Thursday, May 9, 2013

They Call Me a Working (Wo)man

Now that I've had a few days to recover from a whirlwind of finals, last days in London, flying home, and extreme jet lag, I've started thinking about my plans for the summer. With a bit of disappointing results after a full-blown internship hunt, I've decided to take the summer to work and get my things in order. And let's be honest, studying abroad in London really did a number to my wee little bank account. Let's not even talk about it.


Anyway, I'm more than excited to be starting at the cafe again. Yes, I'm that girl who legitimately wished she could go to work while she was abroad. I know, I have a problem, I've been told. But hey, there's nothing wrong with absolutely loving your job. Plus, who couldn't love a job where you make coffee all day? Am I right? Even better still, I'll be working full-time hours...a thrilling proposition for someone who has dreams of opening her own coffee shop someday. That's another topic in and of itself, though.

For now though, I've got some really exciting ventures to juggle around. With classes out and finals done, I'm psyched to really get into my thesis/Capstone research. Growing up in a family chock full of teachers and educational administrators, I've always valued the importance of a good education. For the longest time, I wanted nothing more than to be an art teacher (after all, my high school art teacher helped to shape the outcome of my life so far). For many unfortunate reasons, I decided against that career path my freshman year of college. But hey, I'm absolutely in love with what I do now and have absolutely no regrets.

Even as an interior design student, I've kept this interest in education alive and well. (Check out the amazing project I was lucky enough to take part in here). Naturally, when choosing my topic for my senior thesis, I wanted to focus on how we can improve the quality of education through the creative arts. I've started reading up on "right-brained" thinking, as well as current educational systems and theories and I've got to say, I'm pumped. And of course, I can't wait to share what I'm gathering from it all with you...but alas, we'll save that for another post, another time.

On top of thesis research, my amazing boss has given me the wonderful opportunity to do design work for the newest, upcoming location for the coffee shop I work at (see why I'm obsessed here). Upon my arrival back in the states, I found out that we'd be opening a kiosk/shop in Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, NY. While the new location is opening up this coming week, I'll be working on the design for the merchandise section of the shop. It's absolutely thrilling to be able to know that my design for the space will soon be seen by jet setters from all across the country. Needless to say, I'm extremely lucky and absolutely elated to have such a great opportunity.

Speaking of jet setting, I'll soon be up in the air one more time. Just as soon as I arrived in the states, I'll be heading out again to Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. After the quickest four months of my life, I'm finally going to see the school five classmates and I did design work for last semester. I'm still in awe of the fact that we're even going, but the closer it gets to departure, the more I look forward to seeing the school, the country, and most importantly, the children using the building.


Until next time!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Ta Ta For Now


Yesterday was a bittersweet day. I woke up to a crisp breeze and the sun shining through my window onto my face. A picture perfect day by any British standards. So where's the bittersweet part come in? 

At this point, I'm writing this from my friend's place back in Syracuse, NY. With your amazing powers of deduction, that means yesterday was my last day in London. Who knew four months would disappear so quickly? I can honestly say, it hasn't even fully registered that I am, in fact, back in the states. Culture shock is certainly not a thing yet, but let me tell you, jet lag showed no mercy. 

Let's just say this pure exhaustion is part of the reason I haven't freaked out about not being in Europe anymore. In my head, I realize I may not be back for a long time, but my brain really hasn't wrapped itself around that fact yet. I know once it does, though, the tears'll certainly be a flowin'. 

There are so many things I accomplished in my relatively short time in London, but still so many things I would have liked to experience. This semester was all about stepping out of my comfort zone, and I certainly took some steps. I did it all, from something as small as giving a toast in a room full of strangers, to just living in a gigantic city on my own. I mastered the streets of Central London, and explored the side streets of Paris, Florence, Amsterdam, and Dublin. I made invaluable friendships, tried quite the array of new foods, and braved the nightmare that is public transportation. Most importantly, I learned to start saying yes to things (insert witty "Yes Man" reference here), and stop making excuses. London taught me to never be bored. Yes, there were a million and a half things to do in London at any given time, but even in homey Syracuse, NY, I'm excited to experience it all. 

Being away, in such an amazing place, gave me a whole new set of eyes back home. Everything's the same, yes, and nothing's really changed much, and I couldn't be happier. 

Anyway, as a parting note, here's what I ended up getting to on my London Bucket List. Shhhh...I know there are quite a few "big" things I didn't see. But hey, it's just reason to go back right?


1. The London Eye
2. The Tate 
3. Natural History Museum
4. Camden Market
5. The British Museum
6. Hyde Park
7. Victoria & Albert Museum
8. Go to Harrod's
9. Somerset House
10. Explore Southbank
11. See a musical/play
12. Sketch restaurant
13. Explore London Coffee Shops Map
14. Ministry of Sound
15. Visit historic London pubs
16. Gingerline
17. Afternoon tea 
18. Take a photo at Abbey Road
19. David Bowie exhibit at the V&A
20. Visit Kew Gardens
21. Portobello Road Market
22. Buckingham Palace
23. See Westminster Abbey
24. Tower of London
25. Go to platform 9 3/4
26. Shakespeare's Globe theater
27. Windsor Castle
28. Explore the English countryside
29. Fortnum & Mason
30. Explore Regents Park
31. Brick Lane Markets
32. Hampstead Heath
33. See St. Paul's
34. Borough Market
35. Trafalgar Square
36. Visit Harry Potter Studios
37. Walk across Millenium Bridge
38. Selfridges & Co.
39. See Stonehenge
40. White cliffs of Dover

&& Some last looks into my journey abroad:




























Cheers London,
Thanks for being my wonderful home for four short months. Until we meet again <3 font="">


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