July 30

We saw Finding Dory today. There were about 8 of us that went, because it just came out in the UK and we've been waiting all summer for it. It was great to go back to our childhood together, because we all have different memories from seeing Finding Nemo and it was just really cool.

I went on a walk through the city, after the movie, but the trek was much more difficult that I had anticipated. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child had its official premiere so there were tons of people, and road blocks everywhere. We live less than 10 minutes from the Palace Theatre, and that's the quickest route to the water...but I took the long way around to avoid the crowds, or so I thought. I walked along the Southbank again, because I really am going to miss that area. On my walk back, there was a bike race going on and I had to walk an extra mile before being able to get to the other side of the street. I didn't mind at all though, because it was a gorgeous day and I was in London.

Aleesia, JT, and I played peanuts before going out tonight and it made me realize how old I actually am. We were attempting to teach Emily how to play, and Aleesia commented on how I always win (& how JT only wins if Aleesia and I are drinking). I said, sarcastically, "yeah, but I probably have 10 years on them," and once I said that, I did the math and I realized I probably did. I can't remember when I learned to play peanuts, but it has probably been around 10 years now, and that just blew my mind. Wow.

We went out to a bar, and had a great time with "girls night." We didn't invite other people, except Alayna, because it always gets too complicated. We looked cute and danced until 2, then we had to get McDonald's for Aleesia before heading back to the apartment. We stayed up talking to Alayna and Sean for a while before going to bed.

British English versus American English

For my own entertainment purposes, I began writing down words I have come across that are...a little strange, in my opinion. Some are just small differences, but others I had to google.

Pigeon hole (cubby hole/office mail box)
Hob (stove)
Jim jams (pajamas)
Queue (waiting in line)
Alight (exit)
Car Park (parking lot)
Tube (metro)
Footway (sidewalk)
Jelly babies (jelly beans)
Ice lolly (Popsicle)
Midday (noon)
Gherkin (a pickle)
Spuds (potatoes)
Twixt (between)
Candy floss (cotton candy)
Rocket (arugula)
Goujons (chicken nuggets)
Digestives (really delicious cookies that they dip in tea/coffee, that don't actually assist with anything related to digestion)
Sweets (candy)
Cycles (bikes)

Also, pronunciation--

Aluminum (Al-u-mini-um)
Quay (key)
Southwark (Suth-urk)
Leicester Square (Lester Square)
Thames (Tems)

July 29

This is what Lloyd's looks like from the outside
It's the one with all the blue things on top of it

I had to be up at 7 because we had to leave for class at 7:45, eugh. We visited with XL Catlin today, and at least they gave us snack, but we were there until 12:45. How can people talk for so long? I understand that for them, this is new, but we've basically heard the same presentations for the past 2 weeks. It wasn't boring, and I still enjoyed it, but it was just too long, especially for starting class 2 hours earlier and getting out at the same time.


It was Brittney's birthday, but she didn't feel like doing anything. We were all planning on staying with her, but she didn't really want that either, so we all started last minute planning for tonight. JT, Reid, myself, Dom, Nicole, and Brooke went out to a club, but it wasn't that great. It was our last weekend here though, so I was going somewhere, and we ended up at Tiger Tiger. I just love going places with Reid, because he's so over protective of all of us, and he's just really fun to go out with. I'm really going to miss my London fam, it just won't be the same in Tally.

July 28

Thursday we went to JLT, where I was the previous Friday. They spoiled us with journals, not just a notepad, but an actual journal, wallets, and pens, all with the JLT logo of course. This visit wasn't as overwhelming as some of the others, nor did it drag on forever.

Around eight that night Aleesia, JT, Nicole and I met up with JT's friend, Victoria, at The Shard. We got drinks on the 32nd floor, which had a great view of the city. The drink was over 14 pounds, but that was cheaper than the 24 pound ticket to go to the top. It was well worth it. We were enjoying some of our last legal drinks, until next year...for me anyways. They're babies. Ha.

July 27

JT and I walked to Harrods, three miles there...and back, on Wednesday. (I'm going to miss being able to walk everywhere.) The store was so overwhelming, so expensive and so big it needed a map. It was confusing and we had to walk through 3 different rooms to get to the toy store, it was not worth it. I honestly cannot even describe it. The only way I can even attempt to explain it, is that it's not real unless you've been inside. It's literally, like, nothing I had ever seen before. It's a big deal, and I can understand why, but, wow, I would never be able to actually buy anything there. We walked into the children's clothes area for kicks...a plain, white, button town long sleeved shirt for a 3 year old boy was 125 GBP, which is roughly 165 USD. Nobody should buy that, that's ridiculous.

July 26

Tuesdays visit was to Willis Towers Watson and Lloyd's of London. At Willis we met with 3 guys, in this huge office, to talk about the company. They were all really sweet and they kept it interesting. John took us across the street for a tour of Lloyd's of London, where his daughter works as an underwriter. The Lloyd's building is really interesting. The outside was designed to look external, it is not your average building, and most people don't like the outside look of it. The inside is just as amazing, though. The desks are set up, like a library style, I guess. There are 4 floors of desks, upon desks. Each underwriter has their own area and the brokers come to them, files in hand (yes, the paper kind) to negotiate. If they need more floors for the Lloyd's market, the inside is designed for the glass panels, on the 5th floor, and above, to be able to be removed and another escalator added. It was just, wow.




We went back to Willis for lunch, which was super weird. They had salmon, this bread filled with minced meat and a piece of a hard boiled egg, cold potatoes covered in sour cream, a pastry that looked like it contained cranberries, but it was really just beets, and a really delicious strawberry and cream dessert. It felt way too fancy, I would have rather just had a sandwich, like the kind we have at afternoon tea.

It was our last pizza night, and nobody was there, so my apartment stole 5 pizzas this time around. I went on a night run, through the populated part of the city, the Southbank to be specific, because that's my favorite walking/running spot in London. It's this really nice paved area across from Westminster, probably constructed for photo ops, but it's really nice. When I returned everyone was discussing where to go out, for our last "real" Tuesday night in London. We ended up at O'Neils, and by we, I mean most of the FYA's, and a few other FSU students, but we had a good time.

July 25

We went to "the gherkin" today to visit with someone from Swiss Re. It was amazing! The guy talked up the internship and graduate programs the entire time, and Swiss Re is the largest/second largest Reinsurer in the world. I decided that was my new dream job, whether its in New York, England, or Switzerland, it's going to happen. One day. Then, Efe took us to the top to see the view, and it was pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

Later in the night I went on a night run through the city, which I'm kind of upset I didn't do earlier. It's way cooler, there are not nearly as many people on the streets, and it's a big city at night. Ugh. I don't want to go back.

July 23

Today Alayna, JT, Aleesia and I went to the Carnaby Street Eat Festival. It's a food fest where every restaurant is selling 2/3 meals for only 5 pounds. They cook outside of their restaurant or in food trucks and it wraps around the whole block. It was really cool, actually. It smelled like tailgating, so we got burgers and hot dogs for lunch, along with free ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, and soda. The ice cream sandwich was 2 small cookies, with a scoop of ice cream and a topping...that they made by hand in front of us. It was so good, and it was free! I got one with white chocolate pretzel cookies, peanut butter brownie ice cream, and chocolate syrup. It was so great.

We went back in an attempt to do homework, but that didn't actually happen...but it's the though that counts. JT and I then walked to Primrose Hill, to meet with Emily and Aleesia, to watch the sunset. We missed the majority of the sunset, because we were off a little on the time it took to walk, but you can't really see the sunset anyways. The view of the skyline is pretty spectacular though, it was well worth the climb.

July 21

For class we visited Greenwich, specifically Cutty Sark and the royal observatory. Neither were extremely exciting, but it got us out of the classroom, so I won't complain. My dad would have loved the royal observatory though. I saw a mass amounts of different clocks there, it was so exciting. I also stood in two hemispheres at once over the prime meridian.

Later in the evening there were about a dozen of us who went of for my flatmate, Griffin's, birthday. We went to a burger place and then they went to a pub afterward. At some point, throughout the night, it was decided that we were going to O'Neils, around midnight. Reid, Brooke, Dom, Katie, and I went and met up with JT, Aleesia, and Emily. We had a great time! JT, Reid, Dom, Brooke, and I all held out until 3 am, when they closed, to leave. Then JT and I ate a lot and talked until 4:30, when we started walking down to the water to watch the sunrise. We sat on one of the bridges, and even through it was cloudy, we could still tell when the sun was up. We got back around 6 am, and even though I wasn't tired, I tried to push myself to sleep. This was one of the best nights of the semester. I love my friends and this program was so great to me.

July 20

JT and I made the trek back to Olympic Park today...but we never really made it out of the mall. To get to the park you have to walk through this half-mile long, 4 story mall, and we stopped for lunch then just never left.

In our finishers pack, from the race, we had a coupon for free crisps and a drink with a purchase of a sub or salad from Potbelly's, so that was lunch. They're Chicago style subs and it was amazing. Europeans don't appreciate subs, but this place knows how to do it right, it was well worth the train ride over.

Then we went shopping, and I got, yet another, business outfit. We shopped for JT for a while, and we ended up being there for about 4 hours until we headed back. I did my homework when I got back, and then went on another nighttime walk through the city.

July 19

The trip today was to Arthur J Gallagher and the meeting lasted about 3 hours. THREE HOURS. This guy could talk. The view and compliments were amazing, though. We sat at this huge conference table, and we got free drink (tea, coffee, pop, water). It was just..great.

I also attempted to tun today, but considering it was over 90 degrees outside, the first time ever since I've been here, I felt like death. Then, when I walked to Sainsbury's for ice cream/Popsicle, they were all out, over everything related to ice cream! It was depressing.

It was pizza night, and it was virtually empty, so my apartment stole 4 pizzas this time. I'm eating pizza for dinner for the next two weeks, I'm sure of it. After pizza I went on a walk through the city and watched the London Eye light up and Big Ben go off a few times. It was really nice walking along the water across from the Eye and Westminster, I'm truly going to miss it.

Once I got back everyone was a little out of it, so we sat in the courtyard and talked and argued for a few more hours.

July 18

We had to leave at 8:30 for class today to visit IHS Markit. We got to stand in on a meeting with their Economics and Country Risk. It was amazing! In this meeting every person has a country they are assigned to, and are most likely from that country, and update their boss on what they have gathered. Events discussed included the attempted coup in Turkey, the terrorist attacks in Nice, France, and the GST Bill in India. With this data each person derives a possibility for the future of that country. This could include the potential for future outbreaks or protests to arise and these workers determine the risk that is associated with each new event.

I came back and took a really small nap before getting a text message from Joci. She is here with CHS and I had been trying to figure out a time to meet up with the group. She told me they'd be at the Tower of London at 1:55, and according to her (very vague) schedule she sent me, they'd be there for 2 hours. I took off walking, for an hour, to the Tower of London around 2:15. I got there, and walked to the group entrance/exit and waited. 2 boys were sitting on a bench, one wearing his baseball hat backwards and the other wearing a green and gold shirt, but not a Clay one. I couldn't tell at first if they were from Clay, but they called over their friends who were leaving, who were wearing BGSU and CHS gear, so I knew. I listened in and laughed to myself, while wondering if I should introduce myself, but I decided that'd be super weird with the amount of time I had been standing there. They left to go to the meeting area, and I contemplated following them, but I figured even if I missed Joci coming out of the Tower, I should be able to see Mr. Roberts (my former french teacher). Instead, about 2 minutes after they left I heard, "Becky," from out of no where, which also through me off because no one here calls me that, but it was Joci. I'm glad she saw me! We talked for a while, and then I talked with Roberts before we split up at the metro. He though it was awesome that I was doing this first year abroad thing, and his wife told me that it was good to do it now. They left their kids at home, for about 3 weeks, and the kids aren't happy about it, but she wanted to travel and not necessarily with them. It's good doing it now with no attachments, actually, it's great. It was really nice to meet up with familiar faces in a different county.

Also, it was eighty-five degrees today, meh.

July 17

RACE DAY!

post-race

pre-race

We took the tube to Olympic park in the morning. We had to get there early to get JT her race bib...and free snacks that were being handed out. We were off at 10:55 and JT and I got split up early on, and we just ran. The track kept pointing us towards the stadium and then would veer us off on some 2 mile detour, it kept getting my hopes up that we were almost done. Meh.

 I began walking after the 8km, and it lasted about 3 minutes before JT caught up to me. This all worked out great though, because we finished together and didn't have to try and find each other afterwards. It was great! Running though the stadium, with everyone around, and intense Olympic music playing in the background. Wow. We took tons of pictures, and JT was exhausted, but I felt like I could keep going.

We took the tube back and waited about 45 minutes before going out for "breakfast." It was 3 o'clock, but we went to The Breakfast Club in Soho and got ourselves some great breakfast.

July 16

JT and I went out towards Embankment today for the Summer Festival. We sat in the burning sun for 2 hours, and obviously got burnt, then walked around London for a while. The festival had singer/bands playing, food trucks, and market stalls. I got lemonade and ice cream, because it was dreadfully hot (at a very high 77 degrees). I'm not lying, this was the hottest, sunniest day that we've had since the second day of being in London. We were sweating and it grossly hot, and I'm embarrassed to say that, but I'm not even kidding.

The man up on stage was pulled from the crowd as a "filler" between sets. He was there because his daughter was singing later, but he was invited to do a lip sync battle versus the host. He won. It was a really great performance of Elvis.

July 15

Everybody left this morning around 7am, so I was awoken by multiple alarms. I eventually got up to run around 10, which was a very, very rough run. I'm hoping it was because I didn't eat anything beforehand, but come Sunday, I'll guess I'll find out.

I went to the JLT Re (4th largest reinsurer in the world, based on revenue) actuarial seminar today. It took me a little while to figure out which direction to turn after getting off the tube (which was running behind), but I figured it out. I looked like I fit in, and I felt like I fit in with all the other business like people I passed, it's was great.


The seminar itself was being led by one of their actuaries, Jamie. He has been studying/taking the exams for about 5 years now and it almost finished, I would say he was in his early/mid 30's. The other, dozen or so, people were students, interns, or who worked in another section of JLT. Many were interns in the analytical department, or there were a few who were employed there. One intern, was just finishing her A-levels, most similar to our high school diploma. They go to college when they are 16-18, where they complete their A-levels, then continue on to university for 4 years.

These people had been going through seminars all week, it sounds like, on subjects like reinsurance, risk management, construction insurance, etc. etc. This was the last one for the week and they only have to attend if the subject interests them. I can honestly say, of the students, I knew the most about the actuarial field, I did not, however, know how the UK went about it. In the US we only have, at most, 9 exams that an actuary can take, in the UK they are required to take 15. I d believe the UK's exams are a bit shorter and many make up 1 US exam, but still, 15 is a lot. They also do not need to be specialized in math(s), like we do in the US. It is technically not required to be a math, insurance, financial, major to take the exams in the US, but certain classes are required before taking the exams, and it would definitely help more. An intern, who is getting his degree in chemistry wanted to know if he could go through the actuarial process without having taken his A-levels, and Jamie though he could, if he wanted to put in the effort. I think in America that would be very hard to do. It was just really interesting looking at the data they create and what he does.

There was one question he asked us: A bus only has 3 stops and the time from stop 1 to stop 2 is normally 5 minutes, and the ride from stop 2 to 3 is only 5 minutes. One day the ride from stop 1 to 2 takes 6 minutes. How long with the journey take?

The majority of them though, '11 minutes,' of course, which is what he wanted them to say, I could tell. If this was all the known data, it is just a guess on how long the ride takes, but so many factors come into play that need to be taken into account. That was my first though, so I like to think I'm on the right career path, but who knows.

Later in the night JT and I went on a walk through town. We tried to take as many side streets as possible, and we ended up coming across some pretty cool areas. We made it to the richer part of the city, and we found ourselves in the "pub" district. Everyone was still dressed in their business wear just drinking at the pub, a favorite British past time, all along this particular street. It was an awesome sight.

July 14

My class is great! On Tuesday we visited the Insurance Institute of London and met with the Institute Secretary (CEO) of the Institute. She told us about what she though would come from Brexit and that France and Germany are already attempting to take over as the financial hub for Europe. We learned of the history behind the building and the financial district of the city. The building they are in is the oldest one, as it was the saved from the fires of London, but the ones around it were not so fortunate. They tell stories of how, supposedly, those that lived/worked in the building in the 1900's kicked burning cans onto the neighboring buildings so this particular one would be the supreme. They are the only insurance business in their area now, and are probably going to move in the near future. The IIL is really like a collective group of members in the insurance industry. Being a part of this association allows for networking opportunities and invitations to lectures from those higher up in the industry.

It started to downpour on our way back, and 3/5 TA&M guys didn't have an umbrella or raincoat, so they were drenched. I was responsible for getting them back to the study center, but they took the 15 minute walk to the metro with pride. They were soaked. It was hilarious. It did this constantly for the rest of the day, and at one point I was not going to run, but Alayna had gone to the gym, so I had to go. I ran for a decent 15 minutes before it started pouring again. I had my towel waiting for me, though, downstairs for when I got back. I'm really glad I don't need to constantly be wearing my glasses anymore.

Inside of Royal Courts of Justice

On Wednesday we had a fire drill, which I woke myself up for, because we knew it was happening, because the PA told Reid, who did not have to write a letter to his parents, even though he was in the building after us that last time. I'm not over it, because favoritism is not going to get her very far in the real world that she has yet to enter. I'm not a fan. Then FSU was taking a group to Westminster, but due to the fire alarm, there was about 10 minutes to get ready, which I chose not to do. I decided, that they were only going into the cathedral, which I could do on a Sunday morning while attending a service. Instead, Alayna, Reid and I watched movies and got burritos, my first one (they're special). Then, after the food coma wore off, I went on a very long run, that lasted way longer than expected, which ended up giving me blisters because I was wearing the wrong socks. I felt great though, so that's all that matters.

Courtroom inside Royal Courts of Justice

Today, Thursday, the 3 of us that were in class took a tour of "legal London." This is where all the lawyers (barristers and solicitors in the UK) come to study, intern and work. There are 4 Inns of Courts in London, and we walked through 3, and the Royal Courts of Justice. Being a apart of the Inn is similar to the Bar. In the UK, written exams were not required to study law until the 1870's. Instead, they would come and shadow others for 12 months. The first 6 months would be more like an intern, and the last 6 months they would be given their own small cases to work. It was also, and still is, required to eat 24 (now 12) meals at your Inn's dining hall. Someone used to read out scrolls of information while people ate, so they would consume food and knowledge. They no longer read while people are eating, but it is still required that one attends 12 meals a year to be considered a part of a certain Inn. Walking through the Royal Courts was really awesome, too. We couldn't take pictures, but the inside was built like a cathedral. We actually got to watch a case take place, for about 10 minutes. They were wearing their wigs and robes, of course. They are very big on traditions here. It was an overall great class.

One of the dining halls

I will also have to opportunity to sit in on an actuarial seminar Friday at JLT Reinsurance in London. My professor mentioned it, wondering if I would be interested in going to different events on days we didn't have class or ones after class hours. For this particular one he was thinking we would be gone on a trip (which we would be, but I'm not going), when I told him I would be here he sent an e-mail to them and I'm going. I'm so excited. I won't have any idea what they are talking about or what's happening, but I'll be there, even though it's only an hour, and I'm beyond excited for this opportunity. I actually called my dad right after class because I needed someone who would be excited for me to know what was going on. My roommates just thought that I was crazy...

Lincoln Inn Field

Around midnight, my friends and I sat around the BBC News channel to get updated on what happened in Nice. We were there for 2 hours. It's really sad, especially because it's becoming normal for us over here.

July 11

TODAY HAS BEEN THE WILDEST DAY OF MY LIFE. i love it.

So, I started off with a nice run then came back got breakfast, and then got ready for class. This class was in a classroom half the size of my bedroom at home, and there were 10 of us if we included the teacher. Including me, there are 2 girls (except she dropped after today, so it's just me) and, in total, 7 Texas A&M people (now 5, because 2 dropped *female included). The only other FSU person took this class back in Tallahassee, so now he's "in" this class, but is kind of doing his own thing, but still doing visits with us, at a much higher class level (RMI3011 to RMI4045).

So, we went to this museum today and looked at the "risk" behind cultures, my group of 3 had to do ours on Africa...it was an exhibit in the museum. I'm not complaining, at least we get out of the classroom everyday. Mason and Dylan (whose real name is Matthew) were my partners for this project.

The things I learned about the Texas A&M Guys

• This is the first time FSU and TA&M have partnered up for London study abroad
• The only reason they're studying here is because it's required for their major
• The only reason they're in London is because the Germany and Spain study abroad programs were full, so they had to find a way here
• They are all architecture majors, so none of these classes apply to them
• They will all graduate in December
• They do not like Obama
• They do not like Clinton
• They had a teacher from OSU that called soda, "pop" to annoy them :)
• They are really cool people and I enjoy them so much

After class I attempted to go shopping for "business casual" clothes/shoes. This store, Primark, sells the cheapest clothes, shoes, and accessories, so it's always crowded. It's awful quality, but I only needed it to last me 3 days. It took me 45 minutes to find everything I was looking for, and another 45 minutes waiting in line (even though there are 4 floors to check out from) when I decided I would work with what I've got. 

At some point I made it to Sainsbury's and got myself steak and french fries for dinner. I've decided to live it up for my last 20 some days here, and it started with dinner. After class and the Primark deal, I just needed something good, so that was it. After dinner JT wanted to go shoe shopping, but by the time we got out, most of the places were closed. In that moment, I suggested we get ice cream, which led to Ben and Jerry's, which brought us to Tesco...which did not have Ben and Jerry's, so that led me to brownies, which led me to brownie batter, which in turn led to me to making brownie batter and eating 3/4 of it tonight. 

For our project, we had to meet up to type some stuff out, so it was me and the 5 TA&M guys, that were still in the class, in the computer lab for about 45 minutes and it was great. I just cannot get over the fact that Dean stood up from his chair, and took his hat off just to shake my hand (the dainty way) and tell me his name. I felt honored. And they have a little twing in their accents, it's not too southern, but you can hear it. They made fun of me for saying "Reese's" the way that I do, but they were glad that I did not say 'crick' for creek, or 'warshing' for washing. We had one of those, 'you say it, I say it' competitions. It was great. All of this was going on while Dylan was writing our paper and I was eating brownie batter.

Then we sat with Aleesia and her family in their apartment for a while, which is always a good time. We have a 3 day weekend on the weekend of November 11 and it has already been decided that I'm road tripping it to Charlotte with them and I'm beyond stoked. The sugar rush is real tonight (and for the past 4 hours) and I just have a feeling it's going to be a great end to my first year abroad.

July 8-10

Resting on our
night walk

JT and I have just been trying to relax, for the most part, since getting back from our trip. Nothing too exciting has been happening, but we've been trying to keep busy. I've been running everyday, to get back in the game. We wanted to take a day trip somewhere, but the tickets were so expensive, so we decided we could just figure out things to do in London. On Friday we stayed in, but went for a long walk at night (gotta get those steps in). On Saturday we WALKED to the Portobello Road Market. It took us about 2 hours to get 6 miles, but it was well worth the struggle. It's a really interesting, open market, and we were given free falafels! We took the tube back though, then I ate a lot, because I earned it.

I went to church, and I can honestly say I enjoy being read to by someone with a British accent. The priest is from Portugal, I'm assuming due to his accent and the mass held in Portuguese at 4 pm, so he was a little difficult to understand. It's so weird to me that this entire hour event can occur in different countries and languages and still be exactly the same. Like Spain, everyone rushes to the front to get communion, but here at least a line was formed. The priest stands behind a little gate thing, and they kneel in a line in front of the gate/wall. He walks back and forth giving communion, while the server holds a tray underneath him (can't let even a single crumb fall). Then as people receive communion, they get up and another person takes their place. This could be where the cultural, 'Americans are always in a hurry,' aspect comes in, but I honestly felt like there was a more efficient way to complete this task. Besides that it was nice to understand what was being said, but I still found myself resulting back to Spanish for a few phrases. For example, when saying the creed, "from light to light," in Spanish is "de luz en luz," and it's one of things I could pick on to know where we were at. It's all just so interesting!

On Sunday we walked to Borough Market, which was closed, but some stands were open to celebrate Bastille Day. I guess 60% of the London population have a french background, so they had a celebration for it. On the way we watched some of the Wimbledon Championships, outside of a restaurant that was screening it. Andy Murray was the favorite here, obviously. Then, of course, we walked back. My legs are going to look amazing when I get home.