British Festivities Across the Pond

I figured it was about time I uploaded some photos documenting the winter period across the Atlantic. It was cold, snowy, yet Brit-filled. The best kind of Christmas. Had the family and the girls here and I went to Ardmore, PA, to spend Christmas in the suburbs. I also met some pretty fantastic people.  




New Year hosts, Jersey Shore style - Jared and Peter





The bro posing with his lover in Society Hill, Philly



Rockerfeller

NY, baby

Rocky Steps



VICTORY FOR ALAN



Center City from the Art Museum

Jammin' in the burbs, PA

Christmas day is such a joyful time

Central Park and the snow

Shel Silverstein

Shades and snuggies

Ella did a Rocky too! (Ella's Photo)

Subway (Ella's Photo)

My girls (Ella's Photo)

Hookah (Ella's Photo)

Dock Martin purchase! (Ella's)

Dalexis (Ella's Photo)



Tranny Snowman/woman



Ella and Times Square

New Yoik (Ella's Photo)

Rittenhouse Square (Ella's Photo)

Naked Chocolate (Ella's Photo)

New Year's Day Ukranian Brekkie

Rock On - South Street and Penn's Landing

Second Article for Phawker

(Ella's Photo)

This is article number two for the online journal I'm interning for and I'm extremely happy with it. It's about the tuition fee hikes in England, but it's not a crazy rant on my behalf. I promise.

Enjoy!
http://www.phawker.com/2011/02/01/higher-ed-what-price-knowledge/

Stepping Stone

As of today, my first article has been published for an online journal. I'm currently interning at Phawker and I'm so excited to have had something published. It's a review of a current film, Blue Valentine, so read it if you have time! : http://www.phawker.com/2011/01/21/cinema-romeo-void-2/

Belated Pickatures

First Friday goodness!
Philly's Old City opens the galleries on
the first Friday of every month for people like us
to get excited
This isn't in a gallery, but James enjoyed the
book store

Waiting to catch the bus to Niagra Falls

I'm blue daba dee!



After I told them all to pull a funny face



International Crew

Very sad to see Ale leave this week :(

Erm...sorry, it had to be done!
One of the many jumping photos taken of me

Best photo of the weekend

OBAMA! I saw him and Clinton speak a few
weeks back before the election on November 5th

Halloween: Leopard, Billy Mays, Beetlejuice

The Falls

Worcester: Ellie goodness

Big Christmas tree in Boston

Harvard

A look over wonderful Boston

Retard Robert

Temple vs. Georgetown
Temple won 68-65...VICTORY!

So happy right now!

I went for an interview with Jonathan from Phawker online journal this afternoon and I now have an internship position there.  To add to this, I’ve realised I’ve gained a lot of confidence since being here and I have also LOST WEIGHT!

YES!

(Sorry to sound like one of those really annoying people, but I need to express my utter delight at recent events)

To update...

I went to Boston the other weekend which was unbelievably cool (yet bloody freezing) and also visited Ellie at Clark University in Worcester, MA.  It was so great to see Ellza C-Dawg and I enjoyed fabulous English company.  I also met some of her friends and they were all so welcoming and interesting.  Big up to all those amazing people!

Fun fact: There's a building in Boston opposite the old city hall which has a grasshopper for a weather vane - I thought this was pretty cool.

This week happens to be finals week so I can't write much right now (I'm actually meant to be working on my Creative Writing portfolio), but it's FINALLY the last leg of the semester and I get to see my wonderful family on Friday.  Big squidges are in order for them.

I have also made a new friend called Robert and I'm continuing to meet new and exciting people everyday.  I've also experienced a couple of Basketball games in the last few weeks and all I can say is that they are SO MUCH BETTER THAN FOOTBALL GAMES.  My god.  Next on the list: the Philadelphia Flyers (ice hockey team).

Other belated shizz I was meant to tell you: Niagra Falls was amazing (the Canadian side kicks the American side's ass).  And about the Italian I.D card...it was Alessandro's idea, not mine!  I'm actually going to his house tonight to say goodbye to him and Luciana. :( They have finished their internship at the Italian Consulate in Philly and are heading back to Italy on Tuesday and Wednesday.  They are both great people and will be dearly missed by all of the International crew.

Happy Holidays everyone (I hope the snow's not getting you down - Or maybe it has disappeared now? Let's hope so as too much snow is never good).

Peace.

My First Thanksgiving!

Well today was very exciting because I went to the Rogers' household for Thanksgiving...in Delaware. They are the family of my Creative Writing buddy, Julie. The turkey goodness and pumpkin cheesecake scoffing took place at Julie's grandparents' house and they were so welcoming. Barbara was telling me about a friend of hers named Harold [Something] who made it big as a stage director in London and the day was full of funny family stories and Rogers/Furdella banter. Julie's precious little cousin Krista was also there to provide entertainment as she jumped around the room and played hide and seek with Julie's brother CJ. I had such a great day and I even left the house with some leftovers...yum, yum. I still don't really understand the point of Thanksgiving though. Maybe that's why some Americans call it Turkey Day as it's just an excuse to eat turkey and pie, really.

The Edge is very quiet now as I sit here on my bed watching Sex and the City and eating gummy sweets that I bought by scraping together the last few cents in my purse.

This week has been really fun overall. Matt and Gadher came to stay in Philly for a couple of days during their city travels: New York --> Philly --> D.C. It was lovely to have the Leicester boyz here and to do touristy things and eat cheesesteaks. I think they loved Philly; they seemed to be pretty happy here. I also introduced them to the wonder that is Tito and we got very drunk at his Thanksgiving party.

A few snaps from the week:



Whaaa?



 



Leicester Massive at Tito's





Sleepy Gadher...Being a tourist all day is tiring work!

 








Table Decor

Barbara and Julie





I don’t know why…

…but I get one too many stares from people on campus. Is it because I have loo roll stuck to my shoe or ketchup from a hot dog around my mouth?…Or do I just scream ‘English’?

Some Turkish man came up to me today and started talking to me about photography (considering I was reading Emmet Gowin’s “Photographs”) and then proceeded to ask me how he could subtly tell his best friend that his girlfriend is a crazy woman and that he shouldn’t marry her!

So, yes, I’ve had an interesting day so far and now I need to decide what food to bring that’s even remotely British to Alessandro’s multi-ethnic feast this evening. Without an oven this may prove difficult. Any suggestions are welcome.

Halloween weekend was good by the way. Everyone got into the spirit rather nicely (which is how it's done in America apparently). I dressed as Beetlejuice the whole weekend, which was actually a fluke costume; all it took was borrowing Morgan's striped blazer and realising that it was totally Beetlejuice-esque rather than Gaga (Gaga was my original choice). I ended up at a Jewish Fraternity party on the Friday with friends dressed as pandas, leopards and angels and then a house party on Saturday with Flo, Morgan and Oxiclean dude (actually, this was my friend Zach, not Billy Mays). There I saw some guy dressed as Princess Diana with a wheel over his head - a tad distasteful to say the least and I don't think he expected to see anyone English at that party to be quite honest! 
I need to update you all soon on recent happenings, including a cheeky trip to Niagra Falls a few weeks ago, a day trip to D.C and also funny little incidents involving hookah, First Friday, Flight of the Conchord's 'Business Time' being sung at an open mic night at Saxby's and acquiring a carta d'identita from my friend. (Hello, my name is now Alessandro!)

I have also acquired some new friends which I shall splurge about soon.

The White House in Washington D.C

(Vincent, Me, Josh, Becca, Federico = Internationals) 

A statue based on Arcimboldo's work in the National Gallery of Art in D.C

                                                                                                                              Two atoms in a molecule, inseparably combined.

 

Thank you mother!





Until then... :)