Journal Entry #1

I’ve only been in London for about three days and already I’ve seen several new, interesting things. Since I don’t live in a city in the States, the sheer amount of people walking the streets of London amaze me; especially around 5 o’clock when everyone is getting off of work. The congregations outside of the pubs around that time is also surprising. Apparently it is a custom for people to go to their pub of choice around that time and socialize with friends and fellow coworkers.

Yesterday we visited Kew Gardens which was absolutely gorgeous. While we were on our way to the tube station to get to the Gardens, we must have passed the stop and had to ask for directions from a local. Everyone in and around the restaurant stared and smirked at us which made me feel uncomfortable and really point us out as Americans—it was quite embarrassing. Other than that experience, pretty much everyone else has been kind and friendly to us. On the way back to our flats from grocery shopping, several Londoners conversed with us and eagerly gave us directions when we got lost. Many people smile and nod as they walk by you, which is a welcome surprise coming from America where strangers hardly ever smile at each other.

Traffic jams often occur on the tube, and when this happens the operator powers down and the tube goes dim. The first time this happened I was terribly frightened for I thought that the tube had broken down or something else horrible had happened, but as it occurred again and again, I became accustomed to it and it didn’t bother me anymore.

Last night a group of us kids went out to pubs for the first time. I had an absolute blast getting to know everyone better and socializing with Londoners. However, as we were leaving the second pub we went to, a fight broke out between an angry drunk kid and the bar tender. The kid was screaming at the bar tender because they were closing (apparently it is a law for the pubs to close at 11 PM?) and the bartender poured his drink down the drain. The kid then proceeded to throw the bar chair at the bartender which struck him in the nose. At this point the bartender ran out from behind the bar and the two began throwing punches at one another. A bunch of the boys from our group tried to break up the fight, which eventually worked, but not without angry words being screamed and punches being thrown at them. Paul said that fights are a usual in London pubs and also that that’s probably not going to be the last one I see, which is rather sad and unsettling.

Today is my twentieth birthday so now I am going to go enjoy it, starting with the delicious breakfast Stephanie, Jackie, and Sherri cooked for me. Until next time—cheers.