The Premier Trip!

Greetings from the now freezing city of London!

Okay, so maybe I'm over reacting slightly. It's not freezing, but the temperature has dropped significantly since last week. The leaves has begun to fall and a scarf and a jacket has become necessary when going out. It's sad to see the sun go, but all good things come to and end. Frankly, I'm ready to experience this London weather that everyone warns me about. So far, it feels very much like San Francisco: on the chilly side, slightly overcast, with patches of sunshine.

Since my last post, school has definitely started to pick up and next week marks the beginning of midterms and presentations. Most of the kids that I've talked to, with the exception of half my flat, have received their internship placements, while I....haven't. I'm REALLY nervous about where I get placed. Apparently, the internship coordinators look at your resume with great care and match you up based on your experience. Right now I'm extremely envious of those working in PR for the special events category. One girl has been placed with a top notch PR firm that did work for the recent Sex & the City movie release and will start work early to help out with the newest James Bond movie. Another girl is working with a special events coordinating company that works with gourmet food products (envy!!!!). Several are working with members of Parliament..........aha jfldajfldaf ;ajlfda; I just want to get my placement already!!! I just hope I don't end up with a teeny tiny CPA firm that has me crunch tedious calculations all day and night. Sooo hopefully I get that soon.

Tuesday morning my British Life & Business class made its way to Bricklane (East London) to experience diversity and the see firsthand the divisions that lie in London: the Bohemians, the Pakistani, the Bangladeshi, the artists, etc. We were treated to a curry lunch and man oh man was it AMAZING! We stuffed ourselves full with poppadoms (sp?), chutneys, basmati rice, naan, curry, curry, and curry galore. I had my first mango lassi and was very happy. Shoutouts to Winnie & Judy for taking me to Amber India for Indian Food 101 this past summer. I managed that table like a pro =D

Tuesday evening. Cheryl and I made our way down the street to Prince Albert Hall where we experienced the vocals of Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz. Amazing is the best adjective that I can come up with to describe how awesome they are as performers, but it doesn't do them much justice. They are extremely personable and wonderful to listen to.

One thing I did want to point out though was CULTURE CLASH! So from the two concerts that I've been to: the Fray and John Mayer (p.s. I <3 class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Mraz, sitting in these brilliant box seats. Ingrid comes out and does her thing - totally awesome, her commentary was witty and she felt like that one friend that everyone has that says the most bizarre but totally true, yet random things. She sang and made jokes, but these Brits....just sat there, clapping politely from time to time. Can I also mention that there the median age was between 40 and 45?!?!?! Where did all the 20 year olds go?!?! When Jason Mraz came out there was a bit more excitement, but even he noted how conservative the crowd was. Meanwhile Cheryl and I didn't hold anything back and were hootin' and hollerin' left and right - nearly jumping out of our box....haha...I know...classy right? Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit (our behavior, not the conservativeness that is). Soon enough, Mraz was able to get everyone up and out of there seats and there was this feeling of community and belonging amongst the crowd. I loved it.

Two hours of blissful music later, it was over. We headed out toward the tshirt counter to get our Mraz European tour souvenir tshirts and get autographs/pictures with Ingrid. Let me just say that for a country that prides itself on its ability to queue, I was in for a huge awakening because there was absolutely no queuing in the foyer. Poor Cheryl and I were pushed up against one another like sardines. Elbows flew, pushes, and shoves - and finally the true colors of the Brits finally came out. Tsk, tsk, tsk - should have known! A homemade quesadilla w/peas and sriracha (yes, the pho sauce) made it a wonderful evening!

Wednesday: London Fashion Weekend! Black was the color to wear and heels were the shoes to be seen in. No where have I seen so many great designers under one roof, not to mention upcoming fashions at such great costs! I was initially determined to leave the venue with a new, unique jewelry piece, handbag, or shoe, but the little birdie on my shoulder that is my economical side told me better - to enjoy the experience for what it was and really ask myself if I really needed that X, Y, or Z item. Though I had plenty of opportunity to purchase something fashionably brilliant, I said "no thank you." Justine and I were so proud of ourselves at the end of the night when we toured the whole venue, returned to a particular booth twice to view an item, and ultimately leave without purchasing anything. Gillian wasn't too lucky, or maybe she was....purchasing an amazing floor length hand sequined gown in deep purple by a Brazilian designer for 50 GBP and a pair of skinny jeans by Kate Moss for 35 GBP.

Free espresso and green tea is keeping me up and writing this blog or maybe its because I know that I won't have computer access for the next four days, but anyhow...Thursday morning will kick off my travels across Europe. I will be making my way back to London Heathrow and onward bound to Istanbul, Turkey. I am SO excited. More updates to follow.

Picasa has been updated, so please check it out!

Avec joie de vivre,

Kimmie