2013 in a Flash

CHEERIO!

No one says that in London but I always thought they did!

I CANNOT believe it's been an entire year!!!

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!

Now that I've adjusted to a work/life situation, it gives me more time to ponder over other pursuits, and the crave for calmness seems distant again, already daydreaming about where I'm going to travel to next.

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!

Snowglobe City!

I haven't updated in this at all since I got to London!  Wow, I don't even know where to begin!  

London is a wonderous city, everyday I wake up and feel like I live in a snowglobe.  Either that, or a Dickens' novel!

All I've ever heard about London is the bad weather, the everlasting clouds, the gloom and doom.  So when I got here, I was pleasantly surprised! Out of the 2.5 months I've been here, I'd say it has only rained probably a third of the time!  Also the rain is sporadic and light, not like the incessant downpours that last for days in New York.  And it makes your day so much brighter when you spot the sun, because you KNOW when it rains, the next day is going to reward you with a bright, cloudless blue sky :]

It also helps that the air is crisp and fresh, and you feel cleaner just breathing into the wind.  And the SEASONS!  I got to see the beginning of autumn stretch into winter, also known as Christmas season!  Those Brits really LOVE Christmas!  Every city puts up decorations, every store is decked out in red, green, and gold, Christmas lights line the streets, and there are winter festivals and fairs every weekend celebrating families, licorice, mulled wine, and spiced ornaments. It really puts you in the perfect holiday mood :]

The weather does get chilly, but I would say I am now about 90% adapted to the weather.  While I was in New York, 50 was cold.  40 was chilly.  30 was UNBEARABLE.  Now, I'm ok to go jogging in 20 degree weather (high 20's mind you)!  Maybe the cold here isn't as 'cold' as it is in the States?

London is a city on the go.  I thought New Yorkers were quick pedestrians, but Londoners are like walking bullets.  How do they move their legs so quickly?!? It's a mystery!  It's probably because they are all lean and long-legged.  I am averaged height in London, whereas I was perpetually a giant in any setting in the States.  It's nice :] They are also graceful at walking quickly too, not like New Yorkers who ram you with their shoulders, giant shopping bags, or their 8 year olds.

Like any city (besides West Coast cities), Londoners feed off packaged food.  I thought New York was bad, with their deli shops and make-your-own salad ingredients sitting out for days... in London, sandwich-in-a-box rule all meals. Or sushi-in-a-box.  Pret-a-manger, Wasabi, Eat, and Itzu are just a few establishments (technically not restaurants) where you can stuff a sandwich in your mouth before zoning back into bullet mode up the streets.  There are virtually no McDonalds or fast food of the unhealthy kind.  If you stay away from the fried pub food, you will probably generally be healthier than your average Mid-Westerner.  Not that prawn sandwiches drenched in mayo sauce is all that great for you either... All grocery stores sell sandwich boxes or fruit boxes or salad boxes or any other edible in a box, as well.  And I have now been educated in the hierarchy of London markets, from cheapest to fanciest: Tesco, Sainsbury, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose. And while it's strange to see someone eating a meal alone in Los Angeles, the majority of people eat their meals alone, with a book or paper in front of them.

Which is another thing I've noticed about London: prevalence of literacy!  I have no idea as to what UK's actual literacy rate is, but from what I've observed, I'd say as a city itself, London's verbal score on the SAT's would probably kick LA's score in the ass. Everywhere you look, from the moment you step on the subway or 'tube' as they call it, people are reading... that's right... newspapers!  This is a sight hard to spot in Los Angeles, and even New York, as you can't really read on the subway when your face is rammed against a guy's red pleather Ecko jacket, and there's mysterious brown liquid on the floor of the train that is slowly dripping onto your shoe. London's underground system is actually kept in a well enough condition that you don't have to feel like you're taking a bath in smog, dirt, 500 viruses, and rat poop every time you get on. You can read a variety of papers, some of which are FREE and high quality... almost everyone does read some sort of publication or other on the tube!

And about the subway system, there are DEFINITELY no rats, and NO trash even though there are also NO trashcans!  How is that possible?!  CCTVs.  CCTVs are video cameras installed EVERYWHERE.  Big brother, anyone?  Well at least you know you're safe (even if you're being watched).  If you get robbed, they will be able to find a taping of it.  Hence, low crime rates! Stringent gun control laws!  NO ONE is able to own a gun, not even cops carry a gun, and it is almost impossible to buy one.  The effectiveness of gun-control is evident in the extremely low murder rates in the UK. ahem *hint hint US*

And don't forget the history, culture, and literature!  Free museums!  Cheap theater!  George Orwell, Virginia Woolfe, Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson, George Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, Agatha Cristie, and of course Shakespeare are just a few of the geniuses who lived and wrote in this city, and about this city! It's displayed everywhere, with coffee shops named Prufrock, pubs named William Blake, restaurants named Byron.  Also, people are really passionate about their drinking here! It's embedded in the culture, and I'm almost positive that alcohol replaces edible dinners at least four times a week for an average Londoner.  People grab drinks after class, after work, after a museum exhibit, before a movie, after a movie, after a jog in the park, catching up with friends, catching up with family... you get the gist!

BUT they still remember their greenspace, as Angelenos seem to have forgotten and have deferred to completely decimating anything remotely green that isn't Griffith Park, with concrete.  Hampstead Heath, Regent's Park, Hyde Park, St. James' Park, and Richmond Park, are just a few of the beauties that London has managed to preserve and allow to flourish.  And it's not like a park in LA terms where huge sections of grass are blocked off and neatly trimmed for little league baseball and soccer games.  In these parks, meadows brim with wild flowers, foliage roams overhead,  ducks and giant swans call the ponds home, and you actually can't see from one end of a walking path to the other.  Luckily for me, I am a 5 minute's jog from Hampstead Heath, one of the largest and most gorgeous parks in London!

And yes, I have gotten lost in there at night jogging on my own, and yes, it is like being trapped in a dark, scary, enchanted forest and I'm pretty sure I ran past a zombie.

And the last (but definitely not least) reason why the UK is superior... PUBLIC HEALTHCARE.

I have fallen in love with this city!  It's pretty easy to love (even though my heater broke for a week and I had to sleep with four sweaters, and plumbing in my apartment could stand an upgrade). It is like a European San Francisco, a mix of the space, sprawl, and higher living standards of Los Angeles, with the buzz, pace, and culture of New York.  And on top of that, scones and British accents!

Lovely :]

El Salvador Dos!

And you thought I wouldn't!  I'm trying to catch up on these travel posts, since I always procrastinate and then forget all about them :]

The 2nd part of our time in El Salvador was spent at La Libertad, which is a port city near the middle of El Salvador, as well as Las Flores, the eastern part of the country also known for good surf waves!  The beach at La Libertad isn't too pretty to look at (note hobo sitting on the bench).  Not sure if I've said this before, but El Salvador is a pretty small country compared to most other ones in Central America, and you can probably travel through it extensively in about a week and a half!  To give you an idea, it is about the same size as New Jersey or New Hampshire... less than 5% the size of California!

We met up with one of Mike's friend who is also from Los Angeles and he came down to El Salvador just to catch the amazing swell!  Mike's friend introduced us to the nicest El Salvadorian you will ever meet, Mauricio in the yellow tank, who is the most considerate, kindest, happiest soul... and an AMAZING surfer as well!

In Las Flores, we stayed at a place called La Tortuga Verde, which was an eco-lodge / turtle sanctuary!  The owner saves a lot of wild animals, including the billions of dogs scattered around the streets of El Salvador, stray pelicans that are hurt, as well as grown turtles.  He also buys turtle eggs from people who steal and sell them, and helps the baby turtles hatch, and then releases them!  Very cool :)

Look at how tiny these newborn turtles are!!! I tried to include the coffee cup in the picture for comparison!  I'm not a fanatic of turtles, but newborn baby turtles?!?! Come on, it could even melt the heart of a cyborg :)

The owner of the eco-lodge, Tom, happens to be an American who runs his own television station in El Salvador.  This meant he spent a lot of time filming his animal-saving escapades.  One morning, he even took a couple of us around on his boat and gave us a tour of all the private islands and bays in this one secluded area. The intention was to catch some waves, but we ended up at this bay where waves were non-existent... so we spent the day swimming!

There was no one else at the bay except one single restaurant with one person working there.

We also went kayaking down a river with crocodiles... luckily for us they sleep in the day time!  We did feel one swim right under our kayak though... scary!!!

We were able to arrange for a boat ride to Nicaragua, rather than the usual strenuous bus route in a "chicken bus" or trambilla, just like the one that rammed into our rental truck, so named because they are also used to transport live animals.  They look like large, colorfully decorated hummer buses!  Buses are particularly a hassle because to get to Nicaragua by bus, it usually involves a stop through a small strip of Honduras, which means more time wasted a Customs.

Going by boat, though, was not much better.  First we had to wade through a port covered in sludge and mud, trash and sewage amongst other things I'd rather not think about... with all our luggage in tow.  We traveled with a French couple we met at La Tortuga Verde, Alex and Gwenn, who were WONDERFUL and extremely experienced backpackers.  They make me look like an amateur!

Alex was the only one brave enough to not get off the cart... he waded through the mud barefoot and said it was definitely one of the most disgusting things he's done in his lifetime.  The man dragging us literally has the worst job in the universe... the mud and gunk doesn't look that bad here but further out it goes up to your waist... YUCK!!!

We then rode on a delivery boat that turned out to be carrying cargo to a remote island near nicaragua.  The people living on this island had NOTHING.  Not even fresh drinking water, which had to be delivered by this boat.  And in exchange, our boat got to have fresh, giant dead fish dumped into the sitting area.  YAYE!

We finally got to Nicaragua after about a 5-6 hour journey, which isn't bad at all by backpacking standards, and got to our hostel about 3 hours later.  Nicaragua is filled with adventures, surprisingly even more so than El Salvador!  It's one of those magical places that I know I will return to and continue to explore over and over again... 

but that's a post for another day!  

GOOD BYE, EL SALVADOR!  GOOD BYE, COWS ON THE BEACH!