Instead of detailing out how stressful and difficult my packing process has been and sparing the details of saying bye to the people I've spent everyday for the past six weeks are, I thought I would do a "wrap up" post- my thoughts about the trip as a whole, or something of the sort.
Honestly, if you asked me six weeks ago what I thought of London I would have scowled and grumbled about all the ways London wasn't America, wasn't where I belonged. Asking myself that same question now, the response is completely different.
I once thought coming to London would change my life, and it did- but in ways that I'm not sure I can still process. It made me vulnerable, tired, sick and cold, but it also made me self aware, responsible, fit (I WALK EVERYWHERE!), resourceful, outgoing, independent.
I thought I would be able to see myself living here, but in reality- I don't think that's the case... and I've come to terms with that. At first, I was disappointed at the fact that I didn't fall in love from the second I stepped on to the tarmac at Heathrow, but now I realize I didn't need to be infatuated with the city to still have an amazing and unforgettable experience here. So, I won't live here. That's perfectly fine with me. I can always come back and visit- and hopefully get to do some of the things I skipped during this trip (I still want to go on a tour of Westminster Abbey! I'm disappointed I never got around to that, but I did attend a service there so I'm happy with that). I'd also like to continue to travel once I've saved up enough money to support myself- I'd love to travel more into central Europe, go to Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands...see more of Paris (without getting my phone stolen this time...)
Overall, this trip was like nothing I've ever experienced in my life. It gave me so many new perspectives on life and even taught me how to deal with un-ideal and adverse situations. It brought me a pair of green jeans and other new accessories I can't wait to rock on the streets of East Lansing. It brought me 17 new friends and a new appreciation for literature- especially that of British writers. There's so many things I've experienced here that my blog doesn't even touch on, so many things that I'll remember for the rest of my life.
I'm leaving with a smile on my face and a promise to return soon.
Cheers, London!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Winding Down Wednesday
Wednesday 8/8/12
Still feeling the rush of productivity, I darted from class and headed down to Abbey Road, the location of the recording studio made famous by The Beatles.
I think it might be my near-indifference to the Beatles, but I didn't feel the sense of "Pilgrimage" that so many people feel going there.
It was cool to walk around and it was a decently nice day, so I didn't mind.
After Abbey Road, I came back to the flats and worked on some school stuff and began to think about all of the packing I had to do...
Our professor scheduled a going-away lunch for all of us in Hyde Park right on the Serpentine. It was good food-- I had a flatbread pizza! (and it was subsidized by the Study Abroad program! yay!) It was nice sitting outside in the fresh air and just bonding with everyone from our trip during our last few days/hours together.
After lunch a few of us decided to go to the Tate Museum of Modern Art.
I'm still not truly sure I understand the point of Modern Art so the entire time I was a little bit lost, not to mention that it was closing soon, so a lot of the exhibits were closing and we didn't have a lot of time to look around. I did see some Picasso and some Jackson Pollack though which was cool, I was just exhausted from the entire weeks worth of activities I had jam packed into 3 days...
I came back from the museum and nearly collapsed into my bed and went to bed early, I was desperate for a good night of sleep!!
Still feeling the rush of productivity, I darted from class and headed down to Abbey Road, the location of the recording studio made famous by The Beatles.
I think it might be my near-indifference to the Beatles, but I didn't feel the sense of "Pilgrimage" that so many people feel going there.
It was cool to walk around and it was a decently nice day, so I didn't mind.
After Abbey Road, I came back to the flats and worked on some school stuff and began to think about all of the packing I had to do...
Our professor scheduled a going-away lunch for all of us in Hyde Park right on the Serpentine. It was good food-- I had a flatbread pizza! (and it was subsidized by the Study Abroad program! yay!) It was nice sitting outside in the fresh air and just bonding with everyone from our trip during our last few days/hours together.
After lunch a few of us decided to go to the Tate Museum of Modern Art.
I'm still not truly sure I understand the point of Modern Art so the entire time I was a little bit lost, not to mention that it was closing soon, so a lot of the exhibits were closing and we didn't have a lot of time to look around. I did see some Picasso and some Jackson Pollack though which was cool, I was just exhausted from the entire weeks worth of activities I had jam packed into 3 days...
I came back from the museum and nearly collapsed into my bed and went to bed early, I was desperate for a good night of sleep!!
Museums, Museums and more Museums!
Tuesday 8/7/12
Keeping with my "productive" mindset from the day before, I decided to knock out three, yes THREE more sightseeing opportunities on Tuesday after class.
My classes for the day were finished around 10am and from school I jet off to the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square.
It was really cool, I'm actually really happy that I went. It was really interesting to see some of the portraits of the Tudors and even some more modern portraits of people like Paul McCartney! They also had an exhibit on portraits of the TEAM GB Olympic Athletes which was really interesting as well!
From the NPG, I hopped on a bus toward the British Museum to meet up with my roommate. After getting a little bit turned around walking there, I finally made it and even got some hot chocolate from a street vendor while waiting, yum!
We went inside and didn't spend too much time in there, but we did see The Rosetta Stone, Cleopatra's Mummy and pieces of the original Parthenon in Greece! So Cool!
From the British Museum, we hopped on the tube and went to the British Library which was probably one of my most favorite things I did (my English nerd is coming out...) We bought tickets for this exhibit called "Writing Britain" which featured original handwritten manuscripts of a lot of famous works by British writers. Some included: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, John Lennon's "In My Life" handwritten lyrics, and many many more! There was even a sketch of the original 100 acre woods from Winnie The Pooh!
After that, we were so exhausted we could barely walk, so we just hung out in the flat for the night and did homework (of course!)
Keeping with my "productive" mindset from the day before, I decided to knock out three, yes THREE more sightseeing opportunities on Tuesday after class.
My classes for the day were finished around 10am and from school I jet off to the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square.
It was really cool, I'm actually really happy that I went. It was really interesting to see some of the portraits of the Tudors and even some more modern portraits of people like Paul McCartney! They also had an exhibit on portraits of the TEAM GB Olympic Athletes which was really interesting as well!
From the NPG, I hopped on a bus toward the British Museum to meet up with my roommate. After getting a little bit turned around walking there, I finally made it and even got some hot chocolate from a street vendor while waiting, yum!
We went inside and didn't spend too much time in there, but we did see The Rosetta Stone, Cleopatra's Mummy and pieces of the original Parthenon in Greece! So Cool!
From the British Museum, we hopped on the tube and went to the British Library which was probably one of my most favorite things I did (my English nerd is coming out...) We bought tickets for this exhibit called "Writing Britain" which featured original handwritten manuscripts of a lot of famous works by British writers. Some included: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, John Lennon's "In My Life" handwritten lyrics, and many many more! There was even a sketch of the original 100 acre woods from Winnie The Pooh!
After that, we were so exhausted we could barely walk, so we just hung out in the flat for the night and did homework (of course!)
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| outside the NPG |
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| outside the British Museumm |
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| Inside the British Museum Lobby |
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| The Rosetta Stone |
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| Parthenon |
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| Mummy! |
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| More Mummies |
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| Outside the British Library |
For lack of a better title... Monday 8/6/12
Still reeling from my superbly unproductive weekend, I was determined to do at least one touristy/sightseeing thing everyday during my last week.
My roommate had mentioned in passing that she was interested in seeing Kensington Palace and I took that as my opportunity to get out of my flat for awhile and be touristy.
After school, we stopped for lunch at my most favorite restaurant ever: Nando's. It's portuguese food and it is AMAZING but super filling- walking home was quite the struggle.
We got to Kensington Palace around 2:30 and the sun was shining, we walked for a little bit in the park (mostly because we were lost...) but then we decided to go inside the Palace.
The palace was split into four different exhibits: one on Queen Victoria, one where you could walk through the King's apartments, one where you could walk through the Queen's apartments and an exhibit on Princess Diana.
Overall, it was really interesting being able to walk through the exhibits and learn a bit more about the royals that lived there. The palace was beautiful on the outside and I learned that Will and Kate are working to make Kensington Palace their new home which is pretty exciting!
I had hoped that the Princess Di exhibit would have been more extensive, but it was still really interesting to see her dresses and some snippets of her life at the Palace.
After the palace, I ran to St. Pancras international rail station to go to the Olympic store and pick up a TEAM GB shirt for myself because it just simply had to be done!
And of course, like most of my nights here, it ended with homework until my eyes nearly fell out of my head!
My roommate had mentioned in passing that she was interested in seeing Kensington Palace and I took that as my opportunity to get out of my flat for awhile and be touristy.
After school, we stopped for lunch at my most favorite restaurant ever: Nando's. It's portuguese food and it is AMAZING but super filling- walking home was quite the struggle.
We got to Kensington Palace around 2:30 and the sun was shining, we walked for a little bit in the park (mostly because we were lost...) but then we decided to go inside the Palace.
The palace was split into four different exhibits: one on Queen Victoria, one where you could walk through the King's apartments, one where you could walk through the Queen's apartments and an exhibit on Princess Diana.
Overall, it was really interesting being able to walk through the exhibits and learn a bit more about the royals that lived there. The palace was beautiful on the outside and I learned that Will and Kate are working to make Kensington Palace their new home which is pretty exciting!
I had hoped that the Princess Di exhibit would have been more extensive, but it was still really interesting to see her dresses and some snippets of her life at the Palace.
After the palace, I ran to St. Pancras international rail station to go to the Olympic store and pick up a TEAM GB shirt for myself because it just simply had to be done!
And of course, like most of my nights here, it ended with homework until my eyes nearly fell out of my head!
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| Kensington Palace |
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| Palace Gates |
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| Kensington Gardens view from the Palace |
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| tinted window view of the gardens |
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| the toliet signs had crowns! |
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| Wallpaper in the Diana Exhibit |
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| one of Diana's famous dresses |
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| Picture of Diana in the dress! |
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Lauren and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day/Weekend
Don't let the title concern you too much, of course- not every day can be a good day and as my trip is winding down and I'm slowly but surely longing to come home, get a good night's sleep, feel clean after a shower, see my dog, see my family, see my friends, move back up to East Lansing...etc.
Friday 8/3/12
After a long week full of late nights and early mornings and more papers than I can count on both hands, the last thing I wanted to do was wake up early on my day off and do something with my group. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I had to do. We went to Kew Gardens, which was really pretty, I just wish I wasn't so exhausted. We only spent about 2 hours there, we walked around a bit and stopped to get some breakfast at a cafe there. On top of all of this- I was really cold because, as I should have learned by now, London weather is really unpredictable, so I got caught in the cloudy cool day with just a tanktop on...not a very ideal situation. After the gardens, I came back to the flats and ending up sleeping until almost 7pm...I think exhaustion would be an understatement. I woke up, made food (I've been living off of heat-up meals from Waitrose for the past few days, so good and so easy to make!) After that, I ended up just having a quiet night in with the people from my program-it was nice to just relax, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of homesickness that I thought my nap would waive. I ended up watching a movie on my computer and falling asleep.
Saturday 8/4/12
I woke up with a plan to knock out some serious sightseeing during my last weekend in London. I lazily awoke and felt no motivation to go anywhere outside the confines of my flat. I spent most of the day watching the Olympics with my friends/flatmates. Nothing too exciting event wise, some track and field events that I mindlessly stared at and cheered for the red white and blue (Both Team GB and Team USA!) We then decided everyone for our group should go out to a bar to celebrate our last Saturday night in London. To spare everyone the excruciating details, it turned out to be a terrible night. The club we went to reminded me of a bad bar mitzvah party- for godsakes, they were playing "We Are Family" and everyone was frustrated and tired to the point that I left for the bar at 11:30 and was back in bed at 1:30... it was not my ideal way to spend the last weekend in London.
Sunday 8/5/12
Determined to turn my weekend around, I woke up early, made myself some breakfast and left for Oxford Street to do some shopping. My first stop was primark and I got a new bag, a scarf, a headband and a candle. Next, I ventured down to Selfridges, which was like no store I've ever gone into... I was expecting an average department store, but instead it was like a small city in there- each section split up into different little stores. I ended up buying a present for myself--some Marc by Marc Jacobs earrings! I'm too nervous to even wear them because they're so pretty! I then went to topshop and got some sale jewelry there! Overall, it was a very successful shopping day! After, I came home and just hung out at the flats and worked on a bit of homework. Even just the few hours I had to myself to shop changed my mood completely, it was amazing! Also, that candle I bought from Primark helped a lot as well. Everytime i'm in my room I light it and it makes me feel instantly better- it also reminds me a lot of home because my apartment at school has candles always lit!
Sorry this took forever to post, and I realize how complainy it sounds... I'm sorry! I'm off to catch up on the rest of my time, which I promise will be more cheery and optimistic!
xoxox
Friday 8/3/12
After a long week full of late nights and early mornings and more papers than I can count on both hands, the last thing I wanted to do was wake up early on my day off and do something with my group. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I had to do. We went to Kew Gardens, which was really pretty, I just wish I wasn't so exhausted. We only spent about 2 hours there, we walked around a bit and stopped to get some breakfast at a cafe there. On top of all of this- I was really cold because, as I should have learned by now, London weather is really unpredictable, so I got caught in the cloudy cool day with just a tanktop on...not a very ideal situation. After the gardens, I came back to the flats and ending up sleeping until almost 7pm...I think exhaustion would be an understatement. I woke up, made food (I've been living off of heat-up meals from Waitrose for the past few days, so good and so easy to make!) After that, I ended up just having a quiet night in with the people from my program-it was nice to just relax, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of homesickness that I thought my nap would waive. I ended up watching a movie on my computer and falling asleep.
I woke up with a plan to knock out some serious sightseeing during my last weekend in London. I lazily awoke and felt no motivation to go anywhere outside the confines of my flat. I spent most of the day watching the Olympics with my friends/flatmates. Nothing too exciting event wise, some track and field events that I mindlessly stared at and cheered for the red white and blue (Both Team GB and Team USA!) We then decided everyone for our group should go out to a bar to celebrate our last Saturday night in London. To spare everyone the excruciating details, it turned out to be a terrible night. The club we went to reminded me of a bad bar mitzvah party- for godsakes, they were playing "We Are Family" and everyone was frustrated and tired to the point that I left for the bar at 11:30 and was back in bed at 1:30... it was not my ideal way to spend the last weekend in London.
Sunday 8/5/12
Determined to turn my weekend around, I woke up early, made myself some breakfast and left for Oxford Street to do some shopping. My first stop was primark and I got a new bag, a scarf, a headband and a candle. Next, I ventured down to Selfridges, which was like no store I've ever gone into... I was expecting an average department store, but instead it was like a small city in there- each section split up into different little stores. I ended up buying a present for myself--some Marc by Marc Jacobs earrings! I'm too nervous to even wear them because they're so pretty! I then went to topshop and got some sale jewelry there! Overall, it was a very successful shopping day! After, I came home and just hung out at the flats and worked on a bit of homework. Even just the few hours I had to myself to shop changed my mood completely, it was amazing! Also, that candle I bought from Primark helped a lot as well. Everytime i'm in my room I light it and it makes me feel instantly better- it also reminds me a lot of home because my apartment at school has candles always lit!
Sorry this took forever to post, and I realize how complainy it sounds... I'm sorry! I'm off to catch up on the rest of my time, which I promise will be more cheery and optimistic!
xoxox
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Eye Two.
Wednesday 8/1/2012
I cannot believe it's already August and my trip is coming to an end.
Yesterday, during class a few people decided that they were going to go on the eye to watch the sun set. Seeing as I already had ridden it a few weeks ago, I didn't jump at the opportunity to go again, but then as I realized that I was basically the only one not going, I decided to give in to peer pressure and go again. IT. WAS. AMAZING.
It was 100x better than the first time I went.
First of all, the sky was stunning as the sun set over the city and we even got to see some of the olympic stadiums, the higher that we got-- we saw the beach volleyball arena really clearly, it was so cool!
This post is mostly to show you my pictures and not talk about the experience, so enjoy....
I cannot believe it's already August and my trip is coming to an end.
Yesterday, during class a few people decided that they were going to go on the eye to watch the sun set. Seeing as I already had ridden it a few weeks ago, I didn't jump at the opportunity to go again, but then as I realized that I was basically the only one not going, I decided to give in to peer pressure and go again. IT. WAS. AMAZING.
It was 100x better than the first time I went.
First of all, the sky was stunning as the sun set over the city and we even got to see some of the olympic stadiums, the higher that we got-- we saw the beach volleyball arena really clearly, it was so cool!
This post is mostly to show you my pictures and not talk about the experience, so enjoy....
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| beach volleyball arena in the middle of the city! |
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Handel, Hendrix and Homework!
Tuesday 7/31:
With such little sleep from the night before, waking up this morning was not an easy task! Fortunately, I was able to make it to class on time-- which was mostly pointless for me today because my creative non-fiction class didn't meet and we had a grad student come speak about Virginia Woolf for my Women's authors class. I was zoned out the entire time the woman was speaking because my mind was on my laundry that I had left back at the flat and the fact that no one told me it was a bad idea to wash all of my pants at the same time... anyway, after class my friend and I fully intended on going back to the flats and napping but instead we went to our favorite Bagel place and as always, it was delicious! We ended up sitting in the small restaurant and talking for almost 2 hours! I think above and beyond all of the amazing-ness that London has to offer, my favorite part of this trip has been making the friends I have and just getting to bond with people I probably wouldn't have met otherwise. After lunch we went back to the flats and quickly got ready to go meet up with the rest of our class at the Handel House (the house that the famous composer spent most of his life). After getting lost and walking in the wrong direction for a few blocks, we finally made it there! It was really interesting to see the kind of environment he typically composed in...very dark and solitary... We were also surprised to find that Jimi Hendrix lived in a flat connected to the main house for a year or so! They had some pictures of him living there displayed- so cool! After the tour was over, we were treated to a short concert of some of Handel's famous works played on a harpsichord modeled after the one he used to play. It was lovely! After the concert and a lesson in the biology of the instrument, we walked down to SoHo and Oxford circus for dinner and ended up at this small little bar/club place- it was really cute and delicious, and since everyone loves to know what I'm eating- I ordered a chicken and avocado club sandwich YUM! I feel very fortunate that I haven't eaten bad once since I've been here!!
After those afternoon festivities, I returned to my flat and hung my laundry up to air-dry (let's hope that I'll have a dry pair of pants for tomorrow!) to work on some homework for the rest of the night.
I hope my last few days haven't been boring you to tears!
xoxo
With such little sleep from the night before, waking up this morning was not an easy task! Fortunately, I was able to make it to class on time-- which was mostly pointless for me today because my creative non-fiction class didn't meet and we had a grad student come speak about Virginia Woolf for my Women's authors class. I was zoned out the entire time the woman was speaking because my mind was on my laundry that I had left back at the flat and the fact that no one told me it was a bad idea to wash all of my pants at the same time... anyway, after class my friend and I fully intended on going back to the flats and napping but instead we went to our favorite Bagel place and as always, it was delicious! We ended up sitting in the small restaurant and talking for almost 2 hours! I think above and beyond all of the amazing-ness that London has to offer, my favorite part of this trip has been making the friends I have and just getting to bond with people I probably wouldn't have met otherwise. After lunch we went back to the flats and quickly got ready to go meet up with the rest of our class at the Handel House (the house that the famous composer spent most of his life). After getting lost and walking in the wrong direction for a few blocks, we finally made it there! It was really interesting to see the kind of environment he typically composed in...very dark and solitary... We were also surprised to find that Jimi Hendrix lived in a flat connected to the main house for a year or so! They had some pictures of him living there displayed- so cool! After the tour was over, we were treated to a short concert of some of Handel's famous works played on a harpsichord modeled after the one he used to play. It was lovely! After the concert and a lesson in the biology of the instrument, we walked down to SoHo and Oxford circus for dinner and ended up at this small little bar/club place- it was really cute and delicious, and since everyone loves to know what I'm eating- I ordered a chicken and avocado club sandwich YUM! I feel very fortunate that I haven't eaten bad once since I've been here!!
After those afternoon festivities, I returned to my flat and hung my laundry up to air-dry (let's hope that I'll have a dry pair of pants for tomorrow!) to work on some homework for the rest of the night.
I hope my last few days haven't been boring you to tears!
xoxo
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