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: Last Days & An Early Christmas

It's time to wrap-up my second to last week in London! At the time I write this, I'm already home and have been for a few days. But there's still so much I did in the last week and a half abroad and there's plenty for me to talk about. So, without further ado, here we go! 

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Monday

December 9, 2019

We slept in a little bit on this day before Isaac and I got lunch and I headed to my last tutorial of the semester. It was a chill meeting that went pretty well and was over quickly enough that I got out relatively early in the afternoon. That was it for classes and tutorials! After that, I just had to finish all of my assessments.

When I got back we watched Psych for a while before heading to the library where we stayed most of the night. I had to make serious progress on my biggest assignment of the semester so that I could finish it all on Tuesday. When we finished there, we headed back to the flat, ordered chicken, and watched Psych till late. 

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Tuesday

December 10, 2019

We slept in pretty late on Tuesday before going to get lunch and chilling throughout the afternoon. I booked a study room a bit later so we ended up picking up dinner to go and bringing it to the library. We ate that and I got all settled in for the next few hours.

I worked for a long time on my creative writing portfolio. It was comprised of 5 short stories, each of which had to relate to a different excursion outing we did in London. Trying to write all of these in a short period of time and revise them was so draining creatively. I definitely want to explore a few of the pieces further and maybe make them longer, but for now I am burned out on writing. By the time I revised everything, formatted the portfolio, and turned everything in, we'd been at the library for EIGHT hours.

We got back a little after 2 am and watched some more Psych before crashing hard from exhaustion. 

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Wednesday

December 11, 2019

Again, Wednesday we slept in before heading to lunch. The lunch that day in the diner turned out to be Christmas roast that was a nice surprise and super yummy for the equivalent of cafeteria food. The British really do know how to do roast dinner.

That afternoon, I went to a farewell celebration with a friend of mine, Sarah, that was put on by the abroad team. We got a swag bag and free food and drinks before the presentation started--I tried mince pie and mulled wine! The pie was alright but the mulled wine was delicious. Then there was just a short presentation and information session about leaving, options for further studies at Roehampton, and general stuff.

After that, Isaac and I chilled for a bit before getting ready to go out. We--Isaac and I with a group of our flatmates--went to Revolution Putney, a bar/restaurant/club that Isaac works at. It was a really fun time. The food was really yummy and we got quite a few drinks to try that were nice.

When we left Revolution, we went to a chicken shop up the street that Isaac and I liked. It sells some of the best chicken I've ever had and I knew I wanted to have it at least one last time before I left London. A bunch of us got it and then brought it back with us. When we got back, we hung out in the kitchen eating and just chilling.

A little later, Isaac and I went back to his room to play some video games since neither of us were really tired. Not to brag or anything, but I definitely kicked his ass. After the video games, we stayed up pretty late just talking before we finally fell  asleep.

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Thursday

December 12, 2019

We slept in late again before Isaac went off to go vote. We got to hang out for a bit before he head to head to work. In the end, I mainly just hung around all day, though I did sit in the kitchen for a bit at dinner time before retiring to my room to get some work done. I revised and turned in my second longest assignment of the semester and then did some other blog-related stuff before I started in on another assignment that I had due on Monday.

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Friday

December 13, 2019

On Friday, we slept in and then packed up half of my room into one suitcase. Isaac's family was in town so we managed to send it with them, which I'm still grateful for since I didn't have to drag it on two trains.

I'd like to say I worked on my essay when Isaac went to work, but I didn't. I worked on Christmas presents for a bit before falling asleep actually really early and not waking up until Isaac got back hours later. 

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Saturday

December 14, 2019

On Saturday, we both slept in before continuing packing up the rest of my room. Isaac went to work and I just continued working on Christmas presents and packing for a bit. I was really hungry so I ended up ordering food and Skyped my dad while I ate.

When I got off Skype, I was bombarded with hugs from my flatmates. We were all hanging around to say goodbye and there were a lot of tears involved. It didn't hit me at first that this was goodbye, but the tears came when I started to think about the fact I wasn't going to see all of them for a very long time, if ever again.

After the hug fest, I worked a bit on my essay and packing before Isaac got back from work. 

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Sunday

December 15, 2019

We decided not to sleep and instead just finished packing and cleaning before catching the earliest train to Basingstoke since we wanted to be there by noon and it was already 5 AM. I did take a Dramamine-induced nap on the train and then we both napped when we got to Isaac's house.

After our long nap, we hung out with his family for an early Christmas which was really fun. We opened a few presents and then had an absolutely amazingly delicious Christmas dinner (I'm still thinking about it a week later) followed by desert while we played some of the new games that had been opened.

We all vegged out for a bit and ate watched a show I'd never heard of before. Snacks were brought out and were so tasty. Isaac and I both passed out on the couch, though, during that. We ended up going to bed early after that.

I forced myself to only take a short nap, though, before making myself get up and finish my essay that was due then next day. I managed to finish it and turn it in relatively quickly, even though it's not the best essay I've ever written, before reading a bit on my phone and falling asleep. 

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Overall, it was a pretty good week. I was mostly focused on my final assessments and packing to leave, but I also had a great last few days with my flatmates. I still have a few more days to talk about in my next (and final) post but I can already say that I'm home and feeling very homesick for London already. What they say about struggling to adjust back to normal life is definitely true. But that's all talk for the next post!

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: Date Nights & Gift Giving

This past week was pretty chill with a few exciting events here and there. I had a lot of homework that I was starting on (and am still working on) but I mostly spent the week hanging out with Isaac and my other flatmates to get some quality time in before I leave in 9 days. Anyway, without further ado, let's go ahead and jump straight in!

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Monday

December 2, 2019

Monday was a pretty chill day. The strikes were still going on so we slept in and just chilled for a bit since we didn't have lectures. I continued working on homework throughout the afternoon and then it was time for the flat Secret Santa!

I had been excited about Secret Santa for days since I'd gotten my gift all put together and wrapped and cute so when the time finally came for it I was pumped. We all gathered in the kitchen and did the system with one person opening at a time and then guessing who it is.

The funniest moments were when people were opening their gifts but the wrapping was completely extra, such as one of our friends who Isaac had. He wrapped their gift in approximately a million shopping bags and taped each individual one and so they had to open all of those to get to the gift. It was hilarious.

I also got an amazing Secret Santa present from one of my study abroad friends: a bookstore gift card! Obviously I love books and I've already spent it but I've been so excited since I opened the gift and saw that.

After Secret Santa ended, Isaac and I retreated back to my room to watch some more Psych and open our advent calendars! I'd never had an advent calendar before and I love it so much, especially because it means I get a daily dose of chocolate.

(Also, I thought I had pictures of that night but I apparently don't, which is very sad)

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Tuesday

December 3, 2019

Tuesday was very chill. It was the last day of the strike so neither of us had lectures and were able to sleep in. Other than sleeping in, we didn't do much other than watch Psych and get lunch, though I did do some homework.

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Wednesday

December 4, 2019

Wednesday morning I did have to wake up at a reasonable time so that I could go to a tutorial in place of class. It was my last scheduled event for that class, so once I turn in my creative portfolio on the 11th I'll officially be done with it!

After my tutorial I went to lunch before watching Psych most of the afternoon with Isaac. He had to go to work that evening so I made myself dinner and then headed to the library to work on homework for a few hours. 

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Thursday

December 5, 2019

Thursday was a big day for us, aka our day out in London. We--being me and Isaac--woke up at a reasonable time so that we could catch our train into Central London. Luckily, we didn't have to go far so I was able to avoid having to take dramamine. We arrived at the Victoria Palace Theatre a little bit early for Hamilton.

After I'd seen Hamilton the first time, we looked up tickets to see if there were any cheap ones left this semester so that Isaac could see it and we were lucky to find a pair for less than 40 pounds each. We were the very last row of the theatre where there was absolutely no leg room but I still enjoyed the show, though I wouldn't get those seats again. Last time I saw Hamilton, I was closer and in the Stalls so I was able to see emotions and characters easier, but this time, because we were so far back, I could see how all the dancing and choreographed bits worked as a whole, which was cool.

When Hamilton got out we hopped the tube over to Leicester Square to go to the Christmas Market there. Surprisingly, it was quite tiny, especially compared to the one in Edinburgh. However, we were then able to walk to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Market, too, so it was like a two-for-one.

We were quite lucky on timing because when we got to Trafalgar Square, they were actually doing the tree-lighting ceremony there. Apparently the tree in Trafalgar Square is the most famous tree in London and is actually a gift from Norway every year. A bunch of the officials and important people  from Norway were there to give speeches and help light the tree, so it was quite cool to see that since we weren't planning on going to it.

After that, we wandered over to Piccadilly Circus and found a restaurant to have dinner in. It was a steak restaurant and quite busy. I had a really nice meal, though I think Isaac and I both agreed the other steak place we'd gone to before was better.

When we left dinner, we wandered around a bit to some different souvenir  shops to find a very specific item. It took us going to SIX different souvenir shops before we finally found it, so that was definitely an interesting experience.

We then started walking towards Waterloo station. We took a new bridge over the Thames and ended up at another Christmas Market, which was cool. There was also a bookstore there so we browsed for a bit before going through the rest of the market and then hopping a train back to campus.

When we got back, we just hung out for a bit watching Psych before bed.

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Friday

December 6, 2019

I missed my alarm on Friday and was almost late for class, but I was able to get ready in five minutes so I just barely made it. It was my last lecture of the semester, though, so I didn't want to miss it. Plus, our lecturer gave us chocolate and we did a little Gothic-themed quiz which was fun.

After class, Isaac and I went to lunch and then just chilled for a bit before he had to go to work. While he was gone, I worked on some homework and watched Netflix. He came back early and brought CHICKEN. I about died--it was the best chicken tenders I'd ever had--and I get so hungry whenever I think of them. We watched Psych while we ate and ended up going to bed pretty late.

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Saturday

December 7, 2019

We slept in again on Saturday before getting lunch and then Isaac had to go to work. I made myself dinner and hung out with my flatmates for a bit before I dived into a long night of homework. 

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Sunday

December 8, 2019

On Sunday, it was pretty much the same. We slept in, got food, and then went to the library where I worked on homework. When we got back, we stayed on brand and watched some more Psych to round out the week. 

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Well there you have it! Another week in the books. The next week is not going to be very interesting  for most of the week since I'm just going to be cramming in homework and stuff so that I can enjoy my final week here. I can't believe it's the 10th right now and I got home in in just 9 days. I'm both excited and sad to be leaving. I obviously miss everyone back home and when I do go home I'll be able to see my family and books and have Christmas, but I'm going to miss my friends and London, but especially Isaac. Hopefully I can make the most of this last week and a half!

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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: 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

---

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: Mormons & a Welsh Adventure

Another week gone by! This past week was packed with events and new travels. It was actually a pretty chill week, though, and it was quite nice to have this week kind of off before heading into the insanity that was reading week. However, I don't want to go into too much detail here so let's just jump in to the weekly wrap-up! 

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Monday

October 28, 2019

On Monday I just had a lie-in cuddling and doing random stuff on my phone before heading to lunch with Isaac. After lunch I had a tutorial meeting (aka just a meeting with the professor) to discuss the upcoming essay for the class. I was a bit worried heading in but feel a lot better after the meeting and after spending some time figuring things out in relation to the essay. What really made it awesome was that at the end of the meeting I discovered that there wasn't class that day because we all had meetings and I was able to just head back to the flat.

I spent that time cleaning for a bit and reading a little while I waited for Isaac to get out of lecture. After that, we ordered food and did our laundry. We were still hungry after dinner so we made a trip to ASDA with another of our flatmates to get snacks to last a while. After getting back, we just watched Psych, which he's now obsessed with (cue maniacal laughter here).  

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Tuesday

October 29, 2019

On Tuesday I didn't do much, which seems to be the theme with Tuesdays. I woke up and made breakfast before heading to the library for a bit to work on being productive. I did some stuff but not as much as I would have liked before heading back to the dorm and watching movies before bed. 

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Wednesday

October 30, 2019

Wednesday was one of the busier days of the week and it didn't really start off well. At 4:20 AM the fire alarm went off and pulled me from a dead sleep. I had to get up and get dressed before going outside to stand in the freezing cold. It wasn't a planned fire drill so we had to stay out there while they checked it all out and turned it off. Then, just as they were gesturing us to go back inside, it went off again and we had to keep standing there in the cold. Eventually we were let back in and I fell back asleep pretty quickly. However, at 7:30 AM the alarm went off...AGAIN. And I was pulled from a dead sleep...AGAIN. I was able to fall back asleep but didn't get very much sleep before I had to wake up for the day.

I then went to Isaac's football game (soccer for all my American friends) and watched that for a bit. It was a sunny day with very few clouds so it was really beautiful over by the fields. The people I'd gone to watch with and I ended up taking some pictures with the fall colors. After that, I picked up food from ASDA on the way back to campus and cooked dinner so that we could eat right when Isaac got back.

That night we went to see The Book of Mormon at a theatre in Piccadilly Circus. I'd been wanting to see it for a while now and I was stoked to finally see it. It was absolutely hilarious. As much as I find the soundtrack funny, it was even funnier seeing it live with all the dances and acting. I would definitely recommend seeing it and I'm hoping that I'll get to see it again sometime.

After that, we headed back to campus and I just showered before falling asleep.

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Thursday

October 31, 2019

Neither of us had any classes on Thursday so we slept in pretty late. I didn't end up being productive in any way until about 5 pm when we went to the library. We ended up staying almost 7 hours until just before it closed at midnight. I read the entirety of Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde while I was there but didn't do much else since we messed around a bit. After that, we ended up eating dinner at midnight and then finished up the last things on my to-do list before we went to bed at about 2:30 AM. 

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Friday

November 1, 2019

I woke up at a reasonable time and went to my lecture. It was actually pretty interesting since we were discussing Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. After that, I just went to lunch with Isaac before heading back to clean a bit. Then I just read a little of my book before we made dinner.

After dinner, a few of us gathered for some drinking games before heading out dancing at the campus night. We danced for a bit before coming back to the flat and making pasta to eat while we watched Psych until falling asleep. 

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Saturday

November 2, 2019

On Saturday I woke up relatively early so that I could catch the coach to Wales with one of my flatmates Sarah. I slept most of the way to the first destination which was at the Caerleon Roman Fortress--or rather, what remains of it. Unfortunately, the big amphitheater was closed but we were still able to explore the ruins of the barracks and the museum.

After that, we headed into Cardiff and walked around a bit (getting extremely wet) with the tour group before Sarah and I headed off to find lunch. We ended up going to this cute market and I got an amazing cup of homemade beef stew. After we were back on the coach, our tour guide gave us all the BEST Welsh cakes I've ever had. I mean, they're the only Welsh cakes I've ever had but they were amazing.

Then we headed to Caerphilly Castle to explore a bit. It was rainy but I feel as if that added a bit of magical feeling to the whole adventure. We don't have castles in the US so any chance to explore a castle is great for me.

After that we went to the hotel where Sarah and I ordered take out and watched movies while trying to warm up after a day of being cold and wet. Then we headed to bed but ended up talking for a bit before bed. 

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Sunday

November 3, 2019

On Sunday we woke up early and then I had the best hotel breakfast I've ever had. It was a classic buffet style but they had all of the fixings for a proper British breakfast. Then we headed straight to our first big event of the day at Big Pit National Coal Museum.

We actually got to go down into the mine for a tour--but we weren't allowed to bring anything electronic so I didn't get any pictures. However, it was so cool getting to tour them from a person who actually worked in them and getting to hear the histories behind it all. After that, we were able to explore the rest of the area a bit and got some beautiful views before we headed off.

Sunday was sunny and beautiful so we actually got to see a lot of beautiful scenery on our drive to where we ate lunch. We stopped in a small town and Sarah and I just got a few meats, cheeses, and crackers to eat alongside the river since it was such a nice day. We ate pretty quickly and then just walked along the river and bridge taking pictures with the beautiful fall colors.

After that, we headed to Tintern Abbey, an old abbey for monks that is now in half-ruins. It was actually really fun getting to explore and imagine how the different rooms looked when it was still fully standing. Also, the abbey was located in this valley surrounded by trees and forests that were all turning fall colors so it was absolutely stunning.

Upon leaving Tintern Abbey, we headed back to London and actually ended up getting back to campus on time for once. Then I just watched some movies before bed with Isaac and relaxed. 

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Overall, it was a great week with an excellent start to reading week. I'm excited to add another country to my "traveled to" list. Wales was beautiful and I'm so excited to be able to say I'm adding Scotland to that list in a few weeks. I'm wondering which will end up being prettier...

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

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

---

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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