The Quick Hits (highlight of each day)
First, and I received a lot of compliments on this section last time so I wanted to start off with it, the Quick Hits. These are a quick description of the best part of each day so far here in London. Last time I mentioned that, if you notice too many dull moments as highlights, that you have the right to scold me via email, facebook, or in-person conversation. PS -- I didn't actually receive any compliments; I'm just pretending that people read my blog.
Wednesday, February 6 -- Brazil/England soccer match at Wembley
Thursday, February 7 -- great lunch with David/Chantelle at work
Friday, February 8 -- four hour line for Book of Mormon
Saturday, February 9 -- James Bond party
Sunday, February 10 -- Waitrose
Monday, February 11 -- My Old Dutch
Tuesday, February, 12 -- dinner with Kendalls
Wednesday, February 13 -- Real Madrid/Man United at ULU
Thursday, February 14 -- Secret Valentine's exchange
Friday, February 15 -- Ponti's dinner
Saturday, February 16 -- horse races at Ascot
Sunday, February 17 -- writing an essay
Monday, February 18 -- Katie's birthday
Tuesday, February 19 -- good night's sleep
Wednesday, February 20 -- fish and chips at pub in East End
Thursday, February 21 -- Sarah Shield lecture on Middle East
Friday, February 22 -- Ronnie Scott's jazz club
Saturday, February 23 -- food at Borough Market
The Highlights
Although the Quick Hits is quite easy to read, it doesn't fully encapsulate my time here in London. This next section is to give you a more vivid look into some of my favorite activities so far.
Brazil/England soccer match at Wembley
The Brazil vs. England soccer match at Wembley Stadium was easily one of my favorite events so far in London. I had never really been to a professional soccer match, so this was a first. I've watched a decent amount of soccer on television, but it is completely different at the stadium. Instead of just watching the ball, you can see all the movements of the defensive and offensive players. You can see how the teams create formations, and how they anticipate the movement of the ball. It is called the beautiful game for a reason. Below is a picture of the group that went to Wembley, which will also give you a good sense of our view:
Another reason I particularly enjoyed this match was my conversation with a Brazilian fan next to me. He lives in Brazil, and I'm not sure if he was in London just for the match, but in any case he was at the game. I am somewhat new to the sport, and very new to watching it in person. It was great to hear him talk about his Brazil team, and also to watch his high enthusiasm for the match. Unfortunately for him Brazil lost 1-2 to England, but I did not care either way!
Book of Mormon (four-hour) line:
Upon seeing this "activity" title, you may be asking why in the world this would be a highlight. Who, upon standing four hours in a line, actually comes out of the experience having "enjoyed" it? Perhaps only me. Anyways, I had found out the day prior to this from the Winston House intern, Nicole, that tickets to the first showing of Book of Mormon would be sold the next day. They would go on sale at noon on a first-come, first-serve basis. To be sure we would receive tickets, we decided on arriving at 8 am.
Arriving that early wound up being a very good decision. Although it was cold, the wait was easily made up for by meeting two actors, Oliver and Josh. Most of my friends are not of the artsy variety, so it was especially interesting for me to hear these two guys talk. Also, I could not believe that Oliver is starring in a movie that is coming out worldwide this year. To make an enjoyable wait even better, we each were able to purchase two Book of Mormon tickets at the end. And because we were among the very first in line, we would get priority "boarding" on the day of the show. Below is a picture of myself, Nicole, and the two actors (Josh and Oliver left to right) that we met while waiting:
Group Trip to Bath:
Our third (of four -- the last one is in April to Cornwall) group trip was to Bath. What is Bath you ask? Bath is where the Roman baths were located when they inhabited the area. It was fascinating to see all of the history right in front of you. Surprisingly, my favorite historical part was not the actual baths themselves. This was because, although stunning, they are exactly what you would expect. What is truly interesting is walking by the archaeological sites. In the past ten years more of these sites have opened, and they allow you to have an untainted view of what life at the baths was like. Below is a picture of me and the main bath:
After viewing the baths, we ate lunch at a local pub, where I had fish and chips. This has easily been one of my favorite dishes while in London, and thankfully we can make it in America too so I won't miss it when I return. Following lunch, we just walked around the town of Bath, but it was quite enjoyable. Very nice sights and we also sat down for some nice coffee. Below is a picture of some of us at the bridge, as well as one of Josh, since I am particularly proud of choreographing that photo:
Dinner with the Kendalls:
Ritchie Kendall is the faculty member on our program, and for the past few weeks, he and his wife Mary have had dinners in their flat for five students at a time. Although we have gotten to know Ritchie and Mary fairly well during our group trips, it was a pleasure getting to know them better in a dinner setting. It was a long dinner -- 3 hours -- but it went by so quickly with all the great conversation. To make things even better, Mary had prepared a delicious vegetarian pasta dish, and an equally good dessert. Below is a picture of my group at the Kendall's flat:
Classes and Internship
While I am mostly here for my classes and internship, there aren't too many new developments in these areas, so I have lumped them together into one category. On the class side of things, all of them have remained very interesting. The art history class has been very good to teach me more about the specifics of art and allow me to appreciate it more fully. I have also enjoyed the economics class as the professor has done so much research in this area and as a result, it becomes even more interesting. Finally, the politics class has allowed me to better understand how British politics truly work -- and although it seems like a crazy system from the outside, it does appear to work.
As for the internship, I have done a lot less filing since my last report. Although there has been some filing, I have also gotten to see the accounting system that Grant Thornton International uses, and have had the chance to reconcile issues with receipts, etc. I am slowly but surely learning a lot about this company, and as a result, gaining more knowledge about the workings of the accounting sector (and what a finance position is like). As the weeks are going by, it appears that they are trusting me with more and more work to do.
The Reflection
Overall, I am very pleased with the past three weeks here in London. In my first post, I said that I was not "doing enough" while here. While I have one in a while gotten that feeling, it helps to look back at my journal, and realize that I actually have done a lot. Even in writing this, I realize that I am doing something interesting every other, if not every single day. I am going to try and continue to do fun things here in London, and want to make the most of these upcoming two months.
In my previous post, I also began with a long description of the people on this program. And to my delight, they are still really good friends, and I could not be happier with the selection of students here in London. Everyone is always so interested in doing things in London, but if you have something important to talk about, they are here for that as well. I am looking forward not only to two more months with these friends, but also seeing them again in Chapel Hill for the fall semester (but Jorian, let's focus on London for now!).
Thank you for reading this far, I really do appreciate friends and family back home following my journey.
Love,
Jorian
Thursday, February 7 -- great lunch with David/Chantelle at work
Friday, February 8 -- four hour line for Book of Mormon
Saturday, February 9 -- James Bond party
Sunday, February 10 -- Waitrose
Monday, February 11 -- My Old Dutch
Tuesday, February, 12 -- dinner with Kendalls
Wednesday, February 13 -- Real Madrid/Man United at ULU
Thursday, February 14 -- Secret Valentine's exchange
Friday, February 15 -- Ponti's dinner
Saturday, February 16 -- horse races at Ascot
Sunday, February 17 -- writing an essay
Monday, February 18 -- Katie's birthday
Tuesday, February 19 -- good night's sleep
Wednesday, February 20 -- fish and chips at pub in East End
Thursday, February 21 -- Sarah Shield lecture on Middle East
Friday, February 22 -- Ronnie Scott's jazz club
Saturday, February 23 -- food at Borough Market
The Highlights
Although the Quick Hits is quite easy to read, it doesn't fully encapsulate my time here in London. This next section is to give you a more vivid look into some of my favorite activities so far.
Brazil/England soccer match at Wembley
The Brazil vs. England soccer match at Wembley Stadium was easily one of my favorite events so far in London. I had never really been to a professional soccer match, so this was a first. I've watched a decent amount of soccer on television, but it is completely different at the stadium. Instead of just watching the ball, you can see all the movements of the defensive and offensive players. You can see how the teams create formations, and how they anticipate the movement of the ball. It is called the beautiful game for a reason. Below is a picture of the group that went to Wembley, which will also give you a good sense of our view:
Another reason I particularly enjoyed this match was my conversation with a Brazilian fan next to me. He lives in Brazil, and I'm not sure if he was in London just for the match, but in any case he was at the game. I am somewhat new to the sport, and very new to watching it in person. It was great to hear him talk about his Brazil team, and also to watch his high enthusiasm for the match. Unfortunately for him Brazil lost 1-2 to England, but I did not care either way!
Book of Mormon (four-hour) line:
Upon seeing this "activity" title, you may be asking why in the world this would be a highlight. Who, upon standing four hours in a line, actually comes out of the experience having "enjoyed" it? Perhaps only me. Anyways, I had found out the day prior to this from the Winston House intern, Nicole, that tickets to the first showing of Book of Mormon would be sold the next day. They would go on sale at noon on a first-come, first-serve basis. To be sure we would receive tickets, we decided on arriving at 8 am.
Arriving that early wound up being a very good decision. Although it was cold, the wait was easily made up for by meeting two actors, Oliver and Josh. Most of my friends are not of the artsy variety, so it was especially interesting for me to hear these two guys talk. Also, I could not believe that Oliver is starring in a movie that is coming out worldwide this year. To make an enjoyable wait even better, we each were able to purchase two Book of Mormon tickets at the end. And because we were among the very first in line, we would get priority "boarding" on the day of the show. Below is a picture of myself, Nicole, and the two actors (Josh and Oliver left to right) that we met while waiting:
Group Trip to Bath:
Our third (of four -- the last one is in April to Cornwall) group trip was to Bath. What is Bath you ask? Bath is where the Roman baths were located when they inhabited the area. It was fascinating to see all of the history right in front of you. Surprisingly, my favorite historical part was not the actual baths themselves. This was because, although stunning, they are exactly what you would expect. What is truly interesting is walking by the archaeological sites. In the past ten years more of these sites have opened, and they allow you to have an untainted view of what life at the baths was like. Below is a picture of me and the main bath:
After viewing the baths, we ate lunch at a local pub, where I had fish and chips. This has easily been one of my favorite dishes while in London, and thankfully we can make it in America too so I won't miss it when I return. Following lunch, we just walked around the town of Bath, but it was quite enjoyable. Very nice sights and we also sat down for some nice coffee. Below is a picture of some of us at the bridge, as well as one of Josh, since I am particularly proud of choreographing that photo:
Dinner with the Kendalls:
Ritchie Kendall is the faculty member on our program, and for the past few weeks, he and his wife Mary have had dinners in their flat for five students at a time. Although we have gotten to know Ritchie and Mary fairly well during our group trips, it was a pleasure getting to know them better in a dinner setting. It was a long dinner -- 3 hours -- but it went by so quickly with all the great conversation. To make things even better, Mary had prepared a delicious vegetarian pasta dish, and an equally good dessert. Below is a picture of my group at the Kendall's flat:
Horse races at Ascot:
The horse races at Ascot were one of my favorite events so far. Ascot, or more formally known as Royal Ascot, is the most famous racecourse in the UK. This is because for four days in the middle of the summer, the Queen herself actually presides over the races. We began the day by taking a train over to the racecourse, and upon our arrival, we took (a lot) of pictures as we were all in suits and dresses (you can guess which one I was in). It's a very picturesque area, and I definitely see why just "going to the horse races" can be a lot of fun. Below is a picture of the beautiful racecourse, followed by some group pictures around the grounds:
Good Night's Sleep:
Without a doubt, this has been THE best event I've experienced in London. It occurred this past week on Thursday. Things got very cozy, and before I knew it, all I could see were my eyelids. I had sweet dreams that night, and a wonderful nine hours of sleep. If you asked me what love is, I would say that I found it at this event. Below is a picture of me having so much fun:
Ronnie Scott's jazz club:
While not quite as memorable as the previously mentioned event, this was also a golden one. This past Friday, very late at night (nearly 1 am), around ten of us headed over to Ronnie Scott's, probably the most famous jazz club in London. Why did we go so late you ask? Well, if we saw the first show, or even the second show, our wallets would cut off all ties with us. So instead we went to the late late show, and paid a ten pound cover to see the final act. That being said, it was still incredible jazz. I felt fully drawn in by the music, and could just simply listen without thinking of anything else. Below is a picture of the jazz group who played that night:
Honorable Mentions
I would simply like to speak about some other things I have done -- with slightly more detail than the quick hits, but less than the paragraph and photo. On the same day that I waited in line for Book of Mormon, I also went to the Tower of London. Other than the fact that I'm not English, this felt like somewhat of a homecoming, as I had previously been when I was 11 years old. At 19, I was very much able to appreciate the vast amount of history, and the incredible nature of the Crown Jewels. Below is a group picture, with Tower of London behind us:
Another honorable mention was James Bond night, which we held after our group trip to Bath. Instead of going to a pub, we decided to have a little fun night in and all dress up in suits and dresses (again, you can guess which one I was in). I enjoyed the night because we were unnecessarily dressed up and just had a great time. Below is a picture of Josh, proving that we had a great time:
Another honorable mention, and I don't have a picture for this one unfortunately, is Sarah Shield's Discovery Series lecture at the Winston House this past Thursday. Sarah Shields is a professor of history at UNC, and gave a talk to the students on this trip, and alumni in the area, about the roots of the problems in the Middle East. I found this talk particularly interesting because I always hear about Middle East developments in the paper or on the news, but don't have a very well grounded knowledge of why these problems exist. Although professor Shields is definitely opinionated, it was quite interesting to learn how the creation of certain borders to split people by religion, etc. have gone a long way in contributing to the current Middle East issues.
A final honorable mention -- and hopefully I'm not just including this because it happened today -- was my trip to Borough Market, along with a few others. This market, especially on Saturdays, has the most amazing selection of foods -- there is even a seller of exotic meats such as kangaroo. I personally had a mouth-watering salted beef sandwich (with a pickle and mustard), and I also had raspberries and then a smoothie. Below is a picture of me and my sandwich:
While I am mostly here for my classes and internship, there aren't too many new developments in these areas, so I have lumped them together into one category. On the class side of things, all of them have remained very interesting. The art history class has been very good to teach me more about the specifics of art and allow me to appreciate it more fully. I have also enjoyed the economics class as the professor has done so much research in this area and as a result, it becomes even more interesting. Finally, the politics class has allowed me to better understand how British politics truly work -- and although it seems like a crazy system from the outside, it does appear to work.
As for the internship, I have done a lot less filing since my last report. Although there has been some filing, I have also gotten to see the accounting system that Grant Thornton International uses, and have had the chance to reconcile issues with receipts, etc. I am slowly but surely learning a lot about this company, and as a result, gaining more knowledge about the workings of the accounting sector (and what a finance position is like). As the weeks are going by, it appears that they are trusting me with more and more work to do.
The Reflection
Overall, I am very pleased with the past three weeks here in London. In my first post, I said that I was not "doing enough" while here. While I have one in a while gotten that feeling, it helps to look back at my journal, and realize that I actually have done a lot. Even in writing this, I realize that I am doing something interesting every other, if not every single day. I am going to try and continue to do fun things here in London, and want to make the most of these upcoming two months.
In my previous post, I also began with a long description of the people on this program. And to my delight, they are still really good friends, and I could not be happier with the selection of students here in London. Everyone is always so interested in doing things in London, but if you have something important to talk about, they are here for that as well. I am looking forward not only to two more months with these friends, but also seeing them again in Chapel Hill for the fall semester (but Jorian, let's focus on London for now!).
Thank you for reading this far, I really do appreciate friends and family back home following my journey.
Love,
Jorian
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