This may be a bunch of ramblings but seeing as I'm still sick (sad face), I haven't really been up to much lately.

I hate being sick.. especially when I'm in London. I have every excuse to lay around and be a lazy bum until I feel better, but I still feel like I'm wasting precious time I could be using to explore. Ugh. But walking around in the cold is going to do more harm than good.

A comfortable bed would help, too. Wanted: foam mattress pad. My bed is literally the most uncomfortable bed ever. I might as well be sleeping on the floor.

Which brings me to what I miss the most about the states: Target. I could count on Target to provide me with a mattress pad. But for now, I'm fresh out of luck. The Argos I mentioned in an earlier blog has mattress covers but they also go for around 100 pounds. No thanks.

Enough of being a Debbie Downer..

Last night I went to the student union with Vittorio, Alex, Sam and Algarus for the 1 pound Guinness specials... and even though it was a super casual evening (followed by football/soccer in the street and a semi- food fight of grapes), I had a lot of fun. I'm learning to enjoy the little things, like a night with the guys or a walk around the city with some friends.

It would be so much more fun if I didn't have a throbbing head cold!

Yesterday for our Historic London class we took a tour of  the City of London, which is a separate part of London and is actually the oldest and original part of London. Our professor/tour guide knows absolutely everything there is to know about London, and tells the stories to us in a narrative/interesting way. Today the City of London is the chief financial and business district, so as you can imagine there were businessmen galore in that area. We saw the Royal Exchange (where all the wealthy businessmen eat lunch surrounded by high-end jewelry stores), an old church, the Mansion House (where the mayor of the City of London lives), Guildhall (hosts large banquets for the Corporation of London, which is the City of London's separate government), the first coffee shop in London and a cafe where Charles Dickens ate at. It's strange to me that the City of London is a separate entity of London, with its own governing body.

I think it's pretty awesome that I'm getting class credit for going on walking tours... and for another class I'm getting credit for going to plays and musicals. But I kind of wish I had homework... thus far I've only had to take a few pictures for Visual Photography, and pick up a copy of The I (local newspaper) each day for a week for my British Media class. It's kind of strange to go from being the busiest person ever last semester (classes, Tribune, Journal, internship) to having class three days a week, almost no homework, and no extra-curricular responsibilities. I want to join a club but there's nothing that suits my interests. I might try volunteering? Even if it's after-school help at an elementary school or tutoring, I just need something to do. I haven't had a chance to volunteer in awhile... I miss it!

Some good news: Katherine has a friend in Galway who says we can stay with her when we visit in two weeks, so we don't have to pay for the hostel!! Woooo! That's 30 pounds we don't have to spend. :)

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully I'm feeling better.. we have an eventful weekend coming up. Portobello Market on Saturday, Beatles walking tour on Sunday!

Am I really studying in London? Or just on vacation?