21 YEARS YOUNG.

Watch out, world, because I'm legal in EVERY COUNTRY.

The week of my 21st birthday was as epic as it could get...either in London or in the states. So here's what we did...

After not wanting to wait forever and a day to get into Mahiki, we went to one of our favorites...O'NEILL'S. O'Neill's is a great place to have a fun time for you and your wallet. We've never paid to get in and the drinks are reasonably priced. They also have awesome live cover bands that play everything from Blink 182 to Kings of Leon. When midnight hit I couldn't believe I was finally 21. Turning 21 seems so surreal because it's the supposed to be the ultimate birthday. After all, it is the last age you truly look forward to...after 21 you're just old.

We spent my actual birthday relaxing. I did some laundry and some errands...blah blah blah. For my birthday dinner with the girls, we went to the Eagle. Even though it is right around the corner from our flats and has incredibly great food, we hardly ever eat there. Their menu is written in chalk above the bar and changes every day. When they run out of specials, they erase the item off the menu and carry on with the night. This is the kind of restaurant where you know everything is fresh and cooked while you wait.

For my birthday we went to Roadhouse in Covent Garden. I celebrated with just about every Trojan who was in London. Every Wednesday, cover starts at 10 and happy hour ends at 10:30. Andd...ROCKARAOKE! Most of the people that perform are talented singers. But none of the Trojans have made an appearance yet...


Joe arrived on Thursday and the celebrations continued in Shoreditch. On Friday, Joe took me on a tour of the BBC Television studios for my second birthday surprise!! I've noticed several differences between American news and British news...but in some cases they are very similar. BBC uses ENPS, a program that essentially controls the entire broadcast from writing scripts to sending messages to others in the newsroom or on the other side of the world. But one thing that is interesting is their use of teleprompters. Although the stories are previously written, the anchors have a little bit more flexibility with ad-libing than anchors in the states. I've also found that there's a lot more Q&A's than American stations, even though it's becoming a more popular trend. Also on the tour we saw television sets and an upscale dressing room. Unfortunately we couldn't complete the tour...because we went to see Dirty Dancing the Musical!! (Thanks Mom and Dad for the birthday present!)

I've heard that Dirty Dancing was a great show and it definitely lived up to it's reputation. It wasn't your typical musical...whereas the characters don't just randomly burst into music. The orchestra basically played the soundtrack to the movie, which the stage production of the story was essentially identical to by dialogue and set. The set wasn't typical either...they used projections with props or tables to illustrate the environment. At first, the projections distracted me but I ended up enjoying them. The thing about theater is the actors should make the environment and not vivid sets. Since the actors accepted it, the audience could easily believe it was real. The only thing I didn't like about the projections was the fact that I couldn't always differentiate between the movie and the play. Other than that, the actors were fantastic and the dancing was amazing. I really had no complaints there.

After the show, we went to a Turkish restaurant called Ozer just off of Regent Street. For 15 pounds a person, we got 12 small dishes...kind of like Turkish tapas with lots of hummus and flavor. I literally couldn't move after dinner it was so amazing. And there's nothing like dessert for your birthday after dinner!! Our night ended at Embassy for my friend Shannon's 21st birthday! And the celebrations continued for the rest of the weekend :)

A special shout out to all of those who made an appearance on my birthday video. And THANK YOU to the best boyfriend who put it together :)

Museums: Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert

Tate Modern

     Like all public museums, the Tate Modern is open to everyone free of charge. I recommend going on a cold and rainy day if you want to get out of the flat but don't want to spend money. The museum houses international modern and contemporary art that ranges from Monet and Picasso to Andy Warhol and some VERY interesting exhibits. There are some different pieces that make you question why this is considered art but there truly is something for everyone. My favorite piece was Water-Lilies by Monet and Picasso's sketches that he drew close to the end of his life. Personally, I'm not a big modern art fan because most of the time I don't understand what social problem the artist is commenting on. And for some of these pieces you truly have to think outside of the box, like the painting below.

Brooke, Lexi and I at an exhibit

     After you finish wandering through all of the exhibits, you've probably worked up an appetite. Head to the seventh floor for lunch or dinner with a spectacular view of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge (or the Harry Potter Bridge for our group). The food is reasonably priced and exceptionally good if looking out at the view isn't enough. Even if you don't get a table right next to the window, the restaurant itself is a sight to see with its modern decor. And if you're not hungry after looking at the exhibits, you can still enjoy the view at the bar, which has mulled wine during the winter months (my favorite!). 

Victoria and Albert Museum
 Located near Harrods, the Victoria and Albert Museum is known as the world's greatest museum of art and design. Almost each culture is represented in its many exhibits including furniture, fashion, sculptures and carpets. It also has exhibits of past British courts, including Henry VII, Elizabeth I and Victoria I. The highlights for me were the courtiers' clothes!! Clothing just isn't the same as it was before...hand-made, eloquently embroidered with pearls and jewels...Oh and the exhibit of old keys and locks! I couldn't imagine carrying around a ring of keys weighing more than five pounds but I guess it had to be done!! Each key is extremely unique. Some had the family's initials embedded in the design of the key itself along with a fancy handle. Unfortunately, Rebecca and I went with only an hour to spare so we had to rush through the museum. But in all honesty that was all we really needed to at least see all the exhibits and read the sections that were most interesting to us, like the one below.

And if you're feeling a bit peckish and want to go for a stroll, head to Harrods for a pastry. Expensive, yes, but soooo delicious!!! Or if you're not feeling the hustle bustle store, take a stroll in Hyde Park. It's not too far and absolutely gorgeous. 
 

LONDON: Tower of London and Camden Markets

The Tower of London

Even though I have already been there...twice...I loved it so much that I had to go again. We got off the tube at London Bridge where you can also find the London Dungeons and Borough Market. This exit allows you to walk across the Tower Bridge and snap some amazing pictures. I felt like this little walk along the Thames gave me a nice introduction to the Tower of London...not like when you get off at Tower Hill and you are immediately at the tower. The price for admission also includes a guided tour with one of the Beefeaters, the guards at the tower. The first two times I went I had the same tour guide and he was just entertaining both times. Our guide today was just as good and told story after story...and that was only a small portion of the history at the Tower of London. It's absolutely incredible that just one building has more history than all of the states combined. And of course we couldn't leave without seeing the crown jewels! All of those diamonds make the Hope diamond look like a joke. We ended our tour with a lunch next to the Thames. Couldn't have been a better day.
 *Just so you know: you can get a two for one ticket deal if you take the National Rail and print out a voucher from Days Out Guide. Might be well worth it, but there are also great student deals. 

Camden Markets

This has to be one of my favorite places so far. Camden is where the artsy/hipster/alternative atmosphere of Venice Beach meet London...minus a few degrees. I was completely surprised since I expected it to be more like Borough Markets with samples of cheeses and olive oil. I was a little off with my assumptions. There's something for everyone. Antiques, trendy clothes (similar to the fashion district), drug paraphernalia, rave clothes, hand-made leather purses...EVERYTHING. And the food stands are absolutely incredible! Shannon and I chose Indian food, but the choice was hard...there were so many and they all smelled so good!! The best choice of the adventure by far was the chocolate covered waffle. And not only was some of the best food, but it was the cheapest food. You'll probably spend less than $10 on food, depending on how hungry you are of course. Camden Markets showed me a completely different side of London that I didn't even know existed.

"You sound like you're from London!"

Greetings from London!

It has been two weeks since arriving in England and I've already started getting accustomed to the English way of life. But there are some differences that have been a little overwhelming...the main difference was their lax attitude about classes. I'm studying abroad with Annenberg at City University in Clerkenwell. When we picked our classes, we were assuming it would be as structured and straight forward as USC registration. Well that wasn't the case at all. First of all, our registration was all on paper and not online. Then when we asked which classes we were supposed to show up to, they said just choose whichever. Unlike USC registration where you sign up for one discussion section and that is the one you are required to go to. All 18 of us were in a complete panic because this system was so chill.

Some new vocabulary:
Rain boots - Wellies (Wellingtons)
Trash can - bin
Dinner - tea

Tube is actually pronounced "Chube" rather than "Toobe"

So far we haven't seen too much. We're just trying to get settled into our apartment and make it more comfortable. But a few sights we've gone to are Harrods, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square.