Here.

A funny thing happens when you start grad school abroad, especially if that school is made up of mostly international students and you live in a dorm. It starts to feel A LOT like freshman year of college. Going to a dinner with the dorm where I knew no one besides a couple people I had briefly run into in the halls gave me a serious taste of social anxiety, but it was nice to know that I am not as awkward as I was when I entered college! Oh sure I'm awkward and my natural inclination is to sit and look pretty until someone attractive or well dressed comes and speaks to me, but I'm working that. There is no place for being reserved in a new country, so I might as well just embrace the loud American stereotype.

Several of my friends are having similar freshman year of college-type experiences who've also recently begun grad school. However, I would argue that mine is even more intense in just a social/life sense because we're all trying to figure out what is and is not socially acceptable in this country. A lot of people (including sometimes myself) thought that cultural assimilation would be one thing we wouldn't have to worry about in England, seeing as how I know English, know English history, and have read enough British chick lit to know the basic slang. I consider myself fairly well traveled and have had two past roommates from London, so I thought the international living would be no breeze. But it is just different from say moving to NYC, especially as a grad student who has probably been out in the working world, and is expected to know the difference between David Gordon and Gordon Ramsay and understand cultural cues that may just be lost on me. We had a long discussion at dinner about the appropriate amount to tip, and the Italian/German/Turkish population promptly laughed in our faces when we said the general consensus was 20%. I'm unnerved and a little disappointed in myself for feeling so much more comfortable with the Americans and Aussies than the laconic Germans and indecipherable Italians. I need to work on getting my German roommates to speak to me. I hope my hair isn't making them nervous.

Despite the fact that I am half cracked out on sleep deprivation and the tiniest bit of Ambien, I think the dorm was a really good choice and the people seem cool and the neighborhood seems trendy and hip and a little bit "transitional" and more my style than the posh Kensington which everyone recommended. Pictures will surface this week, but get ready to be jealous of the sweet Spitalfields Market a block away. Ooh and the old buildings and the pubs and the cobblestones. Sayonara amigos.

3 days

"what light through yonder window breaks?"

the end is near.

In my defense

My blogging has been sporadic at best. In my defense, I've been rather busy at work thanks to the aforementioned fashion week, and obviously work is prime time blogging time. Yes, that rhymes. Go with it. Since I have nothing useful to talk about I'm going to show you what I bought at J Crew last night. I was hardcore talked into the sequined shorts by my friends, and even though they were on sale, I am still ambivalent about them. So if you think they are the fugliest thing since Uggs, or you're just confused (like my mother), speak now or forever hold your peace.


I thought I would wear my little bloomers with a t-shirt and flats now, and maybe go crazy in the winter and wear them with one of my thousands of pairs of patterned tights. Something to think about. Also I've decided to try out the over-the-knee sock look now, don't even try to stop me.

In other news this is my second to last day of work. ZOMG. Woot. Pretty pumped to return to academia and wear tweed and complain about MLA format (do the kids still use that?) I'll find out. This weekend is Yom Kippur, or the day of Atonement for my (2) Gentile followers. I apologize for not blogging, to atone perhaps I will become more regular (in a non-Activia sense, obvi)? Too soon to tell.

11 days..

Can't wait won't wait how long do I have to wait?

days.

On the bright side a very fun friend is coming this weekend. All I really want is to shop and lay out and get drunk and eat fried pickles in the hipster part of town. Oh, and move to London like NOW. Is that so much to ask?

Long Island Shore

The Hamptons were lovely. Like a Jewish Nantucket. With coconut water and lobster rolls everywhere I turned and challah and not-too-preppy people. The house was Jersey Shore-meets-Hamptons. Bankers regressing to fratstar ways with a spinning DJ at the pool. It was a bit of a hot mess but highly enjoyable. Now I'm unfortunately back to being a PR peon and doing grunt work for Fashion Week. I'm trying to create something kind of like this
And I'm also terribly busy creating the drinking game which will hopefully maintain me and my cousin's sanity at Rosh Hashanah dinner tomorrow. So my apologies if my blogging is a bit lackluster this week. I sadly did not find my husband this weekend ( I don't think) but I will show a few pictures soon.

Concrete Jungle

I'm off to New York tomorrow for a day before going to the Hamptons for the long weekend. I'm pretty excited because the Hamptons have been a dream of mine for some time- for at least a decade or since whenever I began reading c-lit. 9 times out of 10 in a good NYC chick-lit book the protagonist finds her filthy rich husband there. Although I am staying with about 20 male bankers I don't think I will find my husband this weekend, but I will try to enjoy myself anyways.

However I'm going to be spending the afternoon by myself in NYC tomorrow and I am super stoked because I haven't gotten to do that in a long time. Although I have mixed feelings about actually living there, I love NYC, and there are so many neighborhoods, restaurants and stores that I want to explore that I am a bit overwhelmed. These are the options I'm currently contemplating:

Soho: classic Alex, it was my dream at 14 to move to NYC, work at a fashion magazine and have a loft in Soho. Not much has changed, except I now realize you can't afford a loft in Soho on a fashion assistant's salary. And that lofts aren't that practical BECAUSE THERE ARE NO WALLS. Minor details. In Soho I can shop a lot, and hit my absolute favorites like Top Shop, Satya Jewelry, LF, and eat in Nolita at Cafe Gitane or at Spring Street Natural. Plus then I can stock up on awesome school supplies at Muji. However, I'm moving to London soon enough and I should probably keep the shopping on the DL, and seeing all the models run around and combating the summer tourists is a little depressing.


Brooklyn: I have never properly explored Brooklyn and this is tragic. Where would I go? Probably Williamsburg to look at hipsters so hipster-y I'm kind of scared of them. Maybe I could eat pizza at that place people love. I'm sure I could find a vintage store.

Lower East Side: This is my favorite neighborhood because it has everything I love about New York: good food, good shopping, Jews, immigrants, and hipsters. Especially hipsters. I can go to Moby's vegan cafe Teany! Although actually the food tastes kind of....vegan. I can go to my favorite sugar free vegan bakery, Babycakes, which is actually the most delicious place ever. I've also really wanted to try Momofuku's Milk Bar and Lula's Sweet Apothecary, both of which are more East Village and combined might give me a sugar heart attack, but close enough. I am positive I could find some awesome hipster oxfords and knee socks which I have been looking for, and soak up everything I've been missing. I will most likely end up here unless I get really creative.


Dear four followers- anything I'm missing? Recs?