The city that became home

Doris Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.  

I closed my eyes.

Next to me, my roommate’s speaker was playing the acoustic album from her favourite artist, Above and Beyond. A door away, one of my flatmates was finishing her House of Cards Season 3 binge on Netflix. In the kitchen, the other was cooking her dinner, the aroma of food filling the room through the half-opened door.

When I first arrived at Room 803, it was empty. I could hear my heavy breathing from dragging my luggage from the taxi to the lobby, and my footsteps wading across in my wet UGG boots. But not anymore.

Over the past nine weeks, we have filled in the blank space of eerie silence. Our wardrobes became full, our beds made (at least in the first week) and class notes piled up on the table. We no longer kept to our own desks or rooms. We popped around wondering what each other was doing. We shared food and desserts and complained to each other about how fat they were making us, while scraping the bottom of the pan for the brownie crumbs. We planned trips, to Philly or to the zoo, or when we felt like we really needed that dress down the road.

At work, I learnt the doorman’s name, although still having trouble pronouncing it properly. Our workstations, once clean and tidy and bland, now decorated with sticky notes of reminders arranged by colour, on the drawers, on the boards, next to the computer. Research and meeting papers lied on the desk, ruffled as often used. We eyed the kitchen or front desk for new treats, be it greentea chocolate from Tokyo or sheep cupcakes in celebration of Chinese New Year. We gathered around the conference room to have lunch, where stories from all over the world came: from midnight taxi rides in South Korea to Spanish wine festivals.

Over the past nine weeks, I saw snow for the first time, then had my first snow day. Cheers had erupted from room to room on the 8th floor, as we consecutively found out about the office closure due to the snow storm. The next morning we headed to Dupont Circle, making and throwing well-formed snowballs. We attempted at building our first snowman, before giving up after making the lower body, realising we couldn’t put the upper body on and ended up building a snow penguin.

 It’s A Snow Day!

Over the past nine weeks, I squealed at my first glance of a baby panda, who was clearly having a Monday morning; yawning, covering its eyes and turning on its face back to dreamland. Over the past nine weeks, I laughed as my colleague and I shared stories about our childhood, our embarrassing moments and silly promises. Over the past nine weeks, I learnt the difference between a motive and a theme in music, and watched a play about Mary the Queen of Scotland in the Shakespearean theatre.

Some time over the past nine weeks, I started calling Room 803 home.

Some time over the past nine weeks, I broke out of my shell and started to be myself again.

On Friday I took one last look at my room, my side completely empty and clean, just like the first day when I first arrived.

I closed my eyes.

Because I didn’t want to cry. But tears fell anyway. Through tears conjured from moments shaped by laughter and delirious happiness, I knew.

All those memories, captured in the snow flakes and the -10 temperature, would stay with me forever.

The Big Red Button

Doris Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.  

I used to get really drunk on jealousy when I scrolled down Facebook and saw my friends posting holiday photos in different parts of the world. I used to think- well, lucky them; I am just stuck at home being bored out of my skull.

Recently, as the uni holidays started to draw to an end, photos from Singapore theme park, a Canadian ski trip and Chinese festivals piled up in my newsfeed. I looked through them and caught myself thinking, ‘geez, that looks fun - better add them to my list’.

I remarked to a friend the other day that my world felt so much bigger now. I could hardly remember the person I was, falling into the routine of uni-work-study-society, and hanging out with the same group of people; too scared and too comfortable to reach out.

But the Industry Placement Program (IPP) has forced me to reach out, to break through my comfortable routine and to meet other people outside of those I already know.

It was horrible.

The loneliness of not knowing any of the people in my apartment, in my classes; not having the best friends on call when I felt down; not having the ready-cooked meal when I arrived back home; or the familiarity of transport and environment.

I had the biggest homesickness for days, and my extroversion took a huge hit.

But when you are on the edge of a cliff you have to take chances. I chose to not stand there and decided to simply jump into the unknown. I decided to get to know my roommate better by sitting next to her during her binge of ‘Jane the Virgin’. When Jane eventually shared a kiss with the dashing Rafael, and we cheered spontaneously - a knowing glance told me that we would be best buddies soon.

And I was right. What followed was girls nights in, shouting at each other while playing catchphrase and monopoly with new friends, sharing cooking tips, a trip to Philly and lots of late night shopping.

Then there was the corridor encounter; a friend of a friend opening a door and the smell of chicken curry escaping their apartment. We invited ourselves in, and spent the night playing cards against humanity and trash talking the other teams. It would soon become our Friday traditions that go into the late nights/early mornings.

It was moments like this, the beginning of something new and magical, that became really precious to me.

When I learnt the rules of American football on the night of the Superbowl. When I winced at the loss of the home team at my first Ice Hockey game. When I managed to work a laundry machine and befriended a girl who came to pick up her clothes. When I met Erin Gurwell, the teacher behind the Freedom Writers.

There is something magical about watching a game with a room full of people.

My classes made me forget how tedious studying used to be. Foresight made me choose two arts subjects - Arts in Our Capitol, and DC film and Theatre - and the subject choices were amongst the best decisions I have made in this program. I spent my night classes discussing museums and artworks, and how music is produced and experienced. I toured the largest library in the world and watched world-class concerts in the first row. I attended a play about President Lincoln’s widow, Mary, at the Ford Theatre where he was assassinated. I learnt about the film history of the depictions of Washington DC.

Front row seats at the Library of Congress Performance!

At the East-West Centre in Washington where I intern, I wrote articles on US-Asia Pacific relations; on topics of trade, politics and cultural exchanges. I worked on my project on the Centre’s connections with Australia and social network marketing strategies. Sometimes I attended events around DC, and listened to top experts talk about the region. The latest talk I attended was by Jang Jin-Sung, a North-Korean defector who was once the country’s top propagandist.

I missed home terribly for two weeks, and now I don’t anymore. I used to think it’s because I am having such a blast here- which is true, but now I know.

It’s because DC is home now. Like a typical DC-er, I complain when we are only getting 1 inch of snow when we are expecting 5. I consider 4 degrees beach weather. I think going to museums on weekends is extremely cool and free entries are a must.

Sometimes, it really does take one thing, one program, one experience, to open your eyes up and see the world differently for the first time. And I guess that is why I no longer feel jealous seeing other people’s travels, because I know now that they can be my adventures too.

Life in Los Angeles: Week 2 of my Industry Placement Program

Eric Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. He is currently in the United States as part of the Los Angeles Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

We’re two weeks into the program and the time has simply disappeared. Our days and nights have been jam packed, so I’m writing this on the bus to uni tonight (or college, if you’re American).

Buses are kind of a menagerie of the weird and wonderful, with surprisingly eloquent individuals wearing fox skin hats on a hot day and performing monologues at the back of the bus, ranting about the disparity between the rich and poor; to the older man wearing 3-D glasses for sunnies. But hey, we’re in LA and who knows, maybe 6-D is the next big thing.

The program has been exhausting, but I’m having the time of my life. Even when I get up in the morning, way too groggy to do anything but just sit there gormless, I pinch myself to remember that I’m here studying and working in the City of Angels. It’s an exhilarating thought, and my biggest fear is getting complacent and not making the most of my time here.

I’ve been trying therefore to travel as much as possible, and experience as much of America as I can. I’m not going to bore you with all the details of the two weeks travelling around America with my friends on the program, Nicola, Dan and Edison after my trip to Chicago, but suffice it to say, we had an awesome time. We explored New York, rode out a couple of ups and downs at Disneyworld, nerded it out at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios, celebrated New Years in San Francisco, and drove down to LA. It was so intense, but so much fun. After that, we got straight into the swing of things with our first class at UCLA.

On our way to bike the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Literally soaking up the Brooklyn Bridge in New York

Class
Most of our week is pretty structured, with work from Monday to Thursday, and class three nights a week. On Monday nights, Heather takes us through what we need to do for our research assignment, so it’s a good chance to hang out with the others and catch up on all that's happening.

Our Tuesday and Wednesday classes are run by professors at UCLA, who teach us about doing business in the US and leadership communication strategies. Although they sound fluffy, the classes here are actually really interesting, as they’re so different to those at home. Run akin to seminars, there’s about 30-40 people per class, so it’s much more interactive and we get cold called all the time.

Work
I’m working with two other students, Lisa and Nathan, at Cappello Capital, a boutique investment bank based right across the road from the Santa Monica beach and a five minute walk from the pier. The view from the office is amazing, sometimes it’s hard not to get distracted when we’re trying to learn financial modelling or build lists of potential strategic partners for various transactions. We sit at the Australia desk, surrounded by buckets of Vegemite and boomerangs. Everyone here is cool; they’re fascinated with anything “Awwssie”, especially when we tell them about drop bears and riding kangaroos to school. Weird accents and even stranger words are a constant source of banter with the guys there, so we broaden our accents and turn up the bogan sometimes.

The view from the board room

Living
I’m living with three other boys, which is great. The four of us are generally having a good time. In saying that, however, our place looks quite similar to what it looked like when we first moved in, actually, with a bare cupboards and an empty fridge.

However, we’ve made some changes around the place; stocking the pantry with a pack of chips, microwavable popcorn and some UCLA Jell-O moulds (how do these even exist?!). Just the essentials really. Oh, we also bought brown rice and whole grain spaghetti to stay somewhat health conscious.

Well, that’s entry two of Eric’s not so wise words: Get organised. There’s a ton of work coming up and I’ve been remiss in keeping on top of things, so I'll learn from my mistakes and get with the program.

What happens in Vegas

After only a few weeks here in Los Angeles, it was time to take advantage of the long weekend for Martin Luther King Day and head to Vegas. My colleagues from my internship with M&C Saatchi were full of recommendations, so we headed off to Vegas with high hopes for the weekend.

The canals at the Venetian – the ceiling is actually painted to look like a bright sunny day

The Iconic Caesar’s Palace

The Bellagio – the fountain is spectacular – where’s Danny Ocean

The opulence of Vegas truly has to be seen to be believed. Where else would you see 5 star hotels that recreate Venice, New York, Egypt or Paris. The financing required for resorts with such attention to detail is all the more impressive when you consider that many of these hotels were funded with junk bonds. The New York, NewYork rollercoaster was fairly rickety, and several of us ended up with bruises at the end, but definitely worth the novel experience of weaving in and out of a building.

The New York New York rollercoaster towers over Statue of Liberty.

That night we went to one of Vegas’ megaclubs, Hakkasan, for a Calvin Harris concert. After being pushed, squeezed and trampled, we made it to the front for a truly epic performance.

Waking up in pitch black the next morning, we could be forgiven for thinking it was still night time. Actually, it was 1pm in the afternoon, so we decided to hit up one of the famous hotel buffets for dinner. Satiated with almost 3 hours of bottomless drinks and food for $50 at the Aria hotel, we headed to a Cirque du Soleil show.

Impressive Cirque du Soleil performance, made all the more real by a few falls

Sunday was a trip to the Grand Canyon. Pun intended, it was grand. The photos can’t do justice to it, it truly is an impressive sight.

Before coming to Vegas, I’d expected that I would overhype it. But Vegas exceeded my expectations in every way. The food, the extravagance, the quirkiness, all created an amazing weekend for us. We’ll come crashing back to reality on Tuesday but for now, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Patrick Ward is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. He is currently in the United States as part of the Los Angeles Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

The Places Etched in My Memory

In the beginning, it felt as though all the forces were preventing me from entering the United States.

Yes, I am serious.

My flight was booked for the 21st of December. Less than 24 hours before my departure, in the middle of my farewell party, I received a text telling me that my flight was cancelled. The link to reschedule showed no available flights in the next couple of days.

After a massive panic attack, I submitted a request for refund and booked my ticket with another airline. The next day when I arrived at the airport, I was told that because I bought my ticket at the last minute, I was put on standby and she wasn’t sure if I could board the flight.

I googled several breathing exercises while she connected me to the seating officer.

So there I was, waiting and wondering whether I should take this as Australia loving me too much that it doesn’t want me to leave, or America simply doesn’t want me in the country.

Having been here for more than a month now, I can safely say it’s probably not the latter.

I quickly forgot about my struggles when I landed. Since I had arrived in the US two weeks before my program started, I had the perfect opportunity to travel around and immerse myself in the culture I have only previously seen on a screen.

In Santa Monica I fell in love with the city with a beautiful name and an even more gorgeous sunset. In Los Angeles I found out my hand was the exact same size as Emma Watson’s, and was so disappointed when I didn’t spot Ryan Gosling at Hollywood.

Sunset at Santa Monica

In New York I watched my first ever Broadway show, and had the song Phantom of the Opera stuck in my head for the remainder of my trip. I traced the steps of Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams in Enchanted at the famous Central Park, and tried - without success - to find the hill where BBC shot my favourite episode of Doctor Who. I spent a day going through the massive collection at the Met, and braved the cold atop the Empire State Building just to catch a glimpse of the entirety of the famous city.

It was so cold I have developed my own face warm-up routine.

I saw snow for the first time in DC. It was the third day of my placement - and I almost wished I didn’t have work so I could go catch a snowflake or build a tiny snowman or whatever people do with snow. I say ‘almost’ because the place I am interning at - the East-West Centre in Washington - is a lot of fun too.

On the first weekend I went down to Orlando and had the chance to wear a t-shirt again. There I spent two days chatting to Stan, the Knight Bus driver, trying on my new Hogwarts ropes and sipping hot Butterbeer in Hogsmead. I came back from my trip refreshed and ready to start the second week of my internship.
Those are the places etched in my memory. So far.

Diagon Alley

Doris Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.  

Exploring the Big Apple and getting lost in Capitol Hill

Jenny Chen is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre. 

Ah, New York. The city that never sleeps. An appropriate nickname seeing as that's exactly what we did. We didn't sleep. Our 12 days in New York were jam packed with tourist destinations, shopping, food, shopping, food, and did I mention shopping?

For a city known for its hustle and bustle, lines never seemed to move fast in New York. 70% of the trip comprised of waiting around, whether for an attraction, restroom, traffic light or food. It was a test of my patience to say the very least. However, for all waiting, it was worth it. We experienced several breathtaking moments, including:

New York Sunset

View from the Empire State Building

The pond in Central Park

Frozen pond in Central Park

The Statue of Liberty

Times Square

The buzz of the Big Apple prepared me for the crazy work and study schedule that awaited in DC.

On our first day interning at Capitol Hill, my roommate, Ari, and I were thrown into the deep end. We got swamped by phone calls from passionate constituents who were eager to give their views and grilled us about who the Congressman was going to vote for in the Speaker Election, which was being held the following day. The rest of the week was just as intense but still a lot of fun.

Everyone in our office has been incredibly friendly and helpful. They love asking us questions about Australia and I have taken it upon myself to educate them on all things Australian. I will not stop until Australian phrases have slipped into their vocabulary. When I first met Congressman Peter Roskam, his wife and two sons, Mrs Roskam even attempted the Australian accent.

In order to make us feel more at home, the legislative correspondent printed out a picture of the Australian flag and taped it onto our wall. Much to our delight, he is also a fan of the Australian comedic genius himself, Chris Lilley. Now I'm not one to play favourites, but I think I found a strong contender for the coolest staffer.

I’ve also had heaps of fun getting to know the American interns in our office. It's extremely interesting discussing different aspects of life with them and comparing how growing up here is different from growing up in Australia. Despite cultural differences (we constantly bicker because supposedly I say funny phrases and pronounce words weirdly), it's nice to know we can still engage in some classic office banter!

You may remember that in my last blog I mentioned my struggles with geography. Well just my luck, Capitol Hill is a gigantic labyrinth. Every corridor looks the same; the buildings were designed to be symmetrical.
To help us find our way, we were sent on a scavenger hunt around Capitol Hill, where we wandered the underground tunnels and rode the Capitol subway back and forth between the office buildings and the House and Senate. The subway rides always remind me of a mini rollercoaster ride.

Since we have class after work, it is an absolute struggle when we have 9am - 9:30pm days. I'm a huge fan of coffee and I'm all for downing cups and cups of it to ward off sleep. However, the coffee here just isn't as good as it is back home. The search for good coffee in DC is on. At least the classes that I take, 'The History of the Central Intelligence Agency' and 'Energy – Powering the Economy in an Era of Climate Change/Political Instability', are interesting, making the eternal fatigue worth it.

I'm sure you're all wondering how we're dealing domestically. I'm happy to report that we are all alive and there has not been a case of food poisoning or scurvy. Yet.

After my first day of work, my friend offered to order me pizza so I had food when I got back. In my state of extreme hunger, I decided that I should have an entire pizza to myself. He failed to mention that each slice was bigger than my face. Many dinners later, a lonely slice of pizza still lies in our fridge.

As I document my culinary struggles on Snapchat, several friends have criticised me for not eating properly. Our American flatmates however, have got this down. Their stocks of spices, fresh produce and meat make my microwave meals, instant noodles and Reese's Peanut Buttercups look absolutely pathetic.

One week in and we’ve already witnessed our first culinary disaster. A friend forgot to fill up his instant noodles with water and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Their flat smelt like burnt food for the rest of the week. His excuse? "I was hungry."

Having survived the first week, I’m surprised that so much has happened already. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store. Check this space again to follow my journey!

Return to Los Angeles

Patrick Ward is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. He is currently in the United States as part of the Los Angeles Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

It’s only been 4 months since I was last in the United States, but this trip couldn’t have come sooner. Ever since being accepted into the program, I’ve been counting down the days until I can return to the self-professed “land of the free, home of the brave”. America has a certain dynamism that makes it one of the most exciting countries for business. Earlier this year, I experienced the academic facets of America and now I relish the opportunity to focus on the business aspects of America.

LA/DC Industry Placement Program Predeparture Session

Although travel is one of the perks of this program, for me, living your life in a different city can be just as interesting. Everything that seemed mundane in Sydney like catching public transport, going to work, or even eating out, is now a new and vibrant experience.

That’s not to say the tourist side of the program won’t be fun. These two weeks before the program will add to my current LA tourist activities, such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Runyon Canyon and the hike to the Hollywood sign.

Hollywood Walk of Fame. Just watch you don’t bump into the throngs of tourists covering the streets of Hollywood. 

The view from Runyon canyon. If you go for jogs enough here, you may just spy a celebrity.

The hike to the Hollywood sign. Not for the faint-hearted, it’s a long trek in the intense LA heat.

Also, like any 90s kid, I had to visit the OC and the iconic Newport Pier. Like many friends who’ve made the trip before me, I was crushed to realise most of the TV show wasn’t even filmed in the OC.

Newport Pier. No sign of Ryan or Marissa

I’ve now been in Los Angeles for a couple of days and getting into the swing of LA life. I know the program is going to present a hefty challenge in terms of managing work, study and social life over this summer, but this opportunity, all clichés aside, really is once-in-a-lifetime.

Pre-Departure Musings, Domestic Struggles & Exciting Times Ahead

Jenny Chen is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

I'm the type of person who likes being prepared and planning ahead. I constantly make lists and jot down reminders for myself. A few of us going on the Washington D.C. Program have already gotten together and planned out where we want to travel on our weekends. I've even packed my suitcases in my mind.

(Note to self – make sure to pack my passport and I-20 forms in my carry on baggage and leave plenty of room in my suitcase for the ridiculous amount of shopping that I will inevitably indulge in.)

However, no amount of reminders, lists or mental planning can prepare us for the excitement that is bound to ensue within the next few months.

While in DC, I'll be interning for Congressman Roskam. I am extremely excited to work in a proper, professional environment and get a taste of what can be expected in the future. Wow. Capitol Hill, the political powerhouse of the USA, and arguably the world. Just being at the frontline, seeing where law is being made and how it impacts society will be an unparalleled and eye-opening experience.

Despite all the glitz and the glamour, I'm not going to lie, the thought of interning for a Congressman is quite intimidating. However, I am going to harness these nerves and use them to motivate me to achieve my greatest potential. I will no doubt acquire plenty of knowledge during the 9 weeks of studies and internship. This is going to be an extraordinary learning experience that will allow me to develop my understanding of American politics and hone my skills in working in a professional environment.

Issues arise when you're in a foreign country, especially if you're geographically challenged like myself. Usually, I would either follow my friends to our destination or spend a solid hour on Google Maps planning out and memorising my journey. Something tells me the GPS on my phone will soon become my best friend. Issues also arise when you're no longer living in the oblivious comfort of your family home. I will not even try to pretend to be a culinary expert. I can probably count the number of dishes in my cooking repertoire on one hand. Also, my roommate, despite living in college, has never done her own laundry (her dad takes her laundry back home every weekend). Together, we make quite the dismal pair. How we are to survive 9 weeks, even I'm not too sure.

However, this aspect of the program is one of the many reasons why I find it so exciting. We're left to fend for ourselves and despite the several mishaps that are bound to happen, I know that this shared experience of suffering will only bring us closer. We shall brave the laundromats together. We shall scrape burnt food off pots and pans together. Or if that doesn't work out, we shall cut our losses, go to the nearest restaurant and eat together.

With just a few weeks until the program starts, I can't contain my excitement. I have never been to America before and, despite sounding incredibly cliché, it's honestly a dream come true. I will be spending 2 weeks before the program commences in New York with three good friends who are fellow DCers. We will also be traveling to Boston, Chicago and Orlando on the weekends.

I'm ready. Ready for my small bubble to be burst by the glitz and glamour of Christmas and New Years in New York and the political prowess of Capitol Hill. Ready for the internship and exchange experience of a lifetime.

Watch out Washington D.C. We're coming.

This blog was originally published on the United States Studies Centre blog. 

The city of big shoulders and the deep dish pizza

Eric Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. He is currently in the United States as part of the Los Angeles Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

The last few days before my departure were hectic, but sitting here at 4am in a hotel room in Chicago, listening to the city starting to sputter to life makes it all worth it - in a weird jetlagged way.

Here’s the first of Eric’s not so wise words: Get started early. I literally booked my flights a week before I left and it was a frantic scrabble right up to the flight. In the week before I left, there were three days of training which went over the essentials that we needed to know. First, we were shown some excel wizardry, and then we went over the more manageable stuff, like setting goals and getting motivated to give a killer presentation.

I’m travelling for a bit before the program starts, so my first stop was Shanghai. It was actually the first time travelling by myself - normally I go with friends or family, but I feel like I took a big step of independence this time. Actually, I took a lot of them at a run because I almost missed my flight and I did that half run/half jog thing that you do when you have to go places fast but you want to look cool at the same time. I eventually started running in earnest because they were asking for an “Eric Zooo” to hurry up and get on the plane. That was the first time that happened to me too - a day for firsts it seems. Remember that first piece of advice? Yeah.

I don’t have all too much to say about Shanghai, but it was mainly eating and being sick. I’ve got this great ability to get a cold, start to get over it, then get a fever instead. So I had to change my Chicago flight to a day after my intended one, but I got to the airport early this time. Remember advice numero uno.

As soon as I got out of Chicago’s airport, I headed out to get a deep dish pizza with one of my roommates in LA, Dan. It was so good, oh so cheesy, but so very filling. The best way to describe it is like a big pizza pie, and then more. We’re still trying to get used to the tipping and tax being separate things to the price, and I’m pretty sure we’ve offended a couple of waiters already.

Dan and I getting overly excited by the deep dish pizza goodness

Chicago has this cold and serene beauty that is occasionally hard to remember whilst you’re being buffeted down the street, but look up once in a while and take in the amazing architecture that dominates the skyline. A girl told us it was so cloudy because vampires lived here, but then again we convinced that same girl that drop bears existed, so…

The John Hancock building

Starting to work and study here this month is a really exciting and unnerving prospect. I guess it hasn’t really sunk in properly yet, as there’s so much to see and do before we even get to LA. At the moment all I can think of is where to get a Pizookie and Chicago hotdog. You can see we have our priorities sorted.

This blog was originally published on the United States Studies Centre blog.