I Fail at Blogging on American Soil

Nearly six months after returning home from London, I am finally posting a new blog post. And that is mostly to point out the obvious realization that I simply do not blog at home.

I was wonderful about regularly updating the blog while I was away. No matter how busy I was, I had something interesting and semi-insightful to say.

Since being home, I have had numerous occasions where I have composed a blog entry in my head, but never got around to posting it. These entries usually were composed as I was in bed, attempting to sleep.

I apologize for the lack of blogging. There's no real excuse, except that I simply find my life generally less interesting here. In reality, it isn't particularly boring. It's just the ordinary for me, and the entire time I was in Europe, nothing was exactly ordinary.

Maybe, if I find the time and motivation, I'll use this blog as a resource for posting my op/ed pieces for The Mooring Mast. Maybe I'll tell you about my month-long mystery illness I've been battling (for a month, if you didn't quite figure that out yet).

Right now, however, it's 2:00 AM and I went to bed at 10:30. I really should not be online at all. But on the one hand, it's 10:00 AM back in London.

I hope all is fairing well. If you're wondering: yes, I miss London. But I'm still very much happy to be home.

Goodnight.

Back in the USA!

Dear followers,

I apologize for the lack of blog update. I would like to briefly inform you that I arrived safely in Seattle without a hitch on Saturday, May 15th. I have since taken a two week break from everything, where I spent my time at home with my family watching TV and visiting with friends and doing very little else (I did catch Iron Man 2, though).

I promise to update with a more indepth return blog entry soon, so stay tuned! My semester is over, but the blog has more to come!

Number One: The 10 Things I Learned in Europe

Well, I have finally sat through an entire episode of Dr. Who. This episode was a new one, featuring the new doctor who has caused a lot of debate and controversy in the Dr. Who fanbase. It was a really good episode though, full of aliens and vampires in medieval Venice. I'm pretty close to changing my number one slot of the 10 things I learned in Europe to be something about how awesome Dr. Who is, but I won't. I'm very tempted though, let me tell you!

I spent my last day today shopping with Hilary and her friend Stephanie. When I say shopping, I mean to say that I forgot my wallet because I conveniently have it packed away in my carry on bag, and so I followed Hilary and Stephanie around souvenir shops in Picadilly Circus and around clothing shops in Oxford Circus. I did happen to see Ruby and Amber outside H&M in Oxford Circus, proving once again what a small world we really live in. So I got a final goodbye in with Ruby before I leave tomorrow. That girl is incredibly sweet.

I came home for dinner, and had just barely missed Maggie. She left me a pizza and a note. I had been invited to go to a pub with Hilary, but I thought I would wait around for Maggie to return before going out, just in case I missed her tomorrow morning. However, it is nearly 10:30 and there is still no sign of Maggie. So instead, I have spent the evening watching TV. Hopefully Maggie will return before I go to bed...

At any rate, this is the final blog post from London, and so here is the moment we have all been waiting on bated breath for:

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:

1. When traveling by yourself around Europe, stay in a hostel. Hostels are like living in co-ed dorms at college, or like going off to summer camp. You get placed in a room with anywhere from three to eight strangers, and most of the people staying at the hostel are other students studying in other parts of Europe. What you all have in common is a desire to discover new places and try new things, and so staying in a hostel gives you the perfect opportunity to make new friends. In Rome alone, I befriended a teacher from Sweden, got free drinks with a group of girls from Georgia and Tennessee, discussed politics with a guy from New York, met a guy from California who had family in Tacoma and Seattle, and befriended the bar tenders who were from Romania, among other people. In Spain, I went to see a flamenco show with a girl from Calgary, and then went out for drinks and tapas afterword.

Traveling by yourself can be scary and stressful, especially when you do not speak the language. So the best thing you can do is find a good quality hostel and go hang out in the lounge or bar!

Finally, in closing, I have this little nugget of wisdom:

Visiting new places and seeing beautiful and historic cities is absolutely incredible. The people are frequently incredibly friendly, welcoming, and helpful to visitors, and there are so many new things to experience. It is so easy to fall in love with a place, and to enjoy every second of your time. However, at the end of the day, everyone still has one place they call home, and eventually home is where you want to return to. As warm and friendly as the people of Dublin are, as exciting as the city of London is, and as beautiful the country of Norway is, no place will ever compare to the beautiful blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, the majestic sight of Mt. Rainier, or the natural beauty of the Evergreen State. I am sad to be leaving London; I have spent the last two days thinking to myself "this is the last time I will do this." I will miss enjoying the scent of Liz's fresh fruit at lunch, I will miss Whitney's sarcasm, I will miss everything about Ruby, I will miss Hannah's brain farts in class, I will miss Susie's posh English accents, I will miss Maggie's chats. I will even miss the blasted Tube, and the crazy 80s patterns on the seats. I will miss hearing British accents everywhere, although you can't imagine how much I miss hearing American accents. But ultimately, I am happy to be returning home, because the fact is, no place on earth can compare to the Pacific Northwest. And let's face it, Washington kicks Oregon's butt!

One More Day!

Well, thanks to my blog subject, I now have music from Les Miserables in my head. I suppose that's fitting; the show first opened in London, and this year is the 25th anniversary of it.

Anyway; I have just finished packing my two suitcases, and I am sweating from the effort which went in to zipping up my smaller suitcase. I hope that I was entertaining the people across the street, as I had the curtains open and I was right by the window. I was sitting on my suitcase, lying on it, doing every silly thing I could think of. Eventually, I got it zipped up. Phew! I don't have the means to weigh my suitcases, so I hope that I managed to evenly distribute the weight between my bags.

Well, as I have mentioned in past blog entries, yesterday was the final day at AHA. The beginning of the day felt like any other school day; everyone was so focused on finishing homework and getting our finals out of the way. However, by the time the last final wound down and we were preparing for the tea party, it began to feel like the end. As Ruby put it, it was like the end of high school, only cooler (and therefore sadder). And it's true, it does feel like the end of high school did. Hugging Maggie, Leah, and Martin goodbye yesterday was very sad, because who knows if and when I will see them again? I'm far less concerned about seeing the other students, as everyone lives in Washington or Oregon and it's a lot easier to stay in touch among us. The picture you see here, by the way, is of Maggie and Leah. Maggie was our housing coordinator, and Leah is the administrative assistant. Leah is also an American. They both were always full of helpful suggestions of things to do and places to go, as well as advice when needed.

The tea party was a blast apart from the fact that it was our last day ever at AHA. Leah outdid herself putting together the party, with lots of goodies (which disappeared very quickly), tea, and two kinds of punch: virgin and spiked. It was ridiculously exciting having alcohol at a school function. But then, that's England for you. We had classes held in pubs.

Now that I'm packed, I can go out and enjoy my last day here in London. I have plans to hang out with Hilary, who still has two weeks here in London before she returns to Seattle. After going out, I promise to post the final installment of the 10 things list, and then Rufus has to get packed up in my carry on in preparation for leaving tomorrow.

I will be leaving for the airport at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning, in order to arrive around 9:30 to check in for my 12:30 flight. From the point I leave London to the point I arrive in Seattle, I will spend 18 and a half hours tomorrow traveling. It only takes 13 hours, but I have a five hour layover in Chicago where I will have nothing to do but sit and waste my life away. Oh, how exciting. But the happy news is that eventually, I will be home, where I can hug my kitties! Oh yeah, and see people too, I guess. (I'm kidding, I'm excited to see people too)

A Lovely Day for a Tea Party!

My finals are officially finished, and just in time, as my poor finger probably cannot take any more writing today! If I didn't stop soon, I was afraid my hand might have locked up and I would have looked like a gargoyle or Igor or something.

The tea party commences in half an hour, and that will conclude my final day at AHA. I am officially finished with my semester in London and my second-to-last year of college. Yikes!

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is the menu for today's tea party.

End of Term Tea Party Menu
Drinks
Twinning's Afternoon Tea
Pimm’s Summer Punch (alcoholic)
Sparkling Cranberry Punch

Sandwiches
Cucumber Tea
Tuna Salad
Free Range Egg Salad
Avocado, Tomato, and Mixed Leaf Lettuce

Strawberry Cream Scones
Mini scones layered with fresh strawberry jam and cream topped with a slice of strawberry

Vol au Vents andMini Quiches (vegetarian and meat)

Premiere Petits Fours and Patisserie Selection
Handmade French petits fours, chocolate and coffee éclairs, peach and raspberry tartlets, vanilla and hazelnut choux
Strawberries

Crudités
Freshly cut carrots, cucumbers, mixed peppers and celery served with hummus, guacamole, and sour cream and chive dip

Cheese & Biscuits Platter
A classic selection of European cheeses:
English Cheddar, Red Leister, French Brie, Turkish Feta

Number Two: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Well, as of right now, I have only one final and a tea party between me and home. The tea party, by the way, is sounding extremely amazing. A menu has been posted in the hallway downstairs in the AHA building, and I keep reading it because so many delightful goodies will be at our tea party this afternoon! I think I'll have to ask Leah for a copy of it to post in my blog, just to make you readers jealous. Er, I mean, as a memento to myself for the future.

I have taken two finals today; Shakespeare and my novel final. Between the two finals, I have written a total of 10 and a half pages. Hand-written. I now have a little blister on the knuckle of my ring finger on my right hand, and the entire hand feels cramped up and sore. Oh, life. My last final to write is for my art history class, and that should go over easier. Hopefully my hand will survive it, and then guess what dear reader? My junior year of college will be 100% complete!

Alright, without further ado, here is the SECOND TO LAST INSTALLMENT of the countdown, meaning that I go home in two days! Whoo hoo!

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:
2. The American stereotype that everyone in the world speaks English is not too far from accurate. Most countries in Europe teach English in their schools, and so finding somebody who speaks fluent English is never much of a feat.
Naturally, of course, there are exceptions.
In Latvia, for example, younger generations will speak fluent English, but older people frequently do not. So the second you start speaking English, everybody looks at you as if you have come from a different planet. It is a bit disconcerting.
Spain is the opposite of America. In America, everyone speaks English, and in the off chance somebody speaks another language, it's likely to be Spanish. So in Spain, everyone speaks Spanish, and why should they bother to learn any other language?
And in France (because I enjoy bashing on France), most people speak English but they can't be bothered to speak in English to you.
Then, of course, there are countries where the citizens don't all speak the same language, and so the common language among them is sometimes English. A prime example of this is Belgium, where part of the country speaks French, and part of the country speaks Flemish, and many people do NOT speak both.

So, travelers, go ahead. Assume the entire world will speak English for you. Because odds are, most people do.

Alright; one more final to go!

Number Three: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Apparently, I am incapable of walking in cities. It doesn't matter what city I am in or where, I simply am unable to walk in a city without rolling my ankle and hurting myself. This tends to be exacerbated by cobblestones in Europe, but I have a tendency to hurt myself in Seattle, as well. Today, I rolled my ankle twice while walking on perfectly flat sidewalk. My ankles just do not like walking in cities.

Now that that important comment is out of the way, we can make our way with this blog entry. I took my first final today; it was nice and simple, and fairly pain-free, I have to say. So now the countdown to home is 3 days, 3 finals, and a tea party. We're getting there, folks! I would also like to correct a mistake from Monday's entry (installment number 5): I said that the number one slot of the countdown would be on Saturday; I mis-counted. The number one slot will, in fact, fall on Friday, and so we will have a complete countdown by the time I physically depart this city, country, and continent on Saturday.

And now that the business end of this blog entry has been sorted out, I bring you the next installment of the countdown; we're almost there!

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:

3. When visiting cathedrals, there is a 50/50 chance that the cathedral you want to visit will be free. Some charge, some don't. If you do not want to pay to visit a cathedral (and why should you?), a simple way around this is to attend a church service at the cathedral. This way you can go in for free and peek around the cathedral while the devout are praying. It's okay, you won't be the only heathen in there, so you'll have company with you in hell! And if you're a Lutheran like me, you're naturally a heathen in any Catholic church. This is also a fascinating way to observe the locals and their crazy traditions!

Of course, some cathedrals operate on donations, as opposed to a set admission fee. So if you're feeling generous, you could always make a donation. Depending on the size of said donation, you might be able to secure your spot in Heaven, thus making your previous blasphemous visit to church null.

Now that we've established how you can see a church for free, here is a brief guide to famous cathedrals and whether or not they charge:

Notre Dame in Paris and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome are free to go in, but they have extra sights which do cost a small admission fee inside.

Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in London both charge admission fees.

Bath Cathedral in Bath and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Stratford operate on donations.

Well, now that this necessary update has been completed, it's time for me to prepare for tomorrow's finals!