This weekend was wonderful! My Aunt Margie and Uncle Rob
came from Boston to London to visit me! We had a full weekend of museums,
music, great food, getting lost, and a few pubs in between it all.
The educational included:
- Learning how to deal with Tube line closures
- The Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford
- Kensington Palace (now one of my favorite places in
London)
- The National Portrait Gallery
- We visited John Snow’s Pub, which is built on the site of
the water pump which the source of the cholera epidemic in the 1800s (that visit was fun as well
;)
And as Margie said, now that we have done something
educational, we can do something fun!
-We went and saw Once: A New Musical. Wow, what
an amazing show!! I’m now addicted to that music. The set was also a working
bar, so the audience could go up before the show and during intermission, which was just so cool! It was a great story with fantastic Irish music. I'm now very excited to go back to Ireland!
-A day trip to Oxford
-Seeing Princess Diana’s, Princess Margaret’s,
and the Queen’s most iconic dresses at Kensington Palace (the picture is us doing the Princess Wave)
-Wandering through Harrod’s. I was speechless at
how massive, beautiful, and overwhelming one store could be. The Christmas
section was such a fairytale.
I am so blessed to have Rob and Margie in my life. It was
extremely difficult to say goodbye. The timing of them visiting could not have
been better – seeing family was exactly the encouragement (and hugs) that I
needed. I love having so much fun with them, hearing of their adventures, learning from them, and hearing my family history. It was very cool to be reminded that my ancestors started in this country and here I am studying in the same place.
This weekend I am off to Brussels, so next week expect
stories of chocolate galore!
I have been working at the senator’s office despite the
shutdown. Most of the staffers have been furloughed, however, many still come
into the office. Everyone in this office is very committed to what they do and
spirits have remained high, with people bringing food and goodies in for each
other. The other day, the senator invited us to a wine and cheese break to
thank us for all of our hard work. To
give you an idea of what a big deal this was, since I have started working here
I have not seen or interacted with the senator. He’s usually in and out for
votes, and his office is on the first floor, whereas the intern den is
upstairs.
It’s been a unique experience to work during this historical
time. Now I can always say I was on the hill during the notorious shutdown of
2013. Also, there was a woman who ran her car into the gates of the white house
and then into the gates of MY senate office building. There were shots fired, and sadly she was
killed by the police. Everyone on the capital had to go into lockdown mode. I
was not in the office that day, and I stayed home the next day until they
actually figured out what happened. So, like I said, this is a very unique
experience working at this time.
All around the city there is free food or discounts for government employees! And in some cases, a price increase for members of Congress!
Last week I got to summarize a house bill for animal welfare
and I recommended that the senator introduce a senate version of the bill. My supervisor
really liked my report and said he was going to give it to the senator! This
made me feel indispensable, because not many people on the hill are overly interested
in animal welfare legislation. This gives me more opportunities to do
projects, because I’m not competing with the other interns over doing those
types of projects.
The other day Hunter and I celebrated our TWO YEAR
anniversary! We went out to a fancy restaurant, Rasika, last night and ordered
everything. He gave me a card he made that made me cry. And I gave him a deck
of cards, and written on each card was a different thing I love about him.
<3
I am going home this weekend and will be carving pumpkins
and going apple-picking! Hunter is also coming to join in on the fall-family-
fun. :D
MIDTERMS HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE.
That’s mostly why I haven’t posted in a while. Anyway…
Hunter’s parents recently went on a week-long cruise that
left out of Baltimore, so they were in DC for two weekends, before and after
their cruise. We had so much fun – the first weekend we went to Eastern Market
and bought straw fedoras, and then went to this place called ArtJamz in Dupont, where you
have access to an art studio and can paint whatever you want, and they serve
alcohol. FABULOUS.
Then on the second
weekend, Hunter and I road-tripped to Bmore, and we all went to the National
Aquarium there. It was quite expensive, but absolutely amazing. I could have
spent all day there, just watching the octopus, or the sharks, or the DOLPHINS.
THAT’S RIGHT, THERE WAS A WHOLE BUILDING FOR THE DOLPHINS. We watched them have
“recess” where they proceeded to throw all of their toys out of their tank.
They looked like they were happy, but I admit, I felt a little guilty… Are
dolphins supposed to be in tanks? I have been meaning to see the documentary “Blackfish”
about how orcas are not supposed to be confined in places like Sea World (and
thus, they go insane and kill their trainers). I need to see that documentary
and look into dolphin development/intelligence. I know that they are one of the
most intelligent types of animals, behind chimpanzees.
Jacqueline and Brian are like my second parents, so it’s
always such a pleasure to spend time with them. They even take my side if
Hunter and I have a disagreement! Haha!
These last weeks have gone by in
one very long, very exciting, very exhausting dream that I never wanted to end
and will never forget. I don’t really know where to start. I typed the last
blog post on a bus going towards Fes, Morocco. I was so overwhelmed by the
experiences and the feeling that it still wasn’t over. Right now, I am tucked
safely away in the SIT office, just noticing the rain that began to pour
outside and looking at my peers that I now see as my best friends.
Fes
Week 2 of Morocco was more of a
mini vacation than an educational visit. We managed to hit Fes, Marrakech, Beni
Mellal and Agadir in five days. We stayed at plush hotels, shared 9 hour bus rides
and even got to stick in trips to a couple of beaches. The week went by way too
fast, but there are some things that stuck out.
Volubilis- and Old Roman City
Marrakech
In Agadir, we were completely
spoiled by Yvette’s (our SIT academic director) in-laws. They made us tea and
cookies, lunch and scrubbed us down in their local Hammam. If you don’t know,
Hammams are very popular in Morocco. They are like giant bathhouses where women
strip down to just their underwear and spend hours relaxing in the Sauna. (In
these communities, most homes do not have showers)The men and women of our
group separated as we went to our separate Hammams. It took the group about
three minutes to get over the awkwardness of us all standing around in nothing
but our underwear. As we went inside the Hammam, there were other women there
scrubbing down their kids and they didn’t even blink when 19 Americans came
into their personal sanctuary. It was a
safe space for no judgment and some serious relaxation. We shampooed each
other’s hair, gave each other massages and chatted away as the time quickly flew
by. It was a truly moving experience. During our visit, I took a few minutes to
lie down by myself and think. I took a look at my scars from my lumpectomies
and biopsies. I thought about how many times I had to take off my shirt at the
doctor’s office as tens of doctors worked around my breasts. I thought about
how maybe ever since then, I saw my body as a science experiment that could
only be understood by a doctor. At that moment, I looked around and saw that no
one in the room cared about my scars, my lumps, my medical history, we were all
enjoying our bodies for what they are. We were excited to see the how different
and beautiful every body was. It was a natural, moving experience. I knew right
then that these women would really be in my heart forever. I would not share
this kind of experience with anyone else in my life. Whether they liked it or
not, they saw me naked and now they are stuck with me forever. It made me think
about how we as Americans would view our bodies if we grew up in a society where
there was no shame in one’s naked self amongst other women. How if we saw from a young age, the beauty of
everyone’s own body, we would feel less self-conscience about our own. I don’t
know if that is actually the case, but I knew in that moment and beyond I was
definitely less self-conscience about my unique body and it’s unique history.
Upon our return to Amsterdam, I’ve
realized these three important things:
One, I really missed my homestay.
I missed my host mom’s endless tea, my host sibling’s & I bonding time and
my Nutella bread breakfast. I was relieved I was returning from a place I loved
to a place I missed. They welcomed me back with open arms and pancakes, because
they know it’s one of my favorite treats in the Netherlands. I sat back into my
chair in front of the TV and finally felt truly comfortable in my temporary
home.On Monday, I had an urge to buy
every item necessary to make cupcakes and baked them at home (with my lovely
assistant Lyla) and it really hit me in that moment. Making cupcakes for me is
how I know I’ve really settled into a home. I made the kitchen my own personal
bakery and spent three hours flattening fondant (apparently they don’t believe
in good ol’ frosting in Holland). I wish I could tell September 9th Alex
that ‘these people will become your family in 6 short weeks and Gaasperplas
will become your home.Don’t you worry.’
Two, I asked Mandy if I should
mention this in the blog, because I wasn’t sure if it’s what we really blog
about. But she reminded me that it’s part of this abroad experience I’m having
and adding to my happiness 100%. I am seeing someone (dating someone? in an
exclusive bind?) on my program. It’s weird to be in a place in life when I have
to inform my closest friends that this is happening and they just don’t see us
walking around campus and make their own assumptions. It’s different that I
can’t get all my friend’s approval before starting something serious. It feels
so… mature? Anyway, now you all are informed on the gossip.Who knows what life has in store for us come
December, but know that right now I’m overwhelmingly happy and definitely have
her to thank for that.
Last, but not least, we just had
this incredible, life changing experience in Morocco and didn’t even go ‘home
home’. We came back to Amsterdam for two more months of incredible experiences.
We still have Norway, Barcelona, Budapest and the United Kingdom. We still have
our independent study projects and interviews to conduct. We still have more
bars and museums to visit. My life is not done changing and I just think that’s
pretty awesome.
This week has been a true
whirlwind. GW has a “GW England” program for GW kids studying abroad at certain
British universities. Some of the events (on GW’s tab, I might add) were:
-A
welcome dinner last weekend
-Breakfast
at “Café in the Crypt” in Trafalgar Square
-Private
walking tour
-Tickets
to the London Eye (we went at night – stunning is the only word to describe)
-Tickets
to Macbeth at The Globe
So thanks GW! ;) It was a bit bizarre to be hanging out with
all GW kids though…there were lots of the “oh do you know so and so?” and DC
talk…kinda weird to be talking about GW classes in the middle of London.
This past week seems to have
been a week of museums as well. I visited the British Museum for my Museums of
London class, the Natural History Museum (which was really amazing), and the
Museum of London (which chronicles the history of the city from Roman times to
the 2012 Olympics). I also went to the Sunday night service at Westminster
Abbey. Although the church is beautiful, it was a little strange to be
worshipping among so many graves and memorials…
To be honest though, this
week has been tough in a lot of ways too. I’m not homesick, but have been
extremely people-sick. This week has been confusing for me – I’m in a dream
come true, an adventure I’ve looked forward to my entire life, and I love this city, but I still feel a
little lost. Other kids who have studied abroad told me that you gain a new
kind of independence abroad, a kind of independence that alternates from
feeling like to loneliness to feeling like freedom.
So I went to Kensington
Gardens to walk around and sort myself out. I sat at the Italian Garden and
literally saw the last gorgeous, crisp, fall day disappear. It has
been freezing and raining ever since. I walked by the Princess Diana memorial
and the Peter Pan statue. At the gardens, I gained clarity of mind. This time
in my life is a time of adventure, yes, but it’s also a time to pray. A time to
figure out what this whole “grown up” thing sort of means. A time to feel a
little lost, but as Alex reminded me: Peter Pan’s biggest adventure started
because he lost his shadow. Sometimes you need to feel a little lost to lead
you to the next adventure.
I almost didn’t share all of
this on the blog, but then realized that I would rather be honest that some
days are tough, then pretend that everything is perfect all the time. It’s all
a learning experience, and I am so thankful that I have loving people at home
to miss and also support me as I’m so far away.
I was right. Morocco is the moment that I’ve been dreaming
of for a very long time. I cannot love this country, this culture, or this
population more. It’s everything I have prepared myself for while preparing to
study abroad in Egypt. While the Arab population cannot be grouped into one
bubble, what people say about this culture is true. It is so welcoming,
friendly and warm (the weather and people’s personalities). Also everything is
just so beautiful. I constantly look out of the bus windows and everything catches
my eye. Not to say that it’s not dirty, there aren’t stray cats everywhere and
the buildings aren’t slowly falling down but it’s an old African country with a
fascinating history and all of the smells, cats and broken pieces have their
place in a very special history.It
differs from Amsterdam 100%. A lot of students can’t wait to be back in
Amsterdam and neither can I, but at the same time I want so much more time with
this beautiful country and welcoming culture. It’s going to be very hard to say
goodbye to Morocco.
Right now, I am on a bus heading from Rabat to Fes. It’s
really hard to sum up what we did this last week in Rabat, but I’ll give you a
little bit of an idea.
-There was a lot of bargaining at the Medina (I ROCK at the
Medina. Expect some great Xmas presents!)
- We had lectures on Muslim women & veiling, Islam &
Homosexuality, Women & the Arab Spring, Muslim Sexuality Education and much
much more.
- We visited the third biggest Mosque in the world (that was
actually in Casablanca)
- We sang ‘It Wasn’t Me’ by Shaggy with Ronald McDonald and
a bunch ofFrench/ Arabic speaking 6
year olds (also in Casablanca)
-We visited a NGO that helped unwed mothers who were
displaced from their homes (We did a lot in Casablanca)
- I saw Joy Finneran and got to speak with other SIT
students who were studying abroad in Morocco! They gave me incredible insight
on what it was like to study abroad in a country completely different from
Amsterdam. I loved seeing you, Joy, and I hope the rest of your semester is
absolutely incredible. You deserve it!
- We had lunch with a Moroccan family in their homes. I went
with three other students from my program and we had a PERFECT time. The family
was so welcoming and we ate a lot, danced, and fell in love with the Moroccan
family. ALSO the host dad was wearing a George Washington University shirt and
it was just a total coincidence!!! I freaked out and yelled that that was my
university in Arabic! They had a host student from GW 3 years ago. While we
were all a little hesitant to do the home stay lunch in the first place, we
couldn’t have had a better experience if we dreamt it. **Pictures to come later.
All of these experiences have me on cloud 9. I am so
overwhelmed with happy emotions and I cannot stop smiling.It’s been an incredible experience and I
can’t help but feel completely blessed. I realized last night that I am so
filled with gratitude I am about to burst. So here is my gratitude bursting.
To my family: Mom, Nana, Theresa, Tami, Sam, Louisa, Kimmie,
Mama & Papa Smith and all of the Nash family who I know are following my
adventures closely- I couldn’t have had this amazing experience without your
love and your support. Please know that I think about all of you guys everyday
and I feel the love all the way in Africa. This trip has shown me how much
people love me back home and how much support I have to live out all of my
dreams.I wish more than anything I
could share this experience with all of you. But I’ll do the best I can by
taking lots of pictures and regularly updating my blog.I love you all to Morocco, The Netherlands
and back to the USA.
To Shawnee, Raphael, Sean, Angelina, Boy Alex, Leigh, Kellie,
Vicky, Phil, Marissa and Ariel: thanks for checking in when you can. It’s good to
know that you all are thinking about me as much as I am thinking about all of
you. I miss you and I hope GW & WVU & NJ are treating you well. My
heart is filled with so much love every time I get a Facebook message or a
Gchat from someone back home. It makes being away a lot easier.
To SIT Netherlands (Including Yvette & Astrid): I
actually don’t know how many of you read my blog, but if one of you decided to
read it today know that I unconditionally, wholeheartedly love everyone on this
trip. In short 6 weeks, you guys have changed my life in a truly incredible
way. I have learned so much from every single one of you and I cannot wait for
the next 6 weeks together. What an exceptionally brilliant & beautiful
group of college students.Thanks so
much for going on this journey with me.
Last, but definitely not least, thank you Mandy for being
you. It’s amazing that even when we’re on different continents, you are always
there for me. I have no words to describe my gratitude. I will love you forever.
Sorry for the cheesiness y’all, but I just could not have
done any of this without the people in my life and sometimes one has to take
time to recognize this.
To one more week in Morocco and 6 more incredible weeks in
Amsterdam,
Greetings from
London! Today marks the end of my first week of classes! While all of my
friends at home are starting midterms, I opened Word to do homework for the
first time in months.
My classes are:
Museums of
London: this is a study
abroad Classics class where we study museums around the city. We will visit
different exhibits with our professor during class and have discussions about
how museums are designed, who “owns” the history within, etc.
Experiences
of War: (lecture and
seminar) this class is an intro class within King’s War Studies department. We
have guest lectures each week to cover different aspects of war. This week was
about the infantry pre-gunpowder. Yes, there was a clip from Braveheart involved.
Introduction
to the Sociology of Religion:
(lecture and seminar) I have extremely mixed feelings about this class. On one
side, it is an interesting look at the effects of religion on society, culture,
race, economics, and politics. But it is an extremely cynical approach at
religion itself. The idea is to be “methodically agnostic”, or to remove your
own beliefs out of the picture to study the human effects of religion. We are
not debating the theology of religions, but are looking at the tangible effects
that humans involved in religion have. Everyone is biased, and to be honest,
it’s probably impossible for me to not be a bit defensive in this class, since my
faith is so important to me…I’ll keep you posted with how this one goes.
The Evolution
of Modern Business:
(lecture and seminar) I have never taken a business class before, but after my
internship this summer, I thought it was about time I did. This is a nice way
to ease into Business, since it looks at the history and sociological aspects
of business. Although the professor loves to hear himself talk for the sake of
talking, which is a bit annoying, I feel like I will learn a lot in this class.
Between all of
that, I have succeeded in doing some touristy things: Free walking tour of
London, the Museum of London (which is at the site of the original Roman wall
around London), and had several meals of fish and chips around the area. Monday
was also the end of the welcome freshmen events with the Gatsby themed Fresher’s
Ball!
This week has
had its ups and downs, but boy do I love this city: the history, the movement,
the art, the people. I could take the Tube to class, but instead I walk over
the Waterloo Bridge everyday. It’s a lengthy walk (30-40 min), but I can’t
resist the view of the city (and saving money on Tube fare).
One morning this
week, I just had to stop and look. And in that moment, standing above the
water, with the wind blowing and the view of the London skyline before me, it
was perfection.
