But Does it Taste Good

Garlic Salt is my saving
grace! I literally put it on
everything. 

I love the chalkboard look
of this label! The mat finish
is just the icing on the cake.

Finding the grocery store was only half the task of getting supplies. I almost cried in the store when I realized that most of my household named brands, that I've grown to love and trust... They are not international! I wondered the aisles like a lost puppy dog.  Lucky for me, me irrational obsession for chalkboards, twine and mason jars did me right because I was buying everything based on the looks of its packaging. In my entire life, I have only bought one brand of seasoning and maybe two brands of pasta sauce... Lawry's and Prego have never disappointed! But I was weary about buying brands I've never heard of. The natural yet "pinteresty" look of these products lured me in and the packages did the products justice. (Thank god for my picky  eating habits) they tasted just as good as they looked!

Pubs, Pubs and More Pubs

   The pub scene is a very prominent idea here in London. Unlike at home, it is more acceptable to go in the middle of the day. Also unlike home, it's a place to spend a lot of time while socializing with friends with out getting hammered while doing so. The service is much different here, unlike at home, you do not have a waiter coming to check on you every ten minutes. The waiters don't come to you unless you flag them down and if you didn't know better, you would think that they didn't want to help you. They leave you to yourself to socialize amongst yourselves. The amount of pubs is much greater here too. It seems as if there is one on every block!

They mostly are owned by the same people and because of that, 

they all look very similar. I think that the reputation and familiarly 

in the design and look of the pub helps their business because like 

chain restaurants, the customer is comfortable and knows what to 

expect. In this case, I think it also helps that the pubs are very cute, 

yet have a classic, polished look to them. I mean how could you say 

no to these adorable pubs, showered with flowers?

Now What?

Welcome to our humble abode 

Eventually we made our way to our new home and to great relief, it's a beautiful set up in one of the nicest parts of town. Even so, we had a few more struggles and I had a new situation I had to grow to love. (I never lived in the dorms) Living in a quad stacked room was neither a familiar nor welcomed idea. Lucky for me, I ended up with great roommates that made the transition a breeze. (God bless their souls for putting up with me.) The other problem to tackle... We had nothing in the kitchen and no idea how to navigate the city. None the less, we eventually found our way. (At least we lived to tell the story)

Finding "Home"

My beautiful, yet inconvenient
luggage

My first week studying abroad in London was far from ordinary! In seven days, not only did I settle into the place where I'll call home for six weeks (five weeks longer than I've ever been away from my real home), I made six fabulous friends, rode bikes through royal parks, listened to T swift sing, met tons of locals, went to class, went to museums, partied like the brits do and have been lost for the majority of it all! Starting with our initial arrival to the airport, there was nothing but confusion. The ten and a half hour flight must have dazed us (along with minimal direction and phone service) because once off the plane, we were lost in a maze of airport terminals, tube rides and busy London streets. To add to my distress, I brilliantly brought three suitcases which brought upon the great challenge of transporting up stairs and over 6+ blocks.