By Chelly Jin
A picture diary of my favorite cafes in London.
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By Chelly Jin
A TRAVELERS GUIDE : CHEAP CHAP’S CHECKLIST
It’s undeniable as college students that financial concerns can have effects on stress and mental energy. It can definitely be overwhelming. But after being in London for a while, I’ve compiled my top tips on how to tackle London in a budget-friendly fashion !
FOOD
The cheapest way to eat in London is to just cook in your accommodation.
Here’s an example of a breakdown:
At Brick House (a lovely, lovely cafe near Brixton), I love to get the 2 eggs over easy, 1/2 avocado, toast which totals to £8.
But if you were to make the exact same dish with Sainsbury’s groceries, 6 eggs= 80p, 1 avocado = £2, 1 loaf = £1 : with the same single-size portion totaling £1.70
Even things like stirfry noodles are super cheap for £5 plates! But, making a simple stirfry noodle with pre chopped veggies and pre-made sauce (a simple chuck and cook) is still £3 total! And it’s bound to last for at least 3 meals.
However, if you are feeling a little lazy, here are some places to eat under budget:
just keep in mind, a lot of these place are to-go foods, so they make cheap&quick alternatives to late lunches or dinners :
CLOTHES
PRIMARK IS MY BABY.
Definitely some of the cheapest, with proper quality items. I bought most of my sweaters here since I didn’t own any good turtlenecks in LA.
VINTAGE MARKETS or THRIFT STORES ARE AMAZING
If you search on Facebook, a variety of thrift store companies in London host massive sales: £15 fill-a-bag sales, £1 each item sales, or just generally cheap thrift stores.
At Pop Brixton, they had a £15 per kilo sale where you page by the weight — and you could have as many clothes as you’d like within that weight!
Personally, I didn’t bring jackets to London, simply because I didn’t own any. Buying clothes here in really manageable and affordable ways allowed me to search my style in London. Afterwards, I gave myself the option to throw away/ donate my clothes after the semester is over (since each item was cheap enough to justify it’s purpose for a few months) or if I really came to love a clothing item, I could ship them back home if they don’t fit in my luggage.
TRANSPORTATION
Just Walk It
It’s kind of self-explanatory, but walking is simply the cheapest and most affordable option. While, there are some days you just need to take the bus (due to rain) or the train (due to just being late college kids), walking provides a whole different experience. There is absolutely nothing better, for me personally, than feeling the chilly air on my cheeks and being able to just stop in my tracks to admire the beautiful city that I’m in.
THINGS TO DO : MUSEUMS
Oh my goodness, museums in London are free! They. Are. Free.
There are some galleries with additional exhibitions that have an extra (but very affordable, and incredibly worthwhile fee). The Barbican Art Center has a show for Basquiat: Boom For Real, and it was hands-down one of my favorite well-curated art shows by far. But museums like the National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery are literally meters apart with whole collections free for all to see. And don’t forget about that student discount! Most exhibitions have a cost, but they also have a discounted ‘concession‘ rate for students if you show your King’s ID. All in all, London’s pricey ways can be daunting. But with a little extra time, effort, and searching, the world is at our smart budgeting fingertips!
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By Chelly Jin
Imagine a girl, pampered by the California sun, who for the past three years continued to wear shorts in the winter and knows absolutely nothing about how to dress for ‘chilly weather’. And now imagine the same child under the cloudy, gloomy skies of London. Seasons changing moods has a history of science behind it. And even as a student abroad student for a couple months, it’s easy to suddenly feel it’s effects or, I guess, the sun’s lack thereof. LATELY, I’VE FOUND MYSELF CONSISTENTLY GETTING SICK and also, finding a lot of my fellow study abroad friends catching colds or flus too. And these physical trials can easily start to make the mental game more difficult to deal with. Homesickness becomes more real when I’m stuck in bed or anxious behavior is more prevalent when I get a bad cough that interrupts class. Here are some tips I’ve conjured up in my time here in London in how to combat those grey clouds blues.
SLEEP
I used to pull all nighters all the time at UCLA. All nighter as if it were a casual event. All nighters to go out with friends. All nighters to study. As a proper well-rounded UCLA student, I said why not both — why couldn’t I be a great student and a great adventurer. However, it sometimes just doesn’t work abroad. My body and mind weren’t used to all the stress that comes with a new environment and already dealing with a lot from the subconscious stresses of dealing with the things back home at the same time (i.e. apartment leases when I go back home, the clubs I’m still involved in back in UCLA, friends from home who still invite me to Facebook events knowing that I’m not in the country!)
I’ve been able to balance this out by being selective of my nights. I try to pick ONE night for fun until daylight. And if you’re not the one to hang out all night with friends playing rebel bingo, go home early. Sleep well. And pick ONE night to study all night. But I just couldn’t do both. Try to do readings during the day or right after class to get a week ahead start (heck, even right before class if you have to!) Try to start scheduling the nighttime activities a little earlier so the party ends earlier.
DESTRESS
This is an equally important one. Stress can lower your immune system, much like sleep and has indubitable effects on the quality of your mental health. Even when the excitement rushes through my veins and I don’t feel tired, my body is still managing behind the scenes to keep me together. So, make sure you take time for yourself to destress! Walk around, practice gratitude, meditate. Refer to my last blogpost on Best Places to Replenish My Busy Mind.
EAT HEALTHY
Ugh, I know — but meat and greasy potatoes are EVERYWHERE! But in the instant gratification of all the kebabs, late night cheesy chips, on the go sandwiches from Pret, I completely forget to just eat an apple every once in a while! Seriously, I actually forgot what a fruit was.
McDonalds 20 piece chicken nuggets have become a ritual meal with friends, but I try to combat that with keeping fruits and veggies in my fridge to munch on or pack as snacks during class days. Fruits on season at Sainsbury’s can be as cheap as a pound for a sack of pears or plums. The £3 meal deals at Tesco are a meal, crisps and a drink– and sometimes it’s just nice to swap out for a salad, crisps, and a green juice for the same price.
VITAMINS
Like I said earlier, London isn’t sunny California. Feel free to invest in Vitamin D pills or daily vitamin supplements. I also have a stash of Emergen-C or Vitamin C Green Tea on hand for the days I start to get the sniffles.
FINDING A FRIEND GROUP
Unless they, too, are sick. Just kidding. There is something naturally comforting about having friends who you can rely on. Luckily, my floor mates and I will make each other ginger root, honey, and lemon tea when we’re sick or buy each other hand soaps when the other forgets. It’s nice to have people who can help you when you just aren’t feeling your absolute best or even having someone to talk to when you’re head isn’t in the right space.
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By Chelly Jin
And the end of the year steadily roams around the corner, pressing on my brain the impending doom of leaving this marvelous city called London. And the papers I have due that are 100% of my grade. And the things I haven’t yet done in London because I’m still trying to travel to all the cities in Europe. And the friendships that I made that I don’t want to leave. And it all stresses me out. BUT I GUESS THESE ARE GOOD THINGS TO STRESS ABOUT. My mother would always berate me that I stress when things are too good. This claim is entirely true. If I were given two awful options, I would easily choose the lesser of the two and just get it over with without much resistance. But when provided the options of the many great things to do, suddenly the choice is so much harder. Looking at it from a bigger picture, if my stresses are whether or not to continue exploring London or visiting another city, or deciding which beloved friends to spend quality time with, life is really quite great. On top of the good stress can also be bad stress: papers, homesickness, and where to buy groceries when Sainsbury’s closes at 5pm on Sundays. The point is, the end of the term is the season of winter and stress — so here are the top places that I love to go to when my brain becomes cluttered and I need a good destress.
I went to Hyde Park with a lovely friend of mine, who I actually got to know really well on my walk to Hyde Park. As we watched a photographer pose his children by the flowers, I realized that the best part of Hyde Park is just sitting on a bench and people watching while the sun set over all the little ponds. It’s a great place to get a breathe of fresh air.
Look Mum, No Hands is a cozy, bicycle themed cafe near the Barbican Centre. It was one of the first cafes I visited when I came to London and one that I’ve come consistently to. Filled with quirky bicycle decor, the back of the cafe is lined with sofa seats, comfy pillows, and outlets to charge your phone. The whole place has books on bicycles with some good food and tea.
Every Wednesday, I always look forward to the Ukulele Nights hosted at The Albany pub. There’s this cathartic nature about playing music with a group of people, alongside good food and drinks that will release any stress or resolve any busy mind. By the end of the night, I always end up walking away with more and more friends made too.
Just walking around Southbank has always been my go-to de-stresser since the day I’ve arrived in London. With street performers around every corner, there is absolutely nothing more relieving than buying a donut or a bag of chips from a street vender and taking a seat by the Thames while listening to the world around.
This is my most favorite place to come to. With bean bag chairs on the staircase, old bookcases surrounding the space, and little pieces of history floating all around the room to inspire you — there really is no place quite like this one to ease my mind. In a weird way, it has this sort of mess to it where there is so much going on at once, but it’s all in the best possible way where I feel like every corner has a little piece to discover.
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By Chelly Jin
As a recipient of the Global Blogger Scholarship, I had the kind chance to represent UCLA at an Alumni dinner event with members of the London Parliament to discuss Brexit and eat amazing Indian food.
But first, before I even get into the event, I would just like to point out that I ended up on Nigel Huddleston’s Twitter… sooooo, I’ve peaked.
Everyone, this is my college career peak.
AND BACK TO THE EVENT !
ALUMNI NETWORKING
One of the most impressive things I’ve come away from the event was discovering the massive alumni network UCLA has to back up our students. I’ve met incredible women who studied at UCLA for undergraduate, moving to UCB for graduate school, making their mark in cities like New York and London in Finance. Women who’ve studied in UCLA for undergraduate years and found themselves coaching important CEOs throughout the globe, traveling the world under the pursuit of careers they are passionate about. Meeting these individuals who came from the very same UCLA roots has given me a hope that I, too, will one day stand up alongside these powerful women.
LONDON AFTER UCLA?
Something I’ve been grappling with recently is this desire to move to London. I’ve genuinely come to adore London and somewhere in my heart I know I want to come back to live here. To really live here, not just ‘study abroad’. However, the reality is, is that most people I know in the US (from friends, family, and shout out to the parents…) express how they fear that by moving to London at any point in my life, I am indubitably throwing away any connection or network that I’ve worked so hard on as an out-of-state (but, now in-state) student.
After speaking with so many distinguished alumni, I’ve realized that the network that UCLA has to offer is worldwide and not just limited to Los Angeles, or the United States, or maybe even Earth (Mars, I’m coming for you in 2020!)
BREXIT
Yikes, the big elephant actually leaving the room. Despite what you may think, the main event of the night was not the study abroad kids and I getting to meet delightful alum (haha). But, this was a night to discuss the topic of Brexit, both the pros and the cons — inviting Members of Parliament to simply chat in a world that seemed to want a brawl.
Takeaways I gathered from the chat was two things:
1) Pro-Brexit: ”It’s not a question of ‘do we remain, rather it’s we are doing Brexit and it’s just when. The deadline is set and the transition will take place.”
Essentially, it was argued that Brexit will already take into affect. Change will happen, and much like winter — it is coming. The more valuable way to approach the situation is to acknowledge that Brexit is happening and developing a transition that would become beneficial.
2) Con-Brexit : “The best thing we have about Britain is no written constitution”
On the other hand, it was stated that the best thing about Britain is that there isn’t one rule book that all must abide by. The politics of Britain are ever-changing, molding into the newest formations of society, constantly being managed, washing away the things that don’t work in this iterative cycle towards offering the best standard of living for all. Just because Brexit is set in motion does not mean it needs to be implemented.
As for my feelings: As an expat to this country, there was definitely a sense of self-consciousness in my reasoning to attend such an occasion. I wondered to myself, “shouldn’t true King’s students who live here get this opportunity?” However, with the context of the current American political situation, there were so many elements that aligned. All in all, it occurred to me that we, as in the whole planet, are kind of in this mess together.
Brexit will not just affect residents of the UK, as Trump’s presidency will not just affect solely the American people, just as every country’s politics have made tremendous domino effects onto the entire globe. Their pain and fears are much like our own. Their confusion and inability to sort of see one another eye to eye in certain political issues are much akin to us.
How I see it, we all want the same thing: pursuit of the best life for ourselves and those we love. How we aim to do this is uncertain, may it be accepting the problem and moving forward in a different solution OR utilizing the freeform nature of society and politics to its potential in overturning and igniting change. (And certainly not made any clearer from a twenty-one-year old college student writing a blog to other college students). But, as much as Brexit is divisive just as Trump’s election, it has become more evident than ever that we must be willing to listen, to accept, and to acknowledge all in a means of working together for the one common goal of a better life.
Special thanks to Fiona Hanson for letting me share some of the beautiful photos she took that night! Another grand thank you to Jodi Anderson, Rhiannon Yee, Monika Kraska, and Violet Del Toro for such a wonderful event and all their help!
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By Chelly Jin
I remember when I first applied to UCEAP Study Abroad — I remember that the first thing I thought was how I desperately wanted to leave America and leave behind the need to be with anyone. As a fourth year, I wanted to find that place in my life where I could be comfortable in my own skin, independent and carefree.
As I set my budgets and plans for London, I didn’t anticipate the crushing feeling of suddenly being alone. At first I wanted solitude, but when I arrived, all I wanted was a community, to join a society (which they call a club or organization), to make friends.
This blogpost is about my journey in finding a community in London, both the lows but the ultimate highs 🙂 Unfortunately, I’ve joined societies and met friends who don’t like photos of themselves being taken, so enjoy some beauty shots of King’s Strand Campus!
The Struggles of Trying to Find your Place
The search started with dance societies. King’s does this awesome thing at the beginning of the year, which is the Activities Fair. Go to it and sign up for EVERYTHING. Don’t be afraid of signing up for commitment, because no one expects anything from you and all you get are extra opportunities to stay in the loop (top tip: use your King’s email to sign up for all these clubs so you don’t have to deal with it on your personal email!)
I came in with preconceived notions that I would join a dance team. The reality is, as a semester student, a lot of competitive team sports won’t allow you to audition or try out because the first semester is used for training while the second semester is used for competition. Thus, I showed up to dance society auditions only to realize that I wasn’t allowed to join.
Ukulele Society
Luckily, I had snagged a flyer from the King’s Ukulele Society booth at the Activities Fair — and although it wasn’t my initial first though when I came to King’s to join the UkeSoc, it ended up being the best!
I didn’t bring my ukulele from home, but for a £20 deposit, they’ll let you borrow one for as long as you need! On Mondays, they have tutorials to teach you how to play (but for the people who’ve been playing for a while like me, we use it as a socializing time). On Wednesdays, we all go out to a pub called The Albany where they host Ukulele Wednesdays — a night of ukulele jamming with ukulele players all around London. There is absolutely nothing more satisfying than screaming Purple Rain alongside 50 ukulele players, trust me.
Running A Mock
Another serendipitous occasion was joining the comedy improv society, Running A Mock. And not only joining the society, but actually auditioning to now become one of the 6 improv troupe members. Prior to coming to London, I had never had any formal acting, theatre, nor comedy experience, but these people have been some of the most incredible (and hilarious) individuals I have ever met.
Joining Running A Mock became the family that I didn’t realize I needed. Every week I look forward to the workshops on Tuesdays and improv rehearsals on Wednesdays, with jokes and silly games that remind me to keep my head high in London — to take everything with a grain of salt and a good chuckle.
The most important thing I’ve learned through improv is the idea of ‘Yes, And...’ In improv, this is the first and foremost rule. We say ‘yes’ to accept the challenge, the situation, acknowledge our own ideas, respect other’s ideas. Then we say ‘and’ in an act to contribute, to be a part of the solution, to move forward in progress. And this is how I decided to treat my time here in London, to look at every opportunity with a ‘Yes, And...’ — not a ‘no’, nor a begrudging ‘yes’, but a true acknowledgement of the current situation and the willingness to add to its value.
Improv has been one of the most formative experiences here in London and I couldn’t be more grateful to this community.
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By CHELLY JIN
CHAMPION HILL : KING’S COLLEGE ACCOMMODATION
It starts really high. Before you even arrive, you see all the beautiful pictures and think to yourself, “Man, this place is gorgeous.”
And then you actually realize how far it is from campus.
Which stinks; it stinks, but, like most students here, you scramble to find other places to live. There IS a room swap that happens at KCL; but it doesn’t happen until October so that you can take the time to get acclimated, and really experience the residence for yourself.
I remember being really determined that I would for sure move out. But as time progressed, I started to really enjoy the people I was around. I formed great friendships with two girls who also were from UCLA on my floor. And also, I just started to become friends with everybody on this floor in general; building networks of kitchen cutlery, providing their pans and knives in exchange for my Sainsbury pots and cookie baking sheets. So, the line chart goes up again.
And again, like any great novel with complex plots — it goes back down when room swaps become available and you discover that the friends you just made are moving out. That one guy you look forward to talking to in the kitchen is moving away to another dorm (note: I wrote this a week ago, and I found out he’s staying– woo!)
The reality is, I’ve now come to not only accept Champion Hill as my home, but also embrace it. And when I finally came into this mentality, I found coffee shops around (go to Mono — a vinyl records only, cheap coffee shop with great pain au chocolat with comfy chairs, cute lighting and mini plants on your table).
I found Pop Brixton, a 30 minute walk with some of the greatest, cheap foods that I adore. Every time I miss a bowl of Ramen, Koi Ramen Bar has my back.
Sainsbury’s is only a five minute walk in our backyard for anytime you want to get a grilled cheese fix (that clearance sale bread for 70p, cheese, and never forget tomato soup).
As far as the bus, it’s about a 30 to 40 minute bus ride. I’m not gonna lie, it initially sucks. I can feel lost from the rest of London, but I’ve come to love the moment when crossing The Thames over Waterloo bridge. The mornings become the time I collect my thoughts before the day truly begins, the readings I didn’t read the night before, the meditation I needed to release anxiety, and to finally listen to those podcasts I never got around to.
Champion Hill has become the home of some of my favorite memories; eating dinner with humans from around the world who inspire me with their stories — the dude from Germany who traveled around the globe — the second year from France who never fails to make me crepes and makes fun of my silly American ways — the boy across the hall who laughs at me as we sing along to 2000’s music — the girl next door who I always can go out with — the fellow UCLA girl down the hall who became one of my closest friends. We sat together on the couch one day and thought about all the times we could’ve met at UCLA; how we went to the same parties, had so many mutual friends– but we didn’t meet until we both lived here in Champion Hill. And that was the thing, this serendipitous occasion of living here and meeting all the people I did, Champion Hill wasn’t a mistake at all.
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
By CHELLY JIN
To be entirely truthful, I’ve already been in London for 3 weeks : busy unpacking, acclimating, making friends, learning to ride a bus here or ‘top-up’ an oyster card, testing social cues, cringing at my own American English accent. So orientation was a while ago.
But, with some time and space, I feel that I can give a pretty good retrospective on the whole experience.
AND THE EXPERIENCE WAS GREAT.
So here’s an orientation to the UCEAP Orientation at London, everything from what we did and what you can expect, and maybe some advice along the way.
GETTING TO LONDON
Getting to London seems intimidating — the student visa process or the tier 4 visa process (eek!) But the truth is, 1) it really depends on the staff who interviews you at customs, 2) having your documents is the hardest part because it makes everything else a breeze. I was lucky that the staff who reviewed me was super kind; she looked at a few papers (but mostly my King’s acceptance letter — this will be your most important document. do. not. lose. this. because if you leave the UK to travel throughout the rest of Europe, you’ll need this letter to get back in!)
DAY ONE : GETTING TO UCEAP ORIENTATION
Day one of orientation was just getting to orientation; the plane rides, the Uber rides, the settling in and getting rest for the days to come.
Luckily, before leaving to London, UCLA holds a mini-orientation in Los Angeles for KCL abroad students. So, I had met fellow students to exchange numbers and we made plans to meet at the airport upon arrival at London. We Uber-ed together from LHR (London Heathrow Airport) to LSE Bankside, the UCEAP orientation.
DAY TWO : TATE MODERN + DUCHESS THEATRE
So of course, orientation was, indeed, an orientation — consisting of various lectures on acclimating to London, the differences in academia between the US and the UK, and the US Embassy coming in to speak about what rights and services are applicable to us abroad.
TATE MODERN
But, they also scheduled guided tours for us at the Tate Modern.
DINNER
We treated ourselves with peri-peri chicken and beer from the ever-so famous Nando’s.
DUCHESS THEATRE : ‘THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG’
We also got tickets to see ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’, a theatrical comedy show about a running a murder mystery show — wonderfully hilarious, filled with nuggets of improv that I didn’t expect.
And on the night walk back to LSE Bankside, we couldn’t resist taking photos of the sunset which soon became a darkness only lit up by buildings along the Thames.
DAY THREE : LONDON EYE + WALKING TOURS
FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST @ LSE BANKSIDE
Yes, I ate this every morning for breakfast.
I walked a lot, okay.
SPEAKING OF WALKING… WALKING TOURS !
We had a lovely tour guide who gave us a walk around the Thames; showing us graffiti art, famous buildings…
Tower bridge opening up in the morning…
and leading us to lunch at Borough Market.
LONDON EYE
And our last stop of the day was the London Eye, and the tickets were provided for us.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Initially, as young adults, there’s sometimes a hesitation in submitting to some sort of schedule. But, in the midst of the craziness that is a new environment, it was nice to have someone care for us. We were introduced to a new culture in a way that helped us immerse seamlessly; to answer questions we had immediately. UCEAP provided us resources that a lot of other students didn’t get, those who studied abroad from other universities or countries. And it gave us the opportunity to meet other UCLA friends that we can continue being friends with even after we come back from London.
Chelly Jin studied abroad in Cambridge, England, in Summer 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/United_Kingdom_England/Pages/summer-pembroke-kings-college-university-of-cambridge.aspx
