Tuesday, June 3, 2014
This Summer Takes me to NYC
From May 31-August 9
Day 1 - Sunday, June 1
..So excited. Shilpa comes today! We have another suitemate too! Looking forward to the summer. It’s gonna be great. Explored the city for a little last night. TImes Square is only ten blocks away. Rode the Toys R Us Ferris Wheel! The view from my window is amazing. Tomorrow is my first day of work.
So many emotions - all positive <3
Friday, August 2, 2013
So i wasn't able to post when I was on vacation with me family but...
Here's a video with some of my pictures!!
Leia Mais…
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Day 22: Rocks and Pools
We set off at about 8:30 for Stonehenge. It was really close and at first we drove by it quickly. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. IN pictures, they make it look so grand. We were given an audio guide with our entrance tickets that took us around the site explaining the history and theories behind it. Although it was just a bunch of rocks, it was cool. I can now just say that I’ve been there.
Then, we drove to Bath, which was about an hour away. It was a really cute city, with shops, cafes, and cute little streets. It was a beautiful day and there were many people there. First, we went to the Roman Baths. We saw the different types of baths, hot springs, and rooms in which people changed, exercised, or got massages. It was really neat and we learned about the traditions of the time. The museum took us through, all the way to 400 A.D. I even drank some of the mineral water at the end! It was disgusting…
Then, we visited the Abbey Cathedral, which was really pretty inside. I’m always amazed at the stained glass windows and organs.
We got some milkshakes and walked through the city. We went over a bridge alongside a gorgeous park. There were people playing cricket and an orchestra that had won some Britain competition this year.
We also visited the Royal Crescent, this cool living complex. People were having picnics outside and it was really pretty.
Overall, a very pleasant visit to Bath.
We then drove to Cardiff and had dinner at an Indian restaurant, Spice Quarter, in the shopping district near our hotel. It was really quiet because it was a Sunday evening.
Played bukharo till almost midnight again.
I took the bukharo twice :)
Day 22 – Goodbye London, Hello Family
My parent’s were coming today!!! Yayayyayay. I was super
super excited to see them. In the morning, I said my goodbyes to my friends. Then, I finished up my packing and headed downstairs to checkout and
wait at the café near my dorm, The Juggler. Luckily, a staff member was on his
way up to clean the rooms when I was coming down with my gigantic heavy bag and
he carried it down for me without me even asking. Love nice people, especially
when they are strong. :)
I waited in the Juggler, had an iced café, and read Harry
Potter. It was coming closet to about 12 and my devices were unfortunately
dying.
But then I saw a reflection of a short guy in a yellow shirt
in the window of the café. I thought that might be my dad. And then, another
guy, taller, in a flannel type shirt and black-framed glasses. Yup. Suchir. I
ran out and said “Hi guys!!” They were looking around for me and I walked up
them all and gave them hugs. I was really happy to see them and they were happy
to see me. We packed the car, which was quite difficult with all of our bags
and my huge bag, but we got it to work. We set off for Stonehenge and
Salisbury.
On our way out of the city, we needed up driving through
everything. I saw it all one last time. The Eye, St. Paul’s, the Houses of
Parliament, Memorial Bridge, Bond Street, Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, the
whole London package. I couldn’t keep my eyes away from the window. I was
really really sad to be leaving London. I had such a great time here the past
three weeks. I’ll definitely come back again.
We later stopped at a small rest area for some drinks and a
small snack. I couldn’t stop talking about
We were staying at the Holiday Inn, about 2 miles from
Stonehenge. It was a nice hotel with a really cool exterior. We freshened up
and drove into Salisbury for dinner. We ate at Cactus Jacks, a Mexican
restaurant. It was yummy :)
Of course, we played bukharo (an Indian card game) till almost midnight that
night. Couldn’t resist. This is what happens on my family vacations!
I’m sad my London experience is over, but I’m really excited
for my upcoming adventures with my family.
Conclusion
I just really need to write a post right now. Be prepared for the sappyness. It’s officially my last day (half day) here. It’s bittersweet. My room is packed, and my flat building is pretty much empty. My fridge is empty too. I’m sitting here writing this post while eating my last Activa peach yogurt. Sad story. I made some good friends on this trip that I will miss and I made memories that will last a lifetime. At times I feel like 3 weeks wasn’t enough, but sometimes I feel like it was just the right amount of time. I needed to get away, and that’s exactly what I did. I have a whole new appreciation and love for this city and I will never look at it the same way again. I do want to come back. I love it here. I feel like I can comfortably live here. Grad school at LSE perhaps? Who knows where my path will take me, I just hope it brings me back here at some point. London has not only been my current city the past few weeks, but my home. I feel connected to everything about it. My dorm, my district, the people, the sights, the tube, everything. I’m sad. I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss my daily route from Old Street to Euston to Goodge Street. I’m going to miss the University of Westminster. I’ll miss seeing the Big Ben, the London Eye, and St. Paul’s almost every day. I’ll miss my class. I’ll miss my friends. I’ll miss shopping in Camden Town, Covent Garden, Oxford Street, and Bond Street. I’ll miss the food. I’ll miss Brighton and Greenwich. I’ll miss all of the adventures I’ve had. I’ll even miss the workers at the halal place and liquor store next door.
I’m going to cherish all of these memories from this unique experience.
I’m also excited though. My parents should be here within the next hour and we are going to have some family adventures of our own. Maybe I haven’t miss this that much, but now that they are coming, I’m really really excited. This is our next trip:
Life goes on, it really does. When one door closes, another opens.
It’s been real.
And with that,
Goodbye London, I’ll love you forever. Oh, and I'll be back :) <3
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Day 20: My Last Night in London
My friends and I went out for one last lunch to Café Concerto. Of course, I had tea – Bombay Chai this time. And the usual mozzarella tomato and basil panini. On our way home, we went to some street markets near Old Street that were kind of similar to the ones I went to in Greenwich. They were selling foods of all different types, fruits, and desserts. It was very lively. I wish I would have known about it earlier because I definitely would have gone there more often during my stay! On our way home, we saw someone selling fruit. I got a whole bowl – four peaches, two oranges, an apple, and two bananas all for only one pound! It was great, and I knew my mom would be happy to eat some when she was arriving the next day.
I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and packing; It took me almost until about 6 or 7 pm. The ISA kids decided to get together and order some pizza and eat together one last time. It was nice to spend time with everyone. We said our goodbyes. I wasn’t really that sad yet because I hadn’t spent much time with them.
The sadness came later that night.
The sadness came later that night.
We went to the London Eye at around 9:30. We wanted to see London lit up at night. It was a little pricey, about 20 pounds, but I can definitely say it was worth it. As we went up I started to think about my past three weeks in London. I thought about St. Paul’s, Tower Bridge, Parliament, Harrods, and all of the other wonderful places I had visited. I was able to see it all from the Eye. It was a breathtaking view. Everything was right in front of me and it made me feel a little nostalgic and emotional. We were all really excited during the first half, but I think as we approached the top we started thinking the same types of things. The rest of the ride was pretty much silent.
When we came back, we had quite an interesting tube ride. Probably the most interesting I’ve had so far. We got onto the line with a giant group of drunken people. The guys were really loud and the one got up and started speaking to the entire cabin about Jesus or something. They kept giggling and it was all so weird. But okay, that’s normal. It’s Friday night. Then, at the next stop, a whole other group of drunken people got on the tube, on the other side. We were kind of just kind of awkwardly chilling in the middle of these two rowdy groups. It was pretty funny. It’s okay, normal. Friday night right. Then, when those people got off, a bunch of drunken moms got on, which was really weird. We were like – what’s happening? So we got off at Euston (Because according to my friend, King’s Cross is way too big and crowded) and went on the Northern Line branch via Bank for Old Street. When we got on, there was this couple and the lady was sitting on the guys lap. So, my friend was like okay, I’ll just take the empty seat next to them. Then, the lady like tried to get off and was about to practically sit on her before she squeezed her way out and scurried to another seat across from us. It was the funniest thing ever. Definitely a memorable last tube ride.
We finally got to Old Street and were in the mood for some milkshakes. one of my friends was leaving the next day, so we convinced her to come with us. By the time she finally came down and we walked to The Diner, they weren’t serving anymore. So we walked around for a bit but nothing was really open. They went to the store and got some stuff and we all just hung out in club kitchen for the rest of the night.
Said my goodbyes and went to bed.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Day 19: Last Day of Class! Happy July 4!
So I was in class for about 45 minutes yesterday. It was great. Then, I came home and made some lunch - trying to get rid of the food in my fridge!
Then, I started getting ready for the river boat party for the students sponsored by the University of Westminster. I wore my new dress that I got from Camden Town the other day. It had birds on it! :)
We had a mini photo shoot. It was really funny. GR8. We headed off to Tower Hill, the meeting point. It was really funny and we were all happy.
The boat was cool, it had three levels and a DJ. It was funny because we set off, but then had to turn around and come back because we forgot the food. It was really really awesome, we had a beautiful view of Tower Bridge and life just felt unreal. We kept shouting "AMURRRCA!!!" We were all just hanging out for the first half, but then the music got awesome and we had a dance party. It was so much fun. I got super super sweaty and icky, but it was worth it. The party went till about 9pm. Then we headed back to the station whilst singing the national anthem really really loudly.
We didn't want the party to end. We came home to change and freshen up and went to Club Kitchen (B13) to hang for a bit. We ended up going out again to some place called Cargo. It was actually really really cool.
Overall it was a fun night and a really great way to end my time here.
Day 18 - Class, ISA Farewell Dinner
On Wednesdays, class usually goes till 5. However, since I was practically done with my magazine and my individual log, I was really hoping that she would let Amara and I out early. Things weren’t looking great. She kept on giving us more tasks and making it seem like she wasn’t going to let us go. I was really annoyed because ISA was having a river boat party and a farewell dinner that all started at 3. I didn’t think I was going to be able to go ): My friend and I talked to our InDesign helper, Val, and told her our situation. We had done so much work for this magazine and it simply wasn’t fair. She agreed and convinced Petsa to let us out early.
So I ran home and got ready. My friends had just gotten home and still wanted to freshen up, so we skipped the river boat ride and just went to the dinner. Turns out, it was in Greenwich. I was happy I got to go there again. We had dinner in this little Greek restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was this old Greek guy. It was really funny and my friends and I were delirious as always.
It ended up being a chill night.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
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