Farewell, London! I will miss you...

The inevitable return to the USA happened on 8 May, 2010.  After a drama-free trip from Heathrow to Detroit, I sit here in Whitehouse, Ohio where the air is clear and the fields are vast.  I got out of the car to find myself drunk on fresh, clean air. My nostrils couldn't get enough as they had evidently gotten used to the polluted, smoke-filled air of central London. 

Thus begins the final entry of A Taste of London.  A bit sad, I must admit, as this blogging business has been more fun than I ever imagined. 

Truthfully, I didn't anticipate becoming quite this involved, but it was all due to the incredible experiences I had.  The (almost) unhealthy amount of fun, wonderful memories I've managed to compile and the people I met along the way kept me honest about updating this thing. 

Frantically scribbling everything down started to get fun and I soon found myself writing about EVERYTHING! ...now to think it is already over! 

I've been banging on about "best this" and "best that" over the course of the last four months. Was it really the best experience of my life? If so, why? Do I have any favorite moments? Anything I hated? Loved?

Why did I decide to jump on the study abroad bandwagon?

After several trips abroad in high school, I had always been itching to get back to Europe, albeit for an extended period of time.  The allure of actually calling a place like London home (for at least a few months) was too great to pass up.  

There had to be some things you didn't particularly enjoy...What were they?

I intended to meet as many non-American students as possible during my time abroad.  It soon became apparent, after I got settled, that it was going to be incredibly difficult to tap into the affluent, pretentious and frankly, entitled Saudi royalty, billionaire Greek shipping tycoon and Swiss private equity manager set.  

Never have I seen so much designer clothing, such unmotivated, snobby, disrespectful, chain-smoking, rude people in my life.  It was all pretty disheartening at first, but it quickly became clear that it didn't matter as I had already met some amazing American friends.

Even though I had heard stories about the European Business School students prior to landing in London, seeing them in person was extraordinary.  The girls actually put on a designer fashion show every single day, they actually drove Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis to school and they really were completely rude all the time.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter.  Everything else was so fantastic, the fantasy of making friends with someone and having them take a few of us to their house in the south of France for spring break faded very quickly.

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Exchange rate, exchange rate, exchange rate.  London, as one of the world's most expensive cities, is already jaw-droppingly pricey.  This well-known fact, coupled with the weak US Dollar meant checking my bank account became a truly terrifying experience.  The money just kept disappearing at such an alarming rate it started to become a legitimate problem about 2/3 of the way through the semester.  

Moral of the story: bring at least (probably more) twice as much money as you think you will need.  Between trying to feed yourself, going out to pubs, buying random souvenirs and taking weekend trips, you will be shocked at how fast the numbers drop in your bank account.  

Favorite weekend excursion?

Wales proved to be my favorite trip of the semester.  The beauty of the Welsh coastline will never fade in my mind.  From my pony, Bottom, to the endless coastline, hills, rock faces, ruins, beaches and pristine views of the water, to the infamous Maddock's restaurant; nothing beats it for a quick weekend holiday.   

Favorite spring break memory?

Everything we did on spring break was epic.  Considering all of the researching, planning and confirming that went into that week, it would be easy to say the whole thing was glorious.  

However, after safely arriving in Florence, and getting a chance to wrap my mind around just how many things that could have gone wrong between Lausanne and Florence, my favorite memory has to be driving through the Alps, Genoa, nearly getting hit by dozens of Vespas and all the good times Bri, Rainey, Zach and I had on that eleven hour journey.  We made it alive, didn't want to kill each other after eleven hours and went on to celebrate with lots of pizza and wine.  What a good day!

What food will you miss most?

Anything from Borough Market: Malaysian Curry, samples of the balsamic vinegar that had been aged for 323023092 years, cinnamon almonds and the crazy-good desserts that seemed to be everywhere. Most of all, the sheer enthusiasm all those foodies brought to the market every weekend...

Considering all the time I've spent in/around "Little Lebanon" these past few months, I have eaten an embarrassingly small amount of Lebanese/Indian/Iraqi/Kurdish food.  That said, I can recommend Maroush for some good Lebanese.  Having ordered takeaway lunch there a few times, it is straight-forward and pretty good value for money.  If you don't fancy heading to the heart of "Little Lebanon" to get your falafel fix (which I highly recommend), rest assured, there are a bunch of them scattered around central London.

The Natural Kitchen is a good option if you are looking for gourmet-type food, but still want the convenience of takeaway.  It tries (and pretty much succeeds) to be an upscale "Purveyor of Fine Foods,"  but if you can get passed the pretentious exterior, you won't be disappointed.  It's located right off Old Marylebone road in a nice area with loads of restaurants, cafes, sidewalks wide enough to pass someone without getting flattened (Italy take note) and a typical assortment of soccer mom stores (designer baby clothing, over-priced towels, blah blah).  Needless to say the area isn't good for much unless you plan to eat or take a walk, however, given its close proximity to Regent's Park, it's a great place to pickup some food for a picnic.

Pret A Manger is by-far my favorite fast food restaurant in London.  I say fast food because it is actually more ubiquitous than McDonald's, just as quick and if you get the right sandwich, about the same money.  Think Panera quality, faster than Taco Bell and always-changing, fresh sandwiches.  I'm a fan. The concept is genius: Walk in, pick out your sandwich from the fridge, add some crisps/cookies/drink and pay. No custom orders, that would take time.  It's simple, inexpensive and satisfying.

So you went to school in a Royal Park?

Regent's Park is really something special.  It isn't everyday you can say you go to university in a Royal Park.  Now that the flowers have started to bloom and the ivy on the Tuke Building is starting to come out, it is nicer than ever.  I pity anyone with allergies as we are quite literally dropped right into a garden, surrounded by more flowers than one can wrap their head around, grass that most golf courses would envy and enough people at any given time that you will (almost) want to leave. 

The Barbican, eh?

The Barbican is one of the biggest concert venues in London.  It hosts everything from musical theatre productions, to lectures on UK foreign policy, to the London Symphony.  Near Victoria Park, its central location means that it is no more than 20-30 minutes from Regent's, Edgware Road or Westminster Abbey.  I've been fortunate enough to see the London Symphony, London Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra on several occasions and they are all worth seeing.   

 

I will miss____:

Chicken curry, all of my amazing London friends, gorgeous accents, beautiful people, pubs, random bottles of red wine, Thursday nights, London Symphony Orchestra, the Tube, Barbican Hall, seeing Keira Knightley, Regent's Park, The Natural Kitchen, London Euphoria, long runs along the Thames, Yellow Tail, constant laughter, Pret, the endless Swiss/Italian hills of spring break, Borough Market, the Refectory/Brasserie, parties in the penthouse, our multi-million pound view of the London Eye, coffee from dose espresso, Westminster Abbey, Wagamama, getting groceries at Waitrose, The Breakfast Club, "Ready to Eat" Waitrose meals, Oyster Cards, Trafalgar Square, Evening Standard Crosswords (thanks, Bri), St. Martin-in-the-Fields + the Crypt, endless world-class museums, and so much more!

I will not miss____:

The constant haze of cigarette smoke on the streets, the smell of the pedestrian subway under Marylebone Road, road works, EBS students, checking my bank account and seeing that the 40.00 Pounds I withdrew actually was closer to 60.00 USD, constantly having to top-up my Oyster Card and broken everything at the Landward

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During the last week, after my finals ended in an unspectacular fashion, I managed to wrap up the semester by crossing off the last items on my to-do list before we departed. 

I was fortunate to snap the requisite Abbey Road photo, check out the Imperial War Museum, ride the London Eye one last time, have a drink at the Absolute Icebar London, take a day trip to Brighton (on the coast of the UK), make a quick visit to Oxford, ride roller coasters at Thorpe Park, walk around the Victoria and Albert Museum, blaze through the Natural History Museum in fifteen minutes and soak up the last hours of my time with a comprehensive walk around the city. 

6 Steps for Study Abroad Success:

- Embrace the food, the people and the language (seems obvious, but you've gotta work at it)

- Things are not weird, they are just different!

- Keep an open mind and always try new things

- Stay busy (go explore!!!)

- Keep the calls home to a minimum (at least until you get settled)

And most importantly...

- Enjoy it and soak up every second!!! It will be over before you know it!!!!!