Made In Chelsea

I decided from the moment I arrived in London that I wanted to completely immerse myself in the city and all that it had to offer. So, what better way to immerse yourself in a culture than to catch up on its reality TV?? I was recently introduced to London's reality TV show Made in Chelsea and have become somewhat obsessed (or extremely obsessed...). The reality show follows a group of rich, beautiful, twenty-something individuals who live in London's most glamourous borough, Chelsea. I don't know exactly what it is about the show, but I literally cannot stop watching. The fashion, the accents, the completely made up drama...all taking place where I live. Following the lives of the rich and famous isn't a new concept for me, but there's something about the rich and famous in London that just draws you in. With that being said, I've made it my new mission to seek out these characters from the show and hang out with them. I'm definitely delusional. These people only attend the fanciest of night clubs, they shop on Oxford Street daily, they play polo, they travel to a different beach in Europe on their private planes every other weekend.... so needless to say, the places I could run into them are limited. Until then, I'm following these fake London celebrities like it's my job. I've found myself walking around London pretending like I'm some rich heiress strutting around in heels with my miniature dog and designer bag (I can barely walk in heels and have no dog or designer bag here). We went to Harrod's, London's famous high end shopping mall, the other day and I actually started picking up shoes in Jimmy Choo to look at the prices... Yes, I've gone a bit crazy, but these people are just too cool. I'm beginning to understand that I cannot live the life of a reality TV star on an abroad student's budget, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up hope on finding Spencer Matthews and Hugo Taylor (or their real British guy equivalent) while I'm here.
With the Made in Chelsea mind set still fresh in my mind, I set off for my first trip of my semester on Thursday, a weekend in Paris. Sounds pretty glamorous right? I thought so too, until we arrived at our hostel, smack in the middle of Paris's Red Light District. Lesson learned: you get what you pay for. Aside from our sketchy location in the city, I had the most incredible weekend. I spent most of my time walking around the city with my cousin Casey and friend Mia, two of my best friends from high school, reveling in the Paris experience. Mia is studying in Paris this semester and Casey is in Rome and this was our first time seeing each other while abroad. I stood in front of the beautifully lit up Eiffel Tower with two of my best friends on Thursday night and have never felt so lucky. The rest of our time in Paris was spent wandering around, taking pictures at every single monument, traveling to the palace of Versailles, and consuming a disgusting amount of crepes. I had such an amazing weekend and am so happy I could experience Paris with best friends. So, while I sit here back in London, watching yet another episode of Made in Chelsea, I am confident that even though I'm not a member of the Chelsea elite, my life is pretty awesome.

Bridget

The London Bubble (Or Lack Thereof)

With so many amazing aspects of London, it's so difficult to put my finger on my favorite thing about this city; however, if I had to choose right now, it would be how incredibly diverse London and my experience has been so far. I've lived in a bubble my entire life, whether it be the Orchard Park bubble, the Buffalo bubble, or the Villanova bubble, I was always living in some sort of bubble. I am so grateful that I chose to pop my bubble and get out of my comfort zone by studying abroad. Being able to experience diversity wasn't something that I considered much before leaving the country, but now that I am experiencing it, I am so thankful. I am currently living in a dorm full of both British and international students. While I was excited to hear American accents down the hall on day 1, I now find myself increasingly excited when I get to talk to German students, French students, Australian students...all living in my little dorm.

A girl came up to me after class the other day because she noticed that I was an American student. She is originally from Iran, but has studied in Africa, Spain, and now London (all in just 18 years of life). She was so interested in how I felt as an American student abroad, what it was like to be educated in America, why I chose to come to London... I felt like I really didn't have much to say, talking to a girl who has literally seen it all. A quick conversation with this girl between classes made me even more aware of this opportunity I have to learn so much about students, just like me, from all over the world. Studying at a major university right in the center of London means that I sit in a room of 50 students every day who have backgrounds strikingly different from my own. Before this seemingly insignificant experience, I would have never thought to just walk up to people, ask them where they are from, ask them questions about their life in their home country... but now I find myself meeting someone new everyday from a country that I really didn't know much about. I can now put faces to cities and countries that, before this trip, were just places on a map. 

Being abroad makes you feel like you can't take even an hour of your time for granted. Even as I sit in my room while I write this post, I am thinking about what else I could be doing, what else I could be experiencing outside this building. I'll be leaving for my first weekend trip on Thursday, a weekend in Paris (doesn't get much better does it?), the first of many trips during my stay here in London. I am so incredibly lucky that I get to experience the world around me like this, by literally going out and seeing the world. 

And with that being said, it's time to leave my room and go experience some more!

Bridget

Jolly Good

Jolly Good! A classic British phrase, one that I've heard about 10 times today and it's only 1 in the afternoon. But everything in London really is jolly good (at least for me it is)! I've been here for exactly a week now and just started classes. Yes, much to my dismay, I do have to go to school while I'm here. But with classes only meeting once a week and with no class on Thursday or Friday, I think I'll manage..

Before the dreaded start of classes, I got to experience my first weekend here in London, and I think I made the most of it. I found myself at a few different pubs both Thursday and Friday (attending local pubs is quickly becoming routine here) and then finally made my way to some classic London tourist spots on Saturday. With a late start and some guess and check tactics on the tube, a group of girls and I finally made our way to Portobello Street Market in Notting Hill. Capturing my inner Julia Roberts (and on the look out for my Hugh Grant), we weaved through the busy market full of clothes, antiques, shoes, and food. Much to my mom's surprise I'm sure, I didn't buy a single thing; however, anyone who knows me well knows that I'll be at every market in London before April and will come home with a completely new wardrobe. I'm just easing my way into it. Notting Hill was beautiful, but I still didn't feel like I'd had my "oh my god, I'm in London" moment yet. We made our way to our next stop and there it was... my moment. Yes, I'm being dramatic, but we turned the corner and before my eyes was the beautifully lit London Eye, sitting on the river, with Big Ben just in the distance. Yes, I teared up for a second, but that definitely isn't out of character for myself. It really was incredible though, even if you aren't a "happy tears" kind of person. We took a ride on the Eye and got to see the city at night from way up high. It really was breath taking and it finally hit me how lucky I am to be in such an amazing city.

Sunday I spent the day in Oxford. If I had been here completely on my own, I don't know that I would have thought to spend a day in Oxford (I should probably start reading all those guidebooks I bought), but I'm so happy I tagged along that day. Oxford is absolutely stunning, with giant and ornate buildings and castles and amazing views. I felt like I was in Disney World or something, it didn't even seem real. And people get to live here?? We walked around all day marveling at the architecture, recreating Harry Potter scenes in our heads, and pretending to be super smart (at least that's what I did). By the time we got home, I was absolutely spent, but had just enough energy to start planning my first European trips. Paris and skiing in the Swiss Alps are in the works! You've probably had enough of me by now...

Much love from London!
Bridget

Day 4: Fish and Chips (and The Office)

I can't believe I've been here less than four days, it's been a whirlwind. I got off the plane at Heathrow airport in London on Tuesday morning. Struggling with two overweight suitcases and being dazzled by British accents kept my mind off the fact that I was alone in London, until I arrived at my dorm in the London borough of Islington. I got my key and internet cord (yes, no WiFi...) from a nice lady at the front desk and gave myself the grand tour of my single bedroom and bathroom. With no kids in sight (and no American accents to be heard), I took off on my own to explore my neighborhood a little bit. My neighborhood is beautiful, the closest tube stop being the Angel stop, and is just a few minutes outside the center of the city. Although I haven't seen the sun in four days, the area is lovely, home to a  young working crowd and a more realistic portrayal of what London is like. If I could compare it to New York, it's like living in Soho. Cool right? Yet, as I walked around by myself I couldn't help but wonder just how long I'd be walking around alone...hours, days, for the next four months? It was all hitting me that I had no friends in this huge, foreign city.

But low and behold, by Tuesday night I was going out to pubs and clubs with a bunch of American kids from Marquette and Cornell,  led by our fearless leader James, a British kid who is keen on taking Americans out and getting them "pissed" (really drunk). Since Tuesday night I've been doing my best to meet new people and see new places, while still making time to watch a few episodes of The Office on Netflix (holding on to just a few American comforts). I'll be starting class on Monday at City University (before orientation on Wednesday it had slipped my mind that I actually had to go to school); however, I lucked out and have no class Wednesdays or Fridays, so I should have plenty of time to see what London and the rest of Europe have to offer me. That's all for now, gearing up for my first weekend out in London! I'll leave you all with a nice list of some of the new phrases I've learned since Tuesday...

Tosser - idiot
It's monkeys outside - it's very cold (and it is actually..)
Don't get your knickers in a twist - don't get all worked up (how British does that sound??)
Dodgy - sketchy

More to come. Cheerio!
Bridget

My Abroad Blog

I am officially leaving the country in 4 days, headed to London for the next 4 months. Like hundreds of students studying abroad with access to a computer and the ability to type, I decided to start a blog. Yep, another abroad blog. But, while to you it may be just another abroad blog, to me it's my abroad blog.

This past semester I spent a lot of time listening to some of my best friends gush about their own abroad experiences. I made the decision as a sophomore to not go abroad, for really no reason other than I just didn't think I cared one way or the other. I didn't think going abroad just to go abroad was a good enough reason. However, I spent a lot of time on Skype (probably too much time, right MaryBeth?) over the past few months, catching up with my friends in Galway, London, Buenos Aires, and Guayaquil, and realized I did care. I felt like I was missing out on something big. It didn't occur to me until half way through the semester that it wasn't too late for me to have my own abroad experience. I finally got my butt over to Villanova's study abroad office (3 days before all Spring semester due dates) and made it official. So now, here I am, sitting in my Buffalo, NY bed, starting a blog that I never thought I'd have a reason to write. I don't know yet what my abroad experience holds for me, but it will be my own.

I'm not sure yet if this blog will go public, or if I'll just write for myself. I'm one of those girls who has her entire life (1st grade and on) documented in journal form, but I've never written anything like this that was meant to be read by others. But hey, if you're reading this now that means I went for it! So here it is, another abroad blog. My abroad blog.

Bridget