Camden Market

This past weekend, I spent 6 hours at the Camden market and didn't even being to see all of it! There is everything there from Moroccan goods to this futuristic store where I think Lady Gaga must definitely shop! There are dancers up in the rafters with futuristic go-go outfits and neon paint all over them with black lights-think the club scene in "Miss Congeniality". The rest of Sunday was spent catching up on much missed episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice :) I cuddled up on my bed and watched episodes for about 3 hours-I know, I'm in London and should be out doing stuff, but it was nice to have just a little bit of home:) Last night I made a big pot of chili that I can heat up until I go to Italy this Thursday! We fly to Rome and then take a train immediately to Venice for 3 days. After that, it's back on the train to Florence for 2 days, and then back to Rome for the last 4 days! I'm really excited and hopefully there will be some sunny weather for me; it's been really chilly, damp, and rainy here for the past few days. I know, not as bad as 25 inches of snow, but still really chilly :) Miss you all like crazy...make a snowman for me :)

Rugby!

On Saturday February 20, a group of us went to a rugby game at the Twickenham Stoop in southwest London. It was kind of a drizzly day, but it was still a ton of fun! The picture above shows a "scrum" where players after an illegal play line up in sort of a linked group. The front man, the "hooker" tries to kick the ball back to his team while the other team tries to do the same. 

warmups.

The field.

#13's good side ;)

The Harlequins were the home team and the Sale Sharks (shown here) were the visitors, but far cuter players :)

By the end of the game you couldn't even tell which player played for what team; they were all caked in mud.

Rugby is pretty much a combination of American football, and soccer. They can only pass behind the line but can kick forward. The clock never stops unless there is a fight, which we did see! If one player gets tackled, they fight for the ball until it comes out of the pile and the play continues to the team who recovered it. 

Harlequin mascots :)

:)

If a player gets hurt, 1-4 paramedics run onto the field depending on how bad the injury is. The game continues around the injured player and the clock continues. Usually, the player gets up after being checked out and gets back in the game. The average span of a professional rugby player's career is from the age of 20-early 30's because they don't wear any padding and get a lot of injuries. To say the least, it's way more badass than any American sport!

Harlequins vs. Sale Sharks

Last night we went to see the play "The Young Idea" at RADA, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; arguably the poshest drama school in the world. The play was written by Noel Coward and was really wonderful, witty, and funny. Afterward a lot of us went a pub called Brittania and sang karaoke :) It was an absolutely blast and we're thinking of making it a weekly thing. We sang the classic "Don't Stop Believin' by Journey complete with air guitar and everything :)

Today was a pretty laid back and fun day. I went to the market in Camden this morning for the first time and it was absolutely brilliant! Not only were there the typical made-in-China things, but actually real designers that are trying to make it big; not to mention, the food there is to die for! 

I'm actually going back on Sunday because there was definitely not enough time to see everything in the few hours we had.

Tomorrow a group of us are going to a Rugby game. The Harlequins are playing the Sale Sharks. Apparently the Harlequins are the better team (and they have better uniforms!) so I think I'm going to root for them. I'm excited to see not only the game but the crazy fans that go along with English sports. It will be quite the sight I'm sure :) Wish me luck!

Parliament Tour

Yesterday we visited Parliament.

There were a few protestors outside of the building.

Protesting mostly the war and the rising cost of tuition. The tuition here is still astronomically cheaper than some of the private schools in the U.S. Take Cambridge for example. It costs 9,000 pounds per year to attend, which is around $15,000 compared to Harvard's $52,000 tuition! Students in the U.K. are protesting because of the rise to 9,000 pounds from what used to vary from 3,000-6,000 pounds. On the other hand, they very rarely received grants and scholarships. It's a fun place to be with so much debate about a topic that's so relevant to my generation. 

The architecture of Westminster Palace (the building where Parliamentary government takes place) is Parallel Perpendicular Gothic Style.  

Big Ben-which fyi, is actually the bell in the tower, not the tower itself if you'd care to know-from the rear side of the building.  

The lights have little crowns on the top of them :)

This is the oldest part of Westminster Palace completed from 1097-1099. The ceiling is made of wood and decorated with angels, which back in the day, cost only 15 shillings each to make-only about $1!

Many famous people have had their public wake viewings here such as the Queen Mum and Sir Winston Churchill. Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II recently gave her annual opening of Parliament speech in this room. The Pope, Bill Clinton, and Nelson Mandela have also all spoken in this room. 

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside so I snuck these off of the internet. This is the House of Lords. This picture shows the annual opening of Parliament where the Queen comes and reads the speech that the Prime Minister of the day has written. She is driven to the palace in a carriage and then enters a robing room to dress with the cape and crown and enters into the house. 

The throne in the House of Lords where only The Queen herself sits. It was refurbished for 2 million pounds just a few years ago! There is much debate going on now with the new Prime Minister David Cameron along with his coalition government and the minority leader Nick Clegg about the role of the House of Lords. The reason for much debate is the thought that in a modern day society, should there really still be a house that is not elected and can only be entered by birth. I saw some of the lords walking around and they seemed to be pretty nice and intelligent guys, so I wouldn't be educated enough to decipher what would be most advantageous for the U.K.

This is the House of Commons, located just 800 meters down the corridor from the House of Lords. There are 650 members of Parliament or MP's that are elected representatives from around the United Kingdom including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England. The Prime Minister is the authority figure in this house as is The Queen in the House of Lords. The Prime Minister, being elected, does actually, I don't even know if I can say this without being charged for treason, have more power than The Queen.  He has the power to say when things are done and how they are done, and she is more of a symbolic figure. Since the House of Commons is an elected house, no member of royalty is allowed inside the chamber and there has not been since 1642 under the reign of King Charles I. Since the Queen cannot summon the MP's herself, members of the House of Commons are summoned to the opening of Parliament by the Queen's messenger affectionately called "Black Rod" because he walks down the corridor from the House of Lords to the House of Commons with a black rod and then proceeds to pound at the door with it. The MP's symbolically yell at him and tell him to go away and slam the door in his face and then he knocks again; this time the MP's agree to follow behind him. It's all very ceremonial and historically symbolical. Check out the link below if you want to see it for yourself :) It's really interesting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDLL45b0uEo

Tomorrow I'm helping with a photo shoot at work and am really excited as I've never seen one in action before. We're using the vacant room next door that has these huge windows so it should be really great! Saturday I'm going to a rugby game so that should be interesting! I don't even know the rules or teams, so I might just cheer for the ones that are wearing the best colors haha! :)I'm sure it'll be great! 

More Coasteering/Kayaking Pics!

Joey, Me, Ian (from San Francisco), Deondre (from Houston), and one of our guides.

Getting ready for the big jump!

(with Quang Ly in the back :) haha!)

Me just hanging out in the ocean waiting for others to jump :)

Mid-air on the middle sized jump, about 10 feet.

]

The grand finale! about 30 feet!!! Soo much fun!

The three adrenaline junkies who survived the big jump! 

Will, Joey, Me :)

My good side...haha not! 

Me in the middle in all black with blue life jacket.

I'm the yellow kayak on the right!

Jumping back in after rollover #1/3!

It was a gorgeous day! 

Living the life!

    Today for my internship, Sarah(my boss/owner/designer) and Anna(designer) took Florent (the French intern) and I to Pure, a big fashion expo at the Earl's Court exhibition center. It was absolutely awesome! Tons of designers and companies with their new spring/summer collections. Tomorrow I have my first of six internship seminars. We'll talk about how our internships are going and learn more about the work environment in the U.K. It'll be a busy day, but that means I'm just that much closer to spring break, which means I'll be half done with this semester! crazy! Check out the link below for Pure exhibition :) Have fun browsing!
      http://www.purelondon.com/purelondon/website/Default.aspx?refer=1&id=mainLnk1