(wrote it 1st March, 2005)
Well... there is so much to say...!
I'm living in a residence, International Hall, central London, 10 min. walking from Oxford Street. Is quite central, believe me. This place is a small craziness, as I believe all the students halls are, where is always somebody around, something to do. Meeting new people has never been so easy. You're warned, if you're feeling lonely apply to some residence and life will get a different colour (mine went from blues and oranges from the sunset in Costa da Caparica, to the grey and pale blue of London... but my yellow shirt and the red one help me not to pass unnoticed in this city and make it more pretty ;)
To try to avoid the monochromatic idea of this city, yesterday I enjoyed the sun (aleluia!) and went for one more recon tour. This time I only walked for 3 hours, but they were worth it. The arrival at Westminster made my chin fall, for the magnificence of the buildings, the wide avenues, for the magnitude of everything. I kept going towards Thames to help my chin fall a bit more when I saw Parliament Square and Big Ben. I've heard about people that were disappointed with Big Ben, that after all is just a clock, that isn't as big as they imagined... I start to get suspicious that they probably have a bedroom in Vatican and that this doesn't amaze them. With the simplicity of my home town, Costa da Caparica, in my blood (without the bad taste and the mess at weekends when the "wanna be's" go to the beach) I kept stood for 10 minutes, just contemplating. I kept on, going to the other side of the river, walking along Thames, passing by the Aquarium, London Eye and once again I decided to use one of the park benches that are around. This one had written on a plate "Because everyone needs a break to think", and that's what I did. I spent 20 more minutes admiring everything, feeling on my face the little sun that still was and thinking "man, maybe I'll really enjoy this city... unbelievable!" (this is so typical of someone who doesn't have obligations... I still have two more weeks of vacations, just hanging around, because I only start my training period on the March 15th! I feel a bit useless.... NOT! :) Passing by me, a dad with his kid, this one totally happy pushing the kid's trolley where she should be seated instead, I smile at the situation and get in return a hard look from the dad. This one is from London, for sure. The englishman who live in the centre of London aren't many, they are either students or rich people in a bad mood (well, with the cold weather they have, I'm not surprised! the cold just freezes their face and even if they want to smile, they can't), all the rest is just like a big melting pot….
Back to the hall I meet some more new people, which I can hardly remember their names (the guy's ones, obviously) and after-dinner I join the Salsa class. Yep, that's right, I had to travel all the way from Portugal (3900 km, straight line) to learn how to dance Latin rhythms. It was very cool, again I met loads of people and it's always pleasant to have many "chicks" with whom to dance. In a matter of fact, because I'm tall and all of them were wearing small tops made it difficult for me to keep my eyes where it is more morally correct. Details... I had a great time!
Keeping up the level of "many things to do and everything's happening at the same time", I just came from the room of an Iranian girl (!) - they really have people from everywhere - where there was a really cool mood, people talking, R'n'B in the stereo and a xixa with "tutti-frutti" tobacco giving some aroma to the room and to our lungs.
Well, I'm already becoming boring. Short version, I'm enjoying the mood of the city and even if the weather got crappy again today, snowed a little bit and that shitty stuff people always complain about London (the weather, is always the weather) things here, don't stop!
Now I'm in a mood to buy some speakers and a CD player to make my room a room "my way" (the amplifier should be coming in just some days)
guess where the next party's gonna be??
