Too cool for umbrellas

I had the chance to sleep in this morning. We didn't have class. I don't work yet. No tours. However, I didn't get to capitalize on this opportunity.

That is because there is this really loud train.

Yes, it is below my window and yes, it does go by every 3 minutes. Apparently, I will get used to it. Until, I may invest in earplugs.

After the train rudely woke me, I thought I would take a shower. Taking a shower here is not what I would describe as relaxing. I finally prepared myself mentally and emotionally and slipped on my shower shoes.

When I walked into the bathroom, this is what I saw:



Early that morning, the shower head fell off the wall. It was then only the head on the hose. Water still ran from the head (and I use "ran" generously), but you had to hold the shower nozzle above your head. So, my shower took about 30 minutes and I think I still have conditioner in my hair right now. Since then, the actual shower head has fallen off. We now have to shower using a hose. Dear maintenance: Help!


But neither of those were going to get me down. I was going to hang out with Michael today! For those of you who don't know, Michael is Neili's boyfriend who goes to Michigan and is also studying here in London. So Michael and I decided to play while we anxiously await Neili's arrival Friday.

Michael lives in Waterloo. It is about a 10-minute tube ride. So, I put on my coat, grabbed my Oyster card and bravely made my way to Earl's Court station down the street. I rode the tube two days ago for the first time and was with about five girls. I hadn't ridden it since. I pulled out my card. Swiped it. No problems. Made my was the escalator.

Ok. Here we go. I need the District Line. District. Hmmm. I wonder why they named it that? Ok. Focus. Do I need Eastbound or Westbound. Wait, what way is East here? I'll just look at the map. Ok, I need Eastbound.

I headed down another escalator and found myself on the platform. Unfortunately, there were two different trains on this station.

What?! Two trains?! Umm....ok, let me see. I don't know what this sign means. Maybe if I walk past it again. I don't want to stand here and make it look like I don't know what I am doing. Ok, that sign isn't helping. This train looks ok. I guess I'll just get on this one.

I stepped on the train and saw that it was indeed the District Line. The rest of the trip was a breeze. I switched to the Eastbound Jubilee Line and then exited at Waterloo Station. I was a little ahead of schedule so Michael wasn't there yet. I decided to get a Coke at the McDonald's attached to the tube station. I ordered a medium Coke.


Get serious! It is the same if not smaller than a small in the states. Ridiculous. I took that down in about three sips, almost stepped on two pigeons (yes, inside the McDonald's) and then met Michael outside. We decided to walk 1.3 miles to the British Museum. One thing I love about London is that all the museums are completely free. As we walked from Waterloo to the museum, we passed over the Thames, saw Big Ben, the London Eye, the Lyceum Theatre where Lion King is showing, and all the theatres for Dirty Dancing, Oliver, and Hairspray. On the way it started to mist. I got very excited because I had actually brought my umbrella! I looked around before I pulled it out and notice that not one Londoner was using an umbrella. Seriously?! Everyone was just walking in the rain. Well, I sure wasn't going to be a lame American, so I battled nature. By the time we got to the museum, my wonderfully straight hair had started to resemble that of a chia pet.

Here we are at the museum entrance:


Unfortunately, the museum wasn't exactly riveting. We walked in and stared at the map for about 10 seconds and then decided to wing it. One of the most exciting parts was finding a map on the ground that would originally cost 2 pounds. Thank you to whoever threw that on the floor. The other interesting part was eavesdropping on the back of a tour talking about the Rosetta Stone. This is after we had been staring at the wrong side of the rock for five minutes.

Michael: So where is the writing?
Me: Yeah, how did they ever decipher this? There aren't any letters or pictures.
Michael: I thought there would be actual writing you could see.
Me: Yeah, this is lame. Why are all those people standing on the other side of the glass?
Michael: I think they are part of a tour.
Me: What's on that side?
(we walk over to see that side of the stone)
Me and Michael: Ohhhhhhhhh.

I promise, we really are smart. That is when we stood at the back of the tour and listened to the tour guide talk about how the British took yet another artifact from someone else.

After reading all the descriptions about the various sculptures (pieces of the Parthenon, Egyptian ruins, etc), we decided that 75% of all the art in that museum was taken from someone else during some kind of war.

These two were our favorites: (Notice that neither look like they were chopped off a big stone and taken)





We also noticed that the North America exhibit only held about ten items.


Michael said this is all they could take during their short stint over there. The sign on the display also explained that Native Americans all over North America and the plains hunt herds of animals. Um, I live in Kansas, you don't get more "plains" than that, and I have never seen a Native American hunting. Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any herds of buffalo meandering through Overland Park.

After we had spent an hour in the museum, we decided we had seen enough and left. Thankfully, it had stopped raining and we had a lovely walk back to Waterloo. I then took the train to Gloucester station because I had to meet with my advisers on campus about my internship and upcoming interview. I had no problems this time and looked quite at home on the tube. At least I like to think I did.

During my meeting with my advisers I found out that I will be an event planning intern at Help the Aged, one of the largest charities in London. I believe that I will be planning an awards ceremony that the Prime Minister's wife hosts. I was told that celebrities and politicians are the huge backers of this charity, so I will be working closely with them and hosting events. I'm definitely fine with that!! My interview is Thursday at 3:00. Tomorrow I will take the tube and find the company so I don't get lost on Thursday.

Sorry this is about 383 paragraphs. It was a very long and eventful day!

Love.