Top 10 Signs That I'm Missing LONDON

10. I refer to my hometown as Britishtown (formerly known as Germantown).
9. I ocassionaly drive on the left side of the road when no one is looking.
8. I changed my middle name to Rhubarb, that is Pooja Rhubarb Chawla
7. I tell people to mind the gap when they get on the metro
6. I throw my "rubbish" in the bin
5. I have to rush off at 4pm for afternoon tea
4. I am obsessed with Victoria Beckham
3. I take a brolley with me everywhere (even when the forcast calls for only sun)
2. I am working on cultivating a garden that rivals Kew Gardens in my backyard
1. I removed my picture of Tori Amos from my wall and replaced it with the Queen's

A Wee Bit of Golders Green

Coming back from India, en route to Washington D.C., I spent four more nights with a friend of mine in Golders Green--a suburb of London that lies 25 minutes North of where I used to live. My first day was spent getting over my jet lag and getting acclamated to the London weather again after spending a month in sunny Mumbai. Somehow, being my luck, I missed the rare, but hot weather in London and got there right on time for a horrid, cold front (50F-60F) with rain to match the mood. Even my friend, though it is obviously not her fault, profusely apologized for the weather knowing I had hardly seen a hot, sunny day in London. She repeatedly nailed it in my head that this was NOT normal. Regardless, I tried to make the most of it and went out into the city when I could.

My first day out, I went to a quaint area called "Hampstead" of London where the rich and famous of London reside.
At first I did a little window shopping, but then made it over to the infamous crepe stand which serves both savory and sweet crepes for all types of palates. Since, I was famished, I ordered a savory crepe with spinach, cheese, and garlic. Though drizzled in oil, I happily ate the crepe, but realized that the dessert I was planning on having at the french bakery nearby was not happening. So, instead I explored the book store around the corner when I was hit with a sudden jolt of jet lag quickly ending my day.

The next day was also not that eventful since the weather was so dismal--a brolley was constantly with me throughout the week. I had originally wanted to spend this day either by going to Stratford-Upon-Avon or Brighton, but my outdoor ambitions were squelched. Thus, I simply went into Central London to do some shopping and hang out with a friend for drinks on Oxford Street. Having one more day left, I figured it was best turn of events since I could stroll around till the weather no longer suited me.

Finally, the last day in London approached, and while I was saddened by this because I had fallen in love with the city and most especially rhubarb (a vegetable like fruit that is cooked) custard and brittle (i'm dead serious, people...you can't find this combination anywhere in the states)
as well as several other things English, I was also excited to be back home with my family and to see my friends after three long months. So, in style, I spent my last day in London using my hop-on, hop-off bus given to me by the GMU program and visiting Leonardo DiCaprio at Madame Tussaud's (had he not just been created as a wax figure I would have gladly forgone the experience) where I also saw the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachan. That night, my friend also took me to the Shree Swaminarayan temple--the largest Hindu temple outside of India. This was definitely a sight to see and a great way to end my trip.

In the end, my journey to London was an unforgettable one. On one level, I empathized with foreigners in that sense of having to find your way around in an unfamiliar setting, adapting to a different culture without anyone you know in your reach. But on another level it also taught me how life is something to be lived, enjoyed, and explored everyday. And now, having been home for over two weeks, I do miss London immensely, but I'm also glad to be back home to discover what lies ahead.

Potter Mania

I would assume the title speaks for itself, but I shall expound for the sake of Potter fans on this subject of Potter Mania, and believe me it was quite mental, because as most people recall, July 12th was the release of the fifth Harry Potter film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and July 21st was the highly anticipated release of the seventh, and last book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" allowing me to witness Londoners on a Potter high in the middle of July. Of course, that's not to say I'm not a Potter fan, but living in Islington and traveling nearly every day to the famous King's Cross Station, where the magical students of J.K. Rowling's series board the Hogwart's Express at platform 9 and 3/4, forces even the least of fans to overdose on Harry Potter. However, that being said, as a fan I did join in on the fun and was front row and center to watch the film (which I enjoyed quite nicely at the VUE) as well as joined in on the celebrations the eve of July 21st (the day I left for India) at King's Cross and commemorated the release of the new book with Danielle Radcliffe wanna-be's and magicians galore at WHSmith. So, without further ado, here are several pics of all those great Harry Potter moments:

The Art of Gardens

If there is one thing the English simply love, love, and absolutely love...it's their gardens. The amount of times that I've heard "I was in my garden when..." is beyond me. So,whether it's Kensington Gardens, or just a small lot along the side of the street, a garden is quite precious to a Brit. Regent's Park was above all my favorite green space that I went to in London. One Sunday morning in mid-July, Johanna, Christi, and I were finally showered with sunshine and thought it was a golden opportunity for a picnic out in the park. We took wine, crackers, the unforgettable Brie cheese from the market, as well as some other delicious snacks with us and headed out for a relaxing day.
Though we had the best intentions to spend a long day at the park, we had actually left later than desired only to realize we had to stop by to get some travel passes not to mention I had forgotten the direct route to the Park (I had been once before and thought I knew the closest way). So, an hour of our afternoon was cut short as we circled around for a spot on the grass. Eventually, we found a beautiful spot amongst the roses, indulged in the food and wine, and glared at the sky. A couple of us even dozed off, but soon after we started to make our way out (we had plans for the evening that couldn't wait) a group of women from Qatar set up camp near the tree next to us. There were at least 8 women, children, and one servant with them handing out food and drinks. While we weren't the only ones nearby them, they were extremely friendly neighbors and shared some cake and tea with us as if were were one of their own. The girls and I were overall touched and grateful for such a beautifully pleasant afternoon and, for me, it was a day that remains to be one of my favorites in London.

The Wicked World of West End

Ah, yes, what would London be without West End theatre-the British equivalent of Broadway. For me, it was quite nice to be a part of a thriving theater community both through work as an intern in International Theatre and Music, Ltd (IT&M), an agency representing West End artistes, and outside of work such as attending a free West End concert taking place at Leceister Square one Sunday afternoon or watching a show (which I'll describe in detail later on). Now, one could argue that Broadway has a similar feel, but I do believe an outing to the theatre was more delighted upon by a Brit than by an average American. The strongest evidence being the fact that "Any Dream Will Do," a show similar to American Idol where the top contestent wins the role of Joseph in the show "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on West End, was a major hit and that Lee Mead, the winner, was an overnight sensation in England (side note: this bloke was IT&M's client--so I heard plenty about him during my seven weeks and moreover, even spoke to him on the phone once--nice chap).

Anyway, whilst in London, there were several shows to see from Lord of the Rings (which had just opened in the summer) to Mary Poppins (a role that was, according to my officemates, begrudingly given to an American). Though I would have loved to see all of them my pocket book was decreasing in size by the minute so I only went to one called "Wicked" which, to my knowledge, was a show that first hit Broadway and made its way over to the West End. Lucky for us, Johanna and I found reasonably priced seats and quickly took the opportunity to go see the show on a Thursday night. We arrived at Apollo Victoria just minutes before the doors were closing, however, and leapt to our seats. I was quite suprised to see that the house was packed even though the show had been running on West End for awhile. Moreover, though we were far up and could barely see the performers on stage and despite the fact that the lead male role was played by an average understudy, Johanna and I had a fabulous time.

Better yet, what was the most interesting West End experience for me, was the chance of learning about a community theatre called "Unicorn Theatre" after speaking to my officemate Lina about my love for arts education.

Set in the always lovely London Bridge area of Central London along the Thames River, the Unicorn Theatre holds shows for the entire family, but with the priority being the youth. So, I was quite thrilled when Lina invited me to attend a feedback session with the Art Director of the theatre and I was given complimentary tickets (thanks to Lina again) to see a show there. The truth is, I was so in love with this theatre that I tried to find a job there as an intern or a volunteer, but unlucky for me, there weren't any vacancies. Though there were some job openings, I realized that I would have better chances working first in a theater in the U.S. and then perhaps making my way over to Unicorn.

Word of the day: wicked-an adjective-meaning cool or interesting

Day Trips

While I enjoy the thrills and frills of London, I also enjoy going outside of the city and seeing new places. The two places I have been able to go to recently are Bath and Cambridge. Both different from each other, but equally appealing. First off is Bath (since I went there first).

BATH

Lying 1.5 hours west of London by Train, we (my flatmates and a couple of other GMU students) arrived the Bath station at approximately 10am and wandered around for a bit. We arrived at our first destination, an Abbey (name eludes me at the moment) in the centre square of the city and went inside. It was quite a gorgeous and peaceful moment broken by the need to get to the Roman Baths before they closed.
Thus, we proceeded to the Bath Museum and learned a thing or two about the history of the hot springs and how the Romans created the structure (all of which I will not relay here since you should go to the museum and learn it first hand).

After the Bath museum, Christi, Georgia, and I headed off to the Fashion Museum where a group of tender-aged French students overtook the small halls of the museum and reminded me of the days when I was a foreign exchange student living in France. Eh-hem...anyway, after two hours of fashion history (did you know that women used fans to flirt with men?) we headed out to higher elevation to a place called "The Royal Crescent"--basically a long building that curves like the crescent of a moon. While it was lovely, it was getting cold, so the girls and I ran back down the hill to meet up with the rest of our group. From then on, since most of the shops were closed by 5:30 pm, we sat in a pub had some grub and chatted.

Two hours later after ingesting a jacket potato, some chips, and a caesar salad which were all nicely lodged in my tummy, Christi, Matt, and I decided to head off and get a break from the smoke (this is before England went smokefree). We went uphill for a good half hour (oh my thighs!) and reached a high point from which I took some good pics. Finally, we ran down the hill to go catch our train. Overall it was a great outing.

CAMBRIDGE

Now, for Cambridge...well, this time it was just Christi and I venturing out for the day. We both lucked out and went on a day that was both beautifully bright and warm--especially given the fact that it has been raining every bloody day since I've come to London! Anyhow, Cambridge is a fast 45 minute train ride north of London. We arrived at about noon and walked towards City Centre where all of the colleges are masterfully situated. We did get a little lost, however, and lost about 20 mins time which worked up an appetite for me so we ate at the Copper Kettle on Kings Parade and had lunch. Christi and I both were in the mood for cappucinos so we ordered that plus Christi ordered her first scone while I settled on a tuna salad. I was worried though that I wasn't hungry enough to finish the salad after drinking half my cappucino so I asked the waiter how big it was and he cut me off reassuring me that I'll have enough to eat which made me wonder if I'd have too much to eat. So, he came over again and I explained to him that I was asking not if it was big enough, but if, in fact, it was too big. It was too late. By that time the salad arrived. Christi helped me finish it, but we still ended up leaving a heap of tuna:(



After lunch Christi and I went our separate ways. I headed over the market and went in a couple of shops on a cute, narrow road. This path I was on eventually led me to a bridge where I found the infamous river in Cambridge. The sight was incredible so I asked the girl next to me if she could take my picture. Within seconds this girl and I were discussing traveling destinations and the need to live life to the fullest. She herself had given up a Cabinet Officer position back in her home of Australia to live in London and travel every weekend. I asked how she was able to get a working visa for two years not realizing that Australia is a part of the Commonwealth. She told me there's a possibility, if I wanted to live in Europe, to get an Indian passport and get a working visa that way. Well, can't say I'm not considering it, but let's see. I have loads to think about in terms of my future. Regardless, I appreciated her passion and faith to take that risk in life.

A half hour later, Christi joined me at the bridge and we went punting (took a cruise down the river). During out punting trip, Christi and I furiously took pictures. Both she and I left the boat in amazement at how beautiful a university Cambridge is and how we wished we could have stayed longer. Hence, the day was short, but we made the most of it.

word of the day: punting

Loads of Clothes

Shopping is one experience no woman should ever deny herself--especially in London. And if you are in the mood to indulge Oxford Street is teeming with stores that fancy your credit card. Of course, most of my shopping has been window shopping because as much as I enjoy the art of fashion, I also need enough money to eat.

With a student budget though, I've been able to shop at stores such as PRIMARK that are cheap for the Londoners (which means reasonable for us), but is still trendy. Actually, PRIMARK is the Forever 21 of London, but much more mental (as they say). It's actually the place where everyone and their mate is buying a top. The queue to try on the clothes takes and hour, if not more, because girls are literally lined up from the lingerie section (where the fitting rooms are) out to the regular apparel section. And better yet, the queue to buy the clothes is something from the DMV. You are actually called up by an automated voice when a cash register is free such as ("till number 4, please"). If you don't believe me check out the pics: Besides PRIMARK, there is also Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, and H&M to name a few.

The other most popular clothing store for females, however, is TOP SHOP. This is where Kate Moss recently opened up her clothing line--apparently, there was a queue out the door and around the corner for its opening--go figure! Johanna and I had the privilege of going in and checking it out last night. There was definitely a quality difference--much more cute tops, shoes, and accessories than PRIMARK with varying price ranges. No sales though until July 5th so you know who will be shopping on that day!


Words of the day: pants (British)=men's underwear (American); knickers=women's underwear; trousers=pants; jumper=sweater; tights=pantyhose; etc.

Pub Culture

Lately I've been working on my tolerance--and no, I don't mean it in terms of world peace. To give you an idea of what I mean it's been known that a wine tasting could get me buzzed. Hence, I've never been a huge drinker (and don't plan to be) but I do fancy the occasional wine. Now, after being in London for three weeks, I have assimilated to the drinking culture with a bottle of beer one night and a glass of wine the next. So far, I've enjoyed the ciders, Guiness wasn't so bad after all, but the tinto veranos that my flatmate makes at home is by far the best drink I've discovered.

Above all though the thing I love about these pubs is that you can just chat for hours with your mates and not be bothered. Smoke is probably my least favorite thing about them, but that will soon change after July 1st when England goes smoke free (hard to believe, but true). I know it will be quite a drastic change for the Brits, but at least it will save my clothes from reeking. Another neat feature is the pub menu. They usually have just about every type of cuisine on them for a reasonable price. Perhaps it makes no sense, but apparently the Thai and Indian dishes are pretty good. I usually just stick to the standard sandwich, but that's cause I'd rather try ethnic foods at a proper restaurant. Altogether pubs are a great place to chill, relax, and have a drink. Unfortunately, they usually close by 11pm when I'm ready to go out and have a good time which is why Johanna and I ended up at this fine salsa bar one night near the Tower Bridge as we were both in search of a nice glass of wine to end our day.

word of the day: pissed as in "I was so pissed last night I don't remember how I got home"

Fancy food?

Since coming to London, I've been pushing myself to cook. The girls and I have realized that it really pays to eat at home. Take for instance your standard chips. They can range between £1.50 to £1.80 (unless you get them from the value menu at McDonalds). Basically, that's 3 USD to have some frikkin' chips on the side. So, grocery shopping has helped incredibly.

One thing I was craving was my standard soy, wheat gluten (fake meat) products. I finally found two companies that are vegetarian friendly: Cauldron and Quorn (which was featured in a article recently: <<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/04/health/main502914.shtml/stories/2002/03/04/health/main502914.shtml>>)
Anyway, I can't say that there as good as Morningstar or Boca, but it will do for now.

But the most fun in terms of food is going to the markets. So far I've checked out Portabello, Chapel, and Borough market. Each has a slightly different flavor to it (pun intended), but all are enjoyable nevertheless. Portabello was where we were able to find a lot of cheap produce and bread. I even found a nice little Indian shop where I could find my precious curry leaves (only a few know how precious they are to me). Chapel is small. It's near our house and only has a couple of stalls, but it's good to have around the corner. Borough, on the other hand, was a food fanatic's delight with pastries, breads, cheeses, and wines galore from various places in the world. It wasn't cheap, but incredible to experience.

Ahh...so now after all this talk about food, I'm sure you're mouth is watering and your stomach is growling. How about I leave you with this? What is it you say? Well, my first weekend here I cooked up an Indian meal for my flatmates...gobi aloo, dal, naan, and rice (ahh...my mum would be proud!). It was probably the first real meal I had had in days so here are a couple of pics from that fine evening and I'll leave you to it...Cheers!

Word of the day: jacket potato...guess what it is...a baked potato...:)

Randy Indian Men

Did I ever mention how well I get along with me flatmates? Let me describe them a little to you:
First there is Johanna--my fellow grad student, miss El Savador, crazy mamma booty shakin' 24-7

And then we have Christi--sunshine in a 20 year-old body, southern and sweet, always a positive force

When Thursday finally came around the three of us decided we needed a night out on the town. Donning extra make up and dancin' shoes, we headed to Piccadily Circus to hang out with another group of GMU students.

On our way there, Johanna spotted a beautiful man wearing a blue, pinstripe suit leaning against the side door of the tube. She admired his face, but got the shock of her life as he turned around with unzipped pants revealing his *****...well, you know.

Lucky for me, OR NOT, she screamed in my ear. "Johanna," I said "you're seeing things." But I ate my words soon enough because she was right! Amazingly Christi was saved from this event, but it did set the tone for the rest of our night.

As we exited the station, we found ourselves in the middle London's Time Square. We tried reaching Jessica to see where the other GMU folks were hanging out. Our destination: O'Neill's.



An hour later, after asking four people which way O'Neill's, we kept walking in cirlces from Piccadily to Leicester Square and back with no sign of our destination. Instead, Christi found some ice cream she liked back at a grab-a-bite type place. She wouldn't buy it though because it was too expensive.

We try to find another place--a lounge that we can hang in, but all we find are loud clubs. Accosted several times by raunchy club employees with the prime question "Are you ladies looking for a club?", we finally decide we'd rather just grab something to eat, but almost everything else was closed. Since nothing was open, but the grab-a-bite place we went back to the first one that we found where Christi refused the ice cream.

The three Indian Men were delighted to see us again. The owner speaks in Hindi to me asking me to get my friends to try Indian food. I'm dying for a Samosa so I bought one, but Christi and Johanna wanted ice cream. They negotiated a lower price and happily ate. Right then we decided to take pictures. The owner gets excited and joins us in the picture. He puts his arm around Christi and Johanna, but then awkwardly places his hand on Johanna's face. Johanna is freaking out, I'm also wondering what the hell is going on. He's looking strangely at her as if he's never seen or touched a woman before. Not amused, we get as far away as possible from these randy Indian Men.

Our next challenge: finding a way home. The tube is closed, but a nice, old Asian man directs us the the 73 night bus. After another hour, we get home safe and sound wondering if O'Neill's exists.

Word of the day: randy...read the blog...nuff said.

God, I'm quite knackered

Today started out as any normal morning, I woke up, washed up, and went out to explore my neighborhood. But first thing before exploring, I called Anu, yes Anuradha Thakrar, who wrote me before I left for London saying she was in town in transit to the States. I tried calling her and left two messages in the course of the day. I also sent her an email with my address and said, if possible, come over after 7pm--the chances were slim that she would show up.

Most of my morning was spent discovering the Borough of Islington where I live. Johanna and I found a Woolworth’s and Borders up the street near the Angel tube. She bought her much needed towel and I reveled in the fact that there was a bookstore nearby—its equivalent to crack in my world.

By the time I came home from wandering around it was time to go to our orientation meeting at Bloomsbury Square with Anglo American Education Services—an organization that set up the housing and internships in London for George Mason University students. We finally met John Mann, our internship coordinator, who was a lovely old British man. He questioned some our American English vocabulary pointing out the oddity of the words “zip code” and “eggplant.” Ok, so it’s true zip codes have nothing to do with zippers on a jacket and eggplants aren’t shaped as eggs. I guess he has a point.

Three hours later, after Johanna constantly reminding of how hungry we both were since we skipped lunch, we finally went to eat with the group. At this Italian Restaurant we were at we chummied up with Matthew and Samantha--some other Anglo American students. Around 7pm I was still hanging out now at a pub with other Americans from our group. In the back of my mind I wondered if Anu ever saw my message or attempted to show up.

9pm--finally arrive home and find a note from Anu posted on the door...SHIT SHIT SHIT!!! I keep pinching myself not able to believe that she actually made it to my door. As I'm cursing loudly in my flat Anu shows her face laughing to the brim with amusement. We, of course, are ecstatic to see each other after 6 months.

10pm--Anu says she misses her bus back to the hotel so we decide she should sleep on my couch. We go downstairs and try the pay phone three times (not only do we not have internet we are still lacking phones in our flat). She is unable to reach her mom and prays she isn't freaking out. She does a couple of Sai Ram's in her mind hoping her mom will telepathically get the message.

After our much needed catching up, I head off to bed as tomorrow is my first day of work. Anu sleeps on the couch in my bathrobe (no extra blankets available). Finally, I rest...

5am-the next day-A police cop is at our door. He buzzes the intercom and then heads upstairs. Johanna my flatmate opens the door and he exclaims "is Padma Thakrar here." At that point I run into the lounge where Anu is sleeping and yell "Oh My God, Anu, your mom called the police!!!"

The cops come inside and we tell them the situation...how we tried to call three times, how my mobile does not work and we have no phone connection b/c it is my first day here. They leave and Anu and I go back to sleep.

5:45am-Another set of cops arrive at our door. They come up and say that they are ready to take Anu back to the hotel. "Your mum is worried and crying her eyes out," says the one of them. Anu rushes back to get her things. The last I see of Anu, she standing in the lift being escorted by the British police.

word of the day: knackered as in "I'm quite knackered today because I only got four hours of sleep last night"

Welcome to Britain-nia

It's taken a couple of days for me to write since there's no internet in our flats yet (or phones). But here goes...

Monday, June 4th:

My arrival into London wasn't too bad. The flight was pretty standard. As usual, I didn't get much sleep on the plane due to being wedged between two burly men and, of course, the constant chatter behind me. The only thing I took away from the flight was my first lesson in British English. As the Flight Attendant was collecting our trash, she went around saying "please put your rubbish in the bin." The young American boy behind me must have made a funny face because she said to him "welcome to Britain."

Anyhow, I arrived into the city without much of a problem except for the taxi cab driver that had me going in circles trying to find the Westminster Hotel (my meeting point). He actually took my yahoo directions from me to find the place. Afterwards, settling into the flat became quite interesting. As we proceeded to leave the hotel for our flats called the Ability Towers, we were told that we needed to wait for other students that were arriving. A group of us sat in the van for two hours and exchanged stories. Finally, we arrived at the flat only to find that they were not ready. Blimey!!

As a consolation, the eight of us were told to wait in the tiny lounge (living room) of the flat where we found an odd figure lurking in the bedroom whom we were told shall not be disturbed. Unbeknownst to one of group members he went in the room and the mysterious figure was revealed as the paparazzi chasing after Kirsten Dunst who was filming a scene right across from our flat--the hightlight of our day! After an hour he got his shot and left.

Tired and hungry, we finally made it to a pub to eat lunch which was smoke-filled and oozing with pints of beer. I finally felt I was like taking part of British culture where the pub was full of life during working hours. Tara, another GMU student, drank two shandies while I ordered a tame, but delicious pesto and tomato panini.

Eventually, we received our flat about 5 hours later and I unpacked, bonded with my flatmates (who btw are awesome), and crashed.

word of the day: rubbish as in "all rubbish goes in the bin"