A Little More Than a Year.

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful And since we've no place to go....

November already? Despite the coldness this will forever be one of the best times of the year.

I can finally say I am happily adjusted to living in London. This week a woman asked me if I liked it here, and for the first time I could genuinely say yes. Following this question (her being American as well) she informed me it takes everyone a about a year to fully integrate. I wish someone would have told me of this before..so many epiphanys discovered in just one week.

I still hate pubs. (someone- "How can you NOT like pubs, that is like the highlight of British Culture"......e x a c t l y)

I still shudder a little at the sound of "mate"

On the other hand I have come to love the Australian accent. (everyday is a working progress)

In October I started my final year in Uni (and yet I still get lost going to class..?) in which I go in 3 days a week, intern 2 days and work on my dissertation. Keeps me busy..Originally I wanted to be busy everyday of the week so that time would go faster. But I can't help thinking, who actually asks for time to go faster in the short time we are alive?

In my new internship I help with events relating to and celebrating the culture of Asian countries. (if your interested in attending let me know!) Also something that still amazes me is that I am offered some sort of alcoholic beverage at least once a week. This happened at my last internship as well and I'm starting to think this is what I should expect! English people, why is this?? Why is it that on my lunch hour the pubs are packed? Why is it okay to be sitting at your desk on the computer with a glass of wine next to you? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining :) but why?

London is very very cold to me. 11 Degrees Celsius which is 50 Fahrenheit. I've just started wearing a 2nd layer of clothing but I know in a couple months my layer count will be up to 4. (But one of those months will be spent back in the US of A! VA/CT/NY/FL/21st birthdayy!)

Anyways thats my update. I hope everyone had a great halloween, has a great thanksgiving and i'll see you soon.

*Last month I found myself in the midst of the Philippines' panic over the Tsunami in which many lost their lives and even more losing homes, cars, and other belongings. (Also hit Indonesia & Vietnam) I was witnessing this first hand, literally sitting in a bus watching the water come up. Please continue to think, help and pray.

Summer Shhtuff

Wooow do I have a lot on my mind! It's really too bad your only going to get the bare minimum...

As you and I can see I was on my way to the states for a month and now I'm back! I had a really tough time getting situated when I got back to the UK but I was told it was only because I had just left home and the best advice I got was to keep busy. And thats EXACTLY what I've been doing. Everyone keeps telling me I missed the good weather in the UK but in my mind they're all lying to cover up for this ridiculous weather. It's either raining or super sunny every other hour! Even more drastic than VA's weather.

Getting back to London was another big change in lifestyle. I went from driving everywhere to taking the tube that I actually missed!! OH wait..I take that back. I didn't have too much time because I started my internship the day after I got here. A bit about that, I "work" at a Fashion PR company and I really love it. I always wondered why those girls on the Hills were just staring at clothes all day. Now I see, they actually are...just staring at clothes..but I suppose they're is some non-back-breaking (word?) work involved. I spend my days talking to people at various magazines, shooting clothes, pulling stuff for photoshoots, and then sending them to places like Vogue & Elle (!!!) It's pretty exciting when you see things you helped pick in the mags & newspapers. Thats just the more fun stuff, don't worry, there is plenty of less glamorous"give it to the intern" work to do also. I've definitely learned a lot more about the British culture and lifestyle. Offices here are much more laid back and everyones not so suit and tie. In fact, I have yet to see a woman wearing a skirt suit. And on Friday's we have something called "wine o'clock" which is everyone getting tipsy on a fast fun friday afternoon. (ahh alliteration!) Oh So British. I plan on bringing this tradition back to the States with me :)

The best thing about working there though, is the people. Everyone is so so nice and the other interns and I have become really good friends in such a short time! There's another American (who has the cutest accent from the south) and a girl from Paris (another too cute accent). I'm so glad to have them, we'll go out for drinks after work and hang out during the weekends bc we love each other oh so much haha.

So I've found some new favorite places to eat. Pret A Manager and Wasabi
which is a Sushi & Bento place that I have definitely gone to everyday last week. And not even for the sushi..I get the Tofu Jahang and usually end up picking the tofu out. By the way we have Pret in DC. and I'm guessing a whole lot of other places in the states haha They're good for a nice pick me up soup :)

Today while walking to work I saw my first pedestrian accident which didn't invlove myself! (heyy) This guy right in front of me must've been in a rush and decided to try and cross the road when our little walking sign was red. The road looked clear but they're was a biker just zooming away coming towards him. Everyone started screaming to try and stop him from crossing but it was too late. The biker ran smack into him and flew off his bike and then rolling into the street. The man that was walking got up straight away looking really surprised (well wouldn't you?) And the biker luckilly got up as well, looking very angry. Everyone made sure they were okay and the rest of us had to get to work! It was really scary to see and now that I have seen it I'm just going to be 23487623987 x more paranoid.

So besides all this, I'm staying super busy as my best advice giver has told me. I hope everyones doing great and have an amazing summer. In The Telegraph (newspaper) today there was an article called "10 Ways to Have a Life Changing Summer" by Lesley Garner

1. Just Get Out More
2. Say Hello to 10 People Everyday
3. Spend More time with Pets
4. Spend time with nature
5. Do Something you've never done before
6. Say Yes
7. Do things on your own
8. Help Others
9. Go Somewhere New
10. Say Thank you
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/lesleygarnerlifeclass/5918830/Lesley-Garners-10-tips-for-a-life-changing-summer.html

Keep these in mind as we approach the last couple of months of summer.

xoxo

I'm writing this blog instead of my paper yay!

at least I'm being productive.

In exactly 11 days from today I'll be on my way to Stateside! Even though I've been waiting for this day for SO long I can't even be excited (yet) because I have 2 papers and an exam the day before I leave to complete. So much to do before I leave minus the packing because I'm set on leaving here with 2 large empty-except for gifts-suitcases. I can not wait to see all of my friends and family and I'm really hoping I can squeeze everything and everyone in, in one month. Yup I'm only home for a month and then summer is basically over because

a) I'll be coming back to London where it will probably still be 60-70 degrees. okay so it might peak 80. peak. I don't care how much the British try to convince me that's summer.

b) I'll be doing a full time internship (yay!) which will hopefully mean more than fetching coffee..I mean tea...Oh the joys of being an intern.

c) I will have no life because most of my friends will be gone for the summer in exciting places like Bermuda & Russia.

Strangely enough, I'm really excited to drive again (on the right side of the road and the left side of the car) not that the tube isn't exciting enough. I mean where else can you see someone try to pole dance, get stuck between the doors and throw up all in one night! However I am dreading the 12 hour flight knowing that it's nearly impossible for me to fall asleep on a plane and since the parents will be staying, no one to talk to. And with the whole Swine Flu case going around I will def be rocking that face mask. It's hit England and there are cases in London and my parent's area Cambridgeshire which is where I am at now. Needless to say I've been hand sanitizing every five minutes, even if I have been sitting in front of this computer for the past hour. All apart of my germophobic and OCD nature.

Anyways as I've said before the weather here just shocks me. It's 62 degrees right now and it hasn't rained in at least a week! Which now that I've said that, it probably will tomorrow. Off to play tennis w. the madre! (Yup, still avoiding that paper...) Check back later <3>

P.S Happy Belated Mother's Day :)

Je suis allé à Paris

Austin and I decided to be really spontaneous and trek down to Paris for the day. (Why yes it was almost a month ago, and yes I'm only now getting around to blogging about it) I never really bought into the whole "Paris city of love" thing, but I guess its something you don't really know until you actually experience it. The place breathed romance with every streetlight and every building. The people could have been a little bit nicer but then again, we were warned beforehand that they wern't going to be jumping up and down to help us. And after hearing stories of how the city was notorious for its pick-pocketers, my bag was practically engraved into the side of my body. When we first arrived I was surprised at how easy it was to get around in the city, we used the metro to get to the touristy areas and also the bus to get to the big one- the Eiffel Tower. It was the main thing we wanted to see and with no maps and hardly any preparation for the trip it was going to be fun searching for it! When we came up from the underground we walked past gorgeous buildings that probably had an important historic meaning but we would never know. Then I looked up and around and bingo- the tower. So there it was, and being the three girls we are, we decided well, that's where we want to be so lets just walk towards it. I mean, as long as we can see it in the skyline somewhere, we should be able to find it right? And as it turns out, following a monument in the sky is like looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's just not going to work out..

After asking many people how to get to the Eiffel Tower I got many looks from them like I was crazy! I thought, this is your city, how can you not know where the main attraction is? craziness.

Me: "Excuse me, do you know how we can get to the Eiffel (pronounced "I-full") Tower?
Them: Blank expression and mild confusion
Me: "Eiffel Tower", shaking head in amazement
Them: <....something in French....>
Me: Frantically making my best Eiffel Tower Model with my hands
Them: ah! Thee Eiffel!! (pronounced "I-fell")
Me: yeah that one :)

Lesson Learned, I'm not going back until I am completly fluent in French! As part of our whole reason of going, we had a 100% french meal (I had a dish that sounded really good in French although I can't remember the name, basically it was veal,rice&mushroom.) and my two travel buddies managed to down a bottle of wine. (and before 1pm at that) But hey, when in Paris!...

Overall it was a good trip, yet especially good because it was so unplanned and under our terms.

They're Driving with the Tops Down

Welll Kids, it's been a week now since little miss austin left me which means I'm back to missing people as she temporarily distracted me! I'm STILL recuperating from our week of non-stop action but I'm so thankful she came to visit. Now I have to work on the rest of you!

The weather here has been literally shocking. I've needed my sunglasses for the past week and I haven't had to wear a jacket! I think the city's mood really picks up when there is sun because the parks are filled with picknic-ing people and some have even been sunbathing on our roof! (It really isn't that warm but to each it's own I suppose)

Mother's Day in the UK is celebrated today, March 22 and I was supposed to go home for both of the dates but my mom refuses to let me come home as both her annd Rodney are both sick. Get Well Sooon! Which also gives me another month to keep adding on to the present :)

So in other news, I am now done with Week 1 of body detox! I only drink water. Instead of having chips/fries (crisps/chips) for a snack I have fruits & veggies. And I haven't been eating any red meat. Whenever I tell people about my little detox plan they think I'm crazy for being on any kind of diet but this has nothing to do with losing weight at all! My favorite foods are steaks, burgers and fries with a lot of salt and vinegar. Basically I can just feel my arteries clogging up with all of the grease and junk food I eat and I fear what the inside of my body looks like from what I put in my mouth!!You know that saying a skinny person can be just as unhealthy as a bigger person?? Well I guess thats not really a saying but its SO true! So I'm doing this for 2 weeks hoping that these healthy actions will stay in place long after.

Come be healthy with mee <3

TGIF?

Heyy Guys :)

Its Fridayyy! Which means one week from today, and as of 5 hours ago, Austin will be here!! And yet even though we've been planning an itinerary for 2 weeks (yes i am that much of a nerd) we still don't know what we're doing that first day. hmm

But in other good news, the C that I was freaking out over managed to become a B. So all is good now ;) I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and you make it through this first weekend without whatever (if anything) you gave up for lent!

Tonight we're going to see one of my amazingly talented friends in a play near Tower Bridge which I'm extremely excited about because she is sure to be a star. The next few days are going to be jam packed with work that I should be doing when Austin is here but wont so next blog= really long time from now.
xoxo

My poor little blog, who left you alone like this?

Hello anyone that is still mildly entertained by my life! (Count me out) I'd like to put a really good excuse here as to why I've been MIA but I don't have one. So I'll get to the point--

My second semester here started 3 weeks ago. I actually adore my classes this time around! Any life without finance is a good life. I'm taking Planning & Mgmt. of Events, Marketing, Events Law and Org&Mgmt. Now that I'm used to the way things work around here I feel really good about these classes and I've made a lot more friends in my classes even though my teachers or "tutors" still call me the American, when clearly, I have a name. My grades from 1st semester won't be in until March 6th, I've only gotten one and that a C. I'm not sure how I feel about that, I hate getting anything less than an A really. (so I'm working on getting that C up a bit :)

London has been so good lately because its been 50 degrees for the past 2 weeks! I'm not usually so ecstatic about this, but as long as it's not the 20degrees it has been for the past months, I'm satisfied. The days are still short, it gets dark by 4pm and the temp does go down to the 30's at night. So what I'm getting is this part of England has a short but extremely harsh winter. It snowed once (as opposed to never) and people were freaking out over like the 3 inches.

My sister from another mister is coming in 10 days for her spring break!! I'll pretty much be jumping off the walls until then, I'm having a very hard time just sitting still now. And we're meeting up w. another Mason'er who is here studying abroad. We have sooo much planned it's gonna be a jam packed week!

Anyways, right now I'm consuming my life with thinking about my future. And by future I mean tomorrow, because every day I wake up with a new intention. And alsoooooooo I'm trying to transfer back to Mason for my last year!! At the moment it's not looking good, but I'm working really hard on it.

When I talk to people out here I just cringe because I can hear the British accent coming out of my mouth without even asking me! and I've learned tons of new slang--

"He was looking well fit" - He's really cute/hot
"Swear down!" - I swear!
"Bruv" - Brother
"weather's nice innit??" - isn't it/aint it?
"thats mug" - It's bad
"Bum" - I think this is describing something as good
"fanny" -Thats a females place lol

I should do a weekly dictionary, UK edition lol
Since one of the girls I'm closest to is from Bermuda I've learned a tonn of Island words haha You can hear me on the regular saying moncha, shocka, yeahh buh, and all sorts or thingss. I went to a Carribean comedy show and there was one woman there who talked for 30 minutes and the only word i understood was "ting" I realllyy couldn't tell you anyting else shes said! hahaha

This will be a GREAT semester. Austin in a week. Spring Break/Greece 3 weeks after that. and 5 weeks after that HOME to my friends, rk, family, beach and MacArthur.

OH and thanks to Chris Brown- everyone thinks I come from a state of women beaters.
(hes from tappahannock)