By maxikaplan
I cannot complain: Friday was the last week of class for my first term (what LSE calls Michaelmas term) and, as luck would have it, I have four weeks of vacation. I should say that this isn’t a complete vacation since LSE does expect students to study and review throughout the break, but it is as much of a vacation as I could ask for. If going to Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Dublin isn’t a vacation, I don’t know what is.
Within the last week or two I have seen a few friends I made in London actually leave to go home because their study abroad was for only one semester. This made me realize two things. First was that I have only been in London for two and a half months, which means I have much more to experience here than what I have seen thus far. Second, I could not believe how fast time had gone by, and how lucky I am to have the opportunity to stay in London all the way until June. In just a few months this city does feel somewhat like a new home to me, and leaving here will be just as hard as it was to leave GW and my family in New Jersey. But I have been reminded lately that senior year is closer than it seems as I start to find places for my friends and I to live when I am back. With all this talk of the future, let’s talk about what’s going on now.
I will not be leaving for Paris—the first leg of my trip—until a week from today, which means that I have a week to myself in London to read up on class material while exploring parts of London I have yet to see. Thankfully, this came on Saturday in the form of what is called Santacon, a worldwide event where thousands of people in different cities dress as Santa Claus and essentially have one big party in the city center. Unfortunately, this week will actually be a bit quieter since some of my friends have headed home for their vacation, but nonetheless I will take some time to go to museums I haven’t been to and finally see Les Miserables, which my uncle bought me a ticket to. I’ve taken this weekend to digest my school work—that is, not do any at all—and reflect on my time here in London so far, and I’ve really come to see how much I have to stop and appreciate what is going on since it is all happening so fast. Everybody I speak to always tells me to enjoy my time abroad because it will not be here forever, and there is no truer a statement.
My next blog post will be written for the first time ever outside of London! It will be my last post and I think that is a great way to end what has been a great experience in writing down my time here.