GUEST POST by Samantha Guter:

27 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Coming to the ICLC

1. Sign up for rewards cards!

Waitrose gives a free tea or coffee every day to myWaitrose card holders. Tesco, Sainsbury's and Boots give you money off for points you rack up. It's worth it. You can even order them so they're there for you when you get to the ICLC. 

2. TfL will be your best friend and your worst enemy. 

3. Short-let flats aren't your only option. 

The flat hunt is infamous, but you don't necessarily need to deal with creepy landlords to get a good deal. My flat mates and I found a student housing complex with really great rates that had a community internet room, laundry in the building, and gave you the opportunity to meet a bunch of other international students. Keep these types of things in mind when looking for flats. What's available in London may surprise you. 

4. Go on Bill's walks!!

You learn! You conquer! You get free things!! You get to spend time with Bill!

5. Go to the Primark near Tottenham Court Road, NOT Marble Arch. 

This is why.

6. East London is trendy, West London is posh. 

7. Group up on groceries. 

My flat mates and I consistently spent about £15-20 on groceries per person per week because we planned out what we wanted to eat and shopped carefully (Lidl, Aldi, Asda and Morrison's are the cheapest grocery stores). That often included alcohol, desserts and snacks. Not all flat groups are willing to do that, but even going in with one other person makes it a lot easier so you don't have to buy a litre of milk for one. 

8. The exchange rate will hurt. 

For both GBP and euros. It'll be okay. 

9. Book early. 

If you're planning on travelling, look into tickets and hostels as soon as you can if you're interested in saving money. Make sure to book transport to and from airports, too. London is the worst with these - we found EasyBus was the cheapest if booked in advance and Terravision was the most flexible. The fastest will always be the trains to the airports but they can be more than double what coaches cost, so it depends on what you prioritise. Pro tip: Kayak.com is generally the best for comparing flight offers. They include the most amounts of low-budget airlines. 

10. Tesco's £3 meal deal is the best thing in the world. 

11. You won't get a cocktail for less than 6 quid anywhere.

Unless you hit up happy hours. Get drunk early. On a related note,

12. Say goodbye to weird alcohols. 

London doesn't have a lot of options for specialty liqueurs, so don't get your heart set on recipes that call for things like cotton candy vodka. You're not going to find it. 

13. The monthly or weekly tube travel cards are so worth it. 

14. Get out. All the time. 

For the love of all that is holy, don't stay in your flat on the weekends. If you don't have the cash to travel, don't worry. That's the best thing about London. I funded my semester entirely on my own and I understand being short on money. There are tons of free things to do (check out Time Out, the Londonist, Twenty Something London, London for Free and the weekly email the ICLC sends out). If you're in on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you're doing something wrong. 

15. Allow your bank to do the conversion rates. 

ATMs all over Europe will ask you if you want to do the transaction in USD (US Dollars). Always say no. The conversion rate through your bank will be much better. On a related note, if you book RyanAir flights, make sure to uncheck their little box (it's hidden on the last page before you confirm your flight - there's a selection that says "see more" next to the final price and if you scroll down you'll see the box. I see you, RyanAir). 

16. Bill is everything. 

Even if you're not sure at first, you will see. Join the "Bill Sheasgreen Appreciation Club" on Facebook. Just do it. 

17. "Off-Licence" doesn't mean anything illegal. 

"Off-Licence" has to do with the way the stores pay the government. It's just like a little convenience store that are often open late - even if it looks sketchy, I promise they're wonderful. 

18. Chocolate chips are impossible to find. 

You can get a tiny bag for like £1.50. Bring some with you if you enjoy baking. 

19. McDonald's has mozzarella sticks and they are heaven on earth. 

20. Look right then left. 

When crossing the street, think "right, then left." Eventually it'll become habit, but I had to think the directions in my head every time in the beginning so you don't end up looking both ways a million times and appearing idiotic. 

21. Google Maps will tell you which tube and buses to take. 

If you get directions from one place to another, you can click the "public transport" option and it will tell you exactly where and how to get on and off and where to transfer. Amazing! 

22. Unlock your smartphone. 

You have to call your phone company to do this, and they often have requirements for unlocking (i.e., having the phone for a certain amount of time, in good standing with the company, etc), but you can insert a new SIM in an unlocked phone over here. Three offers a great Pay-As-You-Go plan with "all you can eat" data for £15 a month. You can also get a 99p Nokia from Carphone Warehouse and just put money on it. 

23. Platform 9 3/4 isn't actually AT platform 9 3/4.

In fact, there is platform 8 and 9 and platform 10 and 11, so there's not even a wall to run through on the actual platform. That set you see in everyone's photos is a lie on a random wall in King's Cross. I'm sorry to ruin your dreams. 

24. Planning isn’t everything.

I am a Type-A plan-everything-out kind of person (you should see the spreadsheets I made before flying over here). It’s okay to not have everything planned out - sometimes spontaneous adventures are the best kind of adventures.

25. “Arcade” isn’t a place where you go to play games.

It’s a like a shopping area. 

26. Stand on the right.

When you go on an escalator, stand on the right so people don’t run you over trying to get places. It’s annoying when people block my way. You will learn this. Trust me. On another note, people don’t really talk on the tube. So if you and your friends are drunkenly (or not) having a really loud conversation (especially in obnoxious American accents), you’re going to get some nasty looks.

27. You may fall in love with the city. You may not.

A lot of study abroad blogs/tweets/people will talk about how you’ll “fall in love” with whatever city you travel to. This isn’t necessarily true, and don’t feel bad if it doesn’t happen for you. I know plenty of people this semester who want to live in London forever, and others who had a grand time but don’t see themselves here forever. It’s okay. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Remember, remember, these dizzy days of November

November is a tough month in US study abroad. The weather turns windy, cold and wet, you are practically ‘skint’ given some unanticipated outlay on fall break, work is piling up, you miss family and friends, you’re getting a  sore throat, your internship is getting pedestrian, etc.

To most Americans, the month of November means several things: (1) Thanksgiving, the holiday [and religious observance, with origins in harvest festivals] that looks backward to a legendary past and which reveals so much of the American mind-set; (2) travel misery, made worse - especially in the north - by bad weather: brave is the person that has a stay-at-home, behind locked doors, with phone disconnected,  couch-potato holiday; (3) Black Friday, frenzied start of the Christmas shopping season, when puffs of smoke arise from over-heated credit cards; (4) the midterm or full term elections which generally tell us two things: the electoral fickleness of the democratic crowd [which is true in most democracies]; and the French writer Alexis D Tocqueville’s argument that US liberties were rooted in decentralised government.

(5) And with the Giants beating the Royals in a great baseball post season, the gridiron comes into its own. London welcomed 6 NFL teams this autumn.  Last Sunday, America’s team, the 6-3 Dallas Cowboys, lined up against the 1-8 Jacksonville Jaguars, the squad with the best prospect of becoming the first non USA franchise in the league’s history, if it moves to London. To home campus students it also means the CORTACA JUG Match, lost on the pitch in 2013, but won in the media as Ithaca students, however wild during the game, did not riot in the streets as the SUNY Cortlanders did.

In Britain in general, and London in particular, November means four things.  First, on the 5^th of November, comes Guy Fawkes Day.  You will have noticed the fireworks displays recently.  The fireworks are part of “bonfire nights” when people get together to watch the spectacular displays and also to throw their “guys”, i.e., their effigies of one of the leading conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes, on to the fire.  Fawkes and his co-conspirators were arrested, tried and executed for attempting to blow up Parliament on November 5^th, 1605, the day King James I [James VI of Scotland, the only child of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots] was due to open Parliament.  The conspirators were Catholics disappointed by the failure of the Stuart king and parliament to repeal Elizabethan anti-Catholic legislation.  So bonfire night is popularly conceived as a celebration of the liberties of the Englishman compared to the intolerance, superstition and oppression of other regimes [see the allegorical treatment of this theme in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.] Bonfire night also suggests how brutal society was during the wars of religion in the 16^th-17^th centuries. We have already witnessed two such locations: (1) the Martyrs’ Memorial in Oxford where the coach dropped us off, and Smithfield in London where Queen Mary [1553-58] reportedly ate her chicken lunch while watching protestants burn. I wonder which wine the sommelier would suggest to go with this royal repast. Incidentally, the events of 1605 also link to the USA. More radical protestants were equally outraged by Jacobean intolerance that they risked everything on the dangerous 3000 mile sea voyage in rickety ships like the Mayflower to practice their version of Christianity freely.

The second great November day is Remembrance Day, the 11^th.  At the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month, World War One came to an end on the Western front.  Most observers and participants had expected that the war would be over by Christmas 1914. But the war developed into an appalling stalemate, especially on the Western Front, until American intervention and the collapse of the German home front led the German High Command to throw in the towel before “bolshevism” spread any further in the German fleet, army and work force.  The British had fought most of the war in Flanders and northern France. This is wet and rich farming land.  With the ground churned up by millions of shells, the whole terrain looked like a no man’s land where nothing could survive.  But the British noticed that poppies grew in the churned up soil.  The poppies were therefore both a symbol of the appalling waste of human life in the war and the hope for renewal and better times ahead. So wear a poppy this week. Proceeds generally go to various veterans’ organisations.  Every year, on the Sunday closest to the 11^th, there is a ceremony at the Cenotaph – the national war memorial – in Whitehall.

The third important November event is the Lord Mayor’s Parade on the 2^nd Saturday in November [November 8^th this year].  This is a tradition dating back to 1215 when King John gave the City of London the privilege to hold an annual mayoral election so long as the Mayor presented himself to the King or the Royal Justices to swear allegiance.  John was trying to win the powerful support of the London financial and commercial elite in his political struggle against the barons.  The procession has become a parade with bands, livery companies, the Lord Mayor in his/her official coach [which normally resides in the Museum of London], youth groups, charities, etc.  The parade is a useful reminder that the City of London is NOT the London that we live and work in.  It is rather the Roman walled city, the so-called square mile, which is home to the banks, stock exchange and other financial institutions that make London one of the world’s leading financial centres.

The fourth big November day here is colloquially known as “SO LONG” day as in ‘so long, it’s been good to know you”. It is rooted to the flip side of thanksgiving and refers to events following the Declaration of Independence. It expresses a British sentiment that it can do without America now that it has Australia to send its convicts and supernumerary agricultural labourers to. Besides, if America had not rebelled in the 18th century it would be the world’s greatest cricket and [proper] football power. Where would that leave the Germans, Brazilians, Argentinians and English?

PS. Pulling American legs on the last one.

Guest Post: Bronwyn Bishop

Stuff to do in London: Bronwyn’s Recommendations!

            Can you believe it’s already October? We’ve all been here in London for almost two months now, and most of us have done the classic tourist activities already (Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, etc.). Tourist stuff is fun, but it’s also awesome to get involved with local culture and find events, places, and activities that are a little off the beaten path. So if you don’t have plans for the weekend and need some recommendations, read on!

·         Markets: Markets are not only great places to buy fresh and delicious food, they’re also fun to walk around in. They’re teeming with activity everywhere you look! My favourite market is Brixton Market, where gospel and reggae music play, people with all kinds of accents shout at you to buy their wares, and you can find such interesting items as a whole octopus for a pound. (Because we all need a little octopus in our lives, right?)

·         Local music: Concerts are so expensive! Unless, that is, you know where to look. Love punk and hardcore? (Me too!) Punx.co.uk (http://www.punx.co.uk/areas-item/london-punk-gigs) is your guide. Or if classical is more your style, download an app called Student Pulse (http://www.studentpulselondon.co.uk/) for information on concerts and how to get cheap tickets!

·         Athletics: Itching to get back into your workout routine? There are plenty of opportunities to keep fit and meet people from around the world at the same time! Runners should check out the London City Runners Club (http://www.londoncityrunners.com/). After their runs they often meet up for a pint or a curry! You can also sign up for a free outdoor class with British Military Fitness (https://www.britmilfit.com/).

·         Fashion: Fashion week is over, but you can still check out some amazing styles at all of London’s shops and fairs. I recently went to the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair, where I saw amazing coats, dresses, hats, gloves, jewellery, furs, and more from the Victorian era through the 1980s! And yes, there were men’s fashions, too. The next Clerkenwell Fair will be October 19^th.

Got any recommendations of your own? Share in the comments or in our Facebook group!

Things I wish I had known as a student before moving to London part 2

1.       Transport. It’s worth knowing your way around it. Even though you are busy and only here for a short time. I suggest you do some calculations: work out how much you spend and what it is worth buying in terms of travel cards. Buses can be a cheaper way to travel around London than the tube although getting used to the different routes/ times can be tricky also certain times of the day i.e. with more traffic but it’s definitely an alternative worth thinking about and not dismissing.

2.       Getting out and meeting people. London is a huge city with a lot going on but it is very easy to feel lost and lonely at times. Don’t forget that even though students have not already arrived at Imperial if you have classes there it can be a good idea to go to the bar maybe before or after class as bill says in his previous Blog you might meet some British or other international students there. Also I know some of you have been to the ISH bar and been somewhat underwhelmed because not many other students that have started their terms yet, although many will be starting soon, and so there was hardly anyone one there. If this is the case don’t forget that there are lots of different activities that ISH puts on check out their facebook page to keep up to date with what is going on https://www.facebook.com/InternationalStudentsHouse

3.       Sport is also a good way to meet others. Gyms can be expensive but signing up for a cheap trial period is a good way to keep costs down. Gyms usually do introductory offers, and if you can work out something clever out you could just rotate numerous offers so you never have to pay full price membership! Groupon also do gym deals. Look out for cheap yoga listings on the Broke in London website too.

ParkRun is an event held every Saturday at 9am in various different locations. It is totally free: just sign up, print your barcode and go along to join a 5km run round your local park (check on their website to see where the nearest one is to you). It’s very friendly and community-minded, and there is coffee afterwards so you can meet fellow runners (and you’ll see Hannah if you go to the one in Finsbury Park).

William’s wayward thoughts on IMMERSION, Part 1

Congratulations everyone. You’ve done remarkable things since your arrival in mid – August: housed yourself in local and more distant places, like trendy Hoxton, Shoreditch and Bethnal Green. Most study abroaders don’t have such choices: some, like those at nearby institutions, are dormed locally. I call them ‘prisoners of SW7.’ Their housing is easier and more expensive, yours stressful but more rewarding.

Image by Wall Gobetz Flickr

Our DIY housing style helps with immersion, i.e., getting to know London and its inhabitants. Around the four week mark every term, we pick up rumours of what’s going on. So far, the telegraph has been silent. We’ve had no news of engagements, elopements, or long holiday weekends in Plaistow, Wimbledon, Ealing Broadway or Cockfosters with the young woman/man from your internship placement, someone you bumped into at ‘Pret a manger’, or, heaven forbid, who was the baritone in Millwall FCs notorious ‘choir of abuse’. I would like to be a fly on the wall when you introduce your parents to ‘THUG’ [real name], the Millwall fan, or Tracy, who has Millwall tattooed on her forehead.

Image by Loren Kerns Flickr

Friday week [there’s a British expression], the 19^th, Bill promises, weather permitting, a proper exercise in immersion, playing cricket in Hyde Park. Strollers in the park will stop momentarily to observe our antics.  Dog walkers are frequent fans; if unleashed their fleet footed charges reveal themselves as excellent fielders. Playing the game is an exercise in immersion. It will enable you to chat intelligently about the game which was, apparently, America’s national sport before the Civil WAR.

Image by Alan Stanton Flickr

Cricket introduces you to a whole new vocabulary and rules that seem absurd for those familiar with baseball. AS far as I know, no one can satisfactorily explain the LBW rule. It’s a great chat up line, innocent of gender bias, but penetrating to the core. “Have you ever been given out LBW?” Did the umpire make the right decision? how high up the pad  did the ball hit you? Front leg or back? Unlucky or plumb? were you the victim of a Yorker? a googly? a chinaman? Reverse swing? Where did the ball pitch? Was it a full toss? Was the umpire intimidated by the boozy ‘howzat’ of the slip cordon? Was the umpire blind?

Image by J E Mcgowan Flickr

 Armed with (a) these questions (b) your experience fielding with the dogs in Hyde park and (c)  your knowledge of the lifelong bitterness that accompanies wayward LBW decisions, you will not only become fast friends with Londoners, but you will become their teacher, because none of your interlocutors will understand a word of what you’re saying. If unlucky with the company, you might experience what happens to me at staff meetings with my three British colleagues. When I mention I was again the victim of an outrageous LBW,  they generally stare blankly out the window.

Image by Joe Dunckley Flickr

 Other than joining the royal family [temporary vacancy: morning sickness adviser; permanent vacancy: PR Guru to Prince Charles, I can’t think of any better form of immersion. Sure, by all means hang out at our two student unions,  attend the freshers’ fair, join the pot-holing club. But, getting a sound background in cricket, or joining the royal family might be swifter and better options.

Also quick note from Olivia on he subject of the royal family, as some of you know I am a huge fan of the faux reality show 'Almost Royal' and would highly recommend it. A bit Borat-esque (but much funnier in my opinion): two british comedians play aristocratic siblings Georgie and Poppy Carlton who are on a tour of the USA. It is showing on channel 4 and so episodes are still available on 4oD.

Things I wish I had known as a student before moving to London Part 1

1    Everything is insanely expensive and your money will go on the little things, even things as

Photo: Doug88888

necessary as food shopping, so you need to be careful. One or two of you have mentioned that you have been thinking about getting club cards for Tesco or Nectar cards for Sainsbury’s which is a good idea, even though you are only here for a few  months as it doesn’t cost anything and can save you money. Similarly you might want a Boots card, all of these things are good for saving up to buy yourself treats for a rainy day.

The websites Gumtree and Freecycle are very useful for finding cheap second hand or free things that people are getting rid of – just make sure you enter London as your city/region as otherwise you will be paying a lot in postage fees!

Groupon and Wowcher: These are sites you sign up to with daily offers ranging from haircuts and restaurant meals to holidays and helicopter rides. The deals only last a limited amount of time and they send you an email every couple of days with the latest offers.

VoucherCodes.co.uk is a good place to get discount deals for shops and restaurants.

Unidays is a website exclusively for students that gives you discounts online, in restaurants, and in shops. Register and see what deals you can get.

Photo: EchoPlex7

With a Taste Card you can get 2 for 1 on meals at a lot of popular restaurant chains. They’ve got an offer at the moment giving a month’s free membership, so this is definitely something you should sign up for!

As regards food: buy things in reasonable bulk if you can manage to store it and cook! cook! cook! and make packed lunches. The temptation will be to buy food on the go and get takeaways etc but really it is best not to do this.

2   Coffee. As someone who love’s coffee don’t buy it from a big chain coffee shop or even from smaller shops every day. This eats into your money like you wouldn’t believe! It is probably worth making a flask of coffee in the mornings if you have time! And it’s definitely worth investing in some good coffee to keep at home. I like the Columbian (finest) coffee in Tesco’s and, although it is ‘finest’ it will obviously work out cheaper than buying coffee every day. Also a very useful tip from Jess is the free tea and coffee that you can get with a membership to Waitrose supermarket.

Photo: Aleks

3  It is very easy to be in London and not see much of it. Although, as this is part of your Uni work, there should be some opportunities to take advantage of. It is a good idea to make the most of any cheap or free events and/or any chance see the sights. As Samuel Johnson said, “When a man is tired of London he is tired of life”. I will be writing to you in a weekly email  to give you some good (hopefully) ideas about things to do in and around London, but it is also definitely worth keeping an eye on/subscribing to some of the following guides to London:  http://londonist.com/       http://www.timeout.com/london http://www.brokeinlondon.com/ http://londontheinside.com/   http://twentysomethinglondon.com/

One thing that sadly will be a factor in how much of London and its surroundings you get to experience will be transport and the associated cost, for more info on this see part 2 to be posted shortly.

Photo: Doug Wheller

Photo: Andy Bird

Photo: Mark Seton

"How London are you?" By Cassie Susemihl

Cassie Susemihl has devised a quiz incorporating some hints and tips about places to explore, to find out whether you've become a true Londoner or are nostalgic for your American comforts...

A Diplomatic Incident…Or "why we had to close the building last week"

Our new cleaner, David ran into some trouble...

The Workstudy guide to: Cardiff

Something different...a guide to the Welsh city of Cardiff. Thanks Kelsey McKim!

The Workstudy guide to: Venice

Studying abroad is the perfect opportunity to travel, however, deciding where to go and what to do is tough! This is the first post of a very special 2014 series: The Workstudy guide to (some of) Europe's nooks and crannies! Its aim is to give you an idea of some of the amazing places you can visit and how to make the most of your trips. First up, Venice-thanks for the tips Erica Moriarty!

Raining: Cats and Dogs

By now, you have probably realised that living far from home is one of the most liberating and exciting experiences ever. However, it can also be overwhelming and strangely lonely. Especially on rainy days.

Portugal Porreiro (Cool Portugal)

Some of you are going to Portugal this term. Excellent news. Portugal is one of the most curious, underrated, cheapest and most charming places on the planet! I could ramble on about its beautiful winding streets, shrieking fishwives, monstrous meat sandwiches and other worldly bookshops…but I won’t! Here are a few key tips for travelling in Portugal. Aproveite.