Christmas in England Photo Essay

3 and a half months gone in the blink of an eye

HIGHS

Meeting new people

I have met some absolutely wonderful people while I being abroad, both American and European. In my classes I have managed to meet a really good friend named Hayley that I unfortunately did not have a lot of time to spend with because I was traveling so much, but she really was one of my first impressions of British people and is the reason I thought so highly of them since the moment I started going to Brookes. Paris is another good friend that I actually met out at a club one night and we have managed to meet up quite a few times since for dinner and drinks to talk about absolutely everything as if we have been friends for years. I have even met some Americans through my other friends studying abroad in different places that I have found a lot in common with that I never would have met if I didn’t come here.

Experiencing the culture of Europe

Europe is so different than the United States in a numerous amount of ways. Between the way they talk, the way they act, the way they eat, drink, and even their sleeping patterns are all different. Coming to England I expected there to be quite a few more similarities to the United States than I have discovered. I am definitely not complaining because it has given me an entirely new perspective on the world, but it was a pretty big shock to me.

Discovering who I am

I have always been a pretty independent person. Ever since I was 16 years old I have been able to take care of myself for the most part. Of course my parents were always there for me and helped me out, but, until I studied abroad, I have not asked my parents for money since I was 14 and got my first job. Studying abroad has reassured my independence even more and has made me look to myself for help rather than turning to other people when I am in need. I have been able to find my own way around European countries and have been able to book my own flights, buses and hostels without the help of anyone else. I feel as though in these past for months, I have grown up a lot, and in a way it scares me to go back to my college in North Carolina because I feel as though I am already ready to be out in the “real world”.

LOWS

The weather in some of the places I visited

Well first off, England is known for the amount that it rains, and not only did that put a damper on the amount of things that we were able to do outside, but it just brings everyone’s moods down. Berlin and Scotland were also two places that I did not bring enough clothes for. This past weekend in Berlin, everyone that we were with were unable to stay outside for more than a half an hour before losing the feeling in their fingers and toes. Regardless of how much I love Germany and everything we did there, the whether made parts of it miserable.

Traveling with too many people

This was probably one of the most frustrating aspects of studying abroad. Trying to keep everyone together and trying to have so many people with different opinions and ideas of what to do and where to go is simply too stressful to have to deal with. I wont get into the specifics of this “low topic” because I would most likely take up 2 or 3 pages, but I have definitely noticed that my experiences where I traveled with 2 to 4 people have been much better than the ones that I traveled with 6 to 10 people.

Not having enough time or money

Although I worked my butt off this past summer to make enough money to come abroad, it still was not enough. Not only was the exchange rate absolutely horrid, especially in England, but I wanted to buy souvenirs and give myself the true experience of being a local in some of these countries, and that tended to have a very high price to it. As far as time goes, I wish that I was here longer to visit more places and get to see more countries than I have including: Wales, Ireland, France, and even more of Italy. Yet I do not regret one single trip that I went on, nor would I trade any of them for the a different adventure.

If I could give someone 10 main tips before studying abroad they would be:

1. Always plan ahead -you’ll regret wasting time trying to figure out where you are going and what you want to do

2. Never plan your trips around other people - This is your experience abroad and your time to explore Europe the way you want to.

3. Don’t buy drinks at bars- You’ll end up spending a lot of money that you’ll find out the next morning that you didn’t actually have... 

4. Don’t bring valuable stuff out with you - You will either lose it or get it stolen from you 

5. Learn how to cook before you go abroad - not only will you save money on going out to eat, but you’ll be able to take that back to the states with you.

6. Always bring a book to the airport with you - believe me, you’ll thank me later

7. Take a self-defense class - I hate to say it, but I have heard of way too many instances of people getting jumped and beat up while being over here.

8. Purchase Mackenzie Smelling Salts - They do not sell them in the states and they are the BEST cure for hangovers, headaches, colds, and motion sickness.

9. Try everything once - You have no reason not to, and who knows when you’ll ever be in Europe again?

10. Make sure to buy or bring a comfortable mattress padding for your bed - At the the ones at Oxford Brookes are the most uncomfortable thing I have ever slept in.

I am really happy that I had a chance to record everything that I have done while being abroad. Blogging has really given me a chance to sit back and think about what I have done on my trips and on a day to day basis while being in Oxford. I see that I tended to repeat the phrase “always expect the unexpected” in a lot of my blogs. This is most likely due to the fact that my expectations for this entire experience have been totally different than the reality, both in good ways and bad. When looking back at my writing, I can tell that I try and look at the sentimental side of each trip that I have gone on, and like to record how I am feeling after each trip and how it has effected me. I also have noticed that I have run into a lot of things that I have seen as inspiration to blog about such as when I have to spend 5 hours in an airport, or i’m frustrated with a person that I had thought was going to be one of my good friends for the rest of my life. I have used this blogging opportunity to not only write down what I did over the past, almost, four months abroad, but I also used it as a source of writing down what I am thinking and feeling throughout my entire time here. I have found that the most helpful because I have definitely found out that studying abroad can be a lonely experience sometimes, no matter how many people you may be traveling with.

Although I have already touched on it a little bit earlier in this post, I would say that my biggest take-away from this study abroad experience would have to be how much I have learned about myself and how much I have grown up. I feel as though when I go back to the United States, I am going to have such a different outlook on life and so much more of an appreciation for all that I have and all that I have been able to do. I have seen people begging on the streets on their hands and knees, people using their dogs to get people to give them money, a man sitting in the same spot by the grocery store every single day with his blanket on and his cup for change in hand. I have even seen someone that has two thumbs on one hand, yet doesn’t have enough money for surgery to get it removed. I have realized how lucky I am to live in the United States with no strikes going on in the airports so that flights are all delayed. I am lucky to have the right to vote on who it is that runs and represents my country. I have realized that I am independent and fortunate enough to make my own decisions on a day to day basis, and that this opportunity that I have been given to travel the world is one that should never be taken advantage of. I am a lucky, proud, all-around American girl, and these past 3 and a half months have truly changed not only my life right now, but who I am going to be in the future. 

One last hoorah!!

I decided to end my amazing study abroad experience with a trip to Berlin to check out the world famous christmas markets. I actually had no idea that they even existed until one of my best friends from school, allison, told me about them and said how bad she wanted to go. Of course I did not know much about berlin at the time that I agreed to go on a weekend trip there, but I did know that all of the places that I had no intention of going to for any specific reason had been my most successful and fun trips. 

When Allison had told me about going to Berlin, I thought to myself, “why would I want to go there? I don’t know anything about it, i’ve never really heard much about it, and I don’t even know anyone that has been there before. But me, being the spontaneous and easily overexcited person that I am, decided to book my trip here thinking it was going to be just me, her and her friend from school, Harry. Three other people that are studying abroad in Barcelona, one that I know from school and two that I had just met when I visited allison in barcelona, decided to join us on our adventure to Berlin. Courtney, my friend from school that is also studying abroad with me in Oxford, decided to come along too because she wanted to get as many opportunities to travel as well.

The way that this trip started out was not exactly a “good omen”. Courtney had a paper to pass in before we left for the airport, so the two of us got up pretty early, packed, showered, and said goodbye to everyone right before walking up the giant hill to the main building of Brookes University. We get there, and Court passes in her paper and we’re ready to go. I look down, I don’t have my passport or my boarding passes, I left them on my bed. So we had to trek all the way back down to our flats and get them because clearly I was not going to be able to go anywhere without those documents. As we’re traveling back up the hill, Court realizes she forgot her headphones, so she runs back down the hill and comes back about 5 minutes later saying she had no idea where they were. Needless to say, we said screw the headphones and lets just go.

We finally get to the bus station and since we couldn’t buy the tickets ahead of time we had to get there a little early to purchase them before boarding the bus. We ask how much the bus is and realize that we do not have enough money combined on us to pay for two tickets, and there were no close ATMs around. Oh, and they don’t take American Express. So we’re trying to bargain with this ticket lady telling her how much we have on us and trying to honestly make her feel sorry for us so that she would give us some sort of a discount! Right when we were about to give up, a man walked up and asked if National Express was associated with The Airline, the bus that we were trying to get on, and they said “yes”. Thank goodness Courtney and I have traveled with National Express enough times to realize that we could use American Express with them, with the additional charge of one pound for the transaction. 

The rest of the trip was actually not too bad. The bus was comfy and it had wifi so that I could blog and get some other work done, and this was probably the first trip that we did not have to spend our entire time on an airport floor for hours upon hours staring at the screen waiting for our gate to come up. We got a nice dinner, had a few drinks, and raced to our gate the second we saw it up on the board. The plane ride was decent, except the landing, of course. I’m not sure why EasyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air have the worst landings but every time we touch the ground in one of those big planes, I find myself to be happy to still be alive. 

After finding the rest of the people that we were staying with, we got a cab and we were off to find our Hostel. The hostel was a decent one, I mean not the best I’ve stayed in but not the worst, and we were all so exhausted that we just went right to sleep when we got in. However, the next day we went downstairs, got a sort of unusual breakfast that had salami, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, bread, and yogurt that tasted like it was 3 weeks old. We had heard about a walking tour that was free that we all wanted to go on to learn more about the city of Berlin, so we hopped on the metro and found ourselves in the middle of this beautifully historical city.

At the center of the city there were so many people around us that were street performers, and people dressed up in costumes like Mario and Luigi and mickey mouse. There was even one guy that was dressed up like a baby in a crib and had this little thing inside of his mouth that made it sound like he was whining. I’m not sure how these people make a living off of doing this and actually enjoy it because I know that if I had to dress up in a ridiculous costume, in the cold, and have people stare at me all day, I would not be a happy camper.

I was really glad that we decided to go on the walking tour because I ended up learning so much about this city. Our tour guide was this short man wearing a beri and half of his long hair pulled back into a pony tail while the other half was hanging out the side of his hat. We were a bit skeptical to follow him at first because he didn’t really look too professional, but after talking with him for a while we were convinced that he was doing these walking tours out of the pure love that he had for Berlin and wanting to share its history with the rest of the world.

This tour was perhaps the most freezing that I have ever felt in a very long time. Regardless of the fact that I was wearing leg warmers, comfy socks, a big hat, gloves, a scarf, and my jacket, my entire body was turning numb. We were all standing there shivering trying to listen to the stories that this man had to tell us, but it was so hard to listen when all I could think about was the idea of my fingers falling off from being so cold! Every opportunity we had to go inside we took, and the tour guide actually gave us some advice to drink beer to warm up our bodies. So we took him up on that and carried our beers around on the tour, since there is no “open container” law in Germany. The beer actually helped a lot and made the trip go a little bit smoother so that I was less worried about my body temperature and more in tune with everything that was going on around me.

The tour ended really close to one of the center christmas markets, which was the main reason we came here in the first place, so we broke off after the end and decided to go searching in there. It cost one euro to get in, but it was so beyond worth it. I have never seen christmas markets that were this beautiful in my entire life. There was christmas music playing, a stage that looked like it was preparing people to put on a show, and rows and rows of stalls filled with christmas goodies for us to buy. I tried my first mulled wine here, and even though it was not my favorite drink, at least I can say that i’ve had hot wine in Germany now! 

That night was very interesting because it was Harry’s 21st birthday that upcoming Monday and we were not about to let him have a non-traditional United States 21st birthday just because he was in another country. We went on this really fun pub crawl and met a lot of really cool people, but if I were to type out the entire happenings of this event, I don’t think anyone would have enough time to read that.

The next day, Saturday, was a little more laid back. We decided to get a good breakfast and wander around Berlin to find the other christmas markets. The next one that we found had a giant ferris wheel in the center of it as well as a skating rink. We didn’t have a chance to go ice skating, but the ferris wheel was absolutely stunning. When we got to the top we could see over the entire markets and out over the city. There were so many people all over the streets and the city looked like a giant winter wonderland. I love these types of places because not only does it get me in the christmas spirit, but it makes me happy to see all of these people coming together to celebrate such a great time of year.

Last night was a lot more casual and relaxed than the night before. We went to a bar to escape the freezing cold and get a few drinks in us before looking for yet another christmas market. This was a really cute pub with people serving us that actually spoke fairly perfect english. I found that the city of Berlin was very americanized, very much like London, and it was funny because anywhere we went it said “tip not included” on the bill when in fact we had been told since the day we all arrived in Europe that it is not a custom here to tip. Some people actually take it offensively if you even try. We walked around the christmas markets a bit more and finally got so cold that we had no choice but to call it a night.

Courtney and I messed up and made our flights a day later than everyone else, so we had to stay in the hostel an extra night. I’m laying in my bed right now trying to think of what we should do on our last day, but all I can think of is the christmas markets. It’s snowing really hard outside and the thought of walking out of this warm and cozy hostel into the freezing winter cold outdoors of Berlin is just not appealing at all. Courtney is taking a little nap so I’ll probably just do the same and wake up hoping that it wont be as freezing outside as it was the past few nights that we have been here. We’ll probably end up taking it pretty slow anyways because we have to be at the airport by 5 am to catch our flight at 7. But if someone asked me if this was a successful trip, I would definitely say yes and recommend that everyone come to visit Berlin at some point in their lives. Especially during the christmas season because even though it is freezing cold, I have never seen so much happiness and christmas spirit than what this city has shown me.

Stress of finals

No matter what country you are in, you clearly cannot escape the stress of finals. Whether that final is a paper, a project, a debate, or a test, it will always sneak up on you and stress you out. It's kind of funny to see how fast the libraries and reception has filled up since the start of finals and the last few weeks of classes. It's as if it's the norm of going to college to procrastinate. Yet wouldn't it make so much more sense if people studied a little bit every day and had big assessments on the regular rather than one huge one at the end of each semester? I found that in the classes that I have been in that give regular big tests and papers throughout the semester that I usually not only learn more, but actually do a lot better in than the ones that I have a huge final to study for at the end.

I walked into reception yesterday to print out my ticket for Berlin, and I notice that almost every single computer is taken up. I had to keep myself from laughing because this is so much like what happens back at my college in the states! People are talking about how busy they are and crunching in all nighters to make sure that they get the best grade possible at the end of the semester. You always find this time of year to have the longest line at starbucks and the red bulls at the grab and go to be completely wiped out.

I was lucky enough to not have any actual final tests that I have to study for. Instead I was able to get away with only having a few papers due and a debate on the last day of class. I'm still a little bit nervous for the debate because that class has been very confusing this entire semester, but the papers should not be too bad to accomplish. I personally really have enjoyed this travel writing class that I have been taking because of the fact that the entire thing is so reflective and 100% about my experiences abroad. Our final assignment is actually a reflection piece about ourselves and our time in Oxford, and not only is it something that I want to do well on in order to get a good grade, but it is also something I want to do well on so that I can look back at this and remember my experiences and all that I took away from this trip.

It's honestly so bizarre to me to even think about the fact that finals are already here. I remember like it was yesterday talking to my flatmates about how bored we were and could not wait for classes to start. I wish I knew where the time has gone since I have been over here but it seems as though every day passes by faster than the last. It's almost sad in a way, but I think that I am slowly getting ready to go back to the states and get back into my every day routine.

I'm on the bus right now on the way to Berlin, Germany with my friend Courtney and we're meeting up with a bunch of friends from our school back in the states that are all studying in Barcelona. They all leave a week from today, and I leave pretty soon after them, so this is going to be our last trip while being abroad. My expectations of this trip are pretty high since it is our last "hoorah" but we'll see what berlin has to offer us. What attracted us to come back to Germany in the first place is the famous christmas markets in the center of the city. One of my friends that is coming with us, also named Mackenzie, found out that there are in fact 10 different christmas markets going on while we're there! I am so excited for the german atmosphere, hot chocolate, and pretzel sandwiches that we are going to try. My expectations of this are a lot of what I saw both in Prague and at the Birmingham christmas markets here in England.

I can already tell this trip is going to be an adventure because of the fact that I had almost forgot my boarding pass and passport in my room before we left, luckily I remembered it before we got on the U1 to go to the bus station. Also, Courtney and I didn't realize that we actually booked flights to come home a day later than everyone else that we are staying with, so as a result we don't have a hostel our last night in Berlin and are going to be spending a lot of time at the airport. Honestly though, her and I are so used to doing that already that we came prepared with our laptops, headphones, and a list full of movies/tv shows on iTunes that will help us pass the time.

Although I say I am pretty sick of traveling and ready to go back to the states, i'm going to miss this independence a lot. Especially when it comes to booking my own flights, hostels, and plans around a city. These bus rides aren't as bad as they sound, and everyone within the transportation services have been so friendly and helpful to me wherever I have been. I'm going to have to save more of this reflective talk for my reflection at the end of my trip, but the independence that I have gained here is definitely something I will cherish the rest of my life, and be thankful that I was able to discover while being abroad.

Prague

One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been in my entire life is Prague in the Czech Republic. I did not have very high expectations for this place because I had never heard much about it until I actually came abroad. I was actually expecting something more along the lines of something you would find maybe in the middle east? But what I came across instead was a mixture of Scotland, Germany, and Barcelona all in one. Not only was the landscape absolutely breathtaking but the ancient architecture of a time before the Romans was fascinating. I have never seen anything like the huge gate that separated the "old town" from the "new town" and the huge palace that sat at the top of a long vertical hill. It was definitely a place that I could find myself exploring for much longer than the short weekend that I had a chance to stay there.

Courtney and I flew in on a Thursday night and were more than anxious to get to our hostel and get some quality sleep. The only problem was, we had no idea how to get to our hostel, and silly me, forgot to look up the address thinking that the Mosaic House Hostel was pretty well known. Boy could I have not been any more wrong. We asked 2 taxi drivers who had no idea what we were saying, despite the huge language barrier, and neither did the person at the information desk at the airport. Luckily, we came across two other girls that had no idea where they were going either, but they did have an address, and they happened to be staying at the same hostel as us! These two girls actually happened to be americans as well studying abroad in London for the semester, and one of them even knew some of my friends from high school! It blows my mind what a small world it is. So the four of us shared a cab to the hostel which was about 15 minutes away into the center of town.

One of my favorite things about Prague, besides the fact that it was stunningly beautiful, is that their currency was so cheap! For every 100 czech crowns, it was only 5 dollars. Needless to say, that is where I spent the majority of my money out of all the places that I have traveled so far. After visiting the John Lennon Wall which is a gigantic wall in tribute to one of the beatles singers and pretty much signifies peace, union, and freedom of speech (or song in this case) throughout the world, I had to buy some sort of souvenir from it. On the Charles Bridge that connects the "touristy land" from the "political land" are a ton of vendors selling everything from water color paintings of prague, to photographs of the John Lennon Wall, to hand made jewelry made right there in Prague, and so much more. I found one stand that was selling pictures of the John Lennon Wall "buy 2 get 1 free" and of course I wasn't going to pass up that offer. I found one picture that had the song "We all live in a yellow submarine" which is very special to my dad because one of his best friends, and long-time business partner, died of cancer a few years ago, and that was his favorite song. So I decided to buy that, another one that had a great quote sketched into the shape of a heart, and then one more that had 3 pictures in one that I plan on putting in my dorm room when I get back to High Point.

The John Lennon wall is amazing with all of the cool drawings and sayings that were decorated all over this wall. It was a little smaller than I had expected, but it was definitely far from a let down. One of my favorite quotes that I found on the wall was "Courage is Contagious". It pretty much sums up a lot of what I have taken away from this time abroad and what I plan on bringing back with me to the states. I feel as though I could've stayed there for hours and hours just looking at everything that was written on that wall. It absolutely blows my mind that it is still there and not just a giant paint blob after so many years.

The next day was definitely my favorite day there. It was the day of the Christmas tree Lighting and the opening of the Christmas Markets, which were actually the main reason that we were in Prague in the first place. We walked all around Prague that day trying to follow the only map that we could find in English that we happened to find in Starbucks. We went and saw the famous clock tower, went on a boat ride right underneath the Charles Bridge, which was really cool because we got to see the entire outer banks of Prague and listen to a tour guide tell us about how Prague actually is where many films are made because there are so many places that look like other places around the world and it is a lot cheaper to film here than to go to the original ones. For example, scenes from Harry Potter were filmed at the castle, even though it was said that Harry Potter was a completely "british film", and scenes from other movies that are said to take place in Venice were actually filmed in the canals of Prague because they resemble them so dramatically. It was really cool to see where the 5 star Hotels were that all of the celebrities stay in, as well as where the embassy was where the Presidents, Royals, Prime Ministers, and other people of higher authority stay when they come to Prague.

The food was very interesting here. I think I talked a little bit about it in my last blog, but the sausages weren't exactly the best I've ever had...seeing as they didn't sit too well in my stomach the rest of the day. The hot chocolate was very good, and the beer tasted very similar to something I could have found in Germany. We went to a thai restaurant on our last night called Zebra, and I have never tasted pad thai so delicious in my entire life. Courtney and I split a plate of it, but I can guarantee you that I probably could have finished the entire thing by myself, whether I would admit to actually being hungry enough for it or not.

The Christmas Markets were absolutely amazing. Although we were squished like giant sardines, it was definitely worth it to see the huge tree get illuminated and light up the entire center of the city. When the crowd finally cleared out after the tree lighting, we were able to do a bit of shopping around and looking at the cool knick knacks and things that all the stands had to offer. There were hand made clocks, hand made jewelry, gingerbread men, christmas ornaments, roasted chestnuts, and so much more. It was fridgid outside and I was starting to lose the feeling in my face, fingers, and toes, so I tried to convince Allison and Courtney to come with me back to the Hostel, and right as we were about to leave we spotted a horse and carriage ride. Their way of convincing me to go on it with them was "it's only about 10 dollars each, you're never going to be in Prague again, and there's a blanket on board." So of course, we hopped right on into the horse and buggy and were off exploring the streets of Prague. The one thing that could have made this trip even better was if right at that moment on the sleigh ride, it started to snow. 

Leaving Prague was actually a bit sad, because it was the last trip for the three people studying in Florence that we were there with. It made me think of what little time I have left in Europe and all of the good times that I have had while being abroad. It's such an eye opener going to all of these different places and experiencing the cultures of each one of them individually. Prague, or how the Czech Republicans say it "Praha", was probably my third favorite place that I went in Europe, and I would recommend anyone that comes over to Europe in the future to make it a point to visit it. 

Airports

Honestly, I almost feel as though I have spent the same amount of time in airports while being abroad that I have actually traveling abroad to different countries. I have slept on the floor of the Luton Airport numerous times while waiting for my plane to board at 6 in the morning, also while waiting for the bus back to Oxford at 6 at night. I have laid in the chairs of the Costa Coffee at the Stanstead Airport waiting to go to Germany and Italy, although I did not mind it as much back then because those were my first 2 trips and I was preoccupied with getting excited about my adventures that were lying ahead rather than how cold and uncomfortable the ground was that I was sleeping on.

I have ate probably at every single restaurant in both the Luton and Stanstead airports. The people that work at Starbucks at both places definitely know me by heart as well as the fact that I am going to order a "skinny gingerbread latte, hold the whip cream" every time I get in line. The police officers at Luton airport even know me and courtney because of the fact that we were laying down reading and waiting for our bus back to Oxford for about three hours and every 20 minutes that they passed us on their rounds around the airport they would say "hello."

I used to love flying. It was actually my favorite form of transportation for as long as I can remember. I used to love the smell of the airport, the hustle and bustle of people trying to get to their gate on time, the fact that every single person in the airport was either going or coming from not only a different part of the states but possibly from all different parts of the world! Airports absolutely fascinated me and I always expected them to stay open and packed 24/7. My perspective on airports has completely changed now since I have been abroad and although I still love to travel, I'm not sure I will be using airports as much as I used to, especially not Ryanair.

The cheapest way to fly in Europe is either by Ryanair, EasyJet, or Wizz air. All three of them have pretty decently priced plane tickets to all over Europe except everything else about them I would say is pretty much shit. For Ryanair, you have to get there extra early to stand in a very long line and get your passport checked off with the people at the front desk, then you have to wait a little bit and go through security (which is thankfully not too bad) then you have to sit by a monitor and wait for your flight to come up so that you can see what gate your in. After sprinting to the gate that you saw flash across the monitor, you have to stand in line again for about 30 minutes and wait for someone to come by and check that you only have one bag on you that is of a certain size and length. Then you have to wait in line again to board the plane, sprint to the plane, and get in the seat of your choice. It is pretty much the same for the other two airlines that I discussed above, except you don't have to get your passport checked first.

Landing on these airlines is a completely different story. Compared to this, everything else makes it seem like we're being treated like first class. You slowly are coming closer and closer to the ground and you can see your destination, the plane goes a little bit wobbly side to side until finally *BAM* you're landed on the ground with a few large bumps and your face pressed up against the person's seat in front of you. To top it off, on Ryanair, the pilot likes to play a "congratulatory" song singing "congratulations you have arrived on time". The song is supposed to be reassuring but, for me at least, it has the opposite effect of making me feel as though it is a "congratulations you are still alive song".

People always talk about how bad customs is and how it takes so long to get through it, but I never get impatient when I am standing in line for it. It usually seems to go pretty fast, and to this day I still get really excited about getting another stamp in my book! It sounds a little childish but hey when I look back and see all of these stamps, it is going to remind me of all of these memories that  I have made while traveling abroad in Europe.

There are a few places that I wish I had been able to go to now that I am leaving in a few weeks, and the only time that I usually think about them is when I am at the airport looking at the monitor wondering when my flight is going to pop up. I wish that I could've made time for Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, and so many more places. Traveling abroad is such an amazing experience, but a person really does need about 2 semesters to an entire year to actually be able to say they have "fully accomplished europe".

European Food

Every single place that I have been in the past 3 months has given me a completely new experience with food. It has shown me how much we take advantage of the amount of food that we have in America, and how we are so consumed in eating the food that we don't actually think about what it means to enjoy it. Back in the states, we are known for our huge portions and, let's be honest, huge appetites. Why do you think that there was a movie created in America called "supersize me"? In these European countries, I have realized that although the food may not taste as good (aka is not as greasy, salty, and "bad for you") as the food in America, everything has its own unique taste.

Let's start with the first place that I went, Munich, Germany. From the second we walked into the huge train station in the center of town there were food places surrounding us. Everything from pizza, to sausages, to sandwiches made inside of pretzels, to snitzel. The chicken that we had at Oktoberfest was roasted on a stick right in front of us and served right off the cooker. It was savory and tasted very fresh, the meat was pretty much falling off of the bone. There was gingerbread cookies hanging from all of the stands that had german words written on them and were carved in the shape of hearts. And when it comes to drinking, there is a completely different perspective of it over here. People were drinking from the beginning of Oktoberfest (at 8 in the morning) until the tents closed at midnight. It absolutely blew my mind at how much Germans can drink and are willing to drink. You could never find a stein (a beer equivalent to 5 beers) in America never mind finding someone standing on a table chugging one at 8 in the morning.

Italy was the next place on the agenda. This was the most delicious place that I traveled to, not only because they are known for their food in Italy but because I had the time to sit and enjoy what I was eating and be able to understand why Italians are so famous for their cooking. I already described some of the food in one of my previous blogs when I talked about the pizza and how it is made differently there than anywhere else in the world. Mainly because of the fact that all of the ingredients they use are fresh. The pasta was the most amazing pasta I have ever eaten in my life. It sounds a little funny but I didn't want it to end! I would never leave a table hungry and I know for a fact if I studied abroad there I would definitely come back to the states looking much heavier than I did when I left! As far as drinking goes, my impression of Italians is that they are more about enjoying and tasting their drinks rather than sucking them down to get "wasted". When I tasted wine there I was told to swirl it around in a glass, sniff it, and then taste the it. The wine was especially good at the winery because it was so fresh and made right at that site. I think it also tasted so delicious because I learned all about where it came from and how it was made before I tasted it.

The food in scotland is very similar to what I had encountered already in England. There was nothing that stood out more than anything else, but that might have something to do with the choices I made about what I wanted to eat. Although the brucsetta that I had at the first pub we went to was unbelievable, as well as the pasta that I ate right before we left to go back on our 9 hour bus ride was definitely worth the scottish pounds. Something that I found very interesting both in Scotland and in England was how popular Indian food is. Everyone seemed to love it there and there was a different Indian restaurant on every block. My friend that we stayed with for the weekend was determined to buy it the night after her 21st birthday, and that absolutely astonished me because Indian food would be the last thing that my stomach would be craving after a night of drinking and partying. The scots love to have a good time as far as drinking goes. The night life there definitely reminded me a lot of what I had encountered in both England and Germany. Crazy people that like to scream a lot and drink a lot of beer!

Food in Barcelona came as a big surprise to me. I did not expect everything to be so all about fish and other seafood. I think I was expecting something more along the lines as what you would find in Mexico (aka burritos and chips and salsa). Paella is a dish that is advertised at every single restaurant that I walked past. It is a combination of rice, a little spicy sauce, and all types of seafood in one dish. It was a little too fishy for my liking but people seemed to really enjoy it. Sangria was one thing that Spain is widely known for so we had to try that, and it did was definitely not a disappointment, let me reassure you. The drinking was pretty insane in Barcelona, not to mention it is the party capital of the world, but there were at least 10 different clubs to go to just in the center of the city, and people were constantly trying to sell beer to us off the streets. People actually tend to sleep in until about 2 or three in the afternoon on the weekends, wake up, eat something, and then start drinking and partying again around 12 in the morning to come home 6 hours later and do it all over again! It was definitely a tremendous experience for the weekend, but I don't think I would have lasted there any longer, never mind studying abroad there for 4 months.

This past weekend we went to Prague for their legendary christmas markets. Aside from the food that we tried in the markets, I'm not sure that we got anything that was imparticularly authentic Prague food.  We pretty much had things that we could have found in America or in England simply because we were not sure what we were really supposed to try from there? The closest thing that we got to trying native food from there was the sausages and these round cinnamon bun-looking things from the markets. The sausage was gigantic and was given to me in a baguette straight off the grille. It sort of made me feel a little sick afterwards, but I still ate the whole thing! The cinnamon bun-looking thing was okay tasting, it was a little bland for my liking. The hot chocolate on the other hand was really, really good! It was fresh and homemade right in front of us so it tasted like a rich, melted chocolate bar in a cup. I couldn't get enough of it. The drinking in Prague was sort of similar to Italy for me. I did not feel as though it was a huge deal there because although they were selling mulled wine everywhere, it was the only type of alcohol sold at this market. Not that that's a bad thing, but it was different than what I had found at the previous market that I had been to in Birmingham the week before.

Last, but certainly not least, is English food. This is something that I have had a chance to experience the most while being abroad in Europe. One of the first things that I tried when I got here, because the brits are so well known for it, was fish and chips. To be completely honest, I was not exactly blown away by this dish. I am not the biggest fan of fried fish to begin with, but I guess I was expecting it to taste different over here than back in the states. The malt vinegar that is usually served with the fish and chips added a bit of flavor to it, but it was still pretty bland. At least I can say that I had fish and chips in England now! Another interesting food that I have discovered over here is pig's belly. I don't think I have ever expected to eat that before, but it was by far one of the best meals that I think I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked and tasted absolutely astounding, I will definitely be having that again before I leave. I think that I have pretty much expressed my feelings about how the brits drink over here in my previous blogs, but I have recently tried a classic British drink called Pims and I found it to be one of my favorites! I was pretty happy to discover this because the typical beers and ciders that I have tried so far have been quite a disappointment to me.

One food that I have found to be in every place that I have visited so far in Europe is kabobs. Now, when I used to think of kabobs I would think of a few pieces of chicken, peppers, and onions grilled on a stick. Over here in Europe that is far from what I have encountered. It every place the kabobs are prepared the same, with the meat being rotated on a huge pole for hours on end and being carved off and separated into containers for people to choose from. The workers take that and mix it into a pita bread with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, special sauces, etc. and then rolled up and eaten all together. Kabobs tend to be a popular nighttime snack, especially for those that are going home from a club, so that is why they usually open their shops around 8 or 9 at night and don't close until 2 or three in the morning. They taste pretty good late at night, but I'm not sure I would feel the same about them if I tried one during the daytime...

One thing that I must admit to being very happy about while studying in England is the fact that they have a starbucks here. I am not sure what I would've done if I had to go 4 months without a starbucks latte.

Proud of where I am

As I am typing this, I am lying in possibly one of the most comfortable hotel beds I have ever slept in. My dad and my step mom came to London yesterday morning to visit me and see what I have been experiencing the past 3 months. We walked around London a lot yesterday, doing all of the common tourist things that you're supposed to do when you visit London like go see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, have lunch right next to the London Eye, ride the tube, and check out Picadilly Circus. It was a great start to a short vacation, and my one opportunity to show off where I have been living.

I am absolutely infatuated with everything about England. I have probably said that numerous times throughout my blogs, but I just can't get enough of it. I feel as though there are so many places that I still want to see, so many things that I want to learn, and so much that I still want to do. We're walking around in London and my dad is popping out about 20 questions per minute and I have no idea how to respond to him! It's a little embarrassing because I am truly so proud of where I am and what i'm doing over here, but it's not London that I have wanted to, or even had the opportunity to, spend the majority of my time exploring. It's Oxford.

So today, I decided that  I wanted to take them up to Oxford and really give them a feel for everyday life in England. Even my dad mentioned how Americanized London seemed and I just knew that the second we got to Oxford, it would be a completely different experience for them. And was I right! We took the train to Oxford from Paddington Station and right away my dad made the comment of "Okay! we're finally in England!" We hopped on a double decker bus and cruised into the city centre. Starting, of course, with buying my dad a raincoat, we went on to explore the Oxford Library, the Oxford University Schools, Turf Tavern, Chequers, and attempted to climb up the church where you can see all over Oxford but it was closed because they were putting up the bells.

I had never actually truly explored inside the big Oxford University because I alway thought it was closed off to the public. Yet, my dad being who he is and such a rebel at heart, we got to go through some gardens and climb stairs that led us into this huge dining hall that actually completely resembled the "Great Hall" in Harry Potter. It was a really cool feeling to be up there and exploring these buildings because of how old they are and to think about how learning has been going on in these buildings for hundreds of years absolutely baffles me.

The fact that I brought them to see Oxford University before I brought them to where I actually attend classes at Brookes might not have been the best idea, I think that I set them up to expect where all of my learning goes on to be very similar to that. That is not the case at all. Oxford Brookes is a much younger school than Oxford University and definitely not as prestigious, but I am still just as proud to be a student there. I walked them through part of the Headington Campus, but we were in such a rush to get back to London for a Latin Mass (which we never actually made it to) that we had to rush through all of that campus and where I live. Walking into my flat, I was so proud to show them how my flat mates and I live. We really try to make our flat like a home and I was so happy that my dad and step mom got to meet them all.

Getting back to London was not too bad at all, and as always, I passed out on the train ride back. I'm not sure what it is about sitting in moving vehicles, but I always manage to fall asleep! Even if i'm driving 20 minutes on a warm sunny day, it's just how I am. We unfortunately didn't make it in time for a Latin mass so we just decided to go and see the play "War Horse" instead. Now, this was a production like I have never seen before. The acting was pretty good, but what really blew me away was how the actors moved with the man-made horses, geese, and other birds. It legitimately looked as if they had studied animals and their reactions and how they interact with not only humans but with other animals and practiced mimicking them. It was absolutely incredible. Not to mention the fact that I love movies that involve past wars because I am a total history lover, and this movie took place during World War I. There were definitely some parts that I thought were a little cheesy, such as the story line and how much one of the actors talked to the horse, pretty much expecting it to answer back. But I guess that was all part of the plot so there was no real way around that.

Tomorrow my step mom wants to go and check out Harrods department Store, Buckingham Palace, and the crown jewels at the Tower of London. Of course, I wish that I could take them back to Oxford and even just walk around with them, experiencing what I see around the city every day and how it makes me feel that I could live there for the rest of my life. There are some things, such as the Oxford Castle, that I haven't even been able to go to yet so I was looking forward to take them there, but this is their trip, and honestly, I would rather make people happy while they are visiting a place than trying to be selfish and show them what I want them to see.

I feel sorry for anyone that hasn't had their parents, relatives, or friends come visit them while they've been over here. It's not only helpful for a person that may be homesick, but it's a chance to show off what you've been doing for the past three months! Stories and pictures can only say so much, but experiences, now that's where the real appreciation and understanding comes from.

Birmingham Christmas Market

I am finally on my way to pick up my dad and my step mom from the airport, it's about 8 in the morning and I don't think that I have ever had a weekend where I had to get up as early as i've had to every single day. It's been pretty nice, I have to admit I mean I feel productive and I'm definitely ready to go to bed by the time I get home at night, but it's just not what I'm used to. I still cannot get over how I am actually watching the sun rise right now and it's 8 in the morning. Daylight savings time never ceases to blow my mind.

Since this bus ride is a little over an hour, I thought "what a better time than to write a blog about my day yesterday". Getting up at around 6:30 in the morning was a bit of a killer, but I was not the only person having problems waking up. My friend in my traveling writing class, Sarah, actually slept through her alarm! So thank god I kept calling her or else I would've been taking a cab by myself to the Gloucester Green station and she would've missed out on an awesome German Christmas Market.

It was just Sarah, me, and our professor going to this festival, which was actually really nice because I have always liked traveling in smaller groups rather than larger ones. It makes it easier to keep track of everyone and we don't look like a bunch of lost americans wandering around a city that we've never been to before. Instead, we were three americans circling around the streets of Birmingham trying to find any sign of Christmas decorations or german festival signs pointing us in the right direction.

When we finally made it to the right markets, it was just what I expected. Stalls lining the streets with all different types of delicious food, drinks, and souvenirs. Right at the beginning of the market was a little street performer that was a man underneath some sort of box covering his torso while his voice projected out of a drunken puppet that sounded like he had been smoking his entire life. It was quite a show with his little chants at people and random christmas melodies coming out of his flute. People would take pictures of him and he would strike a pose as if the puppet had a mind of its own. I have never seen anything like this up close before, just in the movies such as the "muppets", but it was definitely some of the most creative talent I have ever seen.

Walking up the streets we're passing stalls with chocolate covered marshmallows, hot chocolate with your choice of baileys or amaretto, nut crackers, hand-woven scarves, trinkets made out of wood, pretzel sandwiches (which actually would've been much better tasting if they were warm) and so much more. It absolutely amazed me to see how many people were actually drinking not only spiked hot chocolate, but huge steins of beer that I saw when I went to Oktoberfest in Munich. I take that back, it did not surprise me at all (because I know that we are in Europe and that's what they do here) but it just showed one more huge difference between the culture here and in the states.

I was scoping out christmas gifts for some of my family and friends back at home because this market did not only consist of christmas decorations and souvenirs, but instead home made and hand crafted objects that I would most likely not be able to find anywhere else. I decided to buy one of my many cousins a gift because she has been generous enough these past few years to help me out while I've been away from my immediate family in North Carolina by hosting me at least once or twice a year and always on Thanksgiving. She has always collected elephants so I bought her one that made the sound of an elephant when you blew into a little hole in its back. I thought it was a good idea because it would be something that she could add to her collection and that her 4 year old son could be entertained by. I also bought gifts for my step mom and my little brother, but I'll leave those out of here because who knows if they are reading this blog right after I post it!

The german hot chocolate spiked with Baileys that I tried was absolutely wonderful. Not only was I losing feeling in my fingers from being so cold, but my sweet tooth was definitely satisfied as well. They gave us little green coins with our mugs that had a little logo on them for the German Christmas markets and if we wanted to get our three pounds back, then we would give them the mug and the coin. I wanted to keep the mug as my own personal souvenir, but of course, me being me, I lost it after sitting down at a place that we thought we were going to be getting tea at...

Once it started to down pour and become more and more miserable, we went to this really cool museum that is actually in partnership with the British Museum. We stayed in there for a while and browsed. Soon after we decided to get some tea and coffee at this adorable little restaurant on a boat. I'm not sure how many people can say that they have had british tea and coffee on a boat, but it's crossed off my bucket list now! It was the most adorable place decorated just for christmas time and perfectly heated so that we were warm and cozy waiting for the endless rain to pass. Unfortunately, it didn't pass and we were forced to go back through the christmas markets in the pouring rain to find our way back to the coach station.

One thing we had to do before we left though was try one of the german sausages. Forgive me because my memory is awful and I cannot remember the name of the sausages for the life of me, but they ended up being really good! It was a nice little taste of my heritage while I was sitting in England. Overall I thought the trip was a definite success. Never mind the rain and the thousands of relentless people that were determined to be at those markets no matter what (yet another difference between the states and here because this place would've been completely empty and shut down if it was raining this hard all day). I love christmas markets and I am so happy that I got to experience my first one out of the 4 that I wanted to get to before the 23rd!

Bittersweet

Throughout this entire trip, there have been quite a few times that I think about what exactly I miss from back home. Obviously I miss my entire family and friends, but it's the little things that I have been thinking about recently. Such as, being able to hop in my car and just drive wherever I want, whenever I want, being able to have service all the time, rather than just when I manage to get some wifi, buying chex mix from the gas stations for long road trips. There are just certain American ways that I just long for sometimes at the most random points of the day. I cannot wait to get back home and go straight to Panera, Dunkin' Donuts, Bagel World, and Not your Average Joe's. As funny as this is going to sound, the thing that I miss the most about being in the states is being able to work. Not just because I miss making money, which I do, but because it kept me busy, it made me feel important, and it made me feel like I had some sort of contribution to the world and our economy. 

Back in the states, I have two jobs. One is a waitress at the Seaport Grille in Gloucester, MA, and the other is a hostess, soon to be a waitress, at Harpers Restaurant in the Friendly Center in Greensboro, NC. I have made the best relationships with my co-workers at both places, and it has taught me so much about people, human relations (which is actually my minor), and having a positive attitude. Working has made me feel so good about myself and has provided me with an escape when High Point gets a little too much, or my family and friends that I don't work with gets a little too much. It gives me a chance to build relationships with people that may have an effect on what I end up doing once I graduate college. It even allows me to create a whole different life for myself separate from one that I have with my family, at school, and even from my friends from home. 

There are definitely quite a few things that I am going to miss about Oxford and the rest of England in general. Including the fact that I get to walk everywhere, the history of the city, the people, and of course, the people's accents in England. The food I'll most likely get over pretty fast, but it's definitely going to be a bit of a culture shock going back and not being able to drink for about 3 months since I won't be 21 until March. 

I feel as though I have some sort of unfinished business here in England. Like I didn't have enough time to do everything that I wanted to do. I mean yeah of course I traveled a lot, met a lot of great people, and had an absolutely fantastic time, but I could totally see myself moving back here after graduation. Of course it may take about a year to adjust completely, but all of those things that I mentioned earlier about missing in the states will just be that much better whenever I go back. Another great aspect of moving to England is that the economy is SO much better here than it is in the states, and if I were to get a job here, then I would be much more well off than if I settled for one in America. 

Of course, I would have to talk to my mom about moving here with me because I don't think her and I could ever be apart for more than 6 months at a time. She is the one person in my life that I completely 120% trust and has been there for me no matter what. She's my best friend and I don't know if I could move away from my best friend for that long. I have so much time to think about the future and what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I am just such a planner. Always have been, always will be. I am all about the list making, the goal making, the crossing off when you get something done, the setting of expectations, the constant pursuing of my dreams. It is both a blessing and a curse as my mom has told me since the day I could talk, but it's who I am. 

I feel as though a lot of my blogs recently are about what is going on in my head and how I am changing the way that I think about a lot of things and how I have grown so much over these past few months. Not only in a sense of thinking about my future, but in the sense that I am growing up so much. I don't want to go out and get "wasted" every single night, I want to embrace my time here and do as much as I can because who knows if I'll ever be here again. I want to go to a church service and see how it's different here compared to in the states, I want to buy everyone else gifts, rather than myself, so that they can share in this study abroad experience with me without actually being here. I want to figure out what really makes me happy and hold onto it so that whenever i'm feeling down i'll look back at my experiences and wonder why I am sweating the small stuff. 

It's so true what people say that time changes everything. I would never have guessed a year ago that I would be sitting at this desk typing up a blog about my experience of studying in Europe! I mean I had an idea that I wanted to go abroad but I had no idea where and when I would have the chance to do it. I feel as though I'm going to go back to High Point a very changed person because not only was I known to be a party girl that always liked to have a good time, but I was always up for a drink as well. That's not the case anymore, although I do love to have a few drinks, I do not find a point in getting absolutely smashed like your typical college student. This may have to do with the fact I feel as though I am growing up faster than my peers around me because of certain events that have happened throughout my life, but it's definitely nothing that I'm ashamed of or unhappy about.

I am absolutely infatuated with being abroad, and the whole culture of England in general. It is very bittersweet leaving to return hope to the states, but hey, who knows what the future will bring? Maybe I will end up becoming a UK citizen?

Barcelona!

Barcelona was by far one of my favorite places to go so far. I'm not sure if it had to do with the fact that I was spending an entire weekend with two of my best friends, or if it was because I got to see a beach for the first time in 3 months and it was very refreshing; nevertheless, it was quite an experience. My expectations of Barcelona and Spain in general were completely different than the reality. I was expecting a lot more poverty, a lot and it to be a lot more dirty I guess is the right word? I've never been to Mexico, but i've seen pictures and i've seen it in movies, and I think that was what I was expecting Spain to be more like. The beaches, the sights, the statues, even the clubs...exceeded my expectations to the fullest.

Like every other trip that I have gone on so far while studying abroad, this traveling experience was no different from the others. Our flight left at 7 a.m and my friend, Courtney, and I had to take the 1 a.m bus in order to get to Luton Airport before our flight took off. I described a bit of our experience in my last blog so I won't go through it all again, but once we got off the plane and onto the Aerobus to get to my friend's, Allison, apartment, the adventures began.

Luckily, we did not make the "common traveler mistake" of taking a nap before we did some exploring because we were ready to see all of Barcelona. We started out at this really good sandwich and salad shop that had very cheap prices for a good amount of food. (Forgive me because my spanish is not too great so the names of places may either be spelt wrong, or forgotten) I don't remember the name of the place but Allison said that it was usually a very popular spot for people to come and eat.


After dropping our bags off at Allison's room and meeting all of her roommates, Courtney, Allison, her friend, and I went on a scooter tour ride. They were only about 15 euro for 2 hours which was definitely not too shabby, and we had our own two free tour guides to show us around the city. Riding the scooters reminded me of riding the Vespas in Tuscany, Italy, but I think the vespas still take the cake. We scootered all the way down the beach boardwalk, passed the statue of Christopher Columbus, passed the Aquarium, passed some street performers, passed people trying desperately to sell us shirts, purses, and other knickknacks on the sides of the streets. We made it all the way down to the end of the beach where the sun was setting and it was one of the most fantastic things I have ever seen in my life. I even had a chance to touch the Mediterranean Ocean for the first time in my life! (cross that one off my bucket list) Although the scooters didn't go very fast, I sort of liked that about them, it gave me a chance to catch up with Allison since I hadn't seen her since Oktoberfest and a chance to really look around and soak in all of the beauty around me.

Once our two hours of scootering was up, we were all starving and decided to go to a restaurant right across from the beach with a big stripped blue awning. (Once again, I apologize about the bad memory on the name of the place) This place had a really good deal of a three course meal and a drink for only 15 euro each. I decided to try out this appetizer that had salmon and cristinis and butter on them. Unfortunately, the first food that I had eaten in Spain was not the best, but once I got the chicken it changed my opinion on Spanish food completely. Courtney, Allison, and her other friend go a very classic spanish dish called Paella. (not sure on the spelling) I got a chance to try it, but it was a little too fishy for me, plus i am not a huge fan of muscles which is what the dish was covered in. Courtney and I decided to buy the two girls a pitcher of Sangria as a "Thanks" for allowing us to stay with them and show us around even though they have already done/seen everything historical over there. The sangria was probably one of the best that I have ever had, and I definitely recommend it to anyone that decides to go to Spain because that's one of the things that Spain is known for.

Another thing that Barcelona is known for is their night life. The clubs are all underground and any bar you go into there is usually at least a 10 minute wait to get in. The place that we went to was really cool, it had a bunch of different rooms and played really loud techno american music. It was packed downstairs and when you went through the doors from the dance floor, it would lead right out onto the beach. We did not end up going home until 5 in the morning which is absolutely insane to me because I never stay out that late!

The next day, as my friend put it, was a "typical saturday in Barcelona" where everyone slept in until about 2 in the afternoon, got up to eat food, rested all day, and got ready to go back out for another night of partying. I was so tired that I was about to say everyone just go without me, but my friends were not about to let me stay in on a night in Barcelona. Allison brought us to this really cool bar that only gave out shots, but not any type of shots, they had about 500 different ones to choose from ranging from Boy Scout shots (which were lit on fire and we were told to chase with a marshmallow on a stick) to willy wonka shots (which tasted just like candy), to Diablo shots that tasted awful but were lit on fire in the sign of a cross.

Our last day in Barcelona was spent doing all of the touristy things such as seeing Park Guell, La Familia Sagrada, Arch De Triumph, Statue of Columbus, and a huge park that had a bunch of beautiful fountains with sculptures in the middle of them. On our way to Park Guell we stopped at all of the touristy souvenir shops which were selling hand painted animals in the same porcelain-type of clay that was used to make Park Guell. I got my sister a little spanish doll that was dressed up like a Flamanco Dancer, and I got my dad one of the hand painted bulls. Later that night we went to a bar called George Payne which is an Irish bar, but the most American place to go in Barcelona. We went to watch the Patriots game (which they happened to beat the Colts - an extra bonus) and sang karaoke to "sweet caroline".

I did not want to leave Barcelona, it was so much fun, absolutely beautiful, and everyone was so nice! Now I understand why Allison was raving about it all of the time when we would Skype. The only downside to living there is the fact that you have to take the metro everywhere, which is not the cheapest form of transportation, and the fact that there are not that many people that speak english. I feel as though I would get so frustrated if I studied over there because although I have 4 years of spanish education, they talk so fast and I don't have a whole lot of patience when I can't understand someone...

Next on the travel list is Prague in 2 weeks and I am so so sooo excited for the christmas market! Christmas is by far my favorite time of year and I am very anxious to see what they do differently to celebrate it over here.

Trying to pass the time

**Written on November 16th, 2012**

It is 5:26 a.m and Courtney and I have been sitting in the Luton Airport for about 2 and a half hours now after taking the 1 a.m National Express bus from Oxford. No, we did not choose to get here this early, it was just the only bus that would get us to the airport on time in order to make our flight to Barcelona at 7:45 a.m. We were the first people to get through security this morning and tried very hard to get comfortable on the hard benches that have a bar in between each seat in order to maybe catch a few hours of sleep before the terminal got packed with travelers. Courtney was lucky enough to get comfortable and fall asleep. Me on the other hand, I resorted so laying on the cold floor and trying to read my book wishing that I would fall asleep. Nope, didn’t happen. Waited until starbucks finally opened at 5 am so I could get a coffee and something to eat, to hopefully make the time go by a little faster. I was wrong, we still have 2 hours left which actually feels like about 10...

Backing up a little bit to right before we went through security, Courtney and I ran through a bit of a difficulty. We were told by one of our friends that has traveled using easyjet before that we were allowed to bring a carry on bag and a big purse. Of course, we found out that that was definitely not the case when we walked up to security. The lady would not let us through so Courtney and I were forced to walk back down the stairs and try to fit our gigantic purses inside of our backpacks. Being the typical girls that we are, we had already overpacked our backpacks and so we had to take out clothes and wear them through security over the t-shirts that we already had on. Also, thank goodness we were both wearing leggings because we were able to put our jeans on over them. We walked through securtiy looking like two huge people getting ready for a northeastern snowstorm. Of course looking back now an hour and a half later, we think it’s a bit funny, but at the time I was ready to pay 60 pounds and just check one of my bags. Thank goodness I didn’t do that!

I am actually surprised that the airport is as packed as it is for a Friday morning this early. There are loads of people trying to curl up on little chairs with their jackets and get some sleep, while others are reading magazines or books, and of course there are the select few couples that are trying to make the time pass by by simply gazing into each other’s eyes, snapping selfies on their iphones, and cuddling up as if there were no heat in the entire building. 

I am always amazed to see how people dress when they are traveling by plane. I would think that everyone would like to be comfortable and wear something like leggings, or yoga pants, or sweatpants, with a t-shirt and sweatshirt on. Nope, but of course there are those girls that are dressed up in their tight little dresses or dress pants and their cute tops with heels on and their hair looking as if they had just walked out of a salon. I mean HELLO PEOPLE, isn’t it 5:30 in the morning?! The guys on the other hand, all seem to be wearing similar outfits. Jeans and a casual top with comfortable shoes. Unless they’re business men of course, then it’s the whole suit and dress shoes attire carrying their breifcase (or some call it a manbag). 

I honestly have nothing better to do than observe the people around me, so that is exactly what I am going to blog about. The man sitting in front of me looks as if he is going traveling somewhere. Maybe staying in a hostel? He looks to be twice my age but he’s carrying a backpack with a waterbottle on the side. He’s reading a book, and pushing his glasses up about every few seconds when they start to slide down his nose. I wonder where he’s going... Maybe he’s going to visit someone? maybe a long lost lover? Or maybe he’s traveling somewhere to do some research. He seems like a pretty intelligent man, or maybe it’s just the glasses...

Another couple sitting right near the “intelligent man” look ready to go on a vacation together. The girl is one of the ones that I described earlier, all dressed up, carrying her starbucks coffee, and furry purse (that’s right, I did say furry purse, it looks as if she skinned her own cat to make it), while reading a woman’s health magazine. I wonder where these two could be going. Maybe to visit one of their parents? Maybe to go on a mini vacation just the two of them? They look to be only a few years older than me so I don’t think that they’re married, but they are definitely comfortable enough with each other to not have to be all over each other all the time. Sometimes I envy people that are in happy relationships, but then I remember “oh yeah! i’m abroad and beyond happy to be single!”

Right before Courtney and I left for the airport, we met up with my friend Paris that is originally from Oxford that I met out one night at Clems. I may have written about her in a previous blog but she is genuinely one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I feel as though it’s been pretty hard to meet international friends because I always seem to be around a huge group of girls that are really loud and, I can imagine, a bit intimidating. Yet, I managed to meet her and we just clicked right away. She talks about coming to America all of the time and traveling all the way across it. I love how she always asks me questions about America and where I think she should travel and what she should do. She answers all of my questions that I have about British people as well. She even introduced me to what the word “Posh” really means: people who have money but don’t typically show it off. It’s sort of the British way of saying “old money”. I feel like I am still learning something new every day that I’ve been abroad, and I can only imagine the amount of knowledge that I am going to gain just within the next 5 weeks!