Bookish Resolutions for 2020

The new year is upon us and I have a list of bookish-themed goals for the new year. I definitely like making goals periodically throughout the year, but today I'm going to be talking about a list of more general things that I hope to accomplish during 2020. A lot of these are things that I was working on in 2019, too, so I think that this list is entirely achievable. But, without further ado, here's my goals for 2020:

• Reading
• Read 100 books
• I read 138 books in 2019, so I think this should be achievable and in-line with previous years. I was thinking of making it 150 books and pushing myself, but I want to focus more on quality instead of quantity and I don't want to make myself hate reading. 
• Finish 10 book series
• I finished 9 series this past year and, as I have a lot of series on my TBR, I think that a goal of finishing 10 series is manageable. 
• Read more backlist TBR books
• My TBR is insane. I'm admitting it here first. I have way too many books that are unread so this is one of the bigger priorities for me. 
• Bookstagram
• Be more active
• I was very active in 2019 before I fell off a bit but I do want to get back to that level again. This includes posting regularly, responding to comments and DM's, and engaging more with other community members.
• Hit 3,500 followers
• I currently have 2,355 followers and, if I look at previous growth rates for each year, this is definitely doable, I think, as long as I can keep with my previous resolution to be more active. 
• Blog
• Average 3 posts a week
• This is something I'm bringing over from both 2018 and 2019. A consistent schedule is the one thing I've found that boosts my page views and engagement, so I'm going to continue with the goal of averaging three posts a week. 
• 70,000 new blog views 
• This is one of my more ambitious goals as well as I had ~58,000 views in 2019. It's a bit ambitious to add a higher goal, but I think that if I do a bit more promoting of my blog with my other social media channels and post regularly, it can be done. 
• Book Collection
• Buy less books
• This is a big one for me. I love buying books but there's a line between a healthy amount and irresponsible. I've fluctuated in the past year with book buying and I've definitely been more responsible the past few months. I want to keep the number of books I acquire low so that I can focus on my backlist TBR and saving money. 
• Unhaul over 100 books
• This should be easy for me. My collection currently stands at 760 which is a big number. I've already gone through and made a list of books I think I could get rid of and it's already over 100 books. However, now it's onto the task of actually getting them out of storage boxes and selling/donating them. That's the one part of this goal that will be difficult.
• Writing
• Continue working on my novel
• I've been working on multiple novels throughout my life and I've never finished one.  There's one, though, that always finds its way back to me. I'd ideally like to finish the first draft this year, but if I don't manage to achieve that with everything else I'm trying to do then as long as I make progress in it I'll be happy. 
• Work on short story craft 
• This is a new one for me. I like long works or short blog posts. However, most of my creative writing classes focus on short stories or excerpts of longer ones. Just once I'd like to write a short story and be somewhat happy with how it turned out and not want to make it longer or get rid of it completely.

So those are my bookish-related goals for 2020. I think this is definitely doable, but I may have to adjust them once I actually get back to school this semester and try to fit things it around everything else. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

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Studying Abroad in London: The End of London

It's finally here...my last study abroad post. I can't believe how fast this semester flew by. It was, honestly, the best semester of my life. I'll talk more at the end since I still have a few days to wrap up, but overall I'm just so grateful for this experience and everything that happened while I was here. 

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Monday

December 16, 2019

On Monday, Isaac and I slept in very late. I was up late and neither of us had gotten much sleep through our naps so it was really nice to sleep in. After we woke up, we went and got groceries and food to eat for Monday and the next couple of days.

While we were eating, we just sat on the couch catching up on The Apprentice and cuddling. We finished off Psych, which was bittersweet since we'd been binging that together all semester. However, the second movie is coming out (hopefully) in 2020 so we'll hopefully be able to watch that together!

That night, I went and watch Isaac play football in a league thing (soccer for my American friends). It was fun to watch him play and I did get to see some other people I knew, so that was nice. It was pretty cold  by the end, though. Afterwards, after having been home for a while, we decided to go on a midnight trip to Tesco for snacks to eat while watching movies. 

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Tuesday

December 17, 2019

We woke up pretty early on Tuesday so that I could be awake for my bag collection since I was shipping a second suitcase home rather than bringing two suitcases through the various airports. It ended up not getting collected until 2 pm, which was a bit unfortunate since I was pretty tired.

I did work on my last essay for a bit. I got it outlined and a little less than half of it written before I decided to be done for the day. Then Isaac and I just cuddled on the couch watching various TV shows before getting ready to go to dinner.

We went to dinner at a steak restaurant with his parents which was really enjoyable. It was a very laid back meal and I enjoyed everything I ate. The steak was to die for and I would definitely go back. The only issue of the night was when the card machine stopped working right as we were going to pay so we ended up being there for quite a bit longer. But it all added to the experience of an amazing night.

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Wednesday

December 18, 2019

We slept in again on Wednesday before I worked on my essay for a little bit more. We had our last camembert session while watching the movie Yesterday. It was a pretty good movie, if a bit long. Afterwards, I finished up my essay and got that turned in so that I wasn't worrying about it while traveling through airports.

We ordered Chinese food that night so that we could eat that while watching the finale of The Apprentice (UK). It was a good episode and I'm happy with how it turned out. After that, we just packed up my stuff and got things organized for the next morning.

We tried to go to sleep early since we had to wake up and leave early, but I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't want to sleep because I didn't want morning to come where I was going to have to leave. We ended up staying up pretty late talking and, in my case, crying about leaving. 

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Thursday

December 19, 2019

We woke up pretty early and got on the road. I took a Dramamine, less than my usual dose, and I thought it would work. We stopped at McDonald's to grab some breakfast for the road on our way to Heathrow. The lower dose of Dramamine evidently didn't work as I started to really feel my motion sickness when we were getting on the busier road and actually ended up throwing up right as we got to the airport.

Sadly, Isaac couldn't park anywhere so we had to say a quick goodbye outside, which was really sad for me. It meant that I wasn't crying like a mess inside the airport, though, so at least there's that. I got through check in, bag drop, and security really easily. I was feeling better after throwing up, but I wanted to get some breakfast so that I could take Dramamine for the plane ride. I ended up just eating half a bowl of soup before heading to my gate--I was pretty lucky since, right as I got there, they  started calling my group early.

I got boarded very easily and ended up not having a seat partner for the entire flight. It was nice. I fell asleep right after take off and ended up sleeping through the lunch delivery--when I asked about it, they said they'd bring it but I guess they forgot so I didn't get any lunch. Luckily I was awake when they passed out snacks later. By the end of the flight I was pretty bored and glad to finally land in Chicago.

I got through passport control and customs easily. I had to take a shuttle over to my proper terminal and had to check back in through security which was fun. I was able to get over to my terminal easily after that and ended up going to Chili's for lunch. My first taste of "proper" chips, salsa, and guac since August. It was so yummy. I also picked up some Chex Mix, Cheetos, and proper Kit Kats since I was really missing those.

I found a place to sit on my computer after that and wrote a blog post and just messed around a bit for a few hours. Then it was the first of many gate changes. By the time I finally got on my flight, it was two hours delayed and we'd gone through five gate changes across two different terminals. When I was finally on my flight, there were two screaming toddlers behind me the entire way. I generally don't care about kids on flights but at that point I was so tired that I was ready to yeet them out the window.

By the time I landed in Peoria and got back to my house, I'd been traveling for 22 hours. It was a really long day. But I finally made it home. 

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And I'm home! Well, I'm actually at my dad's right now getting ready for Christmas, but it still stands. It was a rough couple of first days trying to adjust, especially since my suitcase still hadn't shown up. I think it's going to continue being rough trying to adjust to a different way of life again and deal with missing Isaac. But I'm just glad to have gone in the first place. It was an amazing semester that I'm never going to forget. I may feel cliche saying this, but this semester in London changed me. I loved it and I can't wait to go back.

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Studying Abroad in London: Strikes & A British Thanksgiving

After the whirlwind weekends of Paris and Edinburgh, it was nice to just have a chill week off. Still, there were plenty of things that happened. I visited Isaac's hometown again, I had a British Thanksgiving, and I started getting serious about final assessments.

The reason why we visited Basingstoke and I didn't go to any lectures was because lecturers across the UK were striking from November 25th-December 3rd. There were a variety of reasons as to why, but if you're interested in knowing more, check out this article. 

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Monday

November 25, 2019

After getting into Basingstoke rather late on Sunday, we slept in pretty late before heading to the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner and breakfast. On our way back, we stopped and got lunch to take back and eat while we watched some shows.

When we finished lunch, I got started on being productive on blog posts and whatnot while we watched shows on the couch. After a while, we started in on making dinner--steak! I love me some steak and potatoes. Once we finished eating, Isaac headed off to football while I continued being productive on blog and school work. 

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Tuesday

November 26, 2019

Tuesday was another lazy day in. I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and then we ate them while catching up I'm A Celeb and some more Psych for the rest of the day. At the end of the day, we ate dinner with Isaac's family before we all sat around playing games and eating candy. Not to brag or anything, but I totally kicked ass at Words with Friends. After games, Isaac and I watched a couple episodes of Psych before heading to bed. 

The other exciting thing that happened on Tuesday was that I hit 100,000 blog views! I've been doing this for so long and I can't believe that I finally hit 100k!

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Wednesday

November 27, 2019

On Wednesday, in typical fashion, we slept in late and watched Psych all day before Isaac went off to play racquetball with his dad. After that, we ate dinner and packed up the rest of our stuff to head back to campus. On the way back, we stopped at ASDA to get groceries before finally getting back to Roehampton. 

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Thursday

November 28, 2019

On Thursday we slept in and didn't really  have a productive day. I got jealous over seeing everyone's Thanksgiving meals on Snapchat and Instagram before I went to the one the college hosted with one of my friends.

It was a nice meal. The food was good and you could tell that the college really put a lot of thought into it. As a Thanksgiving meal it wasn't that great, but as a regular old dinner it was fantastic. I got  bacon-wrapped turkey, a bunch of veggies, and even mac n cheese. Afterwards, I went back to my room to watch Psych with Isaac and eat ice cream. 

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Friday

November 29, 2019

We slept in on Friday again before going to lunch and then heading back to be productive. I made a day-by-day schedule of all the assignments and other things I had to get done before the end of the semester since I want to finish them before the 13th.

Isaac had to head to his first day at work so I stayed in the library until almost midnight working on various blog and homework things. It was almost midnight before I got back to the dorm where I continued working on things before I fell asleep waiting for Isaac to get back. 

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Saturday

November 30, 2019

On Saturday we slept in before getting lunch. After that, I worked on homework and hung out with Isaac throughout the day until he had to go to work again. Instead of being productive, though, I watched Christmas movies and then started reading a book for review.

I stayed up reading and to let Isaac in after he got done with work. I ended up finishing the book a bit after Isaac got back. By the time we ended up falling asleep, it was about 5 am. 

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Sunday

December 1, 2019

We obviously slept in on Sunday before spending the day  working on homework and studying. Afterwards, we went and got food for dinner before watching Psych before bed. 

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It wasn't a particularly exciting week but I did enjoy every day of it. I know next week will be a bit stressful with how many assignments I have to do but I'm still going to try to make the most of it before I have to head back home to good ol' Illinois.

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

Studying Abroad in London: Edinburgh Adventures

Another week has gone by! This one was just as exciting as the last one and filled with some fun new adventures to a place I've been wanting to visit for years: Scotland! The week itself wasn't that exciting but at the end of the week we went to Edinburgh so I still count this week as a win. So, without further ado, let's go  ahead and jump on in!  

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Monday

November 18, 2019

I was up every couple hours through the night leading into Monday because I was sick. I ended up spending the day in my room trying to recover from it and catch up on lecture things since I wasn't able to go that day.

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Tuesday

November 19, 2019

I slept in a bit on Tuesday before pulling out the textbooks to begin work on a group presentation. I met up with my group that afternoon to run through our presentation for a bit before heading back to the flat to get dinner.  

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Wednesday

November 20, 2019

I woke up feeling very nervous for both my presentation and an interview I had that day. When I got to class, my group decided to go first so we were able to get it out of the way pretty quickly. I feel like I did  pretty well but I won't get my grade for a while I don't think so we'll see. After my presentation ended, I went to a group interview that was stressing me out a lot. However, since there were 5 of us interviewing 1 staff member it really wasn't that bad. After that ended, I just went back to the flat to get lunch before chilling for the rest of the day. 

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Thursday

November 21, 2019

On Thursday we slept in for a bit before chilling most of the day. I worked on some homework for a bit before we got an insanely big dinner from Pub Grub to eat while we watched I'm A Celeb. After  that, we started packing for Scotland before heading to bed at a more reasonable time than usual. 

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Friday

November 22, 2019

Friday we woke up relatively early to finish the last minute packing for Scotland. We met up with Henning and Emily, two of our friends, and all four of  us left at a pretty good time and headed to the grocery store to get snacks for our road trip up. I took Dramamine so I ended up sleeping on and off most of the way up there.

When we arrived it was quite dark out but we were eventually able to find our AirBnB and get settled in. Instead of going out for dinner, we decided to go to the grocery store and just make food there. Admittedly, Isaac and I got too much food and were stuffed once we finished and were watching I'm A Celeb. Once we finished watching, we headed to bed since we were both pretty tired from the day. 

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Saturday

November 23, 2019

We slept in a bit on Saturday before making a quiche for breakfast. It was fun getting to make food in a kitchen that we didn't share with 28 other people. After breakfast, we just got ready for the day before heading into Edinburgh city center.

We were able to find parking for pretty good price near the Christmas Market. It was a bit wet that day but I was completely fine without an umbrella as we walked through the market. It was so festive and fun. There were different stalls selling various handmade items and hot drinks and food. Isaac and I split a German sausage and it was, no joke, the best sausage I've ever had. Or maybe I was just super hungry? I also had a cup of the best Belgian hot chocolate I've ever had, too.

After we left the market, we drove about an hour away to an artisan ice cream shop that sells Strongbow Dark Fruit ice cream. Unfortunately, when we went, they didn't have a batch of it ready but I still got three different flavors to try. It was so lightweight and fluffy and yummy. When we left the ice cream, we headed back to the AirBnB to chill for a bit. Isaac and I caught up on The Apprentice UK and just rested before our dinner reservations at 9pm.

The restaurant we went to was an Italian place a few streets down from the Christmas Market, meaning we were able to park at the same place as earlier. It was a nice little place with really good food. I had bruschetta, a penne dish, and tiramisu for dessert. The dinner overall was really yummy and filled with carbs and sugar--just like I like  it. Afterwards, we just headed back to our AirBnB to head to bed before then next day.

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Sunday

November 24, 2019

We slept in a bit on Sunday but not too late as we had to be checked out by 11 am. We made a small breakfast before cleaning up a bit and heading out to our first item on the agenda.

We drove down to a beach a little bit aways from our AirBnB. It was pretty and there were actually a  lot of people on it, including a bunch of cute dogs playing with their owners. I would have loved to actually swim if it wasn't so cold in November.

After we left the beach, we stopped off at the grocery store for more snacks for our way back. I slept  for a little bit at the start of the drive but was actually mostly awake for the rest of it. We stopped off a couple of times--once to get donuts and once to see an art installation called The Angel of the North. It was actually a pretty good day weather and traffic-wise until  we hit the fun London night traffic 7 hours later. It did take a bit to get to campus from then on.

Isaac and I dropped off our friends we'd gone with and then continued on to Isaac's town, Basingstoke, because our classes were cancelled the next week due to striking professors. It was nice, though, because we got to his house to meet up with his family and we all ordered Chinese food to eat while watching Ru Paul's Drag Race: UK before heading to bed.

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And there you have it, another fun week in the UK. I was thrilled to finally get to visit Scotland after wanting to for years. I definitely want to go back, most likely in the summer months, and go out to the Highlands and maybe Inverness. However, I think London still has my heart.

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Studying Abroad in London: A Parisian Adventure

Another week gone, another exciting adventure to talk about!

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Monday

November 11, 2019

I slept in since I was still feeling some of the drowsiness from taking Dramamine the night before. After that, I got lunch with Isaac before going to my lecture. Usually after that lecture I feel really anxious about the upcoming assignments but I was actually a lot better about them after that day. After lecture, Isaac and I went to grab dinner and brought it back to eat while we watched Psych amongst other things. 

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Tuesday

November 12, 2019

Tuesday was a lie-in and productive day for me. I finished reading a book for review, wrote three blog posts, and made progress in reading two other books I needed to get through. Then I went to ASDA for groceries and cleaned my room before making dinner with Isaac. After that, we headed in to watch Psych before heading to bed. 

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Wednesday

November 13, 2019

I went to my morning lecture and then went to watch Isaac do some acting in a friend's short film. After that, we got a super late lunch and messed around a bit before I had to leave with another flatmate of ours to go to a Jack the Ripper tour through East End.

It was an interesting tour. It was raining and a bit cold but I felt like that only added to the spooky feeling we got when visiting the different places and hearing about all the murders. I also enjoyed getting a tour of  it all because then I was able to get a bunch of new information that I didn't know before.

When I got back, Isaac made us a steak dinner and it was so freaking tasty. After dinner, we had some sweets and watched Psych before heading to bed. 

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Thursday

November 14, 2019

I slept in pretty late on Thursday and then made bacon for breakfast. After that, we went into London to Borough Market to wander around a bit. I got some really yummy food: a salt beef sandwich with beef dripping chips and also a wild mushroom dish with parmesan and bread. I also bought some artisan bread and cheese as well as a fancy nut butter to bring back to campus.

Once back on campus, I met up with some friends to finalize plans for Paris before I watched Psych with Isaac while packing for the morning. We turned in early (or tried to). 

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Friday

November 15, 2019

I woke up at 2:45 in the morning and met up with the other two girls I was going with so that we could leave for the airport. I got quite nauseous on the bus to the airport so I took some Dramamine that  knocked me out hard for the plane ride.

We landed in Paris and took the train into the central area and came out around the Notre Dame. It was rainy and cold but we were still having fun wandering about. On our first day we got some lunch, went to Shakespeare & Co Bookshop, and then wandered over to the Champs-Élysées.

We wandered up the Champs and saw the Arc de Triomphe and went into different stores and whatnot to have a wander around before heading into Ladurée to buy some macarons. I'd been waiting years to go back to Ladurée and I was in heaven. I actually ended up eating all 6 by the time we'd left the hotel the next morning because I couldn't control myself.

After shopping for a bit, we headed to our hotel so that we could drop our bags. We got checked in and then we all settled in to take a nap for a bit. We ended up sleeping for a couple hours since we were all really tired from waking up so early.

When we finished our naps, we headed back into central Paris to go to the Louvre. We were able to get free admission in since we were younger than 26 which was awesome. We spent quite a bit of time wandering around looking at different exhibits and taking silly photos.

After we left the Louvre, we went to dinner at a small cafe around the corner. It was pretty yummy and a nice little sit down after being up and about most of the day. When we finished, we just headed back to our hotel to shower and go to bed.

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Saturday

November 16, 2019

Saturday we slept in a bit too late and went to lunch at a small cafe near the Catacombs before we were able to go in. It was a really cool tour of the catacombs and I definitely enjoyed getting to learn a bit more about the history behind it all.

After that, we went to a bakery and had some pastry before heading over to Montmartre area. We wandered around a bit going in different stores, looking at different views, and taking a lot of pictures. We hiked up to Sacre Coeur and saw the beautiful views from that high up of Paris.

When we left Sacre Coeur it was starting to get darker so we headed over to the Eiffel Tower area where we were able to catch the light show at the beginning of the hour which was super cool since I'd never been able to see it. After that we wandered around a bit waiting for our entry time. We went into a couple shops and wandered around the river for a bit.

We got cold and went into the Eiffel Tower area and got some hot chocolate which came with a free cup! Then we went up. The last time I did the Eiffel Tower it was the middle of the day in June and  we walked to the top. This time it was a bit colder and we were able to take the lift to the top at night, which was really cool to see. I loved getting to see it lit up at night.

After heading down, we went to a cafe across the river from the Eiffel Tower and ate some dinner and had a glass of wine. I had the most amazing caesar salad and it was so yummy. We sat around and chatted for a while before making our way back to our hotel for the night.

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Sunday

November 17, 2019

We accidentally slept in too late again so we got out just a bit before check out. We finally left our hotel around 10:30 and went for lunch at a cafe near Notre Dame. I had a really yummy meal though I do think that the sickness I got Sunday night might have been from it.

After lunch, we wandered around the Notre Dame area since it finally got sunny before we hopped our train back to the airport. It took us a bit to find the check in area since it was so out of the way but after that it was smooth sailing back to London. From when we got on our plane to when I got back to campus it was less than two hours, which was pretty great.

That night, I just ate some curry for dinner with Isaac before heading to watch Psych before bed. Later on in the night, I ended up getting sick but more on that in the next post! 

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Overall it was a really amazing week. I had a great time in Paris with a relaxing week leading up to it. We're getting closer to the end of the semester which is sad for two reasons, though. Number one is because I'm obviously leaving in a month and the second is that I have to focus more on studies instead of exploring in a couple of weeks. Still, I'm excited for what the rest of the semester will bring and I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to say goodbye.

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

(Pictures from Paris can be found on my Facebook for those who are interested)

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Studying Abroad in London: A Very Harry Potter Week

After last week's adventures to another country, I spent reading week in London and Basingstoke. It was a busy week with a lot of different things going on but one thing that definitely dominated was the amount of Harry Potter things I managed to squeeze into the week. I honestly never wanted reading week to end as it was an amazing week but I know there's even more great weeks to come in November. Let's just dive in! 

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Monday

November 4, 2019

I started off the week by sleeping in late. I was really tired after taking Dramamine for Wales and was still sleeping off those effects well into Monday morning. After waking up, I didn't really do much other than hang out with Isaac until it was time to head to the Harry Potter Studios.

I'm not able to put very many pictures in since I took probably hundreds and don't have enough space for all of those but the studio tour was one of the coolest things I've been able to do as a fan. I went with one of my flatmates, Liberty, and we had an afternoon slot. We got there and ended up exploring for a few hours just fangirling over everything we saw and taking pictures of everything. For those who are friends with me on Facebook, I'll be posting an entire photo dump of just Harry Potter Studios soon!


After that, we (and by we I mean me) shopped a bit in the souvenir shop where I got too much chocolate and some enamel pins. Then we caught the shuttle back to the train station. When we got there, the trains ended up being delayed due to a trespasser on the tracks. What would have been an hour commute all together ended up taking over two hours. Eventually we got home and then I just made dinner and went to bed. 

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Tuesday

November 5, 2019

Tuesday was a day of being lazy. We slept in and then both worked on homework for a bit. That night, we binged Psych and went to bed. Just a super chill and lazy day.  

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Wednesday

November 6, 2019

We slept in again on Wednesday and I pretty much just rolled out of bed and straight into my events for the day. I traveled into central London to see The Cursed Child on stage. It was amazing. I wasn't a huge fan of the play when it first came out (since I only read the printed play) but seeing it performed live changed my entire perspective on it. It was so cool seeing how they made it look like magic was happening right on stage. Not to mention the fact that I would absolutely die for Scorpius Malfoy. He's a smol bean who needs to be protected at all costs. Additionally, there were times when I was actually terrified during the show, which I wasn't expected but really enjoyed.

Between parts 1 and 2 I just went to a cheap cafe to get food and do a bit of reading for an assignment before heading to Foyles Bookshop. It was a really cool store that actually had a lot of American editions and other books I hadn't seen at other stores like Waterstones. I definitely want to go back if I'm in the area and have time to explore more.

After that, I just went back to campus and ate quiche with Isaac before staying up late watching Psych and talking. 

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Thursday

November 7, 2019

On Thursday we woke up a bit earlier than the previous days so that we could go to the library and be a little productive. I got some stuff done but not as much as I would have liked, but I'll accept it as a semi-productive day.

Then we headed into central London to catch a train to Basingstoke, Isaac's hometown. I met the rest of Isaac's family and then we just hung out for a bit and ate pizza before pulling Uno out. Nothing brings people together or separates people more than a good round of Uno. 

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Friday

November 8, 2019

Isaac and I slept in late again before spending the day being lazy while binging the UK Apprentice. I never really watched it in the US (because of a certain host) but I've really enjoyed watching the UK version.

After that, we made dinner before heading out for a night out in Basingstoke. We started out at one of Isaac's friend's houses playing a few different card games and having pre-drinks. Then we walked into town to a nightclub called Fever. We all danced and had some drinks for a bit before Isaac and I left to get kebabs to take back to the house.

We took a taxi back and then just climbed into bed to eat our food and watch some Psych while trying to warm up a little bit. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep before the episode was over but I do remember the fact that Isaac's dog joined us and was like a space heater. 

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Saturday

November 9, 2019

We slept in on Saturday, again, before we continued our binge of the Apprentice. We actually ended up getting fully caught up so now we have to wait until we're back at Christmas break to finish watching it.

That night we went to a hockey game at the local ice rink. It was pretty cool but I wish there'd been a fight. After that, Isaac skated for a bit before we headed back to the house and ordered Chinese. It was some of the best Chinese I've ever had and I'm really craving eating it again, though that may just be because I haven't had Chinese in so long. 

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Sunday

November 10, 2019

It shouldn't come as any surprise that we slept in again on Sunday. We woke up and had a bit of a late breakfast before running to the store to get some ingredients for that day's meal. Isaac's family made a roast dinner and it was to die for. Everything tasted so good and I can feel myself start drooling just thinking about it.

After that, we just watched Psych and messed around the house a bit before packing up and heading back to campus, thus ending a relaxing reading week. 

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As shown, this reading week was a busy time but also so very fun and great. It was one of the best weeks I've had this entire semester and I know I'm going to look back on it with fond memories for a long time to come.

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Studying Abroad in London: A Date and A Party

Yet another week has flown by and what a jam-packed one it was, especially the last few days of the week. I definitely feel at home here, especially after these past couple of weeks. I say it in every post, but I never want to leave. 

Anyway, so many events happened this week. There were excursions, sight-seeing, dates, amazing food, parties, etc so let's just go ahead and dive straight in. 

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Monday

October 21, 2019

Monday, as usual, started out pretty slow. When I woke up I didn't really do anything all morning other than sleep in and relax a bit before heading to lunch with Isaac. Then I had my lecture from 3-6 and I was pretty bored during it. I was having a bit of anxiety about the class by the end of the lecture, but I've figured some things out since then and think I have things mostly set.

After that, I made cheesy potatoes for dinner and then tried to be productive while Isaac went to soccer practice (it's called football here, though). I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, though I did shower, finalize my Halloween costume, and do some Instagram catch-up. Once he got back we ordered pizza and ended up staying up until 2:30 AM watching Psych so that we could be sure he didn't have a brain injury before we went to sleep. 

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Tuesday

October 22, 2019

I had another sleep-in and literally did nothing until I met Isaac for lunch. After that, I picked up some packages for class and my Halloween costume and then worked on a blog post. I'd say that Tuesday wasn't an overall interesting or productive day, but it was relaxing before a long stretch of eventful days.

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Wednesday

October 23, 2019

St. James Park

Westminster Abbey

I had another class excursion on Wednesday. This one took us into Central London to follow in the steps of Mrs. Dalloway, a character created by Virginia Woolf. We started in Westminster near Big Ben and walked past Westminster Abbey on our way to Dean's Yard where Dalloway supposedly lived in the novel.

After that, we headed through St. James park which was absolutely stunning with all the fall colors hitting it. We were passing by Buckingham Palace and managed to catch some sort of ceremonial march that was going on. It was actually super cool to see. Then we ventured up Bond Street and saw all the super expensive shops and designer stores before splitting off for the day.

Bond Street

I ended up heading back to campus because I was exhausted from the Dramamine induced drowsiness. I got lunch and ended up napping until Isaac got back from his football game. We ended up just ordering kebabs and food to eat while we watched Psych before bed.

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Thursday

October 24, 2019

Thursday was a big day. Isaac and I woke up semi-early but spent most of the morning in bed until we had to leave for Central London. We picked up lunch on our way to the bus stop and then headed over to the Natural History Museum.

It started raining as we got there which was a bit unfortunate but we didn't let it bring down our mood for ice skating. If anything, it made the day even more memorable. I was alright at ice skating--definitely better than the last time I went--but I really enjoyed just watching Isaac show off how well he could skate. 

After skating, we headed up to the cafe where we got some pictures from when we were skating and then some hot chocolate to warm up a bit. The rain definitely made us cold so the hot chocolate was really nice. After that, it was back out into the rain (though it had slowed down a bit) to queue up for the Natural History Museum.

I definitely think this is my favorite museum I've been to. I much prefer museums about history and science over art (though I do still like art) and the Natural History Museum was full of cool exhibits--mainly dinosaurs. I loved the dinosaurs part but I also loved the rocks section because, well, rocks.

Our personalized M&Ms

Then we headed over to Piccadilly to Waterstones which was the largest bookstore I've been in in my entire life. I loved it. It was five floors full of books. I wish they'd had the Russian Bookstore still, as that was why I wanted to go there, but I was obviously able to enjoy it anyway.

Up next we walked through Piccadilly and decided to go into the M&M World on a whim. It was so colorful and a bit overwhelming, but we did get M&Ms with our faces printed on them! Talk about extra. After leaving M&M world, we went to a steak restaurant for dinner and it was amazing. We got a camembert dish for an appetizer and it's probably the best camembert I've ever had. Then came the steak. Oh mama was it amazing steak.

After that, we walked a bit and ended up in Trafalgar Square after dark. It was cool to see it at night when the buildings and fountains were all lit up different colors. We picked up some snacks for later before heading over to Tower Bridge so I could check it off my bucket list before catching the tube back to campus.

When we got back to campus we dug into some of our snacks and turned on The Martian (inspired by our trip to the Natural History Museum) and just watched that before heading to bed.

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Friday

October 25, 2019

It was a lazy morning Friday where we slept-in followed by lunch at the diner. After that, I spent a few hours being productive while Isaac took a nap. The real fun didn't begin until after dinner when the drinking games began.

I think that's the most I've ever drank in one go? I didn't get drunk but I did get tipsy before we went to the Bop (campus-hosted dance night). It was really fun dancing and just hanging out with my flatmates.

After getting back, Isaac and I made a frozen pizza and I Facetimed my mom and niece. It was fun getting to talk to them and see my niece after not having spoken for a while. After that we just went to bed. 

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Saturday

October 26, 2019

Saturday was also a busy day. We slept in for a bit before Isaac had training to go do. I was going to be productive while he was at that but I ended up accidentally falling back to sleep and sleeping through the entire time since I'd been up late the night before. I did meet Isaac for lunch at the library cafe before we headed to Londis to get some snacks and other stuff for the Halloween party.

I was semi-productive once we got back. I could have been more productive but I did get some things done that afternoon. That evening, Isaac and I went to pick up two of his friends from the train station before heading into Putney to go to Nandos for dinner. It was a fun meal before we headed back to campus to get ready for the Halloween party.

It took me a bit longer than everyone else to get ready since I had more makeup to do. Glitter got absolutely everywhere (and is still everywhere) but I'm proud of how my costume turned out. I ended up going as a pot of gold since Isaac was going as a leprechaun.

The night was fun. My team kicked ass at beer pong not once but twice. Let's just say Americans do it better and leave it at that. After that, a small group of us headed to the other kitchen to play some other drinking games. We played a few classics and also some I'd never heard of that were absolutely hilarious. I think I gained a 6-pack just from how hard I was laughing.

Then we ordered pizza because one of us had a 50% off coupon and we were eating that when security came to shut down the actual party (is it even a real party if security doesn't shut it down?). It was kind of dumb that the party got shut down before midnight because quiet hours weren't until 2 am but whatever. I was tired anyway.

We cleaned up a bit after most of the flat had decided to venture out to find a new party on campus before putting on a movie to watch before bed. 

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Sunday

October 27, 2019

We slept in a little bit on Sunday but not too much before heading into London with Isaac's friend and another flatmate of ours. We took the tube over to St. Paul's Cathedral and had lunch at Wagamamma before going into the cathedral to see the inside. It was quite beautiful but I wish we could have explored even more of it since the only part we could walk around in was the entrance area. We couldn't take pictures of the inside, but I did end up getting some pictures of the outside.

St. Paul's Cathedral

After that we ventured over to the Natural History Museum where we went ice skating again. Seeing as it was sunny and not a weekday, it was a lot busier than when Isaac and I went on Thursday. One of the employees actually recognized us which was funny. But it was a fun time since I had others this time at more of my skill level. I will say I do think I'm getting better at it.

Then we made our way back to campus to hang out a bit in the kitchen with Isaac's friends before he had to take them back to the train station. While he did that, I went with one of our flatmates to grab food from one of the places on campus and brought it back to the flat.

After dinner, Isaac and I watched movies and ate some snacks before heading to bed. 

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Another busy week behind me! I have an equally as busy week coming up, however, so definitely stay tuned to see how that goes. I keep thinking things are going to slow down eventually but they never do--and I'm glad! I want to keep enjoying every second of being here because I know in less than two months it's going to end.

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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