Tottenham, to Fulham. The pride of every individual in this city is very memorable, and I am wicked lucky to have this opportunity. To everyone I met last night, cheers to you.

London Pride

What a crazy ride this has been already! Compliments of a certain someone named Irene, my original flight to get into London for Monday morning was cancelled. Once this happened, I contacted the Delta Airlines customer service and was told at first that the next available flight was for the FOLLOWING Saturday, HELLO. At this point, I didn't know what to really say. I was placed on hold and a different service operator came on. The next thing I know, I have a flight to catch that night at 10:50pm.

With the help from two of my best, Max and Conor, I got to the airport in plenty of time. After checking my bags and passing through customs, it was officially time to say 'see ya later' to my incredible friends, the city I love, and the environment I was most familiar with at Boston University. I found my seat on the plane and was luckily provided with a window seat. This was going to be my first time flying solo and my first time leaving the East Coast. Surprisingly, my nerves disappeared as we took off across the pond. Though we experienced a lot of turbulence leaving America, the flight wasn't too bad.

Interestingly enough, I fell asleep for about an hour of the entire

flight but was lucky enough to wake up just as the

jet was flying into the sunrise

over the Atlantic. It was the most beautiful scene I've ever witnessed; completely surreal. Once I saw we were approaching Europe on the video screen tracking our flight, I peered out the window to check out Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The flight was about to end, and I couldn't help to stop and stare at my new home for the next four months. Believe it or not, the first hit of culture-shock came as we were about to land when I saw that all the houses had red roofs (ruffs), which I felt was odd considering all the places I have lived always had gray or black ones. Weird observation,

but I found it interesting.

I was picked up at the airport by a car service, and was on my way to my residence in Kensington. The driver was very nice, and was helping me become accustomed to the culture in London. Many culture-shocking moments happened, such as the realization of Celsius vs Fahrenheit (good thing weather.com does both!). I learned which places to go grocery shopping, and also learned a little about how the seasons should work over the next four months. I saw a lot of differences in signs, such as roundabouts, and "Look Right." One sign stated "Humps for 300 yards." I didn't ask the driver to translate that one

for me; I'll assume it was referring to speed bumps.

Finally, I made it to my new home! Nothing was more refreshing than receiving my keys and seeing where I would be staying. I quickly made myself at home and was ready to take a nap. Unfortunately, my stomach had other ideas, so I went out to discover a place to eat. Feeling exhausted from the flight, I decided to not impress any of the locals as I wore my BU sweats, glasses, and Guiness hat. Ironically enough, the first group of people I passed was a group of three girls wearing Northeastern attire. One of the girls shouted "Yea Boston!" and we all shared a smile. Maybe home wasn't so far after all.

After about thirty minutes of walking, I stumbled upon my University, The Royal College of Music (you fancy, huh?), Hyde Park (which

is only two minutes away from my building), and a Starbucks. I optioned for the Starbucks to feed into my coffee addiction. Sticking with old habits, I ordered an iced coffee and was very disappointed to realize Europeans don't know how to make iced coffee. Pouring hot coffee into a cup of ice makes watered-down-luke-warm-yuck, not iced coffee. As my first meal, I went to the supermarket and bought myself a frozen pizza to bake at home.

After consuming the pizza (fat), I took the best power nap of my life and decided it was time to do more exploring (this time I showered and looked somewhat presentable before being in public. Your welcome, London.) Since I turned 21 today (ehhh), I decided it was time to buy my first drink at a bar in Europe! I went to Queen's Arms just around the block from my building and ordered a pint of London Pride (highly recommend it). After enjoying a pint, I went off to discover some places to eat out with some friends for different occasions. I was pleasantly surprised to find that London has a little bit of every heritage represented.

On the walk back, I decided to check out a little bit of Hyde Park. I ventured through the section dedicated to Princess Diana and saw some of the most beautiful flowers dedicated to her. It was a great experience to take the time to remember just how important she was to all of England.

Before I walked back into my building, I found another sign of home: the British version of the Hubway. I know Europe had it before Boston, but it was still comforting to be reminded of home. By this time, the culture-shock and travel stress had really begun to subside, and I found myself more than pumped for the experience of a life time; living the dream.