Cheers, London

It is my last night in London. Well, actually, I'll be leaving in only 3 short hours. I can't believe that I will be home tomorrow. Being here feels so right, so normal now. It's definitely a bittersweet goodbye; I am so excited to see everyone at home and start all the exciting things coming up, but I am really sad to leave London. As I said my final goodbyes to my coworkers and friends from the program, it made me realize how lucky I've been to meet so many great, supportive people and how different it will be not to see them everyday anymore. I don't know the next time I will be back or the next time I will see my "London family", and that makes me appreciate the memories we've made even more.

I spent my last day soaking in London culture. My day started with packing, then I went to the amazing Victoria & Albert museum (where I saw an amazing Grace Kelly exhibit), had lunch across the street from Harrods, and met up with Tilly for Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately the famous boy's choir is on vacation, but a choir from Oxford University subbed in for today. Then Tilly and I were off to the Royal Albert Hall where we met up with her boyfriend Dom for the Proms, a classical music festival that runs all summer. So I spent my final evening with my old friends Beethoven and Strauss. I wanted my last day here to be comfortable and familiar, providing a good sense of closure and representing what my summer has been like for me. I've spent so many of my days here in theaters, museums, and galleries, enjoying the best of London's art, music, theatre, historical, and cultural sphere. We topped off the evening with a final dose of culture at a Turkish restaurant (don't worry - I had my last traditional British meal the other night of a steak and ale pie and it was amazing). I've been running around since, packing and printing boarding passes and taking out the trash and saying goodbyes.

I'll upload my last photos tomorrow when I get home, so this isn't goodbye for the blog yet. Doesn't it seem like yesterday when I posted that I arrived safely and in one piece? It sure feels like yesterday.

To everyone who has been keeping up with me - I can't thank you enough. I've been so touched that you've allowed me to share my experience with you.

The Beginning of the End

Here it is - my last day of work. I am actually quite sad to be leaving. I hate goodbyes and closure, not knowing if you'll ever see people again or be in touch again. I hate the finality of sitting at my desk for the last time, knowing that by the end of the day all of my things have to be gone. It's just so sad to leave somewhere that feels like a nook just for you.

But I'm also sad that my work experience is coming to an end. I do feel like a part of the team here. Looking back, it's hard to remember how nervous I was just 8 weeks ago, and how far I've come. I will miss the team here and the friends I've made. But I know I will always have these great connections here.

I am tying up all my loose ends here at work today, and I will spend my final day in London tomorrow enjoying the city. Then before I know it, my bags will be packed and I will be on a plane home. How the time flies.

"No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life"

Well I cannot say that I am tired of neither London nor of life, so that must be a good thing.

I am tired, however, from my last weekend in London. It seems so final to say that - my last weekend. All these questions have begun to pop into my head when I remind myself of my little time left here: Did I make the most of it? Is it everything I thought it was going to be? Am I going to regret not doing something when I leave? The answers to these questions have always turned out in my favor though. Yes, I feel like I have done everything I've wanted to do in London. I have had a great experience here, and I've learned a ton. I have been working really hard and I feel like my internship has taught me some crucial skills to start my future career on. I have come to really love London and I feel at home here now - I don't feel like a foreigner or a tourist. I know the city quite well and I feel comfortable here.

But at the same time, I know my allotted time here is almost done, and I am coming to peace with that fact. It has been strange to watch all my friends here leave already, so I have been feeling that my turn is approaching slowly but surely. The packing process started last night (and then it seemed like an impossible task so I stopped soon after I began). The weirdest thing to me is that I move back to school in 18 days - where does the summer go??? This summer has really just flown by. But I am so excited to go back home to my friends and family who I have missed terribly!

I filled my last weekend with London activities. I took my Friday morning easily, sleeping in and enjoying my day off. Then in the early afternoon, Tilly texted me because she got off work early and was wondering if I wanted to meet up. It was perfect timing, because I was about to go to see a Picasso exhibit nearby. The afternoon was awesome - wonderful works by my favorite artist with my brilliant British friend. After taking our sweet time in the exhibit, we stopped at a shop on the corner nearby and grabbed milkshakes for a mid-afternoon treat. I hope I can see Tilly more before I leave; we talked about some potential activities for this week that I'm really looking forward to, I hope it all works out!

Tilly outside the Picasso Exhibit

Saturday was quite the Royal Day Out! We are very lucky to be here during a rare season - the short time that Buckingham Palace is open to the public. We bought tickets earlier in the week to go to the State Rooms and the Royal Mews. We were in the earliest group, which helped a lot with the crowdedness! After a thorough security check, we were given audio guides and were let into the Palace.

Outside Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is absolutely beautiful. The chandeliers were to DIE for!!! One of the first places you go inside is to the Grand Staircase, where one can't help but feel royal walking up these steps of splendor. We also saw the Throne Room, a grand dining room, reception halls, drawing rooms, gallery rooms, and a large exhibition called The Queen's Year which laid out many of the Queen's most popular annual events. We also got to see some of her amazing dresses and royal garb from her long reign, which was amazing!

The Grand Staircase

The Throne Room

The end of the tour brought a delightful stroll through the Queen's garden, which was another amazing sight. It was such a refreshing amble, transporting visitors from the crowded hustle and bustle of city life into an oasis of green. It was just what we needed :) Then we toured the Royal Mews, as recommended by my parents. After seeing Buckingham, it wasn't as cool as I expected, but it was still awesome. The Royal Mews are where they keep the royal carriages and horses. The best parts were seeing the carriage Princess Diana took to her wedding and the Golden Coach used for every coronation ceremony. We also got to see 2 royal horses!

Our future home.

The Queen's Garden

The Royal Mews

Our royal day continued with a train trip out to Windor to visit another royal dwelling, Windsor Castle. To me, it wasn't as cool as Buckingham, but it was much bigger and there was much more to see, so it was well worth the trip! We got to see St. George's Chapel, the huge doll house that was a gift to Queen Mary, and many state rooms. I also saw my first British Guard of the trip - the famous ones that can't move. I was really scared to go up to him and take a picture!

State Room

The King's Bedroom

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

I was really scared to take this picture.

At night we had a going-away party for the program at a Hawaiian-theme bar. It's weird to think that I will be going home soon and will no longer be going to funny little London bars and pubs tucked into every corner available. I will definitely miss that. We went to the Hawaiian place for a while then back to a nice restaurant/bar right by Nido so that we wouldn't be far. It's always fun to go out with the girls!

Pretty friends

Awkward arm - always a classic.

Then it was Football Sunday! The program got us tickets for the second day of the Emirates Cup, which was 2 soccer games in the brand new Emirates Stadium. What an experience it was to be at a European football game! The first game was AC Milan vs. Olympique Lyonnais, and the second was Arsenal (an English team) vs. Celtic (Scottish) - and it was quite a riot! Arsenal and Celtic fans showed us a good time, bringing all the spirit they could to the game. Arsenal won, so it was fun to be there at such an exciting game (it was the final of the cup, and Arsenal won the cup). At the game, we enjoyed foot-long hot dogs (on baguettes?) and got Emirates hats. It was really exciting.

Outside the Emirates Stadium

A for Arsenal

Football

And so went my last weekend here. As another work week begins, I am starting to come to terms with my pending departure. How sad it will be :( Tonight, I met up with Tilly to go see Danton's Death, a play about the French Revolution. Tilly rocks, I'm so lucky I met her. I am trying to make the most of my final days here, so stay tuned for the final installments of my adventures in London.

If you wanna be a dancer, dance

Tonight, Ann and I saw the musical Billy Elliot - and it was the best musical I have ever seen. It was phenomenal!! Absolutely phenomenal. I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. Ann miraculously managed to get 6th row center seats for £20 each - one of the the LUCKIEST days of our lives! The show was overflowing with amazing talent, most notably from the kids in the show; the story is about a young boy (Billy Elliot) and lots of kids are featured.

Things I Fancy from My Office - Part 6

At work, there is a cereal and crisp wall (crisps = chips and chips = fries). Today I was excited to see this chocolatey cereal available:

Earth to Britain, these are COCO KRISPIES. Not Coco Pops.

There are places I remember...

Today after work, Nargis and I went to Abbey Road to walk that famous walk of the Beatles! The infamous crosswalk seemed pretty small actually - it's across a 2 lane road - but it's right outside of Abbey Studios, where the Beatles recorded 90% of their songs. The outside wall of the studio is covered in graffiti, most of which is Beatles lyrics with the occasional proposal. It was only one tube stop away from work, so it was a perfect post-work activity.

Walking the Walk

Things I Fancy from My Office - Part 5

We got a new intern today. Her name is Amy. She, like all the other interns but me, is British.

Amy thinks the idea of Peanut Butter & Jelly is disgusting. She finds it to be the strangest combo.

I can't believe this.

"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go."

My Saturday morning began with Shakespeare. The program set up a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The theatre itself is not the original (a bridge was built over the first Globe), but it was recreated using all the same techniques and materials that the first was built with. Our tour guide gave us a fascinating depiction of life in the time of Shakespeare, the nature of the theatre, and how his plays were designed to be performed in spaces such as the Globe. It made me want to see a Shakespeare play there! I don't know if I'll have the time to do that (plus the only area available is standing, and I don't think I can stand for the entire duration of a Shakespeare play). We'll see.

The outside of the Globe Theatre

The inside of the Globe Theatre

After the tour, Nargis and I decided to head uptown for my first trip to Harrods. What an overwhelming place! It is definitely a must-see of London, but be prepared! I found Harrods to be overcrowded and cluttered. The layout was not at all easy to navigate, and they didn't have maps. But it's a fun place to explore - my favorite sections were the pet department, the instrument department, and of course the dessert bar and food court!

The rest of the day was filled with a little shopping and a relaxing evening of a movie and laundry at Nido.

On Sunday, Katelyn, Ann and I went back to the Harrods area for church. I was intrigued by Katelyn's description of it, so I decide to accompany them this week. It was a protestant church, and they sang the whole time. I had a hard time digesting it all after being so used to Catholic structure.

Church always makes me crave donuts. There's something about waking up early on a Sunday to go to church that seems to make one very deserving of baked goods. Good thing we passed a French patisserie on the way back! Cream-filled donut mission accomplished.

We then walked to Hyde Park, the largest park in London. It's amazing how you can walk down the busy, urban streets of downtown London into the quiet serenity of its parks and feel like you're in a whole different region. Our goal was to visit Kensington Palace, where many people of royalty have stayed over the centuries, including Princess Diana. Hyde Park is huge, however, so it took us a while to find it. It was a beautiful Sunday for a walk in the park, so we enjoyed every moment of it!

We eventually found the Palace and settled down by a beautiful garden (pic below) to wait for Nargis to join us. We found out that the palace is undergoing a huge restoration project, unfortunately, so most of it is closed for the next two years. I was really bummed - it is rumored to be gorgeous, and they have dresses on display from both Diana and other women of royalty. Cest la vie. We saved £11 though, so that was good.

At Kensington Gardens outside Kensington palace

The beautiful gardens at Kensington Palace

The rest of the day brought some more shopping, relaxing, picture sharing, and enjoying each other's company. I enjoyed a nice long video chat with my mom and then with Ryan, and I ended the day with a rejuvenating run. I can't believe I only have one weekend left in London; Before I know it, I will be back in the States in less than 2 weeks.

Galleries, Bridges, and Art - oh my!

My second-to-last weekend has begun! Unfortunately, this weekend brings quite a bit of sadness as Katie leaves tomorrow morning :( I can't imagine my London experience without her, and I have a strong hunch that the last two weeks will not be nearly as fun without her. It was amazing to have such a close friend so close by to help me adjust to being here, and to have someone to relate to who really knows me. I couldn't have been luckier to have her for as long as I did! The sheer coincidence of our situation proves to me that there are people who come into your life for a reason and are meant to stay in your life for a very, very long time.

Katie, you will be so badly missed here in London, but this is still just the beginning of our lifelong friendship, and I will see you back home very soon!

Then...

...and now.

So in honor of Katie's departure, Katelyn, Nargis and I went out last night to meet up with Katie. Our unsophisticated London phones weren't working to our advantage, unfortunately, so it took a while to meet up. But in the meantime, we hung out in Covent Garden for a while before meeting up with Katie and Melissa in King's Cross. I'm so glad we had one last chance to go out together and enjoy each other's company.

Low-key night out after a full work week

On this lovely Friday, I once again enjoyed not having to go into work. Instead, Nargis and I had a day in the city visiting some of London's top sites! We left after a semi-shakey morning of me locking myself out of my room, but all was fixed and back to normal in no time and we headed to the station to embark on a day of culture.

Our first stop was the British Museum, a London classic. The British Museum is a great collection of historical artifacts, the most famous of which is the Rosetta Stone, which helped decode ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The British Museum

The Rosetta Stone

Om.

Nargis and I grabbed a sandwich for lunch between stops, then we traveled down to the river. We walked across Millennium Bridge to get to the Tate Modern, aka the most amazing art gallery on earth. I am completely in love with the collection at the Tate Modern. I love modern art; I find it very thought-provoking and inspiring. So the Tate was the place for me!

On the Millennium Bridge on the way to the Tate Modern!

The Tate Modern was my favorite place I've visited in London. I just wish it could have gone on forever! But alas, the time came to move along (and Nargis isn't as enamored with contemporary art as I am). We swung by Topshop, a London "must" store, before heading home. A whole day on our feet becoming more cultured is always exhausting! So I got to spend the evening relaxing, catching up with my bffaeaeae Theresa and getting an overdue dose of healthy laughing with Seester.

Later on in the night, I decided that Nargis and I were being boring. My initial plan was to take her to see Platform 9 and 3/4 (yes, the one from Harry Potter), but we ended up checking out a classy pub nearby with a cool vibe that a staffer recommended to us. Then we got McDonalds and it was amazing. The end.

A Really Big Post (including Paris)

I've had a lot going on lately, so I haven't been updating the blog as I should be! Here's an update of the end of last week, my weekend trip to Paris, and the beginning of this week.

Last week

Last Tuesday night, the girls all went to see the new Twilight movie Eclipse at a nearby cinema. I must admit, I enjoyed it a lot actually. It was a lot better than the first two films. Then on Wednesday I had a program seminar and info session about Paris. The seminar was about networking - a skill I really need to work on.

Thursday was pretty exciting. Tilly and I went down the road to Proximity London, another agency in the network, for after work drinks with some new friends who work there. Proximity London is SO much more exciting than what we've seen of BBDO London - they have a bar, a softball team, and an office dog! The people I met were really nice, and being American gave me an interesting edge to talk about. After hanging out in their bar/cafe area for a while, 8 or so of us (including Tilly) went to Pizza Express, a chain of Italian restaurants, in Soho. It was nice to get out with people who also worked in the network, since our part of the office isn't the most social. Then I went home and had to pack! Katie came over for a while to help me, and then it was off to bed to prepare for my early morning.

Friday

My day started at 5am to get ready, finalize packing, and head off to catch the 7:30 Eurostar train to Paris. The trip was organized by University of Dreams, so all 50ish of us went. We were split into 2 different train groups, and luckily I was on the second group (apparently the first was super rowdy -- oh American frat boys).

When we arrived to Paris, we hopped right on the underground and went to the hotel to drop off our luggage. Then Katelyn, Nargis, Ann and myself headed out for a walk through Paris and some early sightseeing! As we walked through the area around our hotel toward the river, we stopped at a creperie for a delicious crepe lunch. I had a "crepe complete" with ham, cheese, and eggs, and I had a sweet nutella crepe. Heaven!! We continued on after lunch and came across the Notre Dame. After walking through, we went on to the Louvre. Finally, I get to see the Louvre! As a big art fan, I was ecstatic to explore the huge gallery. We saw the Mona Lisa (underwhelming as expected), but we also got to see a bunch of Spanish art, which is my favorite. The coolest part about the Louvre was seeing the lavish decorations of Napoleon's apartments. Very regal and elegant! It was really cool to see.

The Louvre is so huge that it makes you exhausted in record time, so it wasn't long before the girls were ready to head back to the hotel for a rest. I got cleaned up and then it was time to climb the Eiffel Tower at night! A long queue and hundreds of stairs were totally worth it - the tower lit up while we were on it! What a beautiful view of Paris.

After climbing the Eiffel Tower, I really wanted to meet up for dinner with Katie and Melissa who were also in Paris for the weekend, but they were staying on the opposite end of town so they had to get back before the metro closed. But I got to give Katie a I-can't-believe-we're-both-in-Paris-right-now hug before they left the cafe where they had dinner. The Dreamer group (Katelyn, Nargis, Ann, and myself) stayed and had a so-so dinner there. We walked back to our hotel and crashed for the night, but I did get to chat with Ryan for a bit before going to bed. Always a great way to end the day :)

Exploring the streets of Paris for the first time

Paris

Crepes for lunch

Ann and me at lunch on Friday

Le Notre Dame

In front of the Louvre

Napoleon's apartments

River Seine

In front of the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

Starting to climb the Eiffel Tower stairs

The Eiffel Tower

Saturday

I woke up on Saturday morning to the promise of a big breakfast - and I wasn't disappointed! The hotel definitely delivered with croissants and pastries, really good coffee, yogurt, eggs, FRUIT, bread, the works. To start the day, the Dreamer girls went with Stefan, our program director, to visit the Sacre Coeur in Montmarte. I briefly got to see Katie and Melissa there before they headed toward central Paris to do the things we did on Friday. The Sacre Coeur is beautiful, but I prefer the Notre Dame. Montmarte is a super cool area though - there was a square overflowing with artists offering to sketch passersby and tourists and to sell their paintings of the city.

From Montmarte, we walked with Stefan through north Paris. He is a native French speaker, which is always nice to have on hand when in France! On the way, we stopped in a small bakery and grabbed some bread to munch on. I shared a baguette with Ann, and I also got a macaroon - and oh my goodness my life will never be the same. It was definitely the best part of the trip! All the problems of the world could be solved with Parisian macaroons I swear.

Stefan took us through the posh area of Paris, where the high-end shopping and residences are located, as well as the Ritz (where Princess Diana used to stay of course). From there, we walked down the infamous Champs-Elysees, where we were able to do a little bit of shopping on the way toward the Arc de Triomphe. Nargis wasn't feeling to good, however, so we went back to the hotel for a rest before heading back out in our area for some more shopping.

While Nargis rested, Katelyn, Ann, and I wandered back out to the streets of Paris. Ann was on a Longchamp mission for the afternoon - a French accessory brand. Longchamp bags are big in the States but even bigger in Europe - everyone has them in London! She was super excited to get her 2 new Longchamp bags from the actual Longchamp store in Paris. It was quite fun!

Before we knew it, stores began closing up and it was time to find a restaurant for dinner. We found an amazing looking menu that featured an eye-catching salmon dish, so we quickly grabbed a table (and I grabbed Nargis) for an exceptional French meal! I started with a traditional French Onion Soup (when in France...), and I did get the salmon dish, as did Katelyn and Ann. We were blown away by the sweet potatoes au gratin that accompanied it - amazing!! We all shared a bottle of French wine and a creme brulee to finish the meal. It was by far my favorite dinner of this entire trip! Katelyn and Ann were too tired to go on, unfortunately, and I was really bummed when they went back to the hotel to go to bed before 10 o'clock. I couldn't bring myself to retiring that early on a Saturday night in Paris - my last night - so Nargis and I went to a nearby Jazz club. Kind of random, and we were definitely the youngest people there,

but it was a chill atmosphere with live music, so I wasn't complaining. We did go back after a while though, and Ryan called the hotel when I got back so we could chat again :)

The Sacre Coeur

Lifelong friends meeting up in Paris

"Dreamers" outside the Sacre Coeur

Highlight of my trip - this chocolate macaroon!

I found heaven in Paris in Macaroon form

The Arc de Triomphe

Katelyn and Ann with the amazing salmon and sweet potatoes au gratin dish

La Marquise, where we had dinner

Sunday

My last day in Paris. Katelyn and Ann were bit by the retail bug this weekend, and they wanted to continue shopping. Unfortunately, we found that everything is closed on Sundays in Paris, so that wasn't a reality. But we did come across a great market that was really fun to explore! Then Nargis had to get some souvenirs to bring home, so we walked to the touristy areas by the Notre Dame.

The weather was superb all weekend, but especially on Sunday - a perfect day for a picnic in Luxemberg Gardens! We picked up some food at the store by the hotel and went with some staffers to the beautiful garden for lunch. I picked up some brie and a nectarine at the store and grabbed a baguette on the way to the garden. I felt very French :) After lunch, I split off from the Dreamer group and went with Katie and Melissa to go on a cruise down the River Seine. What a lovely way to end my weekend in Paris. It was a really relaxing cruise, and we got to take in all the beautiful sights of the city one last time before heading back to London.

Paris is crazily accessible from London - 2 hours on a train and you're there! I got to catch up on some reading on the train ride home, and before I knew it we were back in London preparing for another work week. I enjoyed my last bits of Parisian food on the way home - I grabbed a final baguette, a small quiche, and 3 mini macaroons for dinner. It was perfect.

I really enjoyed Paris a lot, and I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to go. It was a little strange to be there without people I was really close to, though - being in the most romantic city in the world with girlfriends was quite fun, but didn't always feel right, haha. And European travel always reminds me of Rink family European trips that I miss and appreciate so much. I definitely want to go back to France in the future, but I want to speak French when I go! I learned as much of the language as I could while I was there, and I promised myself that I would learn it before going back.

Exploring the Sunday market

Picnic lunch in Luxemberg Gardens with Ann, Katelyn, Nargis, and 2 of our program staff members

Katie and Melissa boarding the river cruise boat

This bridge was covered with padlocks where people wrote their names and wedding dates - so sweet.

Monday

I had my big presentation at work. It went very smoothly. It wasn't for many people, there were oly about 20 at the meeting. But the network head of Europe (who, ironically, is also American) was there, as were people from several departments. And at the end of the meeting, I found out that I was nominated for "European of the Month", someone who is recognized from that group. I didn't win (the guy who did was doing 10 weeks placement at BBDO Germany), but it was nice to be recognized! The meeting rocked because there was chocolate amaretto mousse. After work, I got to skype with the rents, and then I went for a run.

Tuesday

After a normal day at work, I met up with Nargis and Katelyn to see the movie Inception on Britain's largest screen. It was really good. And intense. Lots of gun shots. But it was really well done. Then I rushed off to Soho to meet up with Katie and Emmalilly for an NDP reunion. Unfortunately, we couldn't find Emmalilly, but Katie and I had a nice time grabbing a drink (and dinner for me) and talking about life, feminism, friends, home, and leaving London :(