The Eye, Atlanta (Home of All Rappers), and the Best Cider EVER Invented!

Day 6: Monday, March 19

Monday was our first “real” day of our rotation.  I only put it in quotes because it was our introduction day by Peggy and took place at her lovely house.  So, it was quite school/London/education-oriented, just in a very comfortable environment.  In case you hadn’t noticed yet, Carmen and I adore Peggy.  She has practically saved our lives on more than one occasion (housing, transport to housing, feeding us), plus she gave us the gift of the amazing sparkly toilet.  She is so friendly and lovely to be around and has made us feel so welcome in a place so far away from home.  After our introduction and learning all about pharmacy education in American vs. England and us grilling her on vocabulary differences as well, she took us out to lunch at the neatest little café.  It’s right near a large park by her house and was opened by the community members to help support the local culture.  My BLT sandwich was delicious.  Side note: bacon in the UK is not like bacon in the States.  It’s more like a centercut of ham, as opposed to the crunchy strips of bacon I’ve grown so used to back home.  Slight adjustment for me.  This café is also apparently where all the young mothers gather in the early afternoon because there were babies EVERYWHERE!  Carmen got an M&M sugar cookie for dessert, and we learned that their M&M’s are actually called Smarties, which of course led to another discussion of trying to explain what American Smarties are.  Haha.    

Carmen and I on our last first day of anything school-related ever.  And all rejoiced!!!

After lunch, Peggy was kind enough to take Carmen and me to grocery shop in her car so we didn’t have to lug all of our groceries back on the bus (wouldn’t that have been fun?).  Sainsbury’s is the big chain over here, very similar to a Kroger.  This was our first trip to Sainsbury’s (unless you count my first day here, which by this point, we all know that I definitely do not, so you shouldn’t either).  To ensure the trolleys (aka buggy aka shopping cart for all you Northerners reading this!) aren’t stolen off the property (like by the crazy homeless people in Atlanta), you have to deposit £1 into the cart to unlock it from the rest of the buggies.  Then, when you are ready to leave and hook your trolley back up the rest of them, your £1 pops back out.  Quite ingenious if you ask me!!

The London Eye.  Yes, it's gigantic.

After Peggy took us back to the guest house, we rested up for a bit and unloaded our groceries, then headed out to see the London Eye!!  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  I personally like to think that we brought the fabulous weather with us from the States, but apparently London is in a 2 year drought, which I’m not complaining about at all because 1) I’m only here for 6 weeks, 2) Georgia has been in a “drought” for about 8 years so I’m used to conserving water, and 3)it’s not raining, so I can be a tourist.  Selfish, I know, but I can’t help it.  Anyway, I have segued.  Back to the topic at hand: The London Eye.  First known as the “London Eyesore” after it was originally built in 1999, it has now become a national landmark.  It is essentially a giant Ferris wheel with 32 enclosed capsules, and you ride it hundreds of feet in the air to overlook the entire city.  Amazing views.  And we saw it right at sunset, so it was gorgeous.  

Big Ben and Parliament

Apparently, some of the most desirable (i.e. expensive) real estate in London. 

This sunset was gorgeous.  So spectacular seeing it up so high.

Yes, I just became that girl.  You know, the one who takes pictures of her ring everywhere.  But it was sunset and so sparkly and I couldn't help myself (plus Bryce did do a pretty good job, so I feel like I'm obligated to show it off some).  So sue me. 

After getting off the Eye and wandering about for a bit, we ended back up in Trafalgar Square, where we decided to try out Pizza Express, which is a very popular chain around here (no worries, we made sure it had “cheeseless” pizza as an option so my poor little lactose intolerant self could enjoy it).  Overall, Carmen and I were not that impressed.  Especially for the price we paid.  However, there was enough left over for dinner the next day, and it was actually much better once re-heated for the second time.  Go figure.  Then we got ready for our trip across the city the next day to Kingston University, where we would finally meet our preceptor, Chris Cairns.  

Day 7: Tuesday, March 20

So today, Carmen and I discovered that Kingston University is FOREVER away from where we are staying.  I’m pretty sure we traveled for hours.  We started out with the forever long train ride to Kingston (not to be confused with Kensington, the palace, which has been closed for a long time for refurbishment and will finally which will re-open in 6 days and we are so excited!).  We arrived at the Surbiton train stop, then took the bus to the university (aka Uni to any student you talk to).  Professor Cairns came down to meet us, and we went back to his office to discuss our schedules for the next 5 weeks (side note: we’re still not totally sure of our schedules. Ha!).  Then he took us to see some pharmacy classes.  We were in a room of 3^rd year pharmacy students (important side note: their schooling system is completely different than ours.  You go to secondary school, which is essentially the first 2 years of high school, then on to A levels [the rest of high school, persay] if your grades are high enough and are accepted.  You will only take 4 classes, of your choosing.  A levels last for 2 years.  After the first year, you drop one of the classes and only take 3.  So, if you are interested in pharmacy, medicine, etc., you would want to take a chemistry, a math, and perhaps a biology.  Once these are done, and assuming you have earned high enough marks, you then apply to pharmacy school, which is 5 years[-ish].  You graduate after the first four years, but then have a “pre-registration” year, which is essentially equivalent to our P4 year rotations.  Only after the “pre-reg” year can you take your boards and be a pharmacist on your own.  Sorry, long segue, but very important.)  What we learned:  Mercer actually taught us a lot more than we realized, and Carmen and I made Mercer look good.  You’re welcome, Mercer.  We were assigned to be the patients in the case scenarios, but ended up teaching the students something every time.  (No, you cannot take omeprazole and Plavix together and definitely should not recommend it to a patient!  I could almost see the proud look on Dr. Momary’s face when we were the only students in the room who knew the answer!)  They were very friendly and receptive to us and had about a billion questions about everything in the US.  Also, after they asked us where we were from, and we replied, “Atlanta,” they said (and I quote in complete honesty), “Oh, where all the rappers are from?”  We had to sigh and say yes! Ha ha.  So, Atlanta, are you happy?  You are known for being where all the rappers are from.  What an accomplishment.  That’s all the British teenagers know about Georgia.  *Shakes head.*

After class ended, Professor Cairns picked us back up and took us to lunch at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant.  He then showed us around Kingston-Upon-Thames.  It was gorgeous.  We then parted ways, and Carmen and I shopped around for a bit.  Primark is a huge store over here.  Not even quite sure what to compare it to, but it was tons of clothes, shoes, accessories, everything(!) for really, really good prices.  The one in central London is always crazy busy, so we when happened upon one in Kingston and it wasn’t so busy, we went in and got some great deals!  Carmen got shoes for only £4!  And I found some fleece-lined tights (shout-out to Carmen and Megan for the heads up to look for them) for just £3!!  For everyone who knows how ridiculously cold I get, this is the most amazing invention of all time.  It’s like a fuzzy, warm heaven on the inside of tights!!

 

Traveling back to our house, we finally figured out the most reasonably priced rail/tube/bus pass and purchased the unlimited week card for all travel through zones 1 and 2 and all the buses.  After arriving back at the house, we ate the left over pizza, and I got to enjoy the amazing lactose free yogurt (!!!) I found at Sainsbury’s!  Seriously, it is great (perhaps because I haven’t gotten to eat yogurt in about 10 years, but still!).  They really should make this stuff in the States.  Perhaps I can smuggle some back…along with Peggy’s sparkly toilet seat!  And another great day ended with the usual nightly Skype date with Bryce (what would we do without technology?!).

Day 8: Wednesday, March 21 

Wednesday was our first day at the hospital!  And it was another very pretty day.  Like I said, we brought the good weather with us!  The ride to the hospital was pretty easy and straightforward.  We just walked up to the end of our road and the bus stop is RIGHT THERE.  Very convenient.  Then we hop on the 136 Bus to Lewisham and get off at Lewisham Hospital.  No stress of jumping from train to train and different rail line to different rail line (which is not hard, it’s just not how you want to travel to work when you haven’t been awake for very long!).  Once we arrived at the hospital, we met with one of the pharmacists.  Remember how I mentioned in the post from Day 7 that we weren’t really sure of our schedules?  Well, they definitely weren’t either.  At some points, Carmen and I were asking ourselves if they even knew we were coming, which we decided that they must have because they would have had to have given permission, but they still seem so surprised…and not sure what we were supposed to be doing there.  Hmm.  Well, we got badges made (just picture IDs though; nothing cool to get us into special places…we still have to ring the bell to get in the pharmacy, which I suppose is quite understandable).  We met with 3 of the pre-reg pharmacists, who, like the pharmacy students, grilled us about pharmacy education in the States (they are all so fascinated by it!).  Even more so, they are interested in our non-nationalized healthcare.  I could probably devote an entire post to nationalized (socialized) healthcare versus US healthcare, but I won’t bore you with that.  Even though it’s nice that so many of their items are “free” (someone’s paying taxes, people!), I still think the US is much more advanced with technology and many other items.  There are definitely good and bad to each.  I’m sure I’ll have more of an opinion after spending a week in the community pharmacy (next week).  

Rekorderlig Strawberry and Lime Cider.  Best.drink.ever.

After our time at the hospital, we just had an afternoon of down time.  Carmen and I met my parents at a pub for dinner, as I hadn’t seen them since I moved to the guesthouse, and they were leaving for the US the day after.  So we all know that I won’t drink any alcohol that wouldn’t look appropriate without an adorable little umbrella in it, which has posed a slight problem in London as everyone drinks beer.  That’s it, people, that’s all you get if you don’t want to get judged.  Beer and cider.  Well, we have made a breakthrough.  I found a cider that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!!  It’s a strawberry and lime cider (which Aimee and Megan suggested I try that night at The Slug and Lettuce but I was hesitant).  It’s fantastic.  And tastes just.like.pop.rocks.  No joke.  And it’s a beautiful color pink.  I mean, really, what’s not to love?!  Bad news?  It’s made in Sweden and is most certainly not available in the US.  But no worries…I’m still trying to find a way to get at least one, maybe two, cases home with me.  I’ll keep you updated…

Jewels, Doggy Day Spas, and a Whole Lot of History!

Day 5: Sunday, March 18

Happy Mothering Sunday!  That’s right…today is the UK’s version of Mother’s Day.  Carmen and I made the most of it by buying fantastic cards with “mum” written on them!  To send to our fantastic mums back home!  Interesting note: there is no Father’s Day, Fathering Sunday, or anything like that over here.  No worry, dad, you’re still fantastic to me!

It was a bit cold, but I’ve found that my tights under the jeans concept is working out quite well for me!  Another side note about the fashion:  apparently London is experiencing some sort of heat wave (ha! They should come to Atlanta in July!), and everyone is running around like it’s the middle of summer time and they’re headed for the pools.  So little clothing and so many chilly days!  Can’t wait to see what the rest of the week will hold.  We decided to go to Harrod’s (Carmen had been earlier in the week before my arrival, but I still hadn’t gotten the experience yet).  For those who don’t know what Harrod’s is…the only way to describe it is some sort of Macy’s on crack!  7 stories of any and everything under the sun.  And none of it priced where anyone but the Queen, JK Rowling, and Posh and Becks (that is seriously what they are called over here… I love listening to the British talk…they make their names sound beautiful when they say them) could possibly afford anything.  Upon arrival, Carmen and I got a store map (seriously, it’s that big) and made our way to the jewelry department…of course!  We spent quite awhile gazing at jewels we will never be able to afford, but LOVED looking at anyway.  Cartier, Tiffany & Co., etc…you name it, they had a department.  We like to think we helped a guy (around our age!) pick out a beautiful engagement ring for his lucky lady at Tiffany & Co.  In reality, we probably just creeped him out staring over his shoulder and gasping at each ring he debated over.  You know he probably actually loved it! Ha ha.  There’s also a pet department with salon (including doggy treadmill, no joke) and £200 jewel encrusted dog collars.  The children’s department had £600 Dolce and Gabbana leather jackets in size 2T.  Can you even imagine?  The toy department was fantastic, with a great Harry Potter section.  Then we made our way out with, minds still spinning at everything in the store.  As you can probably guess, we did not make any purchases.

The Harrod Teddy Bears

I took this picture for Haley and her love of giraffes.  If you have £1,110 hanging around (about $1,700) this lovely giraffe could be yours too!

Next, we grabbed a quick lunch at Pret, a fantastic sandwich store where everything is made fresh daily and has TONS of options.  I’ve become obsessed with the chicken and avocado sandwich.  And the BEST salt and vinegar chips!  It’s like a Panera or Atlanta Bread, but MUCH more reasonably priced and quick to grab for on-the-go eating. 

The Front of the Victoria and Albert Museum

Then off to the Victoria and Albert Museum (named for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and opened since 1852!).  And once again, free!  Wow, we saw so much there, and like the British Museum, only made it through a small portion of the museum.  We took an hour guided tour through just the Britain part of the museum, and in my opinion, it is so much better than just walking aimlessly around wondering the history of so many of the items.  The preservation of everything is incredible.  For example, there is a room, and ENTIRE room, from a home (or what I consider a palace) of someone quite famous (sorry the name escapes me right now) with gold gilded paneling, including that from the ceiling.  They have completely restored it and made room for the whole room in one of the museum’s wings.  Amazing.  We saw some pretty jewels (give us a break, we’re girls and we can’t help it!), along with very fragile clay casts of some of the most famous statues (like Michaelangelo’s David) and tombs that have made their way here over the years.  Also, I have always been intrigued by Books of Hours, which are old prayers books from the Medieval Ages and are often illuminated with jewels and gemstones on the front covers (for those interested: my favorite book is the novel, The Book of Hours, by T. Davis Bunn, which is a mystery/romance/Christian fiction, and I have lent out to over a dozen people over the years, but if it hasn’t made it to you, please let me know and I’ll make sure you get it!  It’s how I first learned about what Books of Hours are.)  Carmen and I love history, so we were quite big fans of the museum.  After finishing up at the Victoria and Albert, we headed out and I got to see Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, and we wandered and ended back up at Trafalgar Square before heading home.  A very eventful day!

An Illuminated Copy of The Book of Hours.  Beautiful.

Slugs, Lettuce, and a Sparkly Toilet! (Days 3-4)

Day 3: Friday, March 16

Friday was another cold, London-y looking day, so the decision was made to do “inside” things all day if possible.  After enjoying some melt-in-your-mouth homemade croissants and pastries, we made our way over the to the guest house where Carmen and I would be living for the next 5 weeks.  We could have made a 2.5 mile outside walk to the closer rail station, but since we already had the unlimited day travel card, we took the slightly longer, but incredibly warmer, route.  A decision agreed upon by all!  After meeting the home’s owners, my mind was instantly at ease, and I knew I would feel very safe and at home at their guest home during my stay in London.  For all those unaware, our housing was canceled on us last minute, and other potential housing options were given to us.  None of these were very safe or in a reputable area of town, so we received the name of the guest house from our preceptor’s “right hand lady,” Peggy (more on her awesomeness in another post!) and swallowed the extra cost of the house for the ability to safely leave our surroundings during the day and night without fear for our lives!  Interesting and unrelated side note: guns are banned in the UK.  Not even policeman are allowed to carry them!  I was told, “only the bad guys have them,” which does make me wonder why the police aren’t allowed to protect themselves and their citizens, but I guess that’s socialized government at work for you.  I’ll take my right to bear arms any day, thank you very much!

Fun British Phonebooth

After leaving the guest house, my parents and I made our way back on the tube to central London (my and Carmen’s housing is located in zone 2) to visit the British museum.  It is huge and very overwhelming!  Most well-known for housing the Rosetta Stone, many Egyptian artifacts and mummies (including Cleopatra), and parts of the Greek Parthenon.  I am sad to report that we were quite tired after an hour and a half of touring (just the Egyptian area at that!) and did not make it to the rest of the museum.  The good news?  Almost every London museum is FREE, so I can come back another time to finish the rest of the exhibits!!  Lovely!  

At the British Museum

The Rosetta Stone

A quick stop to a local Museum Tavern for some chips (aka French fries) and rejuvenation, and then we made our way to Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road, where all of the major shopping is!  Here, I parted with mom and dad and met up with Carmen, Aimee, and Megan for dinner at The Slug and Lettuce (yes, this is the real name!).  I had a wonderful chicken wrap with no signs of anything alive in my lettuce ;)  There was some crazy strobe-lighting going on since it was Friday night, and the music was going, and we most definitely enjoyed the people watching.  After chatting a bit longer, I headed back to the B&B to pack up my belongings and get ready for the big move into the guest house with Carmen on Saturday!

Day 4: Saturday, March 17

On moving day, we woke up to what I expected to see most days in London… RAIN!  I couldn’t be too upset though, because I had invested in a hot pink raincoat just for this trip, and I finally got to wear it.  Yes, judge me if you want, but it is pink and beautiful and did a wonderful job of keeping me dry.  Peggy, who I mentioned in my above post, worked as the registrar (our Mercer equivalent would be Jordana) at a pharmacy school in London and recently retired.  We had heard wonderful things about her from Michelle (who came to London from Mercer last year), and since she had already gone above and beyond in finding us secure housing, we knew this must be true!  She “collected” me in her car (my first experience riding on British streets, you know, minus that first day, which I have already labeled and stashed away in my mind as a blur) with ALL my luggage and off to my new home I went.  After dropping off my luggage so there would be room for Carmen in the car (!) and stopping by Peggy’s home and getting to meet her husband, Ted, we headed to Oxford Street to pick up Carmen.  On the way, we stopped to pick up a ring of Peggy’s in what is known as London’s “Diamond District.”  Yes, it was quite fabulous.  After navigating through some “diversions” (aka detours), we collected Carmen and made it back to the guest house.

During the rest of the day, Carmen and I worked on unpacking and making our rooms feel as home-y as possible.  There is a good bit of space in each of our rooms, each with their own sink, which is quite convenient.  Interesting fact:  sinks over here have both a “hot” faucet and “cold” faucet.  I’m talking completely different faucets, which makes washing hands and faces with scalding or freezing yourself slightly near impossible.  The owners of the guest house are extremely nice and accommodating and essentially gave us our own suite with private door so our rooms can be opened up to each other and closed off to the rest of the house.  We also have a private bath, which is extremely rare to find.  Well, a half private bath.  The sink and toilet area are finished, and the shower will be completed next week.  So we still shower with the rest of the guests, but battling over shower times has not been a problem at all.

Peggy was kind enough to invite Carmen and I over to her house for dinner on Saturday, where we spent 4 hours eating, talking, and enjoying our time learning about the culture from her and Ted.  We had her husband in fits of laughter over some of our “slaughtering” of the English language.  His favorite was the way Southerners have given the word “fix” an entirely new meaning.  As in, I’m fixin’ to go to the store.  We all laughed especially hard at his version… “I’m fixing to go fix the car” in full British accent.  He just couldn’t understand our Southern creations!  Also, we got a lovely tour of her home and found the most wonderful piece of furniture ever created.  A SPARKLY TOILET!  I am not kidding.  I took pictures to prove it.  It is beautiful and lovely and will one day be in my home as well (after I win this battle with Bryce…cross your fingers for me, everyone, it’s not going well!! Haha).  Carmen and I both squealed when we saw it.  A very good end to the day if I do say so myself.

THE SPARKLY TOILET!!!

Days 1-2 of London Life

I know this blog starts off sounding depressing, but if you will just have a little faith in me, it gets better after day 1!

Day 1: Wednesday, March 14

So my trip to London started on Tuesday when my plane left Atlanta (home sweet home!), but I was still technically in America(-ish) until after midnight, so we’ll start with Wednesday.  My parents were so very kind to come over with me so I didn’t have to fly to a big new country alone with 75+ pounds of luggage to lug around all over London on a tube station I had no idea how to use.  Also, they had never been to Europe before either, so it was a win-win all around.  We arrived at 6 am London time, and as big a sleeper as I am (I have been known to fall asleep at the dentist and while getting my hair washed at the hair salon…I know, but it’s really possible), I did not sleep on the plane.  There was just a *little bit* going on in my mind perhaps!  Upon arriving, the customs lady, who clearly pulled the short straw when it came to job hours, and thus was not a happy camper, would not let me through.  Mom and dad were fine, but not poor little innocent-looking me.  After begging and pleading and some tears (seriously, no judging, I need this rotation to graduate), she finally decided I was not a terrorist or coming to make any money over here so I was allowed to enter.  Welcome to the UK! 

So, to recap: arrived at 6 am with no sleep and navigated through a strange city via train, tube, and taxi after crying my way through customs.  The rest of the day is a blur.  I’m sorry I can’t give you anymore than that.  Oh, I did have a slightly computer emergency once I was rejuvenated after a short nap when I realized the “geniuses” at Best Buy did not help me pick out an electrical adapter that would fit my computer’s 3-pronged plug.  Major panic and meltdown ensued, partly due to exhaustion, partly due to my addiction to my computer.  Then we went to sleep.

Day 2: Thursday, March 15

Luckily, Thursday started off much more promising than my arrival day!  First of all, it was sunny and “warm.”  I say warm because people were wearing tank tops and the current trend (which I hope never makes it to America because I WILL NOT follow it) of teeny tiny jean booty shorts (on people who cannot fit into said shorts and certainly are not in the appropriate age category even if they could fit into them) with ripped tights underneath.  I am not sure if the rips were intentional or not.  Anyway, everyone wears this.  NO ONE should.  I was quite warm and cozy with my tights (underneath my jeans, mind you), a sweater, fleece jacket, winter pea coat, gloves, and scarf.  And rested and well-fed.  In general, pretty happy!  

After learning of several electronic stops to look at for my computer adapter, we navigated to the Victoria Station (in zone 1; London is in 6 zones with central London in zone 1 like a bulls-eye and works its way out from there to the outer suburbs in zone 6) from our B&B in zone 4.  I decided to just stop in a small 10x10 ft pharmacy called Boots in the station, and lo and behold, they had a universal American prong to UK adapter.  For only 5£ (Best Buy “geniuses” also ripped me off with my $40 adapter set, but oh well)!!  It was a pharmacy miracle!  I was now a happy camper ready to go!  Since the station was just a stop on my way to all the electronic stores, I had the whole day free now!  

We decided to start with the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels.  After getting a student discount (score!), we made our way in and WOW!  My first castle (of many I’m sure, while I’m here).  So beautiful and the history behind everything is amazing.  The preservation of buildings, furniture, clothing, wall carvings, etc. from the 1200’s and forward just absolutely astounds me.  The Beefeaters (Tower of London guards) gave a wonderful tour (mixed some hilarious jokes) and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there!  And since all reading this know of my love of anything shiny or sparkly, obviously the Crown Jewels were a big hit!  Pictures (not allowed in the jewel room unfortunately) would not do them justice.  They are quite impressive in person.  Especially the 530+ carat Star of Africa diamond in the Royal Scepter.  [Makes the rock on my hand look like a speck ;)  Just kidding to Bryce, who of course, picked out a lovely and quite large ring!  This joke was actually made by the Beefeaters about every ring each lady there was wearing!]  Then we meandered to Trafalgar Square and every single pub was packed with people.  We have since learned that is where most people eat dinner.  And where the beer is cheaper than Coke! Ha ha.  Or even free if you order certain burger meals!  Also, the food is very reasonably priced, and no smoking is allowed in any building in London!  I also got to use video Skype for the first time (since my computer could charge with its lovely new electrical adapter) and “see” Bryce.  Overall, a very good day!

See, if you stuck with me to this point, you'll see I wasn't lying!