Richmond's Own (but unowned) Website

Sleep last night was interesting. I slept around 9, and the sun was still up. I woke up at 2am, and then again at 6am (the sun was already up – I heard that it had risen as early as 4 or 5 in the morning!), and then finally at 7, I woke up for the last time. We went and had breakfast in the cafeteria – I had a chocolate filled bread thing, which was pretty good actually! I also had some rice krispies (is there a generic name for that? Puffed rice ceral?), and an apple, which was pretty good as well! We came back from breakfast, and some people tried waking up Ahren, who apparently mumbled back something which no one heard during the door pounding. We had a while to wait, Alexis was showing us some break dancing moves, and we had some fun out on the little balcony, by climbing out the window.

We went to a Roehampton University introduction and orientation, finding out some more general information, as well as an introduction from the US-UK Fulbright Commission.  We also got our Roehamptom ducks, and sweatshirt and t-shirts! Got all my Roehampton gear now!

We had lunch a little while later, right across from our building. I had a lamb burger, I think they put some type of mayonnaise on it (tasted a little like tartar sauce too), with fries, and a small salad. (It seems like we’re eating a lot of burgers out here!) The lamb burger was pretty good though! We also received a copy of our bios in one of the packets, and started finding (and sharing) a bit more about each other – besides everything we already knew based off of facebook!

 We came back and got ready for our London orientation, in our 2 scavenger/photo/video hunt teams, Team Win, and Team Even Better (which was the best one of course!).  My group consisted of myself, Katie, Stephanie, Adam, Kelsey, and Brendan, and our Roehampton guides Emma and Mike.  The whole group took the bus down to the Barnes train station, to take an overground train into London. (I’m thinking that’s something they say here, instead of above ground). The ride was really smooth! Unlike a lot of American rail and commuter trains, we just glided (I don’t think glode is a word…I was about to type that – or glid? I don’t think so either) along into Waterloo station.

I really liked Waterloo station – there was a glass ceiling and it was huge!! Which seemed like a new extension of an older brick building – if I have time, maybe I’ll see if Wikipedia has a history of the station. But it was a very nice, very airport looking type place – shows how much prominence trains have here.  And Mike treated us to a much needed cup of (Caffe Nero – think Starbucks. Well they have those here too. Maybe more a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf? They also have another chain called Costa Coffee, where we met at the airport yesterday)coffee.

Our group headed out, and went to the London Eye (that’s the big wheel!) – Mike said when they built it, they built it in pieces, and floated it down the Thames, and then rose up it (like literally laid on its said, and was risen up!) 

Soon we saw Westminster Palace (where Parliament is), and Big Ben!  We crossed the Thames, and got to see it up close – the architecture is amazing! I love the gothic style architecture, and the ornate detail. We also went over to Westminster Abbey, which absolutely gorgeous as well! We passed a statue of Lincoln outside of Parliament square (though I’ve never seen a statue of Churchill in DC – interesting, isn’t it), and found a phone booth, where we tried to (successfully or not) do a picture similar to some previous kids, whose picture is on the cover of our Fulbright Summer Programme packets!

We passed 10 Downing Street, where we took a picture with our ducks, and some policeman (or do they call them constables? Bobbies?) who were nice and chatted with us about our ducks – almost not seeing a car they had to open the gate for! Cool though! We passed the Household Calvary Museum, where we took a picture with a guard! We made our way to Trafalgar Sqaure – home of Nelson’s Column and the National Gallery – and the T Mobile Sing Along!

We then walked up to Piccadilly Circus, which is near the West End, and has a lot of neon signs – think Times Square-esque.  We walked by Lecester Square (Harry Potter premiers me thinks), but most of it was closed off because of construction. But there were tons of restaurants and shops. We made a quick walk through Chinatown, which smelled like a usual Chinatown – though it was interesting to see Chinese signs mixed in the brick architecture. Speaking of architecture, I love the architecture, especially the mix – there are really old, hundred(s) year old buildings, juxtaposed next to new, modern buildings – giving a sense of the city’s age and history, as well as its moderness, and cultural change. 

We then made our way down to the tube, where as Laura told us earlier, stand on the right, walk on the left( or some people will get quite angry!)  It was deep and windy, like the New York system, yet it was much more brightly lit and cleaner. And seemed more orderly too, despite the throngs of people there.  It was fun – I’m starting to get the hang of it (and the use of my oyster card(think transit pass)!).  We came out near St. Paul’s Cathedral, and made a quick stop at Caffe Nero before heading over there. However, when we came out it started to rain! I suppose I blended in well with my black umbrella. We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, then took the Millennium Bridge (didn’t it get destroyed at the start of the 6th Harry Potter movie?), over to Tate Modern, and were able to see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre!

We walked along the Thames (in the rain!), past the National Theatre, and had dinner on the South Bank, and a restaurant called Giraffe, where we met up with the other group, and Roehampton staff. Dinner was quite delicious – I elected to go with a cranberry juice, but it’s interesting to note the cultural differences here in regards to alcohol. Drinking age is 18, but it seems that people drink more as a social thing, in the sense that they don’t drink to get super drunk, unlike in some places in America. I wonder if it’s the drinking age, or the culture and history we have with drinking, or some combination of those and other factors, but it’s one of the many differences between the two sides of the pond. We also got quizzed on some different usages of US and UK words! We headed back out afterwards (not in the rain, thankfully), and took a train back to Putney, the little town (or village?) near Roehampton. Kriss showed us a pub where we stayed for a bit (no, I didn’t drink anything tonight – perhaps next time, but I was really tired tonight!). I left with a group, and we got to take a double decker bus back! We got off over at the co-op, and had about a 10 minute walk back to campus – the weather at night was very nice tonight!

Today was an amazing experience, thrilling, and a bit overwhelming! We saw so much of London in just a few hours (and a plethora of tourists from all over the world!), I’d love to go back and take more time at a lot of places! There is so much going on here, and so much to see and learn!

Blogging from Roehampton University, London! 8 hours ahead of my pacific time counterparts.

So, to start with today (Saturday – it feels like today for me, though I guess technically it was really yesterday…darn time changes). Had breakfast with dad at Denny’s for an early Father’s Day breakfast.  Then I finished packing up my stuff. Except for my computer, which decided that it would install updates as I shut it down. Making us stay at home 20 minutes extra. But we still got to the airport at a reasonable time, more than 3 hours early, but the line at Air New Zealand was really long. And only 2 attendants were working the counter – but soon there were 6 or 7, and the line went quite quickly!  Got thrown a bit of a curveball with them weighing the carry on baggage, but it worked out.

I met Kevin at the airport, before we boarded the plane.  It was nice to walk past the first two classes, with fully reclining seats that turn into beds, and footrests. But then was to the back economy class, where the seats seemed awfully close together – maybe even closer than regular flights. 

But it was an interesting flight. There was back seat entertainment – I watched a couple bits from some Glee episodes, and I also finally watched The Social Network (not a very satisfying ending!), and The Adjustment Bureau (Went in with low expectations, came out satisfied). Also tried to get some sleep. It was hard though, without much room to rest my arms, and a crying baby.  Though to make up for my lack of sleep were meals! We had a dinner meal, I had a chicken pasta dish, which came with chickpea salad, a roll, and a mini cup of ice cream. We also had breakfast – I had a cheese omelet, with a little bowl of fruit and yogurt cup. Thank you Air New Zealand! There was a beautiful moment went we broke through the cloud cover over London, and were able to make a nice circle, the Thames in full view – I wasn’t able to get a picture, but it sure looked amazing!

When we landed at London Heathrow, we had to go through customs – the line was long, but it went quickly, and the customs officer that I was with was friendly. The airport was very nice as well – a lot of glass work and natural light. Then baggage claim, then out to Costa Coffee, where Kevin and I met up with 9 of the other students, with one coming later, along with our Roehampton representative Kriss.  We waited for a coach (on the left side of the street!) and boarded, on our way to Roehampton. The streets seem a lot narrower than they are in America, and it was also interesting to see all the traffic circles (and how used to them people are, as opposed to some in the US).

Once we got here, we settled in for a bit, and Kriss gave us a tour around campus. It’s a nice campus, with a lot of old buildings. I have a nice view of a green/field out my window, and the rooms also have their own sinks in them (a nice amenity!). We tried to go to dinner, but arrived an hour early (and in the process of walking there went pretty close to a wedding party and its security guard). We went back and waited around for a while, before walking south to look for a convenience store, before coming back for dinner.

We had hamburgers, corn, potatoes, and salad. The hamburger wasn’t the best, but the cheese (munster I think?) was pretty good, and the rest of the food was rather like dorm food. It was alright. There were pitchers of water along the long tables, along with a sweeter drink (something between sugar water, lemonade, and capri sun). Been settling in to Roehampton – I really need some sleep! Hope tomorrow is just as exciting!

(pictures will be on Facebook soon!)

Wow, what a week – I can’t believe I’m leaving already! It feels like a few days ago when I found out I’d be studying in London in a Fulbright Summer Institute. But it has always seemed like it was so far off. And now today’s the big day – I think I still feel surreal about the whole thing.

Quick blog on the week. Doing more on the internship. Got to sit in some meetings regarding some online shows they’re developing. I’ve also been looking over the internet for some possible talent, brainstorming some ideas for a summer web series, and looking at some possible locations for one of the shows they’re consulting on. I watched a live webcast for an store that sells natural products (natural/organic foods, non toxic household cleaners, etc), which is cool, because they do webcast with the makers of the products. They’ve interviewed people who make organic coffees, nut mixes, belts, and this week…naturally made lubricants. Yeah. Made for an interesting webcast, especially since that woman was quite a personality. There’s a clip on YouTube I believe, which I may post or link to eventually. But I’ve really enjoyed my time there so far, and am looking forward to once I return.

I’ve made initial contact with my Cornell in Hollywood mentor, and I felt like we had a good, and very informative conversation. As part of the program, I got to go to a screening of “Friends with Benefits” last night (a month before it opens!) which was really cool. I enjoyed it, and thought it was a fun couple hours. It helps that it was made by the same guy who made Easy A (who’s also a Cornell alum!). I’d see it again (maybe when I’m back?). It was also a great opportunity to see the other interns again, and catch up a little bit – one of the few downsides of the Fulbright program is that I won’t get to know the other interns as much as I’d like to, and explore my internship as much as I could have. 

As for the rest of the week, I visited Mrs. Phillips to talk some stuff (and ran into some old friends from ASB). Then there was some fun with the high school friends – 11 of us. Watched bridesmaids (I’m watching a lot of these kinds of movies this summer, aren’t I…) with some of them, and then we got together. Some fun doing Pictionary again, Apples to Apples, and food!

And now getting ready to leave. There’s a feeling I get when I’m feeling, it’s strange. At first I’m with friends, then it’s just me and my parents for a while, until the end, when it’s just me by myself. Like the journey the protagonist has to make on his/her own. Not that I’m an epic hero or anything. But there’s a certain fear and sadness and excitement of being isolated and undergoing a new experience by yourself. But there’s going to be a whole bunch of new people to meet soon!

So some notes for while I’m gone. I’ll try to update the public blog once in a while. You can follow my Twitter updates @throughthegate, hopefully I’ll be able to update that too. And I will try to upload pics to Facebook as often as I can (though I have the feeling that I’m going to be quite busy), but I’ll try to upload as I can. Remember UK time is 8 hours ahead of the US west coast.

Time for some time travel!

Many times I’ve heard stories about people with their long commutes, or the single mother riding the bus for a few hours to work, on the news or featured on a blog, or things like that.  They’re touching stories, but I never really had experiences like that until this summer. Which is not to say that I know what it is like to be in that situation persay, but I feel like I have a better idea.

A rundown of a typical interning day:

5:45am – Wake up, get dressed, eat, etc. Download some podcasts to possibly listen to later during the commute.
6:30 – Leave for the train station
6:55 – Take the Metrolink train to downtown LA
7:35 (or so) – Get to Union Station
7:37 if I run to the subway or we get in early, 7:47 if else, then take the subway up to Sunset
8:10 (or so, depending on the Subway) – Get on a bus down Sunset
8:40-9:30, really depending on traffic – Arrive at the offices

And the same coming back in the afternoon, though usually there’s more traffic on Sunset, and the bus ride becomes closer to an hour.  Getting home somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30, depending how late I stay at the office, how long the bus takes to get to the subway, and then what time the subway comes to Union Station (there are only a few trains that come back out to Industry at night, and I’m always a bit afraid I’m going to miss all of them and be stuck at Union Station for a night...or figure out some crazy bus route that will get me back home).

Though the reliability (or lack of it) with public transportation can be aggravating sometimes.  I will say that it probably saves me money and time compared to driving (if I even really had access to a car during the day too). But, it’s hard to know the traffic down Sunset. Going there is usually alright, but coming back gets me all tensed up sometimes, in fear of missing that train. It’s frustrating to be powerless in those types of situations (if I was driving, I might try to go down to Beverly or 3rd or some other street…which is harder to do when you’re not the bus driver). But then I try to remind myself to relax – just sit back and read my book. Or if I’m standing and the bus is super crowded, to just stand there and try to relax as much as I can.  The last time, I missed the train I wanted by about 2 minutes, so I had to wait for the second to last train of the evening. Though it was a little nice, getting to sit (finally bought myself a pretzel after 2 weeks!) in the oversized chairs at Union Station, and enjoy my pretzel and a book.

I do think it is interesting to ride through different neighborhoods on different modes of transportation and see how people differ (and how much room you have to relax on that mode of transportation!).  I enjoy the morning commute, when I arrive at Union Station, and watch all the commuters go whichever way, and get myself swept up into the crowd, all heading everywhere at the same time. There’s a certain magic to it (though it misses an element o f majesty that I think Grand Central has in New York).  And it’s always fun to watch the running commuters (I’ve been one of them a couple times too). Business people, college kids, high school kids, and tourists – I see them all every day.

But if nothing else, this whole experience puts that 15 minute walk from North Campus to Rockefeller, or the walk up Libe Slope into some perspective…

Quick rundown of the week! Last Saturday some of my dad’s old friends came over (from his childhood I believe), as well as my uncle and aunt, and we had BBQ Ribs! Yum! They were delicious (though one parent forgot to put aluminum on the pan, so they weren’t as tender as they could have been!), but nevertheless, very very good. 

Sunday was the pre-intern picnic for the Cornell in Hollywood interns, out in the Pan Pacific Park in Hollywood.  It was a nice day, though I’m glad I put some sun screen on. We all met in the park for our orientation, and it was nice to meet everyone, even though most of them were staying out west of LA. There were sandwiches, and we started to get to know each other. There was a girl who drove here by herself from the east coast! And there was a former intern from the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien!! (while it existed) – I thought that was really cool!

Monday was my first day at my internship – in the digital department at a production company, so they basically produce and distribute web content (like webisodes and things like that).  The first couple days I got to sit in my own office! That was pretty cool! Nice big office with a view of Century City, Sunset Boulevard, and Beverly Hills, nice chairs, and yellow lamps! Though that was just because that was the only space available – now I’m in a cubicle (which is probably a more proper fit) – but it was nice to intern in style for a couple days! The first day I caught up on the company’s content, and the next couple days, I was scouring the internet for possible talent for new web series the company is working on.

It’s quite a commute to get there! I have to get up at 5:45 or so, catch the train at 6:50 something from Industry, then transfer to the red line subway, then to a bus – all in all about 2 hours to get there (2.5 when you add the time going from home and waiting for the first train).  Though it took longer the first two days, because there was a light out on Sunset – so I was stuck on the bus for over an hour! Bumper to bumper traffic! But I’ll write more about the commuting experience in another post. 

Tuesday night was a panel for Cornell in Hollywood and the Cornell Club LA about Hollywood Jobs in 10 Years. While the panel went off topic a bit, it was very intriguing to hear what people in the industry had to say – about jobs, internships, networking, and various other pieces of advice. It was also a good networking event too. I met some new people (and alums) – and talked some more with the other interns – I’m partly sad that I’m going to be in London because I won’t be able to spend more time with these great people!

Though I am grateful to the intern program for allowing me to learn a lot more about LA! I haven’t gone west of downtown a whole lot, and the intern program has allowed me to do so (as well as gain some exposure to the thing we call our public transportation system). Farmer’s Market, Sunset Boulevard, the Grove, all that wonderful stuff!

And one more quick note – congrats to all the graduates in the class of 2011! Welcome to the “real world” now! Strange thing though. I’ve been reminiscing a bit about last year – I remember that I was excited, but even after the ceremony, I didn’t feel like anything big had changed.  Didn’t feel like I graduated exactly – it was rather anti climatic (quite different than winning something like a band medal!) – and has seemed like a rather drawn out process. Actually I feel like this whole year went by rather quickly – it’s probably about a year since I started blogging semi-regularly (May 2010 after Every 15 Minutes probably….) and I still feel that I graduated just a few days ago! And even the 2011 kids –  the last time I saw everyone they were juniors! (I suppose that’s what happens when you’re 3000 – not 4000! Hahah – miles away). Feels like I stopped in once…and then at the end of the year and it’s almost like waking up and 8 months just pass by and you haven’t seen any of it, which is an interesting thing after watching these kids for 3 years, and not seeing the third year. I guess it’d be like watching the first couple seasons of Battlestar Galactica, then watching the finale and recognizing everyone, but at the same time there are a lot of changes and differences that just seemed to have happened without really understanding. (Which is almost what I did – missed a lot of the Hera arc as well as the final 4 – I was like what’s all this talk about more human cylons?!?!) But today’s not about me – it’s about you, your accomplishments, your hopes, your dreams.  Congratulations again to the class of 2011!