I Don't Feel In Any Real Danger Because The Archive Is Basically A Bomb Shelter

Today was the first meeting of the G20 Summit in London. Christine and I joked that this was the second time that the entire city shut down since we've been here (the first for snow).

Because all of the top world leaders are meeting in London right now, a large number of anarchist groups flew in to protest. Basically, I read that it was like a parade, where they started at Moorgate and walked by a lot of the major landmarks of London to show their distaste for the recession. Apparently part of the parade was supposed to walk right past the Stella McCartney store/my office! I cannot confirm whether that happened, because Christine and I left for class at 12:30.

Many Londoners were freaking out that instead of a peaceful protest, it was going to turn into a riot. I never once felt scared for my safety, though. Perhaps it was because I knew I'd be somewhat out of harms way, but I also never once passed a protester. A girl I work with named Kate said that her friend had seen some protesters on the tube this morning wearing dark masks over their faces. Also, I was told that people who worked in the banking industry were told to dress down in order to not look like a target. I believe most of the protests were about capitalism, wealthy people during the recession, and the banking system. There are a lot of photos of the protesters in Trafalgar Square. Here's a photo I found online from BBC.com of some protesters:

On another note, there's two more things I want to mention.

First, I began thinking this week about how different the tube experience would be if I were a foot taller. At 5'1'', I struggle to reach the highest rail to hold on to near the doors. However, I've noticed that really tall men and women are constantly tilting their heads down on the tube because the tube actually has very low ceilings. I feel that would be very annoying when the tube is very crowded in the morning to not only squeeze in with a lot of people but also to have to tilt your neck constantly. Despite being more confined, I still feel that the tube was much better than the Metro in Paris, though.

Finally, I thought I'd run through my Monday - Thursday schedule to give my readers and idea of what I'm doing:

Monday:
8am-9am: Wake up and get ready for work/school
9am-9:30am: Commute to work. Sometimes pick up Starbucks or Oi (bagels) at the Bond Street station
9:30am-1:30pm: Work at Stella
1:30pm-3pm: Commute to City University/Buy & eat lunch
3pm-5pm: International HR Management class
5pm-6pm: Commute back to Palace Court from City University

Tuesday:
8am-9am: Wake up and get ready for work
9am-9:30am: Commute to work.
9:30am-6:30 or 7pm: Work at Stella (Usually home by 7:30pm)
Usually home by 7:30pm

Wednesday:
8am-9am: Wake up and get ready for work/school
9am-9:30am: Commute to work. Sometimes pick up Starbucks or Oi (bagels) at the Bond Street station
9:30am-12:30pm: Work at Stella
12:30pm-2pm: Commute to my Arcadia University marketing class at Thoresby House
2pm-5pm: Marketing class
5pm-6:30pm: Commute from Thoresby House to City University/Buy & eat dinner
6:30pm-8:30pm: Arcadia University's Working In The UK sociology class at City University (mandatory if you are in the internship program)
8:30pm-9:30pm: Commute back to Palace Court from City University

Thursday:
8am-9am: Wake up and get ready for work
9am-9:30am: Commute to work.
9:30am-6:30 or 7pm: Work at Stella

I managed to have Fridays off as well as Saturdays and Sundays, but not everyone in the internship program was able to schedule it that way. I definitely recommend getting Fridays off if possible, though, in order to have a long weekend for relaxing, homework, and travelling.