Hail Storms, Golden (not marble) Arches, and KARAOKE

Unfortunately the internet has been down for a few days at the hotel, so we are struggling to keep up with the blog. We figured we would post as much as we could right now, but we do have a lot to catch up on so hopefully we can get that up soon.

Friday:

We were almost late again to class, but we made it in time for Ermann’s lecture THANK GOD. We did have to leave Dave behind in our mad dash though. Sorry Dave. Every man for himself. Or woman. For herself.

After class we had to meet RICHARD BARNETT for an 18^th century medical student tour where we learned where a med student MIGHT have bought his books and MIGHT have performed surgery. It was half interesting and half repulsive. We learned how doctors would have removed a bladder stone. We won’t go into details, but it involves copious amounts of alcohol and presumably a lot of pain. Barnett also taught us about 18^th century prostitutes and what jail time would have been like. After considering what I would do if I were an 18^th century prisoner, I have decided that my best bet would be to confess my sins to a priest and then convince him to sneak me out through the tunnel to the church. From there I would escape to Ireland. We hear it’s nice there, not that we will ever find out.

One of the most interesting things we learned was that Richard Barnett is married which was extremely disappointing. Oh well, we may never see him again. Check bookstores soon for his History of Gin book.

Towards the end of the tour we finally experienced what a real London storm was like. It began to pour and then HAIL, which was very unfortunate to those who forgot umbrellas. DUMB.

After the tour was over we visited a nearby bar with Ermann and Michalec which was especially exciting because it gave us a chance to talk to both of them and convince them that we are, in fact, their favorite students. After settling in with some mulled wine, we discussed health care, music, and the common pop culture phenomenon known as “hipsters.” Michalec had some interesting insight and we concluded that he is not altogether against their music but is entirely against labeling himself as a hipster and actually shaved off his beard to prove to his friends that he is NOT one. The mystery of the sudden beard-loss has been solved. Ermann, on the other hand, had no idea what a hipster was. He just doesn’t like their “angry” music. We think he was referring to punk music of the 90’s but we can’t ever be sure.

Later that night, after some much-needed naps and grocery shopping, we tried and failed to go out. Apparently every club/bar in London has atrociously high cover charges after 10pm on Friday nights, and since we were still too tired to deal with it, we left. Without a doubt the best part of the night was our discovery that certain London buses have multiple cameras and a tv screen on the first AND second floor. Endless entertainment ensued.

Saturday:

In the morning we traveled to the Borough market to find some tea for Brittany’s friend and check out that part of town. It turned out to be much cooler than we thought. We bought mulled wine, hot apple cider, and some chicken sandwiches for lunch which tasted much more like sausage.

After successfully transforming the market into our very own Costco (samples galore), we headed back to the hotel to eat and prepare for the night. We then headed to Walkabout because we heard there was no cover. Of course, we went to the wrong Walkabout, but luckily some people figured out the confusion and we headed to the REAL Walkabout (much to Megan’s dismay).

The live band was pretty entertaining, playing such classics as All the Small Things & The Final Countdown. Megan disappeared for FOR-EV-ER because she was whipping her hair back and forth and eventually got into some kind of altercation. Also, we learned the Walkabout does not like when patrons dance on tables. Edgar was SO EXCITED when the Steelers won, but nobody cared because nobody knows what the NFL is.

We managed to find the bus stop, but then we saw it-- THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT IN ALL OF LONDON, with Arches so golden and bright. McDONALDS. Yum. We sacrificed the next available bus for delicious food.

Sunday

We woke up very early (so maybe 9ish) to go to OXFORD. Unfortunately Joey Stone did not wake up, so we had to leave him behind. Instead, we ventured with Edgar, Kelly, and Greg to find the confusing bus stop. With a student discount we paid 13 pounds round trip (not bad).

Though we have no reason to be biased, we found Oxford to be more enjoyable than Cambridge. We enjoyed snacks and afternoon tea at cute café, climbed the oldest tower in Oxford, and wandered through alleyways. We just might be rethinking grad school. Also, Oxford was very Harry Potter-esque, if that makes sense.

Of course, rain followed us to Oxford, so we were eventually drenched, but not before we enjoyed a meal at the Eagle and Child Pub where two average men named JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to hang out. IT WAS SO INSPIRING. Also, the mulled wine was pretty delicious, and Megan may have passed out from all the excitement (nerd moment).

Sadly, we head to head back to London to finish our project on France’s healthcare system.

Monday:

After throwing together some kind of PowerPoint, we managed to survive our group presentation. It may not have been our best work, but WE ARE IN LONDON. However, we did learn some interesting facts about France.

After class we experienced what may have been our favorite class trip of ALL time (sarcasm?). We traveled to Newham Hospital which is in a poorer area outside central London. Though we thought it would be a simple tube ride away, we were very wrong. Instead every single metro line decided to stop working, and we were left confused. Ermann then handed groups of 5 people 20 pounds to find a cab to the hospital. Of course, we turned this into our very own episode of Amazing Race (especially because we were on competing teams), but then some brilliant classmate realized we could all get on the same bus. GENIUS. I guess we have to save the competition for later.

At the hospital we were spoiled with JUICE BOXES and COOKIES. Yum. We jumped for joy, and then listened to some presentations about hospital management, nursing, etc. Health care is a HUGE issue in the UK right now with the NHS looking to make some changes (but we won’t get into that now). We then were taken on a tour of one hospital floor. I actually don’t think it was really a tour, but a 2 minute walk around a circle without any comprehensible explanation.

We then spent about 2 hours trying to get back to Russell Square. We quickly got ready to go to dinner with Joey Stone’s family at a yummy Italian place- Verdi. Dinner conversation mainly focused on convincing J Stone to sing at karaoke night. Of course, he replied with such famous phrases as, “I’m scared” and “I can’t sing without my head voice”, but he eventually agreed to team up with Edgar to sing Teenage Dream.

Unfortunately, Roadhouse did not have a wide selection of song choices, but J Stone decided to sing Losing my Religion while Edgar chose 500 miles. A few drinks later, they were PUMPED and prepared to impress the crowd. Keep in mind the first place prize was a 100 pound bar tab (no pressure). Also, the singers performed with a REAL, LIVE BAND. Greg started off the group with All the Small Things; he combined flawless jumping and microphone twirling which caused the crowd to go WILD (and set the bar pretty high). Matt then attempted to outdo Greg while maybe fabricating lyrics to Summer of 69, but it was still highly entertaining and quite beautiful. Lauren braved the stage as well, performing Wonderwall; unfortunately, Brittany’s loud screaming masked the beauty of Lauren’s voice.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED…

J. Stone walked on stage looking like a complete rock star. He KILLED it. Not only did he maintain his cool factor while hitting every note, but he also FELL TO HIS KNEES, literally, twice. Even after he left the stage, the crowd chanted his name for an encore. Edgar then bravely performed; he may have messed up a few words BUT WHO EVEN NOTICED? It was FANTASTIC; he’s just so dreamy (I think he even made eye contact with me when he sang the chorus, just saying).

AND THEN THE RESULTS for 1^st and 2^nd place only

JOEY STONE did not win. The end. BUT HE GOT 2^nd place which meant he received a nice bottle of champagne for the group. He then proceeded to check the bottle at the coat check because it was so precious to him. Diva?