50 Things That I Learned In My First Week In London

I wish I could say that I am adventurous. 

I mean, I've always tried to convince myself that I was an adventurous person.

 Maybe not Indiana Jones adventurous, but something along the lines of removing myself from my comfort zone and exploring the world fearlessly. 

I've only been out of the country twice in my life. The first time was when I was fourteen and I visited my family members in Italy. And the second time, when I went on a school trip my junior year to Costa Rica.

That's it. 

But the truth of the matter is that I'm not adventurous. If anything, I've been living a strictly sheltered life for the most part. So it was a huge step for me when I decided to study abroad this year in London, England.

Again, a foreign place that I've never visited before. 

So if you're like me, and you've never really been to England before, these will be the first 50 things that you will learn during your first week in the United Kingdom:

#1: An Oyster Card will ultimately and forever will be your best friend in London when it comes to public transportation.  

#2: Accept the fact that you WILL find yourself in the middle of a crowded area and WILL bump into people more than you think. 

#3: You will have a glorious moment when you realize that you understand the Tube map. You will also later kick yourself when you realize that the tube map is actually painfully simple to understand. 

#4: The National History Museum is totally free!

#5:  . . . and the Science Museum! 

#6: . . . and the British Museum!

#7:  . . . and the Tate Modern!

#8: Okay, so maybe naming all of these fantastic exhibits is cheating. But it is true that London is home to plenty of free galleries and museums such as these:

Victoria and Albert Museum

London Film Museum

National Gallery 

#9: There are over 4,000 pubs and bars in the city!

#10: They are clever with their pub names. Just to name a few: 

#11: London has BEAUTIFUL parks!

#12: It rains a lot less than you think. 

#13: The view from the Waterloo Bridge is SPECTACULAR!

This is what I get to walk pass every time that I have to cross the bridge to my classes. 

#14: The store, Top Shop, is BIG in London. It is the US equivalent to – lets say – a more expensive Forever 21.   

#15: The platform screens on the Jubilee Line are a lifesaver! Seriously, why doesn't the LA metro line invest in some of these screens?!

#16: Markets. Sooooooooo many markets!

Borough Market 

Portobello Road Market 

Old Spitalfields Market 

#17: The Eurostar is this magnificent high-speed train that can get you to Paris in 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

#18: Their buses are red and double decked. That's just cool in it of itself.  

#19:  . . . but the TOP deck of any bus in London is where the real party begins. Especially when you sit up front at the window. You can see the entire city fly by you!

#20: The views from London's landmarks are STUNNING: 

View from the Shard

View from the London Eye

#21: EVERYONE drinks. Thirsty Thursdays are a REAL thing here!

#22: Running along the Thames makes running much less depressing. 

#23: Getting angry at slow walkers who are getting in your way is weirdly liberating when you speed past them. (Okay, I guess that counts for wherever you go in a big city. But still, its London, you have places to go and people to see). 

#24: Whenever you enter a taxi, it is inevitable that you will end up having a deep and emotional conversation with your taxi driver. No wonder taxis in London are ridiculously expensive! They're like private therapists that drive you around while listening to your life story. Tip them good. 

#25: You can get your photo taken at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station.

#26: You can watch a play at the Globe Theater for £5.

#27: There are plenty of outdoor swimming pools in London. 

Perfect for any lifeguard that is thinking of study abroad. I mean LOOK AT IT!!!

#28: Abbey Road, where The Beatles took that famous album cover, is actually a really busy street. People will try and take pictures crossing the street while on-coming traffic is going on.  

#29: "Are you alright?" Is the British way of saying, "How are you?"
The first time you will hear someone ask you this question, the first thing you will want to respond is this: 

#30: They have Chipotle! I repeat, THEY HAVE CHIPOTLE!!!

This Chipotle restaurant is located in Soho, London

#31: Britain's Duracell bunny looks strangely familiar . . . 

Long lost cousins? 

#32: In London, they don't refrigerate their eggs. 

#33: The pizzas in London are AMAZING!!! 

#34: A line is called a queue. 

#35: When you're taking the escalators down to the tube or up to the station, there's a sign that asks you to stand to the right side of the escalator. Completely different from LA when you will have someone standing in the middle of the escalator blocking your path. 

#36: In London, they call "low-fat" milk "semi skimmed milk."

#37: Camden Street is the UK's version of Canal Street in New York.

#38: You haven't lived yet until you've tried bangers and mash.

#39: There are ceramic poppies that surround the Tower of London to commemorate World War I. 

#40: Because people drive on the opposite roads, non-locals (like myself) habitually look to the left before crossing the street. Thankfully, there is always a constant reminder of which side of the road I will be crossing. I'm trying my best not to get hit by a bus during my stay here.  

#41: Harrods is like the Disneyland of shopping centers. They have EVERYTHING!!! 

#42: Pret a Manger. They're EVERYWHERE!!!

#43: Sunday roasts are serious. 

It's like Thanksgiving every Sunday!!!

#44: There are actually some pretty top-notch places on Fleet Street to get your haircut. But the question is, do you really want to take that chance getting your haircut on Fleet Street of all places? 

#45: Foyles is the UK's version of Barnes & Noble.  

#46: Whiteout in the UK is called Tipp-Ex.

#47: In the US, we have a T.J. Maxx. In the UK, they have a T.K. Maxx. 

#48: As much as you try to convince yourself that you won't want to bring a water bottle with you wherever you go in London, the truth is that if you DON'T carry a water bottle with you, thirst will be inevitable.  

#49: They have thicker bacon. 

U.S. bacon

U.K. bacon

#50: The show, Hollyoaks is really popular here. (Also it sounds like Mount Holyoke!) 

I had the time of my life my first week here in London. True, it was a little daunting when I arrived to this new city. But quickly, the people that I met along the way and the landmarks that I have seen, made London remarkable. I'm not hoping that London will give me an opportunity to get me ahead in my English studies, but that the city will coax me into becoming the adventurous person that I've always wanted to be. 

This is just a steppingstone to the grand staircase of my future travels.