Warm Beer and Other Things

My Semester in London

Month: September 2014

Politics in Action

September 19, 2014 / / 0 Comments

While you can’t tell from watching the streets of London, there was a lot of commotion in the UK over the past couple of months. Yesterday (Thursday Sept 18 2014), there was a referendum for Scotland’s independence. After talking to some British citizens, I found people had very strong reactions towards the situation. Most were vehemently opposed to the idea of Scotland’s independence. Luckily for them, the vote came out this morning and Scotland decided that they were #bettertogether, with a 55% ‘Yes’ vote. Considering the small lead, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future, now that the UK has ignited the hopes of thousands for independence. Anyways, it was really fascinating to be in the UK during this historic moment, even though I don’t know nearly enough to have an educated opinion about it.

Cheers!

Moved into Nido

September 17, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I am all moved into my dorm. The rooms are small, but nice. The complex is way bigger than anything I am used to. There are two buildings and at least ten floors in each. I am living in an international dorm so the students come from countries all over the world and are attending different schools in London. I am living in a double and expecting my roommate in a day or so. The floor shares a communal kitchen, which will make it difficult to keep kosher, but I’ll manage. My friend actually showed me a way where you can make an omelet in a bag. Check out where I stayed here.

Cheers!

Arrived in London!

September 14, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Finally arrived in London and already got to check out Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the changing of the horse’s guard. This weekend I went to the closest Jewish establishment near my student dorm to celebrate Shabbat. I live in the Borough of Islington, which is one of the smallest boroughs of London situated in Inner London.

As a Jewish student, it is important for me while living abroad to find a Jewish community to celebrate festivals and perform rituals. There aren’t many Jews in Islington, most live in suburbs of London like Golders Green and Hendon. The twenty Jews that I met when I went to synagogue were mostly elderly and lived outside of the area. The small turnout was surprising considering there are over 300 members of the synagogue paying dues. These few people come back to the synagogue every Shabbat (Saturday)  because they had a deep familial connection to the location: some had grandparents who got married there.

Cheers!

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