London is Like a Painting

Questions of the Day: what is brownish and in liquid form?

My immediate response would be coffee. But the right answer today is the Thames. Yes the longest river in England, running from Thames Head to the sea, is a faint color of brown. But don’t let this turn you off. When you are actually on the Thames you don’t really care what color the water is, it could be yellow for all you know. You will be more occupied by what you see on the river than anything else.

With LUIP we went on the Thames Jet. A 50 minutes RIB ride along the Thames. My hair was flying in the wind, there was a secret mission, and we got to go fast!

I have been in London for a 8 months now and have done a night time cruise along the Thames, gone to almost all the touristy places, but this quick ride was a great summary of all I had seen. A different perspective and a different appreciation.

And so I have determined London is like a painting. You must look at it from afar to grasp the full intention of the artist but you must also look at it close up to discover the details and intimacy the artist uncovers within the painting. The same is for London. You need to look at it close up and in order to see all the wonderful and beautiful details, there is so much to be found. But you also need to step back and see it from afar to appreciate it’s full richness. This ride was me looking at it from a far. There are not many words that can summarize it, besides you should just try it for yourself.

 

Plus you get to wear this awesome blue jacket!

 

 

A Blog Revamp

There once was a time when I committed to blogging for LUIP. And then there came a time when my life was consumed by moving around in a dance studio or sitting at my computer. But now I am back. I have 5 weeks left for my course and hopefully 3 months left in the UK. It is my attempt to blog every week or even twice a week. It could be short, long, or just pictures. So I guess you will need to come back and visit all the time.

Print from etsy.com

 

Tea

Finally a blog about tea!

Seeing as my blog is called my cup of tea I though it was about time to write about tea. And I shall start by saying 1.) I love tea, 2.) I never new tea could taste so good, and 3.) The different types of tea are limitless, which is news to me. In respect to my deep passion for tea it was only suspect that LUIP would do a tea outing. We went to Fortnum & Mason. Comparable to Harrods and Selfridges, just not as big, but with a lot more traditional English flavor. Every moment is to be savored when having tea so let see what I can recapture.

The table: While growing up in a middle class home in the States we had ‘China’. The fancy dinnerware only brought out for special occassion and a tea cup to be brought out when my mom wanted a little extra class while drinking her Lipton. I always thought procelain tea cups were impractical with my clumsiness so I wrote them off. No one needed to spend that much on a tea cup and saucer I thought. BOOM! Proven wrong. Just look at this.

Oh so simple but yet oh so elegant

The simple elegance bashed my chine Stereotype. Now to save up to buy one or two cups!

The talk: We had a delightful presentation by the archivist at Fortnum & Mason. They have so much history and pride that they need an archivist. For a ‘department’ store. Not enough words to recap the whole story so I will say look at their website. http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-358-our-history-fortnum-and-mason.aspx

Tea: Never have I ever seen more options for tea in my entire life until I came to Fortnum  & Mason. Assam, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, Afternoon and Breakfast, Ceylon Orange, Russian Caravan, Green, Gunpowder, and a tea for every occassion. The list could go on forever.

Treats: Not the word used to describe these delicacies so I shall refer to them as mouth watering goodness. The goodness offered to us had a lot of Fortnum flavor and sugar. I recommend the pastries and treats but save the clotted cream, scones, and jam for a bakery. I adored the rose petal eclair… So different, yet so tasty.

I shall finish with a quote that sums up my feelings for tea:

“Some people will tell you there is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chinese New Year

One of the best parts of studying in London is being able to experience what the term ‘cultural diversity’ really means. London really embraces each culture and celebrates what makes people different. And they go all out! Chinese New Year is  celebrated all over the world but in London it’s pretty extravagant.

The last time I remember celebrating Chinese New year is in elementary school. So I have London to thanks and LUIP for bringing this time of year back into my life.

For this LUIP event we went out to lunch a traditional Chinese restaurant, well as traditional as you ca get in London. Some soup, tea (found out I like jasmine tea, who knew?), that amazing sticky rice, and dish after dish. A little spice here and a little tofu there.

The meal was delish. Best Chinese food I have ever had. Sorry America.

 

Food for Thought

Chorizo

Have you ever felt like your cooking repertoire was lacking or missing a key ingredient? Well I did until Chorizo came into my life. For those who are unfamiliar with this food it is a Spanish sausage, supposedly spicy. It is good fried, baked, or just eaten alone. It can be put in sauces, pastries, omelets, anything with tomatoes sauce, and so much more.

I am a lover of bacon but, as a dancer, I try limit my bacon intake. We all know it is good for the soul but bad for every other part of your body. The good news is I have now found a substitute, yes this is possible, for bacon. Chorizo.

Reasons for my new obsession. In England bacon is weird. There is typically less fat, its thicker and wider, and it is sold in smaller quantities for a higher price. Basically epic fail on England’s behalf! Chorizo on the other hand, when on sale, is reasonably priced and it is by far less terrible for you. When comparing 100g of bacon with 100g of chorizo, chorizo has half the calories, close to a third of the fat that bacon has and 20 more grams of protein than bacon. So the clear winner is chorizo!

Happy cooking from my kitchen to yours!

Lingo of London Part 1

In Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost, set in the English country side, he writes, “ We really have everything in common with American nowadays except, of course, language.”

No one bothered to share this with me before I hopped across the pond. Maybe people haven’t read the book, or people didn’t believe it because it’s a fictitious book. Either way it would have been helpful to know because Mr. Wilde is indeed correct. British English and American English use the same language but different words, which in turn can make for some interesting conversations.

I would like to bring to your attention the diverse differences in the word usage between these two English speaking countries. Whether you come to London for business, holiday/vacation, or to study it would be best for anyone to know a handful of these words.

Now, my interpretation may be different from someone else. Remember Great Britain has had the English language far longer than America, allowing for more variation than American English. I will stop here before I get into philosophy and semiotics but note that some British English speakers may not agree with my translations… if we I may call them that.

Here we go:

In America when you don’t feel good you would say, “ I am sick or I feel sick.”

In England you would say, “I am ill”, or potential, “I am poorly or I am feeling poorly.”

Whilst feeling sick, in America you may ask for some Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, or other medicine for making pain go away.

In England you most likely will here someone ask you for parcetymol. (A word that spell check doesn’t even recognize). They mean anything similar to the drugs listed above.

In America you use the vacuum to vacuum the house.

In England you use the hoover to hoover your room. No need to capitalize.

In America when you cook some thing on the stove you put the pot on the burner.

In England you would say hob. You must say it in a British accent though.

In America you would say cigarette.

In England it is a fag. This is a key one to remember so you are not taken of guard or offended when someone asks you for one.

In America the thing that has pedals, two wheels, and handle bars is a bike and with that you could in theory bike anywhere.

In England it is a little more complicated but sounds far classier. You own a bike in which you cycle on. So you would cycle to work, and you may even call yourself a cyclist if you choose to not have a car.

In America we have the USPS(United States Postal Service), yet we still call the stuff delivered at our door the mail. We have mail boxes but yet we go to the post office.

Well just like in Harry Potter you have the post in England. Just don’t use the word mail and you will be good.

And this is just skimming the surface. Stay tuned for more, much more.

Always remember, you may share the same language but that does not insinuate a shared understanding.

Umbrella’s Under Pressure

There was a time when I thought it would be really nice to have an official tour of London. One where I could see all the sights and gain a quick knowledge of the city’s History. And if you have ever watched the movie Winning London you will believe it can all be done in one day. Mark-Kate and Ashley did it, so why can’t I? The fact is London is massive. If you want to do it respectful justice you need days.

After 2.5 months here and speed tour/ scavenger hunt provided by Insider London, I would say I have seen a quarter of London. The tour hosted by LUIP and guided by Insider London took us to various places in London where we had to find things, take pictures/ videos, and do some great tasks. Despite the constant drizzle and umbrella bumping we managed to get 35 high fives on Millennium Bridge, act like Big Ben, find the most Complicated way to get from Angle to Old Street (only one stop away on the Northern line), snap some sweet pics of street art on Brick Lane, and so much more. After a quick breeze through Brick lane market to find something nice, something old, something tasty, something blue, an something ugly (the best was the picture of the old man) we made our way to get Indian food or curry.

The winning team was to win a free tour with Insider London, who offer a variety of really neat tours of London. Sadly team green, my team, we were not the winners. But I can tell you where the smallest police station in is London, so at least I learned some cool things. I do look forward to doing another tour with Insider London, hopefully in the near future!

Coming soon, the Lingo of London Part 1!

The Beginnings of a Brilliant Blog

Welcome to the beginnings of my oh so cheerful blog! I plan to rehash all my London/ England experiences in hopes to brighten your day and allow you to experience London from afar… or close by.

After trading in my pearls and cowboy boots for a pair Wellies (rainboots) and some gigantic scarves I landed in this lovely city and started to unfold my new life. I have heard a fair amount of people say ya’ll but apparently deep frying everything is unheard of. Beans and toast is a staple. A not very delicious staple, in my humble opinion. And men dress properly. More to come on that topic in a later blog.

The starting point of this blog is London Universities International Partnership (LUIP). It is LUIP goal to bring attention to London as a study destination. LUIP works with universities in the London area to select Study Ambassadors from 15 universities to aid in this initiative. Through students blogging about their experiences and life in London they hope draw more attention to London as a hub for academia. I am honored to be Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance’s first London Study Ambassador(LSA). I look forward to what I may discover and then share with you.

The introductory LUIP event in conjunction with London & Partners event was simply delightful. After a round of meeting the other ambassadors, drinks, and food we sat down for a formal introduction. I am excited to get to know all of the ambassadors and make connections with people from various parts of the world. We found out the expectations of our blog and what we are to produce and achieve, as well as an encouraging masterclass in blogging.

I say encouraging because blogging was never a high priority on my list of things to do in London but after this Blogging Masterclass I was hooked. I now understand professional bloggers. They get to experience things, make things, write about things, and then get paid for all these things. What’s not to love? I obviously will not be paid for this, but we all have to start somewhere.

In my blog I hope to prepare people who are coming to study in London and maybe even entice some other people to join in on the jolly good fun. Possibly clarify some not so clear points on the VISA application. Who knows, but stay tuned.

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