Well, um, yeah. That about sums it up.

I have so many pictures to share with you!

Unfortunately, it's getting close to the end of term. If you've been out of school so long you can't remember what the end of a semester feels like, I came across a video today that illustrates perfectly how it makes me feel. Just so you have a clear picture in your head of me and how I'm spending my time here in London.


End of term kind of makes me feel like this crazy camel:

So now you know.

Signs of a Graduate Student

• Instead of the "Fontenot Flu" after partying on a chilly night, you just get the flu. 
• Your plan for watching Ghostbusters is ruined by your actualized plan of reading Chekhov's Three Sisters.
• You pass on that last cup of coffee, afraid it might keep you up past what you now call a reasonable hour.

My 25th birthday is next week, but the simple act of approaching 30 doesn't scare me nearly as much as the idea of post-post-graduate unemployment,

So I thought I'd get any temporal angst out of the way by noting how I'm actually shaping up to be something resembling studious (as opposed to my former college trade of "getting away with things").

Whew.

Now that's done, I can spend my birthday fan-girling all over the Dr. Who Experience without any qualms.

And now, pictures!

Hyde Park, you so pretty.

It's all fun and games until they bite. Seriously, toddlers can be vicious.

"New York Style" Hotdog

 I just really like this.

Oh, hey random statue lady. You hungover, too?

Me! In case you forgot.

One Chance

No pictures in this post, just something I wanted to share with you. Let me see if I can capture this moment:

I’m sitting in the garden in the courtyard, something I hardly ever do. I’m already delighted because I’ve found a wonderful patisserie with the most delicious, cheap sandwiches. I’m sitting on the bench, enjoying my baguette with cucumbers and brie, happy as you please that there will be enough leftovers for my supper. There’s a chill in the air and a stiff breeze, but it actually feels nice being out in the slight cold with my cozy sweater and the hot coffee warming my hands. The architecture of my dorm is flat and unremarkable, but the hotels surrounding it have beautiful detail around the windows and sleek columns marking their tiny entryways. All of the buildings in the courtyard are white, so even under a completely overcast sky the garden stands out as a lush oasis. The trees in the garden are beautiful and full, and although every bit of it was obviously planned the square doesn’t look or feel overly manicured. It’s settled, it’s claimed this space. There's a sign that says it's only been here a few years. It could have easily been here for ages and everyone decided, “This place is fantastic. Let’s just build around it.”

I’ve got my music on, and “One Chance” by Modest Mouse starts to play.

I decide that eating a good meal in a pretty park on a cool day in a warm sweater with hot coffee is probably one of the greatest things to experience alone.

The chorus of the song comes around again, and pulls me off my train of thought.

We have one chance, one chance, to get everything right.

I think about every change that has brought me here, and all of the times I wanted to pull out my hair because I could see my life slipping away into something I would hate and I was terrified.

I think about my mother and my friends and my family and all of the love that has constantly surrounded me, even when I was so desperately unhappy and probably very difficult to be around.

And although I do get sad here, because there are people I miss with all my being, because for so long the people in my life were the only reason I ever found joy, I look around me and I can’t fathom the improbability of it all, that I’m here and seeing and learning unbelievably wonderful things. I’m blown away by the idea that this is my life, and I feel so happy that I have to keep myself from crying.

Things I Have Learned Thus Far

1. Never assume that a bacon sandwich comes with anything other than bread and bacon. You will be out almost 5 pounds and very disappointed in your lunch.

2. Londoners have no fear of large, fast-moving vehicles.

3. They are, however, seemingly terrified of strangers spending too much money. On taxis, cellphones, beer- no matter where you're heading, they can direct you somewhere cheaper. And they will. You can't stop them.

4. It's ok to actually respond to "Hello, how are you?" instead of just nodding your head.

5. A lot of students I have met want to study in America. It's never really just about the destination, sometimes people just want to try something out away from home.

6. Brits watch American TV and try on American accents, which makes me feel like much less of a dork for doing it any time I watch Dr. Who.

7. Tube prices will sneak up on you faster than a bar tab.


And now for some pictures for you!

Dorm: Before

Dorm: Before

After!

I brought some color from home.

Super Special Awesome Wall of Photos and Things

Mmm, bookcase.

My working desk. I keep things on it that inspire me to do things.

The library at my school is in a castle. No big deal.

Not a bad view from the bus stop.

Beautiful green pathways that trick you into walking everywhere ever.

This should last about a week. Thanks, Daddy!

The Monkey Puzzle. I'll probably be spending more time here, it was delightful.

Apparently disguising yourself as a Dalek was one of the many ways citizens guarded themselves against the Blitz. 

In other news, classes started this week and are so far amazing. I came into the room for my first class to see all the chairs in a circle. I love that theatre people love to sit in circles. There's no "lecture" style environment in any of my courses.

I might take up fencing again, if time permits. I hope it does.

I miss you all and will see you soon! December is creeping up quick.

The Journey Here - 2 (great big long post)

Some pictures and a few stories for ya. Picture it, London, 2011:

I woke up, apparently the only one who slept on the plane, just in time to see my first sunrise in the UK:

Well, hello there, England.

After cajoling our luggage into submission on two trains, we made it to Paddington Station:

The beautiful archways seem to empower the pigeons, who have remarkable aim.

And promptly got lost. We got our bearings after looking at a map for 10 minutes, giving up and asking a hotel doorman which way we should go. We were only two blocks away from our hotel.

Since it was only 7 am, we couldn't check in, but thankfully they let us leave the rebellious luggage. Then it was off to breakfast, and lots of errands.

Like me buying new shoes, because I couldn't take the walking in mine.

Most of this was uneventful- turns out opening a bank account in the UK is just as boring as opening one in the US- so for your enjoyment, here are a bunch of ok pictures of beautiful things!

Cheap Strongbow is a beautiful thing.

Father-Daughter time over some fish and chips!

Sight seeing on top of a double-decker tour bus. London from the River Thames.

Me and my Aunt Phoebe, enjoying the sunny-but-cool weather.

Going across Tower Bridge.

Big Ben!

I read his sweatshirt as "Student fart" because I'm 12.

And if I ever get homesick, I can go here and judge their BBQ:

Nothing says home like paying $40 for mashed potatoes.

And now, for pictures with stories:

So, there are a few culture shock things that I've encountered. Some of them you expect, like the look you get from a cashier when you inevitably refer to British Sterling as "bucks" or "dollars." Some of them catch you by surprise, like going to Argos to buy things for your dorm.

"It's a big shop, they have lots of stuff you can find there, blankets and hair dryers, anything. And at discount prices, and with guarantees."

So you thank the helpful hotel desk clerk and you follow his directions to Argos. And you hear it's like a Target, and you're excited for some kind of familiarity because it's been a long day full of new things.

You see the door sign from the street, a bright beacon of wonderful retail therapy, and you walk in and see.... computers. And little papers and tiny pencils.

After the "these are not the droids I'm looking for" moment, it turned out to be kind of cool. You browse through a touch screen for your items, write down the number and bring it up to a clerk. If they have it somewhere in back, you pay for it and they bring it to you. So as long as you don't mind blindly trusting a picture to depict what you need, it's pretty brilliant.

Aside from a disastrous attempted trip to campus, and an equally disastrous trip to Tesco through the seedy outskirts of London (only to arrive 15 minutes too late to buy a phone), everything has been splendid.

And even though I still take too long to count out change, I'm adjusting fairly quickly. For example, it only took a brief few seconds to realize that my new iron takes a while longer to change temps than my old one.

A few seconds is all it takes to burn a triangle into your shirt.

But if things get crazy I can just look out my dorm window.

Oh, right! It's ok because I live in London now.

The Journey Here - 1

I got to spend my last day in the US mostly on the beach with my wonderful Aunt Phoebe.

We went shopping on the strand,

The bottom is made of wicker! Who does that?

His name is Steve.

Rode a dolphin, 

Don't act like you're not impressed.

 

 

And of course, spent some time at the beach!

 Then, it was time to pack and oh, you know, just move me to London.

Me, dominating my luggage. The actual trip over/drag ratio was slightly in their favor.

Farewell, US!

Update to come soon, it's just--

Until I get a phone, I'll be walking around the streets of London with this expression on my face:

"I can has phone now pls?"

Once I've thoroughly De-Buseyed my face, I will post an actual update.