winter wonderland and bittersweet goodbyes: week twelve, the final week.

at the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. you will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent. [barbara bush.]

the last week. 
[i lost a week, to be explained later.]

daily updates:

i warn you, this was a very boring week. next week will be as well. yes, they are my last two weeks in london. but all of my coursework for the entire year is due on the 18th. as my horrible tendency to procrastinate did not dissipate this term, i have three months of work to do in two weeks.

8 december. homework.

9 december. homework. went to get different yarn and dinner with max and kat.

10 december. knitting. homework. i went to one last dinner with kim and max. we went to get pizza in soho. the pizza was really good, i'd been there before. its probably the last time ill see kim though. after dinner, i went to max's room for a bit. i had a very nerdy discussion about video games with his roommate. he made me a balloon apple. like i said, a very nerdy discussion.

11 december. homework during the day, afterward i had my last night out in london!

megan and i went to winter wonderland in hyde park. we were hoping to ice skate, but they were all sold out. we still had a great time! we went on a big giant ferris wheel, and some rides. the queues were non existant, so the rides lasted three times longer than they normally would have! it was great! i had only ever been to state fairs before, never had i been to a christmas fair. there were lights everywhere, and it reminded me of zoolights, only with roller coasters so better. i did feel a twinge of homesickness, after realizing i wouldnt be going to zoolights this year. zoolights has been a tradition for the past few years, and it feels weird to miss it. that also made me realize i wont be home for christmas, and more than anything, i would like to be home right now. christmas does feel different over here. there are very strong german influences, and no snow. all the food at the fair was german food. all the rides had german names, and descriptions in german. the music played was in german as well. even the christmas trees were decorated in the german style. megan couldnt explain it, she simply said, 'its christmas, thats how christmas is.' there were also booths selling fake snow! you mixed a powder with regular tap water, and it formed congealed flakes that stayed cold and clumped together, 'just like snow!!' needless to say, it felt nothing like snow. after living in flagstaff, snow has become a part of christmas and it is weird to think i wont see any this season. but i am certainly getting enough rain, which is a rarity in arizona!

after the fair, we decided to go get food. since it was my last night out, megan insisted i pick. i couldnt, so we went to a tube map, closed my eyes and selected a random stop. that stop luckily turned out to be covent garden! we went to a tiny restaurant there with amazing italian food. it was expensive, but worth it.

once we had finished stuffing our faces, we went to the york to try mulled cider. they didnt have any, so we got mulled wine instead. then we went to the hobgoblin and stayed there for the rest of the night. it was a good last night out, it was good to go to the hobgoblin for the last time. i will admit i felt a bit sad, the conditions of  leaving london, missing home, and being marooned inside with homework all day are starting to wear on me.

12 december. homework. i also began to write a story. i havent truly written anything since the summer of 2007. it was a big step. at first, when the urge to write hit me, i didnt recognize it for what it was. it was a foreign feeling, that nonetheless felt oddly familiar, like a distant memory. it wasnt until i started forming sentences and characters in my head that i realized what i was feeling. so i created a private blog, and began to write some chapters.

then i got sick. i had a fever and felt ridiculously nauseous. my roommate invited me to go out, but i declined and stayed in bed. i fell asleep around nine, after attempting to watch the nightmare before christmas. i have never seen the entirety of that movie, but people rave about it. 

13 december. homeworkkkkk. ugh. kat's birthday dinner. her parents flew in to celebrate her 21st. they took max, lindsey, and myself out for thai food. it made me miss home, although her family is nothing like mine is.

14 december. homework during the day. at night, i went out with my study abroad programme for the last time. they paid for dinner, and we went to pizza express. after dinner, we took a trip on the london eye. it was a great end to a great trip. upon arrival at home, i started skypeing with my sister. it turns out i need to go home, and have bought a plane ticket. that is how i lost my last week in london. i was supposed to leave the 20th, but am now leaving the 15th.

15 december. my last day in london. i spent it uneventfully: in class, and hurriedly packing. i had to throw away so much, but i am already worried about transporting my large suitcases by myself. i went to a goodbye dinner with max and lindsay, kat was with her parents. we got the best indian food i have gotten here in the entire time. megan stopped by after work to say goodbye. everyone else i just texted or will facebook later.

i will go to a more in-depth summary/conclusion of my trip later. i am just too exhausted right now. [sorry if this post is incoherent.] i think this picture of my desk and bulletin board sums it up rather nicely.

weekly highlights:

dates: 8-15 december [days 80-87]
sights seen: nonnnnnnne...

someone new: kat's parents!! that was weird!
something new: winter wonderland! lamb.
somewhere new: nope.
new venue: yes! bella italia!

what i love: london.
what i miss: arizona.
what i am not so sure of: nothing. but i do hate homework.

this is my last blog post in england! i cannot believe my three months here have gone that quickly. it feels like only yesterday that i stepped off the plane. the time has flown by, and i feel like a different person. my time here has changed me, and i believe i have left a little part of myself on the streets of london, replaced by the piece of london i am taking home with me.

this will be my last weekly update until paris. i am having to return home to phoenix for the holiday season. i need to be with my family right now, it is the best thing to do. i fly out of london tomorrow, i bought the ticket yesterday. i thought i had another week here before going to guildford, then more time to do things while in england, and although that makes leaving harder, i need to be home. especially since i will be in paris for so long. 

i just realized, i really am leaving. i will never again live in my little nido "cube".  i will miss the little personal pizzas, the bacon, the crisps, the chips, the pubs, the indian food, the accents, the slang, the humour, the bbc iplayer, the fashion, and, of course the beautiful boys. there is so much i will miss, so much that i have grown accustomed to having and taken for granted. but every chapter must end, and at least im leaving wanting more!

i wont be posting over the holidays, i am taking a break, and will just enjoy being with my family at this difficult time.

happy holidays, happy christmas, and a happy new year! i will be back the seventh of january, this time, in paris!