So the end of an amazing semester has arrived. The past four months have gone by quickly at times, and unbelievably slowly at other times. Still, I can't believe the semester's over.
I'm sad to be leaving London. I know I complained about a lot of things and was homesick and all that, but I've finally gotten accustomed to London life and I like it. I will miss this city -- always having somewhere to go, some tour to take, some historic site to see. I will also miss my friends. Some of them I will see again in January when spring semester starts; but Steve doesn't go to BU and Nate is transferring to a London school and Katie is graduating and moving home to D.C. and Liz is graduating and working in London. I like the crew that we had here, and I'm sad that we're going our separate ways. I will miss being able to walk down the hall or into the kitchen or into the basement to find someone to talk to.
Though the end of the semester brings about sadness, it also forces me to look back at what I've done over the past 4 months. And, I've realized, I've done and learned a heck of a lot. Having never traveled by myself before, I got on an airplane, flew to another continent where I knew no one, and carved out a life for myself. [Granted, BU helped (a lot).] I found friends, and I traveled to 5 countries, not even including the UK (Ireland, Italy, Spain, France, the Vatican). I sat through 27 4-hour long classes, wrote 5 papers, took 5 exams, put together a 70-page portfolio, and read 6 books (2 academic, 4 personal). I worked an internship at The Sunday Times for 8 weeks, putting up with a job I sincerely disliked.
This semester, I learned so much -- about the UK, other cultures, and about myself. I don't think I've changed too much, but I know I have changed for the better. I've always looked at the world from such an American perspective, and I never noticed that. Only now am I somewhat closer to understanding other cultures' perspectives.
Now I would like to say my thank yous.
- To Mom and Dad: Thank you for making this semester abroad possible. Thanks for encouraging me to go abroad and to travel, and thanks for coming to visit me and skyping me when I was homesick. Thanks for shipping me stuff and driving me to and from the airport.
- To my London crew: Thank you for making this semester amazing and unforgettable. Whether it was celebrating my birthday, meeting for dinner in Florence, or straddling the Prime Meridian, we always had so much fun together. I'm so glad that I met you all. Please keep in touch, and if you're going to be in Boston next semester, we must get together.
- To my family: Thank you so much for your generosity and for thinking of me. Thank you for your cards, emails, comments, packages, and messages. These kept me going during the difficult times when I was sad or homesick. They really made a big difference.
- To my friends: Thank you for all your support. Thanks for the cards, emails, IMs, Facebook messages, and Google Chats. Thank you for listening to me rant and for calming me down. I have missed you all so much while I was abroad, so thank you for keeping in contact with me (and, in some cases, for keeping me sane).
- To everyone else: Thanks for reading and for your support! :)
Well, although this may be the last entry I post about my semester abroad in the UK, I hope that my adventures will never end.
Cheers.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Last Week in London
On Tuesday, I picked up my portfolio (A- yay!) and then met up with Diana for fish and chips at a pub. It was really tasty. I spent the rest of the day finishing my paper, and then I went out to Gardening Club with Stacy, Meg, and Diana that night. We had a fun time.
I spent Wednesday sleeping in and studying (or pretending to study) for my exam that was on Thursday. I helped Diana carry a box to the post office, but other than that, the day was uneventful.
Yesterday, I studied for a few hours at Harrington Gardens before taking my exam from 1 - 3. Then I was officially finished with the semester. Yikes. Afterwards, I packed one suitcase and then hung out with Katie, Meg, Stacy, Michelle, Diana, Alli, Steve and Nate for a few hours. Later, a group of us went out to O'Neill's for the last time. :-(. Saying some good-byes was sad. I'm not looking forward to more good-byes tonight/tomorrow.
Today I did some last minute souvenir shopping at Piccadilly, had a mini-meltdown when I thought my suitcase was broken, and finished up packing (for the most part). I'm checking out of my room tomorrow at 10:30am and Meg and I are taking a car to the airport. My flight is at 3pm and it's scheduled to land at 5:45pm. Nice. It's a 7.5 hour flight. I'm hoping that I won't be too jet-lagged, and I've heard it's easier going back the US than coming to the UK.
So my semester is pretty much over. Weird.
Reflections post to follow.
I spent Wednesday sleeping in and studying (or pretending to study) for my exam that was on Thursday. I helped Diana carry a box to the post office, but other than that, the day was uneventful.
Yesterday, I studied for a few hours at Harrington Gardens before taking my exam from 1 - 3. Then I was officially finished with the semester. Yikes. Afterwards, I packed one suitcase and then hung out with Katie, Meg, Stacy, Michelle, Diana, Alli, Steve and Nate for a few hours. Later, a group of us went out to O'Neill's for the last time. :-(. Saying some good-byes was sad. I'm not looking forward to more good-byes tonight/tomorrow.
Today I did some last minute souvenir shopping at Piccadilly, had a mini-meltdown when I thought my suitcase was broken, and finished up packing (for the most part). I'm checking out of my room tomorrow at 10:30am and Meg and I are taking a car to the airport. My flight is at 3pm and it's scheduled to land at 5:45pm. Nice. It's a 7.5 hour flight. I'm hoping that I won't be too jet-lagged, and I've heard it's easier going back the US than coming to the UK.
So my semester is pretty much over. Weird.
Reflections post to follow.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Weekend in Paris
I went to Paris this weekend with Diana and Katie. Diana and I met Katie at St. Pancras Station on Friday evening to catch the 8pm Eurostar train and we arrived in Paris around 11:30pm.
St. Pancras Station. It opened about 3 weeks ago, on November 14, 2007. It's a beautiful station.
"The Meeting Place" Statue. St. Pancras' slogan is "Meet me at St. Pancras" and this statue is under the station's giant clock. (I took the St. Pancras pictures from websites.)
It was raining (and late and dark) when we arrived, so we took a cab to our hotel and went to bed. The next morning, we walked to Notre Dame Cathedral. Along our walk, it started raining lightly. We went inside Notre Dame and looked around.
Notre Dame. There was a big Christmas tree in front.
Inside Notre Dame. (There was also a large Nativity scene with about 6 giant flat screen TVs playing a picture of a beach in the background. lol)
When we left the cathedral, it was torrentially pouring; so, we found a creperie across the street from Notre Dame and indulged in some Parisian crepes.
Me and my caramel crepe. Yum!
The rain had not let up at all, so we decided to spend the rest of the day in the Louvre. On the map, the walk did not look too long; however, the map was deceiving. A half hour later, we arrived at the Louvre, drenched to our cores and dripping wet. My jeans and my coat were entirely soaked through. Even the sweatshirt I was wearing underneath my coat was damp. We wandered around the Louvre and found the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
Picture of the Louvre entrance. (Taken from the dry inside of the museum.)
The Mona Lisa. She's definitely smiling.
Venus de Milo.
We left at 6, when the museum closed. We decided to take the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The only problem was that the Metro stops were not accurately labeled on the map, so we walked forever looking for the stop, and then eventually decided to take a cab to the Eiffel Tower. We flagged one down, but he refused to drive us because we were too close -- he said it was a five minute walk. So we walked for 5 more minutes (by the way, it was pouring this whole time and we had walked for 40 minutes already) and got to the Eiffel Tower. It was huge and really impressive. And, about every half hour, it's lights flashed silver so it looked like it was glittering. It was really pretty.
The Eiffel Tower (from a few streets over)
The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower. (The fog behind it gives the photo a cool effect.)
After that, we ate dinner and then went back to our hotel for the evening. It was nice to take a hot shower and put on some dry clothes.
On Sunday, we started out at the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. It was on top of a hill and so we had a nice view of the city.
Sacre Coeur from the bottom of the hill.
From the midway point.
Then it started raining again (although not as hard as the day before), so we asked at an information booth where the best shopping area was and took the metro there. We wandered around a little bit, but didn't find anything too exciting. So we decided to go to the Arc de Triomphe.
The Arc de Triomphe. (I stood in the middle of the street to take this picture. There was a small block for tourists to stand to take a picture of the Arc. The cars were quite close, though. At least they drive on the right side of the road in France.)
Me and Diana in front of the Arc.
After taking some pictures with the Arc, we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, it was around 5:00pm, and they were closed. (They close at sunset.) So we had a dinner of escargot and cheese. Then we were looking for something else to do, but it was raining and our waiter said that most things were closed on Sunday evenings. So we just went back to our hotel and rested. We took the Eurostar back this morning at 9:07am and arrived in London at 10:38am and I had class from 1:30 - 5:30. It's funny to think that this morning I was in another country, but this afternoon I was in class, like any typical Monday.
Paris was a lot of fun, and I would definitely like to go back someday in the spring or summer and walk around the city.
Today was my last class of the semester. I just have to finish the last half of my 3,000 word paper and take a final on Thursday, and then I will be finished with the Fall 2008 semester. I fly home on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also realizing that I will miss London. I didn't think I would, because I miss so much about the U.S., but London definitely has it charms and benefits. I'm excited for Christmas in Boston, though. And I can't wait to see my family and friends! Four months is a long time, and with some people it's been even longer than that.
Now I'm going to go work on my paper. I hope to get 1 more page written tonight, and then 3 or 4 more tomorrow so that I can be done with it.
St. Pancras Station. It opened about 3 weeks ago, on November 14, 2007. It's a beautiful station.
"The Meeting Place" Statue. St. Pancras' slogan is "Meet me at St. Pancras" and this statue is under the station's giant clock. (I took the St. Pancras pictures from websites.)It was raining (and late and dark) when we arrived, so we took a cab to our hotel and went to bed. The next morning, we walked to Notre Dame Cathedral. Along our walk, it started raining lightly. We went inside Notre Dame and looked around.
Notre Dame. There was a big Christmas tree in front.
Inside Notre Dame. (There was also a large Nativity scene with about 6 giant flat screen TVs playing a picture of a beach in the background. lol)When we left the cathedral, it was torrentially pouring; so, we found a creperie across the street from Notre Dame and indulged in some Parisian crepes.
Me and my caramel crepe. Yum!The rain had not let up at all, so we decided to spend the rest of the day in the Louvre. On the map, the walk did not look too long; however, the map was deceiving. A half hour later, we arrived at the Louvre, drenched to our cores and dripping wet. My jeans and my coat were entirely soaked through. Even the sweatshirt I was wearing underneath my coat was damp. We wandered around the Louvre and found the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
Picture of the Louvre entrance. (Taken from the dry inside of the museum.)
The Mona Lisa. She's definitely smiling.
Venus de Milo.We left at 6, when the museum closed. We decided to take the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The only problem was that the Metro stops were not accurately labeled on the map, so we walked forever looking for the stop, and then eventually decided to take a cab to the Eiffel Tower. We flagged one down, but he refused to drive us because we were too close -- he said it was a five minute walk. So we walked for 5 more minutes (by the way, it was pouring this whole time and we had walked for 40 minutes already) and got to the Eiffel Tower. It was huge and really impressive. And, about every half hour, it's lights flashed silver so it looked like it was glittering. It was really pretty.
The Eiffel Tower (from a few streets over)
The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower. (The fog behind it gives the photo a cool effect.)After that, we ate dinner and then went back to our hotel for the evening. It was nice to take a hot shower and put on some dry clothes.
On Sunday, we started out at the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. It was on top of a hill and so we had a nice view of the city.
Sacre Coeur from the bottom of the hill.
From the midway point.
View of Paris from the Sacre Coeur Cathedral
The Arc de Triomphe. (I stood in the middle of the street to take this picture. There was a small block for tourists to stand to take a picture of the Arc. The cars were quite close, though. At least they drive on the right side of the road in France.)
Me and Diana in front of the Arc.After taking some pictures with the Arc, we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, it was around 5:00pm, and they were closed. (They close at sunset.) So we had a dinner of escargot and cheese. Then we were looking for something else to do, but it was raining and our waiter said that most things were closed on Sunday evenings. So we just went back to our hotel and rested. We took the Eurostar back this morning at 9:07am and arrived in London at 10:38am and I had class from 1:30 - 5:30. It's funny to think that this morning I was in another country, but this afternoon I was in class, like any typical Monday.
Paris was a lot of fun, and I would definitely like to go back someday in the spring or summer and walk around the city.
Today was my last class of the semester. I just have to finish the last half of my 3,000 word paper and take a final on Thursday, and then I will be finished with the Fall 2008 semester. I fly home on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also realizing that I will miss London. I didn't think I would, because I miss so much about the U.S., but London definitely has it charms and benefits. I'm excited for Christmas in Boston, though. And I can't wait to see my family and friends! Four months is a long time, and with some people it's been even longer than that.
Now I'm going to go work on my paper. I hope to get 1 more page written tonight, and then 3 or 4 more tomorrow so that I can be done with it.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Cinderella Pantomime
On Tuesday night, I went to see the Cinderella Pantomime at the Old Vic Theatre.
It was a great play -- very funny. The show was for both kids and adults, as the kids could enjoy it at one level, while the adults understood the inappropriate jokes. This made me want to go see more pantomimes!
Today I called in sick to work. Yesterday afternoon, I started feeling woozy and shivery at work, and I almost asked to leave early. When I went to bed last night, I was shivering like crazy and this morning I vomited. So I spent today eating next to nothing, sleeping, and using a cold washcloth and ibuprofen to try to bring down my fever. About an hour ago, a reporter from The Sunday Times called me to assign me a mission first thing tomorrow morning. He knew I was sick, too. I told him I didn't know whether I would be in tomorrow, so he decided to give someone else the job. I am still not feeling well, but I have to leave for Paris tomorrow night, so I will need all the rest I can get. I hope I am feeling better before I leave for Paris because I would like to enjoy my weekend in France.
It was a great play -- very funny. The show was for both kids and adults, as the kids could enjoy it at one level, while the adults understood the inappropriate jokes. This made me want to go see more pantomimes!
Today I called in sick to work. Yesterday afternoon, I started feeling woozy and shivery at work, and I almost asked to leave early. When I went to bed last night, I was shivering like crazy and this morning I vomited. So I spent today eating next to nothing, sleeping, and using a cold washcloth and ibuprofen to try to bring down my fever. About an hour ago, a reporter from The Sunday Times called me to assign me a mission first thing tomorrow morning. He knew I was sick, too. I told him I didn't know whether I would be in tomorrow, so he decided to give someone else the job. I am still not feeling well, but I have to leave for Paris tomorrow night, so I will need all the rest I can get. I hope I am feeling better before I leave for Paris because I would like to enjoy my weekend in France.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Ice Skating, Stonehenge, Salisbury
On Saturday night, I went ice skating at the Museum of Natural History with Diana and Alli. It was a lot of fun. We skated for our allotted hour and then indulged in some Swedish mulled wine
which was very tasty.
Apparently, as I observed on Saturday, ice skating is not as popular in the UK as it is in the US. During our skating time, I did not see one person who had brought his/her own skates -- everyone was using the ugly blue ones you borrowed from the museum. (By the way, the skates I was using were horrible and definitely needed to be sharpened. Also, I'm pretty sure that my left skate had the blade of a right skate because my balance was off all night. It made for some interesting encounters. haha.) Plus, while skating, we saw at least 10 different people fall -- some fell multiple times. In the US, I might see one or two or MAYBE three people fall during a skating session -- because most people have a general idea of how to skate, and if they don't, then they are extra careful and stay at the wall. (I can proudly say that Alli, Diana and I did not fall once.) Also, one of my major complaints about Londoners is that when walking down the street, they don't stay to any particular side, and they will walk right into you; well, this translates to Brits on ice, as well. People would pretty much skate into me and not apologize. I would wobble for a bit and then get my balance back. I also saw two guys (on separate occasions), neither of whom was a skilled skater, who somehow got themselves turned around and started skating directly into me. In one case, I skated around the guy at the last second and he immediately apologized; in the other case, the two of us looked at each other and I saw that he had no idea how to stop our inevitable collision, so I put my hands out to stop him from knocking me over and then skated around to his right. So, it was quite an interesting night, to say the least. I always love ice skating and it was fun to experience that in the UK.
Ice Skating with Diana
Alli, Me, and Diana on the Ice Rink
Skating
Alli, Diana, and Me
Diana and Alli coming around the bend
I was skating and trying to avoid the man in the khaki coat beside me who did not know how to skate.
Having fun skating
The three of us on the way home. :^)
_________________________________________________________________
Yesterday I went with the BU Social Programmes to Stonehenge and Salisbury. The bus ride was nearly 2 hours, but I was able to sleep most of the way. Unfortunately, it was not a great day for a daytrip because it intermittently rained all day long.
I had been really looking forward to seeing Stonehenge. The stones were quite impressive, but the area they're in is unbelievably windy; so, the wind (and at times, the rain) was very distracting from the actual site. We got audio tours with our admission, but our guide provided his own tour, so I just listened to him. Here are some pictures:
The big lumps in the grass at the top of the hill are barrows where remains and artifacts are buried.
The stones
The stones
The stones
The stones
The stones
The stones
The heel stone. On the longest day of the year (June 21), the sun rises just over this stone at the perfect angle to shine directly through the stone display.
The stones
The stones
which was very tasty.
Apparently, as I observed on Saturday, ice skating is not as popular in the UK as it is in the US. During our skating time, I did not see one person who had brought his/her own skates -- everyone was using the ugly blue ones you borrowed from the museum. (By the way, the skates I was using were horrible and definitely needed to be sharpened. Also, I'm pretty sure that my left skate had the blade of a right skate because my balance was off all night. It made for some interesting encounters. haha.) Plus, while skating, we saw at least 10 different people fall -- some fell multiple times. In the US, I might see one or two or MAYBE three people fall during a skating session -- because most people have a general idea of how to skate, and if they don't, then they are extra careful and stay at the wall. (I can proudly say that Alli, Diana and I did not fall once.) Also, one of my major complaints about Londoners is that when walking down the street, they don't stay to any particular side, and they will walk right into you; well, this translates to Brits on ice, as well. People would pretty much skate into me and not apologize. I would wobble for a bit and then get my balance back. I also saw two guys (on separate occasions), neither of whom was a skilled skater, who somehow got themselves turned around and started skating directly into me. In one case, I skated around the guy at the last second and he immediately apologized; in the other case, the two of us looked at each other and I saw that he had no idea how to stop our inevitable collision, so I put my hands out to stop him from knocking me over and then skated around to his right. So, it was quite an interesting night, to say the least. I always love ice skating and it was fun to experience that in the UK.
Ice Skating with Diana
Alli, Me, and Diana on the Ice Rink
Skating
Alli, Diana, and Me
Diana and Alli coming around the bend
I was skating and trying to avoid the man in the khaki coat beside me who did not know how to skate.
Having fun skating
The three of us on the way home. :^)_________________________________________________________________
Yesterday I went with the BU Social Programmes to Stonehenge and Salisbury. The bus ride was nearly 2 hours, but I was able to sleep most of the way. Unfortunately, it was not a great day for a daytrip because it intermittently rained all day long.
I had been really looking forward to seeing Stonehenge. The stones were quite impressive, but the area they're in is unbelievably windy; so, the wind (and at times, the rain) was very distracting from the actual site. We got audio tours with our admission, but our guide provided his own tour, so I just listened to him. Here are some pictures:
The big lumps in the grass at the top of the hill are barrows where remains and artifacts are buried.
The stones
The stones
The stones
The stones
The stones
The stones
The heel stone. On the longest day of the year (June 21), the sun rises just over this stone at the perfect angle to shine directly through the stone display.
The stones
The stonesWe spent an hour touring Stonehenge and then got back on the bus to go to Salisbury. At Salisbury, the tour guide gave us a tour of the Cathedral Church. As we were walking into the church, it started pouring and it was so windy that the raindrops blew into us and stung -- like hail.
Cathedral Church
Cathedral ChurchWe couldn't take pictures inside the church. Inside were the tombs of several royals and also the best preserved copy of the Magna Carta. When we left the church, the sun was shining and the weather was great. Katie, Steve, and I wandered around until we found a pub called "The Queen's Arms" (ironically, it has the same name as the pub around the corner from our dorm) and we ate there. Afterwards, we walked around Salisbury for a short while before we had to get back on the bus to come home.
All in all, it was a fun daytrip, and I'm really happy that I got to see Stonehenge (especially considering that was one of my life goals); however, I would recommend to others who want to visit the site to go during a warmer and less rainy season.
All in all, it was a fun daytrip, and I'm really happy that I got to see Stonehenge (especially considering that was one of my life goals); however, I would recommend to others who want to visit the site to go during a warmer and less rainy season.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Life.
On Monday night, Katie, Meg, Diana, and I went to Absolut Ice Bar to celebrate the completion of our portfolios. It was quite fun. We wore hooded capes and gloves, so it wasn't cold. The drinks were tasty and came in a glass made of ice. The bar was made of ice and there were ice benches to sit on (but they had fur throws on top of them). We were only allowed to stay in the ice room for 40 minutes, so we spent our time taking pictures, waiting for our drinks, drinking, and then taking more pictures. Before we knew it, it was time to leave. Here are some pictures.
Me at Ice Bar
Meg, Katie, and Me at Ice Bar (my collar was quite high)
I forgot to turn on the flash and this one came out kinda cool. Meg looks like a ghost.
The Ice Bar
Meg pulling "A Christmas Story" move
Diana laughed mid-picture
The Menu
Bartender
Meg
Meg and Katie
Cheers!
The glass made of ice (my lips melted away part of it)
The bar of ice
There was a picture of a fire playing on the TV
These guys put the capes on us at the beginning and pulled the capes off us at the end
Giant bubbles of holiday festivity on Oxford Street
My internship this week has been very difficult. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I filled in for Laila who is the News Desk Researcher (ie the editors' assistant). It was like starting a new job and very disconcerting. I had to arrive early and stay late, and the editors are not always the most friendly people because they are stressed out. Today I thought I would cover for Laila again, but instead an editor sent me to the news archive library to search for clippings over a 4 year span. I only got through 16 months and I did not find what I was looking for, so I have to go back again tomorrow. And I was so busy working today that I skipped lunch, so I was ravenous when I came home. Then I found out that our kitchen code-lock was broken and none of us can get into our kitchen because for some reason it will not unlock when we type in the code. So I waited for my friends to get home and we went to a pizzeria around the corner. (Apparently, Princess Diana ate there, too.)
I want to fast forward through tomorrow and go straight to the weekend because I have some fun plans! Stay posted...
Me at Ice Bar
Meg, Katie, and Me at Ice Bar (my collar was quite high)
I forgot to turn on the flash and this one came out kinda cool. Meg looks like a ghost.
The Ice Bar
Meg pulling "A Christmas Story" move
Diana laughed mid-picture
The Menu
Bartender
Meg
Meg and Katie
Cheers!
The glass made of ice (my lips melted away part of it)
The bar of ice
There was a picture of a fire playing on the TV
These guys put the capes on us at the beginning and pulled the capes off us at the end
Giant bubbles of holiday festivity on Oxford StreetMy internship this week has been very difficult. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I filled in for Laila who is the News Desk Researcher (ie the editors' assistant). It was like starting a new job and very disconcerting. I had to arrive early and stay late, and the editors are not always the most friendly people because they are stressed out. Today I thought I would cover for Laila again, but instead an editor sent me to the news archive library to search for clippings over a 4 year span. I only got through 16 months and I did not find what I was looking for, so I have to go back again tomorrow. And I was so busy working today that I skipped lunch, so I was ravenous when I came home. Then I found out that our kitchen code-lock was broken and none of us can get into our kitchen because for some reason it will not unlock when we type in the code. So I waited for my friends to get home and we went to a pizzeria around the corner. (Apparently, Princess Diana ate there, too.)
I want to fast forward through tomorrow and go straight to the weekend because I have some fun plans! Stay posted...
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