Seeing the London Highlights while extremely jet-lagged

CHEERS! It has been a bloody whirlwind of a few days, so here's a recap of my first few crazy days in London!!!

So DAY 1:

Day 1 was full of not fun orientation events BUT we took a splendid stroll through the Kensington Gardens. I am staying in Olympia which is right next to the posh royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea. My campus is in Kensington Square, one of the oldest and most affluent areas of London. Kensington is home to Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace where Queen Victoria grew up. It's so cool to be living in an area so rich with history.

Here's what I learned/observed right away:

• Everyone is speaking English, but I am still having a hard time picking up the slang/understanding people. 
• Americans are loud. British people seem very reserved. We drew a lot of attention while walking through Kensington Gardens in the afternoon because theatre people are louder than your group of average Americans. 
• Walking. There is a lot of that. My feet hurt.
• PUBS DONT HAVE HOSTESS STATIONS! A group of 4 people from my program went to a pub to grab some dinner, and we walked in the door and literally stood there for 20 minutes like what???? THEN we figured out that you just sit down and go up to the bar and order your food. I was so confused. But we had some great burgers and chips (aka fries y'all).

And DAY 2: 

So we got an e-mail saying that we are doing an orientation event that is full of sight-seeing in London.  I was expecting to just do a lot of casual walking through London and seeing the fun sights while being jet lagged still. I WAS VERY WRONG. The "orientation event" was a scavenger hunt to visit London's most famous pubs! It was incredibly fun, but I wish I had been more prepared for this, as I was not ready to be downing pints at 1 pm in the afternoon while my body was still thinking it was 7 am. But it was an absolute blast, and helped me to get a little more comfortable with my surroundings. Today David and I are going to do some more walking around Kensington and we're going to have dinner at the legendary Harrods department store food court. Anywho enjoy these pictures from the first few days, and look for more updates soon! Over and out, y'all.  

Kensington Palace

Queen Victoria's Garden

The Palace up close

Literally a scene out of a Disney Movie 

Palace from the side 

Queen Vicky's Pond

Royal Albert Hall

The Prince Albert Memorial

The National Gallery 

Partial View of Trafalgar Square

The London Eye

The Albert Mansions near Royal Albert Hall

Kensington High Street

Arrival in London!

I have safely arrived in London!!!!!! I have been up for close to 24 hours and running off of adrenaline, power naps, and coffee. Already it has been an adventure and a half getting from St. Louis to London and then shlepping all my bags to the flat. David and I have an awesome flat that is much roomier than we expected. Can't wait to post pics! Stay tuned, over and out, y'all. 

Leaving for London!

In a mere 48 hours I will be arriving in London! I am so excited that I have been given this AWESOME opportunity to study abroad at the London Dramatic Academy. In the coming semester I will be attending an acting conservatory, and taking courses in acting, movement, voice, and period dance. I am absolutely thrilled to be going on this journey of a lifetime. I hope to grow not only as a person, but as an artist (rolls eyes at own pretension). Follow my adventures as me and my buddy David take Europe by storm. Over and out, y'all.