aventuras de alyssa

monday

We had a bank holiday as a National Day of Mourning. I slept in a bit and watched the funeral on BBC, which was neat to see how traditional the procession was and how orderly everything turned out to be. I then met up with one of my new friends from work and we got our ears pierced in Coal Drops Yard – which was this really cool industrial place with tons of shops. Almost everything was closed for the day, even the grocery store I stopped at on my way. Otherwise, it wasn’t as hectic as I thought it was going to be, but I also wasn’t near the funeral procession. After our ear piercings, we walked along the canals to this adorable pub, The Narrowboat, right on the canal. We met up with a new friend, who’s a friend of a friend from NYC. She was hysterical and we had a great time sharing food and stories!

tuesday through friday

The rest of the week gets a bit boring because I started work! My laptop arrived late afternoon on Tuesday, so I spent the remainder of the day trying to get it set up. Once I was settled, I had trainings to do for the remainder of the week. There are so many different items to check off our “new joiner” checklists, it’s a bit overwhelming, but everyone has been incredibly helpful! Everyone keeps saying that joining this group feels like you’re an intern again because almost everything is new. I’m glad other people feel that way and it’s not just me 🙂

After work on Tuesday, I went for a walk along the Thames and enjoyed the nice weather we’ve been having. On Wednesday, I met up with some people from work at Kings Arms – another pub with the word “arms” in it! I did some googling and “Kings Arms” is in the 10 most popular pub names in the UK and “arms” represents royal families, towns, cities and historic guilds. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing many more pubs named the same way. Thursday night, I stayed in and cooked my favorite home cooked meal – breaded chicken with asparagus (sans mashed potatoes because I don’t have the right equipment yet!). On Friday night, I went to The Blackfriar, which is a pub that’s been in its original building since 1875. It’s an adorable spot and great for a pint after work!

saturday & sunday

On Saturday, I met up with my cousin’s friend who just moved here for grad school. We got brunch at The Folly – the service wasn’t superb, but the venue was cool and the food was delicious. It’s been nice to meet friends of friends who are in London and make new friends around the US and world. After brunch, I headed home and was able to FaceTime with my grandparents (thanks Aunt Jill!). At night, I was able to play Mario Kart with my cousins and brother-in-law, thanks to FaceTime and Nintendo Online! I’m very thankful for modern technology, so I can stay connected with everyone at home.

I originally had no plans for Sunday, other than grocery shopping and getting some things in order I need to online. Of course, I decide to get ideas in my head, so I ended up at the Natural History Museum. It was really lovely to walk through and see the various exhibits. I was thrilled to see the dinosaurs and the whales. Dippy the dinosaur, which is the UK’s most beloved dinosaur fossil, was back at the Natural History Museum after a tour of the UK since 2017. Dippy is 85 feet long and made up of 292 cast pieces of an original fossil found in Wyoming in 1898. It was fun to stand next to and realize just how small I am compared to the dinosaurs that used to roam the Earth. After the dinos and the whales, I ventured to the mineral exhibit, which was fascinating. There were thousands of different crystals and minerals laid out. I could have spent hours there, but my feet were tired from all the walking I’ve been doing! The museum was definitely a highlight of my week!

The coolest gem I saw was below – the Jubilee agate. The center of it looks like HRH Queen Elizabeth II and I’ve included the information card below too. It’s uncanny!!