Chelsea Adams is a KWC junior from Louisville, Kentucky, majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and PR. She is spending the Spring 2012 Semester in London and is sending updates to KWConnect about her adventures. If you missed previous entries, you can catch up here.

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February 24, 2012

At M&M World.

I wasn’t lying when I said I was glad I didn’t spend the money on the Paris trip, but I was pretty jealous of all my friends traveling while I stayed at home. So almost immediately, I began booking trips that I had only been talking about up to that point. A few weeks ago a group of ten of us booked a trip to Barcelona over Easter weekend, so I already had some experience with finding what seem like decent, cheap places to stay and forms of travel. I’ll be in Barcelona from April 5-10 over our Easter Break and I cannot wait to be someplace warm and sunny!

My roommate, Lauren, and another friend Kayla and I decided to go to Amsterdam and booked our seats on the Eurostar. We haven’t yet decided where we are going to stay but we have some options in mind. Those tickets are booked for the weekend of February 25.

I also booked a trip to Dublin, Ireland for a few days over Spring Break for my sister, cousin and me. They are coming to visit for the entire week, leaving on St. Patricks Day. Unfortunately since they leave that day from London we couldn’t spend it in Ireland, but I have heard many times that St. Patty’s Day in Dublin is pretty much a tourist trap. Instead, we opted to visit the city from Monday-Wednesday during Spring Break. This way we can see some of the festivities without paying the holiday flight and hostel prices. Now if I can just find someone to go with me to Prague, my goals for the semester will be set!

Had to get the picture in the phone booth.

As great as everything is here, I did start to get a little homesick a few days ago. Even though I’ve lived in Owensboro two hours away from home for the last two-and-a-half years I always managed to make it home at least once a month, even if it was only for a few hours to pick something up. I also spent winter break this year in Arkansas for an internship, so until May I will not have been home for more than a few days since August.

I’m not wishing my time here away, or saying that it isn’t fabulous, but I think it hit me exactly how important my family and friends are. Not being able to call them whenever I want (go-phone problems) is really, really hard. But even with all of that said, one of my precious four months has gone by much faster than I thought it would, and I can’t decide what speed I would like the other three to pass at. I am sure they will go by very fast and I will look back on this wishing it lasted longer.

Right now, it’d be nice to see my old Kentucky home for a few days but I’ve got enough packed into the next few weeks to surely take my mind off of it!!

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Chelsea Adams is a KWC junior from Louisville, Kentucky, majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and PR. She is spending the Spring 2012 Semester in London and is sending updates to KWConnect about her adventures. If you missed previous entries, you can catch up here.

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February 14, 2012

So we have all begun to settle down into a routine. My classes are going really fantastically, and my schedule is even better. No class on Tuesdays and Fridays! I don’t think I could pick my favorite class if I had to. History of London has been great because every Wednesday we visit a different museum or area of town. This has helped me see so many different parts of the city already and there are so many places we are going that I cannot wait for! Tomorrow we are going to the Tower of London to see the crown jewels, and as a silly girl I cannot wait for this.

Sometimes it can be a little difficult getting to all of these places–some of them are an hour away on the tube. I can for sure say I did not expect two hours roundtrip of travel on my expense every week. And trust me, the tube is more expensive than you would think – those trips add up!

My Mainstream Film Studies class is probably the most thought provoking class I have ever taken. Every movie we watch has so many different theories attached to it that I never would have pulled out of my mind, and it is incredibly interesting to hear opinions from kids across the globe, especially when these theories usually concern the United States. My other classes are Photography and Political Communication (which can get a little heated with so many different nationalities in the room).

Along with routine comes repetition. My friends and I are always looking for a new restaurant or pub to try out. There are some great places very close by that are quick, easy choices for dinner or to hang out at for awhile. These places are very convenient, but we are trying to experience new places and things. Our meal plan only covers breakfast and dinner Monday-Friday and we don’t have kitchen facilities, so on the weekends we are forced to eat out somewhere. Finding new places can be hit-or-miss but some of my best meals here have been at places we walked into randomly.

We’ve also visited many museums, in an attempt to become more cultured, including the British National, Museum of London, Museum of London-Docklands, and the Victoria & Albert. We also got swept up into a giant celebration for New Zealand day, where people wore outrageous costumes and rushed to Westminster to see a traditional dance called the haka performed. It was quite humorous watching these people who were dressed so ridiculously fill up one of the most prim and proper areas of London.

A crowd gathered near Westminster Abbey for New Zealand Day.

This past weekend most of my friends went on a school-sponsored trip to Paris. Seeing as I just visited Paris in August, I opted out of paying the $400 in order to spend it elsewhere. They had a fantastic time, but I am glad I did not go because they saw mainly the same things I saw just a few months ago and apparently it was freezing. London has been pretty cold, but not anywhere near as bad as the rest of Europe.

This left my friend Nick and I to do some exploring of our own over the weekend. We had an eventful Friday night with some other students so our tired selves took it somewhat easy on Saturday and went to Borough Market and outdoor market with vendors that sell almost anything you could imagine. We sampled cheeses and jams and bought two of the most amazing grilled cheese and scallion sandwiches I have ever had. That will definitely be someplace I plan on taking my mom and sister when they visit! After leaving the market we warmed up with tea in a small cafe and called it a day.

Chelsea and her friend Nick take advantage of the interactive art in the Victoria and Albert museum.

Next time … travel plans!

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Chelsea Adams is a KWC junior from Louisville, Kentucky, majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and PR. She is spending the Spring 2012 Semester in London and is sending updates to KWConnect about her adventures. If you missed previous entries, you can catch up here.

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Our first week has been hectic, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. I own an oyster card (public transit reloadable card), and can successfully navigate the tube, or “chube” as I have been instructed to pronounce it. I also walk really fast now. I know the streets of Kensington well enough to get myself to anything I could possibly need, and many places I simply enjoy visiting.

I’ve had so many opportunities to become used to London, and many times where I’ve looked like a tourist. We had a bus tour planned the second day which took us to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, as well as many other places I was reaching for my camera to take pictures of. The school I attend has been fantastic about these trips; there were also opportunities to tour Westminster Abbey in tremendous detail, take a ride on the London Eye and take a Chelsea Football Club stadium tour.

Chelsea Football Club.

We have also had many things planned for our entertainment; we are supposed to have fun while we’re here aren’t we? We have been offered discounted theatre tickets, a Harry Potter walking tour (for dorks like me) and a Jack the Ripper walking tour. This isn’t to mention all of the evening activities our Resident Directors and Assistants have taken us on, providing us with new places in the city to show us and great ways for all of us STABS (study abroad students) to get to know each other. Among these activities the school rented a boat to sail down the River Thames for four hours on Friday night. This was something I will never forget. We rode past Big Ben, the London Eye, and under the Tower Bridge several times – each one was all lit up for the evening . Talk about some great pictures!

The London Eye.

Of course, we are here to study and learn something this semester. Classes started this week, almost right in sync with KWC. As far as I can tell the professors are excellent at combining challenge with interest. I have been intimidated by every syllabus I have received and yet look forward to every class I am taking. Balancing seeing the entire world on the weekends and 15 hours of class Monday through Thursday will be tough, but I am eager for this adventure to really take off.

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Chelsea Adams is a KWC junior from Louisville, Kentucky, majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and PR. She is spending the Spring 2012 Semester in London and is sending updates to KWConnect about her adventures. This is her first post.

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So I have been here for exactly one week and think I am starting to get things under control. My name is Chelsea Adams, and London is the biggest city I have ever spent more than one week in.

The last few weeks before I left for London were some of the most stressful weeks I have ever spent. Applying to study abroad is complicated enough, but getting things ready to leave is an entirely different story. Of course, no one tells you any of that. What they tell you is that “It will be the best four months of your life!” and “You can see the world!” and other fantastic things that make your eyes open wide and dreams pop into your head.

What they don’t tell you is that there is a TON of paperwork, waiting, making lists, pulling hair and printing copies – copies of EVERYTHING. That doesn’t even touch the packing. Any female who thinks they can take one 50-pound bag to a notoriously cold and wet city to live for four months is borderline insane (in my opinion). Needless to say, I thought I could do it and still ended up paying a whopping $75 for a second bag.

They also don’t tell you about how hard on the body one trip that involves a two hour car ride, three and a half hours in one airport, an hour and a half flight, a five hour layover, a seven hour flight, 30 minutes in line for customs, an hour bus ride, and a fifteen minute walk with two 50 lb. bags and two shoulder bags could possibly be. I am still sore and am not sure if it is getting any better.

One last thing they did not tell me was that no matter how you try to put it into words it is almost impossible to describe the feeling of stepping into one of the world’s most beautiful cities knowing you are about to have the time of your life. And that is exactly what makes it all worth it.

Chelsea (left) finds a Kappa Delta sister in front of the London Tower Bridge.

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David Bertschinger is a KWC junior majoring in physics. He is spending the Spring 2010 semester studying in Rome. He will be providing regular updates to KWConnect. Check the KWC in Rome page for a compilation of all his updates and photos. 

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Tuesday, January 26 

Tuesday, January 19, was the last day I woke up in the United States until this spring. Once we arrived at St. Louis International Airport, I got my baggage checked into United, said goodbye to my parents and headed through security. It was hard saying goodbye, but the reality did not hit me in full until much later. 

The flight to Chicago was uneventful and sunny once we rose above the low cloud ceiling. At O’Hare it was a very long walk to my gate, which was thankfully not in the international terminal. It struck me as I plopped down at my gate, that for all the car, train and plane riding I had done in the past 24 hours, I still had not left the state of Illinois. It also hit me that this terminal was the last sight I would have of America until May. Once on the plane, I got comfortable and was served dinner. The cabin lights were significantly dimmed afterwards, and I slept on and off for the next four hours. 

We were woken up at 0630 GMT (0030 CST) when the cabin lights came on and breakfast was served. Then, as we began our descent into Heathrow International, I watched the plane fly right into the sunrise. It was so beautiful to see the light break across where we were going as we left the darkness behind us. Unfortunately, this sight was not mine to see for very long as our descent took us below London’s thick cloud cover. 

Once we landed, I met up with my AIFS hotel representative who had already wrangled three other girls, with me being the last on his list to shuttle to the hotel. The drive over there was long, but I enjoyed every minute. London itself is a fascinating city, albeit rainy and cold at the moment. Motorcycles zipped in between and in front of cars, reckless driving by any American policeman’s judgment, but commonplace and very acceptable here. Our hotel is quaint and small. The lifts (elevators) carry on the crisp politeness of its citizens, announcing the floor and door openings and closings. 

After chilling in my room, eight of us set out for some real British food. We found a small pub and enjoyed salad, sandwiches and burgers. There was a meet-and-greet social at the hotel bar/restaurant, which was fun, I met a lot of people and I even remember a few of their names. I met another group of kids and we went exploring the area around our hotel in search of some good London food. 

The typical London tourist photo ...

 Thursday began after a short night of sleep (still pretty jetlagged). The entire group met down in the lobby for a coach tour of London’s main tourist attractions. Our first stop was Buckingham Palace, where the Union Jack flag atop the huge building told us that the Queen was not there at the time. We drove around the city, around Trafalgar Square with its statues, fountains and sizable art museum. Other sites on our tour included St. Paul’s Cathedral, Parliament, Westminster Cathedral, the Tower Bridge and Covent Gardens.

Buckingham Palace

Tower Bridge

Westminster Abbey

 After the tour, we were free to explore London on our own. A convenient all day pass for public transportation (buses and “the tube”) was available for us to purchase, which I did. I bought a pasti for lunch, and it was delicious! Me and a few other colleagues made our way back over to Trafalgar square to get some better pictures and explore the art museum. Afterwards we headed south towards Big Ben and Parliament. After asking a few “bobbies” (policemen) for some guidance, we found the visitor entrance to Parliament and, after going through security and turning over our cameras, purses and cell phones, we were able to sit in on a debate of the House of Lords. Unfortunately, none of us were caught up from jetlag, so sitting in one place for any length of time remained incredibly sleep-inducing. Also, no photography was allowed in either the art museum or any part of Parliament, so I apologize for the complete lack of pictures to go along with this section.

Once outside, we boarded a double-decker bus just for the heck of it, and to find somewhere else random to go. Some of us headed over via London’s Underground to King’s Cross, the train station made famous by Harry Potter as having the magical entrance known as “Platform 9 ¾ .” The “tubes” are extremely crowed at the end of the work day, and I became very “close” to many Londoners on the way back to the hotel that night. And yes, I had fish and chips for dinner.

Going to Hogwarts, anyone?

0430 came was too early and the bus ride over to Heathrow did not afford any extra relaxation. Walking through Heathrow with more sleep under my belt made me appreciate just how modern it looks and how cool it actually is. I believe I have a new favorite airport. Apparently, at Heathrow, they do not list the gate of a flight until under an hour before take off, and even so, the gate is only open for check in for half an hour. The flight to Pisa was beautiful, as I got a clear view of the French countryside and, later, the Alps. The airport at Pisa was small; I was surprised it had ever seen an Airbus 321 like ours before.

First view of the Alps and Italy

 The Italian landscape was beautiful, but I wanted sleep so I took advantage of the two hour ride to Florence. Our hotel is a four star relic, very upscale and very old. My particular room is not large, but has two levels, with one bed and a bathroom on the first floor, and two beds and another bathroom above. The city’s modern stores are housed in ancient architecture; the streets are canyons with solid walls of four-story buildings that range from shops or eateries to offices and apartments.

Saturday morning, we walked to a 17th century mansion where we gathered in a large common room for icebreaker games. Yes, they were lame. However, during the course of this, I met a girl from Kansas State University who is majoring in chemical engineering. It was so refreshing to talk to someone who is both from the Midwest and a major science/math nerd like me. Lunch was an amazing three-course meal, with lasagna, chicken (again) and a delicious dessert that seemed part coffee cake, part pudding. The early afternoon consisted of various members of the AIFS Rome staff going over policy.

Once all this was over, we had the rest of the afternoon free until dinner at the hotel at 8. I went off exploring Florence for the entire time, finding the cathedral, other churches, pastry shops, some yummy gelato, and finally accidentally stumbling across the Statue of David. Time advanced so much more slowly than it ever had for me before. Every time I checked my watch after what should have been over half an hour in my mind, was never over ten minutes. Italy is wonderful…

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