Summary Of December 2011

Happy New Year !!

Sadly, I was unable to keep my promise of keeping up with blog for my entire study abroad experience. SO much has happened! December was definitely crunch time for coursework and getting the most out of my study abroad experience.

In the next few days/weeks, I hope to update everything that has happened to me in the past month... Right now, I am enjoying a winter break until January 24th.. where I will then be returning to Wellesley for the Spring semester! How exciting?!

Here are some of the topics that I hope to write about!!... :)
1) Summary of UCL Experience: Courses and Friends
2) Europe Trip with my sister from 12/17-12/31: Amsterdam > Brussels > Paris > Barcelona > Milan > Pisa > London
3) Thoughts and Feelings about London

Until Then? xoxo
Kristian

Google Code F!

*Quick update to make this blog more interesting... because pictures are always fun!
Here is a link to the Google+ page for Google Code F
And here are pictures.... Google Code F Picasa Album

Yay tons of women computer scientists working together !
We were given a technical challenge to create a webpage using javascript and the Google+ API.
It was extremely fun and encouraged me to do more technical challenges.... :)

I wish I could work for Google! It's application season! So wish me luck.

Kristian

Missing 15 days of posts...

I know that I have been missing for about 15 days. This is a factor of coursework, traveling, procrastination, etc.!

I have to go over 600 photos from my trips to Paris and Madrid! So I'll try to upload those soon.

Other than that, the highlights of my trip can be listed in bullet points below:

Paris
- AMAZING
- Great Food
- Beautiful Monuments, Landmarks
- Itinerary was very chill
- Paris is a pretty walkable city
- Nice vacation spot

What did I see?
The Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, The Lourve, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, Arch De Triumph, Sacre Coure... much more...

Madrid
- Nearly got pick-pocketed..
- The hotel/hostel was awesome -- best shower since being abroad...
- Food was standard
- Landmarks, Monuments were anti-climatic since I went to Paris...
- Shopping is awesome!
- Everyone is well-dressed...
- The metro system is the best of Europe

What did I see?
Palace de Real, Palace Mayor, Prado Museum, more famous landmarks in Madrid...


More Experiences...
Cambridge
I also traveled outside of London to the city of Cambridge! I learned so much more about Cambridge University... and the campus is amazingly beautiful...

Google London UK Office
I had the opportunity to go to the Google Office in London!! This was made possible due to Google Code F, which is an event created to inspire and encourage women to continue pursuing computer science! More information of Google Code F can be found here: http://www.ukcodef.com/
I need to blog about this experience more... I definitely want to work for Google some day in the future...

So this is overall a quick update.. more like a note of what has been happening to me... I hope that you all haven't been bored... T___T;

I only have three weeks left of the term! So I have tons of coursework due in the next few weeks. :)
Please do send me a Facebook message, tweet, or email if you're truly interested in catching up! We can definitely plan a skype date!

Side Note: Being abroad is amazing, but I am starting to miss home and Wellesley.

Until I feel like updating again soon.... !

Kristian

Next Post Paris!!

Lack of updates due to my current trip to Paris!! Will be returning to London in a few hours...

I will definitely have to blog my experience!!! So please do wait for that!

Eat. Cook. Eat?

Okay I know I am terrible at updating... because I've gotten busy... but nevertheless I will try to be more motivated to update more!!

So this post will basically be about how I manage to eat in the UK... haha I will try to post a video blog sometime soon! I know that my family has requested me to do so, rather than boring posts. I hope that you all continue to read this blog! I will try to update every two days... :)

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Living in a self-catered accommodation has taught me how I would eat without a dining hall and my mom's cooking. If I had the choice, I would be eating toast, rice, and other things.

The problem is -- I didn't want to buy a toaster or a rice cooker for the few months that I am in the UK. So I had to improvise. Can you imagine what people, in the old days, used to make some of the foods/meals we have today? There were no such thing as household appliances!

As a person of Asian descent, I feel that rice is a big staple food for me and for many Asian dishes. I've learned that you can actually cook a lot of things using one non-stick pot.

Boiling water has many uses in meals and can help create many dishes such as ramen, dumplings, boiled vegetables. Instead of buying a frying pan, I can still fry eggs and sausages with the same pot. I've also learned to toast bread with the same pot! A thing I haven't tried is cooking rice... by boiling it with water. So over time, I learned that I can be frugal with buying one pot to create various dishes.

I suppose that if you saw my photo album about food in London then you've already seen most of what I have cooked. I believe the British sausage isn't exactly suppose to be burnt black... but I think this is the downside of using a shallow pot to cook it..

Other than that, handy food items that I recommend buying to make your self-catered status better:
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Nutella
Raspberry Jam
Oyster Sauce
Soy Sauce
Cornstarch
Butter
Bread

^ these items are great in the sense that you can create marinades for your food, add toppings to your toast, and make food more fun to eat!

Well that's all folks! I'm trying to update more, but I suppose this is a result of socializing with more people and not having the chance to write up my experience! Life at UCL pictures to come... :)

xoxo,
Kristian

Okay... I am terrible at updating!

This past week has been hectic and I haven't been thinking about blogging too much...
My time here is passing pretty quickly.. being that reading week is next weekend.
I only have a month and a half left, so it is becoming a bit sad!
I will miss all the friends I've made in the UK...

I don't know if I will be updating as frequently because I have tons of coursework due in the next few weeks... so please bear with me!
Check out my food in london photo album on FB, it was updated at least!

Sorry I just had to post something after not posting for nearly a week! :(

Living in the UK Tip #11

This is a post that was suppose to be published on Friday... but it wasn't complete. So here it is completed. :)

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Life in the UK has been pretty much uneventful or at least I can not think about major significant happenings in my daily life here. Time seems to be passing by faster each day. I can't believe that it's Friday already? I've already been here for a whole month.

One of the things I do remember about my week and should be Tip #11 of Studying Abroad in the UK is that you should try to make friends with people who have been studying/living in London longer than you have. Precisely, I mean make friends with people who are from the UK or lived here for at least a year because they know all the best restaurants and things to do in London.

This girl, (who lives in the UK), brought me to a place called Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) to eat for lunch. The food was amazing! I simply had a classic cheeseburger, fries/crisps, and an oreo milkshake. All of this for 7 pounds. This is a pretty big deal because meals in the UK tend to be closer to 10 pounds... GBK actually offers 40% off the total bill for students. So I was happy and would not have known about this place without her invitation.

Another girl (who has been at UCL for a year) asked me to eat with her in Chinatown after our History of Art class at the National Gallery. We went to a yummy inexpensive Chinese restaurant. From there, we were able to have conversations about the best Asian restaurants, what to do in the city, etc.

Overall, I've learned so much from the people I've met. I'm so excited and happy to be in London and I am glad to be learning from a new city.

Side Note: I know that for some people it might be hard to make friends/acquaintances. So I recommend showing up to class about 5-10 minutes early and start randomly talking to the other early birds in the class. I believe that this method works well because there are less people in the class and most people won't be distracted by the lecturer. You can simply strike up a conversation regarding the lecture, etc. So it won't be too bad!

Photos!

Here are photos I've uploaded to my facebook, these are public links. So you don't have to be my friend on fb to view them! They aren't too exciting, mostly sightseeing photos and food.

Sightseeing in London I
Sightseeing in London II
Food in London

I hope you enjoy these interesting pictures! I know the sightseeing albums can be boring with all the pictures of artifacts from the British museum... but I thought it would be a great way to remember what was there? haha I don't know.

Some of the more interesting pictures can be the olympic medals for the 2012 Olympics in London, the entrance of Westminster Abbey where Princess Catherine walked for her wedding, and the Black/White swans...

Other than that, I hope to take better quality photos... everything looks soo blurry! :(

Kristian

A little bit of home...!

Currently I am down with the case of "Fresher's Flu." A term that means a first year at UCL who became sick/caught a cold/fever after partying, joining a crazy amount of societies and clubs, and meeting tons of people. I feel that I haven't been doing anything crazy! I actually haven't partied nor joined clubs... I am probably sick anyway because of a new environment and the cold change in weather. And I suppose I have met so many people from different parts of the world who can carry different diseases, etc. which then contributes to sickness... :(

So right now I am have fatigue, a stuffy nose, and a sort throat,... I am drinking chamomile tea with honey to soothe my sickness. Luckily, I have Dayquil from home to help me. So make sure to bring your proper medicines when you travel!

Anyway -- the purpose of this post is not only to update you as to why I probably haven't updated in a few days... but also to mention how my long time friend from high school came to visit London! She is studying abroad in the Netherlands and she is staying with me. The fun thing about seeing someone from high school again is catching up after so many years. In this case, two years. Sue and I hardly kept in contact except the occasional run-in at the mall. The fact that we are both in London at the same time could not have been predicted when we were in high school. There was no pact about meeting in London after some odd years, etc. This is a crazy blessing.

Of course, I am showing her the cool touristy things and visiting places I haven't been to myself. Being here for nearly a month still doesn't make me a local, and I sure still get lost. In the whole process, I finally had the chance to eat fish and chips, cheese and onion pasties/cornish beef pasties, and Indian food. These are three of the many staple English foods in Britain.

Tomorrow we're having English Breakfast! I hope to post pictures soon! Until then~

Kristian

How Rude!

I am writing an entry because I just had to blog about what I witnessed today.

I had two computer science courses today and the most shocking thing I noticed was how rude students can be. For some reason in the UK universities, students can just talk during lectures, not listen during lectures, and simply disrespect the professor during the lecture.

At Wellesley, I feel that most students have an amount of respect where they wouldn't disrupt the class. But in the UK, students would talk, make outbursts, and obviously not learn from the lecturer. I dislike this type of classroom setting because it prevents those who want to learn from hearing the important things. Also this makes the lecturer annoyed and unwilling to go into depth about the material. I guess these are the reasons why the US university/college system still include grading marks such as participation. Or this type of respect for professors/lecturers only happen at Wellesley... I wouldn't know.

To understand all this, I can only believe that UK university students act in this rude way because their grades are solely dependent on one exam at the end of the year. They take all 8 courses' exams during their third term. Precisely, most people do not have to go to lectures and simply learn from the textbook. For me, I feel like lectures make you learn things outside of the textbook.

Another factor that could contribute to this rude behavior is most students feel like they already understand the material. In the field of computer science, I think there is a large fraction of people who think they are "know-it-alls" and try to out-smart everyone. They don't need these lectures because it's "easy." I just wish that those people would be understanding and considerate about those trying to learn in the classroom.

Overall, I feel sorry for the lecturers because I would hate being disrespected for wanting to teach about something I love and do for a living. This is simply what I have observed while studying in the UK... maybe my perceptions will change at the end of the course... but so far this is mainly seen in my courses without master students.

To add onto rude behavior, I know that there is a stereotype of Americans being rude... but I have to say that people in the UK are rude too. There were multiple times where I thought this, but I can't think about them now... hopefully I can refresh my memory soon.

Well then, until tomorrow! :)
Kristian

Never fear! There is happiness in London...

Yesterday I went to Camden Market, located on the "Camden Town" underground stop using the Northern Line. And guess what I found?? Affordable food and shopping!! I couldn't be any happier. If you ever go to London, Camden Market should be the place where you buy all of your souvenirs for people back home. There are tons of shops and make sure to look around for the best prices.

there are a bunch of random horse statues here..

these fish are banned in the USA!! Should I try a pedicure from them? haha

this is definitely a crazy "futuristic" store and had random professional dancers...

pictures weren't really allowed :(

Camden Market is like a bunch of NY Chinatown stalls put together... like a swap-meet... like a food bazaar... it's kind of like a farmer's market except with food and anything you want to buy. You can haggle at most stalls which is a bonus! It's a large collection of markets and you will definitely find something you like! The downside is that you're always worried about finding a better deal and whether the quality of the item was worth the price. There are also a ton of designer knock-offs... this makes me wonder if all Londoners shop here for reasonably priced fashionable clothes and accessories...

The prices of food here is amazing! The cheapest I've seen so far. Even thought it's not a restaurant, sit-down-for-a-date kind of place, I think it's worth it. I suppose you can simply call it "street food." There are so many varieties such as Mexican, African, Peruvian, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Polish, Italian, etc. Everything that you can probably crave when you're in London... cause the quality of food usually isn't so great... but Camden Market seems to be okay! There are actually decent sized portions there...

There are so many differences that I've been noticing/noticed while being in the UK,
- the expiration dates of food/drinks finish so quickly! Every time I buy bread, milk, meat, etc. The expiration dates come insanely fast... like within 5 days... even if you look for a longer shelf-life. I kind of miss food in the US because of this...
- Also everything has to be "consumed within 3 days after opening"... even water?? I don't get why.
- there are a ton of "beware of pick pockets" signs everywhere. It must happen so often that it's regulated to be on every part of the city...
- you get your picture taken about 200+ times a day because of the CCTV cameras everywhere. This makes me feel safe, yet worried about having a bad shot... haha

Alright -- that's all for now folks! Coursework is makes it hard for me to update more often.. :(
Kristian


Tips for Studying/Traveling to the UK #10: Understanding the Meaning of College, University, and School
In the UK, higher education after "high school" is called "university." College is a term used to describe A-level education and high school. School is used to describe middle/grade school. So it can definitely be confusing to explain that you attend "college" in the US, when you actually mean a type of "university." I don't think that this will be a big problem when talking to others. You will probably just have to explain how many people in the US use university/college/school interchangeably.

Computer Science and all of its glory

In memory of a man who changed the technology field... Steve Jobs is forever inspirational.

I heard of the news midday today from a text message. Shocked as I was, I told some acquaintances I met in computer science. They responded with "what? you didn't know?" as if it was old news. I'm sorry if I wasn't awake at 3am to read the news break on facebook and twitter... nor did I check those mediums since I had class all-day.

From there, I discovered that I am different from regular computer science majors who talks about tech-y things, such as ram, processor speeds, etc. I realized that I don't want to be a programmer.

Steve Jobs opened the technology market to think about design -- human centered design. (Of course, he has done so much more because he founded so many different things... but this is what stood out to me.) The easy-to-use interface of apple products and the billion dollar industry changed technology. This is what I like about computer science. Programmers can create the most efficient algorithms -- but I'm just not into doing that. I want to analyze, critique, understand, and design how people interact with technology. I guess I like the pretty stuff what some engineers don't believe is important in the production process. But how do engineers unlearn what they think may be obvious to some people and not others? The computer science industry has been changing and I look forward to where it will go.

As I am currently taking Software Engineering and Human Computer Interaction, I've learned how important it is to design efficient and understandable products. It can save time, error, and accidents. The most common example, used in the class, was the design of medical products in hospitals. Imagine the type of tools they use there and how complicated the buttons are.

Well those are my thoughts for now... :) The speech I've included in the video is from Stanford University's 2005 graduation. The words of Steve Jobs are pretty inspirational. Also watching video clips of Steve Jobs over the years definitely bring tears to my eyes.

I need to stop defining myself based on other people's perceptions and I need to start focusing on what a love and enjoy.

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs and Thank You for everything you've done.

Kristian

"Wow, I'm really fascinated with your accent. It's like watching tv."

Sorry for the lack of posts! Classes started and I couldn't edit my thoughts on my next two entries. But I hope you enjoy this random blurb about movies and tip.

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I went to my first movie theater and watched "What's Your Number?" starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans. It was a great movie to watch for a romantic comedy. I noticed that the previews wholly consisted of U.S. films. A cool thing about the movie theater is that you get to preselect your seats when you buy your tickets. This also happens in movie theaters in Japan. I don't know why the US does a "free for all" seating, I think it's nice to reserve your seats. I wouldn't have to worry about getting a good view.

Anyway -- The title of this post was said to me from a Londoner (a person from London). I never knew that Hollywood was a huge industry outside of the United States, until I came to the UK. The films and television shows produced by Hollywood are well-known throughout the world. (if this wasn't a shock to you, then you can stop reading now. haha)

If you didn't know, the quality of tv shows and films from the US are second to none. No wonder I shouldn't have been shocked to see so many US film advertisements, or that they screened US films in UK theaters. I've always thought that each country has their own films and tv shows to watch. This is still true, but all around the world every country recognizes Hollywood films and shows.

My friend from Germany watches "How I Met Your Mother" in American English because the German voice overs aren't as funny. So I've definitely learn something new about US Hollywood Cinema and I can't wait to learn more differences and culture shocks?

xoxo,
Kristian



UK Study Abroad Tip #9: Get a Sim Card from a Trusted Phone Company
When traveling/studying in the UK, you would most likely want a cellphone to stay in contact with your new friends and even call home. You can either buy a cheap/expensive phone in the UK and use a sim card, or as for me, I brought over a phone from home that could be used with an international sim card. Cellphones are called "mobile" here.

Don't get one from a random store on the street because it most likely won't work after a couple of days (which happened to me -- I used GT Mobile)

In the UK, they have this system for pay-as-you-go called "top up" which means to load money onto a sim card. I suppose this is similar to prepaid phones in the US. Some recognizable companies are --observed through use among friends-- Vodafone, O2, The Carphone Warehouse, Orange, and T-Mobile. There may be more but I haven't seen them yet. I recommend that you go to the company's stores located throughout London, look at their different phone plans, and find the best plan for you.

As for me, I am using a O2 sim card that is working really well for me! Since I topped up 15 pounds, I have unlimited calling and text messaging to other O2 members. (most of the people I know are using O2) So what it means to "top up" is that 15 pounds is on my sim card to use to call/text people outside of O2, since this is my plan. I used the 10 of the 15 pounds on international calling favorites -- so my family and friends can call me anytime using a number I give them. This plan probably won't be around when you're abroad/going to the UK, but I can say I recommend O2 for phone use in the UK!

Why is Everything in the UK Expensive?

UK Studying Abroad Tip #8: Shopping to live in the UK!
In the UK, Oxford Circus is a famous area for shopping -- mostly for high end fashion and department stores. Of course, it is an expensive area to go shopping, but for good reason! This tip will mostly be about knowing where to shop in the UK for cheap and smart deals. I wish I had someone to guide me to these places or at least tell me about them. I could have saved more money and could have felt better about some purchases. Since I lived and went to college in MA, I have great respect for students who are able to move from their home country/town to a new place that they do not know anything about! Learning the good and bads of places to shop is a hard thing to do.

This will seriously be a great tip for those studying abroad in the UK in the future!!

When you're studying abroad in the UK, you have to buy your own bedding, cutlery, cookware, and groceries, if you live in a self-catered hall -- which most likely would happen. The following three stores are awesome about having nearly everything you need at good values:

1) Argos, http://www.argos.co.uk/
Price Range: Under Ten Pounds = Under $15
When you first move into your hall, it's always a good idea to make friends with your flatmates so that you can share the cost of cutlery and cookware. Argos is a SUPER bargain home-ware store. There are a bunch located throughout the UK, but in central London, Argos is located near Holborn and another one near Oxford Street. It's a catalogue based store, so when you walk into the Argos store -- you have to look through pages of the catalog, write down the product number, and check the inventory in their little calculator. From there, you take your list of product number and go to the cash register to pay for the item(s). Because I found out about this store so late and September is college/university move-in season, everything inexpensive was/is pretty much sold out. Tip to avoid this upset, check online to reserve the items you want!

My fellow flatmate managed to share dinnerware sets of folks, spoons, and plates, etc. for only a couple of pounds/pence with other people. The same for a cookware set that come with 5-6 pots/pans and they simply split the set amongst themselves. Individual pans/pots were sold out, but not big sets of them. I wish I had someone to share the costs -- I ended up buying items separately which were a little more pricey.  In comparison, buying everything individually is more costly then splitting up the price for sets from Argos.

2) Primark, http://www.primark.co.uk/
Price Range: Under Ten Pounds == $15, homeware can be under Five pounds == $7
While researching online, I saw that Oxford Circus was a great area to shop and thought that buying things from department stores would be a bargain. I was totally wrong. Primark is a company from Ireland that sells clothes, bags, and homeware (bedding, linens, duvets, duvet covers, etc.) for bargain prices. They are located on Oxford Street, closer to the Marble Arch underground and past Forever 21.

Shopping at Primark can be crazy. There are tons and tons of people in the store every single time I've been there. The clothing seem to be of okay quality and there are a lot of tights (since this is a fashion staple in the UK). The bag collection is huge, but some of the bags are not great in quality. Accessories are very inexpensive and cute!

I bring up Primark because I know that everyone has to buy their own bed linens when they study abroad, unless you have them shipped over. In the UK, they have this interesting combination of bedding needed. Instead of buying a comforter, they have a thing called duvet and duvet cover. The duvet is simply the cotton inside a comforter and it is stuffed into a duvet cover like an envelope. Primark sells very inexpensive duvets/duvet covers and they are pretty cute too! I wish I knew about Primark earlier, I bought bedding from John Lewis, a department store. I got them for a good value, but Primark is even cheaper than for how much I initially bought my bedding.

3) Tesco, http://www.tesco.com/
Price Range: Under Ten Pounds == $15
The UK has many chain grocery stores such as Costcutter, Sainbury's, Waitrose, etc. but I believe Tesco has the best bargains. They also have a rewards program, so you can sign up online for a card to accumulate points. After a while you can cash the points for coupons to use on your next visit. But overall, it doesn't matter where you go grocery shopping, you just have to keep an eye out for bargains of the food you eat. :)

I guess this is a tip to help you get started in living in the UK. Of course, you can still shop on Oxford Street at Topshop, H&M, and Zara, etc. for fashionable clothes. Argos, Primark, and Tesco are just shops I wish I knew about when I first arrived in the UK. This whole experience is a learning process and I'm glad! :)

Til Tomorrow!

xoxo,
Kristian

Start of the New Academic Year... Finally

This week is called "Induction Week" for the new undergraduates at UCL. The new students are welcomed to their departments and taught the ropes of being at UCL. In the UK, students have to apply directly into their department, aka major. In the life of a CS student, they have 7 out of the 8 courses chosen for them. So they only get to pick one elective, relating to CS or any other department at UCL.

I don't know if this model of learning is better or worse than the US system of "finding yourself" and "choosing your major later." There are those students who end of changing their minds and transferring into new departments. This leaves them to spend another year at UCL.

Coming from Wellesley, I find that this way of learning intimidating. I worry about having all the required prerequisites to take second and third year courses. I actually haven't fulfilled the basic requirements needed for the CS major at Wellesley. So I am a bit worried and stressed, but I am just going with it.

I've decided to take the following courses and hopefully I get approved to be in all of them. Another difference from Wellesley is that I have to submit the courses I want to take, then get approval by the department to register for the course. There is no way of knowing if you're officially registered for the course.

• CS Courses:
• COMP1002 Theory I
• COMP2009 Software Engineering and HCI
• COMP3080 Computer Graphics
• Art History
• HART1602 19th- and 20th-Century Art in London Collections II

I've been wanting to take an art history course! So I hope to take this course. What's even better is that classes will be taught at major museums such as the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, etc. Learning from the primary source is one of the best things about studying in Europe.

As for the CS courses, I'm taking Theory I in replacement of the CS231 Fundamental Algorithms course at Wellesley. Also for the CS major, there are one-200 level course and one-300 level course requirements. So I am taking the other two courses to fulfill those parts of the CS major. Of course, I am interested in the courses, aka "modules." I want to learn about how to be a software engineer and I want to learn how to make 3-D graphics on computers.

So right now, it is "induction week" and it's a waiting game for classes to start next week. I seriously can't wait for everything to get going... maybe I'll finally feel at peace and time will fly much faster.

xoxo,
Kristian


UK Tip for Studying Abroad #7: Don't travel through Ireland, Scotland, etc. when studying abroad in the UK.

• You won't get a student visitor visa from Britain and you will face problems in enrolling and registering yourself to officially become a student. 
• It will be a stressful process! 
• So travel straight to Heathrow or at least to a country that will make you go through customs when going to the UK. :)

Things That Happened A Billion Days A Go..

I have officially been in the UK for one whole week, but my body feels like it's been forever. So much has happened in the past few days, meeting people, experiencing new things, and adjusting to a new life.

One thing that I dislike the most about UCL is classes not starting until the first week of October. I feel so much pressure about studying for my courses in as little as 12 weeks. I still haven't finalized my course selection... but that is going to be another entry...

I finally am an official student at UCL! I have an id card and I am all set to go. The UCL campus is definitely unlike Wellesley. The layout of the campus is urban and similar to Harvard. The difference from Harvard is that the halls of residence are so far away. I have to walk 20 minutes to get to UCL and this is considered lucky in the UK.

After attending talks about budgeting, living in London, developing new study skills, and making a program of study, I learned so much more about UCL then before. UCL was the first university in the UK that accepted students on secular grounds and without regard to their sex. UCL has famous alumni such as Charles Darwin, all the members of Coldplay, and notably Christopher Nolan (director of Inception, etc.). I suppose I feel proud to be a part of this community from not only the famous alumni, but with all the people in the UCL community. 

I have met and chatted with UCL students from all over the world -- Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, etc. UCL makes me realize how London can be international and how it is very different from the US. Wellesley has a large population on international students, but not compared to UCL (UCL is must bigger, so it has an advantage there).

As it is 1am in the UK, I'll leave you here... I have much more to update...!

-- My first pub quiz event

-- Visit to London's Chinatown

-- Open Roof Bus Tours

-- Shopping on Oxford Street, specifically Primark

And many tips! Most tips do not come from my own personal experience and are usually noted through observation of others. :)

Hiatus and ISOP

I haven't updated in two days! The International Students' Orientation Programme (ISOP) at UCL is so intense! There is something to do almost everyday...

I will update soon with pictures~ hopefully tomorrow!

Being Lost and Grocery Shopping

I was sort of lazy writing this post today, but I managed to write it!
So I decided to wake up today and find UCL because I will be going there for orientation the next day. I never managed to find it yet though.

In the midst of everything, of course I got lost. I think it's great to be lost in a city that I never been in before! I discovered so many things such as a Vietnamese baguette store, burrito shop, Dominos, etc. mostly new food restaurants that I would love to try.

During my adventures, I landed at the Southwark bridge and I tried a new eatery called "Eat." Once again their sandwich/baguette was amazing! I can absolutely understand why sandwiches in the UK are so popular.

After eating, I ran into the "Tate Modern" museum. Pictures weren't allowed in the museum, so I couldn't take too many. There were interesting exhibits relating to expression in abstract ways. I seriously want to take an art history course to better understand art.... :(

From there, I crossed the Millenium bridge, heading straight to "St. Paul's Cathedral." It was simply beautiful. I wish that I could go inside, but there was an admission fee. I didn't know what to think about seeing it. I am catholic, but I don't really understand the significance of this cathedral. I suppose it takes researching some history. This place reminded me of the "Da Vinci Code" movie with Tom Hanks.

Other than that -- I finally made some friendship with my fellow flatmate today!! The funny and strange thing is... we actually have 35 friends in common on facebook and we both go to Boston area colleges. This will be exciting. Even though we are in another country, it's a small world after all.

We went grocery shopping at the Brunswick Centre, which is a shopping centre in the Bloomsbury area which is really close to my dorm! Shopping for food can be really confusing, I have no idea what to buy and I am worried about being malnourished. I tend not to eat vegetables.... so as I am aware of that, I look forward to cooking my own meals!! So I hope that you all will enjoy food photos too.. :)

I am looking forward to starting my life in the UK, everything seems to be working out... It feels like I've been here for such a long time already! I need to take better pictures.... :)

xoxo,
Kristian
Tip#6 for studying abroad in the UK: Get Lost! 

• When you plan to get lost, don't carry around heavy things such as your laptop, it makes the experience miserable in some ways.

Living by oneself can be lonely

I am finally unpacked and settled into my room! It is an en-suite room which has a full bathroom (toliet, sink, and shower). The room is a part of a flat with 6-8 other people living on the floor. I haven't met too many people on the floor yet.

Living in an en-suite room can have its bad traits. There isn't a communal bathroom, so people won't have the opportunity to run into each other. There is a common kitchen to make up for it though. As this house is "self-catered" (meaning no dining hall and you cook for yourself), there is the chance of meeting people, but people eat at random times. So who knows? Another thing is that the doors of the rooms have to be closed at all times. So it's a bit hard to socialize with your door closed. These are some of the things I'm missing from Wellesley and the community feel, but it's only been a couple of days

One thing I don't like about my dorm hall/house is that it's sort of scary because the lights in the hallway only turn on by motion sensors. I'm a person who is afraid of the dark, so I don't know how I will handle this... Other than that, everything in the room seems great! I wish I brought some pictures from home to decorate my walls... :)

Sorry to bore you with my long writing posts~! I finally have pictures to share!

first glass of wine ordered (and will be the last, I don't think it tastes great) -- because I can?

John Lewis Department Store on Oxford Street
beautiful and lovely. it reminds me of Japanese department stores...

complementary English tea :)

I never had sugar cubes before!

I think Krispy Kreme made these cool donuts because of Fashion Week in London?

Don't the frosting look exactly like lipgloss?? How gross??

The soda bottles in the UK are definitely skinnier than their US counterparts.

Yay for fashion week in London! I saw so many well-dressed people, but I was too nervous to take their pictures. :/

more yummy drinks at the corner store

EXTREMELY YUMMY SANDWICH!!! Scottish Smoked Salmon with butter and lemon. The store's motto is that sandwiches are made fresh the day of and never sold the next day.

I got the sandwich from a store called "Pret." I believe it is a chain store/restaurant because I saw a bunch of them throughout London. If you ever go to the UK, eat a sandwich from them!!

The view of the London Eye and House of Parliament from the Waterloo Bridge!

How pretty? I can't wait to go to these places!!

xoxo,
Kristian

I think it would be cool if I can share a tip per entry to keep it interesting. :)
Tips for Studying in the UK #5: Make sure to get an "Oyster Card" to ride the tube!

• Without an oyster card, the fare is double the amount. So don't buy tickets and save by getting an Oyster card.
• You have to pay a 5 pound deposit -- when you return the card, you will get it back.