Happy to be Home

After taking three forms of transportation, I can easily say I am happy to be home. I have been back in the states for almost a week catching up with friends and family, and due to the craziness of reunions did not have time to write my last Study Abroad blog entry. Now that I finally have found the time, I will try and give an update of my last few weeks in London. I am having a hard time believing that my last update was almost a month ago!

Anyways, the vast majority of my last few weeks in London was spent "revising" (studying) for my last two exams and editing my final paper/presentation. Some of the most beautiful days in London I had to spend inside studying, but I know that the time I spent working will be worth it. I also was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shadow in Oncology for three days and in a HIV unit for one day. It was amazing having the chance to explore different areas of medicine and I could write pages about my experiences in each area. I loved being able to shadow so much while I was abroad (I've spent time in seven different departments), and cannot wait to share my experiences with medical schools.

In regards to more Londonesque experiences, I was fortunate enough to have my little in my sorority, Alexa F., visit me with her family. We spent a great day on May 15th exploring the Tower of London, eating amazing Italian food, and roaming around Notting Hill. Of course, I took her family to my favorite cupcake place, and they loved Hummingbird Bakery as much as I do. It was wonderful having Alexa in London, and I am so glad she got to experience one of my favorite cities.

Jason, Annie, and I also had a great time going to the Electric Ballroom in Camden where I saw my first indie rock concert on May 19th. I had never been to a concert in a standing only venue, and it was definitely a fun experience. I'm looking forward to going to more concerts this summer and learning more about different types of music. My friend from Case, Andrew I., also recommended a great restaurant in Camden called Belgos that Jason, Annie, and I frequented during my last few weeks. Along with having great meal deals during the week, they have the best Belgian mussles I had ever tasted. When I go back to London, I can guarantee I will be going back to that restaurant.

Once my last exam was over, Annie, her mother, and I went to go see Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on May 28th. I am so glad we had seats, because the groundlings were subjected to an experience that probably would have given me nightmares (look at my pictures on facebook if you want to see what I am talking about). It was definitely an experience, but I wish I would have seen a comedy instead of a tragedy since Macbeth was quite depressing. I'm glad I went though, and the Globe Theatre was everything I expected and more.

On my last Saturday in London (May 29th), my friend Dana and I went on a do-it-yourself Harry Potter walking tour. We were able to see all of the London film sites, including Gringotts Bank and the Ministry of Magic. We also explored Covent Garden and had a great time roaming around the city. I can't wait to re watch the films after seeing the film locations in London and Oxford. I also can't wait to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida this next year...its on my immediate to see list :).

The next day, I went to mass at St. Paul's and then to Spittafield's Market with Dana, Danielle, and her boyfriend Matt. St. Paul's was gorgeous and gigantic, and the boys and men's choir sounded absolutely lovely. While St. Paul's is Anglican, it was interesting to see the subtle differences between the Anglican and the Catholic faiths. Spittafield's Market was also wonderful and I was glad to have the opportunity to get some last minute unique gifts. While the market was more expensive than Notting Hill and Camden, the atmosphere was much nicer and the surrounding food stalls were wonderful.

I spent Monday exploring London with my favorite non-American friend, Veronika. We had a great time walking around the city and catching up on everything that had happened since break. I know when I go back to Europe she will be one of the first people I tell and I am so glad I can call her my friend.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent preparing and giving my final presentation for the Practice of Medicine class. After all of our presentations were completed on Wednesday, our professor took our entire class out to an amazing dinner at Tas. I will miss that class so much, and am so happy I was able to take part in such an amazing experience abroad. I know we will have a Practice of Medicine reunion in a few years, and I cannot wait to see and hear how far my classmates have gone in life.

Finally, my last day in London was spent packing and exploring London for one last time with Danielle and her friends from the states. We ate at Borough Market, walked around the city, and went dancing at the Arches near my flat. I am so glad I was able to meet so many wonderful people, and I know my experiences with them have changed me for the better.

I don't doubt for a moment that studying abroad has changed me. I am so happy that I can look back and actually be able to say that I lived in London for five months. While it was hard being away from my friends and family, I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. I hope one day I will be able to go and visit London, but in the meantime I am grateful to be safely back in America. My travels have finally lead me home.

Papers, Tests, and Canterbury?

I am officially done with my first London final! Due to the fact that I have been studying, these last couple of weeks haven't been as eventful (but have definitely been productive!). For the most part, I have spent the majority of my days in coffee shops, either by myself or with Jason writing papers and "revising" for my exams. My favorite coffee shop so far is Toasted in Camden. They have amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and very nice couches. While I like studying in coffee shops, I am ready to go back to Kelvin Smith Library...I never thought I would miss Case's library!

While I have kept busy studying, I have had time for a little bit of fun since my finals are so spread out over the next few weeks. Two Wednesdays ago, I tried to go dancing at Fabric for student night with Jenni, Anna, Mitch, and Mitch's friend (Anna is in my Practice of Medicine Class and Mitch is her friend). While the club that we wanted to go to wasn't open, we had a fun night at Metra in Leichester Square. Hopefully I will have the chance to go to Fabric and the Ministry of Sound before I leave London since I hear they are memorable. Nevertheless, if I don't have the chance I won't be too heartbroken as I have had the chance to see so many other amazing things.

I have spent of time in Camden these past few weeks. Two weekends ago, I met up with Jason, Joelle, and Rich and enjoyed a great dinner at a Thai place in Camden. Camden by far is one of my favorite places in London due to its eclectic mix of restaurants and shops. Another recent Camden experience involved Bogo, where after studying all day last Monday with Jason, we went to Bogo for dinner and had the most amazing mussels. Bogo has a beat the clock menu from 5-7 during the week, making dinner at 5 only 5 pounds instead of 12 (which is the price after 7)! I definitely plan on going back before I leave, and I am so happy one of my med school friends told me about the restaurant.

Last Wednesday was also another exciting day, since immediately after class Anna and I headed to the Absolute Ice Bar where we met up with Jenni, Romy, Danielle, and Danielle's friend. Since all of us heard that it was a must see experience, we decided to check the restaurant out. While I forgot my camera in my flat, we all looked ridiculous due to the "designer ponchos" that kept us warm in the -5 degree room. Everything, from the bar, to the walls, to the glasses, was completely made out of ice. It was truly a "cool" experience and I am glad we succumbed to the tourist ideals. After the Ice Bar, Jenni and I headed over to Piccadilly to see Mamma Mia! Since I have been wanting to see Mamma Mia! since I came to London, I was incredibly happy that our student tickets got us the first row dress circle. I absolutely loved the show, and can see why Londoners love it so much. My favorite part was getting up and dancing at the end, and of course, listening to the music.

Finally, last weekend was truly wonderful as I went to see a friend's family in Deal. Just a two hour train ride away, Jenni and I went to Deal where we were picked up at the train station by Jean and Vaughn, my friend's family members who are living in England. They were so incredibly nice, and spoiled Jenni and I while they took us around their town of Deal and over to Canterbury and Dover. Deal is a beautiful sea side town in England, and we could see France from the beach that was two blocks away from their house! Their house was also amazing since it was a renovated church. On Saturday, along with seeing Deal, Jean and Vaughn took us to Canterbury were we saw Evensong as the cathedral and the Canterbury Tales exhibit. They also took us to dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. It was also so nice going back to their house and studying while drinking tea. We accomplished a lot at their house (surprisingly), and it was so nice to get a break from London. On Sunday, along with studying, they took us up to Dover Castle. While I had already been there, I hadn't seen the wartime tunnels. We also had a fun time in the main castle, especially since I got chosen to try on some mail and a steal helmet! Jenni and I also had a mock battle with real swords and definitely caused a crowd to gather. We had a great time, and I was so happy to get a little taste of a real home before I headed into finals.

These next few weeks are going to be filled with lots of studying, but I still have a lot to look forward to. I will be sad to leave June 4th, but at the same time, I can't wait to be home with my friends and family. Miss you all and sending lots of love!

An Amazing Eurotrip

I can honestly say I just went on a life changing adventure. After seeing 11 cities in three and a half weeks, I can't imagine how I could write everything that occurred on the trip in this blog. While I kept a diary while traveling, I would spend the next year typing up everything that has happened over the course of the past month. So, instead, I am going to advise my readers to look through my facebook photos, because pictures do speak a thousand words.

I will give the quick highlights of each city below, but I promise it will take at least one dinner or coffee date to begin explaining everything that happened :).

Tarragona, Spain: March 30~Seeing gorgeous roman ruins, sunlight, and palm trees for the first time since arriving in Europe

Barcelona, Spain: March 31-April 4~ Seeing all of Gaudis work, walking along La Ramblas, meeting up with old friends, and speaking the only English at the Sagrada Familia's Easter Mass

Zurich, Switzerland: April 5~ Going on a boat ride to see the Swiss Alps and having the most incredible Swiss cheese fondue for dinner

Florence, Italy: April 6-7~ Seeing Michelangelo's David, bargaining for leather goods in San Lorenzo, eating Gelato, and watching the sunset over the city

Rome, Italy: April 8-9~ Viewing the Roman Ruins and the Vatican...I have never been so proud to be Catholic :)

Naples, Italy: April 10~ Singing Italian songs, enjoying free pasta made by our lovely hostel owner, and enjoying pizza at the restaurant that invented the Calzone...the two hour wait was worth it!

Capri, Italy: April 11~ Taking a ferry, a boat, and a row boat into the Grotto Azzurra to see the bluest waters in the world, enjoying beautiful gardens, and walking along pebble beaches

Venice, Italy: April 12-13~ Walking along all the canals, enjoying more gelato, and shopping for glass on Murano Island

Vienna, Austria: April 14-15~ Visiting cafes where Mozart, Beethoven, and Freud used to sip coffees, eating lovely pastries, seeing beautiful churches and palaces, and enjoying a wonderful opera, orchestra, and ballet concert

Prague, Czech Republic: April 16-17~ enjoying the beautiful buildings, the sun, going on free tours, and swing dancing the night away in one of the worlds biggest clubs

Berlin, Germany: April 18-22~ getting stuck in the city due to the Icelandic Volcano, climbing the Reichstag, meeting Canadians, visiting Potsdam, seeing the Opera Tosca, visiting Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, going on an Alternative Tour, and walking along the Eastside Gallery

Once again, these are just some of the highlights of each city, and I could honestly talk for hours about each one. The trip was incredible, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to learn and explore the world.

A quick final note: After I got back in London, my friend Megan S. who is studying in Copenhagan, Denmark, came to visit me with one of her other friends. I had a great time showing them around this past weekend, and along with showing them a ton of sites that I had already visited, I got to see the Changing of the Guards, St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the Millennium Bridge, and Tate Modern for the first time. As always, I miss everyone and am looking forward to coming home in the beginning of June. I'm sending lots of love!

Rainbows in London

The last few weeks have been packed. While I feel like I haven't stopped, I'm leaving for Continental Europe tomorrow afternoon and wanted to update this before I left. I am so excited about my three week eurorail trip, and I can't wait to see so many different cities and countries. I'm going to keep my own travel journal while I'm gone, but I'll be sure to post the highlights and tons of pictures when I return :). I know I will be thinking about all of my friends and family while I am gone and wishing you were all here with me. I'm also sure I will be thinking about my finals that begin in six weeks, but since I've been keeping up with the work I'm sure those will go well.

Anyways, I will start where I left off on my last entry from Monday March 15th. Monday night I went out dancing at tigertiger with my friend Jenni and her boyfriend who was on spring break. Monday is tigertiger's student night, so cover was inexpensive and there were a ton of London students. I had a great time dancing and meeting people, and I know it is something I will want to do again before I leave this amazing city. While Tuesday was a quiet day, Wednesday was quite an interesting St. Patrick's Day. Along with having the Practice of Medicine class as normal, our class spent St. Patrick's Day at the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret where we got to see what surgery was like before the use of anaesthetics and antiseptics. It was an amazing museum, and I'd recommend it to any medical student who happens to come to London. Friday I had my lab practical in my physiology class, which was an interesting experience due to the fact that one of us had to preform an exercise test in order for the rest of us to determine their VO2max. My friend Danielle volunteered, and while I kept trying to cheer her on, I was only making her laugh...I'm just glad I didn't have to do the experiment! After class, Danielle and I met up with Danielle's friend on spring break and Danielle's boyfriend to have dinner at Bella Italia, an amazing London Italian chain restaurant. While the week was nice, the week to follow would be one of my favorites in London.

Filled with Brits and a phi mu, this past week was absolutely brilliant. Two Sundays ago, my friend Sulin invited me over to her London School of Economics Flat building where her British friends hosted a tea society. It was so cool getting to talk and play games with the English students, especially since my flat is not very conducive to meeting people. While I loved the tea and cakes, I loved the company more. I spent the rest of the day studying at Sulin's flat along with our friends Rich and Joelle, and went to dinner at Nando's for a tasty chicken dinner. Since last week was my last full week of classes, Monday and Tuesday were spent writing essays. Wednesday however, was absolutely amazing since along with shadowing in the minor injuries unit, I also got to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform Stravinsky's The Firebird. Joelle found cheap student tickets and I loved listening to the orchestra preform. After the concert, our group grabbed brownies with one of Jason's female friends from back home. She is actually going into the air force and I was impressed by her stories. Nevertheless, my favorite part of last week was the last few days when Alex A. came to visit.

Alex is another one of my sorority sisters from Case, and after she graduated from undergrad she decided to spend a year teaching English to French students in Paris. I loved having her visit, and right after class on Friday we began our adventure. On Friday, we roamed through Kensington gardens, saw beautiful rainbows, went to the Peter Pan Statue from Hook, ate cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery in Notting Hill, went window shopping on Oxford Street and Regent Street, had dinner in China Town with her French friend, and saw Chicago for half price. Our seats for Chicago were amazing, and while I'd seen the show in Cleveland, it didn't compare to the London performance. I also blew up an air mattress that I borrowed from Jenni by myself, and was quite proud of my accomplishment :). Saturday, we woke up early and went to platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station from Harry Potter and then made our way to Camden town where I got an amazing summer dress for just a few pounds. I then went back with her to Piccadilly Circus, stopping in Traflagar square to show her the lions and quatrefoils. While Alex spent the night with other friends, I did meet back up with her in the morning when we saw Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Both absolutely amazing sights, I loved learning about all of the history of the British royalty. My favorite part though was seeing a 530 karate white diamond, which is the biggest diamond with perfect clarity in the world. I was sad to leave Alex at the end of the day, but I know she had an amazing time in London.

Finally, last but definitely not least, today I accomplished one of my dreams in coming to London. I spent the entire day shadowing on Labor and Delivery at St. Thomas' Hospital. In total, I saw five healthy baby boys come into the world, three via cesarean and two using forceps. One of the forcep deliveries was meant to be a natural birth, and therefore the woman did not have an epidural...when I have babies I will definitely want an epidural haha. Also, it was really interesting to see the forcep deliveries because they are not typically used in America. Another interesting note was that they actually used heroine to give one of the women a spinal tap before the cesarean, which they would never do in the United States. I loved talking with all the doctors, junior doctors (residents), and the patients about the differences between the United States and the United Kingdom in regards to the birthing process. While I was tired and hungry after standing and not eating from 8:30-5:00 today, watching the beautiful babies being born was definitely worth it.

I'm going to miss London in these next few weeks, but I cannot wait to explore other parts of Europe. I'm sending lots of love across the ocean :) xx

Old Friends and New Places

No two weeks are ever the same in London. Last week was wonderful and busy, mostly as a result of shadowing physicians. As I posted in my last blog entry, I shadowed three doctors on Monday. However, in regards to unwritten experiences, last Wednesday I started the day shadowing in Neonatology in St. Thomas' Hospital with Anna C. It was really interesting to have the opportunity to explore the NICU and learn about some of the patients. Some of the most memorable parts for me included seeing notes from their parents posted on the walls. One of the dads even rewrote the song "Staying Alive" from his premature son's perspective. I also liked seeing some of the parents practicing Kangaroo Care, which is something I did research on at University Hospitals my freshman and sophomore years at Case.

After shadowing, Anna and I grabbed a quick bite before heading over to the Practice of Medicine Class. Immediately after class, I grabbed a tube to Victoria Station, where I was excited to see one of my sorority sisters Shauna G. Shauna was staying in South Hampton for spring break, and decided to see a concert in London with one of her friends last Wednesday night. Since I was seeing Wicked near the Victoria Station and she was arriving in London from the Victoria Station, we figured it would be the perfect place to meet up. I loved hearing stories from back home and talking to her English friend. We also had a pretty good dinner at Garfunkel's, which is a chain restaurant, before taking typical phi mu pictures and parting ways. I'm excited because I know I will be seeing at least one more phi mu sister in a few weeks when she comes to visit in London. Its so nice seeing faces from back home, and I love planning for visitors.

Once dinner was over, I rushed to the Apollo Theatre where I saw Wicked for the third time. (I'd already seen it in New York and Cleveland). Since its my favorite show, I, of course, thought it was wonderful, but the British accents definitely threw me off a bit. It was also really nice because since Butler organized it, the tickets were only 14 pounds which is significantly cheaper than anything I could have got on my own.

The rest of the week was pretty typical in that I had lots of classes and went to Borough Market for lunch on Friday. Saturday however, was our last pre-paid Butler trip, and we spent the day at Shepherd Neame Brewery and Dover Castle. While I was able to appreciate the history behind the oldest brewery in England, I'm not a beer drinker so the tasting aspect of the experience was not incredibly exciting. Dover Castle was beautiful though, and I wish we had more time to explore the grounds. Saturday was also Jason's 20th birthday, so Jason, Sulin, and I went to China Town in London to celebrate. I had a lot of different foods, including a preserved duck egg that Sulin told me was a century old. The day was also really nice because when I got home, I had a beautiful and tasty box of chocolates waiting for me from Jacob. I know I'm a lucky girl :).

Finally, Sunday (yesterday), I woke up early to grab brunch with Michele, Annie, Rebecca, and a few of Rebecca's friends. We went to this wonderful place on Bermondsey Street where I had fresh squeezed orange juice and eggs hollandaise. It was a very quaint restaurant, and I loved the huge windows. After brunch, Michele and I headed to the St. Patrick's Day festival and Parade in Trafalgar Square. While the parade was not exactly what I was expecting (I was thinking more along the lines of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade), we had a lot fun seeing the Irish dancers and eating tiny freshly made doughnuts. There were hundreds of thousands of people there, and it was incredible to be a part of something so big.

Since I only have two weeks left of classes before break begins, I know I will be spending a lot of time reading and writing. Nevertheless, I know I will continue exploring London and loving being abroad.

Studying Medicine and Adventure Weekend in Wales

Once again, all I can say is wow :). These last two weeks have been incredibly packed, but I have been loving every minute of it. The main reason I didn't write last week is because I had my first paper due (yes I am working over here, haha), and had to devote a lot of time to researching and narrowing down a very broad topic for my sociological and psychological studies module. Along with writing the paper, the week after I got back from Dublin I had one of the most interesting Practice of Medicine classes so far. Paid, professional actors came in and gave the class different scenarios to work out in order to give us practice talking to patients. I'm happy to say I didn't have any problems with the task of dealing with a talkative patient, but it was interesting to watch a lot of my classmates go through the process and see how they dealt with different problems. I also had a lot of other good news last week, mainly in that I got accepted into the masters program in Bioethics at Case and that I am a grandbig in my sorority Phi Mu. In regards to the masters program, as a result of getting accepted into the Integrated Graduate Studies Program at CWRU, I will graduate with a B.A. in Psychology, two minors in chemistry and biology, and a M.A. in Bioethics all in four years. I am really excited about the masters since I have taken a few bioethics courses before and have absolutely loved them. I am also really excited to be a grandbig to Mara G., (Mara is my little's (Alexa F.'s) little) and am so happy that my sorority family is growing.

Last weekend, along with writing my paper, I spent Saturday exploring Portobello market in Notting Hill with a few friends. I didn't buy too much for myself, but I did manage to get another amazing cupcake from the Hummingbird bakery. The market was amazing and was filled with everything from vintage jewelery to freshly made crepes. There is still so much of London that I need to see, and I can't wait to spend a few weekends exploring. I also went on a hunt to watch the Canada vs. U.S. Gold metal hockey game on Sunday night which ended up turning into a night walk around London with another group of friends. We did eventually find a bar that was showing the game, but due to the building being filled to capacity and the fact that there was no places to sit, I ended up ducking out early. It was definitely an experience though, mainly because most people were rooting for Canada.

With paper writing and classes, this past week was mostly devoted to studying and writing. One of the coolest parts of the week was again the Practice of Medicine class where we learned how to take medical histories. The class was made even more exciting because the guest lecturer went to Case for his residency. I love how well known my undergrad institution is in the medical field and I hope it will assist me on my path to medical school.

All in all, my favorite parts in the past two weeks definitely occurred during the past few days. This past weekend I went to Wales for the IFSA Butler Adventure Weekend. Since the trip was originally included in our tuition fees, over 200 students studying abroad in London left Friday morning for a five hour coach ride to northern Wales. After arriving at the Queen Victoria Hotel in Llanberis, we had a buffet dinner and then had a pub quiz with various categories. While the hotel reminded me a little bit of the hotel from "The Shinning," I had a great time Friday night exploring the building and talking to one of my roommates for the weekend.

Saturday morning we had to be up bright and early for our two adventures. Since I registered early, I got my first choices and was able to go on the half day hike and go repelling. When I signed up for the half day hike, I was definitely thinking more along the lines of nature walk, but while my heart was racing, I made it to the top of one of the mountains in Snowdonia. I felt fantastic after the hike, and am hoping I get to do a little more hiking when I get back to the states. I also did repelling in the afternoon, which was a blast, even though I was admittedly a little scared. Since I've done repelling before in tenth grade, I knew what to expect. Nevertheless, standing on the side of a cliff made me over think my fear of heights. It was definitely worth it though, and I am so glad that Butler put this trip together for us since I would never have organized something like that on my own. Saturday night we had a wonderful dinner at the hotel and had a pretty amusing dance party afterwards. While the music was not exactly what the majority of us wanted to hear, we all had a good time dancing and meeting new people.

Sunday morning we woke up early for breakfast and headed to the seaside town of Llandudno before heading back to London. The town and the weather was beautiful, and I'm glad I got to walk along the pier and have inexpensive fish and chips. We then got back on the bus and went home, all while singing songs and catching up with people from the first orientation.

Finally, even though I was exhausted from the weekend, yesterday was absolutely incredible. I began my day at 6:30 in the morning, and saw two abdominal myomectomys (the removal of fibroids) for three hours, one cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with six bypass grafts for four and a half hours, and nine general practice consolations for three hours. While the abdominal myomectomys and gp consultations were incredibly interesting, my favorite part was definitely the cardiopumonary bypass surgery. Don't read the rest of this paragraph if you get squimish!!!! Anyways, Josh, another one of my classmates from the Practice of Medicine Class, and I were always positioned perfectly so that we could have easily reached out and touched everything during the surgeries. While I have seen a a ton of different Ob/Gyn surgeries, the bypass was so different than anything I had ever seen before. This was mainly because we saw them use a surgical saw to cut open the patent's sternum and then saw the lungs working and the heart pumping. Due to the surgery being a bypass, we also saw them shut the lungs and heart off while the cardiac surgeon placed grafts from the I.M.A.s, a radial artery, and a long saphgnous vein around the blockage in one of the arteries. Finally, it was incredible to see the surgeons tie the chest back together with surgical steel. It was so interesting, and all of the doctors were wonderful in that they answered all of my questions. I also liked how the doctors were listening to Led Zeppelin and ACDC while they were preforming the surgery since it reminded me of surgical experiences I have had while shadowing in the U.S.A. While the bypass surgery was a lot bloodier than I thought it would be, Josh and I learned so much that could not have been possibly taught in a classroom.

I am really excited about the rest of this week as well since I will be doing a lot more shadowing, seeing the musical Wicked again, and going on another day trip with Butler. I am definitely expecting the next few months to be even busier than then the first two, and I am so happy to have this opportunity to study abroad. Keep sending emails and I miss everyone back home in the U.S. :).

Dancing around Dublin

I love studying abroad! This week was quite brilliant and was complete with cool classes, shadowing English doctors, and going to Ireland. Every Wednesday is my Practice of Medicine Class, and last week, as apart of the class, we went to the Tate Britain to go look at a painting of "The Doctor" by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes. It was an cool class because along with learning about the painting, we also learned about observation techniques and getting accurate data. I also thought our guest lecturer was quite fascinating because along with being a doctor, she had an impressive amount of knowledge regarding a lot of the paintings in the famous museum. I even got to see and explain "Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais to the rest the class. I am really excited about tomorrow's lecture though because professional actors are coming in to teach us how to communicate with patients. The class type seems to be similar to when I participated in "Behind Closed Doors" as an RA, and I am sure we will all get a few laughs out of pretending to be doctors with difficult patients.

Immediately after class on Friday, Jason and I headed off to Dublin, Ireland. It was quite an adventure to get there, because in order to get to the city, I had to take the tube to the bus station, a bus to the airport, a plane to Ireland, and another bus to Dublin. Once we got into the city, we went to a traditional Irish pub called the Blarney Inn. At the pub, I order the best fish and chips I have had so far. We then went to the Porterhouse where we met quite a few interesting people. My favorite encounter from the night had to be meeting a couple from Dublin. The man told me that along with looking like I was 12 that I also looked like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. His date disagreed with him on both accounts, but nevertheless the experience was quite amusing. We then made our way to the Four Courts Hostel, which was a very clean and friendly place. It was nice staying there for a few nights in a row, purely because we could safely leave our backpacks in secure areas.

Saturday morning we explored the city. Sadly, we could not a find information about the free tour, so instead we walked around and saw the city on our own in the morning. It was such a beautiful sunny day, and it was one of the first sunny days I have seen since I arrived in Europe. As always, I took a ton of pictures that I posted on facebook. We saw beautiful churches, gorgeous shopping streets, green parks, and various monuments. We also saw Trinity College, which was a fascinating campus. After we were done exploring, Jason and I made our way over to the Guinness Storehouse. While I am not a beer drinker, the place was amazing and had 7 stories of interactive exhibits. My favorite part was learning how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. The secret is waiting two minutes in between pours to provide the thick creamy layer at the top of the pint. I didn't drink much of my complementary pint because I was not a big fan of the taste, but I did give it away to a girl who was more than happy to drink it. After we were done at the museum, we went to an Italian restaurant where I ordered Irish Salmon that also incredibly fresh. However, one of the my favorite experiences was when we decided to go to the International Comedy Club. The place was packed with Dubliners, and we quickly learned that we were the only Americans in the place. Of course, we did not identify ourselves in fear of getting ridiculed, but many American jokes were made, mostly about how we didn't drink nearly enough :-P.

Since we had seen the majority of Dublin on Saturday, Jason and I decided to participate in a day trip to Wicklow and Glendalough to see mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and greenery. Since there was only room for 14 people in the van, all of us got really close and I made a few friends. I even met few other American girls, Annie and Michele. It was really cool meeting them because they were also studying in London. Annie even lives in the building next to my building! The all day trip was so nice because we were able to get out of cities for a day, and all the views were breathtaking. Our driver/tour guide was such an incredibly nice old Irish man, and he reminded me a lot of my Grandpa Ray. He was always giving us wisdom, and told us that just by going on the trip we added 3 months to our lives (since we breathed such pure air).

That night after we got back, Jason, Annie, Michele, and I went to the Arlington Hotel for Live Irish music and dancing. I was so excited to see Irish dancing because I have always loved watching Riverdance. The show was everything I hoped it would be, and all in all, the weekend was truly a success. We had an amazing time, but I am looking forward to spending next weekend at home in London.

Finally, my other last bit of exciting news is that yesterday I shadowed an English doctor for the first time with Cliff (Cliff goes to school with me at CWRU too). We saw a variety of patients, with some being very serious and others being quite jovial. I can't wait to do more shadowing, and I am so excited to be learning so many wonderful things. I love this experience, and everyday I am thankful that I have this opportunity to study abroad.

Valentines and Bath Time!

Once again, I had another amazing week in London. While a lot of planning occurred, everything is finally coming together in regards to our travels. Thursday night I went over to Jason's flat and finished planning our eurorail trip. Jason, Jenni, and I will be spending 21 days in April in six countries! We are going to Barcelona in Spain, Zurich in Switzerland, Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri, and Venice in Italy, Vienna in Austria, Prague in the Czech Republic, and Berlin in Germany. This is made possible as a result of having 6 weeks between our last day of classes and our first day of finals. Also, since we are students, we were able to buy a eurorail pass for over half off the adult costs, which is making this trip very affordable as well. I'm a little worried about packing, but I know we will be able to do laundry along the way. I also figure if I could pack for five months in one big suitcase and one little suitcase, I can easily pack for three weeks in one little suitcase :).


Friday was also another amazing day. I was pleasantly surprised after class with two dozen pink and red roses from my boyfriend Jacob. He's currently doing a co-op at NASA in Cleveland, and he is also the president of his fraternity. I'm quite proud of him, and the roses were definitely a surprise. I also got a beautiful card from my Grandma Kay, and a funny card from my mom and sister. Anyways, a little bit after class I got a text from Jenni, and ended up going out for a girls night with her, Danielle E., Anna C., and Veronika M. We went to an Italian place for dinner called Spaghetti House and then saw the movie Valentines Day in theaters. It was by the same director that made Pretty Woman, and I thought it was fantastic. I love having girls nights and am sure there will be plenty more to come.

Saturday was the first Butler sponsored day trip. We went to Bath, and in total there were four coaches filled with Butler students. The trip was 2.5 hours each way, and fortunately I was able to fall asleep for most of the journey. Bath is such a pretty town, and I loved seeing all the weathered stone buildings. Along with getting free transportation to the city, we also got a tour of the city on our coach and received free entry into the Roman baths. The tour was nice, but I was incredibly hungry at that point in the day, so more than anything I just wanted to eat :-P. We fortunately had about 45 minutes to grab a quick bite to eat before we were allowed to enter the baths. While we were waiting, we watched a few street performers, including a woman who was playing the hang. A hang is a drum that is made in Switzerland, and only two people in the world currently make them. There is also a very long waiting list for the drum, and once it is made you have to go to Switzerland in order to receive it. I honestly think it would all be worth it though, as the music it makes is quite beautiful :).

Once we got into the baths, we were given audio guides to listen to various stories about the different areas. A few of my favorite parts included seeing the Roman actors and taking photos with them, going to the cold plunge and watching the funny videos surrounding the waters, and of course, seeing all of the gorgeous architecture. I took a lot of pictures...again, if you don't have facebook, let me know and I will send you a link to the photos! We were also told multiple times during the day not to touch the hot waters. Apparently the baths had never been cleaned and therefore they would be filled with different types of microbes. Silly microbes. Anyways, while the Roman baths were incredibly crowded, we definitely had a fun time exploring and learning.

After we were done with the baths, we had about an hour before we had to be back on the bus. In other words, we had just enough time to go grab some absolutely amazing fudge. I purchased a little Belgian chocolate swirl piece and happily still have a bit of it to enjoy a few days later. We then took the coach home, and had a wonderful time eating dinner at a cute little restaurant in Notting Hill. It was a great day trip, and I am really happy Butler organizes trips for us to go to places that we normally wouldn't go to.

Finally, along with yesterday being Valentines Day, Jason pointed out to me that it was also the Chinese New Year. So in celebration, Jason and I enjoyed Dim Sum and some studying at our favorite little Chinese restaurant in Camden Town. I love Dim Sum now, and am sure I will be enjoying it a lot more once I get back to Cleveland.

While I have lots of studying to do this week, I am truly looking forward to flying to Dublin with Jason this weekend. I can't wait to see Ireland and am sure I will come back with more stories. Love and miss you all!!!

Edinburgh!

What a weekend! I'm starting to really love everything about the study abroad experience, and I'm so glad I decided to come to Europe! Last week was pretty typical in that I spent Monday and Tuesday studying and had classes Wednesday-Friday. Thursday night I went out to dinner with two of the girls from my class, Danielle and Jenni. We ended up going to the Royal Exchange Grand Cafe for another ten quid dinner special, and essentially ate dinner in front of London's Tiffany's. I ordered poached salmon, Cheltenham beetroot, celery & apple, with horseradish yoghurt for my main. It was absolutely fantastic, and I'm so glad I got to have a classy night out with the girls. We are hoping to do something similar again soon, and the dinner was the perfect way to begin a truly memorable weekend.

Friday after class, I went out to the Borough Market with Danielle and Veronika for lunch. Again, I love having the market so close to my classes/my flat. I ordered fresh pasta and enjoyed talking with the girls. After lunch, I headed back to my flat where I started preparing for our weekend getaway. Jason, Jenni, and I had decided to go to Edinburgh, Scotland, and we determined that taking night buses would be our best option for the nine hour journey. Therefore, at 11:00 on Friday night, all three of us left London in hopes of hearing bagpipes, seeing sheep, and exploring castles.

When we arrived Saturday morning, the weather was misty, cold, and stereotypically Scottish. We headed straight for The Elephant House for breakfast, which was where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. It was a great cafe with a beautiful view of Edinburgh Castle. Also, since we got there shortly after the cafe had opened, we had the entire place to ourselves. During breakfast, we figured out our plan for the day, and decided that we should see the free three hour tour that the city had to offer. We then headed towards the center of town where we ran across a band playing Scotland's National Anthem. People everywhere were lined up and swaying to the music, and of course we really didn't know what was going on. It ended up being that there was a huge rugby match that weekend in Edinburgh: Scotland vs. France and everyone wanted to show there spirit. After hearing the band, we met with about 40 people and our awesome tour guide, Michael. He showed us around the city, and along the way he told us some of the history of glorious Scotland. He also told us some crazy stories about witches and hauntings, and I knew at that point that I didn't want to go a ghost tour that night. I particularly loved hearing about the Stone of Destiny, which is a rock that is a part of the country's crown jewels. According to legend, wherever the stone lies the Scots will rule.

After the tour, Jason, Jenni, and I decided to warm up with a cup of tea and cool down with a little gelato at an Italian restaurant. We then figured it would be best to check in to our hostel, and that became quite a journey. The place Jenni chose was about 15 minutes outside of the city, so we started off by trying to catch the hostel's shuttle. However, we quickly realized we had just missed it. Since it was about 5 o'clock, we figured we could just take a city bus and walk from the last stop. We went the wrong way after getting off the bus, and after figuring out where we needed to go, we ended up having to walk through a empty golf course at twilight. It was quite beautiful, but definitely a bit of an adventure. Once we got to the hostel, we quickly unloaded and then promptly headed back into the city. We ended up meeting up a few other people from Butler, and we also met other backpackers from around the world.

The next morning, we woke up in time to get a free continental breakfast and play a few games of rummy before catching a bus back into the city. We headed straight for the castle, where we spent the next four hours seeing the grounds and of course, the crown jewels. We also made our own afternoon tea, and ate scones with clotted cream and jam. Once we were done exploring the castle, we went to a free museum where we saw Dolly the sheep, who was the first cloned animal. While we went inside a few shops, I tried my hardest to avoid buying souvenirs since I know I will be tempted to spend money in every city. The cashmere scarves were my favorite, but since I have a dozen pashminas at home I was able to resist.

Before we headed back to the coach station, we found a great pre-theatre (or early bird) french restaurant called Mason Bleu where we enjoyed various french and Scottish foods. Jason was even brave enough to order Haggis balls, which is basically sheep liver, kidneys, stomach, and brain all mixed together with spices. While it sounds really gross, it is one of Scotland's traditional foods. I managed to have a bite, and all in all it wasn't too horrible. Since our coach didn't leave until ten, we enjoyed coffee at another Italian Cafe before beginning the bus ride home.

While I can easily say I was extremely tired getting back this morning, I cannot wait to keep traveling. Next weekend, Butler is hosting a day trip to the city of Bath, and I know that it will be equally memorable. As always, I'm sending lots of love :).

Adventures in the City

A little more than a week has gone by, but as always, it seems like so much has happened. Ever since I arrived in the U.K., little things have always developed into quite an adventure. For example, as I stated in an entry or so ago, it rains quite a bit in London and as a result I had been on the search for wellies for weeks. I eventually gave up and purchased a pair of wellies online, due to the fact the fact that all I could find in the stores were Hunter Boots (which are basically $115 rubber boots...I couldn't justify it, obviously). After ordering the boots, I quickly discovered that nothing thicker than skinny jeans would work, so I asked my mom to ship mine over. I later found out that my mom wasn't going to ship anything because it would cost her over 150 dollars to send a silly pair of jeans. This resulted in me spending last Monday shopping, and for the first time I was actually able to find the things I was looking for.

All in all, I did find an amazing pair of jeans at Uniqulo, and bought a super londonesque outfit at Jane Norman. Another different thing about London is that while of course they sell jeans, they usually only sell trousers based on your waist size and then hem them to your height free of charge. Also, on one occasion while shopping for trousers, one of my friends made the mistake of saying pants instead of trousers, and we promptly got a bit of a laugh from the sales team (pants are the term for underwear in the u.k.). I was also pretty excited when I found Jane Norman, because along with being reasonably priced, the clothes were directed at women my age. However, I know at this point I am done shopping in London since there are so many other things I can and will be spending my money on.

After spending the day shopping, I ended up joining a lot of other people from the Butler orientation group for dinner at My Old Dutch. My Old Dutch is an amazing creperie that has 5 pound pancake nights for students. I ordered an Italian crepe with cheese, tomatoes, and olives, and it was absolutely huge! I have a feeling we will be going back a lot more often, and the place was incredibly packed with students.

Last Saturday was also a bit of an adventure. With it being my last weekend in London for at least three weeks, we knew we wanted to have a less expensive but enjoyable day. Dana, Jason, and I started off in the Borough Market for lunch. The place was so crowded, but we knew we would get amazing food. I ended up buying a lamb burger from a Greek stall, and it was absolutely delicious along with some fresh hot mulled apple juice (not cider, which is alcoholic). We then took a few tubes to get to the Science Museum, which was where we met up with five other people. While London is the most expensive city in the world, it has some nice free things, including most of the museums. We explored the exhibits for a few hours, and then left to go explore South Kensington. I was so excited when we ran across the Hummingbird Bakery. I had read about it in my guidebooks and had seen specials on the food network about it, which made waiting in the long queue completely worth it. Once I got inside the bakery, I waited a little longer for a freshly made Red Velvet cupcake. I'm so glad the bakery isn't closer to where I live...I can almost guarantee I would have been there everyday!

Jason and I had also made a reservation for a famous London restaurant, La Point de la Tour, for that Saturday night. I learned about the place by reading the Evening Standard on one of my many tube rides, and also learned that they were participating in a restaurant week where you could pay 10 pounds for a 20 pound meal. After enjoying the cupcake, we headed to Tower Bridge where Jason took a ton of amazing pictures of the bridge at night. We had gotten to the area where the restaurant was located a little early, and decided to have a cup of tea at Teapot, which was a really cute little teashop. I definitely want to go back there for afternoon tea, and I am sure that as the weather gets better we will do more exploring in the area. After the tea, it was time for dinner. Jason and I agreed that the place would have been much better had we got to sit outside by the river, but nevertheless we had a pretty good meal.

Finally, my last big adventure for the week involved seeing Les Miserables this past Monday. I left early in the morning with one of the girls who lives in my flat complex to go attempt to buy tickets at the theatre. After looking for 45 minutes, we finally found the place and learned that the theatre's policy for students was that they should arrive an hour before the show and would pay a student price of 27 pounds for the best available seats. Later that night, Jason and I were the only ones able to go back and we ended up sitting in the 12th row (which are normally roughly 65 pound seats). I do love the perks of being a student :). Les Mis, of course, was absolutely amazing, and was worth every pence.

This weekend, I am going to Edinburgh Scotland with Jason and Jenni P. I am really excited about seeing the beautiful castles and exploring the city. While I'm a little scared about sleeping in a hostel for the first time, I know it will be an experience and I know its something that I will have to start getting used to :). I can't wait for more adventures, and I promise to keep you all updated!

Pottering Around Oxford

I love England :). Yesterday, Jason and I decided to take our first weekend trip to Oxford. We figured it would be the ideal first trip since Oxford is only a hour and a half away via coach (bus) and because the city of London has coaches that run every 20 minutes to Oxford high street. We ended up getting into Oxford around 1:15, and promptly made our way to the tourist information center to figure out what we wanted to do in the city.

Upon arrival in the info center, we discovered that there was a 2:15 two hour official guided walking tour of both the city and the universities. With just enough time to grab a panini next door, we waited for the rest of the tourists to arrive. Fortunately, the 2:15 tour had been added at the last minute, and since it wasn't widely published, only two other students also went on the tour. Since there were so few of us, our tour guide let us tailor the tour a little more to our likeing. This meant that we were able to combine the themed "Pottering in Harry's Footsteps Tour" with the "University and City Tour." Since the first "Pottering in Harry's Footsteps Tour" is not set to run until late February, I felt extremely lucky...and Jason felt a little annoyed (he didn't realize my intentions with visiting the city :-P). However, since Jason is a bit of a fan, he wasn't going to complain.

The tour mainly consisted of visiting three of Oxford's colleges and seeing some major city sites along the way. The highlights of the tour definitely included seeing the Bodleian Library (used in the Harry Potter films as both the Infirmary and for the dancing lessons before the Yule Ball), New College (used in the Harry Potter films both as the corridors and as the place where Malfoy got transformed into a ferret), and Christ Church (used in the Harry Potter films for both the original entrance scene into Hogwarts and as an inspiration for the Great Hall). We also saw other important buildings regarding literary history, such as the school J.R.R. Tolkien taught at along with the locations for the inspirations behind the Golden Compass and Alice in Wonderland. I absolutely loved the city, which was definitely more relaxed and much more green than London.

After the tour, Jason and I headed to the Covered Market, which in all reality is a combination of London's Camden Market and Borough Market. I had an tasty, warm, double chocolate cookie from Ben's Cookies and Jason explore a few of the men's shops. We then figured we should go grab dinner and ended up eating at Las Iguanas, a Latin American Restaurant. We had the most amazing tapas since we got there during their happy hour, and ordered Rioja Chorizo, Gambas, Lamb Empanada, Calamares, and Albondigas. I would certainly go back, and am quickly realizing that I love trying new foods.

All in all, I cannot wait to do more weekend trips. Since I don't have classes on Mondays or Tuesdays, I know I can enjoy them without having to worry too much about missing out on homework time :). I'm sending lots of love across the pond!

Fabulous Food and London Fashion

Even though its only been one week since I last blogged, a lot has definitely changed. I'm slowly getting settled, and finding what I need is becoming less of a challenge. I'm also starting to get the feel for my classes, and while some seem incredibly interesting, others seem a little overwhelming. The main concept behind British learning is learning for the sake of learning, which is in all truth is very different from the American system. For example, in my Practice of Medicine class, I am expected to read papers and listen to podcasts to prepare for class. However, I will never be assessed on my participation or in fact on what we are covering for the majority of the semester. The only two things that will determine my grade are a paper on any topic of my choice regarding medicine and a power point presentation. For what seems like the first time in my academic career, I am expected to keep up with the reading without any incentive besides knowledge. While this is different from what I am used to, its a refreshing approach and I have been looking forward to attending class. I also really enjoy my medical microbiology class thus far, as we spent class this week learning about the history of the subject and about biological warfare. The professors are incredibly interesting and while some of my classes, such as health psych, are mainly review, its nice to learn about the British system of education through being apart of it.

While I have of course been attending class, in this past week I've been indulging a lot in two of my favorite things: food and fashion. While I am on a relatively tight budget, I have been discovering with the help of my peers many exciting restaurants that serve food from all over the world. A lot of the places have specials that are making trying new foods an inexpensive alternative to cooking in my freezing kitchen. Some of the most memorable restaurants include Wagamamas (a Japanese restaurant where they serve you at long tables), the Coal Hole (a British restaurant where I had venison pie), and Zen Sai (where I had my first dim sum with Jason Li). We have also been eating at a lot of Italian restaurants, but none of them have so far matched up to Little Italy in Cleveland. However, I am getting my fair share of wonderful Italian food thanks to the Borough Market, which is this truly amazing food market really close to my flat. Its actually celebrated throughout the city, and a lot of the great chefs come south of the river to pick up their ingredients. At the market, I purchased the most amazing pesto sauce I have ever tried, and also picked up a blood orange. While the blood orange was a bit expensive, I have always wanted to try one ever since I started watching Iron Chef America on the food network. The blood orange basically just tasted like a delicious orange, but the red color and the taste still didn't make it worth the price to me. They also were selling tiny truffles for 500 pounds! While its nice to get special things there, I can guarantee that will not be where I end up doing most of my shopping.

Another exciting foodie note is that I have chosen to start my own chocolate tour of Europe. Nicky, one of my best friends from high school, studied abroad in Florence, Italy last semester. She was always talking about her chocolatey adventures in London so I figured I should have on one too! While I have had my fair share of inexpensive cadburry and lint chocolates, I recently indulged in Prestat Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles from Harrods. While they have been absolutely delicious, I can't wait to try other varieties. Speaking of Harrods, the famous department store is an incredible place. There were so many levels, and the experience felt very regal. Apparently, at one point you had to dress up to go to the store, and you could find "anything from a hair pin to an elephant." While that doesn't necessarily hold true anymore, the place was very elegant and the food halls were outstanding. However, I am 100% positive that I will not be shopping for much besides chocolate at the lovely Harrods :).

Speaking of shopping, one of the most interesting, yet challenging, parts of my study abroad experience have involved London fashion. While what I packed would have been just fine for any amount of stay at a school in America, I packed absolutely terribly for a stay in London. Londoners love fashion, and the vast majority of women seem to only wear dresses and skirts with boots. And if they aren't wearing one of those, they are wearing skinny jeans. Did I pack any of the above? Of course not! I even forgot to pack rain boots for goodness sake, and I knew that London is a very rainy city. I also managed to pack coats that didn't suit London's weather and up until recently was always either too hot or too cold. Fortunately, I came to London at the right time of the year and have been hitting huge sales. Nevertheless, I still haven't purchased much yet besides a cute business casual dress from Top Shop and an inexpensive charcoal pea coat from Primark. Top Shop is an amazing store directed mostly towards a more trendy crowd and is more middle range shopping. Primark, on the other hand, is very similar to an incredibly large forever 21 and is absolutely crazy! While there are a ton of bargains, shopping at the store is very chaotic and queues are quite long. I also have been to Camden Market with Jason, which great alternative fashions and unique gifts. I'm still on the hunt for boots and hopefully I will be successful sooner than later!

With food and fashion being two of my favorite things, I am sure you all will be hearing much more about both. I miss you all and love getting your updates!

The Begining of a New Year

Wow! I can't believe that I've already been in London for two weeks and I definitely can't believe that I am going to be living here for the next five months. I wish I would have started writing this sooner since so much has happened since New Year's Day. After a bit of chaos at home, I wasn't able to leave until a day after my flight out of the states was originally scheduled. While I was looking forward to spending my New Year's Eve counting down the minutes till midnight over the ocean, I am glad that I was able to sort everything out before leaving the country for such a long time. The majority of New Year's Day was spent waiting in airports, but the long layovers gave me plenty of time to do a little bit of catching up with family and friends. Upon arriving in London on January 2nd, I was fortunate enough to have one of the people from the Butler Institute for Study Abroad pick me up at the airport. This was incredibly convenient since I'm pretty sure I didn't have the skill set yet to navigate London at 7:30 in the morning after not sleeping very well on the plane rides.

The hardest thing I experienced so far was having to start Butler's orientation immediately after arriving. While everyone else was given a day to rest after arriving, I had to try my absolute hardest to stay awake since I arrived late. A lot of important details regarding the study abroad experience were covered, and fortunately for me, most of their documents were given to us on a flash drive so that we could pursue them on our own time (aka when I was less sleepy!). Once the meetings were over, we had a few hours break to relax before we went to go see the musical La Cage Aux Folles. While I wish I would have seen it when I was more awake, the experience was certainly memorable! I hope to see as many shows as possible while I'm here, as I absolutely love musical theater.

The rest of orientation went by quickly, with lots of information given about the city and student life in London. We also ate at an amazing Turkish restaurant which reminded me of Aladdin's at my home school, Case Western Reserve University. I have a feeling I will be going back again soon! We ended the day with a walking tour, which was nice since it got us all a little more acquainted with the city. My favorite site so far is definitely Trafalgar Square, which has these absolutely beautiful quartrefoil fountains and lion statues. It reminded me of Phi Mu, and I knew I wanted to take Alissa, one of my sorority sisters, to the site when she came to visit in a few days.

After orientation ended, a coach came and dropped us all off at our prospective flats. My flat is within walking distance to one of the two main campuses that I will attending while I am going to school here. This is incredibly nice since it should save me over 100 dollars a month on transportation expenses. I don't have any roommates, which has its pros and cons, and I live in a suite with 10 other people. However, we only share the kitchen space since we all have our own bathrooms. It is a bit of an experience living here for a few reasons. The first, and biggest for me, is the heat situation. Every hour you have to press a button to "boost" the heat and then it turns off. In other words, my room is never warm enough, at least in comparison to living in the Village at Case! The other odd part of my flat is that the toilet is inside the shower. I'm not sure I will ever fully understand it, but I'm slowly getting used to some of the differences.

Wednesday the 6th involved registration, orientation, and seeing Alissa Ostrove. I am really excited and happy to be attending King's College London this semester, which is one of the top 25 universities in the world. I also was accepted into their Pre-Medical Program, which I know will be an amazing experience that will certainly help me to become a better doctor in the future. Registration was definitely different from that in the U.S., mainly because where at Case it takes a few clicks of a mouse, at King's it took two hours of waiting in queues (or lines) to just get an email address and my student ID. Its crazy, cause while American's think they are doing everything the right way, the English think that they are doing everything the right way. I know its going to make for a fun semester and I know that I will come back with a different viewpoint on American Education.

One of my favorite parts about my stay so far was definitely when Alissa came to visit on her way to study abroad in South Africa. In the two days she was here, we were truly tourists and went around London taking pictures of all the sights. We visited Trafalger Square, Big Ben, and London Eye along with seeing the Twiggy exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. Shopping was also quite necessary, so we spent a little bit of time at Top Shop and H and M browsing the sale racks. Once we were done shopping, we had to run back to my flat where we could get ready for our night out, which included seeing the musical Blood Brothers with Jason Li and Jamie B. (Jason going to school at Case with Alissa and myself and Jamie is in the Butler program with me). While I had never heard of Blood Brothers before coming to London, it was Alissa's childhood dream to see the show that had been running on the West End (London's equivalent to Broadway) for over 20 years. It was absolutely amazing, and at the end I couldn't stop crying. I also absolutely loved the fact that Sporty Spice was the female lead! Even though I went to the Spice Girls concert in third grade, seeing Sporty again was amazing :).

Since classes didn't start until the 13th, I had a few more days after Alissa left to get settled and to keep acquainting myself with my new surroundings. I also went to the British Museum with Dana Q. (another American in the Butler program). It is an incredible place that definitely has characteristics that make it similar to the Smithsonian. We spent over four hours there and still didn't see a large portion of the museum. Some of the coolest parts included seeing the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. I know I will be heading back there again soon as there is so much to see and learn.

Finally, classes started this week. My schedule is quite nice since I only have classes Wednesday-Friday. The days are all very full but I'm happy to have four day weekends to travel, explore, and of course, study. This semester I'm enrolled in Medical Microbiology, Social and Psychological Studies (similar to Health Psychology), Physiological Control: Exercise and Environment, and the Practice of Medicine. While all of my classes seem incredibly interesting, I am definitely looking forward the most to the Practice of Medicine Module. We will be learning about National Health Systems, Medical Practice, Medicine and Ethics, Medical Anthropology, all along with having Clinical Rotations. I can't wait to keep learning about Medicine and Ethics, and know it will add to my current background in Bioethics. I also just learned that the professor for the module hired professional actors to help us learn how to talk with patients about tough issues. It will definitely be a challenge, but it is one I can't wait to begin.

With so much more to see and learn, I'm sure you can all look forward to many more posts. I miss everyone from home so much, and as always, feel free to email or skype me :).