End of the Year List !

Hello All -


I'm safe and sound back in New York. I got home on the 22nd, three days later then planned. It's been quite chaotic being back, a rough landing if you will, but everything seems to be settling into place. 


Today is New Years Eve and as such I found this cute list and decided to answer the questions. It was a way for me to reflect on the past year and get excited for what's to come in 2011.


Cheers!


1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?

I did a ton of stuff in 2010 that I had never done before. Living in another country is probably the biggest.

2. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. My Aunt Dorothy died in March of this year. RIP<3

3. What countries did you visit?.

England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and France

4. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

More confidence in myself and my ability to be on my own without needing someone to lean on. I pride myself on being independent, but I rely on a few people a lot. I would also like a broader perspective of my life and the world in general- that'll be the next chapter of arriving into adulthood.

5. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The flight from New York JFK to London Heathrow. It was one of the scariest moments (hours) of my life. Leaving my mother at the gate brought me to tears and in that moment I realized that I was on my own, flying to a country I had never been before, and pure terror raced through every cell in my body. I see now that it was my first time truly "leaving the nest" and becoming more independent then I had ever been.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Other than studying in London, was probably working at McGladrey and being in talks with them for a job after graduation. I have worked so hard to get where I am right now and finding out that they wanted me back was one of the happiest moments all year. Plus, I got to jump up and down like a total dork with my best friend in the whole world, Diana.

7. Where did most of your money go?

Traveling throughout Europe.

8. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Lights by All Out
Push Push by Kat Deluna
F*** You by Cee Lo Green (LONDON REPRESENT!!)

9. Did you fall in love in 2010?

Lets just say that I found something I wasn't expecting, and it changed me. Most of the time I think it changed me for the better.

10. What was your favorite TV program?

My two new discoveries were Modern Family and 24.

11. What was your favourite film of this year?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. DUH.

12. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was in London on my birthday and I turned 20. We started out the morning by having a huge snowball fight IN the house. That was my first birthday present- a snow ball in the face. We all went to Hyde Park later on and had a real snowball fight (you can see those pictures on facebook). Genna and Ruth then took me to Harrods for my birthday and I got a triple chocolate fondu at the Chocolate Bar. It was DELICIOUS!

13. What kept you sane?

Talking on Skype and Google Talk with my mom, dad, Diana, and Cory while being abroad.

14. What political issue stirred you the most?

Ugh. Obama losing his balls. And Sarah Palin's existence.

15. Who did you miss the most?

My family and friends while being in London. Also, my deceased grandparents. I kept wishing they were still alive to talk to and show them how well I'm doing. I hope I'm still making them proud even though they aren't around anymore.

16. Who was the best new person you met?

Genna Bellezza. We lived together in London and traveled in Italy and Greece together. I love you Genna! There were other people that were also great that I met this year, including my little CHRIS, new AKPSI brothers, and some of the people I met while abroad (Phil, Alan, John, Alyssia, Emily to name a few).

17. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

There is a great big world out there that is just waiting to be discovered. It's up to you to walk out your door and go explore it.


All relationships are different. Meeting and dating someone knew makes you more aware of yourself as a person and there are a lot of lessons to be learned in that arena. 


With the passing of two of my professors, I was taught that life is really short and that people can easily disappear from your life. It's important to be thankful for what you have. You don't know what you got 'till it's gone.

18. Tell us a quote that best fits the year 2010 for you

I have two.

You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where you go – Dr. Suess

After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self discovery. It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life – Sophia Loren

19. What are you most excited for in 2011?

Studying abroad in Brisbane, Australia, going back to McGladrey, and SENIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE.

20. Say one of your New Year's Resolutions!

Skydiving in New Zealand or in Australia. It's going to happen.




Happy New Year Everyone!

Stuck in London... Arrival in the U.S. TBA

Hey guys,

First, I'd like to give a shout out to all of my friends who have been there for me, consoling me on my inability to get a flight back to New York. For those who don't really understand what the hell is going on here is a synopsis:

There was approximately 5 inches of snow at Heathrow airport on December 18th, my birthday. Everyone at Manson 15 had a fun day with a snow ball fight and drinking games expecting to still be able to leave the next day. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Heathrow airport was crippled by the mere 5 inches and shut down the whole airport on Saturday. Entire terminals stayed shut and people who were there on a layover or who needed to leave were stuck and had to spend the night. On Sunday, only 16 flights left the airport and I, along with 9 of my other roommates, weren't on them. Only 2, Jill and Joe, got out who were on the same flight. Somehow they didn't even have a delay.

The rest of us were in a complete panic, and most of us were on hold with airlines and travel agents for at least 3 hours trying to find a new flight. My roommate, Cierra, went to the airport and paid 40 pounds (about 70 dollars) for a cab only to find out her flight had been cancelled. The only thing the airline said was "sorry" and handed her a sheet of paper with a phone number on it that charged per minute to call. Most of the house was crying, screaming or panicking, not knowing when they would get home. I was able to get a flight out on Wednesday, but my other roommates got flights on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The rest of the afternoon was a complete blur. I fell back to sleep at around 8 am and woke up at 12:30 PM to assess the damage done by Heathrow. We were all distraught and just hypothesizing why all the flights were cancelled and how the hell everything was shut because of snow that happened the previous afternoon.

I decided, after much stressing, that the best thing I could do was buy a 12 pack of Corona, some Magners Hard Cider and curl up with my laptop checking Heathrow's website, British Airway's website, Facebook, while watching 24 on Netflix. Writing it out is very weird because not much happened but it has to be one of the longest days of my life.

Today was even worse. One of my roommates and my friend Alyssia both had their flights cancelled. Alyssia is now on my flight for Wednesday after being on hold for 4 hours, and Dennis is now first flying to Dublin before flying back to the states.

You would think that after 72 hours Heathrow would be up and running. You would be very wrong. On a daily basis, British Airways has 12 flights that leave for JFK. Today 6 out of 12 left, but tomorrow only 4 out of 12 are currently scheduled to depart. I leave Wednesday with that exact route. I am praying that somehow they will get my flight out but there is a very good chance it will be cancelled.

If my flight on Wednesday is cancelled, I will be spending Christmas away from my family after not being in New York for 4 months. My first reaction is to cry and drink heavily, but it is completely out of my control. There is no looking back, thinking that I should have booked an earlier ticket. No amount of panicking or crying is going to change what will happen to me over the course of 48 hours.

Never in my life have I felt this stranded. Sure, I've lived here for 4 months and I like London, but having home be so close and have it ripped out of my grasp is extremely painful and horrible especially during the holidays. Normally, I'd be at home with my friends joking around about how crazy my family is and the chaos that will ensue on Christmas. Now, it's everything that I crave. I would much rather be on my Dad's house sipping a Becks with my dog Cody curled at my feet while listening to country music, watching the fire. I wouldn't even mind being woken up at 7 am by my dad blasting banjo music in my ear, or even him opening my door while playing the Banjo (he is a very talented man. he can multitask).

 Everything I took for granted I am now realizing is extremely important to me. No matter how crazy your family is, no matter the drama that is going to happen Christmas day, I want every single person reading my blog to realize how lucky you are to have a family to go to. To have people you care about surrounding you, whether it be your mom and dad or great friends who console you when you can't be around your family anymore.

I want my friends at home to know how much I love them and care about them. I want my family to know I love them and miss them more than anything in the world and I will do anything in my power to get to the states as soon as physically possible. Traveling the world has been one of the best experiences I will ever have, but it is nothing compared to being with friends and family.

I'll update my blog as soon as I know whether or not I will make it home on Wednesday.


Lots and lots of love,
Miriam
xxx

The City of Love & My Final Journey - Paris, France

Sorry it took me so long to write again. It's been a very hectic week since I got on the train from Paris back to London...

Most people go to Paris with their boyfriend/girlfriend because it is known as the city of L-O-V-E. I went alone, and to be honest, I'm glad I was able to explore alone. In the end, I was able to fall in love with myself.

When you hear how beautiful Paris is, you can't truly understand until you've been there. No picture can capture the beauty, the winding streets, and the people.

I was absolutely shocked to find out the French people are some of the nicest I have come across throughout my travels across Europe. They are warm and friendly and I am convinced they are some of the happiest people on the face of the planet, and why shouldn't they be? They get an average of 6 weeks vacation a year, free health care where doctors will even come to your house if you don't feel up to going to the office, the food is phenomenal and the language literally makes you want to rip off your clothes and fall into the arms of a well dressed Parisian man... Too bad I didn't meet any that were available.

Saturday I woke up in the wee hours of the morning while the rest of my house was peacefully sleeping and rushed off to Kings Cross. I was so early, in fact, that they bumped me up to the train leaving at 8 AM instead of 9 AND - get ready for it - put me in first class! I was so excited because I have neither traveled in first class before nor been bumped up randomly. They served breakfast and everything.

Travel Tip - If you get to Gare de Nord be prepared to stand on line for at least a half hour to get tickets for the underground. Have change in euros. Each ticket costs 1.70 if you get a single, and a booklet costs 12 Euros. The tickets are just little strips of paper and you need to keep track of which ones are used. It's very messy. Silly Frenchies.

When I finally made it to Sarah's stop on the subway it was as though I was in a dream. I climbed up the stairs, suitcase in hand, and looked out at my surroundings. Cars were on the correct side of the road (yippee), people were bustling around on the streets, there were French cafe's and, just like out of a movie, there were big fat snowflakes falling on the ground.

After a few minutes of searching, I saw Sarah and Cassie! I gave them both huge hugs and we started to walk back to Sarah's apartment. The less glamorous side of the snow falling was the brown slush all over the sidewalks and road making it slippery and too dirty to roll my suitcase. So, there I was in Paris, slipping and sliding while holding a suitcase that had way too much clothing in it for a simple three day weekend. But hey, have you met me? I am clumsy and can't pack correctly.

Here's the basic list of my itinerary:
Saturday - Montmarte, the hill with a cathedral on top that overlooks the entire city of Paris.
                 The street filled with sex shops and the Moulin Rouge
Sunday - The Eiffel Tower, L'Arc De Triomphe, Champs Elyesses and La Grande Roue
Monday - The Louvre

Montmarte

The scene simply cannot be caught on camera. 

It is too beautiful to put in one picture. In this case, seeing is believing.

I always made fun of people's albums that had tons of pictures of the Eiffel Tower because, after all, everyone knows what it looks like and it looks exactly the same in every picture. When I got there, I had to put my foot in my mouth and I finally understood - you just keep taking pictures because you can't actually believe you're in Paris staring at it. I almost started crying when I first saw it (yeah, I'm a girl). But it wasn't just because I'm a girl. My whole life I have dreamed of going to Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower. There I was, independent and I was looking up and I realized I had made it. I had made it and I got there with the money I had worked and saved for. Happy Birthday, Miriam.

L'Arc De Triomphe. It was beautiful at night, but it was even more beautiful after walking down Champs Elysses for a few hundred meters...

On the streets of Champs Elysses. One thing about traveling alone that is a serious issue is finding people who you trust to take your picture. I went for the obvious choice of the Asian tourists. After all, they always take tons of pictures so I guessed after much practice they would be able to and I was correct.

Le Grande Roue. Basically, the French version of the London Eye.

Stealers.

And these are just some other pictures I took... Enjoy!

You'll have to wait for the pictures I took in the Louvre. I have yet to upload them. When I got back to London I had to write a paper due Tuesday, and then one that was due today. I'll have them up by this weekend and make a short post about the Louvre.

9 days left in London. I can't believe it's almost over!

Cheers,

Miriam

10 Things I Will Miss In London

So, all of the UK has gone completely ape shit over the weather. It's snowing!! *GASP*

It's very strange to see, because there is only about a millimeter that's actually stuck to the ground. Apparently a few days ago people were stuck on a train until 1:30 in the morning because the track was iced over. I thought this country knew how to handle snow?

In other news, I've gotten quite sentimental. I have Pandora's Christmas Radio Station while attempting to complete my British Life and Culture's paper on Princess Diana. You'd think the internet would be FILLED with articles relating to her and the media, but there isn't much. It's quite difficult to concentrate on writing a paper when you haven't had to do real work all semester. Unlucky for me, I have two other papers to complete and a presentation before I can get on my flight back to JFK.

So in my attempt to procrastinate, I have compiled a list of things I will miss most about the UK and I'd like to share it with you.

1) Tesco. I am there almost every single day. The food is fresh and inexpensive and there is an array of beer, wine, and liquor that I can buy legally. What isn't there to miss?

2) Pubs. There is no such phenomenon in America and I have no idea why. Going to your "local" for a drink is a huge part of the British culture and it's something I believe the US should adopt. Bars can't compare. The Zetland Arms - I'll miss you!

3) Gormet Burger Kitchen. Anyone coming to London next semester I urge you to get a GBK Student card. Monday through Thursday your entire meal is 40% off and their burgers and milkshakes are to DIE for.

4) Hard Cider. I can't believe I didn't know about this wonderful drink a mere 3 months ago. How will I survive without it? I hope they sell it in Australia!

5) The British Accent. I know it's corny, but it's true. I feel like I'm going to come home and not be excited when people talk. Although I do miss my New Yorkers.

6) Camden Market. I went three times this semester, and I am still in love with it. It's just a huge market that you can wander around in for hours and every time you go, there's something new you haven't seen yet.

7) The Tube. I will forever miss that silly woman saying "Mind the gap between the train and the platform." The DC Metro system is far less efficient and interesting.

8) Primark. It is so much better than TJ Maxx and Filene's Basement. I know I only went once, but it's been nice to know that it's there for me just in case I need it.

9) The Taxis. They are so old fashioned and spacious and the drivers speak English and I can actually understand what they are saying.

10) Piccadilly Circus. Although my roommates go out much more than I do, I still appreciate the buzzing nightlife in Piccadilly. Sound, Tiger Tiger, Sports Cafe, On Anon.... They are much cooler than getting event requests from AU fraternities for Current EVERY SINGLE WEEK (which I still get).

Home in 17 days<3
Miriam

The Final Takeover - London Meets Silvana

Silvana and I have conquered all of the UK, minus Wales (because we hear that place is shit... Why, yes, Silvana I stole the first line of your blog but it’s okay because it’s funny.)


Bright and early Friday morning she called me saying she was in London. Unfortunately, I still had to go to my internship so while I was behind a desk, Silvana explored touristy parts of London. The real
fun started Friday night for my flatmate, Jill’s birthday. Our house was filled with giggly and smiling sorority girls. After having Monica’s friends over the previous week I was scared out of my wits that sorority girls were going to be just as loud. To my surprise, they turned out to be 5 of the quietest guests 15 Manson Place has ever had.

Jill, my flatmate, by far has the best internship out of all of us. She is basically interning as a club promoter and gets all these amazing deals for London nightlife. So, lucky for all of us, she was able to get us into one of her clubs, PUNK, for free! 


I liked the club a lot, but I can’t say the same for the straight guys we were with. It became very clear after the Glee cover of Don’t Stop Believing came on that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. It got worse for the poor guys when some of the men in the club started kissing. I am totally down with the rainbow and I found it to be a great change. It was the first gay club I had been to and it was awesome to not have to look behind me every few minutes to make sure a strange guy wasn’t creeping up behind me to start grinding with me. 


After a few tequila shots and some Ke$ha, some of us decided it was time to leave, so we made our way outside to try and find a way home. Unfortunately, our best option was to walk all the way to Piccadilly to catch the 14 bus. My feet were in a ton of pain, so after switching shoes with Silvana I had 2 options – hold my sweaty socks or toss them. In my un-sober state I decided to throw them on the sidewalk. Not graceful or eco-friendly, but I hope my socks have made someone homeless very happy. 


Saturday I brought Silvana to my favourite spot in London – Camden Market. There are no pictures of our journey because it was SO FREEZING COLD I was afraid to have any bare skin showing. I did buy the last of the my souvineers and afterwards we quickly made it back to my flat. 

Later that night we went to the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland with Genna. It was surreal because normally carnivals happen in the summer time. They had a ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and even one of those massive slides that you could ride if you had tickets and to my surprise people were actually going on them. I don’t see any fun in sliding down a massive slope with frigid cold wind whipping your face, but I guess the Brits are weird that way. 

"Spinning Baubles." They ALSO had "Racing Reindeer" and a Double Decker Red Bus that spun around. Those Brits are so clever =)

<3

I love Santa Claus. AKA Father Christmas (British)

Overall it was amazing to be surrounded by the Christmas spirit and every day since I have been listening to the Christmas station on Pandora. 


Sunday we wanted to go get some culture, but instead ditched that idea to meet up with two of our old friends from Ireland, Alan and Phil. They are two Londoners that we absolutely fell in love with on our Shamrocker tour so we gladly met up with them at a pub north of Oxford Circus. After many pints and shots and blurry memories with them, we hopped in a cab back to my flat where Monica and Jill had created a massive Thanksgiving feast. After one plate of food I collapsed into my bed from the Turkey Coma and the massive amount of alcohol I consumed.

(Don’t worry family, I am NOT an alcoholic- I am a college student abroad. Alcoholism isn’t until after college. Kidding, but really. I’m okay).

St. Pauls and The Millennium Bridge (Day)

The Tate Modern

Monday I finally made it to the Tate Modern with Silvana and I got to cross the Millennium Bridge, the bridge that was destroyed at the beginning of the 6th Harry Potter Movie. The Tate had some cool artwork, but some was just disturbing and made absolutely no sense. Just because no one understands you does not make what you are doing art. Making one slash in a blank canvas doesn’t prove to me that the universe is infinite, and a video of a woman pouring blood on herself and rolling around in feathers doesn’t make me look into myself to find the meaning of life. It creeps me out. So, please, go back into your corner you weirdo.

I do have to say that being in the museum did take me out of my reality and forced me to start seeing things in an artsy way, if only for a few hours so I appreciated it. After snuggling in bed while eating popcorn and watching Love, Actually which is one of the best Christmas movies of all time, I had to drop Silvana off at the bus station. It was a tearful goodbye because we both know it will be over 8 months until we see each other again.

St. Paul's and Millennium Bridge (Night)

Pretty, right!?

Silvana visiting basically saved me from pure insanity. I am fully aware that my time in London is coming to a close and I am happy to see this part of my abroad journey ending. It’s been great, but I am ready to be back in Hawthorne in my car, blasting A Day to Remember with Diana, and going home to my own room with my own bed with my kitty curled up at my pillow patiently awaiting my return. But, for now, I am looking forward to my weekend in Paris with my Omega love, Sarah! 


18 DAYS TO GO!!