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Thursday 23 October 2014

Happy Four Months to London and I!

Yes, I’ve been in [sunny] London for four months today. I arrived 23 June exhausted, emotional, relieved, scared, excited. Four months on, I’m still exhausted, emotional, relieved, less scared but no less excited!

I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a snapshot of things I’ve done and experienced to date. I am already a changed person from that terrified girl who stood staring at her two suitcases, backpack and a banana - positive she’d fail this expedition. You’re probably all sick to death of hearing about me over here, but I go on at length for two reasons:
  1. I really enjoy being smug.
  2. I truly did not think I was capable of this.

My life in three bags and a banana
 
#letsgo #letsgettolondon #whatthefuckamidoing #weeeeee#adventure
I have proved my toughest critic wrong. I am stronger, smarter and more resilient than I could have ever imagined. I know thousands of people have done this adventure before me and thousands will after - and they don’t boast and brag quite like I do - but my faith in myself was so low that each time something incredible happens - I feel it double-fold. Once, because it was amazing. And twice, because I didn’t believe I would be experiencing it. 

I’ve learnt that I don’t need to rely on others; that I can muddle through on my own. Great and wonderful lessons are being learned every day on this adventure (my current life lesson is to HTFU and not sweat the little things) and I hope you have been enjoying following it with me.

Ok, enough of the corny stuff.  Time to be smug.

I like lists. So here’s a list of things that I have done, seen or experienced since arriving in London 4 months ago (that’s a whole quarter third of a year - yay! Maths):
  • Seen many of London’s famous and historic landmarks and sites, such as Big Ben, the iconic red telephone boxes, Buckingham Palace, the various museums, Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, The Shard, floated up and down the River Thames, and more
  • Eaten a lot of potato
  • Landed myself a job at the number two university in the world. While it has it’s tough days, I’m still pinching myself that I got a job so easily, and a good paying job, with a good reputation
  • Found myself a place to live. The added bonus is that my housemates are amazeballs
  • Made a metric fuck-tonne of new friends
  • Drunk a lot of cider
  • Casually popped over to France for a weekend
  • Devoured waffles and frites and chocolate and beer and mussels in Belgium
  • Ran with the bulls in Spain
  • Gotten on the wrong tube (this happened again more recently than I care to admit)
  • Seen a variety of wildlife that has made me squee, including frightful foxes, sassy squirrels and bumbling bumblebees
  • Turned into a theatre whore. I have seen: Phantom of the Opera, Warhorse, The Comedy of Errors, The Lion King, Wicked the Musical, The Book of Mormon, Evita and, not technically theatre but still shows: Kate Miller-Heidke and Dan Sultan. Coming up I have already booked in to see Matilda, Forbidden Broadway, Urinetown and The Nutcracker ballet.
  • Drunk a lot of cocktails
  • Selfied in front of Stonehenge
  • Selfied in front of the Eiffel Tower
  • Selfied in front of Big Ben
  • Selfied in the square in Brugge
  • Selfied..just..selfied.
  • Crossed Abbey Road
  • Started drinking my first Fosters and then stopped drinking it
  • Spent an inordinate amount of time and money in Primark
  • Busted both pairs of work pants, largely in thanks to all the potato
  • Cycled through vineyards with friends in France
  • Sat on the tube more than once in a ridiculous costume
  • Drunk some of the worst coffee I have ever experienced in my life (I’m not even mad, I’m impressed!)
  • Started to be come a Londoner. Excuse me, stand to the right!


Thank you to everyone who believed in me and who continues to do so!
Much love,
xx



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