THE END!!!!!
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!
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!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
School's Out!
Yes I am finally done with classes for the semester! Can you believe it?
Thankfully it wasn't too stressful and I got everything done. I mostly had papers to write though I did have a written exam for one of my classes. I'm also pretty sure I am developing carpal tunnel from the writing I did for that exam because my hand is killing me! Maybe I should start copying everyone and do everything on my computer. Then again, if I did that I wouldn't have nice handwriting and actually writing stuff out on paper, whether an outline or notes, helps me when I am working on something. Also since I'm constantly coming up with story ideas I'm more likely to have a pen and paper with me than my laptop. But I digress.
One of my assigments was to do an internship report that was 3000 words and it was complete hell. You had to go into the background of your internship and then do a SWOT analysis, which just means you identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It was very annoying especially since that had to be 1000 words and it's much harder to come up with 1000 words than you would imagine. Why do you think students tend to BS their papers so much? Thankfully I didn't have to do much of that for my second paper which was about translating the Harry Potter books to the film screen and I actually feel pretty decent with how I wrote it. I'll have to wait until next week to see what my grade is but hopefully it's good. As for my written exam, it was essay form and I felt really good about what I knew and I wrote a lot so I'm also hoping for a good grade on that. All that is left for me is my final three days of my internship and it's such a bittersweet thing.
The other FIE intern who worked with me, Brad, left on Sunday and is now back in the States and it is kind of sad to know that when I go in on Thursday and Friday he won't be there. Sometimes he acts like a bit of a jerk but he was really nice most of the time and extremely funny and friendly. Everyone around the office liked him a lot and I know if he had his choice he would stay longer. I would too if I were honest. I like where I work and I like the people I work with. They have all been great and I've gotten comfortable with them. I'll definitely miss everyone.
It's so bittersweet to know that I'll be leaving in six days. I've already told my mom what I want when I get home, although I'm still pondering what I will have for my first meal back home. There are so many choices to pick from but I think I'll have an answer before I leave. This past weekend was my last time I went out in London, club wise and it was a lot of fun. We were able to get into this place in Soho for five pounds, the only problem was that it was really small and for some reason they liked to release smoke that blinded you and smelled like hookah smoke. That wasn't pleasant at all but the people who were there absolutely were. It isn't the same going out in Greensboro because places are further and you have to drive there. I think that is one thing I'll miss the most, public transportation. It was nice to not have to worry about driving places, gas prices (because they are ridiculously high over here) and you get exercise by walking everywhere. It will definitely be a little weird going from using the Tube and buses to driving a car and on the opposite side of the road no doubt. I won't lie I've gotten used to them driving on the left side on the road and now that I'm going back it is gonna mess with me a little bit.
Something else I'm not looking forward to is getting back on Eastern Standard Time. It's weird to think that just when my day is ending over here, the day back home is just beginning for everyone else. Not to mention when I wake up around 7 or 8 here, it will be midnight or one in the morning back home. I was even told by a few colleagues at work that I'll probably wake up early and go to bed earlier than I'm used to. I guess that isn't such a bad thing but still I'm worried. Also my flight gets in to Newark in the afternoon and my Mom is gonna have to try and keep me awake for at least five hours because I know I'm gonna want to crash once I get off the plane. I don't like international flights at all. When I first got to London I felt so sick. My stomach was hurting, I felt like I was getting a migraine, and so I caved and took an hour nap once I got to my flat. It was definitely needed but I'm not looking forward to that happening again.
Another thing I'm not looking forward to is the fact that I'm heading back to my small town. After being in a city where there is so much to do and so many places to go, it will be so dull! I feel like Greensboro will be the same way. I don't know, it seems like after being here for so long, everything feels inferior to London. Furthermore I am starting to feel like a Londoner myself and I could stay here for another few months if I was allowed to. Just send my parents and my sister over and I'll never want to go back to the States.
I will return to the UK at some point. Maybe even attend graduate school over here but I want to come back and not just for visiting. I would need to be here for a fixed amount of time. My mom suggested that I create a bucket list of things that I want to do after I told her that the next time I'm in Europe I want to visit the Eastern countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc. I'm already a world traveler, why not get a few more places underneath my belt. Plus being on this side of the world is easier and cheaper to get flights to these places than if I were to catch a flight from the States. However for now my traveling is put on hold since I still have to finish school and figure out what the heck I'm doing once I graduate.
Speaking of graduating, since classes are done I'm technically a senior. Where the hell did time go? I can remember being a freshman and moving into my dorm room as if it were only yesterday. Now I'm about to enter my final year of college and it's scary. My sister can hardly believe I'm almost done with college and I'm sure my parents feel the same way. I didn't realize that the older you get the faster time moves for you. As a kid you don't really think about it and you wish that time would speed up so you can be older and not have so many restrictions. Adults, especially college students, wish the opposite. I do long for the days where your parents did everything for you, no worries about anything except what game to play with your friends. But at the same time I like getting older and experiencing important steps such as studying abroad. Do I wish I could stay longer? Absolutely. I feel like there is more to be done but it's time for this chapter to end. I'm not sure how life will be once I'm back at Guilford. I feel as if I have been living in an alternate reality while everyone else I know has been moving on forward with their lives over there. There is no way you can just jump back in because you know you've changed as a person and the only thing to do is to find a way to make who you have become fit into your old lifestyle. Easier said than done, right?
Only three more days left until it's time to pack up and head home. I promise to tell you all that happens and maybe even upload a few pictures of the people I work with. They are quite the characters and I'm sure you would like to know who they are since I've mentioned them a few times. There are probably two more posts left until this blog is completed so look out for them because they will be coming soon.
Cheers!
Thankfully it wasn't too stressful and I got everything done. I mostly had papers to write though I did have a written exam for one of my classes. I'm also pretty sure I am developing carpal tunnel from the writing I did for that exam because my hand is killing me! Maybe I should start copying everyone and do everything on my computer. Then again, if I did that I wouldn't have nice handwriting and actually writing stuff out on paper, whether an outline or notes, helps me when I am working on something. Also since I'm constantly coming up with story ideas I'm more likely to have a pen and paper with me than my laptop. But I digress.
One of my assigments was to do an internship report that was 3000 words and it was complete hell. You had to go into the background of your internship and then do a SWOT analysis, which just means you identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It was very annoying especially since that had to be 1000 words and it's much harder to come up with 1000 words than you would imagine. Why do you think students tend to BS their papers so much? Thankfully I didn't have to do much of that for my second paper which was about translating the Harry Potter books to the film screen and I actually feel pretty decent with how I wrote it. I'll have to wait until next week to see what my grade is but hopefully it's good. As for my written exam, it was essay form and I felt really good about what I knew and I wrote a lot so I'm also hoping for a good grade on that. All that is left for me is my final three days of my internship and it's such a bittersweet thing.
The other FIE intern who worked with me, Brad, left on Sunday and is now back in the States and it is kind of sad to know that when I go in on Thursday and Friday he won't be there. Sometimes he acts like a bit of a jerk but he was really nice most of the time and extremely funny and friendly. Everyone around the office liked him a lot and I know if he had his choice he would stay longer. I would too if I were honest. I like where I work and I like the people I work with. They have all been great and I've gotten comfortable with them. I'll definitely miss everyone.
It's so bittersweet to know that I'll be leaving in six days. I've already told my mom what I want when I get home, although I'm still pondering what I will have for my first meal back home. There are so many choices to pick from but I think I'll have an answer before I leave. This past weekend was my last time I went out in London, club wise and it was a lot of fun. We were able to get into this place in Soho for five pounds, the only problem was that it was really small and for some reason they liked to release smoke that blinded you and smelled like hookah smoke. That wasn't pleasant at all but the people who were there absolutely were. It isn't the same going out in Greensboro because places are further and you have to drive there. I think that is one thing I'll miss the most, public transportation. It was nice to not have to worry about driving places, gas prices (because they are ridiculously high over here) and you get exercise by walking everywhere. It will definitely be a little weird going from using the Tube and buses to driving a car and on the opposite side of the road no doubt. I won't lie I've gotten used to them driving on the left side on the road and now that I'm going back it is gonna mess with me a little bit.
Something else I'm not looking forward to is getting back on Eastern Standard Time. It's weird to think that just when my day is ending over here, the day back home is just beginning for everyone else. Not to mention when I wake up around 7 or 8 here, it will be midnight or one in the morning back home. I was even told by a few colleagues at work that I'll probably wake up early and go to bed earlier than I'm used to. I guess that isn't such a bad thing but still I'm worried. Also my flight gets in to Newark in the afternoon and my Mom is gonna have to try and keep me awake for at least five hours because I know I'm gonna want to crash once I get off the plane. I don't like international flights at all. When I first got to London I felt so sick. My stomach was hurting, I felt like I was getting a migraine, and so I caved and took an hour nap once I got to my flat. It was definitely needed but I'm not looking forward to that happening again.
Another thing I'm not looking forward to is the fact that I'm heading back to my small town. After being in a city where there is so much to do and so many places to go, it will be so dull! I feel like Greensboro will be the same way. I don't know, it seems like after being here for so long, everything feels inferior to London. Furthermore I am starting to feel like a Londoner myself and I could stay here for another few months if I was allowed to. Just send my parents and my sister over and I'll never want to go back to the States.
I will return to the UK at some point. Maybe even attend graduate school over here but I want to come back and not just for visiting. I would need to be here for a fixed amount of time. My mom suggested that I create a bucket list of things that I want to do after I told her that the next time I'm in Europe I want to visit the Eastern countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc. I'm already a world traveler, why not get a few more places underneath my belt. Plus being on this side of the world is easier and cheaper to get flights to these places than if I were to catch a flight from the States. However for now my traveling is put on hold since I still have to finish school and figure out what the heck I'm doing once I graduate.
Speaking of graduating, since classes are done I'm technically a senior. Where the hell did time go? I can remember being a freshman and moving into my dorm room as if it were only yesterday. Now I'm about to enter my final year of college and it's scary. My sister can hardly believe I'm almost done with college and I'm sure my parents feel the same way. I didn't realize that the older you get the faster time moves for you. As a kid you don't really think about it and you wish that time would speed up so you can be older and not have so many restrictions. Adults, especially college students, wish the opposite. I do long for the days where your parents did everything for you, no worries about anything except what game to play with your friends. But at the same time I like getting older and experiencing important steps such as studying abroad. Do I wish I could stay longer? Absolutely. I feel like there is more to be done but it's time for this chapter to end. I'm not sure how life will be once I'm back at Guilford. I feel as if I have been living in an alternate reality while everyone else I know has been moving on forward with their lives over there. There is no way you can just jump back in because you know you've changed as a person and the only thing to do is to find a way to make who you have become fit into your old lifestyle. Easier said than done, right?
Only three more days left until it's time to pack up and head home. I promise to tell you all that happens and maybe even upload a few pictures of the people I work with. They are quite the characters and I'm sure you would like to know who they are since I've mentioned them a few times. There are probably two more posts left until this blog is completed so look out for them because they will be coming soon.
Cheers!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Home Stretch
And so we have entered April. It's crazy to think that I only have a little more than two weeks left here in London and to be honest I am really excited to go home. Don't get me wrong I love the city and I don't want to leave but at the same time I'm anxious to be home. Not to mention seeing Serendipity pictures at Guilford makes me wish I was there with my friends. Furthermore I'm at the point where I'm just frustrated with school and stuff happening with next year such as uncertain housing arrangements. I want to be in the States and able to take care of it in person instead of being helpless on the other side of the world.
Aside from getting ready to leave, I have been having a lot of fun the past few weeks. During St. Patrick's Day I watched the parade that went through Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square and that weekend in general I was out having fun. It was most likely my second favorite weekend I've spent here. As for Easter I didn't do much. I didn't have work on that Friday and Monday which meant I could focus on a paper that was due on Tuesday. Therefore I was a bit of a hermit. However I did go out on Friday night with a girl from Marist. We went to a concert in Stepeney Green (kind of a sketchy place) and the band was called The Gaslight Anthem. I hadn't heard of them but I am never one to turn down a good rock concert. And man was it fun! There are pictures up on my Facebook and they were the only good ones I could get. Other than that one night out, I only went outside to go run.
Speaking of running, on Easter Sunday I decided it was a day where I needed to get out of my room and what better way to blow off some steam than go for a run in the park? Well while I was doing a loop around Kensington Gardens I thought I would shake it up a bit and go somewhere else. So I ran to the tube station and hopped on the District Line to St. James' Park. In that little park you had an excellent view of Buckingham Palace when you crossed a little bridge placed idylically over a flowing brook. When I ran around the park I realized from street signs that Westminster wasn't too far from where I was so I thought why not take a run past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament? That led me to Westminster Pier, with the London Eye right in front of me, and running along the Thames. But it doesn't stop there. Oh no, I decided to be a full on nutter and take the tube to South Kensington station and finish my run around that area before heading back to Metrogate. In total, I did almost two hours of running. It seems like a half marathon should be no problem after all that but my legs were hurting me later on. Still it was nice to get the chance to run around the city even if it was windy and cold.
I have been a running machine lately though. I'm not sure what has gotten into me but I think that really long run, partnered with the stress of school, made something click inside me because anytime I think "I'll go for a nice, easy run", I end up wanting to go longer and even at work I can feel my legs twitch, wanting to go run around the area where I work. But hey if this gets me through conditioning in the summer I have no qualms about it. Also it now feels more like something I need to do rather than what I have to do. Running allows me to let my mind wander and release everything I am feeling. If I'm angry or happy I let my body fly because if I don't I feel ready to spontaneously combust. I have always been one to love running for the sake of running. I don't like competing because then I feel like I have to prove something to everyone instead of just myself. Of course that isn't to say I'm not a competitive person. Get me angry and you'll see just what I can dish out. But I think running is something that should allow you to feel unrestricted by everything else in your life and not cause added stress because you have to win a race or beat somebody. There is nothing worse than having what you love turn into something you despise because others think you should take it just as seriously as they do. What's the point of working hard at something when you don't even have the desire that drives you forward?
Sorry for the small digression but when I get a thought I just go with it. I guess that's why I have tons of notebooks at home filled with unfinished stories.
Anyway, this week at my internship the full-time runner, Luke, had the whole week off and headed back home up north so on Wednesday I had to work with someone else because that is the day where he and I are the only runners. On the one hand I was glad to have someone there and not have to do everything myself. I was also grateful that it wasn't very busy that day. However she was very new to running and had only had one running job before this so she was still searching for something permanent. I had to step up that day and take the lead because I was the veteran. It wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be and my co-workers were really impressed with how I handled myself, which was fantastic. Also the girl, Alice is her name, and I got on really well. There was a lot of laughing going on and we were the main cause of it. Thursday and Friday, however, I was really glad that I had Brad to help because he has been there a month longer than I have and so it was nice to have someone I'm comfortable with there to help. But I am super excited to see Luke on Wednesday because the place is definitely not the same without his wacky personality.
I will definitely miss both of those guys when I leave and I will also miss working at Lucky Cat because everyone there is really chill and it's a great atmosphere. I was so excited that I got to help out with tapes coming in because it gave me the chance to work with the program Avid a little bit and I hope I can do more of that before I leave.
As for my remaining time here, I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do because it feels like I have a lot to on my plate in order to finish up the semester and get ready to head home. Plus it's hard to figure out what else there is to see when you've already seen so much. Today I just walked around Covent Garden and Leicester Square because it was sunny and blue sky (compared to the snow we got earlier this week) I couldn't waste it indoors. I ended up finding this place called Cyber Candy where it sold sweets from different countries in the world. I had found one in Camden but this is the store Luke told me to go to. Both stores have pretty much the same products but the one in Camden had Cheerwhine! You can't even get that in New York, it's pretty much a southern thing. Also there were biscuits called Tim Tams from Australia that looked really good and also Korean watermelon flavored bubble gum and even Japanese cereal. However I will say the shop in Covent Garden had a giant Willy Wonka gumball machine right in front of the store as soon as you walk in. It took some restraint to not buy everything there.
But I did end up buying a MoonPie from the shop because I had to see if it was "nummie nummie". If you understand that reference and aren't my parents then we need to be best friends. A MoonPie is essentially a biscuit topped with marshmallow covered in chocolate. A huge mallomar if you even know what those are. I may have to get more at some point, which reminds me that I need to start making a box of things to send home that won't go in my suitcase. Ugh so much to do! I am ready to shut my brain off for a long while. So fair warning Mom, once my head hits the pillow of my bed, don't expect me to wake up for a week.
Just so you know there will definitely be a couple more posts before I head home. As for the content, you and I will both have to see what I have to talk about.
Cheers!
Aside from getting ready to leave, I have been having a lot of fun the past few weeks. During St. Patrick's Day I watched the parade that went through Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square and that weekend in general I was out having fun. It was most likely my second favorite weekend I've spent here. As for Easter I didn't do much. I didn't have work on that Friday and Monday which meant I could focus on a paper that was due on Tuesday. Therefore I was a bit of a hermit. However I did go out on Friday night with a girl from Marist. We went to a concert in Stepeney Green (kind of a sketchy place) and the band was called The Gaslight Anthem. I hadn't heard of them but I am never one to turn down a good rock concert. And man was it fun! There are pictures up on my Facebook and they were the only good ones I could get. Other than that one night out, I only went outside to go run.
Speaking of running, on Easter Sunday I decided it was a day where I needed to get out of my room and what better way to blow off some steam than go for a run in the park? Well while I was doing a loop around Kensington Gardens I thought I would shake it up a bit and go somewhere else. So I ran to the tube station and hopped on the District Line to St. James' Park. In that little park you had an excellent view of Buckingham Palace when you crossed a little bridge placed idylically over a flowing brook. When I ran around the park I realized from street signs that Westminster wasn't too far from where I was so I thought why not take a run past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament? That led me to Westminster Pier, with the London Eye right in front of me, and running along the Thames. But it doesn't stop there. Oh no, I decided to be a full on nutter and take the tube to South Kensington station and finish my run around that area before heading back to Metrogate. In total, I did almost two hours of running. It seems like a half marathon should be no problem after all that but my legs were hurting me later on. Still it was nice to get the chance to run around the city even if it was windy and cold.
I have been a running machine lately though. I'm not sure what has gotten into me but I think that really long run, partnered with the stress of school, made something click inside me because anytime I think "I'll go for a nice, easy run", I end up wanting to go longer and even at work I can feel my legs twitch, wanting to go run around the area where I work. But hey if this gets me through conditioning in the summer I have no qualms about it. Also it now feels more like something I need to do rather than what I have to do. Running allows me to let my mind wander and release everything I am feeling. If I'm angry or happy I let my body fly because if I don't I feel ready to spontaneously combust. I have always been one to love running for the sake of running. I don't like competing because then I feel like I have to prove something to everyone instead of just myself. Of course that isn't to say I'm not a competitive person. Get me angry and you'll see just what I can dish out. But I think running is something that should allow you to feel unrestricted by everything else in your life and not cause added stress because you have to win a race or beat somebody. There is nothing worse than having what you love turn into something you despise because others think you should take it just as seriously as they do. What's the point of working hard at something when you don't even have the desire that drives you forward?
Sorry for the small digression but when I get a thought I just go with it. I guess that's why I have tons of notebooks at home filled with unfinished stories.
Anyway, this week at my internship the full-time runner, Luke, had the whole week off and headed back home up north so on Wednesday I had to work with someone else because that is the day where he and I are the only runners. On the one hand I was glad to have someone there and not have to do everything myself. I was also grateful that it wasn't very busy that day. However she was very new to running and had only had one running job before this so she was still searching for something permanent. I had to step up that day and take the lead because I was the veteran. It wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be and my co-workers were really impressed with how I handled myself, which was fantastic. Also the girl, Alice is her name, and I got on really well. There was a lot of laughing going on and we were the main cause of it. Thursday and Friday, however, I was really glad that I had Brad to help because he has been there a month longer than I have and so it was nice to have someone I'm comfortable with there to help. But I am super excited to see Luke on Wednesday because the place is definitely not the same without his wacky personality.
I will definitely miss both of those guys when I leave and I will also miss working at Lucky Cat because everyone there is really chill and it's a great atmosphere. I was so excited that I got to help out with tapes coming in because it gave me the chance to work with the program Avid a little bit and I hope I can do more of that before I leave.
As for my remaining time here, I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do because it feels like I have a lot to on my plate in order to finish up the semester and get ready to head home. Plus it's hard to figure out what else there is to see when you've already seen so much. Today I just walked around Covent Garden and Leicester Square because it was sunny and blue sky (compared to the snow we got earlier this week) I couldn't waste it indoors. I ended up finding this place called Cyber Candy where it sold sweets from different countries in the world. I had found one in Camden but this is the store Luke told me to go to. Both stores have pretty much the same products but the one in Camden had Cheerwhine! You can't even get that in New York, it's pretty much a southern thing. Also there were biscuits called Tim Tams from Australia that looked really good and also Korean watermelon flavored bubble gum and even Japanese cereal. However I will say the shop in Covent Garden had a giant Willy Wonka gumball machine right in front of the store as soon as you walk in. It took some restraint to not buy everything there.
But I did end up buying a MoonPie from the shop because I had to see if it was "nummie nummie". If you understand that reference and aren't my parents then we need to be best friends. A MoonPie is essentially a biscuit topped with marshmallow covered in chocolate. A huge mallomar if you even know what those are. I may have to get more at some point, which reminds me that I need to start making a box of things to send home that won't go in my suitcase. Ugh so much to do! I am ready to shut my brain off for a long while. So fair warning Mom, once my head hits the pillow of my bed, don't expect me to wake up for a week.
Just so you know there will definitely be a couple more posts before I head home. As for the content, you and I will both have to see what I have to talk about.
Cheers!
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