London - Week Three

I've given in. I've made the change from drinking coffee to tea. Maybe I'm spoiled from living in Portland, but the coffee just isn't as good here. If you get it in a shop, it's not filter coffee as Americans know it, but espresso with water. Sometimes it's listed on the menu, but don't let them fool you, it's still just an americano. Tea on the other hand is done right in England, so here I stand, conformed.



On the topic of lifestyle adjustments, I've decided to give you the run down of all the things I now carry with me on a daily basis. I used to be a simple wallet-keys-and-cell phone girl, but oh how necessity has changed my habits. Here we go.

1. Umbrella. It's an absolute must. While Portland is a wet city, the rain tends to misty, and chances are you're traveling by car anyway. In London however, you're outside walking on the street, and when the sky opens up, it's a drencher.

2. London Moleskine. This little book was a gift, and it wins the most valuable possession award. Inside is a city map of London, a tube map, measurement converters, neighborhood maps, blank pages for notes, tabbed pages for markets, restaurants, etc., and a pocket for receipts. The best part? When I'm standing on the street corner trying to find my way, it doesn't make me look like a tourist. Fantastic.

3. School ID. The unfortunate thing about this particular item is that it contains a highly visible picture of me... A photo which was taken after eleven hours on a plane, thirty minutes in a cab, an hour on the subway, twenty minutes of walking, and three hours of sitting in a welcome to the school orientation. Need I say more?

4. Camera. Even when you're in a neighborhood you've been to a hundred times before (not that I've been to any neighborhood a hundred times) there are little surprises worthy of being captured.

5. Oyster Card. This is an electronic ticket for the tube that saves loads of £s. The ride from my flat to school is about forty-five minutes each way, which is really not bad in London. Unfortunately it can be very limited in terms of personal space. Today I stood up when I thought we had reached my station. I was midway between sitting and standing when the train started moving again and I was instantaneously in the lap of the woman next to me. The worst of it is that I shouted "Oh God!" as I was falling, drawing all the eyes on a very crowded train towards my calamity.