Looking Back:: One Month

It has been one month since I arrived in London. Allow me to sum up my study abroad experience: I Love London. I really do. If I could, I would write a sonnet on how much I love London (unfortunately, we haven't studied the sonnets in my Shakespearean and Elizabethan Literature class so I don't have a clue how to write one). Instead, I will write a blog post on my love of London. A much more modern way to express one's love.

I love London. I love that the tube never makes you wait 20 minutes for a train and that even though people eat in it the underground remains clean. I love my morning walk to class. I love the 15 minute walk to the grocery store. I love that on average I walk three miles a day (usually more if I'm adventuring). I love that I live on the fourth floor, up a million stairs it feels like. I love my tiny little room with it's tiny little bathroom. Now that our shower has hot water I love it too, tinyness and all. I love walking two blocks to Hyde Park and spending the afternoon reading under the trees with families playing all around me. I love that traveling is so cheap (40 pounds return tickets to Oslo, Norway. That's $60). I love learning to cook for myself.

I love that every day is an adventure. Just walking down the street is exciting because it's all new to me. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because this feels like a dream. Even though I knew months and months ago that I would be studying abroad, I could never picture myself here. And here I am, living in London. How fantastic is that?

Not everything is perfect though, life still has its ups and downs. Just last night Ellie (my roommate) and I were lost and wandering the streets at night in the worst storm we've had so far. There are some things I haven't loved in my one month. I don't love that Boyfriend, my very best friend, is thousands of miles away from me. I don't love that I haven't seen my parents or my grandmother in a month and that I won't see them for three more months (that is unless they get a webcam and skype me. hint hint). I don't love that I miss my good friends and don't get to talk to them that often due to the time difference. I think the solution to these problems is that everyone I love come here and join my in this city I love.

I want to take time to reflect every month on my experiences here so I'm going to compile a list of favorites every month.

Favorite adventure: Trip to Stonehenge
Favorite place in London: Holland Park
Favorite food: the stir fry I made, which was the first meal I'd ever cooked
Favorite moment: Standing next to Stonehenge and feeling the full weight of its historical importance. Millions of people have traveled to see Stonehenge and there I was, a part of that. It was an amazing feeling.
Favorite thing I've learned: tie between how to cook to survive and that I'm good at map-reading and directions. haha, who knew?
Favorite purchase: my 1970s Gunne Sax dress that makes me feel like a cupcake (10 pounds).
Favorite thing in the upcoming month: Trip to Oslo, Norway!
Favorite photo: taken September 18 at Stonehenge.

Any 'favorite' ideas? I'm sure there are other things I could categorize.