Finals and Other News...

Greetings from across the pond!

I hope you all are getting ready for the holidays (and enjoying it too!). I am in the midst of finals again, and I fell so far behind on these blog posts. I promise to write some more before I head home December 21st. There might be some catch-up old posts in the next couple of days, and then of course the ones during my last week!

Meanwhile...

Studying for finals in the UK Means:
-Consuming lots of Cadbury chocolate and digestives (also the chocolate kind)
-Being super tempted to explore all of the Christmas decorations in the city
-Desperately wanting someone to cook me food because I don't have time or money really (does popcorn and digestives count as dinner? Why not!)
-Reading Time Out instead of writing my final paper (Time Out is a magazine about cheap and free things to do in London).

...so yeah

But once this is all over (Thursday!) I can't wait to explore London for my last time. I will have 9 days to enjoy England before it all ends. It's crazy to me. I am not even sure what to think! I am overwhelmed because there is still so much I want to do here. But at the same time, I do miss home a lot, especially now. It has been so long since I have been home! My family and boyfriend visited over Thanksgiving though, which was the best week thus far. I'll write a whole entry about that soon. But it did make want to go home more!

 I badgered my brother to send me a picture of our Christmas tree at home because I couldn't even wait 11 days to see it!

Isn't she a beauty?

Speaking of photos, I won the photo contest through my school! I sent in this picture and won a $50 gift card. I was so excited when I found out :) My friends always make fun of me for taking so many pictures, but it has paid off! Plus, I have all the great memories from them. 

This is a picture of poppy crosses in Bath, England. The Poppy Appeal is a movement every November to raise money for veterans. People wear a poppy out of respect, and to support the movement. It's really a genuine thing, and I'm glad I was in London during it. They raised $37 million pounds this year! Isn't that incredible? One of my teachers, who is Irish, said that Irish people (even the ones living in London) don't wear the poppy because to them it is a symbol of British tyranny, and they say it supports the English in Northern Ireland. So, there's two sides to the story.

As homesick as I may be, I love England, London, and the UK. I have loved this opportunity, and it's going to be really bittersweet to leave London. I do feel like it's a second home now. Sigh!

Back to cursed studying and papers.

Cheers,

Liv