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Before waking up to the sunny California mornings here at UCLA, Simon Thompson resided in rainy Canterbury, England, a little city that the Lord of the Rings’ Orlando Bloom also calls home. There, he attended the University of Sheffield. Thanks to this British golden boy, we get a glimpse into the typical day of a student from the “Mother Country”. Uh… God save the queen!

8:30 AM – It’s “half-eight” and Simon’s alarm goes off. Careful not to wake whichever of his four flat mates that are still sleeping, he makes his way into the kitchen for breakfast. By the second year of university in England, most people rent out houses and are expected to be self-sufficient. Living in a dorm and having your bathrooms cleaned for you and your meals provided, by comparison, seems absurd and a bit immature. Simon prepares and eats a piece of fruit and a bowl of “Frosties” (the English equivalent to our Frosted Flakes) before making it out the door for class.

9:00 – 11:00 AM: Simon attends lectures, which are much the same in England as they are here, except the professors speak in English accents… unless they aren’t English.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Simon makes his way back to the house to prepare a sandwich for lunch. In England, nearly everyone has sandwiches for lunch. Most of the shops sell ready-made sandwiches, as opposed to the burger joints we have here that sell us death on buns.

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM: If there’s no homework or studying to be done, Simon heads out to have a “kick-around” with some “mates” (football with friends, but keep in mind that football is soccer everywhere but in the United States). The weather in England is often cold, so he must dress appropriately for outdoor recreation. In summer, the temperature usually only goes up to the 70’s and in winter there’s almost always rain and snow. Simon puts on a “jumper” (we call them sweaters) and he and his friends engage in manly, curse-word-laden competition for several hours.

6:00 PM: Once he gets home, it’s time for dinner. If he plans to spend the evening at home, he’ll prepare chicken and rice of Spaghetti Balognese (spaghetti with meat sauce, or “mince meat” as they call it). If he’s in the mood to eat out, he goes out for Italian, Chinese, or on occasion, English food. Some entrees that English restaurants usually serve include “shepherd’s pies” (meat with potatoes on top) or “bangers and mash”, which is basically sausage and mashed potatoes.

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: If he opts to stay indoors, Simon may watch the “tele” (TV) for a while. Depending on the day and time, he may watch an American show like “Friends”, which is very popular in England now, or an English show like “Fast Show” – a sketch comedy show.

8:00 PM: The night life begins. Simon goes down to the local “pub” (bar). Most of them have very regal names such as “The Queen’s Head” or “The Red Lion”. He pre-arranges to meet some friends at whichever pub he chooses for the night and they order a round of “bitters” or “loggers” (types of beer). The “bitter” is especially popular amongst the younger frequenters of the pub. He and his friends will stick around until closing time, which is 11:00 PM for all the pubs.

11:00 PM: Simon and his friends head over to a nightclub, some of which include “Republic” or “Gate Crusher” (The latter is unique because it produces its own cd’s – mostly trance and house music or UK Garage). If he’s lucky, it won’t be “student night” at the club. On these nights, the drinks are cheap, but the music is cheesy pop music, like anything by ABBA, Britney Spears, or S Club 7. They may also play some Brit Pop by bands such as Blur or Oasis.

2:00 AM: The club closes and the night finally begins to wind down. Simon, like everyone else who files out of the club, is hungry after all the drinking, so he and a small group head over to a fast food place for a kebab (meat on a stick – what we call a kabob) and/or curry. Both are popular after-hours snacks for club-goers.

3:30 AM: It’s “half three”. With classes attended, football played, alcohol consumed, and dancing done, it’s time to turn in for the night. Class starts again early the next morning.