Weekend recap

Another weekend has come and passed in London Town. It's hard for me to believe that tomorrow, I'll have already been here for five (!!!) weeks. In some ways, it feels shorter, because things just happen quickly here. Life in London certainly moves a lot faster than it does in Port Huron or Grand Rapids - which can be both a good and bad thing. But at the same time, it almost feels like I've been here longer. I've made some great friends, had lots of fun nights, spent lots of time in the library, am in the thick of some challenging schoolwork...so yes, I can see both sides. It's just...weird. So far the experience has been what I expected it to be: fun, different, difficult, and rewarding.

Anyhow, now that it's Monday and we're into the third week of formal lectures, I really need to buckle down and get serious about my classes! Not that I wasn't serious before, but I'm finding myself to be a bit...intimidated (that may not be the exact word I'm looking for) compared to some of the other people here. There are some serious big shot students here - some that have interned for major organizations, some that have worked in the high levels of government, some that have worked with the equivalent of Supreme Court justices in their respective countries, etc. I'm just a little midwestern girl who happens to be a good student who likes political science. So, I want to step my game up and really contribute more and speak out in seminars. Aside from the fact that I don't feel I'm necessarily on the same "level" as some of my peers, I'm also a little shy - so speaking up doesn't comes naturally to me. But, one of my reasons for moving here was to really step outside of my comfort zone, so that I shall do.

This weekend was another good one, unsurprisingly! By the time Friday rolled around, I was just exhausted from the week. I honestly didn't have the energy to go out, so I planned a pajama night in, and got caught up on my Grey's and Jersey Shore. The rest was definitely necessary.

On Saturday, the girls and I got together for a house warming/birthday party for some of our classmates out in Elephant and Castle. We decided to get together at Charlotte's for a couple of drinks (I know, I said I was stopping...oops...) and to catch up a bit before heading out.

Me, Katelyn, Charlotte

Abbey, me, Katelyn

This picture makes us all laugh because we look SO happy! 

Me, Katelyn, Abbey

The party ended up being some people from our program, and other programs at UCL. It was fun, but we didn't stay very long because we got such a late start due to wine drinking at Charlotte's, and we wanted to be able to catch the last tube back into the city. I think our favorite part of the party was the freshly baked brownies we devoured!

I was home by about 1 a.m., a far cry from the 5 a.m. night out Katelyn and I had on Tuesday!

Yesterday was just a typical, relaxing Sunday. Katelyn and I went to the library for a bit to get some reading done, and that was really the only productive thing I did. But hey...relaxing are what Sundays are for!

Oh, and here are a couple bonus pictures from our dinner party last week. We had a Mexican theme!

I made the fresh guac, yum!

Katelyn, me, Paloma, Abbey - Charlotte is taking the picture

Back on the grind today. I'm about to head off to the gym for a workout, then it's back here for the night to get some reading done for Public Policy Economics tomorrow - bleh - probably my least favorite class.