A Beautiful Year

"Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once". -Audrey Hepburn


I admit it, I am a complete sucker for self-reflection and nostalgia for past experiences. I love to reflect and what better opportunity to do that than on the ending of my Master's degree at Royal Holloway. This year has gone by SO quickly. I underline it because I know that is a clichéd thing to say, but it really is true. I've been in the UK for a little over a year now, and I can honestly say that life could not be more different, yet exciting, than it was a year ago. A year ago I was on the edge of a personal precipice, basically throwing myself over the edge in order to reinvent myself. I left a life behind that I happened to like very much because I had a deep-seeded feeling that something of colossal importance was missing from it. I'm sure that each and everyone of you that I left behind at home was probably scared for me at some point, or maybe still are; I'd have been scared for myself too if I didn't know myself better. The point is, that I could have been ok at home, but I don't think that I would have been completely happy. If there is one thing that this year has taught me (and there have been so many life lessons that came out of it) is the immense importance of being able to read and understand yourself. I took this year to focus on me, and to figure out what I wanted; in short, it has been a year of self-discovery and what I've concluded is that I don't ever want to be just ok. I want to be happy and the people that I choose to surround myself with both in England and in America are people that subscribe to that.

This year has been the best year of my life, despite having periods of intense homesickness or sadness. It has changed my outlook on people and life more profoundly than anything else up to this period in my life. I can't say where (or what continent) my future career will take me, but what I can say is that for right now, London is the perfect place for me. I will begin the next phase of my life at the end of September, my PhD program at University College London, and my hopes for the next year of my life in London are to keep learning, thinking about, and exploring the people and places directly around me. I am, at my heart, a people person and nothing gives me greater pleasure than getting to know people from all walks of life and learning about how they do and see things. As my aunt Mary says, "People are where I get my energy from" and I subscribe wholeheartedly to that. So bring on year two in England! I have a feeling that things won't be slowing down in London-town anytime soon.

My Finished Dissertation :)

The Meanderings of a Literature Student

Over the past month, there have been days where I've gotten the urge to walk and explore London by foot. My meanderings have taken me to various parts of London, but two of my new favorite areas were ones that I discovered just the other day. I had been longing to visit Hampstead Heath and Chelsea for ages, and finally got the opportunity to do so. Hampstead Heath is an enormous park in the north of London and is famous for its ruggedness and wildness, as well as its spectacular views over London from Parliament Hill. As I hiked through it I felt like I was transplanted back into the state parks of Minnesota, which is something that I miss deeply, so when I find it I hold on to it with both hands.
One thing that I'm not sure that everyone knows about me is how much of an outdoors fanatic I am. I love the outdoors, pure and simple. Growing up in North Dakota and being raised by a family of sports enthusiasts and hunters, how could I not? Appreciating the outdoors is in my blood and it is one thing, among many, that I am so thankful for in regards to my upbringing. Now, I am also at heart a city person, but I found quite early on that the two do not necessarily go hand in hand as easily as I would have hoped. I find myself pounding the pavement more often than hiking through tree-lined paths or biking along grassy meadows. This is ok, but every week or so I get an intense longing and urge to get out into nature and just clear my lungs of the polluted city air. This is why going to Hampstead Heath meant so much to me; I think I may have found an escapist's paradise within the bustling city.

Walking in the park-a mixture of meadow and forest

view from Parliament hill

Now for Chelsea: Chelsea is located in the southwestern part of central London and is famous as being the "posh" area of London where the rich and beautiful live. You can find large mansions, expensive cars, and designer shops surrounding the Sloane Square area and it is a treat to wander through and imagine living there. I took a 2 hour walking tour of Chelsea as I was most interested in learning about the area because of the high amount of Victorian writers and painters who have lived there. I saw many houses formally owned by the bigs of the Victorian period as well as the houses of Mick Jagger, prominent London architects, and the likes of Lawrence Olivier and Vivian Leigh. The area is steeped in history and is just a pleasure to walk around. Chelsea is largely free of tourists and the sidewalks are wider, the air feels cleaner, and the houses are nicer. It is a wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon slowly ambling along the streets.

Old Pub- The Fox and Hound

The Thatcher Infirmary 

Gorgeous Chelsea Houses

Christopher Wren's Royal Chelsea Hospital

Bram Stoker's House

Oscar Wilde's House

George Eliot's House

Church dedicated to Sir Thomas More

Olympic Fever

The Olympic games have come and gone, capping off a truly spectacular year for Great Britain. This year held Charles Dickens' 200th birthday, the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones, the 100-year anniversaries Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, AND the 2012 London Olympics. What a year. I really did have excellent timing when it came to being in the hottest possible spot on the earth in the year 2012. 

Olympics Stadium

London was hectic during the games but I have to say that I was really pleased with how well the transportation system held up under such enormous pressure and just overall with how the Olympic committee did with making London into an excellent venue for the games. It really could not have been better and the games were judged a swimming success in Britain. The real heros of the games were the thousands of volunteers throughout Britain who came together to give their time to make the games into something really special. Venues were spread out throughout the city, transforming London into one giant venue. People were on hand, in pink vests, everywhere to help guide tourists and to make sure that everyone got to where they needed to be safely. Like I said, I was thoroughly impressed and really proud of the British public and Londoners in general for how they ran the games. 

I did manage to attend one event: women's trampoline gymnastics. It was held at the North Greenwich arena which is actually only about a 10 minute bus ride from my flat. My flat is directly across the river from the Olympic village and when standing just up the hill from my flat you can see it. I really enjoyed attending an event (even if it was such an obscure one). I got to see a medal ceremony and just got to partake in the general olympic vibe. I got to cheer for someone I'd never heard of before simply because she was American and I got to interact with strangers based on our excitement and patriotic spirit. It was really a time for people of all nations to come together and I enjoyed every random train or bus conversation with Americans on holiday or living in London about our athletes. It is the reason that I love sports as much as I do, they are a way to get people excited about something that is bigger than them and to bring strangers together under a common interest. 

North Greenwich Arena

London 2012 was an experience that I will remember forever. I was lucky enough to get to live it day in and day out for two weeks, and even though it bred frustration at different points, it was a unique experience that I don't think will ever be relived again in the same way for me. It was a beautiful time in a beautiful city, and the olympic fever will continue to live on, at least until soccer season starts up again. 

My Very Own London Flat

So, for starters, I apologize for being MIA the last few weeks from the blogosphere. Between having Nikki to stay, the Olympics, oh yeah, and my dissertation I've been a bit busy. While all of those things that I've just mentioned are blog worthy topics, I will keep you wanting more by leaving those for a different post. Right now I want to show and tell you about my new flat!

I moved into the big city, London, a month ago now and it already feels like Egham was years in the past. I live in the southeastern bit of London, in an area called Charlton which for those of you not familiar with London is just east of Greenwich. I have my very own one bedroom flat and for the first time in my entire life I am living completely by myself. I have no roommates and don't have to share one iota of my space, and I'm loving it to bits. Let me give you a visual rundown of my place, thus far.

The outside of my flat-mine is the one with the open curtain on the second floor

gorgeous view from my sitting room

kitchen

kitchen

sitting room- I now have a tv in front of the fire place

nice, big bathroom

bedroom

As you can probably see, light is not a problem in my flat. It is nearly always bright and sunny which was something that I saw as of the utmost importance, since I do so much work from home. I also have a dishwasher which has made me one of the happiest people alive in London. It is a very rare thing to have in a one bedroom flat in London. I have all the major appliances including a washing machine (no dryer) and though I'm still waiting for some furniture (namely my dining table and chairs) to be delivered thanks to the slowdown during the Olympics, things are coming together. I love having more space to move around in and having multiple rooms to be in during the day. I love being able to do whatever I please and decorate how I like and not having to ask anyone for permission to do anything. In short, it has been quite a liberating process. I'm sure I will have more photos to post with updates of decorating and furniture, when that arrives, so I will be sure to keep you all posted via my blog. I love being in the city and having instantaneous access to so many wonderful and fun things. It really is a vast improvement from small town Egham and this flat is much more suited to my style of living. It has and continues to be a cool place to live.
Oh, and in case you haven't heard, I have a couch and an air mattress for anyone who wants to visit.

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Nearly a month ago now (already, eek!) I was blessed with a visitor from America, my dear friend Heidi. Heidi and I met on our semester abroad in London nearly three years ago and have remained friends ever since. When she decided to make the hop over the pond to see me and to make her first visit back to the UK, I was ecstatic. We both came to the quick conclusion that Cornwall was where our hearts most desired to visit and so a week in a cottage in St. Ives, along with a short stint in York (northeast England) and London, was just what the doctor ordered.

York was where we began our trip and for two and a half gloriously sun-filled days (a rarity this year, believe me in one of the wettest on record) wandering around the cobblestoned streets admiring the gorgeous cathedral city. The main highlights were walking along the ancient city walls, going to Yorkminster, visiting the Railway museum, and eating at Betty's cafe, a Yorkshire institution.

outside Yorkminster

At Betty's

Railway museum

view from the walls of York

 

After York we made the long trek down to St. Ives. It was two hours to London (standing most of the way) and then a layover in Paddington station and then a 6 hour train ride down to St. Ives. It was an exhausting day but the minute we got to St. Ives it was immediately worth it. We rented a local woman's cottage right in the heart of the town, and were so pleased with it the entire week. It was cozy, comfortable, and we really loved having a place of our own to come back to and relax each day.

entrance to the cottage

We spent our week wandering around the winding streets of St. Ives, hiking, eating, and taking small day trips around Western Cornwall. We managed to visit Penzance and see a play, Twelfth Night, at the Minack theatre with its incredibly breathtaking views of the Atlantic coast as a backdrop. We visited two art galleries, had an afternoon cream tea, ate cornish pasties (rhymes with sassy), and slept in. The only bummer was that it was cold, windy, and rainy periodically and despite having so many beaches around us, the thought of swimming in water that was at most 40 degrees fahrenheit kept us from entertaining the thought of traditional beach pursuits. The cold summer weather is one thing that I've had a hard time getting used to. It is late July and it is still risky to wear shorts or a dress without worrying that I will get cold as the highs are usually around 60 and damp. Despite the weather though we had a fabulous and relaxing time before heading back to London to conclude our vacation together.

The Minack Theatre

Afternoon tea breaks

The surfers' beach in St. Ives

pasties- a cornish speciality

Harbor of St. Ives

St. Michael's mount

14th century pub in St. Ives

London proved to be anything but relaxing; we were out from 9am to 10pm each day and our feet felt it. We had three days to reminisce together and ended up having an afternoon tea with a professor of mine from UST at Fortnum and Mason (highly recommended if you ever visit London), saw two more plays (Midsommer Night's Dream and One Man, Two Guvnors), had an indian meal, and visited old haunts from our Farringdon days. It was such a great time and really a magical way to end our trip where it all began for us three years ago. We finished off our last night in a pub on the Mall partaking in one last moment (for Heidi) of pure English bliss. 

Afternoon tea platter at Fortnum and Mason