It's the Final Countdown

I have completed my school work for the year finally! My internship has ended and all essays have been submitted. This means that I will have the opportunity to travel and take even more photos. My internet access will not be regular, so while I hope to post frequently I won't make any promises.

The York, UK flat I want to live in

It is an undeniable fact that Southern California has ruined me. London is now recognising that it is no longer winter by showing off its sun. While San Diego has the warmth and sun I am so accustomed to, I am not jumping up and down to go back since it is scorching hot and resembling something closer to a desert every day. I actually prefer here in that respect. Still, a real winter was hard for me. After that, sun and warmer weather feels all the more deserved and I am so grateful it's here. The sun in London does not necessarily mean warmth. Still, the sun is my favorite thing and when I can see shadows I get really happy.  I got to enjoy a few weeks of sun and blue skies before umbrellas and jackets had to be worn again. I cannot wait to escape to Poland, Spain, Italy and France where it is just a bit warmer.

Christina and I in Edinburgh, Scotland

I have one month left on this side of the world before returning to California. So as Europe's The Final Countdown blasts in the background, I feel the need to answer their question "will things ever be the same again?" and can't help to think they won't. Although I am not going to space, I can't really wrap my head around going back since this has been my life for so many months. I will definitely miss it here, so I am trying to make the most out of it as the days tick away.

Posts to come:

• Reuniting the Morris Clan: England Version

• UK Adventures in the Sun: London, York and Edinburgh

• Weekends in London

• California friends in Poland (to be posted after 15 May)

• Finalmente, España: Barcelona (to be posted after 15 May)

• An art-filled Italian Summer (to be posted after 10 June)

• Pa-ri-si-an Nights (this is to be sung to the tune of Arabian Nights) (to be posted after 10 June)

• The Last Days in London (to be posted after 10 June)

Spring Semester

I am going to interrupt posting my travels to give a brief update on my semester so far.

This new semester has been an interesting one. London is still the same, but everything feels a little bit different. There are loads of new American faces. The weather is warming already. I am ten times busier, and I am not sure if I like it.

This was a really old house I found in Perth.

The classes I am enrolled in this semester are just as strangely specific as last semester.

My Film Archaeology class explores the processes that make up film as an art such as movement, close ups, surveillance, and more. It has been fascinating to look at film in this way, and the screening are unconventional but things that I never would have seen otherwise. The other film course I am in is titled "From Page to Screen" and explores the relationship between books and their film adaptations. The twist is that all of the books and films are Portuguese in origin. So far that has meant reading translations and watching with subtitles, but I am learning about Portuguese culture and society in a way I never could have in the US. This class would never exist at UC Santa Cruz mainly because they do not readily offer Portuguese anything. The last class is simply fun and easy. Every week my class meets at different museums around London where we explore rooms, discuss how objects and art are displayed, how the visitors are meant to interact, and how the architecture of the rooms and building inform what is displayed. I love that I get to travel around and explore museums instead of sitting in a room with projected photos in front of me. It amuses me that the class is 99% American students who are here for a semester, but it makes total sense because it is the most practical way to see lots of London and get course credit for it.

The Van Gogh's in the National Gallery

This semester I also had the opportunity to intern at an organization in London and enroll in a class alongside it. While the online class is a constant annoyance, I get the opportunity to intern at the Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park. The gallery is about an hour away from campus and nearly in the middle of a park. What that means is two days a week I get to take a stroll through a beautiful park with dogs playing and people running. It is extremely refreshing to be surrounded by greenery even though the rest of the day is spent inside at a desk. So far I have only worked there for two weeks so I am still learning the dynamics. Everyone has been inviting and friendly, and I have even done tasks that aren't simply adding emails to a database or opening the gallery. The gallery should be a great learning experience and hopefully more than something I can simply add to my resume.

An adorable little garden house in Green Park, London

Along with all of my classes and the internship, I have been working with Esprit Group as much as possible. Nearly every shift they offer me I take. I enjoy working at different events and seeing parts of London that I never would have before. All of the staff has been friendly and I constantly meet people from other countries who come to study or work here. Each person I meet is so interesting that I have grown to love this job.

What I don't quite love is how little free time I have. I am in London working and studying during Reading Week while so many others are traveling and experiencing interesting things. Of course, now that I have responsibilities here I can't just run off to a foreign country or spend a few days watching movies in my room.

This last semester in London is bound to be an interesting one however normal it may appear.

An Art Gallery in Koln, Germany. To be continued

Side Note: I have created a page on my blog that has a map with pins marking each of the places I have traveled to so far. It is meant to be an easy visual reference in case your geographical knowledge of Europe is as bad as mine.
More posts are to come soon.