No one says that in London but I always thought they did!
What happened?!? to LIFE? And to this blog?!? Over the past few years, posts have become progressively sparser (to be honest I kind of forgot this existed for a while). But I really can't believe I went this entire year without writing!
Part of 2014 will be to revive and revamp this blog into something more focused (rather than it being just a depository for all my inane whimsies...) Writing in general helps me process, reflect, and create new ideas, whether in my journal or in here. Unfortunately, I haven't been writing anywhere as of late, which is probably why a lot of what has happened this year seems like a huge blur now. Sometimes things happen so fast I forget to savor and relish the moment, and before I know it, it's completely forgotten (or possibly I just have very poor short-term memory)!
2013 has definitely been a frenzied barrage of events! And looking back makes me a bit sad to think that I let so many events fly by these past two years without slowing down to remember them.
But that's what 2014 is for!
In January, I was still in London freezing my butt off! Our landlady was crazy, our (me and Mike's) boiler was completely not functional, which meant no heating and hot water in 20 degree weather, which meant boiling water over the stove and filling the tub with it (which also meant not showering everyday... go ahead and judge but who sweats when it's 20 degrees anyway), and wearing 5 layers to bed.
Living in London made me appreciate seasons, and the bad reputation of horrible weather didn't even bother me one bit. I just loved it! The freezing chills, the cold, stinging air... That is Golders Green park, 5 minutes away from our flat and I jogged there 4-5 times a week. It is beautiful and one of the things I miss the most about London. There were ducks and butterflies in the spring, colorful gardens in full bloom, and when the weather hit 60 degrees... lines up the wazoo for ice cream cones, and don't even bother finding a grassy spot!
The experience itself was magical --I sound like a 6th grader talking about her first dance, but it absolutely was magical! London will always be my favorite city in the world, and going to London School of Economics is one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life, and one of the most mind-opening, inspiring, and permanent experiences I will always hold close. The people I encountered in the program are truly of unparalleled quality, and London as a city is a beauty that is past, present, and future all rolled into one. I could live in that city for years and continue to be enchanted by it daily!
And don't even get me started on the pubs... no better place to drink a whiskey. None! And when the sun sets over the Thames, well on the days where there IS sun, the whole sky looks like it's on fire! Definitely gives LA sunsets a run for its money (just FYI this picture below is a poor representation of London's dusk pallet).
Being in Europe for the first part of the academic year meant trips to Germany, Portugal, Scotland, Austria, and basically everywhere in the UK. Palaces, masked balls, wurst, Prost!
Most, ok ALL, of the destinations within the UK were dictated by literary history.
Haworth because of the Bronte sisters. And as it turns out, Sylvia Plath is buried nearby!
Canterbury because of Chaucer.
York because of Auden, Dickens, Guy Fawkes. And York Minster is pretty stunning.
Bath because of Jane Austen. And Wife of Bath (any relation)?
Stratford-upon-Avon because of it's vibrant nightlife. Oh and Shakespeare has some history there too. (That's Lady Macbeth in all her blood spotted glory)
Cambridge because basically every single great British author went to Cambridge if they weren't at Oxford. Unless they joined the police force in Burma.
And somewhere in there for some reason, we thought it would be fun to go on the Cotswold Walk and hike for 100 miles in 7 days. It was actually, pretty fun and came with boundless breathtaking views!
Turkey and Ireland were supposed to happen in there somewhere but things got too busy.
And a second trip to Edinburgh happened and I ran a miserable 1/2 marathon in the freezing, pouring Scottish rain with some fellow brave LSE students. and PR-ed, whaaaat?!?!? Must have been a mix of adrenaline and desperation for it to be over! Followed by a whole lotta recovery scotch :]
2014 is also going to come with a huge cut back on running mileage! Well, after the LA marathon. And the halfie in January I signed up for 4 months ago... but after those! running started as an endorphin addiction years ago and eventually morphed into a stress coping mechanism during grad school... but since I haven't really been too stressed in the last couple months, its time to give those legs a vacay! And make more time for milder things... like ballroom dancing. and finding things to put into mason jars. and having toenails.
I also did a Tough Mudder (effer!) in South London, which is 10-12 miles of running plus 24 obstacles filled with mud, fire, ice water, and electricity. For some reason I let Mike and his brother convince me it would be fun... After it ended I vowed to never do tough mudder again. And then I came home studied for finals that same night (because I'm such a great planner and decided to do this in the middle of exam season) with bruises over every inch of my body.
The last trip Mike and I took together while in the UK was to Fez and Marrakech in Morocco. First (but not last) time in an Arabic-speaking country. Out of the world experience. Almost as crazy, if not crazier, than that time we went to Cuba (before it was legal shhhhh).
Somewhere in there I also finished a Capstone project for the OECD with a great team, went to Paris for an interview and had my iPhone stolen there (actually, losing an iPhone isn't really a noteworthy event since it happens tri-annually), completed all my courses, and graduated from LSE! Dual-Degree Masters? Done!!!
Studying at LSE was tenfold more manageable than SIPA, mostly because at SIPA I was taking five core classes and holding multiple internships, not really sleeping, ever. Just continuous strains of stress-napping. Also the LSE school year in general felt about half as long. We got two full months just to STUDY! What?!? So at LSE, I decided I would spend all that extra time traveling instead since I wasn't working, and it paid off :D I have my whole life to work and pay off the massive debt accumulation, but when will I ever live in Europe again?!
Don't think it will be the last of my schooling days, but maybe for a good while.
Afterwards, I backpacked to Amsterdam and Brussels, Alone! Which believe it or not, is my first time traveling completely by myself! It was pretty liberating to meet people, have no solid plans, and revel in the adventure :] And eat TONS AND TONS of Belgian chocolate, wander through the red light district with new friends, and spend as much time as I want scrutinizing Rembrandts and Van Goghs and Vermeers.
Then I went on a celebration trip to Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague with my mom and sister!
Came back home, applied to jobs like crazy, and when I finally got something, celebrated the end of my wayward traveler days with one last hurrah to Chicago! Which by the way is an architectural feat of a city! And my last meals on earth would definitely include multiple Lou Malnati's sausage-crusted pizzas.
And now that I'm employed, for the last month or two, things have been calm. Perhaps even excessively calm. I've always had this approach of doing things NOW because who knows when LATER will come, so if opportunities for new experiences and travels come, I'm going to take them ALL. Because soon I'll be chained to a desk and forced to suppress my wanderlust ways. Which is partially true. There are still things to do, explore and experience, but in much more expected and predictable ways.
I was definitely exhausted from all the traveling earlier this year and at that point the thought of stability and normalcy and routine was a warm welcome.
But who am I kidding, stability and routine is not really who I am! I came back to LA at the beginning of August and by the end of the month I had already adjusted and began feeling the itch again.
I am incredibly grateful to be home and surrounded by my family and friends and everybody that I love, in a city that still fascinates me! And what I want most in the world is to have all the people that I love know exactly how much I love them, and know how great I think they are! So I feel blessed to be able to stay in LA for a while longer. 70 degree weather during smack middle of winter? Yes, please!
And it's also almost 2014, and I'm excited and ready for what's coming next!
Way too grateful to be tired :] Maybe someday I will be, but not next year!!!
2014, HERE'S TO YOU!
