I’m writing this post on my flight home to Chicago. I have never dreaded going to Chicago before, so it is a very weird feeling wanting to stay put and not go home. The past 8 weeks have been some of the most amazing I’ve had in my life, and definitely the best I have had in recent history. Throughout the trip I kept reminding myself of how fortunate I was able to study abroad, what with all the turmoil my family has been put through these past 2 years. Whenever I would see a spectacular view, beautiful church or a captivating painting I would always think back to my life the past 2 years and how much I deserved to be in Europe. I am beyond grateful to my parents for helping me financially this summer, and couldn’t have had a better experience if possible. I saw so much, learned a lot (not by my class, though) and had a lot of great experiences. I feel more cultured than I have ever been, much more open minded, and much more broke, haha. It’s taken a lot of pondering, but I have decided that the top three things I will miss in London will be the bus, Bulmer’s cider, and open air markets. I loved the bus because it was a cheap, easy way to get around and a good way to see the sites while travelling to various places, something the tube does not allow you to do. Bulmer’s cider is a delicious hard cider that is not sold in the US, in fact I don’t think any is sold except in a select few liquor stores around the country. It’s a really crisp and refreshing drink, my favorite to get. I’ve heard the US sells Strongbow, another cider, but I don’t like this one as much. Finally, open air markets, such as Portobello Road and Brick Lane, are places that various venders will sell goods for cheap such as fruits, antiques, clothes, art, ect. They are a really good way to experience British culture because Saturday and Sunday are market days, and all the Londoners go out to the market. Obviously there are tourists there as well, especially at Portobello Road, but the majority of the people are Londoners. Speaking of tourists, this trip has made me hate them. I don’t live in downtown Chicago, so I don’t get much interaction with tourists, thank God, but I definitely did this summer. They are so annoying, frustrating and have an air of entitlement about them. Now I do realize I was often in tourist mode, but being surrounded by them taught me how to travel and not act like a complete tool.
London is now my second favorite city, behind Chicago, of course. Brussels used to be number 3, but then I went to Edinburgh, and that fast jumped the ranks. Basically, I love, love, love Europe. This was not my first time there, but I got to experience it in a different way by actually living in Europe. It is so much more relaxed than the states, even in London. The people are much friendlier, and are very informed on almost everything to do with global and local news, so definitely my kind of people. I don’t think I would ever want to permanently move to London, but if I wasn’t such a home body, and didn’t like my family as much as I do, I would probably try to go to grad school there or have a first job there. The atmosphere is so wonderful, I miss it already. Leaving was so hard to do. As my car mates and I left Palace court, we started waving to various things that had good stories and memories. Notting Hill gate, Café Diana, Tex-Mex, Old Swan, Tesco, I’m going to miss all of it.
Saying goodbye to my London friends this morning was much more difficult than I thought it would be. Jess and I gave each other one look and the tears started. This is by far the best summer I have ever had, and I am so sad it is over. I am going to miss London so much, but I can’t dwell on that or else I will be glum for a very long time. I know I will miss London, but I will miss my friends even more. I had so much fun with them exploring London and Europe, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be with. Last night Jess, Vinita and Shivani and I went to the club Sound to dance our sadness way. When we left, we spotted a busker playing the sax to Lady Gaga. We ended up dancing for another hour on the streets of Piccadilly Circus. It was the perfect end to a perfect trip!
I think I’ll miss my new sign off just as much as everything else… CHEERS!!!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
OH YEA, I'm in London.
This will most likely be my last post while I'm in London. How sad is that? I hate the thought that in a week I will be sitting on my ass scratching my eyes out because not only will I be bored to death, Jack's cat Elliot will be living at my dad's, whom I'm extremely allergic to. Awesome. This thought has been surrounding me these past few days, which is why I have yet again switched on tourist mode so I can think back to London while I am in allergy hell.
Since I got back from Dublin, which was beautiful and a great trip, I have been going non-stop. I had my last class last Thursday, which was bittersweet because I really enjoyed my teachers and the class discussions we had about various plays, but I also didn't like the classes when we didn't discuss plays. But now I'm free of academic responsibilities... well I have a final Tuesday but I'm not worried about that. I have now hit every museum that I wanted to besides the National Portrait Gallery, which I thought I went to, but I was in the National Gallery the whole time. Whoops. But I've made time to go to that one, because I have heard it is amazing. Yesterday I went on a tour of Parliament. Holy crap is all I can say. It was amazingly beautiful and has so much history, which is still followed today. For instance, when the Queen opens Parliament (one of her few actual responsibilities), her representative in the House of Lords crosses over the hall to the opposite lying House of Commons to get the members of that house. When he reaches the door, it is promptly slammed in his face. This is to symbolize the fact that the Queen is not allowed in the House of Commons, and dates back to the 1600's when the English government began to move away from monarchy rule. One thing I realized yesterday, is that while the Queen is beloved by all Brits, she is not respected at all in the government. After the tour, Carrie and I returned to a time when King Henry the 8th did have total power when we went to Hampton Court Palace. SOOOO cool. I'm obsessed with Tudor history, so it was awesome for me to walk down the same corridors that this royal family did. What was really cool was how interactive the Palace was- they had a guy dressed up like King Henry, guards walking around, and women in period dresses. I loved it here, it was so beautiful.
Today was not as eventful. We went to the Sunday Up Market on Brick Lane, which was really cool. I only brought 10 pounds with me because my money is dwindling before my eyes, but I did find a really cool present for my cousin and enjoyed some kind of Asian food. I say that because it was served to me by a Chinese woman, but it was called Chicken Curry, but it was served with ramen noodles. It was good, whatever it was, though. After the market we all came back to the flat, and I took a 3 hour nap. Oopsie. This week will be full of more jam packed days of hitting London landmarks, a few more museums, and lots of tears because none of us want to leave. Oh yea, it will also be filled with BARCELONA!!!! I'm so excited for this trip, it is going to be completely stellar!! I'm going with my roommate Jessica and two other flat mates, Hallie and Vinita. I'm expecting getting burnt no matter what precautions I take, but hopefully I can avoid that fate.
Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacay! I really want to stay in London forever, but I am also excited to see my friends and family, and oddly I'm excited for training for Jones and bonding with that staff. I know I will regret that sentence when I have to wake up at 6:30am everyday for a week straight...
Cheers!
Since I got back from Dublin, which was beautiful and a great trip, I have been going non-stop. I had my last class last Thursday, which was bittersweet because I really enjoyed my teachers and the class discussions we had about various plays, but I also didn't like the classes when we didn't discuss plays. But now I'm free of academic responsibilities... well I have a final Tuesday but I'm not worried about that. I have now hit every museum that I wanted to besides the National Portrait Gallery, which I thought I went to, but I was in the National Gallery the whole time. Whoops. But I've made time to go to that one, because I have heard it is amazing. Yesterday I went on a tour of Parliament. Holy crap is all I can say. It was amazingly beautiful and has so much history, which is still followed today. For instance, when the Queen opens Parliament (one of her few actual responsibilities), her representative in the House of Lords crosses over the hall to the opposite lying House of Commons to get the members of that house. When he reaches the door, it is promptly slammed in his face. This is to symbolize the fact that the Queen is not allowed in the House of Commons, and dates back to the 1600's when the English government began to move away from monarchy rule. One thing I realized yesterday, is that while the Queen is beloved by all Brits, she is not respected at all in the government. After the tour, Carrie and I returned to a time when King Henry the 8th did have total power when we went to Hampton Court Palace. SOOOO cool. I'm obsessed with Tudor history, so it was awesome for me to walk down the same corridors that this royal family did. What was really cool was how interactive the Palace was- they had a guy dressed up like King Henry, guards walking around, and women in period dresses. I loved it here, it was so beautiful.
Today was not as eventful. We went to the Sunday Up Market on Brick Lane, which was really cool. I only brought 10 pounds with me because my money is dwindling before my eyes, but I did find a really cool present for my cousin and enjoyed some kind of Asian food. I say that because it was served to me by a Chinese woman, but it was called Chicken Curry, but it was served with ramen noodles. It was good, whatever it was, though. After the market we all came back to the flat, and I took a 3 hour nap. Oopsie. This week will be full of more jam packed days of hitting London landmarks, a few more museums, and lots of tears because none of us want to leave. Oh yea, it will also be filled with BARCELONA!!!! I'm so excited for this trip, it is going to be completely stellar!! I'm going with my roommate Jessica and two other flat mates, Hallie and Vinita. I'm expecting getting burnt no matter what precautions I take, but hopefully I can avoid that fate.
Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacay! I really want to stay in London forever, but I am also excited to see my friends and family, and oddly I'm excited for training for Jones and bonding with that staff. I know I will regret that sentence when I have to wake up at 6:30am everyday for a week straight...
Cheers!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Travel!
It’s been a while since my last post! Sorry, I’ve been busy traveling the globe ☺
I’m starting to write this post in Heathrow airport on my way to Dublin. I’ll be spending the night there tonight, and then I’m coming back to London tomorrow night! Quick trip, just me and my camera… I can’t wait. Of course, an added bonus is that with the conclusion of this trip I will be able to cross off “visit every (major) country in my heritage” from my bucket list. I started this one 5 years ago when I went to Germany with my high school choir, then completed phase two over the weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland, and will effectively complete stage three as I leave Dublin Ireland. Life is great right now!
Speaking of Edinburgh… OMG IT IS BEAUTIFUL!! I was not expecting it to be so stunning, but as we all walked off the train, our breaths were literally taken away (might have had something to do with the huge stair case we had to climb, but still). I absolutely loved it there, and made a point to tell my friends (who included my friends Jeff and Toni from another Arcadia residence, my roommate Melissa and two other flat mates Carrie and Vinita) how I felt a strong connection and sense of kinship to this country. They got annoyed fast, but I couldn’t help but jump for joy when I saw a bagpiper, rows of Scottish tartan shops, the beautiful highlands in the distance and firth of forth waterway. Soon after my group learned that I am of Lamont and Campbell decent, they began the scavenger hunt with me to find both tartans. I did, after a lot of search. Lamont is apparently very hard to find, but I did eventually find it. We also visited a couple of cemeteries and I was able to spot many Campbells, (of which, I would run up to and yell “hello possible clan member!” So much for “rest in peace.”) but no Lamonts. The trip to the cemeteries continued what turned into “accidental Harry Potter day.” At Kings Cross Melissa and Vinita found platform 9 ¾ (which I already visited) and I ended up listening to Harry Potter on audiobook on our train ride north, and that evidentially put some good nerdy luck in our shoes. When we arrived at our hostel we asked where a good place close to eat lunch was. The staff informed us of a cute little café down the road. Oh, and it just so happened to be the place where JK Rowling wrote several Harry Potter books. We all did a little dance and hopped to it. Later that night, after a long day of tartan shopping, castle exploring and scotch drinking, we decided to stop by the cemetery where a dog who supposedly stayed by his masters grave after he died is buried (Greyfriars Bobby, in case you were wondering). We walked through the kirk a bit, and low and behold, we come across Tom Riddle’s (Voldemort) grave and McGonagall’s. Check out the picture of me with a make shift wand in my Edinburgh(ah) photo album. Possibly the best picture every taken. Ever.
Sidenote- pear magners is not as good as pear bulmers, as I just learned on my flight.
Anywho… besides my world traveling, life in London has been great. I only have 10 days left before I go back to the states, so I need to do some serious sightseeing. The only major things I have left to do are Abbey Road and Parliament, which I have obviously seen, but want to tour it. I also still need to go to church at Westminster Abbey. This has been the plan since day one, but I’ve never made services yet. I will though… I think.
I hate to think of what my life will be like when I go back home- sitting on my ass watching TV, because what else is there to do? Oh, I guess I need to start WORK. Sigh, the thought of North/Center desk depresses me because my senior year is so close to starting, and I have no idea what my life will entail when May roles around again. Perhaps I’ll just have to come back to London!! (I can hear my parents sigh's an ocean away…)
I’m landing soon in Dublin… look out Ireland, this chick is whipping out her shamrock tattoo and showing some Irish pride!! Erin Go Bragh!
Cheers!
I’m starting to write this post in Heathrow airport on my way to Dublin. I’ll be spending the night there tonight, and then I’m coming back to London tomorrow night! Quick trip, just me and my camera… I can’t wait. Of course, an added bonus is that with the conclusion of this trip I will be able to cross off “visit every (major) country in my heritage” from my bucket list. I started this one 5 years ago when I went to Germany with my high school choir, then completed phase two over the weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland, and will effectively complete stage three as I leave Dublin Ireland. Life is great right now!
Speaking of Edinburgh… OMG IT IS BEAUTIFUL!! I was not expecting it to be so stunning, but as we all walked off the train, our breaths were literally taken away (might have had something to do with the huge stair case we had to climb, but still). I absolutely loved it there, and made a point to tell my friends (who included my friends Jeff and Toni from another Arcadia residence, my roommate Melissa and two other flat mates Carrie and Vinita) how I felt a strong connection and sense of kinship to this country. They got annoyed fast, but I couldn’t help but jump for joy when I saw a bagpiper, rows of Scottish tartan shops, the beautiful highlands in the distance and firth of forth waterway. Soon after my group learned that I am of Lamont and Campbell decent, they began the scavenger hunt with me to find both tartans. I did, after a lot of search. Lamont is apparently very hard to find, but I did eventually find it. We also visited a couple of cemeteries and I was able to spot many Campbells, (of which, I would run up to and yell “hello possible clan member!” So much for “rest in peace.”) but no Lamonts. The trip to the cemeteries continued what turned into “accidental Harry Potter day.” At Kings Cross Melissa and Vinita found platform 9 ¾ (which I already visited) and I ended up listening to Harry Potter on audiobook on our train ride north, and that evidentially put some good nerdy luck in our shoes. When we arrived at our hostel we asked where a good place close to eat lunch was. The staff informed us of a cute little café down the road. Oh, and it just so happened to be the place where JK Rowling wrote several Harry Potter books. We all did a little dance and hopped to it. Later that night, after a long day of tartan shopping, castle exploring and scotch drinking, we decided to stop by the cemetery where a dog who supposedly stayed by his masters grave after he died is buried (Greyfriars Bobby, in case you were wondering). We walked through the kirk a bit, and low and behold, we come across Tom Riddle’s (Voldemort) grave and McGonagall’s. Check out the picture of me with a make shift wand in my Edinburgh(ah) photo album. Possibly the best picture every taken. Ever.
Sidenote- pear magners is not as good as pear bulmers, as I just learned on my flight.
Anywho… besides my world traveling, life in London has been great. I only have 10 days left before I go back to the states, so I need to do some serious sightseeing. The only major things I have left to do are Abbey Road and Parliament, which I have obviously seen, but want to tour it. I also still need to go to church at Westminster Abbey. This has been the plan since day one, but I’ve never made services yet. I will though… I think.
I hate to think of what my life will be like when I go back home- sitting on my ass watching TV, because what else is there to do? Oh, I guess I need to start WORK. Sigh, the thought of North/Center desk depresses me because my senior year is so close to starting, and I have no idea what my life will entail when May roles around again. Perhaps I’ll just have to come back to London!! (I can hear my parents sigh's an ocean away…)
I’m landing soon in Dublin… look out Ireland, this chick is whipping out her shamrock tattoo and showing some Irish pride!! Erin Go Bragh!
Cheers!
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