It's been nearly a month since I've updated, as this term continues to be a whirlwind. I thought that having class only two days a week would mean that I'd somehow have more time to relax, but that hasn't been the case. Although six weeks into the term, this is the first full week that I've spent here in London since I arrived in January.
Let's see... At the end of January, I went back to Los Angeles for four days to take an exam to work for the executive branch of the federal government. I could have gone to any of the 12 or so biggest cities in the U.S., but I decided to go to LA because the flight was almost the same as those to the each coast and I had a free place to stay with friends. I wasn't expecting to feel such a high level of nostalgia when visiting UCLA -- maybe it was the 70 degree temperature or the rush of seeing friends again, but I really started reflecting on my time there and missing it.
One of my favorite places on earth:
If I don't end up in Washington DC after graduation, I wouldn't mind working in Los Angeles for a few years. I've always maintained that I don't want to end up there, but I have so many friends there and the quality of life (minus smog and traffic) paired with work opportunities is just too great to pass up. Whatever happens, I hope to visit again soon and I'm sorry to those people who I didn't get a chance to meet up with.
When my flight from LAX was coming in to land at Heathrow, I was extremely surprised to see a thick blanket of snow covering all of London! It turned out to be the heaviest snow that London had received in almost 30 years, and our flight was preparing to divert to Charles de Gaulle in Paris before we received permission to land. It lasted for about 3 days before it had finally melted completely.
The following weekend I went to Amsterdam for two nights with four friends from my program. I had originally thought about canceling my ticket for the trip because I was so exhausted and behind in school work, but the flight was non-refundable. Anyway, I ended up having a good time. Our hotel was really centrally located -- literally in the same square as the Dam, the central monument in Amsterdam. There is a lot of hype about Amsterdam because of their liberal social policies (legalized prostitution, loose marijuana standards) but beyond this, it is truly a gorgeous city with a lot of character.
Since I'd visited there in summer 2007, I remembered a lot about the city and felt less rushed to try and see everything. I headed back to the Van Gogh museum, and we took a riverboat tour through the canals. While we were on the boat, it started snowing! It sounds cool, but at the time I was worried that our impending flight back to London was going to be grounded. Anyway, we made it back safely and it was an enjoyable weekend.
Unfortunately, when I got back to my dorm I got some very bad news -- our family friend George, who had been treated for stomach and esophagus cancer, had passed away that morning. My dad had spent 8 hours with him the day before because he was in so much pain and needed help. Although technically not biologically related to me, he was essentially an adopted grandfather. He and his wife, Eva, helped pay for me and my sister to attend college, and we've been going to their house for dinner every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. Eva is one of the strongest people I know, and I'm sure she'll get through this time alright, but I still feel for her right now and wish that I could be home.
I'm off to see Revolutionary Road at Tottenham Court Rd. I'll try to update more soon from now on.
