aichaineurope-blog

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just a few more poems/pieces of writing ive been thinking of a lot lately. the first three are written by a good friend of mine and the other two are just ones ive come across recently.

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london’s blue plaques

the blue plaques scattered through london have been so interesting for me to see but for some reason i always forget to take pictures. on the english heritage site they say that the plaques are meant to link the people of the past with the people of the present and I love that. it’s the oldest of its kind in the world, having started in 1866.

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july 10th, 2019:

i finally got to see Les misérables tonight and it was incredible. the cast was literally spectacular, especially jean valjean. he brought tears to my eyes every time he sang. i did a lot of crying and im very glad i didn’t wear makeup this day. I'm so glad I got to make it to this show to see the turning stage before they stopped using it because it was really great. I'm excited to see what they decide to do next!!

afterwords i met aya and some people from her program at bar elba for happy hour for a while. the rooftop bar is honestly amazing and definitely one of the places im gonna miss the most. we were all craving hot dogs and headed to southbank for vegan hot dogs. i was literally in awe at how awesome they were. we kept going down southbank and found an arcade which was so fun!!

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july 9th, 2019:

i spent most of today at home working on homework and just resting. ive been so go-go-go that sometimes i forget that even when im traveling it’s okay to take a rest day for my mental and physical health. it’s been hard to relax here because we’re only here for such a short time and there’s so many things ive wanted to see and do, but i have to remember to prioritize myself so ive tried to take one day a week to stay in or not be out for long. i feel guilty when i want to stay in or not do too much on one day and im not sure why that’s a thing but self care is important and im glad I took today to do that because the rest of the week is going to be slammed with trying to fit last minute things in. today was the first time i experienced issues with the transportation. one of the lines was down and severely delayed so we just decided to take the bus. for 30 mins the bus we were waiting on just never showed up and it was very stressful. as much as I love the public transportation here this was a reminder that it still has issues sometimes. thinking about living or working here and having to deal with possible delays and not having a car or not wanting to drive as a backup plan was really stressful but it’s something I could live with. after my relaxing day and long nap i went out for drinks with some friends on southbank. the view of london at night is something i want to look at for the rest of my life.

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july 8th, 2019:

today we took a train to Cambride and I really enjoyed it!! the market was so cute and I left with (maybe too many) souvenirs for family back home and finally finished souvenir shopping for them. the wren library was literally incredible. i didn’t realize we were going to an actual library and just thought we were going somewhere that had the winnie the pooh manuscripts but it was a very nice to surprise to see everything else they had on display. like cmon how many other people can say they’ve seen sir isaac newton’s HAIR? crazy right?? the church was beautiful. besides walking past st paul’s church, this was the first time ive been into another church in europe other than france. as much as I love their churches, this one definitely gave the strasbourg notre dame (my favorite church ive visited) a run for her money. the ceiling was absolutely incredible. it was also kind of funny to see graffiti in the church and it was interesting to me that they decided to keep it there.

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july 7th, 2019:

since today was our last sunday in london, i finally decided to get a sunday roast. aya and I found a place that had veg/vegan options here in islington. the spinach and mushroom wellington was pretty good, but the veggies were the star of the show. since it was brunch time we of course got bloody marrys too. the rest of the day was pretty uneventful but a nice relaxing sunday is always good.

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the ghostly chicken of pond square

sir francis bacon (a politician and writer who also did scientific experiments) was one of the first people to theorize that refrigeration could preserve meat. in january of 1626 he purchased a chicken and stuffed it with snow after slaughtering it and plucking it. after his experiment he caught a severe chill and died in nearby hospital shortly after. there have been frequent reports of a phantom bird resembling a plucked chicken appearing out of nowhere and racing around in a frenzy. 

i liked this ghost story because its pretty humorous to me. the thought of the ghost of a plucked chicken running around in circles would probably make me laugh more than it would scare me. 

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the graveyard book quotes:

“He was surprised when he hit the floor, but he did not cry out: if you cried out they came back and put you back in your crib.”

“It must be good...to have somewhere that you belong. Somewhere that’s home.”

“But there was a difference between the folk in the graveyard and this: a raw, flickering, startling shape the grey color of television static, all panic and naked emotion which flooded the Owenses as if it was their own.”

“If I go out into the world the question isn’t who will keep me safe from him?” “No.” “It’s who will keep him safe from me?”

“Bo was thrilled. He imagined a future where he could read everything, in which all stories could be opened and discovered.”

“He couldn’t push the minds of the dead as he could the living, but he could use all the tools of flattery he possessed, but the dead are not immune to either.”

although silas is a likable character, the supernatural powers he has and some of the things he does reminds me of how scary he can be. even though he’s reformed himself, his evil past is still part of him even if he’s doing something for good

“Things blossom in their time. They bud and bloom, blossom and fade. Everything in its time.”

“It’s the first night thing anybody’s done for me in five hundred years, she said, with a hint of a goblin smile.”

even though bod has grown up with and been raised by ghosts, i think getting liza a headstone and making her feel better shows a lot of compassion.

“There’s rules for those in graveyards, but not for those as was buried in unhallowed ground. Nobody tells me what to do, or where to go.”

“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”

“I’m not frightened of dying..it’s just so many people I care for have spent so much time keeping me safe, teaching me, protecting me.”

“Mistress Owens and I spent our lives wishing that we had a child. I do not believe we would ever have had a better young man than you, Bod.”

“But between now and then, there was life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open.”

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july 6th, 2019:

I’m very glad i stayed in town this weekend because london pride was a blast!! we had some pints, watched some performers, and had some more pints. it was honestly so awesome to just watch everyone around us having a blast and enjoying themselves. on the other hand, the ridiculously crowded tube was not fun. but it was funny because I felt like a real local for the first time when I had to push past people standing on the walking side or move around people taking forever to scan in or out of the station.

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july 5th, 2019:

I’ve been trying to make it back to the food/drink stalls in southbank since the first weekend we were here and we finally made it today. the bloody marry bar was incredible and totally worth the time i spent dreaming about it. I had a spinach and mushroom pasta at another stall and we had some bruschetta at another stall. both were amazing and sooo yummy. aya took me to tate modern. she’s an art history major so it was almost like I had my own tour guide :) we spent a few hours here and I really enjoyed all of the (free) exhibits. we went to happy hour at the london cocktail club and (as per usual) ended the night at the casino. we made enough money to pay for our lovebox festival tickets which I was so excited about. I’m having a blast with aya and I hate that I have to go home soon and can’t spend every day with her anymore :( from now on I only want to go to museums with her because it’s literally like having a tour guide without having to pay for one. I absolutely loved tate modern, it’s always cool to see Monet and I loved all of Jenny holzer’s pieces.

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july 3rd, 2019:

spent most of the day shopping around oxford street with aya. it was really busy and a bit annoying to try to shove around people but totally worth it. being able to visit the huge lush store on oxford street was awesome and I really enjoyed the day. after some shopping we went to bar elba across from the theatre which was so cool. there’s Napoleon quotes everywhere because it’s based on the island he got banned too. i didn’t appreciate the millions of stairs we had to climb up but the view and the breeze from the rooftop bar was worth it. we had some pizza for dinner (as usual) and it was definitely better than my last pizza express experience. I really love days like this.

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unnatural spaces

i took one of the last tubes last night and had my first experience in an empty station and it genuinely made my skin crawl. I felt like I was completely alone underground and I can’t explain what it was that made me feel so uncomfortable but I don’t think I’ve ever tried to get out of a station that quick. another unnatural thing that made me feel weird was this building I saw when I was waiting on the bus. the light on this floor kept flickering in a weird way. the longer I stared at it the weirder it got but when I stopped recording it pretty much stopped after a few seconds. I know lights flickering isn’t always necessarily a supernatural thing but something about it just made me feel uneasy. something I’ve enjoyed about this program being in London is its such a good place to learn about unnatural and supernatural places/beings/incidents. I feel so aware of my surroundings and conscious of anything “unnatural” which I don’t think would be the case if I was in London for a supernatural course.

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daybook reflection #9

While I’ve always wanted to live in Europe, I was never sure where I’d really be comfortable and happy enough to settle down because the language barriers and cultural differences can get a little tiring sometimes. This being my first time in London I didn’t really know what I was going to leave with, but I feel like I’m “packing” some more options for my future. There’s an EU masters program I wanted to do next year, but whether or not I can come to London will probably depend on Brexit and whatever goes on with that. I’m packing a lot more confidence and sureness in myself leaving this trip. Even when I travel I don’t really like doing things on my own. Not because I’m scared or worried but just because I enjoy doing things with other people with me. These last few weeks I tried not to wait on other people to make decisions for me on where we were going to go and what we were going to do. I left on my own and figured out what I wanted to do while I was out. I feel very comfortable on the tube and (even though I know public transport is better in Europe and I like it more) I usually get serious anxiety on public transportation, no matter what country I’m in. This program also helped me reconnect with books and my love of reading. I hardly have the time to read for pleasure back at home anymore, but it’s something I really would like to make a priority when I get back.

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daybook reflection #8:

Things I will miss in/about London:

o  Beautiful architecture everywhere

o  SO MANY veg/vegan food options

o  The tube/bus (easy transportation)

o  The weather at night

o  The hippodrome casino

o  Soho in general

o  City life

o  Being so close to my friend Aya

o  Seeing something new every day

o  Learning new things constantly

While I’m vegan at home in California, when I’m Greenville I really only have options to be vegetarian. I don’t have as many options there as I do in big cities like this.

How many times can I go on about how much I love public transportation in Europe?

I wasn’t expecting it to be as hot as its been here during the day, but the weather at night is always so perfect.

I love that no matter how many times I’ve been somewhere, like a particular borough or something, I still always find new things. I’ve been to Southbank and the Covent garden area a lot and I’m still finding new places and new things to do or try.

One of the reasons I love study abroad so much is that I truly do love to learn, but conventional classroom settings just get boring to me. I lose focus and I get unmotivated. But while I’m traveling, I’m constantly learning new things without even really trying sometimes. I enjoy learning more when I’m traveling.

Things I will not miss in/about London:

o  No AC

o  The dollar to pound exchange rate..

Those are HONESTLY the only two things that I haven’t appreciated while being in London. (And I’m sure those are things I can get past next time I’m back :) ) 

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A Monster Calls quotes:

“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.”

“She looked like a bird of prey. A hawk that could carry off a sheep.”

“Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.”

“Sometimes people need to lie to themselves most of all.”

“You were merely wishing for the end of the pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.”

“Connor held tightly to his mother, and by doing so, he could finally let her go.”

“Stories are wild creatures. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”

“You do not write your life with words..you write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.”

“Don’t think you haven’t lived long enough to have a story to tell.”

“Your mind will contradict itself a hundred times a day.”

“I can’t stand knowing that she’ll go! I just want it to be over! I want it to be finished!”

“Connor held tightly to his mother, and by doing so, he could finally let her go.”

“If you speak the truth, the monster whispered in his ear, you will be able to face whatever comes.”

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Start to notice how often you see references to the supernatural and other forms of folklore around you. How are the little things different here than they are at home?

London has so many ancient legends, folklore stories and supernatural activity (in the past and currently) that I think it’s almost impossible to not be aware of it. I’m sure greenville has tons of ghost stories and supernatural activity (I’ve actually had a few encounters on the grid and in the phi mu house) but it’s not something I’m always aware of. I’m not sure if I’m more aware here because I’m obviously taking a course on folklore and the supernatural or just because I’m in London and I already knew about some things in general?? I was walking on Fleet Street the other day with my friend aya and before even thinking about the Royal courts of justice or the temple bar memorial I asked her if she knew if there was anything about Sweeney Todd near us on the street.

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daybook reflection #5:

I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing (or neither), but I really never get homesick. Sure, I miss my boyfriend and my dog and I miss sleeping in my bed and driving to cookout at 4 am when I’m hungry, but I don’t miss home. I have a weird concept of “home” to begin with, being an immigrant and all. I go to school in Greenville, but I completely live at my dad’s in California, so I never really imagine one place when I’m thinking of home. I love to travel. I get bored back in Greenville, I get bored in California, and I still get bored in Charlotte with my mom. I like to be somewhere new all the time. I hate being stuck in one place for too long. I wouldn’t say anything has been really hard here…it took a couple times for me to figure out the tube but now I feel super comfortable taking the tube by myself. Considering that I have been in several different countries this year that all spoke different languages I understand how difficult that can make traveling, but I usually try to make the best of it by trying to learn some phrases that I can use often or just (and don’t tell my language professors this) using google translate if I need to get directions or order food or anything simple. I was worried about not finding a lot of food for me to eat here because in France I had basically no options besides bread and potatoes. And in Morocco I ate a lot of food at home to avoid trying to find veg options at restaurants. Being vegan or vegetarian is not really an option for a lot of people in Morocco and because of France’s food and culture in general, not many people are veg/vegan there either. I’m not Muslim so I don’t cover my hair and I obviously have a lot of tattoos and piercings and I wouldn’t say that it was exactly frowned upon on Morocco, but I just definitely didn’t fit in and its not the type of place that embraces people and their differences. I do feel like I’m very lucky to be in London after visiting other countries this summer because its really just been a breath of fresh air. Pretty much everything is simpler for me than its been this whole summer and its really just given me the chance to explore and enjoy London more than I could’ve in some other places.