Thinking back

I’ve been back for 6 months. The half a year I lived in England, the 6 months I was gone, is now the same amount of time that I have been a returned traveler living in the US. It’s also weird to think that this time last year, I had a month left to prep for my departure on the adventure of a lifetime, and now I’m just… back.

Each day is a mix of nostalgia, frustration, and gratefulness because I went on this trip. And it’s just really odd to think of that huge, life-changing chunk of time being the same  as being…here. I can’t get my mind around it quite yet. I don’t really know what else I wanted to say, other than trying to express the confusion of this situation.Forgive my ramblings I suppose.

Just some thoughts

• Already my room seems barer. As I take things down and organize my clothing, the usual anxieties about space constraints are here, but I’m also conscious of the melancholy strangeness of packing up my life here.
• I think I might just halfway  live out of my suitcase so I won’t have to keep unpacking and rearranging things.
• My essay is really boring to write, and I picked the most interesting topic. The fact that I was even given a choice of topics is odd. 
• My bread went moldy.
• There’s a chance I won’t have to pay excess baggage charges for my other bag. Also, I’m packing my life into two bags. What. 
• I still really love skype. 
• My big suitcase was dusty when I opened it back up today. 
• Perhaps I need a haircut. It is rather long. Longest it’s been in quite a few years actually. 
• My iPod battery dies so quickly now. At least it still works!
• There are so many fewer voices in the corridor now that people have gone home. It’s starting to feel lonely. 
• Back to essay writing interspersed with packing. 
• Playlist for this post: Up in Flames by Coldplay

The Final Lap

I’ll be on a plane back home to L.A. in 9 days. 9. That’s it. I can’t wait to see my family again, waiting for me to get out of customs, and hug my dog again, and feel constant sunshine on my skin, go to the beach and Disneyland and eat Mexican food and Goldfish crackers. All of these things are exciting to me, but I have to leave to do them. I realized that it’s so hard to leave because it isn’t just a vacation spot, a brief blip on my radar where I happened to be in York, but this is my life now. I have people here I care about, and routines, and things to look forward to, and I’ve just managed to figure it all out. So leaving feels…weird, to say the least. It is still a bit unreal to even think that I’ve been here long enough to have to say my goodbyes now. But this last week has been amazing so that makes it worth it. Time to update you all and I think I’ll try to go in chronological order!

• Last weekend, my friends and I went shopping for Ascot and bought our hats finally! (more on those later) and went to the York Dungeons as a big group. I thought it was going to be terrifying but it was just a sort of  fun scary thing. Since we were such a big group of giggling, screaming students we got picked on a lot by the people working there and many of us got to “volunteer” and go up to participate in some way, like screaming or being killed or executed or put on trial. It was silly and I’m actually really glad we went.
•  Then this past Monday I went to the X-Factor auditions in Newcastle. We had to wait outside in the queue area for a really long time, but once we got inside it was really fun. Most of the audition performances were actually good, so it felt more like a fun concert rather than a painful talent show.
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• The day after, the Olympic Torch came through York! It was super exciting; the streets were full of people, festive decorations were up, and people were just excited to see the torch bearers bring the torch through York. 
• Such a fun day!
• Then, on Wednesday, the event I’ve been waiting for all term finally came! ROYAL ASCOT! The Royal Ascot horse races happen every year outside of London and everyone gets dressed and has picnics and drinks and bets on the horses and well, it was wonderful. It was such a uniquely British experience, and one I don’t think I’ll be lucky enough to experience again. The day was just lovely, and the weather was spectacular too. Here’s some of my favorite pictures from the day:
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• My betting slips and a glass of Pimm’s!
• I love my hat so much. We saw the Queen! So exciting! (that’s her in the pink, sorry for the blurriness)
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• Also, on the journey back up to York we had a few hours to kill in King’s Cross Station so…this happened! I got to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter and fulfill another childhood dream. Gahh so lucky. It was a pretty amazing day, with such an amazing feel to the entire experience. It’s things like this are so worth being over here.
• I’m working on writing an essay that will be the last academic thing before I leave. But my marks in my other courses were all really good so I feel good about it.
• I eat mayo a lot more than I did before. With french fries I like mostly ketchup with a bit of mayo as well, and sandwiches taste better with it now. I don’t know who I am.
• Our oven is broken again so that means a depleted amount of foods that can be eaten warm.
• I have to start taking everything off of my walls and pretty much start packing which is bizarre.
• Everyone should watch The Legend of Korra. It’s wonderful.
• I’m kind of excited for my flight because it’s just exciting to travel.
• Saying goodbye is only getting harder. Two of my flatmates left uni yesterday and saying goodbye brought me to tears. I’m just going to miss them all so much.
• There’s some sort of surprise planned for me this weekend. I think I’m excited. hahaha
• When I think back on my Europe trip it almost doesn’t seem real, which is incredibly odd.
• I’m so excited for mine and my family’s various birthday plans this summer.
• I’m reading the first part of A Dance with Dragons, the latest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire Series, and I still absolutely love these characters. The books are just so rich and wonderful that I love being in their world.
• Is it bad that I’m excited to sleep on the plane back?
• Headaches are so annoying.
• I honestly love food so much. I can’t wait to properly cook again.
• I’m suddenly rather exhausted so I think I’ll read a bit more then go to sleep.
• Playlist for this post: The Weeknd

The Countdown has begun.

A month from now it will be the 4th of July, and I will be home. Not one of the many places I’ve called home over the last few years, but back to my house with my family. That just feels crazy and almost nonsensical.

In unrelated news, it’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations the past few days. They’ve been rather fun and it’s cool to see the patriotism of my adopted country.  The River Pageant yesterday was a huge parade of boats down the Thames, and right now I’m listening to the eclectic mix of musicians performing for the Jubilee Concert on BBC radio. Pretty cool to be here for such an historic event.

Now for some updates!

• I’ve not been sleeping well and as such I feel run down and tired a lot. My usual headaches are worse too since I’m not properly rested. Hopefully this will pass soon though.
• In doing my reading for one of my presentations, I’ve come across some really interesting findings related to book covers. It’s nice to find my research interesting.
• There are actually so many hours of sunlight now. The sun rises really early and sets incredibly late as well.
• I’m trying to figure out the cheapest way to ship some of my stuff home ahead of me so I’ll have less to deal with when flying back.
• Skype is honestly the most amazing thing ever.
• I can’t wait for Ascot.
• There are so many things I have to look forward to this summer(birthdays, Disneyland, the beach, friends, family) that it almost makes leaving bearable.
• I really don’t have much else to report, and sorry there aren’t any pictures for this one. 😦
• Playlist for this post: Diamond Jubilee Concert on BBC Radio

An English Summer

As I’m writing this, it is a delightful 72°F outside. The sun is shining, there’s a breeze, the sky is so blue, and people keep walking by in shorts eating ice cream and popsicles. It’s fantastic. I couldn’t ask for better weather anywhere, much less the North of England.

•  I only have like 6 weeks left! It seems like a lot but nothing at all when I think about it.
• I watched the Eurovision Song Competition last night with half of my hall, and it was so fun. If you’ve never really heard of Eurovision or don’t know much about it, I recommend looking into it. It’s hilarious. The basic premise is that European countries pick a group or person to sing a song, sometimes in English other times in their native language, in hopes of receiving enough votes from the panel and phone-in votes to win. It’s actually really political in the voting, and the performances are cheesy fantastic. Just a lot of fun.
• My love for ice cream and fruit and salad has been rekindled by this warm weather. Yummmmm
• I finished “A Feast for Crows” in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, the books by George R. R. Martin that the TV show Game of Thrones is based on. The books are so detailed and crazy and I love them.
• I’m fairly certain I’m going to spontaneously combust when I touch down at LAX.
• My dreams came true this week when I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour outside of London. It was incredible. I cried twice because it was so cool and I became overwhelmed with happiness (yea, it happens ok?). We were in the tour for over 4 hours, saw EVERYTHING, met the carpenter from the films who happens to still work there, accidentally got a free private tour from two of the Interactors that worked there for half of the tour, and were the last ones to leave for the day. It was just special and an experience I’ll definitely never forget.
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• This picture is actually from my friend Sahana, since at the moment he opened the Great Hall doors I started to flail around a little and tear up. It was so insane to walk in there after so  long picturing what it would be like.
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• Me with my hand in the hand print Daniel Radcliffe left. We’ve held hands now, no big deal.
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• In the Gyffindor common room, where I belong. Wish it wasn’t so blurry though.
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• Just some of the amazing props they had inside and at the Backlot. So cool.
• We also tried butterbeer, bought souvenirs, made friends with some security guards and all in all had an absolutely amazing time. So worth it
• I’m feeling a little ehhh about the presentations that are the final grade for this term in English. I hate doing group presentations because they’re stressful and awkward but my group mates are alright so far and we have some pretty cool ideas so now it’s just a matter of making it work.
• I cleaned my room and washed some clothes and made my bed today. Go me.
• I am very close to being broke. Very close. It’s a little scary but I’m sure somehow it will work out. After all, I still have just over 6 weeks left in England.
• My hair is SO LONG. Probably going to end up cutting it soon because it will start bugging me.
• I did not bring nearly enough warm weather clothing. I was so focused on not being cold that I never stopped to consider that it might get warm. Awkward.
• I think I don’t have anything else to say.
• Playlist for this post: Sigur Ros

Decompressing

Well Europe Trip 2012 is a wrap everyone. I can’t believe I actually traveled all around Europe and saw so many incredible places. Parts of it don’t seem real, and I can’t wrap my mind around how much ground I traveled in a few weeks time. It also hasn’t really sunk in that I won’t have to pack up and move tomorrow and continue exploring. Which is good and bad, because that means the trip is over. Just craziness that all of it even happened in the first place and that it’s now over.

Settling back into life here at York has been really wonderful. It has truly become my home and flying back into England just affirmed that for me. On the plane I felt so at peace knowing I was going home, to my own little room in N Block surrounded by the ridiculous, adorable, fantastic people who have welcomed me. Being back has just felt good, despite the less than ideal rainy and gloomy weather. However, I still have much to recap from my whirlwind tour of Europe! So onwards to bulleted highlight blurbs!

• Of all of these places I visited, Prague and Florence were my favorite cities, followed by Madrid and Paris. I liked something about all the places I visited to be sure, but these ones felt comforting and surprising at the same time. There was something magical and intoxicating about them, which made me want to spend more time in their lovely streets.
• Me in Florence, on top of the Duomo
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• Me in front of the Prague Castle
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• Me in the Louvre Museum in Paris
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• At the Madrid Zoo and Aquarium in front of the Walt Disney nature statues, celebrating Walt’s love of nature. Or I think that’s what it was for.
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• It’s been raining off and on since I’ve come back and even though campus is starting to get a little flooded in places, I still feel like I can’t really complain. It hasn’t legitimately rained very much so I suppose some spring rains are to be expected.
• My body could not handle the stress of all of that traveling very well. I got sick 3 times on the whole trip, and each time I felt ridiculous. Luckily I didn’t miss much by taking time to recover but it was still frustrating to feel run down and not be able to push through it. Guess my body can’t handle 4 weeks of nonstop traveling. Or maybe it just isn’t used to it yet!
• Wearing the same clothes over and over again for 4 weeks somehow made me want to buy a bunch of new clothes but at the same time continue to be creative with the clothes I did have.
• This big trip definitely gave me the travel bug, more so than I already did. I want to see as much of the world as I can. African savannas, ancient ruins, trees, people, lakes, the rest of the States, glaciers, food I want it all. I want to be greedy with my life experiences, I want to soak them all in.
• American music is everywhere. Does no other country have enough popular music to play?
• I’ve been reading for my classes and listening to music and the rain all day and it’s been so lovely.
• I bought nail polish on a whim in Barcelona for a Euro. Turns out in glows in the dark! So cool!
• I seriously need to do laundry but with the rain and my general laziness, I have yet to actually do it. Soon…
• When we were in Paris we visited the Orangerie Gallery, home to Monet’s ‘Les Nympheas’ or Waterlilies paintings. We couldn’t take pictures, but the gallery was stunningly lovely. (Here’s a video someone took even though we were discouraged from that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw03m1DGkmg to get a taste of it). His paintings are just so pretty and I bought a ton of postcards to function as art.
• I have my window open to listen to the rain better but it might be time to close it soon since the Thursday night party crowd has begun making noise.
• I have begun looking for my flight home, which is bizarre. It’s weird to even think about leaving, I’m not ready to even plan for it.
• My flatmates and I went proper grocery shopping last weekend and I have so much yummy, healthy, filling food now. Wonderful
• In all of my pictures from the trip, my flannel shirt is the most photographed thing. It’s ridiculous.
• To highlight some more delicious food;
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• My rather delicious salad from the cafe in the Louvre
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• Trois fromages sandwich. Simple and delicious.
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• Patatas bravas as a part of my tapas meal one night in Barcelona
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• Scrumptious falafel pita pocket. Probably the best falafel I’ve ever had
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• LADUREE. MACARONS. I have dreamed of tasting these little things and they were SO GOOD. Little bits of happiness. Ugh now I want some again.
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• Crema Catalana from the sweet shop inside San Miguel Mercado in Madrid.
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• Paella and sangria on our last night in Spain, inside the Mercado again. Yum yum yum.
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• Eating chocolate con churros at the world famous San Gines Chocolateria in Madrid. So delicious.
• And finally, the greatest meal I’ve ever eaten. No joke. Our first night in Paris we stopped at a little restaurant up near Sacre Ceour Cathedral that to us looked quintessentially French and also boasted a 3-course meal deal for 18 euro. And then the food was just delicious. My pictures don’t do it justice at all, but ohmygod incredible food. I repeat, best meal I’ve ever had. To put it in perspective, I ate green beans and I loathe green beans. I think they’re vile and smell weird. But I ate them because with the sauce and the fish… ohwow just so good I want to fly back to Paris and eat the whole meal again. 
• First course: tiny homemade cheese ravioli in a simple cheese and herb sauce.
• Second course: the food of angels. ohman this picture does nothing for this food. I was actually overwhelmed by how good it was. Fish on a bed of green beans in a beurre blanc sauce and just omg I want to eat it. 
• And creme brulee to finish it off. Just a fantastic meal.
• I’m too distracted by memories of that epic meal to write much else, so that might have to be it for now.
• Playlist for this post: Ingrid Michaelson’s newest album “Human Again”