When you get a group of creative, artsy college students together for a two and a half week study abroad trip in London, England, you never know what crazy antics are bound to come up and bond you together like a family.
The craziness started our second night in London. We had not adjusted to the time difference, so when the clock struck midnight here in London, our internal clocks said it’s time for food and fun. So all of us, girls, sat around on the hallway floor of the dorms eating and cutting up. Then one of the girls introduced the ‘That’s What She Said’ game. And the madness began.
Basically the ‘That’s What She Said’ game takes an innocent phrase and with the simple utterance of ‘That’s What She Said’ afterwards, it gives the phrase a whole new, rather dirty meaning--something that gave us lots of laughs and drove our professors up the wall by the silliness. In our first night of the game, we counted 200 ‘That’s What She Saids.’ The huge number in one night provoked us to keep a running tally throughout the entire trip to see just how many we could do in two and a half weeks. (That’s What She Said)—see how the game works? Hee hee.
Within a week we had reached 500, and we were determined to set a Guinness World Record if such a thing actually existed. The goal by the end of the trip was 1000 ‘That’s What She Saids.’ Ahhh…Nothing like a good inside joke to bond friends together. The fun thing is that the game is super contagious. Within a few days we got all the guys doing it and even managed to wear down two of the professors. But for that one last professor, she was determined not to buckle to our childish game. Something that makes us try even harder. Afterall, everyone else is doing it (That’s What She Said).
But that was only one of the antics that have happened on our trip.
In addition to the ‘That’s What She Saids,’ I accidentally happened to blow up one of my professor’s laptop powercords when I tried to stick it into the UK cord adapter. Definitely not the way to try to earn bonus points. Haha. What I didn’t realize is that you’re supposed to plug the powercord into the adapter before sticking the whole thing in the socket—a lesson I learned the hard way when I stuck the adapter into the wall then plugged the cord in only to hear a loud pop, see a bright flash come from the wall followed by black smoke. I quickly cut the power to the socket and removed the smoke stained cord. Nothing like the smell of burning plastic.
And of course there are the secret guilty pleasures each one of us wanted to see fulfilled on the trip.
One of my friends had an obsession with getting a British bobby to come up to her and ask ‘What’s all this then?’ like they do in all the American movies.
Another scoured the countryside trying to learn about the UK’s faeries and folklore.
Another found her ‘husband-to-be’ when we went to see the show War Horse and he happened to be the leading man in the play.
As for me, well, I seemed to attract a lot of unwanted attention. It started with the creepy guy who tried to feel me up as I walked out of an ATM. I’m pretty sure he was trying to pick my pocket, but since I didn’t keep anything in my pocket and surrounded by a group of very loud, protective friends, they managed to chase the creeper away before things had a chance to escalate. I was a little bummed, I must say, because before I left the states I had taken a self-defense class with a martial arts expert and would have loved to try some of the moves out on this creep. But self-defense isn’t really self-defense if you throw the first punch. And I didn’t exactly feel like waiting on him to make the first move.
Then came the other creeper at the Starbucks. I was sitting in the corner Starbucks with my professor and my friend working on my homework when this random guy walks around the corner, stops at the window, makes eye contact with me, winks in a really creepy way, then gives me an even creepier smiles, and walks off never to be seen again. Why he chose to stop at the Starbucks and wink at me, I can’t even guess. What is it about me that seems to attract these weirdos.
Then came the middle-aged Middle Eastern man at the convenience store across the street that we frequented often because they had the best candy and soda selection. We had kinda made friends with this guy that managed the store. So when he struck up small talk the morning before we were to leave London and found out that we were going to be leaving, he asked if he could be my facebook friend so we could 'stay in touch.' I was so shocked by this guy's proposal to basically facebook stalk me that it was all I could do to suppress the uncontrollable laughter I was feeling on the inside. Totally creepy. The guy kept pressing for me to give him my name, so I cleverly pulled the 'don't call me, I'll call you trick' and asked him for his name instead. And he gave it to me! On a sheet of looseleaf paper with a wink. I quickly paid for my items, left the building, threw away his note, and laughed hysterically all the way back to the dorm. What is it with all the creepers hitting on me? haha
But then came the sweet, cute, really tall guy on our trip who could have and would have easily beat up any further creeps should they come out of the woodwork--not a bad guy to have around in a big city full of weirdos. haha. And apparently he really took a liking to yours truly. He would hold umbrellas over me when it started to rain and follow me around with it to make sure I didn’t get wet, he would open doors for me, help me up if I had been sitting on the ground, try to make small talk at every possible chance—poor thing. I’ve got to give him
props, he was really trying. ;)
Then came the mad dashes--like the mad dash to Wicked that included running down Constitution road past Buckingham Palace; the mad dash through the airport to catch the plane to Ireland; the mad dash to catch a train to go to Stonehenge; the mad dash to save a man from being killed by a tube; the mad dash to catch a train from York to London to try to make a show—I think I’ve had enough mad-dashing for now. The trip almost seemed like the movie It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World. And we still have one more excursion back to the airport to go home…we may have one more mad dash in us.
It’s been quite a trip. These two and half weeks in London have given me so many hilarious stories that I will enjoy telling for months—I hate to think that in just a few days, it will all be over and I will have to leave this place and all my new friends. It has been such an incredible experience. Never a dull moment. I’m already planning for
a return trip next year.
Til next time,
Cheers Y’all
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