Freshers Fun

So it is almost October now, and I have yet to step into a classroom at UCL. They give students here a week or so to register for classes, get settled in and socialize before classes begin. It's a nice change from home where we have to start our full academic schedule pretty much as soon as we arrive. At the same time, I'm really ready for classes to begin and get a routine going.

This whole week, the student union is hosting a bunch of events at nightclubs and bars around the city, and last night was Freshers Fiesta. To sum it up, it was CRAZY. The club, KOKO, was super packed and I could hardly breathe. Whether it was some dude's B.O. attacking my poor scent sensors or some chick elbowing me in the lungs, it was consistently out of control.

We got pretty tired around 2 a.m. but most of the people there kept raging until past 3. I am now certain that I cannot keep up with these British freshman who apparently party this hard every night because their coursework doesn't count their first year (crazy, I know).

This morning I woke up with bruises in odd places, and I am definitely feeling pretty wrecked from two weeks of going out almost every night. As fun as this has been, I don't think I could keep this up for the entire year, nor do I want to lest my liver gives up on me and runs out of my body.
The next big event we're going to is Club Neon, which is a huge glow-in-the-dark rave that's happening on Thursday. In the meantime, I'll be getting my life in order and registering for the rest of my classes.

If all goes to plan, I'll be taking 2 economics courses, a psychology course, and a global citizenship anthropology course that will include an internship in London. I'm down to two choices: Le Monde Diplomatique (English Edition) and the UNHCR.

Earlier yesterday, we ventured to the Regent Street Festival, where all the stores had awesome promotions and the street was blocked off for food vendors. The best part was the free cupcakes and champagne at a bunch of stores. The pictures are of a cupcake tower and a pastry stand they had going.
I'm pretty settled in now in my flat about a 20 minute walk from campus, which has pros and cons. Pro: the facilities are a lot nicer than some of the dorms that are closer to campus. Con: My feet feel like they are covered in bruises from all the walking I've been doing. You would think I'm exaggerating, but during the course of a day, I walk about 3 miles just coming to and fro one time. Multiply that by three journeys on average and you are already at 9 miles. Pro: All that walking is preventing me from gaining weight and is bound to keep me in shape. Con: Walking the 40 minutes home from the night club last night SUCKED. There were creeps everywhere and I felt very unsafe without any pepper spray on me (which is considered a firearm in the UK and thus illegal to carry). As safe as they say this city is, it's still scary when you're wearing club gear on deserted sidewalks at 3 in the morning (I admit, not the smartest decision to walk home, but there were NO cabs!).

As much as I love London, there is one thing I miss about the States, and that's TV. Hulu and all the network sites don't work here when you try to watch episodes online (boo!). So I am now on the hunt for other options.

I'm sure there will be some good stories to tell at the close of Freshers Week, but for now, I am going to continue resting my sore feet and keep from moving more than 5 meters for at least tonight.