Where in the world is Amanda Cianchetta?

2007-08-24T18:12:00.001-07:00

Thank You

2007-08-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you: UC Davis Summer Abroad, John Boe, and Stephanie Whiiiite ye-uh; Hatun, Birgul, Aydin, and the other Coskuns; Rice, Mom, King Kong, Sun ShuShu, Tien, Alan, and the "boss"; and my Mom, Dad, uh...brother, family and friends! Thank you for making this trip possible!

Last Night in China

2007-08-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Chinese fast food is supposed to be "western"...in this case it's chicken curry - as far west as India!

In the candy aisle of the grocery store.

Eating Korean BBQ on my last night in China - Rice tricked me into thinking we were going to the dog and donkey meat restaurant!

Cooking!

Pretending to play Rice's instrument - she can tear it up!

King Kong! In da house!

Rice's Dad told me I could "just" call him King Kong! He's pretty hip - his favorite English phrase is "in da house"!

With Rice's parents...Thank you so much!!

I love you guys!

some random things I forgot about...

2007-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

In London...My roommate knows this to be true!

When Gerry and I came back from York, we stayed in this janky hostel that didn't give us towels! I asked the guy at the front desk if the hostel sold towels, and he said yes, but they didn't open until 8 the next morning. So, I decided that I would buy a towel (at 11:30pm)! Gerry and I were walking down the street trying to figure where to go when I saw this older woman walking toward us. I stopped her and asked where I could buy a towel - she asked why - I told her because the janky hostel didn't give/sell us any - and she (Margaret) said she would lend me a towel!!! So, we walk across the street to her house and a few minutes later I am walking back to the janky hostel with a huge blue towel!

Dear Margaret,
I love you and your towels.
Love,
Amanda

Our other adventure at the hostel was figuring out how to lock the door to our room...

At the Grand Bazaar in Turkey.

This little girl would not stop looking at me...so I took her picture...and then she got mad.

Man peeing on the statue.

Hang Zhou

Hang Zhou

WuXi - Slightly Sacrilegious

2007-08-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

WuXi - Buddha Statue

2007-08-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

WuXi

2007-08-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

On our way to see the tallest statue of Buddha.

This is how big his hand is!!

Getting closer.

Leaning tower over a king's tomb

Sun ShuShu!!

"The Administrator's Garden"

And, we got a flat tire on the way home!

So, Tien's mom has this old friend from high school who lives in WuXi. I don't know about the others but I thought that we would just meet up with him and give him the gift that Tien's mom gave us to give him and split. Instead I got a good taste of Chinese hospitality. The man picked us up from the train station in a rented minibus, took us to a posh hotel, and then picked us up at 6:30 the next morning for a full day of site seeing. He paid for everything (hotel, car, meals, admission) for all five of us!

Back in Hang Zhou for another day of fun!

2007-08-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

Yo yo.

We went to this park (I forget the name) but it has a series of caves with carvings of religious and other figures made by monks who worshiped at the nearby temple. These are like 2000 years old...give or take a few years.

I translate this sign to say "Climb this mountain if you want to sweat like a beast and see nothing but a jade vendor at the top."

Rice and her two bffs!

We took a boat ride with this guy (who said he was the "boss") and, after he sang Chinese love songs to us, we sang to him!

...under my umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh...

Wish u were here.

Daredevil let me "drive" the boat!

Rice and I sing in return...

Papa Johns for dinner! They deliver for free...on bicycle!

"Little Venice" of China

2007-08-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

The next day the five of us woke up early to go on a tour of what the internet called the "little Venice" of China...we didn't know that we also signed up for detour to and from our destination. On the way there the bus stopped so that we could have a "break" at this huge warehouse where we could sample chrysanthemum tea for which the town was famous. The herded us into these little rooms with two salespeople and tons of tea and didn't let us out until they had made a certain amount of money by selling the tea to us. Just kidding - but it sure felt like that! On the way home they made us go to this place that sells silk bedding, but Rice talked the tour guide into setting us free. That night was pretty fun: we ate chicken-on-a-stick again, we met three nerdy guys from the SF area in town for a business conference, and Chris treated us to ice cream since he lost a bet that I can no longer remember.

On the bus...last pic is the lady who sat next to me...I felt that I owed her something for falling asleep and drooling on her shoulder.

With the tour group flag...wish I could have got a hold of that bullhorn!

The city!

Great angle, Rice.

The one holding the flag and bullhorn with her evil eyes half closed was our janky tour guide. We got separated from the group and this woman called Rice on her cell phone to tell us to meet back up with the group. She also asked if this was how "people from Beijing" acted. Very snotty woman. I would not recommend her. Especially if you do not understand Chinese.

And then I got really affectionate. Hope Rice didn't see this when she took the picture.

bffs

Kissing my fish.

Hang Zhou

2007-08-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon, Rice, Chris, Tien, and I boarded the overnight train for Hang Zhou. Tien's boyfriend met up with us once we got there and I assumed the role of chaperon/fifth wheel. Hahaha! No, it wasn't like that at all - we had so much fun. On the train ride there, Rice and I started singing some of our favorite songs from last year...Ticks, Don't Matter...I guess people were enjoying it since we had no complaints! We arrived in Hang Zhou at 6something in the morning and took a wiiiiild taxi ride to our hotel where some janky hotel woman gave Rice a hard time about our rooms. I think the problem was that this woman thought that she was the sexiest beast in the south of China (the girls are rumored to be prettier there) and thought that Rice, Tien, and I were going to steal all her men - since we are unquestionably sexier beasts than her. So, after we marked our territory we headed out to the lake - famous in Hang Zhou. It was hot, humid, and we were really tired - but the lake was beautiful and temple's we visited were amazing.

I wanna see you, out in the moonliiiiiiight!

But it don't maaaaatter no, I've got you...

GangstaUSA, GangstaCHINA, Tien, Chrissypoo...we are sooo tired!

Crazy tired.

But not too tired to do what I do best!

Lifeng Tower - White Snake Tower.

At the bottom of Lifeng Tower.

At the top of Lifeng Tower.

wit sum boyz

Some scenery.

The Great Wall

2007-08-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Day 5 - The Great Wall

2007-08-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

Rice's cousin, Jack, skipped school for the following adventure. I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into...(yes, gram, i know "into" is a preposition, but i just don't know another way to word it)

The Great Wall at Badaling.

Wherever we go, that's where the party's at!

Great Wall gets gangsta'

This is a shot of what's on the other side of the wall...a hardcore janky forest! Now, if I was the enemy and I wanted to attack China, this is not the route I would pick.

Video of the Great Wall available as soon as youtube is done "maintenancing" itself...it told me to "be cool" and wait.

Day 4 - The Temple of Heaven, a prince's house, KFC, and chicken-on-a-stick

2007-08-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Temple of Heaven
The Emperor would journey to this temple to pray for rain, a good harvest, and other such needs facing the country. This is actually the back of the temple, and yet we still see how the architecture and landscaping was arranged so that the viewer would feel humble (aka small) as he or she approached, or in this case looked back at, the temple. (Thanks to architect major Chris for this lesson in Chinese design)

Gangstas are hardly reverent.

Chris and Rice....the new "couple"...

A traditional Chinese lunch.

boys...

After Chris...

Video from the Forbidden City

2007-08-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

Day 3 - The Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, Korean BBQ

2007-08-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

The "Forbid" City

The Forbidden City was dangerous...

See?

The number of carved animals on the end of the ridge indicates the wealth and power of the buildings owner...the more animals -the more power. The roof color also indicates status - red and yellow are the highest while green and blue are lower. (Thank you Chris for passing along the architect major information!)

Chaoyi met us there!
RAC of RACK - Kim we needed you!
By the way, we got in for free because Rice's mom has a friend who's girlfriend's friend works there. Seriously.

Asian pose!

White pose.

Chairman Mao. Tienanmen Square is right next to the Forbidden City.

I think Rice was trying to get me drunk off this rum ice cream!

Jingshan Park - the highest point in the city of Beijing. You can see all of the Forbidden City from this mountain.

Rice and I met this Japanese girl at the vista point - she didn't have a camera so we took a picture and emailed it to her!

In Beihai Park.

Korean BBQ - Delicious! Rice's Mom - So Cool!

Day 2 - The Summer Palace, Peking University, and Tarot Pasty

2007-08-17T23:15:00.001-07:00

So, Rice did a wonderful job of figuring out what to do with me in China - she even had a tentative schedule on the computer! (She also left a pen and paper on the nightstand of my room - just like a hotel but better!) Day 2 called for a trip to the Summer Palace (most recently renovated by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1888) and a couple parks - but we postponed the park trip because it poured rain! Instead we went to Peking University...which makes horribly mis-sized a holey shirts. Yes, I bought one. Yes, I'm wearing right now. Yes, it's a child's size. And, yes, it has hole in the armpit.

I also met Chris, Rice's boyfriend. He's rather decent. I approve.

At the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is actually modeled after the lake at Hang Zhou - we took a trip there later in the week.

The Chinese are very hard workers.

At Peking University.

One of my new favorite flavours! Tarot.

Beijing, China

2007-08-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

I left Turkey August 4th, to go to Beijing, China - and I cried on the plane until the guy sitting to my right started talking to me about his boring job as a coal mine engineer in effort to make me stop. He's a white dude from South Africa with two kids who just saw Shrek 3, who hates his job but is just sticking it out for another year until the contract he made with the company he sold his business to for big bucks expires, who doesn't like to travel but has been all over the world for work, and who doesn't like trying new foods. The man wouldn't even eat the potato borek I offered him! Anyway, the minute he started in on his life story, the tear ducts dried up like a rain drop on the sands of the Mojave Desert. And then the steam from the evaporation of the water began to bellow from my ears when he wouldn't stop talking! No, I'm kidding - he really did a great job and I'm glad I gave up my seat for the family with the two screaming children who wanted to sit together! Mr. South African Engineer? If you are out there, thank you.

And, just to be fair, the guy sitting on my left was from Turkey headed to Melbourne, Australia to visit his brother. He was born in Australia and moved to Turkey when he was seven - I didn't know enough Turkish and he didn't know enough English to explain further. He is a guard at a fancy palace and offered me free entry if I ever came returned to Istanbul. We talked about Turkish food (Mr. South African Engineer couldn't contribute much seeing as how he does try anything new) and looked at pictures on my camera.

Then I had an hour layover in Dubai (where the security is surprisingly lax) and was able to go online for a few minutes after spotting this guy sitting on the floor outside the terminal near the Starbucks. I frantically asked if he had internet access - he said yes and that it was free! And, fortunately for me, Dubai uses the UK style plug so I was good to go. I sat down next to Chris (that's his name), who works for the US government and rides a motorcycle, and started talking to my mom on google chat! While we were gossiping, I heard something on the loudspeaker like "last call for Emirates flight to Beijing" - after a couple seconds I realized that was me! So I hurried onto the plane with my computer open and can of Dubai-ian Diet Coke unopened.

Now, even though my eyes were bloodshot from crying and I kinda smelled because I sweat ed like a beast in the airport in Turkey, I was still hoping to sit next to a cute guy on the plane - seeing as how I only sat next next to grumpy engineers, married palace guards, and women on all my other flights. Alack, airplane romance is not meant for me! I scanned the seats ahead of me and saw this huge hairy man and thought to myself, "Self, as long as you don't have to sit next to him, you are OK." Well, "self" wasn't too happy when my ticket stub put me right next to him! Actually, "self" was pretty happy. This guy was from Jordan headed to Beijing on business - he sells used computers. He was hilarious! In the beginning of our conversation he said that the only way he could survive such a long flight was the individual TV/movie thing that Emirates gives you - and his was broken! He spent half the flight poking that thing, hitting the screen, asking the stewardess to reset it, and apologizing to the girl in front of him for banging on her chair. Then he whips out the crazy smokeless pipe contraption and asks me if I smoke. Turns out he is a heavy smoker and can't believe that the airline would ask him to refrain from smoking for seven hours so he brings this pipe thing. I'm not sure how it works, but somehow he lights the tobacco and breathes the smoke in and out into the pipe until it's all gone. I did smell it a little but figured that I'd rather deal with five minutes of smoke over seven hours of withdrawals!

Then I arrived in Beijing, got my bags, and ran into Rice's waiting arms! Oh, and I also cried again! But she did too - so it's OK. I got in around 4 or 5 so we went straight home, unpacked, went out to dinner (duck meat, liver, foot skin, and tongue!), took a tour of the city at night from the backseat of her dad's loaded Mercedes, and ate ice cream. I was also unexpectedly introduced the Chinese style of toilet...let's just say it requires accurate aim and balance.

R and A of RACK

Duck Tongue...to be honest I only ate half the tongue.

Tienanmen Square at night.

This is actually the KFC toilet...but what would an Amanda post be without a picture of the toilet?

Rice-a-Roni! The UC Davis treat!

The Turkish Train

2007-08-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right - Istanbul!

2007-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Although some of you may have thought that I ran off with a Persian! (Uh...but that does not mean it wont happen!)

I've actually been in Istanbul staying with Birgul and her mom, Aydin's mom and sister, since the 27th of July. Turkey is beautiful! The food is wonderfully fattening and the boys are cok yakisikli (sounds like "choke yakushuckluh") Anyway, here are a few pictures!

By a body of water near their apartment...I thought it was a lake but the man that I sat next to on the plane on the way to Beijing told me there were no lakes in Istanbul. So, maybe it's an ocean?

Birgul was learning how to take pictures...I was trying to show her which button to push - but evidently she figured it out!

Dondurma! Turkish ice cream is really gooey - it has the consistency of marshmellow cream...and the calories of a Krispy Kreme donut!

This picture is not meant to follow the ice cream picture for any particular reason! Many thanks to Mumine for showing me the important sites in Turkey...including this one!

The view from Pierre Loti - that's not how it is spelled, but that's how it sounds.

We were amazed by the view!

Our waiter...he loved us!

The sun and the sea!

Sultan Ahmet! The Blue Mosque. So, the story behind Sultan Ahmet is rather interesting - I ended up going there three times and had to pretend that it was the first time I went each time!! Birgul and I went there early on the week for some, uh, site seeing. Then, Mumine took me there for a more in depth tour and Birgul asked me to pretend like it I hadn't been there - so I did. And, then, Arzu's friend with a really hairy chest took me there! I took pictures each time...and deleted them when I got home. But I have to say that it was beautiful - it got better each time!

Aydin's mom...dancing to Turkish music videos!

Borek! And pasta (the chocolate cake). During my nine days in Turkey, I learned approximately 139 Turkish words...98% percent of those were foods! Lucky for me, food is an important part of the culture - so we communicated fairly well. However, the consequences of my fluency were readily visible on the scale.

In a cistern near Sultan Ahmet

Semite! Which I ordered all by myself in Turkish!

A traditional Turkish toilet...Just kidding! I saw this in a shop window and had to stop and a take a picture!

I don't remember the name of this place - but I really liked it. Arzu, Birgul and I went there on the ferry.

Making borek...

Potato Borek!

My Turkish Anne with her American Baby!

The Rest of London - York

2007-08-07T09:14:00.001-07:00

York

Clifford's Tower...named as such because the head of a man with the last name of Clifford was displayed on a pole from the top of it for some matter of months.

The inside of the tower.

The wall that surrounds the city of York.

Heads of conquered foes were often posted on poles atop the main gates of York. Some of you may have heard of the Duke of York whose head hung for two months after being placed there by Henry the VI(?) before removed by his son.

York Minster...stands on the remains of Roman and Norman buildings.

Crazy old lady toting a Mexican flag that walked out in front of a taxi.

The stairs to the top of the minster.

The Lady Anne Middleton Hotel

Delicious slugs...

Clifford's Tower...named as such because the head of a man with the last name of Clifford was displayed on a pole from the top of it for some matter of months.

The inside of the tower.

The wall that surrounds the city of York.

The Rest of London

2007-08-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Prime Meridian

Uncle Goran came to visit...

I've been in...

2007-08-04T15:32:00.001-07:00

...blogpost courtesy of hijacked internet in Dubai.

Thong Pictures Removed - Blog is now G rated

2007-07-26T12:12:00.003-07:00

July 15th

2007-07-25T04:13:00.000-07:00

I should have GONE to church this Sunday - I nearly lost my wallet to a woman pickpocket in Spitafields Market! I felt someone really close to me and looked down to see this woman's hand in my purse clutching my wallet! I grabbed my bag and yelled, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" And she disappeared! My heart wouldn't stop racing - but I found a place that sells this Italian lime soda that Zia's back in Davis sells and felt much better!

We would have stayed later, but tons of these weird flies came out of no where and started buzzing around the entire market! And it started to pour rain! It was like the ten plagues - except only three! I knew I should have GONE to church.

July 14th

2007-07-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

Morning/Afternoon: Portobello Market

FALAFEL!!!! AH!!!!

Dinner: We went to an Italian restaurant that Goran recommended to use...the waiter was ridiculous! He barely spoke English and was totally being used to lure women into the restaurant with his kind of good looks! He saw that I was reading Othello and started to quote a passage tot me...in Italian! When I finally figured out what he was quoting - it still didn't make sense because it was part of Othello's monologue right before he kills Desdemona. Maybe he was trying to send me a hidden message?

Late Night: I spent some quality time with my husband - we sat on the front steps to our building and tried to burst ketchup packets in the street. A drunk guy (that I had actually seen in Marks and Spencer earlier that day) came over and started ranting to us about how the English have ruined this random area of Spain. We took a bunch of pictures and then went to bed!

Friday, July 13th

2007-07-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

Borough Market - Cheese, Bread, Meat, Chocolate, Flowers, Wine, Cheese, Cheese, Cheese.

This became one of our favorite stands - they sell plain and flavored nuts, dried fruit, etc.

Our lunch...

Unfortunately I cannot escape falafel.

Leaning Tower of Chocolate!

After the market we went to a festival that we read about in Time Out - it was rather sketch. Later that night I went to Hyde Park to read and write in my journal and the two little Saudi Arabian boys found me and asked if I would play football with them! I did but I got pigeon poop on my new shoes and a huge bruise on the top of my foot!

July 12th...

2007-07-25T03:39:00.000-07:00

Shopping with Raj on High Street Kensington. Dinner in South Kensington at a really good crepe place - we sat outside next to a really cute gay couple who love Miami and Tuscon! They are florists (and claim it's the most lucrative job out there), they have two homes (one in Stratford), one is Jewish, and both have really fake tans!

Our table - jacket purchased with Raj earlier that day.

July 11th

2007-07-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was so busy - we left straight from class to go on a walking tour of Shakespeare's neighborhood, then saw a 2pm performance of Othello, went to Chinatown for dinner, and got home around 10pm! But the excitement didn't end there! Francois, the French guy that is living downstairs, set the smoke detector off with his cooking! The alarms were going off in the whole building and weren't stopping so a couple of the other girls and I went to try to find the source of the smoke - aka Francois kitchen. We found the smoke but not Francois! The crazy guy was sitting down eating his dinner in his room, which was also filled with smoke! He didn't budge to help us fan the smoke away from the detector - just stayed seated, chowing down!

John Boe (our teacher)

Where Shakespeare ran the aisles...and paid tithes!

One emo pic a day...

Practicing for China!

July 10th "Adventures with Stephanie"

2007-07-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Stephanie and I set out after class to South Kensington. After resisting the temptation of Ben's Cookies, we found ourselves in a Mediterranean cafe. We should have known things would not go as planned when, upon ordering a falafel dish, the waiter brought us chicken kebabs! But I held onto my faith in this cafe and ordered a piece of "icing lemon cake" to go. I opened the bag while we were walking down the street and found a piece of petrified cheese cake! It didn't look right but I tasted it anyway, thinking that maybe it was lemon flavored...it wasn't. It was terrible - even Stephanie, the human garbage disposal who will eat anything, wouldn't touch it!

The highlight of our day...

Later we went to Covent Garden, the Somerset House (don't go there), and tried to find Temple Church (from The DaVinci Code). A group of us went to this hole-in-the-wall French restaurant...let's just say Stephanie and I are not going to start a "back door tour" of London anytime soon!

July 9th

2007-07-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

Rather uneventful...it was sunny so we hung out in Hyde Park for most of the day. Stephanie said she was going to catch up on reading but she fell asleep - I'd post those pictures but I promised I wouldn't. July 9th was also the day I became acquainted with the Magnum ice cream bar. It seems like a simple combo of vanilla ice cream coated with chocolate but it's so much more!

July 8th - Le Tour de France

2007-07-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Then...The Tour de France!

The cyclists crossed over the Tower Bridge.

Here they come!

Local London cycling groups "open" for the big time cyclists.

I only got one photo - they go by so quickly. Raj got a close up of a rider from Kazakhstan...I didn't know people had bikes in Kazakhstan!

I'm not sure what I did to my camera - but these turned out pretty cool.
(Stephanie, Raj, Julie, Me, Erin, Francois)

Me in front of Tower Bridge before they let all the traffic through.

July 7th - WIMBLEDON

2007-07-19T10:44:00.001-07:00

WIMBLEDON!

From the hill...

Federer

Venus won! And we were the only ones who clapped!

My roommate Stephanie seems to have a knack for drawing all of the couples in London out onto the streets for some serious PDA, so it didn't surprise me that we sat behind the cutest couple having a romantic picnic Wimbledon lunch. They fed each other strawberries with cream and drank wine while wrapped in each other's arms. I almost cried. And Stephanie almost beat them up!

See? We are sad.

This must have been taken before "the couple" came.

We thought that if we ate strawberries and cream we would have the same experience as "the couple" - what a waste of calories...it didn't work.

Venus' Dad's shoulder...you shoulda been there.

Margaret Thatcher...we thought it would be Venus.

The group: Amanda, Stephanie, Rah, and Lizzy

July 6th

2007-07-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

My neighbors: Emilio, Francois (?), and Ruben (who has since declared himself my husband).

The British Museum - for Rice.

The British Museum - for JJ.

The British Museum - the original shin guards - for Damoon.

The inside of the British Museum.

The British Museum - for Dad.

The British Museum - my girls!

The British Museum - for Mom.

The British Museum - Shakespeare.

At the pub: Lizzy, Me, and Raj.

Frisbee in the park...

The hot dog stand outside the museum.

Mmmm...

July 6th I met our downstairs neighbors - a bunch of Spanish guys, went to the British Museum, played frisbee with two little boys from Saudi Arabia in Hyde Park, and went out with all the girls at night.

Stratford Upon Avon

2007-07-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

July 5th we took a day trip to Shakespeare's hometown. Stratford is a quaint town and I think we saw it all! Our trip started out at Anne Hathaway's cottage. At age 19, Shakespeare got 26year old Anne Hathaway pregnant - they married when she was three months along! Their first child was a girl named Susanna - then they had twins: Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died at age 8 or 9. 1588 to 1591 mark the "lost years" during which people do not know exactly what Shakespeare was up to. There is speculation that he went to the continent to travel, was a school master in northern England, or studied law. He showed up in London in 1591 and began working as both an actor and playwright. He built the Globe in 1599 and started making some bank. Unfortunately the Globe burnt down when a cannon fired during a play for sound effects caught the thatch roof on fire. Shakespeare did not rebuild but rather retired to Stratford to live out his days with his family. He died April 23rd 1623 - on his birthday. In his will he left his second best bed (the marriage bed) to his wife, a few pounds to Judith, and almost everything else to Susanna. Susanna was married to the richest doctor around, Dr. Hall and her father left her with the majority of the money and property in order to protect Judith from from sleazy guy that already got another girl pregnant and would be after her just for the money.

I also went to Shakespeare's parents' house and his birthplace, the site of his fancy house in Stratford (was demolished by some psycho guy that hated all the Shakespeare hype about the house), his daughter Susanna's house, and his grave. Later that night we went to see Macbeth - the scariest version ever! The play started out with Macbeth breaking a baby's neck!

But, in between the tour of the town and the play, my homies and I had the worse run in with a Scottish man EVER! It started pouring rain when we got out of the church where Shakespeare is buried so we headed into town to seek shelter and dinner. Unfortunately, this place is deader than Elk Grove at 10pm on Friday night so our options were really limited. But we found a cute cafe and dove in to escape the rain. I was greeted with, "Uh, you can't eat that Pizza Hut pizza in my cafe!" This angry Scottish guy didn't even give me a chance to throw the box I was carrying away! I told him that I wasn't going to eat it there, but he just gave me the look of death and walked away. That a few other comments kept me fuming until we started to get our drinks - but Lizzy's never came! Or so we thought. So we asked the mean Scott where her mocha was (he had brought out three drinks earlier saying they were two lattes and a coffee) - he said that he never took an order for a mocha - the coffee maker woman said that he did take an order but she already gave it to him to deliver - so he comes over and stirs the cup of what he says was a latte and now says that this is a mocha! I can't really describe this in words but the guy was so incredibly rude and we were being as polite as possible. When I started to get mad at him, he said that he was joking and we serious Americans need to lighten up! I wanted to fight him sooo badly! But, now it's all just really funny!

The cafe where it all went down.

The countryside on the way to Stratford.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

The magic of the Tide pen.

Yo yo.

St. Paul's July 4th

2007-07-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Raj and I went to St. Paul's Cathedral...it's absolutely amazing! Pictures are not allowed inside and I accidentally left my postcards in the Whispering Gallery so all I have are these shots from the two balconies as you climb up the top of the cathedral.

From the first stop up to the top.

The stairs! They're 18'' wide...max!

Looking up.

At the top.

Stairs to the top.

From the first stop.

Me at the first stop.

From the tippy top.

Looking up at the top.

The Whispering Gallery is part of the cathedral at the interior top of the main dome where you can talk to someone on the other side by whispering into the wall. One guide told us that while she was giving a tour she saw a girl come down from the Gallery crying - she thought the girl was just scared by the height, but when she asked the girl told her that her boyfriend had just proposed to her by whispering from the other side of the gallery and that she was crying because she just said "yes". Gentlemen, be advised - this seems to elicit the desired response.

Thank you Dr. Imad for curing my computer!

2007-07-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

So, I'm super behind on my blog because my computer was infected with tons of stuff. But now it's fixed and I'm going to post pictures from everything I've done in the last two weeks - instead of writing my final paper that is due tomorrow morning!

Throw back from the day I arrived...I just met this girl!

Classic tourist!

From STOMP.

Traditional pub dinner...courtesy of FIE.

At the Natural History Museum...almost all the museums here are free! (7/2/07)

A dinosaur and a Raj.

Cute boys that took our group photo for us and then ran away.

The rain turned to hail...big fat hail!

Second time at The Globe...Love's Labours Lost" (7/3)

The city at night from the Millennium Bridge.

More Monday

2007-07-02T16:05:00.001-07:00

From Friday...there was no place to put the bread.

On the first day. This was like 100% milk fat ice cream and so delish!

BEN'S COOKIES

Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate.

Lemon and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.

In a suit, on a bike, in the rain. Please come home with me to Davis!

The Diana Gates...tributes on the anniversary of her death.

Monday, July 2nd

2007-07-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

After class , Raj, Jen, Steph, and I went to check out Soho and Chinatown. Both were kinda lame so we went into random shops in the area and eventually found Selfridges (a London only store). But Raj and Jen ditched us along the way. Alone we decided that we would try to find this place called Ben's Cookies that Stephanie's friend told her was a must eat in London. We psyched ourselves up and stepped off the tube ready to take on this challenge - we had no clue where it was. Imagine our surprise when we saw it just as we checked out the tube turnstile! So, in order to fulfill our desire for adventure and burn off the cookie calories (wow, this sure is a recurring theme) we decided to walk home through Hyde Park. On our way home (in the pouring rain) we stopped at the lake. Shout out to the park chair collector man: "Way to flex it when you pick up those chairs! Keep up the good work!"

Is this Soho? It's nothing like the guidebook says it should be!

Chinatown.

In the worst department store in London...it starts with a "d".

Yeah, we were really bored in this store. Really, really bored.

Yee-uh.

Emo in London.

I like this progression...

...at the lake in Kensington Gardens.

Sunday!

2007-07-02T14:55:00.002-07:00

Sunday, Stephanie and I went on a tablecloth hunt! Harrods, Liberty, and Harvey Nichols. Unfortunately, all three stores carried the exact same overpriced 100% linen tablecloths in grey, light blue, and black. To add to our misery, the chocolate chip cookies from Harrod were dry and crumbly and their croissants were not buttery enough! But we did see Kanye West at Harvery Nichols int he watch/sunglasses/makeup department!!! Stephanie wanted to follow him but he went to the men's department on another floor...we took a peek but it was literally all guys down there and we would have been totally obvious. On the way home (we walked to burn off the calories from Harrods) we stopped at a little festival on our street. We met a half Spanish/half English 65-70 year old woman while we were looking at earrings and she told us how ear piercing was done in the "old days"! Ice, cork, and needle! Uh, no thanks! Later we walked down the street for dinner and decided to try this Lebanese place. (FYI Stephanie is half Lebanese) It was a great idea and I'm glad I had the experience, but I've come to the conclusion that I do not like falafel!

In Harvey Nichols...high on Kanye!

The Earl's Court Festival.

A true Lebanese woman loves her falafel!

Before I tasted it...

I think I took one more bite...and then reverted to eating cheese!

Saturday

2007-07-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill...just three tube stops away from us! It's a huge outdoor market lined by antique, boutique, and other random shops. Most of the day was nice, but when it really started to pour we headed over to a tea place that Erin knew about from a previous trip to London. So four girls with muddy shoes and stringy hair had tea at this really posh tea place...well, maybe not so posh seeing as how their ovens were broken!

Later that night we all headed out to a pub to celebrate Rose's birthday! For those of you who raise an eyebrow at the word "pub", I like to inform you that a pub is not bar. It's a restaurant with a bar in front and of July 1st is a non-smoking establishment. And, although the majority of patrons are men stopping by for a beer in their sexy suits after work, the atmosphere is not that of a club or bar - families are in their all the time! It's not a big "meat market" like the last night of No Limits!

Portobello Market

A vendor.

Me in a vintage shop.

The Hummingbird! For those of you acquainted with the up and coming cupcake chain called "Sprinkles" in the United States, don't think it's original! This place came first! "Sprinkles" even stole their colors!

Red Velvet cupcake. Cappuccino cupcake.

My soup at tea.

Stephanie and I shared a pot of Blood Orange tea.

Our table...lively bunch!

This is not my pitcher.

Me and Raj. Scarves 2 for 5!

About to eat Rose's birthday cake back at the flat.
Our famous pose.

Friday - NO CLASS!

2007-07-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

We don't have class on Friday which means that we partied all Thursday night! Just kidding - STOMP and the walk of death with Raj (we were trying to find this college place) put me in bed ASAP! So, Friday was a sleep, homework, and eat cheese day. England has some great cheese! Look!

Pictures From the Day I was Lost

2007-07-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

The "last supper" before I lost my homies.

The River Thames. When I was alone.

The river...just as I was about to jump in...lol

Globe stage.

At Shakespeare's Globe.

Something at night coming back across the Millennium Bridge across the River Thames.

Attempted Terrorism

2007-06-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you all have heard the news but there was a terrorist bomb attempt last night about a mile from where we were at STOMP. We thought something was up because the PA system in the tube station was giving out warnings to alert police of suspicious people. We didn't know the whole story until this morning. Crazy city. Check it out at cnn.com.

Thursday 6/28

2007-06-28T17:21:00.001-07:00

This post is completely disorganized...but today was school, Camden, and STOMP in case it gets confusing.

Erin, Raj, Stephanie, Me...waiting to get into STOMP...because we were late.

After class, Erin, Raj, Stephanie, and I headed out to Camden Market.

Enjoying? the food at the market.

Some locals.

Stephanie and the Indian restaurant worker who claimed to be a doctor. She cut her finger on the sketch bathroom in the basement.

More food at the market.

More of Camden.

After the market, we made our way to Brick Lane - an area with tons of Indian food and shops. Unfortunately Steph cut herself in the bathroom...hmmm...hope she's had a tetanus shot withing the last 10years!

We had tickets at 8pm to STOMP, a music performance in which the performers use unconventional objects to make synchronized sound. (see top picture)

Monday/Tuesday Pictures

2007-06-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

A cute lunch. Our waitress was belting Mariah Carey the whole time we were there!

Don't I look at home here?

Buckingham Palace.

Kensignton Palace.

There is a $2000 (1000 pound) fine for not cleaning up after you dog in my neighborhood.

Wisteria covering the wall of one of the converted stables. (For Mom and Gram)

This is supposed to be a picture of the chain-link fence around the park taken in effort to remind me of the story our tour guide Angela told us. She said that during WWI or WWII, the iron fences surrounding parks, yards, balconies, etc. were pulled up and sent to the mill to be used to make guns and other artillery. A closer look at the bottom concrete portion of the fence will reveal a series of scars where the iron rails were cut off.

What are now houses here, along this alley on the ground level, used to be the stables for the mansions to which they are attached.

This one's for Mom.

I once was lost (in London), but now I'm found...Wednesday

2007-06-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was pretty frustrating...I barely made it to class on time, wore ridiculously high heeled shoes to trot around in, and lost my friends in the Tate Modern. Aside from that terrible feeling on loneliness when you are in a foreign city in a funky business district without a single friendly face and can't find anything to do, I saw some pretty cool stuff. The Globe stands along the River Thames and is as close to the design of the original Globe as possible. It is an open air theatre with two viewing options. The first is to sit under the covered portion of the building on one of three tiers and the second is to stand and lean on the stage (eye level with the actors' feet) and be a "groundling". Although these tickets are cheaper, the "groundlings" make up for their savings in having to endure the rain! We saw The Merchant of Venice and it was wonderfully done. I had never before seen the play, but I think I would go so far as to say it is my favorite. To refresh your memory the plot involves an evil Jew who desires justice on the deal he made with a Christian in lending him 3ooo ducets. Since the Christian failed to pay back the lended sum, the Jew wanted a pound of the Christian's flesh...per their agreement. Interested? Go read it! It really is one of the best of Shakespeare's plays.

We toured The Globe and saw the play in the evening. In between my friends and I went to the Tate Modern and then I got lost. Tate is amazing! It's free (except the Dali exhibit) and has some pieces by famous artists: Monet, Picasso, Rothko, Pollack. Unlike American museums, we could get right up paintings and some were not protected by glass! Maybe I was too close to the paintings and didn't see my friends go by...and that's why I spent 3 hours roaming the depths of the financial district along the River Thames (in heels and without company)!

Uh...I didn't take any pictures on account of my foul disposition.

Tuesday June 26th

2007-06-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today was slightly warmer, although tights were in order on account of the wind. My new friends and I met an old man in the market on the first day we were here and he told us that if it's windy in the morning, there won't be any rain. Well, he was right - no rain today! Which was great...since the new shoes I bought from Harrods didn't get wet! Yes, I bought another pair. But my roommate Stephanie has totally helped me justify the purchase and now I don't feel so bad for being so materialistic! We also went to the Natural History Museum, which was a bit too educational for tourists but the building is spectacular. It was built by in 1881 by Albert the husband of Queen Victoria (I think) to house an exhibition of unique things from various cultures and parts of the world in effort to inspire and educate the people of England, particularly the poor. In accordance with this purpose, he ordered that the museums be free to all and they have remained as such with the sole exception of a few years under some one's reign that I can not remember.

But, even more spectacular than the dinosaur exhibit and the gemstones was Harrods! What a crazy cool store! It was a little intimidating at first but once we reunited and got to the shoe section (the doorman did not allow all of us to enter through the same door) everything was fine. The place has EVERYTHING imaginable! Clothes, shoes, accessories, a grocery store, coffee bar, cheese and wine bar, ice cream parlor, restaurant, chocolate shop, "take away" foods from tons of cultures, watches, jewelry, etc! I definitely want to go back...with my Mom and her checkbook!

Tonight the whole group went to a pub nearby for dinner at FIE's expense. They wanted us to have a traditional English meal experience, a task we easily accomplished. The pub was beautiful and the food delicious. I had some funky sausages with mashed potatoes and an apple and rhubarb crumble for dessert! I think we stayed there for four hours! The policy is that you (the customer) have paid for the table so you can stay as long as you like. I could get used to this! And seeing all the guys wearing suits!

Rainy, Cold, Cloudy Monday

2007-06-25T17:52:00.001-07:00

Today was FREEZING! And I totally didn't pack for this type of weather so (please don't get mad mom) I bought a new pair of shoes and tights from Top Shop (the British and nicer version of H&M). I went to my first day of class which was a series of more orientations from the FIE people. All I remember is to keep my Oyster card (for the tube) separate from the receipt card and to not get hit by cars! Later we met the two guys in charge of our residence: Goran and Fabio. Crazy guys - I'll get pictures for sure! And, no, ladies it's not the Fabio!

We went to our first play A Midsummer Night's Dream in an open air theatre...which was freezing cold! But lots of fun...we had a "traditional" English dinner before hand in the garden in which the theatre is located: humus with assorted veggies and pita, ham with a crazy salsa, and summer pudding!

Again...no pictures because of the computer.

Sunday, June 24th

2007-06-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sunday was tour day. Angela (60's in white linen pants, black and white striped shirt, and pink linen jacket) met us outside our building at 10am to take us on a walking tour of our area (The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea). According to Angela, this is the richest area (most expensive place to live) in London. This area used to be big mansions that have since been converted to multiple individual living spaces. We broke for lunch and then met up with her again for a tour by coach of the rest of London, including the actual city of London which is one square mile big. We saw bits of the Tower of London, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben (which is actually the bell), Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, and the embassies (with armed guards). But this was just to let us know where we should go on our own time!

I'd post pictures, but when I click "browse" my lovely computer won't open the window so I can select them...any tips would be greatly appreciated.

2007-06-24T01:36:00.001-07:00

Our apartment.

A church.

A royal Albert.

Night view from our bedroom window.

4 pound breakfast. I didn't want Starbucks but it was the only place open. I will wait next time...the hot milk they call a latte is not doing it for me.

2007-06-24T01:31:00.001-07:00

View from our window.

View from the same window.

As soon as you go up the stairs...this is what you see!
(Lizzie)

2007-06-24T01:23:00.001-07:00

Raj and me at the airport.

Yeah! We finally found Queen's Gate Terrace!

Oooo! Mr. Cab Driver! I will hunt you down and get my 5 pounds back! Even if you do have to put your 24 year old son through med school!

My (and Stephanie's) room!

2007-06-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

My last meal in the US...how fitting!

The whole family took me to the airport!

London, England

2007-06-24T00:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a first day - I think it was, like, 36 hours long! I flew out of SFO at 1pm and arrived in at London, Heathrow at 6am the next day. The airport was a bit confusing but we (Raj and a girl named Kelly that we met at the terminal who is also in our program) finally made it to the tube station, bought our tickets, and got on the right one. The tube ride was about 25mins to our stop at Gloucester. We got off the tube and after nearly losing our luggage to the tube car doors we faced a GIANT set of stairs that led up to the street. But we were saved by the gentlemen working at the station who carried our suitcases up (both of mine at once!). Sir, if you are out there...thank you so much! Seriously, I wanted to kiss him or something I was so thankful! Out on the street we found our way to Metrogate...eventually. This is the building in which the Foundation for International Education is located. We picked up our keys and then were totally scammed by the Indian cab driver for our 7 minute ride to our house. He told us that since we were his first job of the day, he had to charge us more...uh, I guess he wasn't kidding.

So, into the building we go...only to find three flights of skinny skinny stairs up which we had to carry our luggage. I guess since EVERYONE in London smokes, they are skinny and, since they are skinny, they have very narrow and steep stairs. And 1'x1' showers! Which I had to use after hauling two suitcases, a duffel bag, and a broken lap top bag up the third floor. Hmmm....maybe I should not have brought 11 pairs of shoes.

I met my roommate (totally cool girl for UCLA) and she, I, Raj, Kelly, and Lizzie (UCR) went exploring. We found a bunch of free museums (Natural History, Art, etc) and, eventually, Hyde Park. Evidently roller blade tricks are the new thing...check out the video once I figure out how to post it.

We came back and went on a tour of our area guided by our Resident Advisor...of the same places we had just seen! All 15 of us went to dinner at a popular Indian place and then we deliriously headed home thinking we would go straight to bed. Uh, that didn't happen! But it was a great first day: the city is beautiful, the boys are way cuter that in the US, all the housemates are cool, and the rain is giving me an excuse to go boot shopping!

5 days 'til take-off

2007-06-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Five days until I leave for London, England to start my trip around the world! I'll be studying in London for one month in a Shakespeare program through UC Davis, hitchhiking in Europe for three weeks, and stopping by China to reunite with my roommates. But up until Friday at 1:10pm, my mom and I will be running around Sacramento looking for the perfect pair of shoes for my airplane outfit!