Finale

“How was London?”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this question since arriving back in the states a few weeks ago. I knew it was coming and I was excited to talk about it, but now the only answer I can muster up is “It was really great!” and I leave it at that. How do I even begin to explain the last four months to someone without talking them to death? How do I convey the gratitude that I have and the immeasurable amount of personal growth I experienced from living independently (for the most part) in a foreign country that I grew to love and think of as a second home? I’m still trying to figure that out and I’m not sure that I ever will truly find the right words to encompass my time abroad.

I wrote most of the following post while I was still in London and I finally got around to finishing it up…

Hi again! It’s been a while since my last post and I’m quite sad to say that this will be my last one while abroad in London, England. I am currently sitting in the waiting area at Heathrow Airport, awaiting the announcement of my gate number. I feel really odd saying that because it truly seems like just yesterday that I was sitting at the wrong gate in JFK with a ton of jitters and apprehension about what lied ahead of me. Now, four months later, I am calmly waiting to return home and reunite with my friends and family after being apart for so long. I am very excited to be back but this post isn’t going to be about that. I wanted to take the little time I have left at the airport to write about my study abroad experience in London, and how it changed my life for the better.

I think that I’ll break down my thoughts into a list of some of the top moments of my semester abroad. It’ll be much easier to cover everything and hopefully keep your attention. So here I go!

(These are not in any particular order…)

·         Okay so first of all I’m going to have to say meeting Rupert Grint twice in a pub was definitely one of the highlights of my semester life. Just being able to walk up and talk to someone I never dreamed of meeting in real life in such a chill atmosphere was incredible. As a huge Harry Potter fan it was definitely the cherry-on-top of a very Harry Potter filled trip. Between my trip to the Warner Brothers Studios in Watford to see the making of Harry Potter and my weekend in Edinburgh where I saw the Elephant Café and the inspiration for Diagon Alley, the past four months have been absolutely filled with magical adventures. My inner twelve-year-old was smiling from ear-to-ear the whole time.

·         The friends that I made this semester are a huge reason why it was such a successful and happy time for me. I was apprehensive that I’d have the same friends I made during orientation throughout the whole semester, but we all stuck together and I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like without them. Anna, Megan, Matt and Amy were four of my closest friends in London and each hold a special place in my heart.

I talked to Anna on Facebook before the trip and neither of us realized that we’d be spending so much time together over the next four months. I thought that she was a little out of my league friend-wise because she was so pretty and in a sorority. That sounds silly now and I think that’s another beautiful thing about this trip, because I don’t categorize people as often. You really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and isolate yourself from socializing with people who aren’t too similar to you. Anna ended up being my roommate during orientation and we’ve been best friends ever since. She has challenged me in ways that not many people have in my life and I think that our differences make the friendship worthwhile. I learn so much from her every day and I don’t know if I would have been organized or motivated enough to see as many beautiful places as I did without her. She’s always on top of things and has a ton of energy so on our trips she would really push me to experience as much as I could while we had the chance. I was frustrated at times because she was so much more athletic and able to cope with the aches and pains of traveling better than I could. When I look back on it all I’m thankful to her because I don’t think I would have gotten to see as much if I had just stopped to rest a lot. The fact that we traveled so much together really made us close because we experienced things that only we can understand and relate to. She wrote me a beautiful goodbye letter that brought me to tears in the cab on the way to the airport. She wrote that some people come in to your life and leave so easily but that she doesn’t believe that will happen to us. I couldn’t agree more! It’ll be hard to stay on the same page when we’re not living anywhere near each other but I feel like we’ll always be able to meet up and have a great time traveling or reminiscing. I’m excited to write her letters and send her silly messages when we both have texting again.  She’s a special person and I’m so thankful we ended up as roommates that first day.

I met Megan at Wagamama during orientation and I spent more time with her during the other activities we had planned. I joined her, Anna, Matt and Noelle for the self-guided tour around London during the first week and we’ve been friends ever since. Since her, Matt and Anna live in Alexander Fleming, I would take the tube over to Old Street to meet up with them for travel planning, comedy night or just to hang out. I really liked Megan from the start because she was so easy to get along with. She’s very sweet and good at holding a conversation. We like a lot of the same things so it’s always nice to talk to her about Jimmy Fallon clips or how she almost went to St. Michael’s for school. She goes to Emerson in Boston so I’m excited that I’ll be able to meet up with her easily when we’re both back in the states. She writes for Her Campus and I spent countless hours looking through all of the articles she’s written and I must say that she is quite talented. I feel like I’ll be reading her stuff in big name magazines one day. I think that as the semester went on we definitely bonded more and more with one another. Now when I say something silly she’ll just roll her eyes and laugh and say “Sheilaaaa!” That’s something I’ll miss a lot. I love joking around with her and I know that she’s always there to listen when I need her. I hope she knows that I’m there for her too, even though she doesn’t talk as much as I do, haha!

I met Matt during orientation as well and my first impression was that he seemed quiet and really nice. I didn’t realize that he was the same person who had posted such a friendly introduction in the Facebook group pre-departure. When I finally made the connection I was surprised because he wasn’t as forward as I thought he would be. As I got to know him I realized how amazing he is at everything he does. He’s so organized, driven and creative and hearing about all of his experiences with modeling, acting, graphic design and everything else he does was incredible. He really inspired me to aim high and work hard. I also admire how he is so personable and easy to converse with. We could go on for hours swapping stories and making jokes. It’s rare that you meet someone as well-rounded and down-to-earth as Matt. I’m really happy that we’re friends and I know that he’s going to go so far in life. I’m excited to see where he ends up and I’m totally going to brag to all of my friends about how I knew him way back when. (I’m kidding, Matt. I won’t have to brag because I’ll probably be your manager and at the very least I’ll be “Auntie Sheila” to your kids.)

Finally, I met Amy during orientation as well. She was really sweet and I remember thinking she was so friendly and talkative amongst the group of nervous study abroad students. It ended up that she had three out of four classes with me and we lived in the same building. I don’t know what I would have done without her in my film theories class and all of them for that matter. We definitely relied on each other to get through three hour lectures and long tube rides to Harrow. She was always really supportive and caring when I needed a friend and I hope that I was there for her too. We had a lot of weekend trips planned throughout the semester so I didn’t get to spend as much time outside of class with her as I would have liked but our trip to Edinburgh was a nice treat! I hope that since we live rather close to one another in America that I’ll see her from time to time. She’s a great friend and I wish her all the best!

·         Another thing that I loved about study abroad was all of the little things that were easily accessible on a daily basis. Whether it be museums, shows,  concerts, the zoo, or a walk through the park, I always felt like I had something new to see and I didn’t have to go too far to experience them. All of the things I just listed were either free, student discounted or completely worth the money and time. I will miss that when I’m back in Wappingers because I won’t be able to just hop on the tube and go somewhere new for a few hours. Being surrounded by historical and beautifully maintained places all of the time was a real blessing.

 ·  Liz came to visit me and we go to see one of our favorite artists, Ed Sheeran, at Royal Albert Hall. It was absolutely incredible and definitely one of the most memorable experiences I had in London.

·         My host visit was one of the best experiences I had while abroad. I made two amazing friends when I met John and Christine and I am so thankful for the time we had together. We bonded over Hanson and they showed me so much love and hospitality. They even took me to see Harry's Styles old bakery in Holmes Chapel. That was really awesome to see. I couldn’t have asked for a better host visit and I am so happy that it has extended beyond the confines of one weekend. They recently came to London and took me to the Viking Exhibition at the British Museum. How cool is that? They are such special people and they will always be dear to my heart.  I will miss them very much but I know that they will come visit me one day. After all, I have to take John to West Point and go to a Hanson concert with Chris!

·         One of my favorite memories of the past semester was my experience at the red carpet of the Brit Awards. The cold and suffering we faced outside of the O2 Arena is a distant memory now and I can appreciate our perseverance.  We waited outside for over 14 hours and it was something that I’ll probably never do again, but I will never forget it. At the end of the day I walked away having met One Direction, so that’s definitely a happy memory for me.

·         I still can’t get over the fact that I heard British accents every day for four whole months. I will forever think of elevators as “lifts,” lines as “queues,” checks as “bills,” trunks as “boots” and fries as “chips.” I really loved the way that British people spoke and I will definitely miss hearing their beautiful accents all of the time.
 

·         I loved re-visiting The Breakfast Club and Nonna’s Kitchen a few times during my stay because they definitely became two of my favorite restaurants. I felt like a real Londoner once I’d gone to each multiple times. I’ll miss the smoothies and banana bacon French toast from The Breakfast Club and the pizza and gelato from Nonna’s Kitchen. Mmmm gelato….

·         Anna and I got free tickets to see a taping of BBC Three’s “Sweat the Small Stuff,” hosted by Nick Grimshaw and it wouldn’t have been possible for us to get in without the kindness of strangers. We showed up thinking that we were guaranteed entry, but we realized that we didn’t have priority bookings. The line was so long and we were about to throw in the towel when Beth, a girl I’d spoken to in line earlier, approached us and said that her and her father realized that they had two extra tickets. We were shocked at how kind they were to us and I really loved talking to them and sitting with them during the taping. They were so funny and kind. I’m glad that I found Beth on social media because I definitely owe her a concert or a place to stay if she ever comes to America.

·         Weekend trips to other countries such as Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy were a really huge part of my time abroad. I got to see so many famous landmarks and experience different food, languages, infrastructures and cultures in such a short period of time. Thanks to the cheap airfares we found and the low-cost hostels, my friends and I were able to spend a lot of our weekends traveling. We definitely became so much closer while traveling and I am thankful that I got to share those experiences with such lovely people. From the pastel-colored houses and vineyards on the cliffs of Manarola, Italy to the green, sheep-filled pastures of Ireland, I saw the beauty of Europe on a budget and in a small amount of time. It was thrilling and unforgettable. Traveling ignited the spark inside of me and now I’ll live with wanderlust until the day that I die.

·       Anna and I went to the South of France and Italy for ten days at the end of my trip. We started in Marseille, France where we stayed at an Airbnb apartment. Basically, Airbnb is when someone rents out a room or their apartment to strangers for a low price. It’s a great option for low-budget travel accommodations if you are traveling with someone and are willing to take a risk. Our experience at Sebastien’s apartment in Marseille was far better than we could have hoped for. While we were there we met Isaac, a teacher and poet from Nice, France (our next stop) who was writing a book about happiness in his free time. He was so kind to us and his English was really good. When we arrived in Nice, he met up with us and we found out that he has a three-year-old daughter named Camille. She was precious! We spent the day with them and walked through Nice holding Camille’s hands and listening to her stories and songs that were completely in French. Isaac bought us gelato and translated Camille’s stories as much as he could. At one point she gave us both flowers for our hair and told us that she wanted us to take them home and plant them in our gardens. My heart melted when she said that.  I was so grateful to be spending the day with such kindhearted people who were willing to spend time with people they barely knew and show us around their city. I will never forget Camille’s little giggle, her Frozen shirt, her fire-engine red curls and her cute little French song about fish. I could see that Isaac loves her so much and that they are both loved by the community as well. The next day, Isaac took Anna and I to a Russian Cathedral in Nice and told us how he loves to go there because it is so peaceful and beautiful. When we left, he gave us two tickets worth 20 Euro each for the Aquarium in Monaco. We were so overcome with love for this man who treated us like family and asked for nothing in return. I wish him all the best in life and I hope that one day we’ll meet again. 

·         The view from my room was incredible, and definitely a highlight of living in Marylebone Hall. I saw at least three rainbows, amazing rain clouds that suddenly appeared in the bright blue sky, and the buildings and landmarks of London, sparkling against the black night sky.

·     

    I really enjoyed the Royal Parks and I wish that American parks were as beautiful and well-maintained. I could stroll around Regent’s Park for hours and never get bored. Primrose Hill on a beautiful, warm day can’t be beat. People lounge and picnic all over the green grass and football games are always happening all around. Parents push their children around in strollers and buy ice cream cones at the little concession stands. The brightly colored flowers and gorgeous fountains are breathtaking. I especially loved the little paths that would trail off into various areas of the parks as if you were in Wonderland.

·     On our second day in Rome, Italy, Anna, Matt and I decided to visit Vatican City. We were sick of waiting in long lines and paying for entry to everything at that point but when we walked up to the piazza, we flowed straight through security into the crowd as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Amazed at the amount of people there and still reeling from our quick and free entry, we neglected to realize that it was Wednesday and Pope Francis' General Assembly day. Trumpets started to play and he appeared in his little Pope-mobile and worked his way through the crowd, blessing babies and greeting the people. Matt and I almost cried because it was truly one of the most amazing things we've ever experienced. We stayed for the small mass and got to hear the "Our Father" sung in Latin. It was so incredible to be there and witness that without even knowing that we were in for.

All of those things remain in my heart and my mind and I am so thankful that I could experience a life in which reality was better than my dreams. London was a challenge for me at first and I feel like I accomplished something by growing to love it there. I flourished as a person and I hope that all that I learned about life, travel and myself will stay with me forever. I would go back in a heartbeat and I know that I will be there again one day. It will never be the same again, but that’s the wonder of travel. Every place brings a new adventure and if you go back looking for the same old thing you will always be disappointed. Travel is spontaneity and adventure. Travel is packing enough for ten days into a small Jansport backpack. Travel is making friends with strangers who change your life forever. Travel is trying new food and realizing that not all pasta in Italy is amazing. Travel is feeling like your feet are going to fall off if you climb another monument to see a panoramic view of a city. Travel is the realization that home is the best place in the world after months of exploring.

I want to be a traveler. I refuse to stay in one place for the remainder of my life. I will go back to Europe and beyond. London taught me to embrace things outside of my comfort zone and to live each day to the fullest.

I am forever changed.

Until we meet again London,
xx Sheila

Ed Sheeran at Royal Albert Hall

Photo by Christie Goodwin, 2014.

Me and Liz waiting in line for the show!

A month or two back, Liz and I forked up some serious quid (pounds) and bought ourselves tickets to see the love of our lives, Ed Sheeran, at Royal Albert Hall on Monday, March 24th. Time flew by and between trips to other countries, schoolwork and planning for my south of France/Italy trip next month, I nearly forgot that the concert was coming up!

As soon as I woke up yesterday I was freaking out because the day had finally arrived. I spent the morning doing some chores, met with Megan for Chipotle around 2:30PM and then picked up some groceries on my way back to my building. Liz arrived around 3:30PM and after she put her stuff down in my room, we headed out to get to the venue a little early. Liz picked up some Subway and we hopped on the tube at Baker Street. We had to switch one time at Edgware Road but once we sat down on the second train we started talking about what we hoped he'd play at the show and almost missed our stop at South Kensington. We laughed it off and walked about ten minutes to Royal Albert Hall.

We approached the building and noticed a small queue (line) near one of the doors. We sat at the end of the line and waited for about an hour while listening to Ed Sheeran and watching the line grow behind us. It started to get a little darker and around 6:15PM or so the security guards told us to stand up and move closer to the door to make the line more compact. We ended up standing over a heated vent which was really nice. The doors opened around 6:45PM and the ticket collectors scanned and then kept our tickets as we passed through the entrance. I was a little disappointed because I love keeping my ticket stubs, but we got bright blue wristbands to replace them. After checking my coat, browsing the merch table and wandering around the bar area, Liz and I took our place near the stage, right in the center and about six messy rows of people back. I was really excited about how close we were!

At 7:40PM, Passenger came on to open the show. He was really fantastic and I was so happy when they announced that he was the supporting act because he fits really well with Ed Sheeran's style of music. They both have incredible voices and they're really good songwriters as well.

"Passenger (aka Michael David Rosenberg) is an English folk-rock singer-songwriter who's single, "Let Her Go," has topped the charts in many countries (Wikipedia)." 

Passenger was phenomenal!

I downloaded his album, "All the Little Lights," last semester and listened to it on all of my drives between Vermont and New York with Maggie, Lauren and Shawn. His songs are very slow and are mostly acoustic ballads and I really enjoy that kind of music. He actually made fun of himself during his set when he said, "You've probably noticed from my first two songs that this isn't going to be the happiest half hour of your life. I only have one hit single." He had the whole place laughing after that comment, and I was really impressed by how respectful the audience was towards him even though he wasn't really playing lively, dance music. I think that Ed Sheeran fans are the perfect crowd for Passenger because they appreciate the slow, acoustic ballads more than some people.

After Passenger's set there was a break and they brought the house lights up so that people could go to the bar or the bathroom. I stayed put and appreciated the architecture of the room. There were huge white, circular installments hanging from the ceiling and the balconies or "stalls" were all ornately decorated with red curtains and beautiful carvings.

"The Royal Albert Hall is a registered charity held in trust for the nation and receives no public or central and local government funding.has a capacity (depending on configuration of the event) of up to 5,272 seats; standing areas and stage specifications can change this. Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from several performance genres have appeared on its stage and it has become one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings. Each year it hosts more than 350 events including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet and opera, sports, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and banquets (Wikipedia)."

Around 9PM they had the host of the show come up on stage again and he talked about Teenage Cancer Trust, which was the main sponsor of the concert series happening that week.

"Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage and young adult patients, who are involved in their concept and creation. Medical facilities on the units are equipped with computers, TVs, game consoles – designed to be places where friends and family feel comfortable to visit. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of rock band The Who have been intimately involved with the annual charity concerts at Royal Albert Hall (Wikipedia)."

Ed Sheeran was their first concert in the line-up and they all raved about how he couldn't make it last year but was the only act who ever kept his word that he'd play a show next year. It was really nice to hear about the work that Teenage Cancer Trust does and we were shown a short film about it to give us a better idea of why it's so important to donate and help spread awareness of the organization. (I embedded the video so you can watch.)

One of the girls in the video, Amy, suffers from a horrible form of cancer (unfortunately I don't remember the name) and seeing the before and after pictures of her from just a few years ago to now were really heartbreaking. She can barely walk now so after the film ended and the lights went up, they brought her on stage in a wheelchair with a bunch of other teens who benefit from the organization and let me tell you, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. We gave them the biggest round of applause and cheered for them as they waved and marveled at the sold out audience in front of them. A few more people spoke, including Roger Daltrey from The Who and Noel Gallagher from Oasis, then they cleared the stage and announced Ed Sheeran.

Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter who's debut album, "+" (2011), containing the singles "The A Team" and "Lego House," was certified quintuple platinum in the United Kingdom. In 2012, he won two BRIT Awards for Best British Male and British Breakthrough. Sheeran began to be known in the United States in 2012. He made a guest appearance on Taylor Swift's fourth album, Red, and wrote songs for One Direction. "The A Team" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards and he performed the song in duet with Elton John during the ceremony. He spent much of 2013 touring North America as the opening act for Taylor Swift's Red Tour. His second album will be released in 2014. He was nominated for Best New Artist at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (Wikipedia)."

Roger Daltrey and Amy on stage during the show. Photo by Christie Goodwin, 2014.

The hall got really dark and the screaming began as Ed made his way to the stage. Right away he began playing my favorite song, "Give Me Love," which I used in my Ireland video a few weeks back. It was a great opening song because it builds up to a really intense part towards the end and he was really giving it his all. He uses a looping mic that can record his harmonies and different guitar parts so that he can layer each song without having anyone else on stage with him. It is so amazing to see him do it and each song sounded so big and incredible with the acoustics in the hall.

He played almost all of my favorites and here's the complete setlist with some of my comments about a few of the songs...

Give Me Love- Amazing way to open, like I already said. His shadow was huge on the wall to my left and it was really cool to watch it for a while as he performed.

Drunk
U.N.I.
Grade 8

Wayfaring Stranger (by Jamie Woon)- He needed us to be really quiet for this song but a drunk girl kept screaming and I felt bad for her friend who was trying to restrain her. She ended up falling at one point and just remained on the ground. Ed was cute and told us all to cuddle anyone who tries to yell out when he needs it to be quiet for the looping mic to work. He said someone punched a person in the back of the head at one of his shows once so he didn't want us to take extreme measures like that if someone yells.

Small Bump- We needed to be really quiet for this one too. This is one of me and Liz's favorites.

Be My Husband (by Nina Simone)- This one was really fun and he had us sing back to him a lot. He kept jumping up on the speakers and interacting with the crowd which really got everyone excited.

Kiss Me- Ed mentioned that he had recently been in Afghanistan playing for the troops and that so many of them went up to him and told him that this was their wedding song. He wrote it for his aunt and uncle's wedding. He asked us not to sing along for that one. 

Hearts on Fire (with Passenger)- This was really nice because he prefaced the song with a little background on how he'd played with Passenger before they found fame and they used to busk the streets together. It's crazy to think that they started off playing in small pubs and busy roads in London.

Tenerife Sea (New)- This is a really pretty ballad off of his new album and I'm really excited to hear more!

I See Fire- You might recognize this song from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Ed joked about how it's about hobbits and dragons and asked us if it was relatable. He said he can relate to it because he's been called a hobbit his whole life. Aw!

The Parting Glass- This is an old Irish song that Ed suggested was a good one to say goodbye with. He told us that he'd play one more song, leave the stage to drink a lot of water and that if we cheered loud enough he'd come back and play a few more for us. I closed my eyes during this song and it was amazing to just focus on his voice in the quiet arena. It sounded like we were the only two people in the room.

Lego House- The multi-colored lights on the screens behind him looked like legos which Liz and I loved.

ENCORE:

You Need Me, I Don’t Need You- He was amazing during this song! It's a lot of rapping and he mixed in a little of "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore too. I think that it was the perfect way to start the encore because we were all singing along and dancing. The whole hall was buzzing.

Take It Back (New)- I LOVED THIS SONG. I'm so excited to hear it on the new album and he wasn't going to play it for us initially. He was strumming his guitar and he said, "Ah f*** it, I'll play you a new one." It was more fast-paced than "Tenerife Sea" and he raps the verses. It was about how things have changed so much for him but he always comes back to his roots. He also kind of preaches how you can achieve anything you set your mind to. I loved it.

The A Team- I think that we all knew this would be the last song he sang last night. It was really great to hear him sing it live after hearing it countless times on the radio over the last few years. Everyone was singing along. He had us all turn our flashlights on our phones on and we lit up the whole arena. It was really beautiful!

Photo by Christie Goodwin, 2014.

Well, there you have it. Ed Sheeran was amazing. I am completely in love with his ginger hair, his quirky tattoos, his soulful voice, his tiny guitar, his down-to-earth personality and his incredible ability to perform in front of sold out audiences all over the world. He commands the stage without the help of a back up band and he is so magnificently talented. I would definitely recommend seeing him live to anyone who has the chance and if you haven't listened to his music, DO IT. His new album should be out sometime this year and he said that last night might be the last time he plays all of those songs for a long time. It was his first show at Royal Albert Hall and he said that his parents came to see him. The last time he was there was a few years ago to see Eric Clapton with his dad. Now look at him! I'm so happy for him and I hope that I get to see him again soon. It was a huge blessing to be able to see him perform there. I'll never ever forget it!

I'm still exhausted and feeling a little run down so I should probably get some sleep. I hope that I feel better soon because I have a lot of work coming up and I'm seeing a live taping of "Sweat the Small Stuff" hosted by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Nick Grimshaw on Friday. I'm really excited for that!

I hope that everyone is having a great start to their week!

Write soon,
xx Sheila

Here's one of my favorite Ed Sheeran songs, "Give Me Love."

Review of last night: "From the moment he kicked into top-20 single Give Me Love, Sheeran dispelled any notion that he is merely a soppy acoustic balladeer. Dressed in scruffy black skater clothes, his ginger hair ruffled just so and a baby acoustic guitar strapped on, Sheeran transformed this formerly forgettable strummer into whirling arena pop-rock. Using loop pedals, he layered triple harmonies, Flamenco guitar twang and beatboxed drums on top of his soulful croon with military precision... The 90-minute set continued in this breathless fashion, with grime rapping, a cappella singing, one-handed guitar riffing and hip-hop beats thrown in. Sheeran was a livewire throughout, twiddling his effects pedals manically, or encouraging more participation from his eager audience (James Lachno, The Telegraph)."

21 in London

Well guys, as of Wednesday I am now 21 years old. Isn't that crazy? Where did all of that time go?

Spending my birthday in London was really nice. I kind of worried that I'd be sad all day because being away from home on a special day like that is extra tough. I slept in, took a shower, and met up with Anna around noon to make some travel plans. We ended up booking our flight to the south of France for April. We still need to plan the rest of the trip, but I'm looking forward to it now that I know we're starting off somewhere so beautiful!

After booking our flight, Anna headed out to see a play and I went back to my building. I had a package from Harrods waiting for me and I was really excited to see what was inside. I got up to my room and opened it, and I found an adorable teddy bear and lovely card from my aunt and uncle. I still have to come up with a good name so let me know if you have any suggestions! :)


I spent most of the day being lazy and watching movies in bed (which was really nice) and then got ready for dinner. I met my friend, Amy, downstairs in the lobby and we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus. I had made reservations for me and eight of my friends to eat at Nonna's Kitchen. We had gone there during orientation and loved it so I figured it would be fun to go back. It was definitely a good choice!

I ordered the 8" parmigiana pizza and it was so good! It was basically eggplant parm on pizza. I followed up the delicious meal with two scoops of Nutella gelato and it was SO good! I was almost done with it when they all started singing Happy Birthday to me. The manager/waiter placed another two scoops of gelato with a candle stuck into it right in front of me and I was so surprised! I didn't know if they did that over here but I guess they do.

Some of us headed to the pub next door and I got a pint of cider. We snagged a booth/table in the corner or the tiny pub and some more of the group headed out. It ended up being me, Anna, Amy, and Megan and we had a really good time talking and sipping on our drinks. The pub we were at is the same one I met Rupert Grint at so around 10:15, a lot of people from the show were trickling into the pub. The crowd grew and thinned out again quickly, but two of the cast members were sitting really close to us. One was Brendan Coyle from Downton Abbey, and the other was Daniel Mays. Anna really likes Downton Abbey so she introduced herself to Coyle and I took their picture. Rupert didn't come in that night but we did talk to a really nice British guy named Cru, who came over and introduced himself to us. He's from Carlisle, which is in the northern part of the UK if I'm correct. He was so excited that we were American. He was really friendly and gave us fliers for his band. He wants us to come see them perform next Thursday.

Me and Amy at the pub after dinner!

After about two hours in the pub, the bartender rang the bell for last call and we decided to head home. I really enjoyed the evening and even though I didn't go crazy for my 21st it was just my kind of night.

Other than my birthday, I've been going to class, grocery shopping, watching a ton of movies (Her, Catching Fire, The Book Thief, Frozen, The Spectacular Now, etc.), hanging out with friends, and trying to plan some more trips.

So far I know I'm going to Ireland, Scotland and the south of France. I think we're going to try to go from Nice, France to Italy, and then hopefully to Greece or maybe Croatia. I also need to plan a day trip to Paris and I'd love to get over to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Prague, and a few other places before I leave.

In early April, I'll be staying with a host family for the weekend. I just got the e-mail yesterday and I'll be staying with John and Christine in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire which is about halfway between Birmingham and Manchester. I'm so excited to meet them and to experience a different part of the UK. Turns out Christine loves Hanson so I'm sure we'll get along really well!

Ed Sheeran most recently toured with Taylor Swift. 

The most exciting news at the moment is probably the purchase Liz made this morning. We're going to see Ed Sheeran at the Royal Albert Hall in March and I'm SO excited! I can't believe we're finally seeing him live and in London of all places! It's a benefit show for the Teenage Cancer Trust and our tickets were quite pricey but I think it'll be completely worth it. I've been dying to see him for such a long time.

The weekend will undoubtedly be a lazy and hopefully productive one for me. It's hard to resist starting another movie but I'm getting a little dizzy from sitting in my bed for so long so I might go take a walk to Waitrose for some groceries. I really need to do some laundry and start on my statistical analysis for my American history class.

Anyway, this weekend might be uneventful, but next weekend Liz is visiting and I think we're going to go to the Harry Potter Studios. I'm looking forward to everything that lies ahead and I can't wait to update you guys with more exciting adventures.

I always love hearing from you so send me a message sometime. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

xo Sheila

Mmmm, Nutella gelato!

Parmigiana pizza at Nonna's Kitchen. So yummy!