I'm graduating?

I recently reread a few of my blog posts (okay, I will be honest, I was procrastinating from writing a paper on analyzing a-bungarotoxin) and I realized how much has changed since London. One year ago today, I went  to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and a tree lighting in Trafalgar Square. That week I had gone to the V&A, Sir John Soane's museum, Westminster, and had tea in a crypt, saw the changing of the guard, went to borough market, Abbery Road, 221B Baker Street, and the Hyde Park Winter carnival. That was one week! I don't remember being exhausted or not sleeping but goodness that is a lot! It's also ridiculous to reread these blog posts because in the December blog posts, I didn't even write about walking by Big Ben, the London Eye, Whitehall, the horse guards, etc. By December, seeing the sites of London was an everyday experience that was not even worth noting in my blog.  It's funny how time flies and how quickly I adapted to living in the metropolis of London.

But maybe the bigger difference is how much my thinking has changed. In London, we planned a few days ahead, maybe a week, but I rarely thought about what would happen in a month, much less a year. But now, here I am, and breakfast, lunch and dinner conversations always mention the future. The girls who I lived with in London are now applying for graduate schools and jobs, we ask questions like "Would I like to live in Arkansas? What about Seattle?" and friends respond saying things like "I could see you in San Francisco" or "I don't see you liking the East coast." Furthermore, we discuss good verbs to have on our resumes, should we say "assessed" or "analyzed", do jobs from the summer before college matter, and should I use size 12 or 11.5 font. There are good days and bad, one day someone's letters of recommendation is missing, another day someone gets an interview, rejections, waitlists, and acceptances are becoming a large part of our lives. Some days we tread lightly at a meal, knowing a key acceptance or rejection is due that day, other days we try to pretend that the real world doesn't exist and we immerse ourselves in a discussion of who we would eat first if we were trapped on a desert island.

As for me, I "graduated" on Thursday. We had a nice catered dinner and got a goodie bag with a Grinnell mug and water bottle.

I still have two weeks of classes, but I am one step closer to finishing my Bachelor's degree. I know officially know that next year I will be in school to become an Occupational Therapist. Luckily, the time I have spent with OTs has reassured me that helping individuals become more independent and improve in their activities of daily living will be a satisfying, challenging and exciting job. I can't wait to start this part of my life but I am first going to enjoy my last six months in Grinnell! 

My mom somehow knows how to pack a care package that simultaneously says "I know you are an adult" (socks and fancy snacks) and "you are still a kid" (punching balloons, flying helicopters, light up toys, cotton candy and gummy bears) all while saying "I love you". NOTE: This care package also included a box of RitzBitz Peanut Butter. I was really excited to get these and have a snack while in class. I noticed the box was open but oh well! But then the bag was open. The person sitting next to me reassured me that my mom must have gotten hungry and grabbed a few to eat. So I ate one. It was horrible and stale but I was in class so I couldn't spit it out. I turned the box to look at the best by date- MAR 2014. THEY EXPIRED 9 MONTHS AGO! So I threw them away and they are not pictured here. But otherwise an A+ care package.  

Mind the Gap

In London, there is a phrase that I heard all of the time on the tube, "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform". "Mind the Gap" has become a catchy phase that is put onto everything from t-shirts to bookmarks. At our last dinner, Professor Vinter gave each of us a keychain with the phrase "mind the gap" on it. Afterwards, while giving her speech, she said something that made me think. She said that when we go back to the US, there will be cultural changes and we should mind the gap, remember what we have learned in London, and maintain the gap and keep it in the back of our minds. Professor Vinter's speech was much more eloquent than that; however, the point is the same; we have all been changed and should appreciate these differences.

I have been home for two days now (four when publishing this) and it has been wonderful and a little strange. I got to MSP on Saturday at about 9pm (after my flight was delayed for 1.5 hours) and then found my mom, retrieved my baggage, and then went out to eat with my parents before picking Gilly up at the airport. By the time we got home and I got to bed it was after 12:30 ct (6:30 London time). I was exhausted, but it was so exciting to be home, see my family, and hold my kitties.

They say that everyone will have some sort of culture shock returning from abroad; however, coming from London, I doubted how much this would be true. In Minnesota, the streets are quieter, the ground is snowier, pop is served with ice and refilled, and words like "barbecue sauce" and "to go" are back in my vocabulary. It is wonderful to be home with my family and has been wonderful to have a few relaxing days. On Monday, I saw three people total. Not sure the last time that that happened, it was probably months ago.

Going abroad was an amazing experience and I am so fortunate I was able to go abroad and travel extensively. I learned a lot this semester. I can now recite the English kings in order (thanks Eleanor!), navigate London, and I have a lot more faith in my own abilities. Before this semester, I would never have thought of traveling alone in Europe. After a week of traveling in Italy, I realized that I can travel in an unknown city, in a different language, and have an amazing day.

I want to say thanks to all of the people who made this such a phenomenal experience. Thanks to my flatmates who lived with me day in and day out. We had so much fun and you guys all added so much craziness to everyday.

Thanks to all of the Grinnellians who I traveled with, had class with, and hung out with. Finally, thanks to my family who skyped me at 6am, 4pm, 1am, and all hours in between. You always put a smile on my face and reminded me of the bigger picture.  Thanks for supporting me, giving me the freedom to go abroad, and allowing me to learn on my own.

I hope this blog was interesting to read and kept you updated on my travels. Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

London

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Belgium

Wales

Scotland

Italy

England

Paris

Ireland

Last Day

Yesterday was our last day in London! In the morning, I went with Kate and Kimmie to sell Kimmies books and then we went to the Hyde Park carnival. It was fun to walk around during daylight and I took some pictures that will go up later! Afterwards, we walked past Buckingham palace, St. James' palace, Big Ben, and the eye. We took some corny pictures (to be added later) and then got a chimney cake at the Soutbank market before heading home. I was exhausted so I took a quick nap before I finished packing. I have no idea how heavy my bag is so I will figure that out in two hours! In the evening, people came over and hung out for a bit and said goodbyes. At 4:30, Kate and Eleanor left. We leave in an hour! I am really excited to getting home, but I still have to get my three bags and myself to Farringdon station, get on a tube, get off the tube, go up two flights of stairs, get onto a second tube, get to Heathrow, turn in oyster card, check in (and hope that my bag is under 50 pounds), get to my gate and then relax for nine hours. Luckily, four of us will be going to the airport together, and there will be lots of Grinnellians with layovers in Chicago so hopefully our gates will be close. Then, after going through customs I hope to have a short wait at Chicago before flying to Minnesota. Hopefully the weather cooperates! Fingers crossed!

The Last Few Days

The last few days have been a crazy mix of excitement, sadness, happiness, and stress as we all try to pack, prepare to go home, and say our goodbyes! On Wednesday, we had our last day of class and our professor brought us yummy cookies and bars. Afterwards, we came home and worked on a bit of packing, last paper edits and then we went to a pub for  a bit in the evening.

On Thursday, I ran a ton of errands! In the morning I made french toast for everyone (in a desperate attempt to use up the remaining groceries). Then I sold my books, printed my paper and turned it in, and bought a few last souvenirs. In the evening, we had "The Last Supper", our end of the semester dinner. All of our professors showed up and we had a delicious meal! When we arrived we got our prosecco and then our appetizers arrive (I got calamari). We had the cracker things that you open and we did it the fancy way with crossed arms so that was really fun. After that, we were all looking ridiculous with the silly hats and told the "jokes" that were in the crackers. A bit later, our main courses arrived and I got really yummy chicken with prosciutto, green beans and roasted potatoes. Then, for dessert I got a chocolate molten lava cake with ice cream and it was delicious! We finished the night with limoncello and then we all hung out and took pictures. It was really fun and the meal lasted over three hours!

Eleanor and Meredith

Half of the room

GIL professor and director, Prof. Vinter, giving her speech

Lacey (program assistant) and Prof. Vinter opening cards

Prof. Katy Layton-Jones adding hats to Dany's head

Nathalie, Kate, Prof. Julianna, Kimmie, and me

Kate, Prof. Layton Jones, Kimmie, and me

Flat: Meredith, Sara, Kate, me and Eleanor

Sara, Mollie and me

Roommates: Meredith, me, and Sara

The truth of our relationship!

Afterwards, nine of us decided to walk home and it was a gorgeous night out so it was really fun to walk around and see London one more time at night!

I am going to miss this city!

Time is Winding Down

The last few days have gone by really quickly. Sunday I caught up on sleep, read a book and wrote a paper. Monday I had class and then we went to the British Film Institute to watch the movie Bloody Sunday. It was horribly depressing; however, very informative. After a quick dinner break, we walked to the Young Vic to see the musical The Scottsboro Boys. The musical focused on the case of the Scottsboro Boys. Some people did not like it as they thought it was inappropriate to sing and dance about rape and racism; however, I thought that it actually showed how ridiculous the racism was and was done appropriately. The dancing was phenomenal and we had seats in the second row so we could see the sweat on them (gross!). Today we ordered pizza and watched a Christmas movie, ate Christmas puddings, and hung out. Tomorrow I am going to start packing and so some final shopping.

It is crazy to think that I will be home in four days and it will be really sad to leave London but I am now ready to be home. It is going to be a crazy emotional four days but it will be exciting and we will all see each other back in Grinnell.

The Best Day Ever- This Week

On Saturday, Kimmie, Kate and I set out with a long agenda for the day. We began by walking down to borough market and stopped at the Thames on the way. Kate's internship is on the river and she saw her boss so we went down to the river for a few minutes before continuing. At Borough market, we walked around for a while but it was pretty busy so we only stayed for about an hour. From there, we took the tube to Abbey Road.

Abbey Road

From there, we took the tube and then went to 221B (where Sherlock lives). 

Then, we walked to Hyde Park to the Winter Carnival. It was super packed and there was an enormous line to get in so we decided to skip it and played in the leaves instead. 

Kate and Kimmie wanted to go ice skating so we took a bus to Trafalgar Square and then walked to Somerset House. Unfortunately, they were sold out for the day so we couldn't skate. 

Awesome bus we rode.

Since we were across the river from the Southbank Market, we decided to head over to get chimney cakes. They are like a donut, made on a rolling pin and cooked on the rolling pin so it has a crispy outside and soft inside. Kate and Kimmie wanted to ride a carousel so I took pictures while they did that and then we went home.

Kimmie kept saying that this was the best day ever...this week, thus the title for today's blog post.

Changing of the Guard

On Friday morning, Eleanor and I took a bus to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. By the time we arrived (11:05), it was already packed with people. People are lined up on the fences of the palace, across the road, and on the Victoria memorial. Eleanor and I made our way to the fence and found a decent spot to watch from. It was the most ridiculous ceremony to watch but I enjoyed it. Two processions of guards (each with their own band) come down the street and then enter the palace. Then, for 30 minutes, two guys with flags walk around, two guys with swords walk around, the guards sometimes shuffle right or left, one guys shouts a few things, and the guards eventually change. I was laughing for a majority of the ceremony because it was so silly. Afterwards, Eleanor and I took the bus home and then did lots of homework so we do not have to do anything this upcoming week.

Guards coming down the street (also, you can see a bit of the crowd here)