- The ICLC group trip to Liverpool was last Friday and Saturday. As someone who was virtually raised on the Beatles, this was an exciting opportunity for me to visit the birthplace and nurturing grounds for the greatest rock'n'roll band of all time. The city was quaint and beautiful, despite the fact that much of the area seemed to be undergoing substantial construction. Our first activity in Liverpool was the Magical Mystery Tour, a fun little bus tour that took us to Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, Eleanor Rigby's gravestone, and the childhood homes of John, Paul, Ringo, and George. We also visited the Liverpool Cathedral, one of the largest churches in the world. The architecture was brilliant and there was a spectacular Anne Frank exhibit currently running, yet it seemed to lack the history or mystery of most of the other European cathedrals that I've visited.
- After the tour, I went out to eat with Greg, Kevin, Mike, Sam, and Jeff; afterwards, we headed to a pub called The Grapes, one of the legendary hang-outs for The Beatles. I ended up getting hit on by two middle-aged women and told by a third older woman that our dancing would end up YouTube by the next day, garnering me a "huge gay following." Somehow I think I'l survive. After we had a few beers, we headed over to The Cavern Club, the world-famous venue in which the Beatles honed their skills and were eventually introduced to Brian Epstein. At least three-quarters of the ICLC group was there at some point in the night, and we danced for hours. It absolutely one of the best times I've had since I have been abroad, and I would love to return someday.
- Day two of Liverpool saw us hitting up The Beatles Story, a terrific museum chronicling the history of the band. Later, we headed to Anfield Stadium to take a tour of the home of the Liverpool Football Club. After a few hours to roam the city, we grabbed the train back to London town. Back at our flat, I passed out immediately.
- This is where the week took a turn for the worse. Two of my flatmates had met two other guys at a bus stop a few weeks ago. One of them, Sam, was apparently intoxicated and decided to exchange phone numbers with these guys. I'm not sure why, but--in an unarguably naive and inappropriate move--invited them to hang out in our flat the previous weekend. They called repeatedly again on Monday night and our flatmate let them in. At the time, Greg and I were in the living room working on our laptops; I unfortunately had my wallet out because I was booking plane tickets to Milan for spring break. One of the guys left the living room to go to the bathroom, and once he returned, all three began putting on ski masks and instructing us to get on the floor. They emptied one of my flatmate's backpacks and stuffed 3 of the 4 laptops inside and also grabbed my wallet and Greg's CD player.
At least one of these perpetrators was carrying a gun--we later discovered that it was a gas-powered pellet gun. Nonetheless, it was still frightening and potentially dangerous. At one point in the theft, one even remarked to the other they they should "shoot this mother fucker," directed at Greg.
Ed, who was in his bedroom, heard this going on and in a truly brave move, bolted out of his room and out our front door, running down the stairs and out the front door to the building. The guys saw him and decided that was their cue to leave and headed out running, essentially chasing after Ed. Ed started screaming in the streets for help, and the three guys got in their car. Thankfully, however, the one carrying the backpack dropped it and the gun. Therefore, all our laptops were returned, albeit dented and scratched.
Unfortunately, they still got away with Greg's CD player and my wallet, which included several VERY important identification and financial cards. I will certainly be busy in the next few days trying to take care of all of this; undoubtedly, this incident will have long-term consequences on me. The police were very helpful, and I'm hoping that they will be able to catch these bastards.
I should note that none of us were physically hurt, so no worries there. We definitely all were shaken up, but right now I'm more concerned with taking care of my business than anything else. I'm hoping this will affect neither my semester nor my financial and security issues too substantially. I'm still shocked and appalled at my flatmate's stupidity and naivete at letting them in and allowing this to happen. At this point, it's less about him learning his lesson and more about him needing to do everything in his power to fix what happened. I know I'm not alone in saying that his subsequent behavior has been less than satisfactory in the aftermath of this incident.
- In the days between these two polar occasions, my life has been enjoyable if not a bit unspectacular. My internship is completely awesome, and I'm quickly getting to know my coworkers and the environment better. I managed to vote in the primaries under the Democrats Abroad umbrella in Bayswater on Super Tuesday. Otherwise, class is class and London is London. Keep on truckin,' homies.
