There are advantages to being Unemployed...

Well, the quest for my internship is still delayed. I did have an interview yesterday with a political consultancy, where I would basically be running one man's entire campaign for gaining a seat in Parliament, and I have another interview in two hours with a political communications company to work in their Media department. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be quite what I was hoping for, a broadcast journalism internship. I am trying to stay positive, and I am sure that whatever job I end up with will be a wonderful experience.

None the less, there are advantages to being unemployed. Wednesday, while everyone else in my group was slaving away at work, my friend Ellen (whose supervisor is on holiday, so she doesn't have to work) and I slept in, and went down to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square to take in some sights. We were on a mission to buy tickets to see a few shows for our group of friends to see while we are in London. We went to see what sort of seats were available at Avenue Q, and ended up buying tickets for that night's performance. We only paid 20GBP (about $40) and were in the eighth row, dead center of the stage. But more on that later. After grabbing a Cadbury McFlurry (justified because they don't sell these in the States) we looked into a few other shows and headed back to the flat. After getting all dolled up, we cooked some dinner and headed back into the city. Theater in London was an interesting experience, partially because we were able to take photos in the theater, as long as the curtain was not up, we were allowed to eat in the theater, and there is a service such that you order a drink at the beginning of the show, and it is ready for you to pick up at intermission (and of course you can bring it back to your seat with you). Overall, Avenue Q was an amazing show, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. It can best be described as Sesame Street on crack, complete with gay puppets, porn, nudity (by puppets, of course) and songs about racism. At one point in the show the a sign was supposed to fall when the actors pulled a string, but got stuck on one end. After numerous attempts to fix this, the actors moved on with the show, only to get hung up on their lines. One of the actors was laughing so hard he could barely get his lines out. It was hilarious.

Yesterday (Thursday), Ellen and I were joined by our friend Raquel. Raquel is technically employed, having worked the rest of the week, but her supervisor went on a holiday, so she had the day off. We got another late start, and woke up with some lovely breakfast burritos, cooked by yours truly. Raquel was our official cruise director for the day, and decided that we would pack some lunches and go down to Kensington Gardens for a picnic. So three sandwich preparations later we were off to Kensington. Right as we were walking down the main pathway at the entrance of the park (maybe 200 yards in), we heard a helicopter overhead. As we watched it, it landed in a field just next to Kensington Gardens. After it landed we noticed that it had the royal crest on the side of the chopper. So like proper tourists, we decided to hang around to see who was going to be getting in, hoping it would be one of the princes perhaps:-). About 10 minutes later, three cars came out of the gate and pulled up to the chopper on the far side. We didn't have a very good view, all we could see was a little purple hat. (I was video taping this whole time, zooming in as close as possible). Soon after the helicopter takes off, and the three Americans are still standing along the fence. Since we didn't have a very good view, Raquel approaches one of the police officers in the area and asks who just left. THE QUEEN! I have a pretty good view of her getting into the helicopter. As I was recording I thought that it was her, but there were only 2 police officers standing guard. Based on the American standard of security, I thought that it couldn't possibly be the Queen. But I was proved wrong. After a few excited phone calls back to the states, we went down to the Round Pond and had our lunches. We took in the scenery and took lots of pictures (to be posted soon, fear not). It was here that I received a phone call informing me that I had a telephone interview with the political consultancy. So, we rushed to finish up a bit of Kensington Gardens sightseeing, taking in the Italian Fountain, and the statue of Peter Pan, before heading off to CAPA (the internship coordinators).

After my interview, Raquel, Ellen and I were joined by RJ (having just got off of work) and went to the posh High Street Kensington area to do a bit of shopping. I bought a few new tops and a dress to help me blend a bit more with the British girls. On a side note, even if I am completely silent on the Tube, I still feel like I stick out. I have noticed that British girls dress much trendier (hence the new clothes) and have choppier haircuts. I have also noticed, along with other girls, that British girls don't really wear makeup. I have taken these observations to heart and I am trying to be a chameleon (I plan on cutting my bangs a bit tonight after my interview--in case I botched it up). Back to yesterday. We did a bit of shopping, and went over to the recently opened Whole Foods Market. This is the first Whole Foods in the UK, and is even more posh and expensive than at home. Needless to say, we did not buy anything. After yet another long Tube ride home, we got back to the flat just in time to be dragged out again by other people from the group. We went to what has become our new hang out in Islington, the White Swan. On Thursdays at the White Swan they have any curry dish and a drink for 4.95GBP. So, I treated myself to an order of tikka masala and a Strongbow (a sort of cider). It was delicious. Soon after finishing up, Raquel and I headed home and went to bed.

The exact plans for today are still in the works. I had my first class about London and England 1886-Present at CAPA. Today we talked all about the Jack the Ripper murders and London in the 1880s. Thus far, the class seems really interesting. And as usual, I dazzled the professor with my knowledge. Another professor in my pocket. Soon I will be running out of room! Just kidding. Well, now I am just finishing up all of my preparations before I head out to my interview at Dods, the political communications company. Hopefully something will materialize there. By the looks of things, we are going to go out to one of London's many dance clubs tonight, so that should be fun.

Don't worry, more tales from across The Pond are sure to come! Until then...