I am such a crier; I never have had problems with public crying. I love the city that allows me to cry on its streets without being mind. It is such a romantic image walking along with black tears rolling down on my checks.

Every single answer I have received yesterday was NO so aggravating…I am a fighter Dear C let me steal it from you…but apparently in this system of numbers, titles and prestige if you are enrolled you are a person, there is no other way… so constraining, so detaching, so divided, so sad, so isolating. Damn system! I should’ve figured that out at this point of my life. But when I was comfortable, warm, fat (I still feel I can loose some weight), and had a good pair of sunglasses…who damn cares? If I could only say stop the bus, this is me!.

Well British bureaucracy has been quite interesting, if you think about it… this is the Queen Mother of all bureaucracies, they still use rubber stamps, who in the world used them? Only them…I have been running around with pieces of paper collecting rubber stamps and at the end they told me: well so sorry darling you are not enrolled, you are nothing!

My maniac-depressive personality is taking over and it is exhausting, one moment jumping to touch the sky next crawling under the furniture. You know that you have problems when you start considering cleaning as a fun activity. I need a sponge bath so bad, and maybe doing the Hustle would help me, bell bottoms pants kick serious ass, as a matter of fact I am going to go to find me a good pair.

Something that I have learned is that eyeliner is soooo underestimated. I met the sweetest thing ever her name is Shanti a hindu girl who swims with cool-mom and me. She has those hindu eyes and she knows it. Eyeliner is never enough.

She is all smiles and being with her made me realize how rough and rude I can be, people call it street smarts, I call it not trusting anyone not even your shadow. I wish I can be like her I kind of obsessed with her (just a little bit), we both like swimming, we both like jewelry and I am using a lot of eyeliner since I met her.




She gets to the pool wrapped in her gigantic towel, her swimming suit (that by the way they call it costume hahahaha sorry I can help it) is not small either and she smiles and talks more than she swims…She is all stress out, she is getting married to a very very white English gentleman with a dark bitter humor (is that redundant?), he is great. When I asked how many people they would have she said 30, only 30!!! Honey give me a break! My mom can cook a banquet for that many people in one afternoon, without sweating. She even would have treats and favors to take away. Everything is relative I guess, I had 100 guest in my wedding and I only called 3 persons, Mexico is great!

I have been calling the internet company to fix the probl and nothing I actually have spent an hour on hold, American Costumer Service where are you? Awesome-mom told me that her friend spend three weeks trying to get hers fix…ohhhh noooo my life is over!!!

I went to the National Gallery to see if maybe art help with my condition and I did! have you notice that the painters of the XV to XVII Century were obsessed with the Bible, have you notice that some of the stories of the Bible can be kind of sexy? a least there is a lot of nudity involved...good for them!!! I certainly approve that.

I saw two things that I would ever ever thought I would... one) the Van Gogh's Sunflowers...How much does it cost? and two) the painting of the chair and his pipe...wow I had a t shirt with that painting...it didn't survived my mom's obsession to whiteness and is nothing theorical it was just bleach.

Remeber the rooster, I feel horrible because I complained about him and I haven't hear him in two days OMG!!! those bastards had him for dinner (and not as a guest :-S) I am becoming vegetarian, yeah yeah!!! I know I have talked shit about them, but just the thought of killing the bunnies to eat them it makes me sick, I think I never made the connection that the chicken salad comes form real walking breathing hot blooded animals oohhhh God!!! I feel really sick...Where is the rooster you bloody murderers?

Fe de erratas

Sorry sorry guys is St Paul's Cathedral...I wrote St. Pete's duuuhhh!!!! pete...paul same old catholic shit.

Chapter IV

I swam for the first time in ages, in a Motherless pool!!! I went with my friend's mom who is SO MUCH FUN!!!! Of course she is a swimmer I can understand only half of what she is saying her accent is so thick I can make molases with it. But that doesn't matter she picked me up and she had to repeat every other phrase she said for me to understand. hahahaha

Maybe one day I can tell you my waxing- my- bikini- area story... Well, the thing is we went in her car which has this weird smell, all the compartiments doors are broken but she has a kick ass stereo, we drove singing along the cranberries!!! what a trip!!! I swam 16 single laps man!!! not bad ... I love the friends I am making...I love them!!!!

We came back tired and happy... found myself pronuncing tomatoes with British accent...

Chapter III

My dear friend Q… hey sounds kind a mysterious, doesn’t it Q? well, he saved my ass telling me about the public transportation. Honestly I have been asking around, but I just realized that I haven been asking the wrong people. All of them including the students at the UCL have told me all kinds of things all of them super expensive… nothing that can save me like this.

I feel horribly embarrassed, when i realized how wrong i was about London and its workers... what the hell I was thinking? I honestly thought that the workers lived close by to their jobs, that some of them didn’t have to take the transportation. I honestly thought that the people that used the trains and the tube were regular people. In my poor mind I couldn’t figure things out I thought that maybe salaries were better than in the US and I thought that I was living in a middle class neighborhood. I thought I thought…What kind of anthropologist am I? So naïve…

I was trying to figure my journey by bus, my friend and his boyfriend were fixing the fireplace, I ask them how far is Lewisham, which I pronounced lewis-ham as the last name and the cold meat, they were on the floor laughing, and I was What? What? Apparently is pronounced Lewi-sham duh!!!! I could see their concern in their eyes, they said is rough you will notice you are going to be fine but is rough.

I was prepared to save my money and I did my journey by bus one hour and a half from here to the city, but is much much cheaper like a third of the price I have been paying…I honestly don’t want to move she is a good person to live I like the neighborhood and I like the bunnies even thought they chewed the telephone cable. Ohhh My good what am I going to do? Well so far waking up earlier and sit on the bus.

I did my journey and I could cut with a knife the division from my well off neighborhood to Lewisham... where was I been hanging out? This is life… this is reality… this is it. Interesting thing about poverty is that is its presence is soooo tangible, so loud so obvious and at the same time is hidden and invisible. The bus passed in front of Jamaican, Sudafrican, Middle eastern and a few latin stores, on the bus was only one white person, did this tell you something? Damn world!!!! Everywhere things are the same. The heels and makeup are gone, colorful fabrics and tired faces are ridding the bus. My comfortable Americanized life is over…I am glad! I truly am…

Gandhi is still my reading and I realized that he was such a loser at the beginning of his career, his brother was supporting him until he was close to 30…But he was open and learned from everything. By any means I am trying to say or imply I am going to follow his path, but that gives me a little bit of hope that maybe studying, being poor and have nothing but social capital might someday help this rotten world.

If you figure a way to cash out social capital let me know, I can make a good use of the money.

Chapter II

I know I know I am a little behind on my writing, but you know life is complicated (really it isn’t). My weekend was very interesting, for a long time I haven’t felt alone, I mean alone, and I kind of like it :-S is that horrible? Well, to be honest (as british say) is only me and my two other personalities, and we are having such a good time.

Saturday I went to the Tate Museum of Modern Art and it is spectacular motherless museum (no tiene madre!!!) as the Mexican would say, congratulations for those who got the joke, you are in Spanish intermediate. The space is impressive is huge, I only went to two rooms because I want it to save some stuff for when you come. I saw the surrealist and the futuristic, I had such a dialogue going on with myself, man!!! What a trip!!! Sometimes I found myself talking aloud and laughing… don’t worry is not contagious.

I went outside and walked the Millenium Bridge which is beautiful and brings you directly to St. Peter’s Cathedral, a random guy approached me and asked me: - is this the millennium bridge? –yes, -and I assumed they name it because was built in 2000, I answered yes. He looked latino to me and I asked him if he spoke Spanish, he said no…ok he then asked me do you? Yes… where are you from?…I answered Mexico, ohhh Mexico…I opened a little bit more my eyes waiting for his comment… aha…Mexico…he kept repeating and I starting to freak out a little bit… I am going to Mexico next week, on purpose I didn’t say a thing. I am going on my honeymoon I am getting married next Thursday and I was ok cool. He didn’t say no more and left. Have you noticed that people are weird, that is why I am hanging out with rabbits.

The Argentineans that live here in London are on the streets wrapped in their flag, I felt left behind and I went to this store to buy either the Mexican flag or the shirt and neither of them I found. This sucks!!!

The Cathedral was closed to he public because somebody was getting married, can you imagine the amount of monye they have paid...I saw the married couple walking out, they were surrounded by bodyguards I took my two perosnalities and left.

Chapter I

Lots and losts to do...Did I say that London is endless?...I am getting familiar with the central area which is the more turistic one, what can I do?, you need to see it anyway. My plan for the day was go to the Queen's Gallery and then to the National Gallery. I got off at the Westminster Tube Station and wow the Big Ben right there...When in Rome (I forgot what the saying says) I did like everybody else, take pictures and ask somebody to take a picture. This last thing has been really interesting, because I never know how the picture is going to turn out, sometimes too far, no feet, no head, never know, so far I have had a whole variety.

I did the Big Ben photo, the red telephone cabin so typical, I ask this guy to take me a picture, he looked just like me and he was with other two. When I thanked him I did it in Spanish and he responded back. I was ready to go when the tall guy ask me: Where are you from? I said Mexico and they said we too. EHHHHHH Good, next question, From where in Mexico and I said D.F. the acronym for Mexico City, their faces changed, I added yesss I am chilanguilla (Chilanga, bad name for mexico city people) jokingly trying to lighten the air, they said but you don't look like one, wwwoooowwwww what that suppoused to mean? now I am really intrigued of how people picture a chilanga...For God sakes!!!! we are in freacking London, that is why Mexico never is going to win the World Cup, It is a curse... as long as people keep discriminating each other for the place of birth Mexico is not going to win.

The affair continued and the next question was, are you alone??? and started listening inside my head a beep beep beep I lied -noooo my (imaginary) friends are wainting for me at the Bridge, they looked dissapointed and said, well!!! too bad this is our last night here we fly to Germany tomorrow, we are going to watch the match, -are you serious? I was excited, and you flew from Mexico to attend the World Cup? they said: no we live in Rome, my face was huumm interesting...And what do you do there? We study....long silence...What do you study? I thought it was a natural question. theology, we are priests...And I ran and ran for my life.

I walked thru the St. James Park so perfect day, people, families, kids, geese, ducks and I saw the guards just leaving the place...the change of guard was over, too bad I didn't see it :-( the best was the horse who was leading the band pooped in his way out and some of the musicians got shit in their shoes I was so happy, shit comes shit goes what a metaphor of life.




Walking walking and... Sebastian? -yes?? Hi I know you (pointing him with my finger) I am mexican too (pointing myself with my finger), I interviewed you years ago when I was doing a internship in Insurgenteando the magazine, he didn't remember me, but what are the odds to find him here. He is an amazing sculptor, during the interview he was hitting on us so bad (me and the photographer) that we got dizzy and left, we were a couple of stupid 20 something teenagers, we didn't do anything, so cute!!! He was with his assistant we say good bye and good luck in front of the Palace and I was too shy to ask him for a picture, man I am still stupid, I haven't grown out of it.


El caballito. Sebastian

I got to the Queen's Gallery walked in with authority and they asked me for 6.50 pounds to see the Queen's Jewlery, there is no way in this world I am giving my money to that bitch, she could be a Queen but I am a poor mexican bee. Endo and I can put our stuff in exhibition and I swear is going to cost you only 5.50, plus you can have a snack and free drink. The worst was that the guy who works there totally knew I wouldn't pay and he told me, well over there there's the store they have good replicas. I am not here to see replicas, I was so offfended on my dignity. I asked him for directions and I proudly left, not before I spotted a shirt all pink that said: "Where are you pussy cat?" what the hell is that?

I walked to Trafalgar Square and found the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, the first is huge so I decided to go to the Portrait. I saw portraits of all Queens and Kings and I got all the gossip, is like the tabloids but from XVI and XVII centuries. Who married who, who cheat on who, Queen Elizabeth the first was like a classiest and smartest version of what is now Paris Hilton. I got my camera to take a pic of William Blake and OMG!!!! 3 guards almost throw me on the floor. They keep repeating "No photos no photos..." and I used my oldest one No hablo Ingles. They didn't believed me and kept telling me not to use my camera, I got out of the probl putting my cute kitty eyes, just before they call the Interpol bleehhhhh

They have pics of everybody they have very interesting ones in the basement more contemporaries and I loved the one of the author of Harry Potter... Theresa help me out!!! what is her name??? anyway the portrait of her is in 3D. Once I asked Theresa about the sexual life of Elfs (Elvs? man!!! english complicated me no entiende) and she responded: They have sex as far as we know...Can you define who is WE? I passed Jagger, Elton John and do you know Cat Stevens?? the corny little guy from the 70's he changed his name to Yusuf Islam and he is an activist for Islam.

I am being craving cookies the whole week and finally I found an acceptable ones from Italy only 40p a pack of 6 such a deal I eat one and kept the rest...I went back to the river, no wonder my feet are covered in blisters...I was walking along the Thames Path with me stupid cookies in a plastic bag, and I saw this guy, he was sitting on the floor with his dog, he had a sign that said Homeless and Hungry, I passed in front of him and his dog took a look at me, I walked a few steps came back and asked him: Do you want my cookies? He looked at me and with a sweet voice said yesss he smiled at me with all his teethless mouth, he was genuinely happy, happy for a opened package of cookies. I had anything to say or think after that …

I one of the tunnels of the path it was this guy with an accordion as soon as I entered in the tunnel he started to play a tango, I felt an electric energy traveling through my whole body…I thought about what is the physiological mechanism that allows that to happened, I thought about the power of the memory and all the stimulants that trigger that kind of reactions. I am such a nerd, sorry guys

I took the tube and got off at Old Street Station, I found a couple of hidden antique stores, I was browsing in a huge basket of frames and glasses, I found the perfect huge 70’s sunglasses that Sophia Loren would envy, I put them on and they were so bad scratched that I could barely see thru them, but they are just perfect I thought it doesn’t matter if I can not see, who needs to see? Asked for the price and I put them back in the basket.

My earphones broke and I went to get new ones, apple have the cuttiest ones green or pink for only 23 pounds, it what I spend in food weekly ohhh well too bad, fasting starting tomorrow, I’m kidding, since I am a macky money is not an issue, have you noticed that as soon as you get a mac people treat you as part of a religious sect, I have found myself doing it, preaching how good is mac and how evil is Microsoft... Jesus is coming repent!!!!…I went to another store and a got a sony ones with white and pink for only 9 pounds.

Abeja "Posh" Palencia

I am just warming up!!! I am writing this blog by request: Tony Blair? who is Tony Blair? I was watching the tv Isn't he George W OMG HE is Tony Blair...I thought that clonation was still illegal.

One thing that I have been noticing is that I haven't spelt my name...not once and a person told me ohhh Fabiola, like the queen of Belgium , yyeeesss you can laugh, my mom has this weird way to name her kids, two Queens Fabiola and Priscilla Presley and my poor sister Karol as the former Pope...


Are you guys ready for me? Well I went back to the Central Library at the British Museum, which is called the Reading Room




And there are more names to mention, Charles Darwin, Malinowski, Frazer, George Orwell, Huxley, Dickens, Virginia Woolf can you imagine? they worked here in this very same spot. If only the knowledge could be breathable...I am still figuring out how to bottle the air and then I can sell it in ebay. I would live here, if they let me I can dust the books and kill the mice I only need a little corner and a toothbrush I promise I won't make noise. i am still overwhelm so I will describe the place little by little.

Kassan was telling me that George Orwell was inspired on this building to write about the Ministry of Truth in 1984, this building belongs to the UCL and I still don't know what is going on there, maybe Big Brother is really watching us...


My adviser took me for lunch to the top of the Central Library where is a high class cafe, I felt like America's Top Chef, by the way who won? never knew...They were nice and the food small and unpronunciable that was the first time I sat down in a restaurant here, I haven't even smell McDonald's. All the prices are the same in the american chains, like 3.89, 4.29...but pounds is the double... same numbers different equivalents.

I am getting used to the excitement every minute. The British Museum has everything. I remember when I visited the Metropolitan in NY I felt so sad, I mean happy to be able to see all the artifacts from Mesopotamia, which as a kid I was obsessed with (not wonder I was not popular in High School) but you can breathe the stealing the ripping apart ... Well same here, but bigger and I don't want to imagine what is going to be Louvre.

I felt the same, sad, thinking why do they have all this? and at the same time it was hard to admit that I was glad they have it because I was able to see all this beauty...again Damn Beauty!!! what is Beauty? simetry? curves? lines? eyes? bodies? History? or just the fact that we know we are not alone.

I saw the Rosetta Stone...wow... they have I swear the Whole Parthenon I saw a roman crown you know those with the leaves and it had a little bee on it, seeeeeee I am ancient too. I almost murder one of my kind, when a little bee was bugging me in the bathroom. I talked to her and she came into senses and left.

Speaking of which...does somebody can tell me what happend in the finale of Big Love? man I can not believe I am still breathing without knowing, HBO should be public television, we the working class need to be allienated, right? that is the whole point.

Quick note: did you know that for calling abroad the US country code is 1, I won't say no more.

My sweet little shirt didn't survive the abrassive force of the washing machines at North Village, but I am planning one:

TONY BLAIR DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLOODY MEXICANS BUT ABEJA "POSH" PALENCIA DOES.

I am working on it. Paco Palencia a talented mexican football player (soccer in the US) didn't come to the World Cup. I LOVE HIM!!! he paints his nails black and has a nice hair, what else do I need?... Is he pregnant? It wasn't me I swear we used protection, something that my chiropractor and I didn't and you know the results. Allison where are you? these bloody heels are killing my back, but I look "posh" that is what really matters.



All the tabloids have Victoria "Posh" Beckham in their covers, she is not very photogenic and she has a weird expression, the best was: "Posh" infuriated when she was called Trophy Wife. Was is wrong with her? She is the mother of all of us (trophy wives) we have worked hard to make it possible, hard work, dedication and passion have brought us here...I am a proud Throphy Wife... and I care about Bloody Mexicans.

Where is my bloody sugar?

A week has passed and I feel like I have been here forever and at the same time like I just arrived yesterday....soooo weird!!! Still things are kind of new I am still stumbling upon fast walkers every time I decide to stop and smell the roses, which in London means admiring the beautiful city.

I haven't been able to put my earphones on, because I am fascinated with the sounds and noises of the city, I forgot how noisy it could be, so alive so loud screaming every second. Despite the fact I live in a residential area, somebody thought that would be a good idea to have a rooster as pet, Man!!! at 4 in the morning he is playing his best role, where am I???? in Arkansas still???

The new things for me are the London's souvenirs, as tacky as any souvenir in any part of the world, but this ones include images of the Royal Family, wow that is unusual, tea pots and tote bags with William and Harry yyiiaaccckkksss!!!! the worst Camilla and Charles, (have you noticed that the are not very good looking?)...in postcards!!! guys just let me know if you want one.

My heels stayed home today, I literally needed to run for my train. The worring about economy comes and goes, but at the end I know that bees make good honey and is edible!!! I get to the train station I need to take a two stories bus, sooo english, everything is soo fast that I never get the correct amount of money to pay 'cause there are so many coins, I come from Amherst that it could be considered rural Mass, I am not used to this fast lane, I standed there like an old lady counting my coins, today the driver out of pity let me hop on without paying. Another thing that happended is the the case of my glasses was left in one random station, I have been looking for one like crazy, i don't want my glasses to get scratched, just before the train station there is a First World thift store, and there sitting waiting for me a nice little case for 50 pence, such a deal compared with the 20 pound case a Hindu Optometrist tried to sell me, what is up with me and guys wearing turbants... man!!!! again the stupid coins I start to developt a trauma about them...I counted and counted with two nice ladies in line behind me and gosh!!!! 38 stupid pence that was it, is that all? the lady in the register just told me with the mellowest-countryside-british as it can be-accent Don't worry about it. Two times in one day.

I am suffering from caffeine, nicotine and sugar withdrawal, I have been living out of english tea with milk, instant coffee just don't do it for me, I don't want to talk about nicotine and the ice cream of yesterday was nothing compare to what I am craving. I had my lunch in a little plastic bag with a flower sticker on, but at the end with my tea (by the way, at the cafeteria, for hot drinks they have two sizes: small and extra small according to my americanized way of measure drinks, where is my extra mother fucker double venti from starbucks?) I needed it a cookie or something, I got a bag with 3 very small chocolate chip cookies for a pound. I miss US and its fat gorgeous cookies. First bite yyiiaacckkkssss!!!! I wanted to scream so bad. What is this???? What do you think you are doing??? This is an insult to the integrity of the american cookie, you should all be ashamed...Where is my bloody sugar???? I seriously think I am ovulating.

And these go to Massachusetts...Where? -America...I responded -Ok which country in America? -Wow, here America is a Continent (I thought to myself)...I think this could happend in both sides. I mailed the postcards to my friends.

Two persons have told me that they don't recognize me anymore, I don't recongnize myself either...

I know how to get to the University easily but certainly not cheaply. In the morning I decided instead of taking the bus, walking to the train station, I discovered a good two things: one) the pound store yyaaaaa and two) the stationary store yyaaaa at least I am going to have cheap soap and cards for my friends.

Something that I realized today is that I am alone...wow and on top of that I am 5 hour difference to my possible counselors, OMG I need to deal with myself and my emotions...uppps I didn't think about that before. If I don't go crazy before, the work I am going to be doing here is going to be SOOO FREAKING AWSOME.

I took the tube...closed my eyes and got off in a random station, Picadilly Circus...It feels like the Yellow Submarine movie, the large halfway with the doors, each door brings you to a whole different universe. Well, Picadilly Circus has an Eros statue...my eyes can not handle this much, I decided to close my eyes and let myself go...I walked thru the beautiful St. James park. I saw a little ice cream cart, I bought an ice cream, just for the jeck of it!!! I am not worry about my weight anymore with all walking I have done there is no way I am going to gain any weight.

Speaking of which I went to the lovely hostel to get my money back, Where is the Costumer Service? they just laughed at me...I argued with a 18 year old girl with a heavy accent and she basically told me that it was my fault because I booked the night through a suspicious website, now it my fault...I missed the american costumer service where they looked at you pretending they are interested and they tell you: What seems to be the problem?, yeah yeah I understand.

After all, Mexico played today and the Hostel has a bar, ooohhh wweelll I am going to stay to watch the game...I ordered my first beer in England two pounds for a beer OMG!!! sat down and suffered all the way by myself, once in a while I looked around earching for a little bit of simpathy...but I realized I was alone.

A piece of clay would be more difficult to model than me. I am one of the bunch now, walking in the right direction thru london streets and avenues. Slowly the city is reveling itself to me and I don't feel that dizzy as in the beggining, something that I love is people don't mind me at all...but it has its twists because a hindu guy the other day winked at me and he made my day.

Can you tell I am more comfortable?, even my tone has mellowed down...

Yesterday, I met the person I am be going to be working with and she has a reputation of being really really strict, I was scared to death to meet her... to talk to her and I rather liked her a lot...Man!!! this obsessive-compulsive personality sometimes gets me tired, but I like her a lot ffiuuuuu!!!!

My adviser in a good gesture told me that if I don't feel ok here I can come back on September, that is nice to know, but I am just warming up here...

I told my flatmate the location of my hostel, because I need to go back, they double charge me for that night I spent, she looked at her boyfriend and said nothing, what happended? i ask, nothing she answered, no tell me please, -Ohhh my gosh Fabiola that is a very dangerous part of the city i am amazed nothing happened to you, there's crime on those streets, well for a chilanga bee that is nothing. I spent the night with 5 other people hugging my macbo.

I live here with My dear flatmate her boyfriend who spends many nights here and 2 bunnies, Jacob and Lottie, yes Jacob!!!! so weird to put people's names to a rebbit...I remember that my dog's name was Larry and my uncle from Canada never overcome the fact that the dog had the same name as his boss. The bunnies are hugeeee almost 6 kilos each the rabbit wife just go in to a diet because her curvilicious body started to giving her trouble, more lettuce for that one!!! I never thought about a rabbit like a pet, they run around the house, eat the fruit in the center piece, chew the bottons of the remote control and they just ate my friend's flip flops, they eat everything did I say that already? I haven't found a pair of flip flops cheaper than 8 pounds Damn it!, I am going to ask you guys to send me a pair by mail. size 9, please...My blisters are killing me, at least I came into senses and I am not wearing heels anymore until I get used to them, but wait, if I don't wear them how come I am going to get use to them?, forget it I am wearing them...

Jacob is like an old guy, please don't bother me, he would say if he could speak human but she is ravish as the british would say. I can tell I am ovulating...I am not going to say no more, the wife rabbit last night jumped on him looking for a little bit of sweet love and he didn't even move, men they are all the same...Don't worry Lottie I am with you!!! damn hormones!!! I slept overeasy thinking about what is my middle body for...

Quick notes

Victoria "Posh" Beckham is important here, people care about her

Eveyrthing comes in small packages

Viva the metric system!!

They don't use plastic silverware or dinerware in the cafeteria

Yoghurt has no sugar by american standars

Coffee is soluble

You thought americans are bad with reality shows, you haven't met the english

Shopping carts are called trolleys

My addiction to Diet Coke has to be ended I can not support it

People kiss hello and goodbye and hug a lot, more when alcohol is involved

I quit smoking 5 pounds for a pack of cigarrettes

...All the jetlag got me late from Friday to Saturday I slept a good 11 hours I was soooo tired because I have been walking like there is no tomorrow, London is endless!!!! Kassan an american student part of the same project I am going to be working in took me to the Bangla Community, you could smell curry three blocks away and the funny part is that they are located in business area London, so you can see all the brokers, office people and skinny ass women in power suits walking to the curry houses.

They sell things on the streets, textile stores, electronic stores and little supermarkets with products in no english, I love it!!! we walked along during Yuma prayers and you can hear the prayer's call from any corner of the neigborhood, there is a huge threshold marking the begging of Bangladesh territory.


I started to feel scared, I didn't feel a thing this morning where I went to the UCL and they show me my place, I have a desingnated cubicle, they show me the library, I felt nothing, but seen this Bangladesh in the middle of London... Raised all my insecurities Am I going to be able to do it? Are they going to talk to me?, they are going to hate me! How scary!!!

Kassan took me back to the UCL I had something to do at 6 and it was barely 3 in the afternoon, a museum sounds great, I ask him about one and no wonder the British Museum is only a few blocks away. It is HUGE and they have the Old Circular Library in the middle of it, he took me in and told me that Karl Marx wrote his manifesto here. I almost threw myself to the floor to kiss it...He left me there... I just stuck my head in two rooms and I was tired overwhelm dizzy I start feeling agoraphobia, I left the place out of fear and overwhelm....



Anyway two days here and I already had a BBQ to attend. Let me say first that my friend Shinny has a beautiful sweet man. While I was sleeping on my dreams I heard the washing machine, the vaccum cleaner and all this noises, I decided to move my lazzy slobby ass and find out if I could help and man!!!!! before my eyes it was Ethan doing housework. He did laundry, vaccumed and ironed his clothes and hers, yesssss hers. She was doing her yoga at the park and he has no problem with being domestic I LOVE EUROPE!!!! A new division of labor.

What I can say about the BBQ is: English know how to drink. They even have a system, beer and soft stuff first then harder and harder along the sun comes down and at the end we were drinking Sambuca and they even had Absinthe...I pass on that, they say you can allucinate on that.

We got there at 4 pm came back at 2 in the morning, we ate, drank, danced, looked for a missing one hundred pounds pair of sunglasses, talked, dance again, ate, drank and comforted the person who lost the glasses. Eveybody wears serious make up and instead of of say yeahhhh they say yeeee with an open mouth....Yeeee the house was decorated in white and red flags of England, people even wore the shirt...all of the sudden they blindfolded this girl the boyfriend gathered everyone pulled the blindfold off and he popped up the question with a beautiful ring, both of them were wearing the English T shirt.

where should I start? where should I start? London is not always foggy, the weather has been amazing, British are sooooo funny, and women wear a lot and I mean a lot of mascara.... this little bee has a hive already. I am a lucky bastard as Fran always says. I found a nice hive but I also found a friend her name is Sharen and she rescued me from the youth hostel with all and its shower floor, did I say already that getting old sucks, it sucks!!!

Do you want to listen something funny? well, I was wearing a Boston sweatshirt and they took me for american....That is SOOO FUNNY, me? an american? you must be kidding!!!!!! and they gave an attitude, for being american, that is so freaking funny....don't you see I am a freaking mexican, a brown, aaaaa freaking beaner...they don't have a reference whatsoever I am still laughing....

I watched the game England vs. Togo and it was such an experience, all the workers and the big shots in one Pub in one place getting drunk, and I mean getting drunk, not getting tipsy and claim "I am soooo drunk" none of that, while I was there the people in front of me easily had 4 pints a head and they went back to work. I LOVE EUROPE!!!!

I took my two suitcases and my backpack and I moved to Sharen's after the game, I took the train with all the soccer fans holding their beers in public, man!!!!! drinking in public!!!! I LOVE EUROPE, they were singing and singing singing and singning all the way to Sidcup where my hive is. Sharen and her mom came to pick me up at the train station. I am a lucky bastard, the hive is nice and clean and what I am afraid of is that Sharen meant what she said in her add. "I am clean and tidy" and she is...Slob Bee is over...all those days of not cleaning the tub not even for my friend and her lovemaking are over.

This is a new bee, civilized...bloody British still they are colonizers...I put make up on, iron my clothes yeeee Iron my clothes!!!!!!! and I am being clean and I mean it.

I am so conflicted, I have found not but nice and good people, and they are all white, White!!!!! What about Whiteness?, don't we supposed to hate white people? and what i found is endless kindness, even the people in the tube help me with a big smile, I resist myself to think that is white guilt I prefer to think that they are random expressions of kindness.

These feet are made for walking

I am here wondering why nobody told me about what is like to be in London...But I also think that how I can tell people, is not easy and for more explanations you can give there is always a feeling to not being fair or real, plus is more fun to think about somebody getting into this without knowing a thing.

What do you mean by walking? do you mean walking as putting one foot after the other? I had to move my lazy americanized ass and start walking for soooo many reasons: 1) the transportation in London is simply outreageous, 2) It is so beautiful that you don't want to miss it and 3) everybody does it, all the women in high heels run into the tunnels of the tube, ride their bykes, deliver babies on them. Where i have been all this time? High heels is what is in, forget your Dansko- good for your feet and your mood-soccer mom clogs, Man!!!! stolettos is what is all about (not sure about the spelling, but all the mispellings are intentional)

Well, I know that bees fly, but this one have been walking as there's no tomorrow...

Are yo a good walker? if you are you can make it to the change of guards at the Buck...Palace. Without taking a shower, I simply couldn't I thought about the shower floor and I didn't bring my flip-flops, getting older SUCKS!!! Later I try to find a pair and I found them for the nice price of 14 pounds, I said thank you and left the store, feeling that I should thank them for letting me in.

I pass the Shakespeare theatre, the Museum of Modern Art, a gigantic wheel that you can ride and see London from the sky, Have I mention I am a bee? I can fly... and then Big Ben before my eyes I ask somebody to take a picture of me and the only thing I was thinking was that I haven't showered.

Westminster by this bridge have passed kings, queens, poets, rippers and bees. By that then I had already an hour walking, this is Fantastic!!! (with british accent) Man not even Zelig could mimic as quickly as I. I keep getting disoriented with the traffic, that is so funny even people walk in the direction of the cars, so when I see all these people coming to me is not because I am famous is because I am swimming counter current, not even a salmon would do it better.

Everybody is so thin, everybody!!! of course they don't eat, the smoke inside every single pub, restaurant, room and they walk for their lives. I keep getting distracted with the beauty, damn beaty! and i keep asking people to take me pictures that's sucks of traveling alone. I heard the toll of the bells, the Cathedral magnificent, Victoria in my sight, people from all over the world. Excuse me? I am looking for the Buckingham Palace? Whooaattt? -Buuu ckkiingg haammm- oooooouuuuuu the palace yeeess of coursee, in that direction...How come I can not find a Palace, I am pathetic!!!! later after three more inquiries before my eyes The Father of all the Palaces...When I moved to America the wealth made me sick, physically sick, my stomach used to hurt, I get dizzy here and I don't even know if am I disgusted by the wealth, the sad part is that I am in some way numbed by it, it is soooo overwhelming I can not take it, way beyond what they called new vs. old money.

I didn't make it to the change of guards, but the fauna that i saw worth every single minute of my two hours walking, it was a huge line to take picture before the gates, forget it i am not making line, they were like 200 japanese tourist some other spaniards, I'll come back later.

But let me tell you, if you want to know who you really are and who you don't really are... you should come to Europe.

I am here!!!!

I am finally here!!!! I flew and flew away. Nice and easy the flight besides the english man talking about his gorgeous girlfriend, he had even pictures to show...After a meal and snack I was here.

£4 less I took the tube to my lovely hostel, where my adviser and her husband carried me around, practically two suitcases and my backpack. The plan was to go out and have something to drink/eat/chew and after they saw the atmosphere they decided to go home, We are too old for this!!! they claimed. It is 9pm here and for me is only 4 God!!! what am I going to do? Well I went out and got dizzy everything is backwards. The wheels the traffic I am spinning around.

I found that is pretty late in american standars and here people are walking at midnight as if were one in the afternoon. I love the city!!! this is the right habitat for this poor mexican dizzy bee.

Tomorrow I am going to fly around to find me a good panal to live...

And then make honey like crazyyy...By the way I just found out the the museums are free. I love this town....

The day before

OMG!!!! here I am a poor mexican bee, trying to buzz and write in an alien language, getting ready to fly away...and the only remaining question is: Why? why am I doing this? when i could have a peaceful and quiet life = borrriiiinnngggggg!!! the thing is that I think I am an addict, "my name is bee and i am an addict to endorphines" Tomorrow at this very same time I am going to be 30,000 feet into the sky who says adrenaline is not addictive....

Anyway, my mom tried to calm me down telling me that in London tomatoes cost only 125 pounds per kilogram, a measure unit used in the rest of the world but US, even the english use them and they invented them...Thank you mom! -Anytime hon

Good strategy was to gain some weight before going, so I don't have to spend that much money feeding myself, the extra calories will help with my economy. If I see that my hair is starting to fall down that would be the sign that maybe I have gone too far in this economical travel plan.

Got to go, I am washing my socks, if something happends at least my feet are not going to smell...