A Semester Abroad
My last week in London sure did turn out to be a long one. After two exams and 24 hours of flights, customs, and security checks without sleep, I somehow made it all the way back home. But it’s not as bad as it sounds. I made sure to have a little bit of fun before one of my great adventures came to an end after 149 days.
It’s not every day your study break is stumbling onto a full military parade. But hey this is London and stranger things have happened. While I’ve spent most of the week studying or trying to study, I did manage to take a couple of breaks to soak in the last little bits of London while I still have the chance.
The second and final week of my mini summer vacation has been wonderful. I’ve spent most of the week going everywhere and anywhere with no particular plan in mind. It’s been strangely liberating in some ways. As I’ve explored the city, I realized how much I’ve come to love my home for the past few months.
Ah yes, summer vacation. One of the best times of year. I mean technically I’m not on vacation yet. I still have two exams that I really need to study for at the very end of May. But I figured I might as well try to get some vacation time in before that. So, this week I decided to do all the touristy and relaxing things I haven’t gotten around to in town yet. Honestly, I think I might be living my best life right now.
It’s not every week I manage to sit next the entire government of a country. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This week was one of the first full weeks of British Summer and I can’t lie I’m really digging it. While not having AC is a pain, the Capital is a whole new place. The only problem with this is I still have a bit of work I have to get done before I can enjoy the new town that is London.
Well this has a been a relatively tame week. Easter holidays are officially over so there’s activity back on campus. Between a few review classes and one exam I spent more time on campus this week than I have in a long time.
Somehow, I managed to become quite the Bohemian. Ok, yes that’s just a lie, but I did visit the lands of Bohemia and had a grand time. My week long continental vacation was fantastic and definitely a highlight of my time on this side of the Atlantic. It was the perfect chance to refresh myself from a semester of not doing all that much and get refocused enough to pound out papers and exams over the next two weeks.
Well it sure isn’t every birthday I’m 4,000 miles away from my birthplace. Don’t worry, I managed to treat myself despite the distance. From stomping around the homelands of my ancestors to walking in the steps of Churchill, I think I’ve done a decent job of ringing in my twentieth year here on Earth.
Well it’s not every week I manage to go to church, finish an essay, and celebrate LDOC. If you’re not sure, LDOC stand for Last Day of Class. Wild right. How can class be over even though I didn’t have it in the first place right? It’s amazing how fast time is flying by here and now I somehow only have 2 more months left in town. But enough about the future, this week has been full of several milestones.
Well first off, I know I’m a little behind. Due to some interesting events involving Lufthansa and scheduling, I ended up not getting back into London until late last night. By the time I got a train back to my flat I was dead to the world and pretty quickly fell out. But enough of that, this week has been a lot of fun including a parade at the beginning to enjoying the peace of Berlin at the end. I had almost forgotten how much I like traveling and discovering new places and Berlin was a joy to travel to.
Beene In London 