First Mosque + British Parliament + Munich

This week has been a fun filled week and it's far from being over. Tuesday, I went to British Parliament for a field trip. The security guard touched me in places I've never been touched before and that all I have to say about that. British Parliament was extremely impressive. As we went through the different corridors I felt like I was in a Dan Brown novel trying to understand all the cryptic messages and symbolism scattered through Parliament. The different procedures and steps are mind boggling. I'm not very keen on the Senate or House of Representatives, but I should look into it cause the British side of things is very entertaining.

For instance, the Queen can only reside in the House of Lords, mostly made up of noblemen with strong family lineage dating back to a many many years ago. She will sit on a woolsack. The woolsack symbolizes the strong economic growth and stability that led to the great rise of the Empire of Britain due to the strong export of wool. The last time a Queen or King were outside of there realm and walked over to the House of Commons they had their head chopped off. So, the Queen is not allowed on the "other side." Whats cool about the set up of Parliament is upon entrance you'll come to an intersection of 4 corridors. To the left, House of Commons, to the right, House of Lords, and forwards is the exit out along with offices. Where the Queen sits on her wool sack she can directly look down the corridor and into the House of Commons. On the flipside of things, or on the "other side" as they call it, the Prime Minister sits in a seat that is directly looking at the Queen on the other side of Parliament.



When the Queen wants to send the Prime Minister a message, she has a messenger run down the corridor and knock three times on the door: for Queen, Country, and God (I think) and then they have a hole that a person can look into and verify it isn't a enemy of the state. I could go on and on but its just super interesting, one must visit the place themselves to actually get the full effect.

Later in the day, I went to the London Central Mosque for my Islam and the West class. Very interesting. I'm sure many people in there lives will never even step into a mosque, so this was one of the bigger things I've done this trip. The women in the group put on their headscarves and we headed inside. We got to see an afternoon prayer and afterward we were lectured about some things that go on there and had the pleasure of one of the 'priests' read the Qu'ran in Arabic to us. For those of you interested, the Qu'ran is a pretty crazy book to say the least.

Equivalent to the Bible for Catholicism, Muslims use the Qu'ran as the linchpin of their faith, their belief, their everyday life. Read right to left, the book itself is organized in to thematic elements. Even this is highly disputed. The book itself is comprised of stories or psalms that Muhammad, their main prophet, heard from God in the hills of Mecca along time ago. Did you know, that the Qu'ran is recited in song? The stories are sung and are like none other literature known to man in the Arabic language? Did you also know that Jesus is mentioned more in the Qu'ran than any other prophet in there? Jesus is not considered the son of God because the true son of God, as they see it, is Adam (from Adam & Eve). In the Qu'ran, Jesus never is crucified on the cross. He is let down and stays alive. The Virgin Mother Mary is equivalent to a nun and is considered, in some ways, even more important than Jesus in the Qu'ran and when questioned about if the birth of Jesus was truly a miracle, the baby Jesus himself actually speaks to the non-believer and says he is brought on this earth to spread the word of the Lord (a new-born baby talking! that insane!!!). In the Qu'ran, Christians, Jews and Muslims are people of the book and are synonymous to each other as seen through the eyes of God or Allah. So aside from a few stories getting mixed around, Muslims, Christians, and Jews believe in the same monotheistic God and are at the same equal level. Just from this tidbit you can see how twisted Fundamental Extremist Muslims are in interpreting the Qu'ran and taking on their own person Jihad against the Western world when interpreting the Qu'ran. I don't know, that's my two cents on Islam and the West so far, if anyone was interested.

I am chilling in the room until my flight to Munich tomorrow morning. The flight is really early in the morning so we have to head to Gatwick tonight. I'll be sleeping on a bench in the terminal tonight. Be thankful you have beds tonight. Oh to be young. I'll write back upon my return from the beer Mecca of Germany.

Bath + Stonehedge + Camden Market

Yo yo yo! Just got done with a very busy weekend. Started out with a trip to Bath and Stonehedge Saturday morning. My commentary on Stonehedge:



Okay, it is one of the coolest places in the world. The building of it, considering it was assembled in the prehistoric age, is unimaginable. The guide was telling us that each one of the slabs would take close to a full calendar year to pull from their original site 20 miles north of Stonehedge. That would only be possible with close to 600 people working around the clock pulling it! With close to 12 larger, 45 tonne rocks at Stonehedge, that is an amazing feat. So yes, it is a very impressive site. But... it is a pile of stones (I got bored after 20 minutes of looking at them) and there is a country road right next to it, which sorta takes away from the whole ambiance.

Then, we ventured farther west to the city of Bath. Bath was a very impressive, charming city that I took for granted when I was originally thinking about places to tour while I was over here. Some parts were a little bit too commercialized for my taste, one section of street had designer shops, american food chains and of course a starbucks. We went to the Roman Baths which were cool. The museum was a hodgepodge of old Roman artifacts. The only part of the museum that I was really impressed by was the actual baths where the natural springs filled the aqua green colored pools. The large amounts of iron in the water discolored most of the rocks around the hot spring.



After the Roman baths, we went to the Bath Abbey, walked around the small downtown and stopped in a local pub called the Old Green Tree for a half pint of porter beer. Then, we checked out Jane Austen's home for most of her life. One of the cooler attributes of the city that I liked was that most of the buildings were made out of limestone. Their were no street signs but the street names were engraved in the sides of the buildings. Back when they originally built the downtown (which had parts of it had to be renovated and rebuilt after the WWII bombings), the limestone was very soft when it was harvested from the ground. Street signs were etched in and then slowly over time the stone would oxidize and become hard. One of the funnier moments of the day was when we got on the bus we drove by a rugby stadium where there was a game starting soon and the tour guide turned to the bus driver and asked, "Do you know by chance who's playing Bath today?" He replied, "I think Bath plays Shower today if I'm not mistaken, miss." She paused for a moment and said back to him, "Ahhh, piss off!"

Today, we went to Camden Market. This was one of the first very eclectic atmospheres I'd been to in a long time. From a Rastafarian selling Bob Marley memorabilia to a shop full of Japanese printed t-shirts, the marketplace was full of cool stuff to pass by and take a look at while walking up and down the streets in a complete daze. I think I want to take Caitlin back to the market when she visits, if not, Portobella for sure. Last night, the guys and I got a little ambitious and ordered tickets to Munich for this weekend. We were sitting around the room talking and Petro brought up how he went to a beer garden in Munich last summer which was "heaven on earth" complete with pretzel girls and full liter glasses of beer. We booked tickets 30 minutes later. We plan on going here: http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/ and enjoying Germany at its finest.

After this week of school things really pick up since we now are going to Munich for the weekend and then after that we go to Istanbul, Turkey for 4 days and then after that Cait comes to visit. Crazy! I'll write soon. I'm going to sleep at 6 tonight to make up for the sleep that I'm going to lose on our weekend trip to Germany.

Auf Wiedersehen! I'm going back to the Wesenberg's homeland! Don't worry McDaniels, I'm planning a trip to Ireland soon.

Back to the Grind

School started up and has been prolonged more than a usual first week of school usually is. 'Syllabus day' doesn't really happen here. You jump right into the class material. A lot of the required texts I've found in the basement of my residence hall, which is easier on the wallet. An update on my cooking: I've added baked potatoes to my repertoire tonight.

I've got a Stonehedge/Bath visit coming up in the coming next two weeks which I'm excited about. Earlier in the month they had too much snow and had to close off Stonehedge for a time being so hopefully all that will be cleared out when I'm there. London continues to astound me with the multicultural melting pot it consists of. Did you know 25% of people living in London were born in a different country, with over 300 different languages spoken in any given day? I felt out of place to begin with in London, but I've come to the realization that there is no way you can truly be 'out of place' in a city like this.

Another interesting fact: Big Ben is not actually the name of the clock or the tower. Big Ben is the name of the 13-ton bell inside the clock. The tower is known as St. Stephens Tower. But, over many years commoners and tourists have just called it Big Ben. Big Ben has a better ring to it anyways, no pun intended. I'm just going to try and fill your heads with all these interesting London facts!



Anywho, I'm planning on going to Harrod's tomorrow. I'm excited to check out all the interesting stuff that will be inside. Ryan, my roommate, went earlier in the week and he said it was amazing. Over the past week I've been trying to get in touch with my girlfriend, Caitlin. She's in Valencia, Spain for her study abroad program and her luggage got lost on her trip over there. Not only that, but her host family also doesn't have internet. I can't even imagine, as I'm sure you're probably aware of how I felt first coming over here, living without basic necessities like my own clothing, shampoo, shoes my life would have been a living nightmare. I just pray that her luggage gets to her soon. I can't stand seeing her like this. I hope she doesn't read this but I'm writing her a postcard tomorrow and hopefully when she reads it, it will take her mind off of things for a few minutes. I booked my flight to Valencia over the second half of my spring break so I'm really excited. Ok, I'll blog again soon.

Cheers

Hyde Park + Kensington Park: London's Personal Space

This morning I ventured out on a run around Hyde Park and man was I impressed. Hyde Park is one of the royal parks of London and its scenery is truly distinct for an urban park. There were loads of walkers. Dogs can walk around without a leash on in most of its parts which is a plus for pet lovers. There is a long winding lake called The Serpentine which has a restaurant on the southeastern tip of it. Row boats are for rental and in the late summer months people actually swim in the lake. Tennis courts, playgrounds, a stone bridge, 9 hole putt-putt golf. Soccer clubs galore playing on the east side of the park. A beautiful Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain that drew in some morning newspaper readers on the north end.



Not only did I get a good workout in, but I got to enjoy discovering the attributes of this park for the first time. This is probably the best backyard I've ever had in my life. Another must see when visiting park is Speakers' Corner on the Northeast of the park, which is a smashing good time on Sunday mornings. People can stand on boxes or whatever they brought with them and stand up and shout whatever they want, as long as it's not vulgar or obscene. Since 1882, Karl Marx, Lenin, George Bernard Shaw and George Orwell have all stood to either speak or listen to speakers there.

This list goes on and on. Kensington Gardens and Palace consist of most of the western side of the park (technically its own park called Kensington Gardens). Don't forget about the Bronze Peter Pan statue donated by J M Barrie himself in 1912, nestled away in the core of the park. AND the Albert Memorial on the Park's grounds just across the street from The Royal Albert Hall.

I could go on and on.

Running Conscious tidbit: I need to order my tickets for Valencia soon to visit Caitlin. :) Maybe plan a weekend trip back to Paris. Also, get some Turkish Liras for the Istanbul trip...

All in all, Kensington Park and Hyde Park are fantastic places to go to when visiting London. Maybe when the weather starts to warm up I will add some more info towards this blog, but for now, great place to go running and people watching.



More info on these parks and other royal parks are found at:

http://www.royalparks.org.uk/

I give this weekend an average of around 9/10. 10/10 on Friday night, 7/10 Saturday night, 10/10 Sunday Morning.

Reality Check + British Cuisine

We have not conquered the city yet. We are no where close and will never be. We just got back from the bar crawl. Epic fail. Couldn't find our way and got lost. 15 people went and not one person had a map on them. Lesson learned.

On a much lighter note, we did have a pretty fun time and went to our first Balti House in Shoreditch tonight. In our search for a lively bar we found the holy grail of Balti Houses in London. We came to a brick intersection and were instantly coaxed in to trying to come to these different restaurants by different people working the block. Huge neon signs were stamped on each restaurant. This one guy told us the first round of drinks were on the house and that's all it took. Next thing I knew, I was having a bowl of Chicken Tikka Masala. The cool thing about these curry places is you can B.Y.O.B or bring your own beer.



Note: I don't know how British people can mix drinks with curry food. Anglo-Pakistani curry food is not the most rewarding on the digestive tract. Kudos to the Brits.

London the City

Sorry for the holiday I took when it came to updating the blog. I've been having a wonderful time around the city. Last night we were feeling a little adventurous (Well, I was and unanimously convinced the group) to take the Underground to east London. East London is considered the party section of London, you'll find more clubs and bars there than any other part of London.

We were feeling sure of ourselves and hopeful of the night to come. We got off thinking that we were in the eastside of London only to find out that we were just east of the West End of London. Around the Soho area. Still, it is London, and there were bars and pubs and clubs everywhere. We settled for a pub that was called the 'Green Man.' There were a lot of people outside either smoking or waiting to get in... we found a winner. My friends Petro, Ryan, Kevin and I watched an insane game of soccer, the African Cup of Nations Tournament is going on right now, it was really fun to watch and most of the bar was tuned into the game.

After a few hours of that frenzy we headed back home. Let it be noted that the underground stops running at around midnight so make sure if you go out you know which night buses go back to your place. We got seperated and Kevin and I made it home. Ryan and Petro spent most of it trying to find the bus. They gave up and settled for a casino... that's all I have to say on that subject.

Tonight, since we felt like we conquered the city last night, we are heading out for a bar crawl around Holborn, just east of Soho. We chose a funny bar crawl that looks promising:

http://www.alpc.co.uk/pcrawl9.htm

After the bar crawl we were hoping to get a taste of the local live music venues going on tonight. Timeout London is a great place to go find out about such gigs. They have listings of free stuff to check out around the city. We are heading to the bar 'Catch' tonight after the bar crawl where there is local House music line-up.

Link to the venue: http://www.timeout.com/london/music/event/172864/astral-social-club-team-brick-joseph-scott

Okay, after talking about night life for a while I think I need to give a few interesting facts to show that I've actually been soaking up a lot more than just ale this semester so far...

1.) The Dragon is the unofficial mascot of the City of London. The City of London is much different than London. It makes up around a square mile of London and is made up of a lot of the Financial companies and big players in London. Whats cool is for most of the roads leading into 'the city' there are statues or gates or small gargoyles of Dragons somewhere around the entrance into the square mile 'city of London.' One of the big ones is called the Temple Bar Memorial which is actually really cool to see.



2.) The Monument to the Great Fire of London is a fantastic place to visit when you're here. You can go up to the top and check out the very cool cityscape of London. What a lot of people do not know is the little tidbit concerning the height of it. If the monument were to be laid down flat on the ground, it would land across the street in an alley where the fire actually started. Specifically, the point of it would fall on the location of the old bakery where the fire actually started. The story is: the baker put fire wood next to the oven when the shop closed in the evening for the morning bake the following day. Well, the oven was still on and it started the fire wood pile up in flames and thus the Great Fire of London started burning close to 3/4 of the city with it over the next following days. There are your fun facts for today. Soon coming later.


Till next time...

American Football, yea?

Soooooo, I got to enjoy my first Packers loss on a different continent for the first time! Wow, what a season. I was disappointed with the loss, but we had a great season. "C'est la vie" as the french say... that's life. For people interested in American Football and watching their team lose in OT on a broken play after giving up two turnovers in the first two passing plays of the game and leaving their pass defense in Wisconsin, I've found that there are two spots that you can go to catch the games.

There is a Holiday Inn along Cromwell Road just west of the Foundation House. At the ground level of the hotel there is a bar called The Tavern that will show the games. We went there last night and got to enjoy the game with a bunch of other traveling Americans. Beer is expensive, so if anything just grab a pint and milk it for the whole game.

There is another one that is sort of a hike called The Sports Cafe. You can take the underground to the Piccadilly Circus stop and head south on Haymarket Street to get there. Two blocks west of Trafalgar Square. I heard that that was one of the other places that would stay open later for American Football. Now, I've heard mixed reviews about this bar, so be warned. Again, pricey and I also read, from the reviews on Google, that it isn't the cleanest. I wouldn't take my word for it, go out and explore it. Many bars and pubs remodel and do continuous improvements from year to year with their establishments.

Take note: Pubs stop serving at 11:00 PM, Bars stop serving at Midnight and Clubs stay open until 3-4 in the morning. Clubs have entrance fees for the gents, free for the women. For someone not knowingly aware of some of the cultural norms in London and much of Britain, you DO NOT need to tip the bartender. They are payed by the hour instead of having a very low wage and tips making up their total pay, like in the U.S. You do however need to tip waiters and waitresses, if they are good. If your service at a restaurant isn't up to par it is not out of the norm to not tip them over here.

Yesterday was the first day of classes. Each class period is 3 hours long, it sounds worse than it actually is. The professors are quite interesting and its really enjoyable to look outside of the box when it comes to global preconceived ideas on topics. But, it is the first week of classes, I hope I haven't spoken too soon. I still have yet to talk to a Londoner for more than a few minutes. It's almost like a social "dis-ease" over here if that makes sense... it's not uncommon for the British people to give you a very short, candid answer to questions you shoot at them.

I was talking with a bartender a few nights ago about places to get cheap groceries at and it wasn't the easiest conversation to have, should have been half as easy just by the pure nature of it anyways. He had an anxious look on his face and when he spoke it sounded painful. I felt like I was an interrogator asking about his religious beliefs or his political views. Social “dis-ease.” Is this a feeling of culture shock? Already? I'm not sure, but it is something that has moved me a few steps back on the game board. Now, this isn't true for all the common folk of London, but just something to take note of.

I'm sure I'll understand Pub Culture and social interaction a lot better with the coming months ahead. But for now, I'm lost in translation and British jargon. Like for instance the word: queue. It's the word synonymous to line used in London. It makes perfect sense, but I was confused when I first heard it in context.

Here's my British street talk sign-off:I'm a tired bloke right now, I've had such a kicking good time I could've forgot I was wearing me trousers and I wouldn't have noticed. The bartender seemed a little bit dodgy but all in all I got to watch the Packer game. Even if I lost the plot along the way I had a smashing good time. I just hope the Brits aren't taking mickey when they see Americans comin' into the pub. Be a shame. I'm going to take a quick kip. Cheers.

Bus Tour

Just got done with an exciting bus tour provided by FIE. It was very interesting. It was a lot to take in, I think I have whiplash from looking back and forth, left and right so much. From what I looked at today, I'm not to sure if I want to start traveling to other countries right off the bat. Sooner or later, I'm going to visit Caitlin in Valencia and a field trip to Istanbul. But, this place is so interesting. There is much to see. That is all for now.

Top Up? Yes, please.

It's pretty hard to just jump start a lifestyle in London. I'm trying to fit in and blend in with the locals as best as I can but my front gets blown once I open up my mouth. I feel like I've been air dropped into this city. When you first get here, you feel like you have to do everything. Try and get everything out of the way (food, living quarters, sightseeing, partying, meeting new people, flossing your teeth). Well that is a honest goal to achieve but I'm telling you right now, it can't be done while keeping a sane mind.

I've been trying to mitigate some of the insanity by satisfying my basic needs first and foremost. I have to make another trip to the super market or I will starve. I think I would be the first person ever to starve in Kensington... I found a Jamie Oliver cookbook in the kitchen today and I was browsing through some good recipes I want to try out. I'm beginning to come to the realization that left-overs will be king for the next coming months. I plan on making dishes that serve 4 that can be reheated. Pastas are the best reheated and the chicken taste just like chicken in the U.S. <--- great choice for dinner when you just get over here. I'm juggling with the ideas of getting a gym membership or just running in Hyde Park. Gyms around here are as followed: Club Kensington is a gym northwest of here. 99 pounds for the whole stay. Imperial Gym is east of here, very trendy and hip. Indoor swimming pool, however, cost 30 pounds a month + additional fees when you don't use your membership during the recommended off-peak hours. There is a gym called David Lloyd south of here that is the closest in proximity, however, it is also very trendy. I have yet to inquire about the membership costs... Topping Up is a slang term for filling with energy, it is a word that can be attached with pretty much anything. "I have to top up my car, I need to lay down and top up, I need to top up my cell phone." It just means fill with energy, revitalize.Yesterday, we walked down Kensington High Street and found the Carphone Warehouse, a good store to get your initial phone at. The confusing thing about phones over here is there are no phones that are specifically attached to a carrier. They are all essentially unlocked. SO, your best bet is buying the cheapest phone. After you've found a phone ask for a pay-as-you-go plan. This isn't really a plan, but a credit that can be put on your SIM card and then into the cheap phone you just bought. I payed in cash for everything, don't worry about having to use plastic.

I would recommend getting an Orange pay-as-you-go. I did a little research before I crossed the pond and this seems to be a very popular cell phone provider with the Brits in London. Good coverage throughout and some very clever products with fun extras that make it an interesting brand. There are many other service providers that would do just as well so don't be bias at all when you first start inquiring, T-mobile, Vodafone, Talkmobile, just to name a few. I payed 4.95 for a cell phone and 20 to be put as a credit on my Orange SIM card.

What drew me into the Orange service provider is the extra rewards that you get with the purchase of top-up credit. To expand, there are 5 animal packages that you can choose from right when you set up the phone (should be in a instructional packet that comes with the pay-as-you-go SIM card) that include a monkey, dolphin, canary, racoon and camel. It's actually quite shrewd which is why I was interested in checking it out. Each time you pick an animal, there is a different perk attached to it. You can look into the different types of packages and rewards you get with them in the hyperlink below:

http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/sim-only/pay-as-you-go

I chose Monkey, I liked it because I got free music on my phone for a month and 600 free additional text messages that don't get debited from my 20 pound credit on the SIM card. Once you've spent all the 20 pounds you had on your account all you need to do is either just buy a new SIM card or go to their website and credit the account with a credit/debit card (much easier than walking someplace). This is what they call "topping up" their cell phones. If you choose a provider and you aren't really fond of it, don't worry about it, after depleting the money you put on the SIM card, go back to where ever and try out a new pay-as-you-go plan with another provider. It's much more flexible than in the U.S. I'm not sure how easy it is to transfer European numbers over if you want to switch plans. I was given one with my Orange SIM card and I can keep it as long as I stay with Orange.

Like I said earlier, try and prioritize. Your basic needs for the first few nights are food, cell phone, a source of liquidity (cash/plastic), and a beverage of choice. I'm still feeling the jet lag and I need to sleep and eat more. These are at the base of my hierarchy of needs right now.

Sandwich express is a nearby shop that sells big sandwiches for 2 pounds. I'm might grab dinner there tonight. I'm off on the bus tour right now. I'll write soon. Tonight is a chill night for me. I met German bankers last night and they talked about a Club Aquarium on the Eastside of London. There is a pool in the club! I'll have to check that out soon.

Welcome to a Parallel Universe

You think America has influenced the global communities in ways that show up in everyday life? That's a fair argument, but I have just spend my first two days in London and have yet to experience something even remotely close to my familiar American life. In the next few posts I'm going to give a few insights for soon-to-be travelers of the UK or an interested audience...

First off, the oven symbols are much different than your regular ovens at home. I did some googling and found a nifty key to their symbols. They aren't exact, however they do hover around these general symbols:

http://www.franke.co.uk/page.aspx?sp=380

Secondly, the ovens (and the outlets over here) here are individually complemented with on/off switches for everything. I took about 10 minutes trying to turn on or configure the oven when suddenly I noticed the circuit powering the oven had a switch to it on the wall, hidden behind the block of knives.

Needless to say, I cooked my first meal in Europe! I had a crispy chicken breast with spinach and a 660ml bottle of Beck's, all found at the local Sainsbury's market. All the fresh, healthy food is in the back of the supermarket, similar to grocery stores back home (oops I have found a similarity). The best deals are at the end of aisles where they have discounted food that's reaching their expiration dates. I'm still really hungry but I have get used to this European grub, in volume and quality.


P.S. I got over here safely. I was greeted by snow on the ground and ice on the sidewalks. They don't drop a lot of ice on the roads and sideways in the inner boroughs of London like the U.S. does. They drop mixtures of sand and salt near stairs and doorsteps but that's about it. The picture above is from a park bench in Hyde Park. I'm not sure if the British always talk about weather, but the local pub chat has been ALL about the snow.

Pre-departure

This blog is for family and friends, future SNC students traveling abroad* and for myself. While a welfare cost triangle might be impossible for social programs (shout out to Nanne!), I'm going to try and make this triangle possible and try to satisfy each one of those parties.

*For the future SNC student travelers going abroad, let this not be a road map for you to follow when you come to London, however, let it be a simple gaze into some experiences that you might want to pursue while you're over there. By all means, don't be afraid to go off the beaten path and make your own unique journey over there. Just be safe and have self-awareness.

This is my first post on the site! I'm going to try and stay as regimental as I can when it comes to posting updates, however, as I go about my journey things might get a little helter-skelter...

Departure day is approaching fast and my Mom and I are running around town trying to tie up loose ends whether it be getting a source of liquidity in order (credit cards, check cards) or just finding some ambiguous items for London that I may or may not need. Between the limited space that I can carry on and luggage I can send over there, I am surprisingly left with a little wiggle room left for souvenirs in my large bag. Words from the wise, pick out your initial wardrobe and then go through another draft and try and reduce it by 1/4 or even a 1/2. Dark clothes are gold in travel currency, you can wear them over and over hiding small stains or what not. Past SNC students and the Study Abroad Program at SNC have been very helpful in prepping us for traveling abroad.
Speaking of liquidity preferences: Bank of America offers a student checking account the comes with a check card. Check (debit) cards are useful over in Europe because there are now 4-digit or 6-digit PINS required for many different payment systems in Europe. What is super helpful about the Bank of America Card is that they have a Global Alliance with European Banks, specifically Barclays and Deutsche. Expanding on this "Alliance," it means that I can withdraw money from a Barclays or Deutsche bank ATM while in London and only receive a 1% convenience charge every time I use the ATM. With other Banks and their check cards, when withdrawing from an ATM there is a $5 international fee along with the 1% fee and maybe a conversion fee also (?) that gets stamped on to the total amount debited from your account.

I am almost completely packed thanks to my Mom, who has been a tremendous help even if we've bickered while packing the last few days. I'm going to miss my family and friends very much while I'm over there but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that has to be taken advantage of. I just turned 21 a few days ago so my legal drinking has sort of been "postponed" per se. I'm excited to get over to London and immerse myself in the rich culture that engrosses such a global metropolis. The next time I post I will be in London and settled into my flat which I'll call home for the next 4ish months. I'll probably be having a small case of culture shock mixed in with a little euphoria. Until then...