Don't Judge Me, Lizzy

A weather cast of sunny and 57 degrees today definitely made this morning a bit more tolerable.  Although we still had to dress by the light of our phones, it was nice to walk out the door and not be struck with bone chilling cold.  Before work, I had to walk down Gloucester Road (with my giant Vera Bradley bag...I got a few confused looks) and drop off my laundry.  I was very excited to find a shortcut over to Emperor's Gate which leads me right to my office.  My walk is definitely my favorite part of the morning; my route leads me down the most charming, quiet street lined with quaint flats and beautiful shrubbery.  I constantly pass mothers taking their children (ALL on scooters) to school in their adorable uniforms and older men walking their dogs - it's definitely a relaxing way to start the day.  My time at the office today was spent working on my third party product research.  I've had to e-mail what seems like hundreds of people asking for wholesale price lists, trade accounts, etc.  I am making good headway on it, and hopefully I will be able to get it cleaned up and finished tomorrow!

This afternoon was definitely the highlight of the day, as we had a biscuit tasting!  The woman in charge of food is selecting products for the Summer line, so we lucky co-workers get to test everything!  Yesterday we had a tea tasting, where we sampled mostly fruit teas such as Apple, Mango, and Spiced Orange.  Today, our biscuit flavors included White Chocolate Lemon (my fave), Honey and Oat, Ginger and Ginger Spice.  They were all really good and the perfect afternoon pick me up to help me from fading into sleepiness.  Luckily it carried me until 5:15, when I was free to leave and pick up my laundry.

When I arrived back at Courtfield, I only had about 15 minutes to put my clothes away as I had my second Internship tutorial.  Ashley and I had to sit in a Harrington classroom for an hour and a half listening to our professor talk about the business world and hearing everyone's experiences at their placements so far.  Although it was interesting to hear what each person was doing, it was a serious struggle to stay awake.  When class got out, I decided to run down to South Kensington Station and Chopstix Noodle Bar to pick up some dinner...I was craving Chinese, and the 20 minute walk turned out to be totally worth it.

After dinner, Maggie and I made our way down to the basement to watch our beloved Pride and Prejudice.  We had been wanting to watch it since we've gotten here, and when she received it from her placement (at Universal) for her birthday, we knew this was the perfect opportunity.  This is one of my absolute favorite movies (and inspiration for this entry's title...only Courtney will be able to really appreciate this) even though most of my family makes fun of me for liking it.  I forgot how funny it was and how amazing the characters and storyline are, it just made me so happy watching it!  For some reason it was so much better watching it in England, although the British version did leave out the best scene (the ending where they kiss!) but luckily they had the "Alternate US Ending," so we were satisfied.

Now Lauren and I are snug in our beds listening to T.Swift and getting sleepy fast.  Work is on the agenda for me tomorrow, but lucky Lauren is having the day off because the Cassels are officially in London!  They arrived tonight, and we get to spend most of the weekend with them!  We're so excited to get to show them our city!

    xo Carolyn

Weary Wednesday

This morning was another 6:45 pitch-black wake-up call. And it was drizzling out to top it all off. Despite the less than desirable circumstances, I made my way to the tube at a little past 8 o’clock. That timing proved to be a much better decision than yesterday’s when, between the two underground lines, I had to wait for five different trains before I could fit on (and by fit I mean I had to watch to make sure my backside wasn’t obstructing the door sensors).

This morning was very quiet in the office, with my boss off today and tomorrow for an exam she is taking. Our manager visiting from the NYC headquarters did stop by to chat for a little which was fun (his sister and nephews live in Wilton… such a small world!), but other than that I spent most of the morning reporting my testing results from yesterday back to Carlo and taking some online classes. Lunch time arrived and I was feeling quite lazy, especially staring out the window to utter dreariness, so I made my way down to the cafeteria, where I opted for Indian food which was actually extremely good (although I’m no connoisseur). Who would have thought JPMorgan could whip out such a great naan?!

After lunch, I started planning out the next assignment for my Internship Tutorial, which is essentially to create a presentation that we would use in a future interview to illustrate the projects and/or skills we’ve acquired during our placement. The problem with my situation, however, is confidentiality issues. I asked my boss what I can and can not utilize, and basically she told me to just create my project, and then she would review it and approve the information or not. So, essentially I could create a presentation that is completely useless and have to start all over again. Great prospects, right?

The afternoon went by slowly, although the sun and Cadbury chocolate helped tremendously. I did have to dial-in into two different phone conferences, one on the prioritization of IRFE and GAPP projects, the other the “FX IT Prime Brokerage Weekly Team Meeting” (at least that’s what my Outlook Calendar says…). You should see me sitting at my dual-screen desk wearing my headset… I look far more important than deserved! For instance, about 5 minutes into the call, my 30-year old Australian co-worker and I were both completely lost in IT and developer lingo (although he has his degree in it…), so naturally, we proceeded to IM each other about Taylor Swift from our desks (which are next to each other I might add). 

Right around 4:30, I was given a testing project that needed to be completed before the end of the business day (this is the problem with the New York time difference). I frantically worked on splitting trades, finishing right at 6PM on the dot when I was able to start the trek back to Courtfield (in the dark once again). After a leisurely dinner with flat mates, which I now look forward to every day, we lounged in our room before watching Glee in Maggie's room. Completely exhausted, I naturally turned to some TSwift and Project Runway for some relief (works every time!) before turning in for a good nights sleep.

            Cheers,

            LC.

"Woke Up in the Dark, Arrived Home in the Dark"

This morning was the first we actually woke up to pretty much pitch black outside.  When our iPhones chimed at 6:45 and 7am, the street light next to our window was still shining brightly, beckoning us to get up and prepare for the start of the third week of our placements.  After our usual morning routines, Lauren made her way to the tube (yet again in heels...I'm extremely impressed) while I strolled over to Kelso Place.
Since this week is half term, today was the only day of the week my boss, Anne, would be in the office; consequently we had plenty to do!  My morning was spent printing out more PCP barcodes for various stores (I'm now a proud expert) and continuing on my (never ending) competition report...yes, I'm still working on The Body Shop.  Around noon, Anne was meeting with executives from the Crabtree & Evelyn US offices, which are actually based in Connecticut!  When I had the chance to meet them and told them where I was from, they excitedly told me where the offices were and that I would have to call them upon my return home.  The one woman asked "how come London offices get Connecticut interns but we can't?!"  They were very sweet, and it was fun to see their enthusiasm of products that are soon going to be introduced into the US, especially all the delicious food lines!
Whenever I have a dull moment at the office, I spend it on AOL.  While my laptop here directs me only to the UK AOL site, at work I am able to see the US site, which while it seems kind of pathetic is such a luxury!  A girl can only hear so much about the X Factor and Manchester United.  It even has Wilton news!!  Anyways, one of the main articles today was a review of the best peanut butter cups available.  Of course I had to read it, and of course after perusing the options (Trader Joe's won, I'm sure you were dying to know) all I wanted was a Reese's.  After enjoying a falafel wrap for lunch at Whole Foods, I headed to the bottom level of the store to see if they had any kind of peanut butter cup or chocolate bar with peanut butter.  No luck.  Since desperate times call for desperate measures, my solution was a jar of peanut butter and a milk chocolate bar.  After purchasing them sheepishly, I headed back upstairs to the cafe, found a table near the corner and concocted the wonderful combo.  Hit the spot - the English seriously do not know what they're missing!
This afternoon I completed a few other small tasks until I was called into Anne's office to discuss some of the things I would need to do throughout the coming days.  My main project will be sorting through a selection of third party products that the company might be interested in selling in-store.  There are numerous websites, magazines and booklets to look through, so I know I will be kept busy!  By the time I had organized everything to start tomorrow, it was 5:30 and time to head home.  I walked out of the office to a dark and rainy sky, true London weather.  After popping into Waitrose to pick up some pasta, I headed back to Courtfield where I waited for Lauren to return from the City before congregating in the kitchen with our flatmates to make our meals.  Now we're relaxing in our room, eager to get another good night's sleep since we know we will probably be waking up in the dark once again.  At least daylight's savings is this weekend, can't wait for that extra hour!
    xo Carolyn

P.S. Forgot to mention I listened to T.Swift's new album literally all day today.  I am officially obsessed! If you have not listened to it yet, you are seriously missing out!  Already excited to listen to my iPod at the office tomorrow!

Museum Monday

Monday, October 25th

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Monday mornings are now my favorite because we get to sleep-in until at least 8:30, AND I know I’ll be exploring a new part of London with our Architecture class! Carolyn and I headed out to Harrington about 9:35 so I could hand in my Internship Tutorial paper to the Student Affairs office before class. The lecture this morning was about the revival of Classical architecture in England, and the architects that influenced it. By 11, we were all “at the point of saturation” as our adorable professor put it, so we headed to meet up at the tube for our journey to Embankment. 

Although it was quite chilly, the sun was shining so it made it a bit more bearable. Our first stop was the Somerset House. Since its creation, it has served as a Royal residence, a governmental building, and most recently, as an art gallery and the overall home of art and learning (London Fashion Week was held there this year!). The architecture is stunning, including one of the few completely enclosed squares of London, which for that reason, has been used as a filming site for many movies.

The staircases inside are also gorgeous, and are our Professor’s favorite part of the building. Cantilevered, the undersides of the stone become more and more smooth as you work your way up, emphasizing the importance of hierarchy in British society: a servant would primarily be going up and down the first flight, which are very rough, whereas Nelson would have been using the top levels, which appear almost like smooth plaster. It’s something I definitely wouldn’t have noticed or interpreted on my own, so I was glad to have visited with our class.  We only had about 10 minutes to take in the vast amount of impressionist paintings in the galleries, but we did manage to see a few Picasso’s, Manet’s, and Renoir’s before leaving.

Next, we made our way up the Strand to the Holborn area, where we walked through the LSE campus and Bloomsbury Square before arriving at our final destination: the British Museum. The Museum contains over 7 million objects, and as our Professor bluntly put it, “has a greater showing of classical Greek and Roman antiquities than Greece or Italy.” Our first stop was the Rosetta Stone, something I remember being enthralled with on my last visit many years ago and had been wanting to see again. Last time, it was out in the open on a pedestal and I actually got to touch it! However, now it is totally encased in glass at eye level (probably a smarter idea).

Our Professor primarily wanted us all to see the Elgin Marbles (or the more politically correct name, the Parthenon Marbles), the marble friezes from the Parthenon. The objects are intensely controversial, as Greece has repeatedly asked for them back, claiming Thomas Bruce, the 7^th Earl of Elgin stole them around 1800 and that they should be rightly returned to their home at the Acropolis. England, however, continues to be steadfast in their decision to keep them in the British Museum. They are incredible, and in amazing condition considering they are almost 2,500 years old!

The Millennial project, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, is also spectacular, and was worked on by our Professor’s husband, who is an architect and partner at Norman Foster & Co. The Great Court is the largest covered square in Europe, the roof of which contains over 1,656 uniquely shaped panes of glass!

Although we could have spent hours browsing the exhibits, Carolyn and I were both starving by 1:30 (per usual) so we set out to find our planned lunch destination: Hummus Bros. Maggie and Ashley have been twice for lunch (raved about it) and we have had our eyes on it for a while, so when we found out we would be ending up just minutes away, it was a done deal. All I can say is good thing there isn’t one near Courtfield or we would be there everyday. Incredible. Carolyn and I both got hummus with warm pitas (you can choose from a myriad of toppings that are poured into kind of a “hummus bowl”) in addition to falafel salad. Even better, it wasn’t expensive at all and kept us full for hours (which you all know is difficult to do!). Although we had already scratched three things off our London bucket-list that day alone, we were ambitious and decided to try for a fourth by visiting the Museum of Natural History before heading back to Courtfield. Unfortunately, it is half-term in London, their fall break of sorts. The schools have three terms, and after each term they have one or two weeks holiday: this week is one of them. AKA hundreds of small children running about wherever you go and a 30 minute queue to get into the Natural History Museum. With the museum being just a five minute walk from our flat, we decided to just call it a day, and attempt to visit when it’s less chaotic.

Before returning to our humble abode, we made a quick stop at Paul for Carolyn’s afternoon treat: a pistachio macaroon and a hot chocolate. Don’t worry, I wasn’t without my chocolate fix: as soon as we returned to our flat  you better believe I ripped into that Norwegian chocolate. We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on e-mails, listening to TSwift, and relaxing before I headed to my second of three Internship Tutorial classes at 6:15, which was pretty painless.
Back to work tomorrow… but for the first time my boss will be sitting next to me (yikes).
      Cheers,
      LC.

Hei Hei Norway!

This weekend I got to experience all the Scandanavian charm that is Norway!  After work on Friday, I met Katie and Hilary at Victoria Station where we were able to hop onto the Gatwick Express to catch our flight.  After a relaxing two hour plane ride, we landed in the chilly Oslo air; from the airport, it was only a 20 minute train ride until we were in the heart of the city!  When we first arrived, we were not entirely sure we were all staying at the same hotel, as Brittany and I had our own room with Hilary and Katie in another.  B, who had arrived earlier that morning, had told us the name of where our hotel was, but with a less than stellar understanding of Norweigan language we were still quite confused.  Sure enough, when we arrived at the Radisson Blu only steps away from the central station, the receptionist informed us that Brittany and I were indeed staying at another Radisson a few minutes away.  Since it was about 1 am by the time we had figured this out (and I didn't think my mother would approve of me walking around by myself), I said goodnight to the girls and hopped in a cab for about a 3 minute ride to the Hotel Scandanavia, where I would be staying for the next two nights.  By the time I made my way up to our room, Britt was sound asleep and I was exhausted, so I was quick to bed to make sure I would be ready for our full day of exploring on Saturday!
We woke up the next morning to the Sun rising over the hills surrounding Oslo.  After enjoying nice, hot showers, we bundled up in our warmest sweaters, ready for whatever cold the day would bring.  We enjoyed a delicious breakfast downstairs, deciding to skip the more traditional Scandanavian breakfast fare of meat and cheese (shocking, I know) and opting for yogurt, granola and fruit!  Fully charged, we ventured outside (one word: brr!) to explore the city.  Since Brittany had had Friday to visit some of the sites, she was my personal guide for the morning, bringing me through points such as Oslo University's campus, Johans Gate (the main shopping street), Radhus (City Hall) and finally to the harbor.  We were pretty much the only ones walking around, allowing us to see the city in an even more charming light; I guess those Norwegiens really appreciate their sleep!

Our ultimate destination was the Oslo Opera House, an amazing building right on the water that features sloped roofs and pristine marble walkways.  After climbing up the roof (which was slick with ice!) and taking all of our necessary pictures, we made our way back down to meet Katie and Hilary.  With the whole Wilton crew together, we all made our way to the dock to catch our ride for the day, a traditional Nordic cruising ship!  Though the trip was quite chilly with the wind, we enjoyed seeing the city skyline from the water.  Our first stop was Bygdey, where many of the city's museums are located.  We decided on the Vikingskiphset, or Viking Ship Museum.  Here we got to see ships from centuries ago; it's amazing that they are still in such good condition!  By the time we were done, we were all still quite chilled from our boat ride, so instead of another museum we popped into a cute local cafe for cappucinos and hot chocolate.  Warmed up, we made our way back to the dock to climb back onto the boat.  Luckily, this time we scored a table and fleece blankets, making the ride much more enjoyable.  

We next disembarked at City Hall, and from there navigated our way via underground and bus up the mountains.  With our zero knowledge of the language, we were very proud of ourselves when we got off the bus to the gorgeous view we had been hoping to see.  The area we were in, Silkestra, overlooks both the entire city and the gorgeous Oslo fjord.  Our final destination was Frognerseteren, a traditional lunch locale that is deemed a must see when visiting Norway.  In this quaint little cottage (all we wanted to do was go skiing), we enjoyed a Norwegien feast, trying everything from meatballs to an Elk Burger (Katie) to Norway's specialty dessert, Epelkake (similar to apple pie).  After finishing our meal, we went outside to snap some scenery shots before heading back down the mountain on the trusty tram.  Our next stop was the Vigelandsparken, or the Sculpture Park.  Lauren had told me before leaving that we absolutely had to do this, and I can see why she was so adamant about it; it was absolutely gorgeous!  The park features the work of Gustav Vigeland, and is home to hundreds of amazing statues and picturesque landscape.  By the time we had finished walking around, it was already late afternoon, so we decided to make our way back to Johan's Gate and do some shopping!  We were determined to find some Norwegian sweaters, and we thought this would be the perfect place to find one.  Little did we know, by the time we had arrived at the Dale store, it had conveniently closed 15 minutes before.  Apparently, stores in Norway close around 4 pm on Saturdays, and even worse, are closed on Sundays!  So begins our great sweater dilemma.  After trying a few other places only to find their doors locked, we decided we would ask the concierge about it that night and ventured on to find a spot for dinner.  We ended up at Aker Brygge, a new shopping center that sits right on the water.  After perusing the menus from a number of different restaurants, we decided on D.S. Louise, where we enjoyed a cozy dinner next to our Nordic friend.  By the time we were done with dinner, we were all exhausted, so we said goodbye for the night and headed back to our respective hotels for a much needed sleep.  

Our Dinner Companion

On Sunday morning, Britt and I woke up yet again to the Sun creeping over the mountains.  We enjoyed another delicious breakfast before hopping on the tram to Katie and Hilary's hotel.  After dropping our bags off for the day, we set off, absolutely determined to find at least one store open that sold sweaters.  A few failed attempts later, we decided to take a break, returning to Aker Brygge to enjoy cappucinnos by fireside.  By the time we were finished, it was time to say goodbye to Brittany, as her flight was in the early afternoon.  After a quick round of hugs, Katie, Hilary and I continued our sweater search.  Finally, we found a few stores near City Hall that finally had what we were looking for!  Ultimately, we decided to forgo the 2000 NOK ($300...I hate Norwegian currency) Dale sweaters (that you can get at Darien Sport Shop) and opted for more "traditional," not to mention significantly cheaper, options.  They even have a little flag on the sleeve!  Pleased with our purchases, we returned once more to Aker Brygge for our last meal in Scandanavia, Italian!  By the time we were finished it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags and make our way back to Central Station.  Another relaxing train ride brought us back to Oslo airport, where we got to witness a gorgeous sunset as we boarded the plane.  As we flew over the beautiful mountains and fjords, we said goodbye to Norway.  It is an absolutely beautiful country and I would love to return some day to explore much more; I'm so glad I got to see it in my time here!  

Back to London, back to class, back to work.  Despite our busy weeks, I always look forward to returning to our beloved city.  It's finally starting to hit us that we only have less than two months left here...how has time gone by so fast?!  Guess we're just going to have to make the most of every second here...cannot wait!
   xo Carolyn

Cubbies in London!

After Emily’s busy day on Friday (Highgate Cemetary, Victoria & Albert, and Tate Modern!), we slept in a bit (by my standards… sorry Em!) until 9AM on Saturday. Our first adventure of the day was Portobello Market. I had wanted to go for quite some time now, and I thought Emily would enjoy it as well, so we made our way to Gloucester Road en route to Notting Hill. Unfortunately, with the Circle Line closed for the weekend, due to “engineering work,” getting there was a bit more complicated than usual, having to head east before we could head west. Once we got there, however, it was a straight shot, following the crowds to the stall-lined street, with vintage and antique stores every where you looked. The jewelry selection was incredible, but a bit more expensive than I was anticipating, so unfortunately (or fortunately in my Dad’s opinion), I left empty handed. Emily, on the other hand, bought a beautiful ring (I should have got one too!), and an awesome Christmas gift for Matt. Although I doubt he has time (or desire) to read our blog, being big-man-on-campus and all, I will leave you all in suspense and keep the gift a mystery for now.
After we had seen enough rings and antiques to last us a while, we braved the cold and headed to Oxford Street for some lunch. I had raved to Emily about Pizza Express (promising her it wasn’t like Pizza Hut), so we found one right at the end of Regent Street, and of course, she wasn’t disappointed. I could eat their Padana pizza all day long.
After we were warmed up and refuelled, we headed to TopShop on Oxford Street, one of their flagship stores. It is HUGE, almost the size of a department store. It was also packed with girls and their male-companions being dragged behind. Fortunately, it was worth the crowds as Emily managed to find two cute tops (which were very “London”, in my opinion) to bring back to Cordoba in style. After TopShop, we made our way in and out of many different stores on Oxford Street before making the decision to head back to South Ken for afternoon tea (or a siesta, in Emily’s world!). But, of course, we needed something to go along with our tea, right? Cue Ben’s Cookies: the best cookies in London (if not the world!). We both couldn’t help ourselves, getting two each. We each got a Triple Chocolate (my favorite… to die for), Emily got a chocolate & praline, and I got a white chocolate & cranberry. All three varieties were incredible, and perfect with our cup o’ teas.
After a little downtime, we headed back out to Gloucester Road, this time with rain in our midst, and hopped on the District Line to Victoria Station. Our plan was to get Student Rush tickets for Billy Elliot; however, unfortunately, they don’t offer Student Rush, and the only tickets available were £60 each, or £50 for partial view. On a student’s budget, no thanks. We decided to venture around Victoria and find a place for dinner, ending up at the Traveller’s Pub (how appropriate!). The atmosphere felt very authentic, with no tourists in our midst (except for us of course…), and we enjoyed a lovely British meal. Actually, Emily wins for that one: steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes. Me, not so much: tomato soup, hummus, and chips (I couldn’t resist when I saw them behind the counter). I get credit for the chips though, right!?
Exhausted, we made our way back to Courtfield and called it a night; we want to wake up bright and early tomorrow so Emily can get the most of her last few hours in Londontown!
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Sunday morning we were up and at ‘em (no pun intended) by 8:30. Another market on my list, and one I thought Emily would also enjoy, we made the journey (about 10 stops) to Brick Lane in East London. We were probably the first people to arrive; the stalls not even set up yet and the food only in prep stages. Luckily, about 30 minutes after arriving, things started to pick up and we found a delicious fresh fruit cup stand (I’m in fruit withdrawal) and an incredible “beigel” shop. Emily had mentioned upon her arrival she had been craving one (the Spaniards know nothing of them), so I was happy to be able to satiate her hankering. I, of course, had to pick one up too, but at 20p, who could say no!? Only a few readers will appreciate this, but when we walked in, Emily correctly observed, “It smells like Stew Leonards in here!”. Spot on.
After our morning nosh, we ventured around the stalls, noting how bizarre some of them were (bras 3 for £2; Benefit mascara for £3; paper towels, anyone?). Strangely enough, they were all busy. Emily found a really cool neon orange knit hat, a beautiful necklace (I got a ring from the same woman!), and yet another awesome Christmas gift for Matty (he made out like a bandit this weekend!). Santa is going to be very good to him this year!
The food stalls are obviously the star of the Brick Lane Sunday market, with every type of Asian and Middle Eastern food you can imagine, all made authentic and fresh in front of you. We meandered by each and every one of them, salivating at the pad thai, curries, noodles, falafel, and even cupcakes and crepes! Unfortunately, since Emily had to leave a little before noon in order to catch her flight from Stanstead, none of the stalls were completely ready for the lunch time rush, but if the amount of time we spent meandering, gazing, and smelling the food is any indicator, we definitely got the full effect. Sadly, we walked back to the tube where Emily and I said our goodbyes; I am SO glad she was able to come and experience all that is Londontown with me and was thrilled she enjoyed her weekend; we will be reunited in December before we know it!
I spent the rest of my Sunday grocery shopping, doing laundry, cleaning, listening to Taylor Swift's new album (incredible), and catching up on Greys Anatomy online before vegging even more (if that's possible) for the rest of the night. Carolyn arrived home around nine, and I got to hear all about her Norwegian escapades! She even brought me back delicioussss Norwegian dark chocolate (she knows me too well!). Back to the weekly routine tomorrow!
Cheers, (after two weeks of constantly hearing it at work, this is my new signoff!)
LC

Casual Friday

Friday, October 22nd
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I'm currently sitting at my computer in my office (shh!) working on my competition analysis.  I officially hate the Body Shop...not only because I'm now partial to Crabtree but they have literally thousands of products, and every single one of them have risen in price, so I have had to go through the existing price list and change every single one.  Only about 3/4 of the way done, so we'll see how long it all takes me.  Other than that, the day has been pretty quiet as my boss, Anne, works from home on Fridays.  The only semi-stressful occurrence was first thing this morning, when I came in to find my inbox inundated with e-mails from stores.  Apparently I have been designated the contact person for PCP (like a VIP) card requests.  Each card has to have a unique bar code, which are printed here in the office.  It is a very complicated process (luckily I think it's changing soon) that deals with multiple computers and spreadsheets, and guess who gets to do it now?!  With the help of Yvonne I eventually figured it out, but it was a bit nerve-wracking.  This afternoon I have to send out a mass e-mail to all the stores telling them their new PCP cards will be arriving with their other promotional materials next week.
For lunch I, of course, went to Whole Foods, where I tried a mezze platter, which is something where you can choose from various Mediterranean snacks and salads...it was quite yummy!  I realize that I should probably venture away from Whole Foods and explore my options, but going in there every day is just so relaxing, it's almost a comfort.  I guess next week I'll research other possibilities...maybe.  After lunch I stopped by buttercup, a cupcake shop that is literally right around the corner from the office...not good.  I had a red velvet, which was soo yummy.  Have to admit, though, it made me miss Crumbs...nothing can top that (ahh, I miss Top That too!).
I'm leaving the office a half hour early this evening, as I am on my way to Gatwick to fly to Oslo for the weekend!  Whenever I tell one of my friends I'm going to Norway, they ask "what made you pick there?"  I guess I have just always wanted to go, maybe it's all the years visiting the Epcot pavilion.  Anyways, I'm meeting Katie and Hilary Rance at Victoria Station, and we are meeting Brittany in Oslo tonight!  I wish Lauren was coming, but I know she and Emily are going to have so much fun!!  We had so much fun at dinner last night, I wish I could spent more time with them - maybe when we're all home!  For now, it's off to Norway!  Can't wait to update you on all my Scandavanian adventures!!
   xo Carolyn

Lost in Communication

Thursday morning wasn’t quite as chilly as yesterday, but I did notice a headline on the tube which read, “Below Freezing Temperatures mean Winter is Near.” It’s not even Halloween!!! Now, we get to wake up when it’s dark AND cold (which by the way, yesterday our room was like an ice-box again)!
I started off my morning at work completing the daily line sheet runs, trade amendments and cancels, and screen shots for my ongoing two-week project. I’ve got most of it down to a science now, so by the time I finished, the rest of the morning was pretty low key. Cue lunch time where I headed downstairs to the corporate caf for the special Mexican buffet bar which was much better than I was expecting. Soon after, Carlo came back to report that, as he was re-entering the building, there was a man with a megaphone protesting J.P. Morgan. Carlo thought it was pretty entertaining, but the security guards didn’t, shutting down all the entrances except one and intensely checking that people’s faces matched their ID cards before letting them scan through. Poor guy probably just wants his dividend back!
After lunch I was given another big testing scenario, CFX 1018, relating to splitting trades and their resulting flow downs. I encountered an unexpected finding and an error on a non-deliverable forward (error message and all!) so Carlo instructed me to send an e-mail to one of the head honchos in New York: it was my first nerve-racking moment! She sent a very kind reply AND added me to her contacts on the corporate instant messaging system, which admittedly, was pretty exciting. Next task was to execute the same trades, but reverse the flow between the systems, which ended up causing major issues. There is supposed to be a 20 minute lag in the flows when going the opposite direction, but 30, 60, and 90 minutes later no such luck. More e-mails were sent, and since I couldn’t do much else because of it, was able to leave a little after 5 o’clock.
Just before I left, I received a voicemail from a random number. Good thing I decided to listen to it because it was my cousin Emily (visiting from Spain for the weekend!) saying, “Hi Lauren, I’m at Gloucester Road station. My Spanish cell phone doesn’t work here so I’ll hopefully see you soon.” With no way to contact her, I jumped on the tube thinking of what my next step of action would be if I couldn’t find her. Thankfully, Gloucester isn’t that big, and after I got off I quickly found Em standing looking at the local map. After a big hug and a sigh of relief, she told me her next plan was to ask someone if they knew where the BU kids lived. Luckily it didn’t come to that (although I wonder how that would have gone over!). We walked back to Courtfield, hearing about her crazy day of travel, and dropped off her things before heading to Earl’s Court for Indian food at Masala Zone. We were all very excited; after our first visit exactly one week previous with Jocey, Carolyn and I had been planning our return ever since. The meal didn’t fail to disappoint, and we all headed back to Courtfield, stuffed and exhausted, to relax for the night.
Unfortunately, tomorrow I have to work, but Emily has a few things to explore on her own before I finish up work for the week. Then, the Morris cousins are hitting Londontown for the weekend!
      xo LC

Hello Cold!

Another morning, another outfit choice, another walk to work...except this time is was FREEZING.  Cold weather has most definitely arrived in London and is here to stay.  I pulled out my heavy dress coat for the first time, and was chilly even with that and a few more layers underneath.  Today was a quiet day at work; I spent the majority of it working on a competitor analysis report, so you'll be happy to know I can pretty much recommend any product from L'Occitane and the Body Shop if you ever need a referral.  During my lunch break, I returned to my beloved Whole Foods, where I was really wild and decided to go for a falafel wrap (I later found out Lauren had the exact same thing for lunch!  Except she seemed much more excited about hers, claiming it was the best she's ever had) instead of resorting to my usual choice of Mexican.  After a leisurely meal, I had to make another stop along High Street Ken.  Being the clever girl I am, I of course forgot to pack neutral tights for London, and I realized walking to work this morning with bare legs that this was a bad mistake.  My quest for said tights led me to T.K Maxx, where I spent about 20 minutes trying to find a suitable pair (neat displays are not their forte).  After purchasing them, I decided I needed to put them on before returning to the office lest my legs turn into popsicles, so I decided to sneakily pop into the American Apparel next door and slip them on in their fitting rooms.  The store here is actually a really good one; although I didn't have time to try anything on today, Lauren and I have decided to make a return trip asap.  Upon returning to the office, I got to partake in a taste test, as the woman in charge of the Crabtree food line (who sits right next to me and always has food out...bad) received samples for their Summer line of biscuits.  I got to try Lavender and Rosewater flavors, both surprisingly yummy.  After the rest of the afternoon was spent on continuing my report, I made the walk (my legs were now a lot warmer thanks to my afternoon purchase) back to Cromwell Road, making a quick dinner pitstop at Waitrose before heading home and meeting everyone in the kitchen.  We discussed our days and how our internships are going overall; for the most part everyone seems to like theirs, although I think we have all voted unanimously that we are pretty much always tired.
Now we're back in our room hoping the heater cranks up eventually.  Lauren and I just booked flights to Amsterdam for the end of November!  We're going with a bunch of our friends, so we're really excited!  Still on the agenda for tonight is Glee!  Half way through the week!!
  xo Carolyn

Sidenote: In reference to Lauren's statement of my excitement about seeing Lee Mead, I have posted a picture to show you why I was looking forward to seeing him.  He is just too cute!  Especially in his Fiyero costumes :)

A Wicked Fun Night

We’re finally up to date! Thanks to everyone for bearing with us while we caught up; sorry if anybody’s morning coffee suffered because of it. ;)
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This morning was back to the daily grind. I found myself waking up 20 minutes later than planned, but still managed to make it out the door by five past eight. My boss is still on holiday, so it’s just me and Carlo again for the week. Within twenty minutes of his arrival, he told me I was lucky: this week would be pretty slow since most of the testings had been released last week. Apparently, however, that changed around 10 o’clock when he announced he had a project for me that would take up most of my time this week. It’s called “Exploratory Testing” and instead of already knowing the problems and testing the solutions, the goal is to try and find problems. Basically it involves a whole lot of trades, line sheets, screen shots, and dozens of Excel worksheets; i.e. he wasn't lieing when he said it will take up a lot of my time.
After I spent most of my day working on project CFX 819 NY (I feel like I work at NASA or something), I was very excited to leave work at 5:30, hop on the Tube, and meet Carolyn, Maggie, and Ashley in Covent Garden for Maggie’s 21^st birthday celebration! We met at the Lion King theatre in hopes of getting Student Rush tickets, but unfortunately, they only had standing-room-only tickets left, which was not an option for us. So, we hopped in a cab (it was raining in London can you believe it?) and headed over to the Victoria Apollo theatre: home of Wicked! Long-time Wicked fanatics, Carolyn, Maggie, and I had been dying to see the production in London. Ashley had never seen it so we were all excited to experience her first-time with her. We managed to score 15^th row orchestra tickets for 25 quid, offering a perfect view. With just about an hour before the show was to start, we were all starving so we made our way down Wilton Road (I think it’s a sign that the theatre is on it) in search of a restaurant. We ended up at Dim-T, just a few blocks away, for some delicious pad thai!
Seven-thirty quickly approached and we headed back to the Apollo for the show; our seats were fantastic and allowed a full view of the stage. Carolyn and I had forgotten how incredible the costumes and stage craft were, apart from the amazing score and story line, of course. Glinda was played by the understudy, but she was still very, very good (and very perky!). Elpheba, on the other hand, was INCREDIBLE. Her voice was phenomenal and, although on one could ever top Idina Menzel, she came very close. It was funny hearing it all done in British accents, however. One of the highlights for Carolyn was seeing Lee Mead play the role of Fiyero. He won a West End-star reality show here (kind of like what they did for Grease on NBC) and the girls went crazy for him during the final curtain. Admittedly, we waited at the stage door to try and snag a picture, but we gave up after about 20 minutes to no avail.

 Best. Stage. Ever.

 

By the time we all got back to Courtfield it was 11 o'clock and we were all exhausted after a full day of work and a night on the town; but the night was a success: Maggie had a great 21st birthday!
Another 7AM wake-up call tomorrow morning…

      xo LC

Globe Trotting

Monday, October 18th
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After both of our busy weekends, Lauren and I welcomed the opportunity to sleep in until 8:15 on Monday morning.  We woke up to a beautiful day, and headed off to our second London Architecture class.  This week we were staying close to home, exploring the area of South Ken and "Albertopolis," named after Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria.  After a quick lecture, we headed out, walking by Hyde Park to admire Royal Albert Hall and the memorial the Queen had erected in honor of her late spouse.  Our professor also pointed out the area that was the site for the Great Exhibition, a fair held in 1851 that attracted visitors from all over the world and was housed in a giant glass atrium (unfortunately it is no more as a fire destroyed it years ago).  Making our way down Exhibition Road, we popped into the Science Museum, one of the "big three" that is only minutes from our flat.  We had not been in yet, but the second we entered (we were only taking a peek) we knew we needed to come back.  There are so many amazing things to see, including past space capsules and plane models; all I could think walking through the rooms was how the Toll boys would be in their glory there!  We'll definitely go back to see everything more closely!  Our final destination was the Victoria & Albert Museum.  Our professor worked there for two years as a scholar when she was younger, so she was so excited to show us around to all her favorite spots.  We spent the majority of our time exploring the British Galleries, displaying various items from the 18th and 19th centuries.  We got to learn more about the Exhibition and the work that went into making it a success, which it certainly was - the proceeds from the event went to building the V&A in addition to many other surrounding buildings and museums, I can't even imagine how much it must have costed!  After completing a short assignment, we were free to go for the afternoon.
Although by the time we returned to Courtfield we were both exhausted, we knew we couldn't spend the rest of the day inside, so we turned to my Little Black Book of London (thank you, Disney UK pavilion) and decided on the Globe Theater.  This is another one of the endless number of things on our to do list, and we thought it would be the perfect afternoon activity.  After a quick tube ride and a confusing walk, we finally reached the Globe.  We began our tour through an exhibition displaying various things from Shakespeare's day, as well as costumes that have been used in recent productions (of course those were our favorites).  Next was the official tour, where we were led into the theater itself.  Although it is a reproduction of the original, it has been created to look exactly how it would have looked in Shakespeare's day.  We got to sit in the seats, explore the pit, and even climb up to the upper levels.  The highlight, though, was getting to see a group of students performing on the stage (including cute boys to keep hold of our attention).  It was so amazing to see this historic landmark, and get an idea of what the theater experience was like centuries ago.  From the descriptions of our tour guide, although it seems cool in theory, I definitely appreciate our civilized, indoor theaters today.

The Globe!

When the tour finished, we walked back over the Millennium Bridge, one that was built just for pedestrians.  The views were spectacular, with St. Paul's standing majestically in front of us, and the Thames flowing on either side.  We hopped back on the tube (which with our exhaustion seemed much longer this time) and returned to our little corner of London.  The rest of the day was spent catching up on e-mails, enjoying a low key dinner in the kitchen, and finishing of the night with Glee (!).  Tomorrow is the start of our second week of our internships, and we're realizing how we feel like we've been interning for weeks already.  Guess that's what goes along with working 9 to 5...let the work week begin!
    xo Carolyn

Saturday Sightseeing & Sunday Slump

For some reason, recently all of us have been getting very anxious about our looming departure in less than 2 months. So accordingly, Maggie and I were determined to cross off a few things off our “London Bucket List.” Saturday morning we slept in a bit, but by 11 o’clock were on the Tube on our way to Westminster. Our first stop of the morning was Parliament, where we took a tour of its entirety, including the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to take pictures in the one of the rooms, which is actually the only completely original part of the building (due to several fires and war bombings). Nevertheless, the rest of Westminster Palace (the Parliamentary building's technical name) is still almost 200 years old and is gorgeously decorated, with gold mosaic ceilings, hundreds of paintings of past royalty, and ornate furniture. Our tour guide was also hands down the best of the group (and a Helen Miren look-a-like!). By the time the tour was over around 1:30, we were able to cross that off our list; but, we also managed to add something new: we want to go sit in on a real session!

 Entrance Way into Parliament!

By 1:30 you all can imagine what was also on our minds: lunch. So, Maggie and I hopped back on the Tube to Camden Market, one of our other must-sees. It is the fourth most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting over 100,000 people each weekend; and that was definitely apparent. Although it was extremely crowded, Maggie and I managed to find the food stalls and grab ourselves two incredible burritos, made to order. It was a tough decision between Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Indian, and falafel… but I think we made a good choice. After we had explored a little and experienced the “local-vibe”(which lets just say made us feel out of place in my houndstooth blazer and Maggie’s Burberry jacket), we headed  back to the Tube station. But did you think we would really leave without dessert? On our way in, we had spotted a stand which made dessert crepes fresh right in front of your eyes, and then folded them in this really cool wall to enjoy on the go (it’s hard to explain.) I got the Nutella crepe with coconut and bananas which was INCREDIBLE, but by the time we were finished we were both successfully in a food coma. Four o’clock rolled around and we headed back to Courtfield, both exhausted and feeling terribly gluttonous, in much need of tea and a few hours of relaxation.

Dessert Heaven

Saturday night I went with our friend Allie and her boyfriend to Ministry of Sound, where the famed techno DJ Benny Bernassi would be playing for the night. It was a lot of fun and somewhere else I had been wanting to go during my time here. In a matter of one day, I managed to cross three things off my London bucket list: success!

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Unfortunately, Sunday wasn’t nearly as successful for my list. It was a definite lounge day; after a week of class and work and a day and a half of non-stop activities I was in need. I did try to go with Maggie to Leicester Square to get tickets for a British Film Festival film; however, unfortunately, they were sold out. So instead, I didn’t let my journey go to waste, and instead stopped off at Chopstix Noodle Bar (that Carolyn described last week) for some vegetable low mein that I’d been craving. The rest of my afternoon was spent catching up on e-mails, working on the blog, and watching another episode of Greys online with Maggie. Around 10, Ashley and Carolyn arrived back and we eagerly heard about their weekend in Scotland, including their Edinburgh Underground City tour (i.e. ghost tour). I only WISH I had been there to see that! ;)

With another busy and fun weekend under both our belts, it’s back to our second week of class and work tomorrow!

     xo LC

From London to Lassies: A Weekend in Scotland

This weekend, I decided I would join Jocey and take a trip to Scotland for the weekend.  Although it hadn't been on my initial travel list, I was so excited to see the beautiful country that everyone has told me about.  After finishing work on Friday, I hurried back to the Crowne Plaza on Cromwell to meet Jocey and Ashley, who joined us for the trip.  A quick cab ride to Victoria Station and an Express train brought us to Gatwick Airport, one of the three lesser known London airports (probably because they are in the middle of nowhere!).  After a yummy dinner in the terminal, we boarded our plane for the quick one hour flight to Edinburgh.  When we arrived, we jumped in a cab and headed to Armadale, the small mining town where Jocey's friend Julia lives.  We were disappointed we couldn't see the landscape at night, but we did get to navigate through a good amount of the area as one of the main roads was closed!  After some searching, we finally pulled up to Mount Pleasant Road, where we were greeted by Julia, her two adorable dachsunds Asher and  Anna, and her sweet cat, Timothy.  Asher and Anna are pretty much identical to Annie and Parker; Asher loves anyone who comes in the door and is pretty much happy all the time, while Anna greeted us with loud barks, and was very protective of Julia (she kind of has the German Shepherd complex, like Parker).  After catching up for a bit, Ashley and I retreated to our bedroom as we were both exhausted from a long day of both work and travel.

People's Palace

Fall has Arrived in Glasgow!

We woke up bright and early after having a wonderful sleep, and decided we would spend the morning in Glasgow.  Since Julia's house is pretty much directly in between Glasgow and Edinburgh, we thought why not?  As Jocey recovered from jetlag, Julia drove us into the city.  Making our way into Glasgow was so enjoyable, as the scenery surrounding us was breathtaking; the rolling hills and sheep and majestic trees were unbelievably pretty.  Julia dropped us off at George Square, the center of the city, where we decided to do a hop on hop off bus tour.  Since we were planning on being here for just the morning, we thought this was the perfect thing to do.  We got off at a number of different sights, including the Glasgow Cathedral, Barra's Market, and Glasgow University.  My favorite part of the city was the People's Palace, which was made up of this amazing atrium housing all kinds of plants and flowers; it was such a nice escape from the chilly weather outside!  We had lunch at the Willow Tearoom, the most famous one in the city, and enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea before hopping on an hour long train to Edinburgh.  The train ride was equally beautiful as the morning's car ride, although we both fell asleep for a good chunk of time so we can't completely confirm that statement.

When we arrived in Edinburgh, we decided the first thing we wanted to do was go by the water.  We took a cab down to the Royal Britannia, the Queen's private ship.  While we wanted to take a sunset boat tour, our attempts of finding any said boats were unsuccessful, but we got a beautiful view of the sunset and the sea reflecting it.  We then made our way back into the center of the city, where we again decided to pay for a hop on hop off tour.  We thought we would get an idea of the city as a whole and decide what we wanted to explore more on Sunday.  It turned out to be really fun, as it was the tour guide's last tour and was absolutely hilarious.  His ending statement was, "I hope you enjoyed the tour and you've learned something, and if you've got a problem with anything, I really don't give a s***"  Needless to say he was loved by all.  That night we met Jocey and Julia in Edinburgh, where we ate at this really cute restaurant by the water.  We got to sit in couches (making me even more tired than I was!), and I enjoyed my first UK sticky toffee pudding for dessert - quite yummy!  After dinner we headed back out into the countryside for a much needed sleep.

Edinburgh

Sunday morning marked an even earlier wake up call than the day before as we wanted to make the most of it before our flight that night.  This time it was Jocey who drove us into Edinburgh (we were going to take a train in, but a "hotel fire" closed down the station...longg story).  Our first stop was Edinburgh Castle.  This amazing structure is built on top of a volcano, and boasts panoramic views of the whole of Edinburgh.  Here we got to see the Scottish Crown Jewels and learned about life in the Army.  Our next stop was the Scotch Whisky Experience.  Now, any of you who know me know that I am NOT a whisky fan, but since we were in Scotland, we felt like we had to.  Our tour started off with a ride (in a barrel!) taking us through the process of making scotch whisky.  Afterwards, we were instructed on the different regions in which whisky is made, after which we got to taste from a region of our choice.  I chose the Highlands, known for warmer, vanilla-ish flavors.  We were taken into an amazing mirrored room with a huge collection of bottles for our tasting.  When we tasted our first sip, Ashley and I both nearly gagged; being my father's daughter (Glenlivet all the way!) I have tried scotch before, but never anything that had burned that much.  When our tour guide saw Maggie's reaction, his response was "clearly we don't have a fan in the back," prompting everyone to stare at her.  Overall, although the tasting part was a bit intense, it was great fun.

The next few hours were spent exploring the Royal Mile, a long street lined with various stores and restaurants.  We picked up some traditional Scottish scarfs and had a nice, cozy lunch at the White Horse Pub (of course, immediately thought of T.Swift).  At the bottom of the Mile is Holyrood Palace, the Queen's official residence in Scotland.  We toured through the building, and got some amazing views of the crags nearby; I would have loved to climb them, but the combination of wind and heavy luggage deterred us...next time!

Scotch Whisky Tasting...apres gagging

Our last activity in Edinburgh was one that most people would never expect me to partake in.  We decided to take a tour of the Underground City, a channel of underground tunnels that used to be home to the city's homeless and is now known to be very haunted.  We were lead by our tour guide, who despite her blond hair and initial sunny demeanor turned out to be quite spooky in the dark.  We were lead into a large dark tunnel and taken into a number of rooms, each with its own haunting significance.  Ashely and I were literally gripping each other until our knuckles were white, we were so scared.  At one point, Ashley dropped her bag by accident and she shrieked in horror; it was embarrassing looking back on it but we were just terrified.  We were so relieved to finally see daylight again, and make our way safely into a black cab to return to the city center.  Before catching our bus to the airport, we decided to make a quite pit stop in Jenner's, the department store known as "the Harrods of the north."  After getting our shopping fix, we boarded the bus and enjoyed a leisurely ride back to Edinburgh Airport, where we had a quick dinner before our flight back to Heathrow.  

Our weekend in Scotland was so much fun; we got to experience both the rural and cosmopolitan, and I got to spend some nice time with family!  It was so great to finally meet Julia - I feel like we have been hearing about her for years!  Overall, Scotland seems to be an absolutely gorgeous country with friendly people.  Hopefully one day I will be able to return!  

   xo Carolyn

TGIF (As Always...)

Friday, October 15^th

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By Friday morning, we had the “getting ready” timing down to a science. Cue 8 o’clock and I was out the door, but not before giving Carolyn a big hug and wishing her well on her trip off to Scotland!

The morning in the office was quite busy, with two different assignments for me to complete before lunch time. I started off testing basic trade flows between the two systems, where I discovered some issues with the original IRFE trades flowing through GAPP and into Traiana, even after the 20-minute system lag (I’m also using some of this as my journal assignment for our Internship class so apologies for all the boring lingo!). Carlo looked into the software some more and discovered that there was a problem with the client reference numbers, and forwarded the issue on to the developers. After that task was complete, I started on to the next, testing a fix the developers had implemented into the platform. I communicated back to Carlo my findings and he informed me that this is not what the developers in New York City were hoping for, so we would need to send my screen shots and test flows to them for further development. Before I knew it, the morning had flown by, and I headed down to the corporate cafeteria for the delicious salad bar (part of my continuing Italy detox!).

View of my Building from the Pedestrian Bridge!

 The afternoon proved slow once again. One of the trading platforms was down, but I did get to listen in on the IT Project Managers’ weekly prioritization call (on my super cool headset of course), in which the urgency of specific issues for the following week is discussed. The people on the call were from offices all over the world, from London to Glasgow to New York and Mumbai. There was a lot of jargon which I did not recognize; however, I understood the overall problems at hand, and how the issues would be delegated out for resolution. It was interesting to hear how the department at large is able to communicate and come together to manage projects while still being thousands of miles apart.

Friday afternoon finally came to and end, and I was dismissed for the weekend. It’s hard to believe I’ve finished my first week at JPMorgan; but I’m also very much looking forward to a few days off! I spent the early evening watching the remaining episodes of Project Runway my parents had sent over (thank you!), and managed to find the new season of Greys Anatomy online. Maggie arrived back around 7, and after dinner, we headed out to the London School of Economics with our friend Allie to check out the student club there, which turned out to be a lot of fun and a great way for all of us to relax after our first week.

xo LC

New Found Love

Thursday, October 14
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Today was a slow day at the office.  I spent the bulk of the morning creating a product reference list for Crabtree's Christmas booklet that they are sending out to all of the stores.  After finishing, I completed various little tasks, such as putting together goodie bags for one of the stores' first birthdays and researching membership to the Regent Street Association (I know, this sounds fascinating).  The most interesting part of my day was probably my reading of the official Store Experience Pack; this 30 page booklet describes how stores are to lay out various displays and give detailed instructions on pretty much everything that should be going on when customers are present.  It amazed me how much detail the pack goes into, but I guess to get a consistent and meaningful customer experience, you need to be specific!
5:30 pm came not a minute too early, and I was especially excited to walk back to the middle of South Ken as I was meeting a very special visitor!  Jocey is here for the week, staying most of the time in Scotland with her friend Julia, and she and Lauren and I went out to dinner together!  After our initial hugs (I can't believe I haven't seen her since June!) and showing her the wonder that is Courtfield Gardens, we decided on trying dinner at Masala Zone, an Indian restaurant on Earl's Court Road.  Lauren and I have passed by this place many times, and we've always wanted to try it as the plates in the window always look amazing. We wouldn't exactly label ourselves Indian foodies up to this point, but we are now officially converted.  The entire meal was absolutely amazing (and embarrassingly huge), and we are now newly minted Indian food lovers.  We had so many great things, and on top of that it was so nice to catch up with Jocey and talk about all our adventures here!  The night just made me so thankful for the amazing friends and family that I have.
After some dessert (I opted for chocolate ice cream while Lauren was the adventurous one and got this kind of doughnut in a sugar syrup...yum!), we decided to come back to the room and go to bed early since we would be finishing up our first week of work tomorrow.  And, for some of us, we had some traveling ahead of us as well!
    xo Carolyn

Welcome to the Real World She Said to Me

Wednesday, October 13^th

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Although Tuesday morning we managed to wake up bright and early leaving us plenty of time to lounge before work, the novelty of that idea wore off about 24 hours later. For me, waking up at 7AM in order to leave Courtfield by 8AM is difficult when Facebook and YouTube videos (and often this blog!) keep me up until past midnight. Waking up when it’s still dark outside is something I don’t think I will ever get used to (but probably should). In any event, I wasn’t too pressed for time as I headed into the City for my second day of the real-world. I arrived at the office about 5 minutes earlier than my required 9:00AM start time, allowing myself time for an extra (much needed) cup of coffee.
Essentially, I am an intern in the Investment Banking Operations department, using software to complete user-accessibility testing within the Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage team; we monitor, test, and fix problems within the trading system platforms that the investment bankers use. My first task of the morning was to execute sixteen different trades in IRFE, one of our trading platforms. Just as I finished that task, Carlo (my Australian co-worker) got a call from a developer with a request to test a programming fix: my first real assignment, CFX1046 (each testing scenario has its own name). The basic idea is the developers believe they have fixed the problem within the software; our task is to verify that there are no further issues so that the solution can “go live” by tomorrow. Unfortunately, after taking my first screen shots, the system crashed, leaving Carlo and I at the mercy of the technical staff of the trading system. Finally, about two hours (and a lunch break) later, it was back up and running and I was able to continue working. Forty-eight screen shots later, I had finished my first assignment! The rest of the afternoon was fairly slow, and I was able to leave around five once again.
When I got back to Courtfield, we had a leisurely dinner with friends before laying low for the night. We originally wanted to go to the Student Union at Imperial College (the British university just a few blocks away), but we were both so exhausted we just ended up working on the blog and watching TV online for the majority of the night. Day 3 tomorrow; but something to look forward to at the end of the day: Jocey is coming to visit!

    xo LC

Girls Meet World

Waking up Tuesday morning was different from our previous ones; instead of going to class or going somewhere on a day trip, instead we were heading to our first day of our first real jobs.  I feel like we have been building up to this day for so long, and we can't believe that it finally arrived!  To make sure we had plenty of time to get all prim and proper, we got up quite early, giving ourselves time to leisurely prepare.  After blow drying, makeup, wardrobe and everything in between, we were both ready for our first day in the real world.  Since Lauren has the longer commute (sorry), she left a bit before I had to leave, so we hugged and wished each other good luck.  Shortly after, I made the 15 minute walk to Kelso Place, the quiet Kensington Street where the Crabtree & Evelyn corporate offices are located.
When I first walked in, I was excited and anxious, not really knowing what to expect.  Within five minutes of my arrival, though, I was sent to the City to visit a store location where another new employee, Yvonne, was receiving training.  So it turns out I did actually have to take the tube on my first day of work!  When I reached the store, we began our two hour product training session, sampling pretty much everything they sell in the stores.  By the end, my nose was so filled with scents I couldn't tell Rosewater from Vanilla, and I'm pretty sure my hands are going to be moisturized for the next five years...
After we were finished, we were then instructed to visit a few other London stores to get a feel for the different locations.  By the end of the day, I had visited five Crabtree & Evelyn shops, all throughout the whole of London; it was exhausting, but at least I got to explore a lot!  It was so interesting to see how different each store was, and I enjoyed talking to each of the managers to get a sense of their feelings on the brand and company as a whole.  My last stop was the store in Covent Garden, which turned out to be my favorite as it was right in the center of the market.  I had never been in this area before but have been dying to go, and I am determined to return more often.  It is so eclectic, and has so many great shops and restaurants around.  By the time 6 pm rolled around, I walked down to Charing Cross Station to meet with Lauren, who had a great first day at JP Morgan.  We discussed what we had done during the day as we made our way to the Savoy Theater; we had decided last week that as reward for our first day of work, we would try to get student rush tickets to Legally Blonde, and we were thrilled when we ended up getting 8th row seats for a great price!  Excited for our show, we walked back over to Covent Garden and ate at the Courage Pub, a little underground pub that pretty much screams English.  We each enjoyed falafel burgers (we needed greasy food at that point in the day), before heading back to the theater for the show at 7:30.  Legally Blonde was one of our favorites in New York, so we had a really fun time bopping along to all the music (and the occasional singing along...very rare though of course).  By the time we got out around 11 pm, we were exhausted, our feet were killing us, and our beds were calling our names.  We both decided that we had great first days, and we are excited to see what tomorrow holds!
   xo Carolyn

The City (With a Capital "C")

Monday, October 11th
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Monday morning was back to four hour classes; but at least ours didn’t start until 9:45! Carolyn and my second elective class (and the only class we take during the internship phase) is called “London Architecture and Urbanism.” I had been told by people who took it previously that it is essentially a weekly field trip to a different part of London… and that’s what it has turned out to be! After a brief overview of the syllabus (only one paper and a “seen” final!), we headed out on our first field trip to the Barbican and the Museum of London. Both are located in the City (the one square mile historic core of London), so we had quite a distance to travel on the tube. However, once we got there we managed to see quite a bit. The Museum has been recently renovated and is very modern and updated inside, which was a nice change from everything being historical. Afterwards, we went on a short walking tour of the City before ending up at the Monument: a 61 meter tall column built as a monument to the great fire of London in 1666.

 From the Bottom of the Monument!

Inside are 311 spiral stairs up to the top observation area, and guess what? We climbed them all. By the time we reached the top our thighs were on fire (but at least we burned off some of that Italian food!). However, the climb was definitely worth it, with exquisite 360 degree views of the City, including the Tower of London, St. Pauls, the Gherkin, and even the Eye in the distance. Class was dismissed from the top of the Monument, and upon our exit, the guard handed us a certificate congratulating us on making it to the top and climbing the 311 stairs: perfect for my scrapbook to-be!

One of the Many Views from the Top!

 After taking the tube back to South Ken, Carolyn and I headed to Waitrose to stock up on groceries for the week, which for me consisted of mainly fruits and vegetables, since I desperately needed a week of no (or low) carbs after our gluttony in Italia. After lunch, we were both still very exhausted from our travels so we took the afternoon and evening to relax in our flat with friends. Tomorrow is everyone’s first day at our placements (aka internships). We’re all excited, but at the same time anxious and unsure if the “real-world” is going to be everything it’s cracked up to be. Guess we’ll have to wait and find out!

     xo LC

Ciao Italia, Hello Lovely London

Sunday, October 10
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After five days of endless exploring, wonderful meals and tons of picture taking, our fall break was set to come to a close.  Our final morning in Rome, we decided we would allow ourselves to sleep in a bit, which was a welcome change from all of our early mornings during the week.  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the room (making sure to take as many of the Nutella packets as could fit into our bags) before making the quick walk to the Roma Termini Station.  We caught a shuttle to the Roma airport, where we whisked through security and hung out before we boarded our first flight to Milan.  Although it was delayed by about an hour, luckily it was the same plane as our connecting flight, so we got really lucky!  After a relaxing trip back to Heathrow, we were finally back in the UK, and honestly we were so thrilled.  Being in Italy was absolutely amazing, but we all realized through traveling how much we love it here in London.  When we exited Gloucester Road Station, it was almost euphoric, we felt like we were really home.  We all laughed and smiled in excitement as we walked back to Courtfield, a gorgeous sunset shining above us.  After dropping our things back in our beloved dorm room (never though we would miss our shower as much as we did!), we walked down to South Ken Station to pick up some (really really good) Chinese takeout.  We all sat in our kitchen talking about all our adventures and our week ahead.  Although we were exhausted, we were just so happy to be back in London.  After finishing our dinner, we all unpacked before saying goodnight, as we have a big, exciting week ahead of us.  Internships are upon us; time to say hello to the real world!
   xo Carolyn

Home, Sweet Sweet Home

On an Evening in Roma

Saturday, October 9th
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Saturday morning we allowed ourselves to sleep in until 8:30… the latest on our trip thus far! We enjoyed a leisurely bed-side breakfast before hoping on the Metro to the Colloseum. It is spectacular at night, but in the day light, it's character is truly highlighted. We managed to find a tour to join immediately, and before we knew it, were on our way into the amphitheater. The last time I was in Rome we only had time to view the outside, so I was very much looking forward to actually going inside; and I was not disappointed. With our tour guides descriptions we were able to imagine what it must have been like in Roman times, with hundreds of lions and other wild animals roaming under the arena floor, gladiators preparing for their fights, and 50,000 spectators in the stands. One of the most interesting things we learned is that when St. Peter’s Basilica was being built, they took some of the limestone from the Colloseum, melted it down, and reformed it into blocks which now make up part of the dome!

After the Colloseum, we made our way to the Roman Forum and meandered around before walking through the Circus Maximus (where the Roman’s had their chariot races). Before we knew it, it was time for another meal (but really when isn't it for us?), so we hopped on the Metro back to our B&B. We had lunch at the same restaurant around the corner (where we had dinner two nights previous) and it proved just as delicious; Carolyn and I shared bruschetta and then both ordered homemade ravioli. YUM.
The next event of the day was to take the train to Frascati, a (very) small town about 20km outside of Rome. We met up with our friends Lauren and Gwen (who are also Katie’s friends from Villanova… small world!) at the train station and enjoyed yet another gelato before boarding the 30 minute train ride. Our initial plan was to get off at the station and find the vineyard the Rome tourism desk had recommended for a tour and wine tasting. Complete fail. We had apparently arrived in authentic Italy… AKA no one spoke English. We tried to ask the woman at the train station, but she didn’t even understand “Do you speak English?” so we resorted to asking a 15-year old boy to translate for us. Result of the translation: she had no clue.
The following 30 minutes involved going into every single restaurant, café, and hotel asking if they knew English and how we could get to the vineyard (oh, and a cannoli stop too!). Finally, we were about to give up when we decided we would just ask one of the taxi drivers to take us there and accept the cost. But when we asked one of them from a distance if he spoke English, he responded “yeah” in almost a New York accent kind of way. Hallelujah! Although his English was impeccable, he didn’t have great news for us. Apparently, it;s harvest season and they don’t give tours or do wine tastings because they’re “working so hard.” He did give us directions to the street in town that has “Cantinas,” where you can just sit and drink wine. So that’s exactly what we did. Our first stop was a tiny one just on the edge of the town, with a gorgeous panoramic view of Rome and an adorable patio out front. We all enjoyed some authentic local white wine (which came out a barrel) before moving on to our next stop, a family-run restaurant just a few streets down. This time we all got some bread and cheese (including homemade mozzarella) to enjoy with our vino.

 The afternoon flew by and it was approaching 5:30: the train we wanted to take back to Rome. Although we didn’t achieve our original plan of a vineyard tour, we did manage to do a very local wine tasting and take in the spectacular views. It was a nice change of scenery to escape to somewhere where tourists rarely (if ever, by the looks of it) visit. Don’t worry, we managed to sneak in some biscotti and mini-pastries before boarding the train!
By the time we got back, we were all exhausted. We set up plans to meet Gwen and Lauren for dinner, and headed back to our B&B. Carolyn, Ashley, and Katie all took a power nap, while I took advantage of the computer in our room and got in my internet fix. Eight o’clock quickly approached and we headed to the bus station to meet Gwen and Lauren. Our destination? Piazza Navona for a lovely dinner on an outside restaurant terrace (lovingly referred to as the last supper!). Carolyn enjoyed bruschetta and pasta while I got in my last pizza fix.

We then stopped for dessert after before heading to Campo de Fiori, one of the many night-life areas of Rome. We of course ended up at an American bar, full of study-abroad students (and free of sketchy Italian men, amen!), where we spent a little time before calling it a night.
Our time in Florence and Rome had been amazing: from scaling mountains, the Sistine Chapel, endless eating, and local culture; however, we were all very ready to head back to London. There are so many things we take for granted here, like not having to hold on to our bags for dear life with every step, not having men yell cat calls at us constantly, being able to freely communicate with whomever and whenever, and of course, not being tempted by gelato at every corner! Our five days were incredible, especially spending it with such good friends, but we’ll both be very happy when we’re reminded to “mind the gap” once again. :)
xo LC