"I'm Coming Home, I'm Coming Home, Tell the World I'm Coming Home..."

The past ten weeks of my life have been a whirlwind. So many emotions I didn’t even know existed have surfaced. I have done countless hours of reflecting and am starting to find myself again (sounds lame right?); the person I like and am happiest to be.


You see, this entire trip has been quite a struggle for me. I honestly can say I have been homesick the full ten weeks and not a day went by where I didn’t think about my family and the people I missed back in the U.S. But you know what? I’ve come to accept this fact—it’s ok to miss people! It proves to me how great my family and friends are and has made me appreciate everyone so much more.

During my time here I have spent a lot of time wandering through London’s Royal Parks. This has played a HUGE part in getting me through the tough days (as well as Skype and my 2 best friends here, Kirsten and Monica). I usually took a book, snack, and my iPod loaded with John Mayer and Colbie Calliat, and found a nice grassy spot near a pond full of ducks. It was those times where I could relax and take my mind off whatever had me in a not so happy mood. I enjoyed spending time with my friends of course, but I have learned it’s important to have some Haley time where I can focus on myself and get my emotions in check.

My girls and I in Brugge

Another thing that was quite different from home was the people. People in London are much more reserved than back home. I love to smile at people on the streets—it makes me feel good, like I am brightening their day. Well in London, people do not particularly enjoy when you smile at them…one of my tourist books said “don’t smile at people you don’t know.” I just felt like I had to walk around with a blank look on my face and that made me feel kind of bad…but I have learned to smile to myself on the inside which, although it doesn’t have the same effect, still makes me feel good :)

I'll miss this girl!!!

Anyway, on to my next point-as many of you probably know, this trip was my very first time EVER being away from home (I chose quite the location for my first time on my own)!! It was something I have wanted to do ever since I went off to college but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. For one thing, I have missed my mom’s cooing so much!!! I mean, the food in London is not bad, but it’s definitely not the same as Mrs. Fletcher’s :) But being thousands of miles away from the comforts of home has really forced me to step out of my comfort zone and become a much more independent person. I have had to do tons of things on my own, and I’ve also become quite good at asking questions! Who would have thought!

Girls in Milano...seems like that was soooo long ago

I remember that first week calling (Skyping actually) my family as I was balling my eyes out, snot dripping down my face (attractive yeah…) I just felt horrible for some reason and couldn’t stop missing them! I even told them I wanted to come home and didn’t think I could do it…which totally broke my heart to say because giving up is not something I enjoy doing. Going home probably would have been the biggest mistake I could have ever made and something I would always have regretted. Thankfully, my parents calmed me down and made me push through it.

London has helped me get out of the rut I was stuck in back home. I’d follow a strict schedule/diet and was so uptight about doing the same thing every day that if my schedule was thrown off, I would let it ruin my whole day. I’d get really moody and upset and it just wasn’t fun being in that kind of mood all the time. But these 10 weeks have made me realize following a strict routine like that actually sucks quite a bit. Take for example today…I took my book, went to a coffee shop, and read for an hour! Just sat and read…I can’t imagine ever doing that before. If I wasn’t doing something productive all the time, it felt like my day was a waste. Life in London is so much more relaxed and easy-paced and I am starting to fall in love with it.

Another thing about me is that I am what you could call a health freak. Exercise is super important to me and is a huge part of who I am. Typically, I have to work out everyday otherwise I feel like garbage. In London, my mindset is totally different. If I miss a run/workout, it’s OK! I don’t get angry or upset and usually I even feel better J I enjoy this new mindset and feel like it’s going to make being at home a lot more enjoyable than before this trip. This has also carried over to my “obsession” with healthy food. Now, I eat what I want, when I want (like they say eat what you want in moderation!) and feel better about myself than I have in a long time! Besides, who could resist a fresh pastry, or some fish-n-chips? Not this kid :)

One reason my routines have become so relaxed is that to me, time does not really exist here. Yes, I go to class on time and stuff like that but I am not constantly worried about what time it is or am checking my watch/looking for a clock. I go about my day doing what I want, when I want and don’t try to cram a hundred million things into a 24 hour period of time. I feel better about myself than I ever have before and can truly say this experience has made me grow-up and grow out of annoying, stupid habits I had.

London is a trip I will never ever forget and has opened a whole new chapter in my life…I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity and have seen so many amazing things I never even dreamed of seeing. It’s now time to pack up my flat and say goodbye to those new friends I have made. Hopefully we can stay in touch and get together and reminisce about our trip.

Girls of flat 20A

But right now, I can’t wait to see my family and give them the biggest hugs they have ever received. For one last time, here’s the Little Londoner, signing out J

I hate goodbyes...

Today is kind of a sad day...it's the last day ever in Woodland Court. I thought it would be easy to say goodbye to my friends, but I'm finding it harder than expected. I already had to say bye to Monica and I may have cried a little (It's okay to be sad right)?

Last night we had a "last night" dinner at Hache, our fave burger place. It was just kind of bittersweet knowing that in the morning everyone would be going their seperate ways. I tried not to think about it though because that would have brought the mood down.

At Hache I ordered the Honey Moutard chicken burger with a side of sweet potato fries and of course it was incredible. I just don't understand how it is possible to make chicken and steak burgers so fricken juicy and delish!! It was pretty funny when the waitress brought out the sweet potato fries because the guys at the table next to us (who had been trying to make awkward convos all evening) were like "What are those!? Are they spicy?!" It was like they had never seen a sweet potato fry before...I could tell they wanted to ask if they could try one but I gave them the stink eye and they backed off :)

After dinner, we just headed back to the flat to hang out and drank some of Monica's Scottish whisky-she bought it in Scotland and it was so incredibly tasty compared to the stuff in the states! It was a pretty chill night since a lot of people had to wake up early to catch flights this morning.

I woke up bright and early this morning as I couldn't sleep and was not looking forward to a day of goodbyes...I will be okay, it's just tough getting used to new friends and a new environment and then having to say goodbye to everything. Today is my last day in good ole Woodland Court so I will probably repack all my suitcases since they seem a little heavy, and then head out to do some of my most favorite things.

Tomorrow I have some pretty special visitors coming and cannot wait! :) We will be travelling around the UK until March 22nd and then I will be officially coming home...I am actually getting kind of excited to head back and readjust...and see all my lovlies back in the U.S.

Also, just wanted to let you all know how much you mean to me and how appreciative I am of the support you have given me through this entire 10 week excursion...I am so lucky to have the best family and friends and without you all I never would have made it through this adventure. Thinking about all the people affected by the quake in Japan really makes me think about how important it is to tell the people in your lives how much they mean to you...sorry I don't mean to get all emotional, but I just have a lot of stuff running through my mind right now...plus it is cloudy which just adds to the emotion...

"Goodbyes are not forever, goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you untill we meet again."

Well I must get going as I have a few last minute things to do around here before heading out for the afternoon.

Love you all and I will be seeing you so incredibly soon!!! 10 days!!! :)

-Lil London Lady

Crawling around the Monopoly Board...London style!

Whoa, yesterday was a crazy busy day! It was my last Thursday in London so I decided I was going to go go go until my little leggies couldn't go anymore. At 10am I packed myself a little power bar and headed to the Museum of London. I probably should have visited this museum the very first week I was in London but regardless, it was very cool. It pretty much was all about the history of London and did an excellent job explaining the Great Fire of London (I didn't know much about the fire so it was fun to read about). There was also a part that showed what London is going to be like in the future if things keep going as they are (population wise and stuff like that-pretty neat). Outside the museum, there was remains from the London Wall...awesome!

London Wall

After the museum, I walked along the Thames towards Leicester Square once again. Monica and I were trying to figure out something fun to do for the afternoon and she suggested the Monopoly pub crawl which we had wanted to do since like week 3 in London. We agreed to meet back at the flat and plan our attack route and then head out.

The Monopoly Pub Crawl is a pub crawl based on the Monopoly board game. It involves visiting 26 pubs which correspond to stops on the Monopoly board. We of course coudln't make it to all 26 due to time constraints so we decided to start with #10. We took the tube to Green Park and started the adventure.

The first stop: Rose and Crown

#11: Ye Grapes

#12: The Blue Post

#13: Red Lion

#14: The Lord Moon of The Mall

#15: Sherlock Holmes (my personal fave)

This was our choice of brew from the Sherlock Holmes...it tasted like I was drinking pure salt...I kind of wanted to vom but finished it anyway

#16: The Wellington

#17: Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

#18: Marquess of Anglesey

#19: O'neill's

#20: The Moon Under Water

#21: The Comedy Pub

#22: Captains Cabin

#23: Leicester Arms

#24: Duke of York? This wasn't the right pub but it was in the exact location of the one we were looking for so we took a picture anyway

#25: Spread Eagle

After walking around for about 4 hours we were pretty exhausted but it was well worth it. We're still not exactly sure why it's called the Monopoly Pub Crawl but it was a good time. It was also interesting to see how different the pub scene is during the day versus at night...much less crazy.

Then at night, we hit up SNOG one last time :( I will miss this place hugely. I got another souvineer spoon (bringing my total to 3) and this time got mango, brownie, and granola in my SNOG. Soooo good and a great ending to a busy day. Then it was time to head home and study for my last final which I took this morning...I think I passed :)

I can officially say I am a senior in college now...so unreal. I still don't even know what I want to do with my life!!! But London has really made me start to think about the future and has made me grow up a lot.

Tonight is kind of a bittersweet night as most of my friends are leaving in the morning or meeting up with their families...it's going to be hard to say goodbye to Monica and Kirsten. Monica and I are going to Hache one last time so I will put up some pictures when I get back.

Alright, gotta get ready.

-Hausta La Waygo!

Last Pub ski ski

As the week comes to a close I am making a point to hit up my most favorite activities/restaurants in Londy. It's so strange to think that in 2 weeks time I will be back in WI (hopefully snow free by then!) and this trip will just be a memory...that's why it's important to "live up" these last few days.

So Monica and I have made a list of things we want to accomplish before we go our seperate ways...one involved having cider black for a final time and another involved having real pub food.

On Tuesday night we headed to Camden Town on the bus around 7PM and picked a nice little pub called the Camden Head. It was a super neat atmosphere inside and it made me wish I would have gone to Camden a lot more! When we got there it was pretty quiet but by the time we left (yes, 8:20pm) the place was hoppin! See in Londy, they are kind of obsessed with this little sport called "football." Whenever there is a game, people go crazy! The pubs get stuffed full of fans screaming and cheering. It is quite exciting and I can't belieive I am saying this but I have actually started to enjoy watching football...everyone seems to love Arsenal here so I guess that is the team I cheer for :) Oh p.s. let me tell you how stinky these pubs get...think of over 50 sweaty men drinking alcohol and you can probably picture the stench...you get used to it after a while but when you first walk in it's pretty raunchy.

Our bus stop! Good ol' Market Road

Drink that cider black!

Cider black makes everything better :)

So Mon and I ordered ourselves some cider black and hung out by the bar, taking in the game, and reminiscing about our time in London. When our first cider was gone, we decided to get a second since we didn't know the next time we would be able to enjoy this tasty drink...lets just say by the time we left we were feeling pretty darn good :)

So happy after our pub experience

Then last night (Wednesday) we decided to head in the opposite direction and go to Islington-Angel. We wanted some authentic pub food once again but decided we are kind of over the whole fish-n-chips thing...you can only have fried fish and french fries so many times until they start tasting the same...

Anyway, we hit up another Camden Head but they informed us they stopped serving food at 5PM (It was only around 7:15) which seemed kind of rediculous so we went in search of a different pub to get some grub. We found an Irish pub across the street called Oneill's. Good choice by us...this pub was awesome. It was all decorated for St. Paddy's Day and the atmosphere was super fun. There was of course another football game on-Tottenham vs. A.C. Milan, so we got to watch that too! Once again, you could hear the football fans screaming and celebrating when their team did something good...love it.

Oneill's decorated for St. Paddy's Day

Football! AC Milan v. Tottenham

Once again, we decided to order cider black (I was soooo close to ordering a Guiness but couldn't bring myself to do it). We sat and contemplated what to order foodwise for about 15 minutes-typical for us because everything always sounds so good-and finally decided on the steak and guiness pie! I haven't experienced the famous pies of Londy yet so this was pretty exciting. We ordered and the waitress informed us that the steak pie was part of the 2 for 9 pound deal! We didn't even know they had that deal so we were pumped! We got 2 huge entrees and 2 pints of cider black for 16 pounds!!! Cheapest meal ever! The food came and it smelled/looked amazing! I told myself I was going to be a good girl and pace myself and not finishe the entire plate...welp that lasted long before I said "screw it, I can get back in shape when I get home" :) hehe oopsies. I keep saying this after every meal but this may have been one of my top 5...the pie was amazing and you could actually taste the Guiness!! It was kind of bittersweet knowing this will probably be my last pub meal with my good friend Monica and I hate thinking about saying goodbye so I think the cider black helped push those thoughts aside for a while...well time to go visit one final museum before I have to study for my last final ever at AIU!!! Wish me luck :)

O.M.G.

This calls for sweatpants time...whoops!

13 days until I am back on a plane heading home...so excited to see everyone and sleep in my own bed :)

See you soon!

-Lil Londoner

A smorgasborg of stuff from my last week in Londy

These past 2 days have been amazing...the weather has been incredible-sunny and mid 50's. It really feels like spring is beginning and it's going to be hard to readjust to the winter wonderland back in WI. Since this is my last week here in Londy, I have been doing all my favorite things and it has been quite lovely. I do at times find myself getting sad about leaving, but I continually remind myself how lucky I have been to have this experience (quite a different mindset from the first week)!

Let me catch you up on what I've been up to...Monday I had my first final (that sounds funny). It was for my British Museum class and I would say it went well to quite well--the only thing that pissed me off was during the entire time I was writing my essay, my professor was choping away on a fricken apple!!! I could not concentrate for the life of me and can't really tell you what I wrote my essay about because my brain was all jumbley. Oh I forgot, since it was such a beautiful day, I decided to forgo the tube and walk to school. It's only about an hour walk and you get to go through Regent's Park which is super relaxing and beautiful.

My walk to school :)

Little treat

You want some don't you?

Anywho, after my final was finished I was feeling pretty proud of myself so I decided to stop at Patisserie Valerie and treat myself to a piece of double chocolate cake (see picture below). Lately it seems like I have been indulging in a lot of sweets but that is becasue in about 2 weeks I will no longer be surrounded by such delicious pastries, cakes, ice creams...ect...except of course for my moms treats :)

So I got my piece of cake-only cost me 2.75-and started my journey back to Woodland Court. I walked again but the way back the sun was lower and it got kind of chilly so I hopped on the bus halfway through and took the easy way home. Once back at the flat, it was time to get ready for Swan Lake! We were seeing it at the Royal Opera House. Let me tell you, this venue was unlike anything I had ever been it. It was huge and so fancy and I loved it. The ballet was incredible. Dancing is such a graceful thing and I just felt so calm throughout the show. I also decided I want to become a ballerina and change my name to Odette (the white swan)...lofty goal I know but a girl can dream right?

The Royal Opera House

Swan Lake cast

The White Swan "Odette" and her Prince "Sigfreud"

The show was super long and got done around 10:30 so we headed home and called it a night. Then this morning I woke up bright and early at 7:30. No matter what time I go to sleep at, it always seems like I'm up at 7:30! How annoying! I started my day off with the usual breaky and then planned my itinerary for the day (I like to do this so I make sure to fit everything in)! Once again, it was sunny so my list included a lot of walking around again...I've been walking so much lately that all my shoes are starting to wear out...oops! Looks like I'll need to buy some new ones :) So around 10am I grabbed my sungoggles and headed out.

Dad likes my big sunglasses...this one's for you!

Once again I walked through Regent's Park and then wandered some streets and ended up in Hyde Park. It was such a glorious day that I just sat by the water for a bit and basked in the sun. Then I walked past Green Park, through Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square, and down to Strand Street to try and find some lunch. I got a call from Monica right as I was getting in line to order and she said she was pretty close to me so I decided to grab a snack and meet up with her to get a real lunch. We decided we were craving burgers and fries and settled on this place called Ed's Easy Diner...you can probs imagine what it was like just by the name...my kind of diner! I ordered a bean burger with fries and a cherry coke float (I know, usually I don't drink soda but who could pass up a cherry coke float?). Monica got a chili cheese dog and it looked incredible. Our waiter was super nice and kinda cute so we both left a small tip-usually you don't tip here-and then we were off again to enjoy the weather.

Ed's "easy" Diner

Classy

Cherry Coke Floar :)

Aww gonna miss this girl!! Monica and her chili dog!

We ended up walking back down to Strand Street to go to the Twinings musuem/shop to purchase more tea. I have already been there once and I absolutely love this place. It has all the tea and coffee you could ever want and everything is stamped with the approval seal of the queen herself so that means it's good quality tea :) I spent about 12 pounds on tea and decided my souvineer shopping should pretty much be done now. 

The Twinings Tea Museum/Shop

We went here on the first pub tour but I never got a picture-this is the one where Sweeny Todd did his work...

My first picture of a phone booth...a little late?

After that, we walked back to Picadilly Circus to try and find the first ever red phone booth but were unsuccessful so I settled with this little guy. Monica settled with a cinnabon...yum-o. We then made our way back to Traflagar Sqaure and hit up the Leicester Square tube to take us home...I was exhausted at this point as I had been walking around for a good 6ish hours. Now tonight Monica and I are going to get some Cider Black and have a chill night...I will probably pass out around 10PM from all the fresh air and walking today. Maybe I will get lucky and sleep in until 8?

Until next time, Cheers!

-Hale

Final full weekend as an AIU student

Welp, can you believe 9 weeks have already passed? I sure can't. This weekend was my last weekend as an AIU student. I am soooo excited to be almost dunzo with classes (hooray for an extra long summer) but am getting a little sad about leaving London. Since this was my last weekend on my own, I wanted to make sure all my favorite things were accomplished one last time.

I spent a lot of my time visiting the parks and walking along the Thames River (my new obsession). Saturday morning started off great with a trip to Portobello Market for a donut...o.m.g. it was the best donut ever. It was loaded with sprinklies and was so fresh! It wasn't greasy like a typical American donut and didn't make me feel sick after I ate it.

Fresh flowers in March? Only in London!

Mmmm Hmmm...that's what I'm talking about

The best stop at the market :)

"Sprinkle Monster"

I took my freshly purchased donut and headed over to Holland Park to enjoy the sereness of this place. I walked along the wooded pathways and then found a nice bench next to the waterfall where I perched for about an hour enjoying my donut, book, and sound of rushing water...what a relaxing way to spend a Saturday morning.

View from the bench

The rest of Saturday was spent walking around and enjoying the sunshine. I did find a great little cafe for lunch called Leon. I ordered myself the sweet potato falafel to go and took it down by the water. Oh it was delicious!

Later at night, Kirsten, her friend Ashley, and myself ventured to the Salisbury pub to get some fish-n-chips and cider black. To our dismay, the bartender didn't understand what we wanted to drink and instead poured us 3 large glasses of Beck's...I must say, it was not half bad! It was from the tap so maybe that's why it tasted better than the bottled crap? As usual, the fish-n-chips were tasty and by the time my plate was cleaned, I was pretty freaking full. Then it was time to head home and work on some homework before falling asleep a little after midnight.

Today (sunday) pretty much consisted of the same type of activities. I started the day off with a run in my new shoes (have had them for about 2 weeks but haven't worn them because I didn't want to get them dirty) and it was lovely. Then I walked from my flat to Regen't Park where I found a nice bench in the sun and of course read some more. After a while I headed from Regent's to the Strand where I hit up Apostrophe for a muffin and flat white. It was quite nice becasue I was the only one there and for once got a window seat! Usually the window seats are occupied so today I got to enjoy the view of the Courts of Justice. I hung out there for about 45 minutes then hit up the Thames again. The sun was shining and I was happy. I walked past the London Eye, Big Ben, and Houses of Parliment again and could not help taking more pictures. These structures still amaze me no matter how many times I see them! Finally, I walked back past Buckingham Palace and through Green Park where I hopped on the tube and headed for home.

Spiced muffin and Flat White...oh how you complete me

Courts of Justice across from Apostrophe

I spy the London Eye!

:)

I think this could qualify as my fave picture of Big Ben

Flowers for dad...he said he is so excited to smell them

Now since it is finals week, I probably should start preparing as I have my British Museum final tomorrow. It is very hard to be motivated to study in this city because there are sooo many other things to do...but don't worry, I will resist the urge and study the rest of the night :) Tomorrow night I get to see Swan Lake the ballet so that will be a nice little reward!

Alright, gotta hit the books!

-A very unmotivated Little Londoner