NFL in the UK

It was a strange experience yesterday hearing people taking about American Football with British accents at the NFL game in London. It was also strange to see people show up in the game not only in Dolphins and Giants jerseys, but in jerseys for almost any other team in the NFL, such as the Lions, the Packers, the Steelers, etc. The only team jersey I didn't see was the Cowboys, which really disappointed me.

I had a great time at the game and Wembley Stadium was really nice. I went with my friend Tim, which was good because he used to play American football, so he was able to explain what was going on in the game really well. Our seats were pretty high up (second row to the top!), but we were at the 50-yard line, so we had a great overall view.

I have pictures, but they will take forever to upload to my blog, so I will just send you to the album once again. Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63566&l=e238a&id=723885367

The Wine Show

On Saturday, I went to a wine festival called the Wine Show just up the street from my flat with a couple of friends (click on title above to check out website). Although the tickets were sold out online, we were able to buy tickets at the door. After paying for our admission, we were given wine glasses and a woman approached us to give us free tickets to a tasting of wines from Portugal. The host was pretty funny and very infomative. I didn't really like 2 of the wines, but 1 was okay and 1 was delicious! The delicious one was a port, which I definitely plan on trying again!

Then we walked around to the different booths to taste many of the different wines. I also discovered that I like sherrys, but only the sweet ones. After a while, I started to get pretty tipsy, which I didn't really want to be at 2 in the afternoon, so I had to start spitting. There were wine spitoons everywhere and one of the girls I was with had been spitting her wine out the whole time because she had to go to work later. I don't like spitting because I feel like it is a waste and it is pretty gross, but I had to start doing it since I didn't want to get drunk! The good thing was there there was plenty of free water and crackers to absorb the alcohol. By the time we left, the festival was getting quite crowded and I was nice and sober again. I left with a 3-month magazine subscription for only one pound, a bag of special spices to dip bread into, and a brilliant Canadian Cassis fruit wine, which I can't wait to try with a delicious dessert.

Potluck and Potbelly

Yesterday I was supposed to go to dinner with some friends in Canary Wharf so that we could check out that part of town. Apparently that is where the tallest buildings in Englad are. Unfortunately, they all bailed out because some were sick, some were stuck working, etc. Luckily, however, I was invited to a friend's potluck at her flat the next tower over. So, I picked up some stuff on my way home and made vegetarian couscous to bring. I went over and hung out for a while before dinner. I was talking with some of the guys about the Dolphins game this Sunday in London. Tickets have been sold out for a while, apparently, so I guess none of us are going unless there is a last-minute miracle!

The food was delicious. The girl who invited me is also vegetarian, so she made mushroom risotto, which was awesome, as was the salad with strawberries and walnuts. The meat eaters also had a roast, which they all seemed to enjoy. My veggie friend Sherry also made a scruptious pumpkin pie.

Oh, Esther! If you are reading this--one of the interns is from St. Lucia. He asked what your name was, but I couldn't remember your maiden name. Is the island really that small that you might know everyone?

So, after eating such a feast, I was so happy to join the gym today. It is a really nice gym only about a half mile up the road called Fitness First. I really need to start working out like crazy to lose this potbelly of mine! I only have 2 months before I will most likely be vising Roman in Hawaii and wearing a 'bathing costume', as the Brits like to call it.

Oh, some more word differences that I have come across:
American Word / British Equivalent
Intersection = Crossroads
Pharmacist = Chemist
Bangs = Fringe
Potluck = (no British equivalent)
***The all important ones that I keep screwing up:
Pants = Trousers
Underwear = Pants

and my mind is drawing a blank now...I will think of more another time.

BTW, does anyone have any ideas for a cheap, last minute costume???

Goodnight!

Teambuilding Weekend in Dorset & NFL in London

This weekend was so much fun! Me and half of the Mountbatten interns (they had to split us up into 2 groups since there are too many of us) took the train up to Dorset this past weekend to participate in a team building outdoors camp at Brenscombe Outdoors Centre (click on title above for website). We got to do ropes courses, team building problems, and rock climbing along the cliffs. Luckily, it didn't rain on us the whole time, but it was cold!

Below are the links to my photo pages. Sorry for not posting them in the blog directly, but there are just too many!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=61938&l=e4a5c&id=723885367
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=62105&l=87f54&id=723885367
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=62124&l=84ab9&id=723885367

BTW, does anyone have connections to buy tickets for the Dolphins v. Giants game this Sunday here in London? I think it would be so fun to see an NFL game in London and to see what the British think of American football (not soccer).

Also, if anyone is thinking of coming to visit me, please let me know around when so that I can start planning. We already have the entire Mountbatten schedule for the year, so I will have to work around that. Goodnight!

Day at the Museum

Last weekend (yes, it has been that long since I last posted) I went to the British History Museum with some friends. The center of the museum is amazing and it was also really cool to actually see the Rosetta Stone. The museum is so ginormous that it will take several visits to see it all. We arrived in time to do one of the Egyptian tours, so that it pretty much all we had time to do. It was really informative!




Sorry, there is either an issue with the internet in my flat or with blogger.com, so I am only able to post up 2 pictures. More to come soon, I promise!

My day at Court

Hi all! Sorry I have been MIA for a while, but I had a paper to write this week, I have been sick, and out internet has not been working all the time.

Nothing much to report from this last week. Just been really tired and sick.

On Saturday, however, I went with some friends to Hampton Court (30 minute train ride from London Waterloo station). It was originally the residence of Cardinal Wolsey, one of Henry VIII's advisors. He then gave it to him in an effort to stay in his favor. The palace is beautiful and has formal gardens and a maze that we managed to figure out!

Unfortunately, our internet isn't working well and the pictures aren't uploading, so try this link to see some of them (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=59577&l=fee92&id=723885367). I'll try to post the pictures here later when the internet is more reliable.

Also, today I went to a volunteer orientation at the beautiful Landmark Hotel. I will be volunteering tomorrow night at a fundraiser that will be attended by Michelle Obama, Barack Obama's wife. It is for Americans Abroad. Here's the website if you want to learn more (http://abroad.barackobama.com/page/content/aafohome). Tell you how it went later!

Let's go to Brighton for the weekend

Ok, so I didn't go for the whole weekend, but I had a great time anyways. I went with my friend Andrea and I got to meet her friend Beth. We rode with Beth's school on a bus. The trip only cost us 5 pounds, and that included entrance into the Royal Pavilion. That place was insane! It was King George IV's summer palace and it was decorated in an Asian motif inside, although none of the decorators had been to any Asian country. I wanted to take pictures inside, but they wouldn't let us. :(

Well, I have got to get to bed, so I will just post some pictures of the outside of the palace and the pier. Goodnight!

Whitecross Market

I recently found out that one of the streets that I can walk down to get to work is actually a bustling market place during the day. I convinced two of my friends who work at UBS as well to come and check it out with me during lunch. There was so much food! There were bread stands, cheese stands, meat stands (yucky!), and even vegetarian stands. There was also a place that sold giant burritos. Guess what the name was?....Freebird. That's right, Freebird (no S at the end). I didn't eat there because what I really coveted was Indian food. This pictures does not really show how crowded that market was.

Side note, UBS has an internal chat network (like Freescale) and there are chat groups online as well. Most are work-related, but there are also some extra-curricular groups. While I was looking for an actual work-related chat group, I accidentally came across a vegetarian chat group. UBS has an actual vegetarian group, with a company web page and all! I joined in and I am going to meet most of them in person on Tuesday to go out to a vegetarian restaurant near work.

Anyways, I digress, but I just want to let you know that that is how I found out about this indian food stand at the market. I went ahead and splurged (5 pounds!) because I had to try it and it was delicious! I still have some left over. I had the Samosa Chat. Yummers!

Speaking of yummy food, I just got back from my friend's flat. She invited several people over to have lasagna (she even made me my own vegan lasagna!) and cake, to celebrate her birthday yesterday and her boyfriend coming to visit. I had a nice time and the food was excellent and it was only one apartment tower over, so I didn't have far to go!

Now I am back home and oh, it is so nice to have the flat all to myself! All the rest of my flatmates are in Dorset as part of a Mountbatten activity weekend that I am really looking forward to. I am going in 2 weeks. Tonight it is going to be so nice to be able to sleep in peace and quiet!

Well, I need to get ready to bed. I am going with a friend to Brighton tomorrow, which is a seaside town in the south of England. Apparently, I just found out that it is a huge gay mecca, according to my friend's boyfriend, who is British. I'll see for myself tomorrow. I will be brining my nice camera with me there, so hopefully I will get some good shots to share with you. Goodnight!

The Texas Embassy

I was so excited on Wednesday night because I went with some of my new friends to the Texas Embassy near Trafalgar Square. We met right after work (most of us work at UBS) and took the tube. We first stopped at a place called the Zoo for happy hour (I had a nice, free water!) and then went to the restaurant around 8pm. Here is me in front of the restaurant (yea, I know, my friend is not the best picture-taker) and a couple of other restaurant pics that I took.



Believe it or not, there actually was a Texas Embassy in London for the few years that Texas was a Republic. The restaurant isn't where the actual Embassy was, but it is right down the street from the original one. You can read the whole story if you go to their website by clicking on the blog title above.

The food was decent. Definitely overpriced for Mexican food, but you can get Lone Stars and flavored margaritas there. :) The atmosphere was good. I actually liked the country music and the sports on the flat screen TV upstairs because it reminded me of home.

Random learnings and pictures

Nothing interesting happened today. Just another day of work and then another class in the evening after work--this one on motivation.

Since none of that is exciting, I decided to start keeping track of some of the new words and sayings that I am learning and post some pictures.

Heych = how the British say the letter "H"
Zed = how the British say the letter "Z" (I spell my name G-A-R-Zed-A)
Brolly = umbrella
Plaster = Band-aid
Lorry = 18-wheeler truck
Thongs = flip-flops
Trainers = Sneakers/Tennis shoes
Diary = Calendar
Jumper = Sweater
Torch = Flashlight
Swimming Costume = Swimsuit

I stayed late at work on Monday, and I discovered that the ground in the courtyard glowed!


Here is The Priory Church of Saint Bartholomew the Great, which was on our tour on Sunday and made famous by the movies "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Shakespeare in Love". It also happens to be just off of Cloth Fair, where cloth merchants used to gather to sale their wares once a year.



Also, I hope you can help me. Our group is being split up this weekend to do a teambuilding activity in Dorset. I am part of the group staying here this weekend (I will be going in 2 weeks) and me and my friend Andrea are trying to decide what to do since we have both never been to London before. Any suggestions? Any limited engagements that we should know about? We are thinking the British Museum and the Tower of London. What else can we do? Cheers!