Sunday, April 21, 2013

The End is Here

The date is Sunday April 21, 2013. Last time I checked, it was January 3rd.

Where did the time go?

Tomorrow I'll be on a plane home to New York, with my parents waiting for me outside the terminal. I don't think I can tell you how excited I am for that because I'm sure you all know how it feels to see people you love after being away for a long time. It's the only reason why I would like this day to go by faster.

On the other hand, I want this day to last as long as possible. London has been my home for the last four months and I didn't realize just how much I have grown to love it here. Sure it's expensive (but what city isn't?) and the expiration dates are a pain in the butt to deal with, as are people who work in restaurants here, but it is also extremely diverse, there are countless things to do, places to go, easy to use public transportation, and easy access for international travel as compared to flying from the States. I know that I'll be glad to be home for a day before wishing I were back in this amazing city.

A few days ago I talked with my parents, who were already preparing for my arrival, and I was recalling about all that I had done during my time over here, specifically how different I am. Of course everyone who has read this blog knows that little fact but I think I was especially proud of myself when my Mom told me I was no longer a small town girl and to be honest I agree. I wouldn't go as far to say that I'm a complete city girl (because I think that depends on the city) but I can navigate this place no problem now because I've had to rely on maps and directions to get to places and it turns out I'm pretty good at orienting myself. However it's easy to do if you really just look at the map and be observant once you're on your way.

New York as a city is fairly easy to navigate because it works as a grid system. Each street eventually meets up with each other and all you have to do is find the points in which your destination lies. London is not like that at all. The streets are named after different places or people so it takes you a while to get accustomed to it. To be honest it feels weird to be going back to New York and I feel like it's got nothing on London. Then again, I actually had to immerse myself with the city and learn about it whereas with New York, I would only go there for day trips. I never had to learn to find my way to classes or certain places nor take the subway so often. So when I think about the sight of the New York, I think I'll just long for the fact that it's not London.

Now that you know how I feel, let me tell you something a little more upbeat.

Friday was my last day at my internship and it sucked to say goodbye to everyone. They even gave me a card with a gift card to TopShop (a clothing store here). Also because it was Natalie's birthday, they opened up a bottle of champagne and I got to have some (insert smug look here).

The rest of that night was spent doing laundry to finish packing but then we decided to go out for a bit since it was the last Friday night we had here. We went to Leicester Square and met a few guys from Eritrea who were really nice and extremely talkative. One of the guys nicknamed me Disney because the way I laughed made him think of Mickey Mouse. As for yesterday (Saturday) I went to see the Changing of the Guard that occurs in front of Buckingham Palace which was great because I got to finally see the traditional red coat guards that people like to make fun of since they have to be so serious all the time. Although after the ceremony I think the guards were still performing because they were marching back and forth between their posts really dramtically but maybe that was just me. However I loved the irony of the fact that once I got there, the marching band was warming up with the Sinatra song, "New York New York". Did they know that I would be heading there soon and were getting me prepared? We may never know.

After that happened, I walked through the nearby park (Green Park) and realized that this was the station I would get off at to change to the Victoria line to head to my internship. Natalie recommended walking from Green Park to Oxford Circus one day because it was really nice. Since I had nothing better to do, I did. When she said nice I thought she meant you have good views of places. While in truth that was right, it was NICE. I mean I saw Dolce & Gabana, Cartier, The Ritz Hotel, all these fancy places that I would have to donate organs to science in order to have the smallest access to them. Anyway, I got to Piccadilly Circus and headed towards Leicester Square (treating myself to some Haagen-Daez ice cream) before walking to Trafalgar Square. So many things go on at Trafalgar Square such as giant pillow fights, filming the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, and St. Patrick's Day. Yesterday it was the Feast of Saint George.

Just a little background in case you don't know, Saint George is the patron saint of the European countries and his flag, white with a red cross, is part of what makes up the Union Jack flag. Anyway there were tents set up that were selling food, crafts, and entertainment. I ended up trying a scotch egg, which is a hard boiled egg wrapped up in sausage and corn meal. It was pretty tasty actually even though I'm not a big sausage fan. One guy as I was walking past eating my little snack looked at it with longing. I quickly scurried away before he could do anything else.

From there I went to Westminster, saying a final goodbye to Big Ben before heading back to Gloucester Road. After I had to finish up a few things, I decided to take one final stroll through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. And I literally walked through the entire park of both of them. My legs were hurting when I got back to my room. Also it was warm and sunny so I think it was a great way to end this journey.

Since I'm not going home until tomorrow, not sure what I'm going to do. Although I have a feeling it will mostly be cleaning up the room before heading out tomorrow morning. I don't feel ready to leave but it's gotta happen right? I have had the best four months of my life and I would do it all over again if you asked me to. Even though I missed Serendipity, being with my teammates, and working in Sports Info I am so glad I took the chance to come here.

I don't want to end this blog because it's been fun having people read what I'm writing and actually liking it so I might have to continue doing something similar once I'm back home. I'm not sure what I would talk about but if it ever happens I'll let you know.

So get ready because this girl is heading on home! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and I hope I made you all proud :)

Cheers!

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