End of Week 4

Time goes by so quick here, I can't believe that it's already the end of my first month here. By the end of next week I'll be in Scotland and Ireland for my midterm break! Everyday is a busy day, I'm always doing something or seeing some new part of the city, it really is amazing here. It seems so natural to be here now, I've gotten used to getting around and going to class, but at the same time it still seems like I've only just arrived. I'm still constantly learning something new. A quid (I'm probably spelling that wrong) for example is just another word for a pound. It confused me for awhile when I first heard it, I ended up asking Mike what it meant. It's exciting though when I go somewhere for class or for a play or something else, and I recognize where I am, the city isn't a giant and confusing place of entirely new things anymore (it's a giant, confusing place with a few familiar things). I've come to appreciate the public transportation system here as well. It's amazing, you can take a train or bus just about anywhere and it doesn't cost a fortune. And in a round about way transportation reminds me of something absolutely unfair that I learned, it's common here to get 4-5 weeks vacation time from work, not just the standard American 2 weeks. The lady I was talking to couldn't imagine having so little time off and not being able to travel.
While in London I highly recommend the following:
>Sitting in a park on a nice day
>Going with friends to a pub (Dancing Friday nights at O'Neills)
>Getting theatre tickets ("Three Days of Rain" was incredible)
>Going to a museum, most are free after all
>Taking a train somewhere (The countryside is beautiful as are the small towns you can find)
>Getting to know some of the people (Initially they might not smile at you, but people are really nice, and can often give you directions when you get lost)
>Shopping at Primark
>Trying different foods (simple things, like ice cream, can taste completely different. Chocolate here is to die for, even hot chocolate is way tastier)
>Taking a bus or walking rather than taking the tube (The tube can be faster and easier, but you don't see as much of the city)
>Getting away from super touristy areas (Westminster Abbey, Parliament, etc) Other parts of the city aren't that busy and crowded and people are nicer because they don't have to deal with 100s of tourists