Category: England

Reflecting on who I met abroad

Published on by miadervisevicLeave a comment

With only 2 weeks left in this semester, I’ve been reflecting on my time here, specifically, the friends I’ve made. I’ve created such amazing bonds, with so many people, that it’ll be sad when we have to leave. They’re all from different countries, and states, to which I may never see them again. While we’ll be sure to try and make plans, life will start up again with intensive work at our home universities, being in senior year/finishing our degrees, and thinking about post-university. It’s kind of scary to think about. Scary to think about how our lives will change again, and how we’ll all be separated.

The people I’ve met abroad, are genuinely some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. They all bring something amazing to the friendship, and I know I can count on them. Of course, I have my friends at home, but the friendships I’ve made here, are something different.

Coming to London knowing no one, I knew I had to start again, make new friendships, and get a new support system. I knew it would be daunting and maybe hard, yet, it all worked out with amazing people. My flatmates were my first friends here in London, and everyday I’m grateful I’ve met them. They bring such life to our flat, and it puts a smile on my face knowing I can always come home and talk to them. We can laugh in the kitchen together, and talk about random things. All it took, was one “flat dinner” (as we call it), to become so close and form tight friendships. Then, came the rest of my friends. People from Austria, Australia, different pars of the US, and of course, those from the UK. I know I’ll always have an amazing time with them, and they’ve never made life boring.

Life in this big city is more manageable with all the friends I’ve made. The activities we’ve done and all the adventures have been so incredibly fun, memories I’ll hold forever. From traveling to Scotland with them, to iceskating at winter wonderland, and even just getting dinner together, made my experience abroad flourish.

Some friends and I recently went to London’s Winter Wonderland! Which was similar to a fair one might have at home during the summer; but it was filled with winter activities and themes, such as Christmas market stalls, ice skating, ice sculpting, hot chocolate, and more! We all had a blast, and it was so much fun spending this time with my friends, away from the approaching final tests and papers.

I truly will miss all of the friends I’ve made here, and will constantly think about this time. This abroad experience has gone by so quickly, but at the same time, it seems forever ago when I moved in. It’s a bitter sweet moment; I’m excited to see my family again, and be in the comfort at home, but I’m sad that I’ll have to leave London, and this part of my life behind. The past few conversations I’ve had with my closest friends here, has just been about how and when we can see each-other after this abroad.

It will be somber to go from seeing these friends everyday, to only seeing them online, or with many months in between seeing them in person. Yet, I’m grateful I still have 2 weeks left with these wonderful people, and know we will make the most out of it!

https://www.instagram.com/mias_abroad/

A week of friends, travel, and much-needed rest

Published on by Elsie BuczkowskiLeave a comment

The past week has been so extremely busy. Avery arrived on Saturday night, and we immediately went to Soho since that was the only night I didn’t have work or class the next day. I took her to all of our favourite bars. The next day, Avery felt really sick, but we still made it to see Big Ben and the London Eye. I didn’t take any photos of us there since Avery still felt so crummy. 

The next day was Monday, and I had my afternoon class. Avery still wasn’t feeling well, so we just bummed around in my room until it was time for me to leave. While I was in class, she shopped at Oxford and Regent Street. We met for dinner near Carnaby Street and shopped for a little longer. 

Tuesday was a long day for me. I felt so bad for Avery since she still felt pretty awful during the day. I had a lot of plans for us to explore and made sure to get my work done ahead of time so I had as much free time as possible, but sometimes, it just doesn’t work out like how you plan. Avery finally overcame her exhaustion around 9 or 10 p.m., which is around the time that all kitchens in London close. There is no such thing as late-night diners here, or so I thought. I found this place online called MEATliquor, spelt just like that, with that capitalisation and everything. We decided to go, and we had the most fantastic time. Just look how happy we were to be there. They are also a rare place with ranch, so I ordered a large size and brought the rest home.

Wednesdays are my extremely long days, and we were tired from staying up late the night before. So, after my internship in the morning, we had a chill day and just walked around and relaxed. I got these Paddington socks at a tourist shop. In the evening, we met my friends at Wetherspoons and went to the festive beer garden in Southbank, which I’d been to before. 

The next day was Thanksgiving! I worked from home while Avery went to explore Brick Lane on her own. When it was dinnertime, we went to the Airbnb Sydney’s family stayed in and had a big dinner. I made these festive drinks for everyone, and we did Ava’s family tradition of writing what we are thankful for on paper feathers and sticking them in the little yarn turkey. It made me miss my family a lot, but I will see them very soon. After dinner, all the “kids” went out to a karaoke bar. 

I have a bad habit of filling every single moment with travel or plans. Or a good habit, depending on how you look at it. On Friday, Avery left for London Heathrow Airport at 9 a.m. to head back to Syracuse, and I left for London Stansted Airport at 10:00 a.m. to head to Prague for the second time. I anticipated I was going to have a pretty lonely weekend after Avery left, and I didn’t want to spend it alone in London. Some of my London friends were already going to Prague, and I had a free place to stay with Max. I am really happy with my decision. 

Friday evening once I got there, I relaxed in Max’s apartment before we hit the town. We got an epic beer tower near Old Town Square, where they were setting up for the big Christmas Market that opened the next day. After dinner, we went to a few underground bars, and I slowly watched Max and my friend Cooper become besties. Warmed my heart. 

On Saturday, we slept in and got dim sum for brunch. Our next stop was the Christmas Market in Old Town Square. It was absolutely packed. We still managed to budge our way to the line for crepes even though everyone was shoulder to shoulder. We hung around the central area of Prague for a little longer before returning to the apartment to rest. We grabbed Mexican food for dinner near Max’s apartment and then took the tram back into the city centre to meet other friends at some Irish bars. I didn’t feel very good, so we called it a pretty early night. 

I could not get out of bed for the life of me on Sunday. I wasn’t motivated to go sightseeing since I had already explored most of Prague and felt so much dread that I had to return to London to start my finals. I’m glad I gave my body the rest it needed, though. Max finally convinced me to get out of bed for a chicken sandwich. It was delicious. After our late lunch/early dinner, it was time for me to get going back to London.

I could have done better at documenting the past week. I’ve just been trying to soak up what’s left of my time in Europe and be present. And I hardly ever take pictures with Avery because I’m busy smiling and laughing. Same with Max. I will do my best to improve my photo skills in Dublin this weekend. 

My week will continue to consist of work, class, and finals prep. I’m dedicating this workweek solely to my assignments so I can be entirely carefree this weekend. This is a pretty uneventful update — I think my fast-paced lifestyle is catching up to me. I’ve actually enjoyed extra quiet time in my room. My next and probably final update will be on my weekend in Dublin and my weekday grind for my finals. Thanks for keeping up with my life. I’ve had a lot of fun writing this blog ❤