Wednesday, November 27, 2019 was one of the best days of my life! I had no problem waking up early because I was so excited! First I met Mom at the train station and I ran up to her to give her the biggest hug ever. I have never been more excited in my life to see her. Then we checked into our amazing hotel, the St. Pancras which I walk past everyday on my way to school. Then Mom napped before we started the best day ever.

To understand why this was the best day ever, I must explain what happened on Friday, November 22. Every week since I have been in London I have entered the Friday Forty lottery to win tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. If you did not know, I am a huge Harry Potter fan! On that Friday, I received an email that I had won the lottery for two tickets on the day Mom was arriving. But I checked my email just as I got out of the shower and I was three minutes past the one hour I had to claim my tickets. I was freaking out and on the verge of tears. I called the ticket people and begged them for tickets because I was only three minutes late and this was my dream. They kindly gave me the tickets and I became the happiest person on Earth. My dream came true and I get to experience it with my mom.

Back to Wednesday: The play is split in two parts, each 2.5 hours, so today we got to live in the world of Harry Potter for 5 hours! Both parts were mind blowing. The special effects were outstanding; it looked like real magic on stage. Five hours may seem like a long time but I still wanted more after it was over and Mom didn’t even fall asleep. Our seats were amazing; a dementor flew right at us! In between the plays we went to an amazing Indian restaurant. Definitely the best Indian food I have ever had. This was the perfect day!

Thursday was Thanksgiving! We started off the day attending a Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The U.S. ambassador was there which was cool. Then we went to the Tate Modern and I showed Mom my favorite exhibit that I went to with my friends earlier in the semester. My favorite piece I had never seen before was a sandcastle made out of cous cous. Then we had lunch at Borough Market – I got delicious falafel. Mom rested while I went to class in the evening. We had dinner at the hotel with one of my friends. Then my friend and I explored the spa at the hotel.

Friday was also an amazing day. I had class in the morning and I got to show Mom my walk to school through Russell Square. Then we celebrated one of my favorite holidays: Black Friday! There was a really good sale at Topshop and I got some warm clothes for Boston. Then we went to the National Portrait Gallery. We explored the galleries before we had tea there. The tea room had a spectacular view of Trafalgar Square and the sun was setting as we sipped our tea and ate yummy goodies. Mom ate all the sandwiches and I ate all the desserts. We were so full from tea that we did not eat dinner. We walked home through Leister Square and Covent Garden. We went back to the hotel and watched a cheesy Christmas movie before bed.

On our last day together I slept in while Mom went to TKTS to get us tickets to a musical tonight. We spent most of the day in Camden Market, looking in the shops and eating amazing food. I had the best hot cocoa and falafel! Everything was decorated for Christmas which was so cute and got me in the festive mood. Then we walked back to Kings Cross along Regents Canal, stopping at Coal Drops Yard which is an area with restaurants and shops including the grocery store I go to. Mom loved this area, especially the book shop on a houseboat. We saw the musical Come From Away at night. It was such a feel good story and so interesting because it is based on a true story. We went to a Spanish tapas restaurant for dinner then spend one last night in the hotel together.

This truly was the best week ever because I got to do so many fun things with my favorite person. I am sad Dad and Alex weren’t with us. I got more excited to go home because I realized how much I miss my family. Sorry this post was so long haha.

Last weekend I visited my cousin in Brussels! I love getting to spend time with her because we don’t get to see each other. I took the Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Brussels. The journey was only 2 hours and it was extremely easy because I only live a 5 minute walk from St. Pancras and the station in Brussels was in the middle of the city. On Friday night we went to a dance performance in Ghent.

We started Saturday by making a pancake feast. Then my cousin showed me around the city. First we went to the famous Grand Place. Then we went to a place I discovered – The Chocolate Museum! We learned about how chocolate is made, the history of chocolate’s role in society, and got free samples. Belgium is known for the praline which was delectable. Then we we went to a Harry Potter store in Brussels because she loves Harry Potter as much as I do. In French they call Hogwarts Poudlard which is translated to bacon lice and a wand is called a baguette. I thought this was very funny. Then we walked to the most amazing french fries stand. I have never tasted something so delicious. We ended the day with a relaxing night at her apartment.

On Sunday I got to explore the city on my own because she had to do some school work. First stop was waffles! I waited a long time to get seated but it was worth it! Then I went to the Fashion and Lace Museum because Brussels is known for lace. Next I went to many chocolate shops to find the best chocolate in Brussels. Then I relaxed at a cafe within a chocolate shop and had the best hot chocolate ever! Last, I went to the House of European History which is a museum at the European Parliament, home of the EU. This museum was very interactive and interesting. Our last night together we had pizza and spent time with some of my cousin’s friends. This trip was so fun because I got to spend time with my cousin as well as explore the city on my own and of course eat some really good food!

This past week was reading week at my university which means we did not have class! My four friends and I got to travel to three different countries in Europe and it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Our first stop was Nice, France. Our Airbnb has a gorgeous view of the ocean! Our first day in Nice we walked around the cute city. We went to a market, walked along the ocean, ate gelato and climbed Castle Hill at sunset. It was a very relaxing day. The next day two of my friends and I attempted to go swimming in the ocean. The beach was rocky, not sandy, so it really hurt our feet. And the waves were very strong so they knocked us over. We decided it was not the safest idea so we went back to land. Then we went to Phoenix Park which is a giant greenhouse with birds and other animals. The best part was seeing a peacock! If you know me, you know peacocks are one of my favorite animals so I literally spent 30 min following it and taking pictures. I also saw an albino peacock which I have read about but I thought were a myth. This experience made my day. Then we had a late flight to our next destination…

… Geneva, Switzerland! On our first day in Switzerland we went to the United Nations Office at Geneva in the morning. We took a tour of the building and got to sit in different conference rooms where very important world leaders have sat. It was definitely one of the most interesting things I have done so far this semester. I used to want to work for the UN and now this goal has resurfaced. Then we walked through the old town and went to three different chocolate shops! The chocolate was to die for! For dinner we had delicious pizza. The next day we took the train to Lausanne. It has always been a dream of mine to go to Lausanne because it is where my parents met and used to live. In the morning we walked down to Ouchy and ate crepes at a restaurant on Lake Geneva. The lake was magnificent and through the clouds we could see some of the snow-capped Alps. Then we waled up to the old town and to a museum called Collection de l’Art Brut. All the art in this museum was created by “outsiders” of society such as psychiatric patients. It was fascinating reading about the artists and explanations of their art. My favorite was Paul Amar who created scenes using shells from all shellfish he has eaten. His art was so colorful and reminded me of The Little Mermaid. Before heading back to Geneva we stopped at one last Swiss chocolate shop.

The next morning we flew to Budapest, Hungary. On our first full day in Budapest we first went to the New York Cafe which is considered one of the most beautiful cafes in the world. Then we walked around the Pest side of the Danube River and saw St. Stephen’s Basilica and Parliament and rode the Budapest Eye. My personal favorite site on this side was the Shoes on the Danube Bank which were a memorial to the Jews who were persecuted in Hungary during World War II. Then we crossed the river to the Buda side to see the Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion. Then one friend and I went to Szechenyi Baths but unfortunately we got scammed by the taxi driver so it was a very expensive excursion. The baths themselves were very fun but it was kinda hard to enjoy because I was rattled by the taxi experience. Then we had the most amazing hummus, pita, and falafel for dinner. The next day we went to a market in the morning and the House of Terror museum in the afternoon. The House of Terror museum was about the Nazi and Communist occupation in Hungary and the actual building was an office for both the Nazis and the Communist Party. Then we had a late flight home to London.

Again, this week was the trip of a lifetime. I got to go to three very different countries with my best friends. I feel so grateful to have had this experience.

Hi family and friends! I can’t believe I’m halfway done with my first semester of college. I haven’t been able to post as much recently because I have been super busy with school. I have had to write so many papers – more in these 2 months than all of high school combined! Part of the reason I have been so busy is because I have to do homework during all my free time during the week because I have been traveling on the weekends.

Two weekends ago I went to Porto, Portugal. I never thought I would go to Portugal during this semester but my friend invited me to go with her because her aunt lives there. Getting to the airport we almost missed our bus because we couldn’t find the stop which was very stressful. The flight was two hours and we got there at midnight. When we got to her aunt’s house, she had snacks and cookies set out for us and it was the most amazing feeling ever! And we slept in a real bed which I forgot what a real mattress felt like! For breakfast her aunt got us traditional Portuguese pastries which were so good! Then her aunt took us around the city. Porto is gorgeous! We saw an amazing view of the city from the top of a hotel. We also climbed the stairs of a church called the Torre de Clerigos and saw another spectacular view. We had some amazing local foods; my favorite was the pastel de nata. Then her aunt left us to explore on our own. Porto is on a river so we went down to the river and saw the sunset. It was perfect. It was such a relaxing day because we did not have to plan anything. We just got to explore a new city. The next day it was raining so we just went to brunch before our flight. It was a really great quick trip!

The weekend after, my school planned a trip for everyone in the program to Edinburgh, Scotland. We took a 4 hour train on Friday afternoon. I did some work and slept on the train. We arrived around 9pm and it was raining. We went straight to the hostel and the hostel was 1000x better than the hostel we stayed at in Amsterdam. It felt clean and all the people in my room were from my school. The next day we had to wake up early for a walking tour of the city. It was really cold. Then we warmed up and got brunch in a traditional Scottish pub. Then we went to the Edinburgh castle. I saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny (used for the coronation of the British monarch), and the room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James IV of Scotland (James I of England). The castle is at the top of the Royal Mile so it has great views of the city. But the best views were from the top of Arthur’s Seat. We hiked to the top of Arthur’s Seat and it was very tiring because it was all uphill. But it was so worth it! We got to the top at golden hour – the sun was setting and the whole sky was gold over the city of Edinburgh. We also got lucky because it was supposed to rain the whole day but it did not rain at all during the hike. Then we had dinner at a pub. Then we went on a ghost tour which we learned about the bloody history of Edinburgh but it did include jump scares and of course I screamed. The next day before leaving, I went to the Elephant House which was the cafe were J.K. Rowling thought of Harry Potter and wrote most of the first book. It was a Harry Potter fan’s dream come true! The cafe had a spectacular view of the castle so I can see where Rowling got her inspiration for Hogwarts. Then we took the train home and I slept the whole time.

Other than school work and traveling I have not been up to much. I rode the London Eye a few days ago. I just need to get through one more week until we have the week off and I am going on a big trip around Europe! I am not too homesick but I am really excited for mom to visit and to see everyone in December!

This past weekend my friends and I went on our first trip by ourselves to another country! We went to the one place I really, really, really wanted to go this semester: Amsterdam!!!

My friends left London Friday morning but I had class so I had to fly by myself in the afternoon. My flight got delayed an hour and a half which was kinda annoying. I slept the entire flight which was only 50 minutes. I took the bus from the airport to the hostel and got there around 7 pm. To say the least, the hostel was an experience. It was not what any of us were expecting. The common area was really nice and our rooms were mediocre. Where it went wrong was the people in our room. Each room had 8 people and we got split up so my friend and I were in a room with 6 middle aged men which was weird and uncomfortable. But the only time we had to be in the room was to sleep so it was fine. Once I got settled in, we went to dinner at Foodhallen which was a big warehouse with a bunch of food vendors. It was the 5 year anniversary so there was lots of people, decorations, and music. I had an amazing falafel sandwich and frozen yogurt.

Saturday morning we woke up early to try and get last minute Anne Frank House tickets. Usually the tickets are sold out months in advance but at 9 am everyday they release 20% of the day’s tickets. Although we were 800th in line for the online queue, by some miracle we ended up getting the tickets! We went out for brunch near the Albert Cuyp market then walked through the market. Then we went on a canal tour. The boat was open air and we had a live tour guide which was definitely the way to go. We got so lucky with the weather today; it was sunny and blue skies, but still chilly. The canal tour was the perfect way to see the city. Before the Anne Frank House we got Dutch Apple Pie – so yummy! The Anne Frank House was the highlight of the weekend. It was so interesting and moving. We got to go into the annex where she and her family were in hiding for two years, see her actual diaries, and learn in depth about her life. The museum was put together really nicely. I bought her diary and I am looking forward to reading it. Then we went to dinner and got poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes) for dessert. Saturday was a perfect day.

On Sunday we got brunch at the restaurant Blue Amsterdam which had an amazing view of the city and the best french toast ever! Then we walked through Bloemenmarkt: a floating flower market. I got some cute delftware bowl for my jewelry. After this trip I am obsessed with delftware. Unfortunately today we were less lucky with the weather as it rained most of the day. Then I went to the Van Gogh museum. I really enjoyed this museum because I learned so much about Van Gogh that I never knew before. Then we went to the Rijksmuseum to see some Northern Renaissance art. We went back to the hostel to pack because we are leaving super early Monday morning. Then we had dinner and Stroopwafels for dessert. Stroopwafels were the perfect way to end this amazing trip.

We had to leave the hostel at 4 am to catch our flight at 7 am to get home before classes on Monday. As you can imagine, I was exhausted. Right when I got home I took a long nap before class at 1 pm. Although this trip was exhausting, it was truly an unforgettable experience. Amsterdam exceeded my high expectations. Also I’m pretty proud that my friends and I planned this trip and travelled all by ourselves. I can’t wait to do it all again next weekend when I got to… it will be a surprise 🙂

On Saturday, three of my friends and I went on a day trip to Dover. We took a 2 hour train to get there. Our first stop was a cafe for breakfast. Next we went to the grocery and picked up some snacks for a picnic later. Then we started our ascent up the cliffs. It was a 30 minute hike uphill to enter the National Trust area. Then we hiked for about an hour along the cliffs, stopping often along the way to take pictures. The view was gorgeous! The cliffs are white because the are made out of chalk. Supposedly we could see France across the ocean but I think it was too foggy to actually see the land. We had our picnic under the lighthouse. In the lighthouse there was an adorable tea room so I got a cuppa tea. The weather was perfect: sunny but super windy so it was not hot. Then we hiked back and walked through the town of Dover to the train station. I loved spending the day in nature because living in the city has made me miss nature. The train ride home was a little complicated because we got on a high speed train and our tickets were only for regular trains. We thought it would be fine because they never check the tickets but sure enough this one time they did. It ended up being fine; we just had to pay a little extra. But the train ride home was only one hour because it was high speed! Overall it was a really fun day trip that I would recommend!

I knew I was officially approaching the one month mark when I ran out of cellular data. Thankfully I got that taken care of today. I am really enjoying living in London. In this post I want to focus on some of the smaller things I experience on a daily basis because I live in such an amazing city. Everyday when I walk to the Underground Station I see the beautiful St. Pancras hotel which looks like a castle! In between classes I sit on a bench in Russell Square and read, eat a snack, and people watch. Somedays, when I am not too tired, I walk home from school. I pass by a cute used book store which I love looking around in. The walk home is only 20 minutes and it is so peaceful to just take a moment to be by myself, put in my ear buds to listen to some music, and appreciate my surroundings. On Thursdays I don’t have class until 5 pm so I try to do something new every Thursday. This past Thursday, my friend and I went to Hyde Park to have a picnic and study. We also try to explore London on the weekends when we are not doing homework. Today we went to Camden Market which has been my favorite thing I’ve done in London so far! I could spend hours there looking at all the fun things the vendors are selling. I got a bracelet that I am obsessed with! Unfortunately it was raining so we couldn’t eat outside at a picnic table along the canal but we had a delicious brunch inside a restaurant. I definitely want to go back there! Looking ahead, I am super excited for October because I am going on weekend trips to new countries the first 3 weekends of the month!

Hello friends and family! Sorry I have not posted in a while; I have been very busy balancing schoolwork with exploring London. I have been able to see a lot of cool sites because many of my classes take place throughout London rather than in a classroom. Also, in most of my free time when I’m not doing homework I try to go out and see or do something new. Here are some of the fun things I have been up to in the last week:

Last week my Cultures of London class took place at Westminster Abbey. So many historical figures are buried there and I found it interesting that they are organized by occupation: royalty, scientists, poets, etc. Of course the highlight of this excursion was seeing the Clare coat of arms in the stained glass windows of the Chapter House. Although I had already been to Westminster Abbey, I loved it just as much the second time so if you are ever in London this is a must!

On Thursdays I don’t have class until 5pm so my friends and I try to do something fun in the morning/afternoon. Last Thursday we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. However we should have done our research ahead of time because once we got there we found out the changing of the guard does not take place on Thursdays. Hopefully we see it another time! Then we went shopping on Oxford Street which has to be my favorite thing to do in London. Since we are on student budgets we usually don’t get anything, just look and try stuff on.

A few days ago our whole program went to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to see a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We were required to read the play so it was fun seeing it actually performed. The production really emphasized the comedic aspects of the play and also added music, singing, dancing, and contemporary references. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. We had to stand the whole play like they did during Shakespeare’s time and since I had four classes earlier that day I was already exhausted. Other than being tired, I’m glad I had this experience.

Two of my friends and I went to a special exhibit at the Tate Modern the other day. The exhibit was called Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life and it was really interesting. The art was so cool but I don’t really know how to describe it. I recommend looking up his work and check out my photos of it. We also went to the top floor of the museum to see a spectacular view of London. I definitely want to go back to this museum to see the rest of the exhibits.

Today I went on a Harry Potter walking tour. For anyone that knows me, you know I LOVE Harry Potter! This tour went to different places in London where the movies were filmed or a certain part of the books was inspired by. I touched the same wall that Rupert Grint touched in Deathly Hallows: Part One to enter the Ministry of Magic! We walked down the alleys that inspired Diagon and Knockturn Alley. I learned that for the premiere of Deathly Hallows: Part Two they shut down Trafalgar Square which is a huge deal. Every week I am entering the Friday Forty raffle to try and win tickets to the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play. Wish me luck that I win before I leave!

To see pictures of all these things check out my Photos page! I have my first tests this week which I am nervous for and don’t know what expect. My friends and I booked a big trip this week for our week off in November. If you made it through reading this long post, thanks for your support!

On Saturday, my friends on I went on our first trip that we planned ourselves! We went on a day trip to Brighton which is a seaside town on the coast of England. Our train was at 8 a.m. and as many of you know I am not a morning person so I slept for the whole train ride which was about an hour. When we got there we went to a cute cafe for breakfast and I got amazing blueberry pancakes. We then walked through the beautiful Brighton Pavilion and surrounding gardens which was a former royal residence but I’m quite sure what it is now. Then we walked along the beach, looking in little shops along the way. The beach was pebbly not sandy but it was perfect weather. Then we walked down the pier which reminded me of Santa Cruz. Since we got up early we decided to take a coffee break (I got tea of course). We went to the cutest cafe on the beach and even better, it was a board game cafe! I’ve already seen multiple board game cafes during my time in England and I decided we need more of them back home! We also had amazing mac and cheese bites as a snack. Then we walked through the town which had cute boutiques and a second hand book store. My friends wanted to have an early dinner so I went with them to eat but didn’t get anything. On the train ride home I slept. Brighton was the perfect day trip and I’m so glad we went! I can’t wait for our next trip together!

I am studying at the New College of the Humanities in Bloomsbury which is really close to my residence building (one stop on the train or 20 minute walk). But my first class actually took place at a lecture hall in the British Museum. All the professors of the Cultures of London course gave introduction mini lectures then we went on a scavenger hunt around the museum.

The next day I had three classes in a row which was exhausting. First Academic Writing, then International Business and Global Responsibility, then Cultures of London. My classes have 20-40 kids in them and the professors all seem very nice. I was expecting them to be more strict here but its the opposite; We are supposed to call them by their first names and they all emphasized how we can reach out to them for anything. After class I picked up a pizza on my way home and it was the most amazing meal I’ve had.

Next I had my N.U.in Seminar which is taught by people from Northeastern and I’m still not exactly sure what the purpose of this class is. In the evening I had British Drama and the London Stage. I thought this class was going to just be studying theatre in London and going to plays but it also includes weekly acting workshops. That should be interesting considering I am not an actress at all.

On Friday, we had our Cultures of London class at the Museum of London. I actually enjoyed this museum more than the British Museum. I even stayed after class to spend more time looking at the exhibits. Some of my favorite things I saw was the world’s largest collection of artifacts from the suffragette movement, a replica of a Victorian street walk, and the 2012 Olympic Cauldron. After I walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Then I met up with a friend from home who happened to be on vacation in London. We walked down the South Bank. It was so nice having a piece of home here.

Stay tuned for a post about my fun day trip on Saturday!