After my first week of classes, I can tell I am going to love my semester. The NYU Academic Center was home to one of Britain’s longest and most beloved Lord Chancellors. It feels like I am attending classes in an old London mansion. All of my professors seem very approachable and flexible. Class field trips this semester include the British Museum, the BBC Building, Tudor, and Cambridge.
Though my classes meet only once a week, their duration of three hours is far from exciting. I will need to stock up my fridge with Red Bull (if they even have that here) for my 8.5 hours of classes on Monday’s. This past Monday I was so exhausted that I left my backpack outside the Academic Center and didn’t even notice it was missing until fifteen minutes later when I was on my way home. I then thought someone had stolen my backpack full of books, notebooks, and my beloved MacBook Pro. It took me about an hour before I realized that it was at the Academic Center. A cab driver, who happened to drive by when I was on a busy street corner, took me home for only four pounds after helping me calm down and file a false police report for a “stolen” backpack (whoops). After last week’s visits to the British hospital, and this week’s interaction with the British police, I feel like an actual citizen now…sort of.
Although my Monday didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped, Tuesday was a lot better. I got to meet my internship supervisors, who are editors for the lifestyle magazine, Square Meal. After freaking out and intensely preparing for my formal interview, the two supervisors took me in right away and told me to relax and have fun! Both were very friendly and seemed to be genuinely excited about having someone learn from them. They even said I will be able to attend restaurant launches, free wine and food tastings and write restaurant reviews and small features for the quarterly magazine!
On Sunday, my roommate and I took a day trip to Oxford to see the university and Harry Potter sites. After a walking tour of the campus and surrounding town, and buying a “Keep Calm and Study” t-shirt, we hit up a famous pub for some fish and chips and a local pale ale.
A very successful and busy week. It was a bit of a bummer when I asked local Brits about the Superbowl and they didn’t know what it was. Because it was on t.v. so late, I didn’t watch the game and instead studied a bit before heading to bed (I know I’m a loser).
For the most part, I am feeling more at home here in London. The Starbucks tastes different and the McDonald’s serves deli sandwiches, but I am beginning to really appreciate the beauty of the city. Homesickness does strike occasionally when I can’t contact my friends before 7:00 at night or find a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch at the grocery store.
That bowl of cereal can wait though. It is amazing how the U.S. and the UK can be so similar and yet so different.