Do you want to save your money for cool trips? Do you not want to worry about eating out for dinner/lunch every night?  I have two beautiful words for you to live, learn, and breathe… IT’S MEAL DEAL PEOPLE!! (along with other tips and tricks)

1.) MEAL DEAL– If you are living in London, or anywhere in England; there is a little something called the 3 pound meal deal. Yes, i said it, 3 pounds for a meal. You have your choice of any hoagie, pasta dish, salad, or any main course like so, along with any drink, and any chocolate or fruit pack FOR THREE POUNDS. This will save your bank account because you are literally spending 3 pounds…. You’re welcome

2.) Pasta= BFF –  When grocery shopping, invest in different pasta’s and sauces. This will last you a couple of weeks and will save you some moola while you’re eating up on your carbs

3.) Student ID Card– Wherever you want to buy food at any restaurant or store, always ask the cashier if they have any student discounts. You never know who offers them!!

4.) LIMIT– Try to limit what you spend every week on groceries. Plan your weeks ahead and see how much you are willing to spend on food per week. If you are going away one weekend, plan on not buying a bunch of food that will expire and good bad while you’re away. If you know you are staying in the country for a couple of weeks you may want to spend a little more on dinners and lunches so you do not have to eat out all the time.

I hope these four tips will help you save some cash along the way!

My class went to a Sikh Temple the other day out in zone 5 and it was an interesting educational experience. I have always heard about Temples and learned about them in class but have never actually been inside one. This trip was a chance for me to expand my cultural side and experience an unfamiliar lifestyle.

As we entered the Temple, we were told to remove our shoes and wrap a head scarf around our head to cover our hair. We met with a “tour guide” who showed us around the Temple and taught us the basics of the religion. I soon learned that they cover their hair because it is considered a gift from God, and the three pillars of Sikhism include keeping God in mind at all times, earn an honest living, and care for others. An hour later we went down to the cafeteria area and were given a vegetarian meal with some tea. Although I am not fond of the idea of experimenting with new foods, i tried what they gave us and it surprisingly wasn’t too bad!

All in all it was a cool experience and I am glad I had the chance to go. This is something I would have never done on my own so I am glad I did it!

(*required post for class)

One teacher observed that the students “sit in the dining hall and look at their phones. When they share things together, what they are sharing is what is on their phones.” Is this the new conversation? Sheryl Turtle examines the young generation and their connection with technology. Yes it is true that more and more people turn to their phones when in social settings or whenever they are in public, but we are not ALWAYS on them. This whole article is basically calling the younger generation robots who need to be detached from technology. This generation is focused on technology because they do not know any better due to the fact they have grown up with iPhones and iPads.

It seems like all the kids these days are always on social media and staring down at their phones. It is irritating because you are excluding yourself from social situations and minimizing your communication skills. If people were to just put away their phones for a couple of hours without looking at them and actually communicate with a group of people it would increase your social skills.

We are all guilty of pulling out our phones at parties, dinners, and any social event… and that is okay. It is the norm to do this now, you just have to know when the right time to do so is. Don’t starting texting your friend or check twitter in the middle of a conversation. It is considered extremely rude and the person talking to you is going to think you are bored to death or just plain ignorant.

Phones are apart of our everyday life and people have to get used to that. Learn when the appropriate time is to take it out and just don’t become a robot who can’t function without looking at your phone every 10 minutes.

With all of the hustle and bustle of living in a busy city, it is always nice to get out of the rush and explore areas you can relax and just take everything in. London is a very interesting city due to the fact you can be at one tube station and you are directly in the city, and the next stop over is a little town with discrete markets, parks, and cafe’s. I have recently been to the three locations listed below which are all located 30 minutes or less from Kings Cross Station and encourage you to go if you haven’t been!

Primrose: This posh town has so much to offer in such a little amount of space, yet only being 15 minutes from a busy city. I highly recommend taking a couple hours out of your day and venturing off to Primrose Hill, a park that overlooks the city with a beautiful view. I went the other day, walked to my new favorite cafe (Chamomile Cafe), headed over to the hill and enjoyed the view while soaking up the sun. The town itself is pretty small but definitely has a lot to offer with little shops, cafes, bookstores, and restaurants.

Primrose Hill

Brixton: My friends and I spent an afternoon in Brixton which is the last stop off of the Victoria Line. When you walk out of the station, you are greeted with live music and markets that seem as if they go on forever. There are plenty of stores lining the  streets that range from high end to Poundland. If you are in the mood to buy little trinkets at markets or are craving anywhere from Indian to Mexican food, then this is the place for you!

Live music in Brixton

Hyde Park: If you are looking for a great spot to run, have a picnic by a pond, or just relax in a low-key area, this you might want to head over to Hyde Park. I would say it is the equivalance to Central Park in New York City in the way that it is a ginormous park with so much scenery and pathways, yet a couple blocks away is a busy city with thousands of people swarming the sidewalks. It is a great area to people watch, dog watch, celebrity watch, do some reading, or get fresh air. You never know who you will run into in this high end community so go check it out!

Meeting Hailee Steinfeld (actress/singer) and Sophie Turner (actress) at Hyde Park

Hello everyone! I am living across the pond this semester and wanted to share some tips on how to ‘do London’. What I mean by “do London” is basically how to fit into the culture and learn the ways of the typical Londoner. I have been here for about a month now and wanted to share some things I picked up on while being out of my element here in Europe.

How to Do London

1.) DRESS TO IMPRESS —  Once you step into the land of fashion, you will observe every single person walking past you and you will cry just a little on the inside as to what they are wearing opposed to what you are wearing. I have learned that every person here dresses to impress all day every day. My tip to you: do not wear sweats, sweatshirts,  or pajama looking clothes while you are out and about in London. I know you are all used to wearing yoga pants with a baggy shirt or sweatshirt but stay away from those habits due to the fact you are living in one of the most expensive cities to live in.

2.) STAY TO THE RIGHT — Whenever you will be on an escalator, always stay to the right hand side. I call it the fast pass lane in which all the people who are in a rush run up/down the escalator on the left hand side and all the lazy people stand to the right hand side. If you do not do this you will have some angry person glare at you or ask you to move ( there are signs all throughout the stations telling you to stand to the right incase you forget).

3.)  KEEP QUIET– You will need to take the tube/train from time to time if you are not in walking distance to places you want to go to. What us Americans didn’t realize was that no one talks on the tube, it is pretty silent the whole time and it is weird. I can’t go a long time without talking to someone or having some noise surrounding me without it being utterly boring or awkward so being on the tube was a weird experience for me. You get occasional talkers who just chat with their mates but the overall community on the tube is silent with a hint of international kids yelling across the cart to their friends.

Hope these helped!