The Final Post: The Transition Back to America

I have official been home for about a week and a half. I have gotten over jet lag and seen all my friends and family. It took me much longer to get over jet lag than I anticipated. For almost a week, I would be ready to pass out by 8:30 at night and could not get myself to sleep past 8 in the morning. It was very nice to sleep in my own bed though.

It was great to see almost my whole family on Christmas Eve. I loved answering everyone's questions and being able to tell everyone all about my amazing experience. I have also had a lot of time to hang out with my friends. Ashley, Megan, and Erin leave this coming week for their study abroad adventures. I hope that they have just as amazing of a time as I did. Also, nothing says Welcome Back to Northbridge other than awkward High School run ins. I have definitely had my fair share of those in the past week but coming back to a small town at Christmas time, it was expected.

I miss living in London though. I have only been home for a week and have found myself bored on more than one occasion. In London, I could always find something to do even if it was just exploring the markets. I hope that I can find an internship for the summer in a city. I definitely enjoyed living in the city and hopefully I can live in one again for a little bit someday. I also miss my friends from London. It's weird to not see them all the time after seeing them almost everyday for 3 months. It was nice to have them around at a moments notice if I wanted to go out and adventure somewhere in London.My home friends are around but there isn't much for us to do.

It is nice to have my car back and stuff like that. Being home definitely has its perks. I am pretty broke but I applied to be a substitute teacher in Grafton so hopefully I will work a few times over break and then I have my regular job at Plymouth.

I definitely miss being in London and can't wait till I can afford to go back. I read over API's tips on coming back home and was surprised at how true some of the adjustment tips were. I found myself hating America during my first few days home. Living in Europe is much different than living in America. The adjustment to life back at home was much more difficult than adjusting to London. When I left home I was excited for the adventure but coming home was heartbreaking because I have no idea when I will be going back. I cried during take off and again when the border control guy handed me back my passport and said "Welcome home, Allison" and then again when I saw my family. It was weird the different emotions I had that day.

I am excited to go back to Plymouth and see my school friends. Now being home is not as bad as the first few days. I am back into the regular grove of American life. It's crazy how much London and my adventures through Europe seem like a dream. I keep looking at my pictures to remind myself that it really happened. It was such an amazing experience. I can't wait to scrapbook my trip and have that keepsake. I now realize how many options I have available for me in my life. I can't wait to explore them and see what my next adventure brings to me. I am so thankful that I was able to experience studying abroad and in London, a city that I totally fell in love with. It really was the best decision I have ever made.

I would like to thank everyone for following my adventure. I hope you enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I enjoyed writing them. I really had the best 3 months I could have ever asked for. It was the best dream I could have ever made come true.

Cheers,
Allie

A Final Post from London

My flight takes off in approximately 9 hours. I am all packed and have seen all the sights for a final time. I can't believe this day has actually come. It feels like just yesterday I was headed to the airport nervous, excited, and not knowing what to expect from the next three months. It feels like last night I was on the river boat cruise, my favorite night of the trip, so happy and not believing that for the next three months my life would be lived in London. I now have to board a plane and leave this amazing city that I am so happy to have called my home.

London has given me an amazing three months. I am so happy with my decision to study here. I might not have liked the school system but when it comes right down to it, the abroad part of study abroad is way more important than the study. I learned so much about myself the past three months. I have matured and become more independent. London surprised me in so many ways. I became fascinated with British history and weird little facts about the places I was visiting. I have never really been a big fan of history before this. I knew I would like London but before I left home I was so nervous about living in a city, something totally out of my comfort zone, and making new friends. I never expected that I would fall in love with this place and be so sad to leave. I figured I would be so homesick and ready to go home. I have learned that I am homesick for the people not the environment.

I have been to 6 different countries in the past three months. I traveled through Italy in a week, partially on my own. I have been to at least 10 different towns, cities, and suburbs of England alone. I have seen and experienced so much of the world. Each trip I took was different and unique in its own way. I have been to countries where I couldn't speak the language and figured out how to get around. I tried so many different types of food as well. I know Grandpa was with me during this trip because my sweet tooth has been going crazy, especially in Italy. I am so happy my friends and I decided to book all our trips on our own. We were forced to figure out how to travel through Europe and we did it multiple times, without any major issues and at a pretty decent price. I am amazed at how well we did.

Living in London itself has given me more independence. I am amazed at how comfortable I am with walking around this city alone, how easily I can maneuver my way around the tube, and how well I can navigate my way through the city by foot. I used to be so nervous to go out anywhere big on my own. London has for sure changed that. I saw so much of London and England in general. London has so much to offer. I finished my  bucket list plus or minus a few things. I went to the theatre a lot which is a big part of London cultural. It was worth the amount of money I donated to the the London Theatre industry.  If I had more time here there are definitely more things I could do that I didn't have time for. I could not be happier with this decision. I am sure I would have liked any other city I decided to study in but London was definitely the right choice for me. Coming home from Ireland was the first time I remember really referring to London as home. As much as I enjoyed Ireland I was so excited to go home to London.

I have met some amazing people out here. I could not be happier with the friends I have made. We all got a long so well. We never had any drama and just spent the three months getting to know each other and experiencing life abroad. I got lucky with my flat mates. We also got along so well especially compared to some other peoples flats. My closest friends were from API. Most of us live close enough to see each other at home but even those who live farther away we plan on keeping in touch with. We made a Facebook group to help keep us in contact. I can't wait till we get a chance to have a reunion. This trip would not have been the same without this group of girls. Each trip turned into a different adventure. Colleen and I traveled everywhere together aside from my first half of Italy. She was such a good partner in crime as we liked to say. Saying goodbye to everyone on Friday was so sad but we will all see each other again. I am so grateful to have found this group of girls to experience life abroad with.

I am still in shock that it is already time to leave. Everyone said this semester would go by fast and even though I knew it would, I never expected it to go by as fast as it did. As I sit here and reflect on the past 3 months, I cannot be more grateful for what I have experienced. I can honestly say that these have been the best 3 months of my life. I have never been so happy and felt so blessed to be able to take advantage of an opportunity like study abroad. I hope that I can convince others to go abroad because it really is a life changing experience that is worth every penny.

As I board the plane and wait for it to take off I will continue to think about how amazing the past 3 months have been. It is hard to believe that it all actually happened. I know I am going to cry as the plane takes off. I hate that I have to leave this amazing place and not know when I will be returning. I will be back someday though. I have fallen in love with this city and there is no way I will never return. London will forever have a part of my heart.

My adventure does not end here. I will post once more in about week and fill everyone in on my adjustment back in the States. I feel like it is going to be harder then my adjustment to London but I guess we won't know until I actually get on the plane and go home. Goodbye London, thank you for the greatest adventure and three months of my entire life. It really has been a dream come true.

Cheers,
Allie

Farewell API

API was my study abroad program for this semester. I could not be more happy with my experience with them. Rachel and Carmen were our advisers. They were absolutely amazing. Both of them were so personable and you could tell they love their job and have our best interests in mind. They planned some very good events and excursions and made sure they were all fun and enjoyable. I am so happy with my decision to study with API. They offered a lot of extra things and guidance while we were over here along with wonderful preparation packets. They really made the adjustment here easy.

Tonight was the farewell dinner for the fall semester. It was so sad saying goodbye to Rachel, Carmen, and the rest of our group. I became the closest with people from API. The group as a whole was a fun, out going group and we all got a long so well. Most of my group of friends live close to each other at home which is great. We will still be able to see each other. It is crazy to see how close we got in only 3 months. None of us knew each other before this trip. We experienced so much together and really got to know one another. I can't imagine meeting a better group of people to experience being abroad with.

Before dinner tonight, Colleen, Caitlyn, Kelly, Meg, Morgan, Taylor, Sarah, and I had a bottle of wine and did a small toast to our trip. After dinner, we all came back with Roxanne and just hung out. Most people leave on Saturday so tonight was basically our last night since they all have to be up early and will go to bed early tomorrow night. We are all going to Breakfast Club in the morning as a final farewell to each other. We had to say goodbye to Roxanne tonight though since her mom is coming to London in the morning so she won't be at breakfast. These goodbye's are so sad. We will all never be in London together again but hopefully we will all still keep in touch. Reuniting spring break in New Orleans and Miami?!

As sad as it will be to make our final goodbyes, I am so happy to have met these girls. They made the trip so much more fun and added to my experience. We all remember when we first left home, being nervous about making friends and not fitting in. We spent a lot of tonight laughing and reminiscing on our first feelings of coming abroad and the last three months. I can not believe that it is time to say goodbye to these amazing people. API and my friends truly made this an amazing experience that I will forever remember. It's not goodbye, it's see you later.

Cheers,
Allie

The Three Month Post

Today officially marks my 3 months abroad. I only have 5 days left before I fly home. That seems absolutely insane. I feel like I just left home. I know when I get home on Monday it is all going to feel like a dream. I am so sad that I have to leave so soon. I have learned so much about myself and the world in the past 3 months. I have definitely matured and become more independent.

The past month has flown by even quicker than the last two. I have finished school and have been taking in so much of the London. I finished all my traveling to other countries this month. I have completed my bucket list minus one or two things that I don't have time to get to. I am so happy that I have had this week to really enjoy London. I did not have to worry about my school work since I budgeted my time so well. This entire experience has been life changing. I know that unless you have lived it you wont understand but I can tell that I have changed and grown up. Once I return home I will be a senior in college. That sounds so scary. I am going to start applying  for internships and looking into grad schools. I have realized how many doors and opportunities are open for me now.

I am not going to ramble on about everything I have learned because I will do that in my final post Monday night.I have to start packing in the next few days which I keep pushing off. I am excited to go home and see my friends and family but I am heart broken that this dream of mine is ending so quickly. I am going to enjoy my last few days that I have with my friends in London and enjoy this city that I have grown to love while I still can. 5 more days, that literally is insane.

Cheers,
Allie

Hampton Court Palace

Roxanne and I adventured to Hampton Court Palace today. This was one of the last things on my bucket list that I didn't think I would get to. Hampton Court was the home of King Henry VIII. Of course getting our train tickets was a hassle once again. The lady sold us different tickets. My ticket was wrong so I had to get it switched. Nothing can ever just be simple. We had about a 30 minute train ride to Hampton Court. There are many different apartments inside Hampton Court belonging to different British rulers. We walked through King Henry's apartments and King William's  apartments.

King William's apartments were set up in a line. You just walked straight down a line from one room to the next beginning with throne rooms and going through his bed rooms and sitting rooms and ending in the dinning room. King Henry's were a little different. We walked through seating rooms and corridors rather than living space. I love that all these places give you complimentary audio guides. They really help you learn the history behind each room and give you cool little stories. We got to see King Henry's crown to which was beautiful. We also learned about the ghost of Catherine Howard that haunts one of the halls. Catherine Howard was one of King Henry's wives. She lived in Howard Castle which I tour on the API York weekend and is my favorite castle that I have toured.

After that we walked through the gardens. It was so cold out though that we didn't spend much time outside. It was the coldest it has been the entire time I have been in England. I felt like I was back in New Hampshire. It was about dusk and such a beautiful time of day to be walking through the gardens. Roxanne and I laughed saying how romantic it would be if we were there with a boyfriend. It was another one of those gardens that you can picture Victorian ere people walking around in their gowns. We walked down to where the hedge maze is. It is famous because it is the oldest one in England but it was smaller than we thought it would be. It was closed so we couldn't go through but it was to cold anyway.

We then headed back into central London. I had about an hour before I had to meet Colleen for Matilda so I got dinner and then walked to Covent Garden. I walked around for a bit looking at the beautiful Christmas lights before meeting up with Colleen.  Matilda The Musical was my final West End show. I have seen a total of 14 shows since being in London. I totaled all the ticket together and converted the amount. It rang to about $475. I guess I found my trip to Germany but I figure Germany will be here on my next trip. I am not sorry I saw so many shows. Almost all of them were fabulous and it was so much fun. I definitely emersed myself in London culture!

Cheers,
Allie

A Not so Day Trip to Greenwich

Today, Colleen, Roxanne and I set out for Greenwich. This is where the Prime Meridian is. We expected it to be a suburb outside of London but it is actually just a borough in London. We met at Victoria train station because I had looked and saw that trains to Greenwich run out of there. This was wrong information. We had to take the tube to Charring Cross and get the train at London Bridge. We expected a 45 minute train ride but it was only like 15 minutes max.

Once we were in Greenwich, we walked through Greenwich Park and up to the Royal Observatory. This is where the Prime Meridian line is. The Prime Meridian is the spot on longitude that is at 0 degrees. Basically you put a foot on either side of it so you are straddling the line and you are in 2 different time zones.  Sorry to report but you don't feel any different on either side. We walked through the Time Museum that they have as well and the astronomers house. We then walked down to the Queen's House. It is basically just a big art gallery now.

We went and got tea and cupcakes before heading back into the center of London. Our "day" trip ended up only being about 2 hours. It was not as exciting as we expected but I guess it was cool to say I have been in to time zones at once! I have a much more exciting week ahead for me. I have finished all my work aside from my exam on Wednesday. My entire last week is planned out. It should be a great last week in London. I can't believe how soon I go home. It almost seems more surreal then coming to London.

Cheers,
Allie

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to do some Chirstmasy things. We were going to go up to the top of St. Paul's but it was kinda cloudy in the morning and we would rather do it when we will have a clear view. Colleen, Caitlyn, Roxanne and I ended up starting our adventure at Harrods. Harrods is the big department store in London. It is huge! There are like 5 or 6 floors and it literally contains anything possible that you need to buy but it is very expensive. The outside windows had a Disney Princess theme to them. Each window had a different princess with the scenery from the story. It was really cute. We walked through all the floors and looked at all the beautiful dresses and shoes and clothes and toys. You name it, we saw it. All the floors were decorated for Christmas time. The Christmas room was the best. It was filled with ornaments and cards and wrapping paper and all kinds of Christmas decorations. Totally insane. There were so many people in Harrods it was slightly overwhelming.

Our next stop was to a crepe place for dinner in South Kensington. We met up with Kelly there. They had so many different crepe options it was crazy but they were delicious. After that we went to Hyde Park for Winter Wonderland. It is basically like a huge Christmas themed carnival. So much fun. Colleen and I went on one ride. It brings you around and around in a circle and your car flips upside down and at some points you look like your flying straight into the ground. It was at least 200 feet in the air. It was so much fun but totally crazy especially when you slid forward in your seat. We were sitting on the side of the car where you go backwards which made it even crazier since you couldn't see where you were falling some sometimes. Roxanne, Caitlyn, and I went on the Wild Mouse coaster to which is always fun. We then went to the Carousel Bar. Basically it is a carousel for big people. No ticket needed you just hop on get a drink at the bar in the center and hang out on the carousel. They have a DJ playing music. He did a mix of regular songs and Christmas ones. It was so much fun. We moved to the October Fest room which had a live singer. We hung out in there for a while too before heading back to Kelly's room to hang out. Over all it was a very fun day.

I can't believe I am in the single digits to when I go home. It feels like yesterday that I was on the boat cruise. I have crossed off all no expense things from my bucket list. There are still somethings I hope to do but for the most part I have done everything I really wanted to. I have to finish up a few assignments and then I am just going to enjoy my last week in London. I should probably start packing soon too. Crazy! Stay tuned for my last few posts!

Cheers,
Allie

The "study" part of Study Abroad

I have finished classes for this semester. 10 weeks, that was all I had for classes. I am finishing up two papers this weekend and have an exam next Wednesday but I am basically done. My papers are both almost finished. I just have a little bit more editing but for the most part they are done and I will be able to pass them in soon. I plan to finish my Market research one today. My exam is going to be dumb. We got the prompt last week and spent our last class discussing the answer. All I need to do is memorize the answer and then write it in essay form during the exam time. So basically pointless.

I am sorry to report that class out here never got any better. I still dislike the British School system. There is no structure to it. I took 4 classes. My theater class was more of a fun class. That one was easy and more like a gen ed back home. I loved going to all the theater. I went to much more than what was required for class as well. Marketing research is the one class I actually felt like I learned something in but their was still not much guidance from the tutors. I had to figure out a lot of it on my own or rely on my group work to help me understand. Marketing research is my most important module over here. The credits I will receive will count for my Market Research class at Plymouth. So I guess it's a good thing I learned something in this module.  My group and I rocked both our paper and our presentation which we did this morning. we were already told that we got the highest grade in the class! Global markets was alright. The class was not what I was expecting. It was very heavily based with economic theories that I have already learned. The seminar was better than the lecture. We did get more direction with assignments though which was helpful. Role of a Manager was my last class. This is the worst class I have ever taken. The only reason I took it was because I was told it was a good class and that many students choose to take it. I did not learn one thing in this module. We did the same thing every seminar which I understood by week 2. She would expect us to pass in a paper every week basically saying the same thing as the week before. This paper, she would look at but we would not get any points for participation or class work so to me it was pointless to do the work. Lectures were worse. Now I am not one to skip class but that lecture I could not sit through every week. The module leader would read from the slide show basically word for word and not give us any extra information. I can do that on my own in my room. Why am I going to waste time in London sitting in class that is not giving me any extra information.

I am excited go home and go back to school somewhere I will actually be learning and that challenges me.  I know I will hate it when I actually have to do work all semester but at least I will get something out of the class and am being challenged. I learned much more living in London and traveling than I did sitting in a classroom. I am so happy I only had classes 2 days a week. It gave me much more time to do cultural things, travel, and see London. As far as work this semester, I have had very little. It wasn't until about a week ago when I was assigned my alternative assessments that I began to have a lot of work.  I had some group projects over the semester but they were not bad since it was group work. I could do my part and be done with it. Again this is not ow I normally work. I am happy I didn't have much work. I would not have seen as much of London if I did have a lot of work. I know some study abroad people have a ton of work right now. I am not sure If i just picked good modules that didn't load me with work or if I just planned my time well but I am not stressed out about the things I have left to do.

The British school system as a whole is not good. Teachers were not as receptive or helpful as I would have hoped. They also did not care that I was adjusting to a new way of writing papers and a new school system which was frustrating.  The British school system also grades assignments differently. I always would practically have a heart attack when I got a grade back and then would remember the conversions for grades. It helped when I got group assignments back because my group would be excited about the grade. Its so weird that a 60 is a good grade and is like a B at home. It will be nice to go back to a good school system that has structure to it. It is hard to concentrate on work when their are so many other things I would rather be doing in the city. Usually I picked doing fun things and stayed up late to do work but I was not going to waste my time abroad. As important as the "study" part of the "study abroad" experience is, I found that the "abroad" part was much more  important and where I actually gain knowledge, not sitting in a classroom.

Cheers,
Allie

Les Miserables Premiere

Tonight was the Les Miserables Premiere in Leicester Square. Colleen and I went. We got their slightly late because our class ran over, of course on the one night we had some place to be. It was packed when we got there but everyone knows me, I pushed through the crowed and got to a really good spot right at the beginning of the red carpet where the cars drop off the celebrities. I saw Russell Crowe, Isla Fisher (Sacha Baron Cohen's wife), and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter) from here. I also saw and got Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) and Tom Hooper's (The Director) autographs. It was really hard to get good pictures because they walked so fast and always had a body guard or someone around them standing in the way but I did my best. I was upset I didn't see Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, or Hugh Jackmen.

Russell Crowe pulling up

Tom Hooper

Isla Fisher

 It seemed that all the celebrities had arrived so Colleen and I decided to move to a different area closer to the stage the celebrities were getting interviewed on. This is where I saw Anne Hathaway and  Amanda Seyfried. I never did end up seeing Hugh Jackman. I mostly saw the back of Amanda Seyfried's head while she was on stage but had a better view when Anne Hathaway was talking. It was so cool to be a premiere! Seeing all the different stars was awesome. I wish I had gone to a few more while I was here.

Anne is the one behind the worker guy

After all the celebrities were in the premiere, I decided to ask one of the people working about how started working there and what I needed to do to become a part of it. As some people know my life dream is to help with the behind the scenes work of the CMA's. I know its a big goal. Working for premiers would be so cool as well. Event management really is what I want to be doing. They said that it is all about experience. They told me to work many different events not to just settle on one to begin with. The more you work, the more people you meet, and eventually you will find an event that you love putting on. I asked if they had a card or anything for someone for me to contact but they didn't. I did get some good advice from them though. I am going to look really hard for an amazing internship for next summer and really get into event management. Who knows, maybe I can get an internship back out in London next summer and I can help with the premiers. How cool would that be?!

Cheers,
Allie