schlepping around London

I realise these posts are becoming more infrequent, but that is simply because there is less and less I feel is relevant to share. The initial lustre of London life has worn off, and I find myself succumbing to routine, as I suppose one does when one lives in a place for longer than a month or two. After I returned from Paris, I was confronted with much reading and paper-writing. Even though the workload is substantially less than even my first semester at Grinnell, it takes quite a bit of effort to get down to work, what with all the distractions of city life.

More recently, we celebrated Thanksgiving here in London. My flatmates and I attended a Thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral, which was lovely. Normally, one has to pay an entry fee in order to wander around St. Paul's, though it can be avoided by attending a service, which was the initial enticement. That evening, we went to a potluck dinner at our program director/Irish lit professor's house in Chiswick, and it was a really nice, relaxing way to spend Thanksgiving.

Alas, now London is pulling out all the stops for the Christmas season. Starbucks plays a continual loop of jazzed-up holiday tunes, and Oxford Street and Regent Street are both decked out in lights and decor. Christmas trees are beginning to pop up in front of high-end establishments. This is all rather nice, as it gives the comings and goings of life a little bit of sparkle, but it makes me miss home a little bit. My friend Becca is visiting from Granada this weekend, so we had a little soiree here at the flat last night, followed by dancing at the Social. It was really fun, though I think I will be staying in tonight with my flatmates and having a low-key movie night.

Coming up: a five night trip to Ireland with my Irish lit class! We're mostly going to be in Dublin, though we're making some trips to surrounding environs including Tara, the Boyne valley and Newgrange. After we get back, I have only 2 weeks left abroad. I will be going to a Marilyn Manson concert, making a second trip to Hornchurch in search of my great-grandparents, and writing a final paper for Irish lit. I feel things beginning to wind to a close here, and I'm thankful that I will always have these silly blog entries and photos to bring me back to my time here in London. I do miss home, though. There are a lot of things that will be changing for me within the next year and a half... a lot of plans to be made. I'm looking forward to getting started with all that.