The Final Post: Life in the USA.

          As I had promised, here is my final blog post ever about adjusting back to my life in the land of the free and the home of the brave.   It’s been about a week and a half since my plane touched down in NYC and my life is pretty much completely back to normal.  It is hard to believe how fast time went by when I was abroad and its weird for me to say that I am now a senior at American University.  Since my last two years of high school I feel that my life has been put in fast forward, but they say time flies when your having fun I guess?

            It was quite a surprise to me at how fast I adjusted back to life in the USA.  I thought that it would take a while for me to go back to my old ways and life prior to making believe that I was British for 4 months.  Sure I had to get used to cars driving on the correct side of the road and using American Dollars instead of those expensive monopoly currencies they call Pounds and Euros, but overall I realized that life in Europe is not that different from life in the USA.  Unlike many undeveloped cities and countries throughout the world where you can have a complete culture shock, Europe is quite wealthy and has a living standard equal or higher than the US.  Sure there might be a language barrier or some differences in culture between Americans and Europeans, but the bottom line is that they are not that different from each other.  After some initial jetlag and small changes in my life such as driving again, using US dollars and getting used to living with my parents again, it was quite easy adjusting back to life in the US.

            It has been nice being back in my own house and seeing my parents again.  On my first day here my friends were still home for Easter break so it was great seeing them once again.  After only a few days here I took a trip to DC for the weekend so I could see all my college friends once again before they all went home for finals.  I was very lucky to be able to attend my frat, Alpha Kappa Psi’s formal for the semester.  Originally it was scheduled for a few weeks ago, but it was cancelled because of tornados (formal was on a boat!).  It was great seeing everyone once again and it felt as if I never left the US.  Special thanks to my friend Lauren for having me over.  Although it was great seeing everyone, I did not do anything too crazy the rest of my time there since everyone was really busy studying for finals (AU is a legit school, unlike the joke FIE). 

            Well, that’s all folks, my last blog post ever.  Congratulations, you have officially survived reading my blog.  Thanks to everyone who read my posts (over 1,500 views!), especially my superfans Seth Borko and Mike Conte.  I hope you enjoyed reading all about my time in Europe.

-Rees

The End of the End- LonDONE.

            Well, the day has finally arrived.  This is going to be a really sad post for me to write as I have a lot of thoughts going through my mind.  Tonight I will board my flight back to New York after living in London for 4 months and traveling throughout Europe.  Although I chose London only because they speak English, my grandmother lives nearby, my program offered an internship and they speak English; I could not be happier with my decision to go to the UK. 

            Over the past few months, I have definitely fallen in love with London.  Sure its expensive and it destroyed my bank account, but it really is a great city filled with history and tons to do.   Even after living here for 4 months, I still have not done everything that I wanted to do here.  Although I am really sad to be leaving London, I am ready to see my family and friends once again.  Throughout the last four months, I have learned a lot about myself and I have gained quite a bit of confidence in my own abilities.  I learned that I can work and live in a foreign country without much difficulty and I can travel into countries that do not speak a word of English and still find my way around. 

            The last 4 months of my life have truly been some of the most amazing times in all of my life.  Never again will I have that amount of time to live and travel on a different continent.  I had the opportunity to work and live in London and travel throughout Europe, reaching 15 different countries.  The entire experience is something that I will never forget and I am so grateful that I was able to do what I did.  Studying abroad is a privilege and it is something that not everyone will have the opportunity to do. 

            Anyway before heading back to the States, there are a few people that I need to thank who helped make my experience great. 

            1) My Parentsà First and foremost, I could not thank my parents enough for everything that they have done for me throughout my life and the last few months.  Throughout my life they have always supported me with whatever I have wanted to do, whether it’s going to one of the most expensive colleges in the USA or living in one of the most expensive countries in the world for a few months.  Over the past few months, I have realized that I am a very expensive child but my parents put up with my anyway.  So Mom and Dad if you are reading is like my other blog posts, I could not thank you enough for everything that you guys have done for me.  I could have not gone abroad without your support. 

            2) My London Groupà Its been a great time over here in London and it could note have been as great without great people to experience it with.  So to everyone who made some great memories in London with me, I could not thank you enough.  Special shoutout to Meagan, Chelsea and Shayna for all of our crazy trips and great time from day #1 of the program. 

            3) People I have traveled with/ stayed withà As you all know I have traveled quite a bit over the past few months, and the people that I traveled with have made it so great.  I would like to send a special shoutout to all my AKPsi people and my other friends who have housed me in other countries: Marissa and Alexa in Nice, Seth and Richard in Copenhagen, Deb in Edinburgh and Ross in Rome.  I would also like to send a shoutout to my old roommate Greg who I had great times with in Rome and Munich and everyone else that I have seen along the way. 
            4)  My roommates- Mike, Chris and Nate.  When I first got to metrogate and learned that I would be living in one small room with three other people, I freaked out a bit and prepared for disaster.  However, everything in the 7A worked out perfectly.  During our first few weeks my roommates and I were all very quiet and kept to ourselves, but by the end of the program we became the loudest room in the building and we all became good friends.  

            Well everyone, that about wraps up my time in London.  Its been a great experience and I thank everyone who read this blog and was interested in what I have been up to.  I hope to see everyone back in the states soon and I will update this blog once more when I get back to the States about fitting back into the US. 

-Rees

Munich, Germany

            Well, its sad to say but my last and final trip of my semester has happened.  This past weekend I went with my old roommate Greg to Munich to meet up with my AKPsi friends Jess and Morgan who are studying there.  Jess and Morgan have only been in Munich for a few days since their program is just starting and continues until the end of July, which sounds crazy since I return to the States on Sunday.  Once I got to Munich on Friday morning, I waited around the airport for about 2 hours for Greg to arrive from Rome.   After figuring out the train system, we then checked into out hotel. 

            For lunch we went to a local restaurant where we each had our first beer in Germany, Ausustiner Edelsoff, which is really really good.  We got an attitude in the restaurant since we didn’t speak a word of German, but we were successful in getting food before we left.  After eating we headed down to the city center where we walked around for a little while exploring the city.  Munich is a very pretty city, filled with really nice building sand towers.  After seeing a bit of the city we meet up with Morgan, Jess and their friends and went to one of the most famous Munich spots, Augustiner Bierhalle.  All of the workers in the Bierhalle were dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing, the beer is sold by liters and it was a great place to experience authentic German culture.  After a few drinks in the Bierhalle we headed to the student dorms where Jess and Morgan live to hang out for a few hours.  Overall it was a great first day in Munich and I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. 

            On Saturday, Greg and I went on a 3-hour walking tour of the entire city, which was very interesting.  We were able to hear about the Nazi history of the city and about the culture and traditions of Germany.  After the tour we grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch (I had no idea what I was eating) and then headed to another famous beerhall, Hofbräuhaus, which is abbreviated to HB.  HB is the royal brewery of the city and it is one of the most famous places in the entire city.  It is absolutely massive and it was completely packed.  HB was easily one of my favorite places since coming abroad, and I enjoyed the beer and pretzels that I had there.  After going back to the hotel to rest for a little while, Greg and I meet up with Jess and Morgan at their student dorms.  We spent the night hanging out in one of their friend’s rooms and it was a fun time overall. 

            On Sunday morning, Greg had to head back to Rome so I spent the afternoon seeing the city myself.  First I headed over to the Olympic park of Munich, which held the 1972 Olympics.  I was able to see the Olympic Stadium, the aquatics center and I took a trip up the Olympic tower, which gave me a great view of the city.  After the Olympic area I decided to do something a bit less fun by taking a trip outside the city to Dachau Concentration Camp.  Dachau was the first concentration camps and served as a model for all of the others.  It was also one of the largest, with an estimated 100,000 people dying there.  At the concentration camp I was able to see the barracks where prisoners stayed, gas chambers, incinerators and many other aspects of the camp.   The experience was not something that anyone can enjoy, but I think it was something that was important to see, as the holocaust was such a big part of history.  I was at shock by some of the things I saw at Dachau and I don’t think I will ever return to a concentration camp in my life, but I do recommend that everyone goes to experience a concentration camp once. 

            Overall, Munich was a great last trip for me.  It was great hanging with my old roommate and one of my best friends (somehow) Greg and my AKPsi friends Jess and Morgan.  Most people were pretty friendly in Germany and the culture is definitely one of the most unique I have experienced.  It is really hard to imagine that in just 6 days I board my flight back to the US.  Traveling through Europe has been absolutely amazing and I have surpassed my goal of visiting 10 countries 5, with my total now being up to 15 countries with Germany.

              My next few days I will be finishing up my work, attending my last class here and then interning for my last two days.  Although I am ready to go home and see my friends and family that I miss so much, I’m going to get really sad these next few days as I come to the realization that my 4 month vacation is over.  I will hope to update you all later on in the week with my final thoughts from the UK. 

City Hall

Olympic Village View from Olympic Tower

Beer Hall with Greg, Morgan and Jess

Dachau

Barracks

Prisoner Bathroom

Incinerator

"With Work One Will Be Free"

--Final Country Count--

1) England

2) Wales

3) Belgium

4) Netherlands

5) France

6) Monaco

7) Scotland

8) Spain

9) Czech Republic

10) Italy)

11) Vatican City (Yes, it is an independent country)

12) Denmark

13) Sweden

14) Ireland

15) Germany

-Rees

The Final Countdown and Cycling through London.

            In the last few days, I have unfortunately come to the realization that my time in London and in Europe is coming to an end.  Two weeks from right now (Easter Sunday) I will be on my flight back to JFK.  I have also realized that this is my last full weekend in London since I am going away next weekend and the weekend after I am visiting my Grandmother and then heading home.  Throughout the weekend I reflected back on my experiences and all of the memories that I have from these past few months.  The experience that I had is something that I will never have the opportunity to do in my life again, the chance to live, work and adapt to life in a foreign country. 

            I must admit that I did not choose London as my study abroad location because of my love for the city or for British culture.  I would have really loved to go to Rome, but I chose London for a few logistical reasons.  I chose London because my program offered an internship that was available in few other locations and because I am a UK citizen and my grandmother lives close by.  Last but not least, I wanted a country that speaks English as the national language, to make my life easier.  Despite my reasons for choosing London, I can happily admit that I have completely fallen in love with the city over the past few months.  London is truly a beautiful city, filled with friendly people and the culture is one of history and tradition.  Like Washington D.C, the city of London will always be special to me and it will always be a second home.  Writing this makes me sad that my time here is coming to a close, but I know that I will make my way back to the city whenever I get the chance. 

            To take advantage of the beautiful weather in London this weekend, I decided to take advantage of the London Barclays Bikes.  For those of you who have never been to London, there are hundreds of bikes owned by the government throughout the city that people can rent for about 1 pound a day.  The bikes are in “docking stations” around the city and you can ride wherever you want and then return your bike to a different docking station.  They are known by Londoners as "Boris bikes", named after London Mayor Boris Johnson who put the bikes into practice.  The system is a great idea and I had an awesome time all weekend exploring the city.  On Saturday I rode around Hyde Park, across to the theatre district, and then up to Notting Hill.  Biking through Hyde park is really great as there are bike lanes everywhere and it provides great scenery.  There are also horse trails around the park and it is very common to see people riding their horses in the park (rich people from South Kensington tend to own horses), which is something that you just do not see in other cities.  Today I went with my roommate Mike through Hyde Park to Marble Arc, where we took a break at Speakers corner.  Speakers corner is an area in Hyde Park where a bunch of crazy people gather on Sunday afternoons to speak to the public.  Basically a bunch of mentally unstable people stand up on a chair and preach about things such as religion, politics or the end of the world.  Everyone pretty much mocks and laughs at the speakers and it provides an entertaining afternoon.  After speakers corner we continued by bike to Buckingham palace, Westminster, Green Park and Trafalgar Square before heading back to South Kensington. 

            I was very proud of myself for not getting killed on busy central London streets.  If you go to London, I would not recommend biking on major roads until you are fully used to the whole driving on the wrong side of the road thing.  If I would have biked the same route on my first week here in January, I would have easily been killed.  Either way, biking was a great way to see the city, enjoy the city and get some exercise. 

            On Friday morning I leave for my last trip in Europe before returning to the States.  I am going to Munich, Germany with my old roommate Greg and I will meet up with my friends Morgan and Jess who are studying there.  It will hopefully be a crazy time and a fitting end to my time in Europe. 

Bike Docking Station

A Barclays Bike!

Yes, this is common and normal in Central London Parks. 

-Rees

Paris, France

            On Friday morning I headed over to St. Pancreas International train station for my Eurostar train to Paris!  For those of you who are not familiar with the Eurostar, it is a bullet train that travels at roughly 200mph getting from central London to central Paris in just over 2 hours.  It was quite the experience seeing the French countryside zoom past my window at record speed.  It was by far the coolest way I have ever traveled somewhere and I wish the Eurostar had service between NYC and Washington DC. 

            When I got to Paris at about 11am I meet up with one of my roommates Mike, who decided to go on the trip with me last minute, which was great since I was previously going alone (I wanted to see Paris, and no one was going to stop me).  After buying a packet of metro tickets we headed over to St. Michael fountain by Notre Dame to embark on a 4 hour long walking tour of the city.   The weather could not have been more beautiful as it was a clear blue sky and about 80 degrees.  I actually got sunburt!  Our tour guide Camille, was a native Parisian who lived in the states for a few years.  She was easily one of the better tour guides I have had with my study abroad program since she was a native of the city, was very enthusiastic and gave a well rounded tour which combined fun facts and the history of the places we saw.  The tour went to all of the main sights of Paris including St. Michael Square, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Eiffel tower etc.  After the tour I really did feel like I have seen a good amount of the city and learned a lot about the history of Paris.   

            After the tour Mike and I headed back to Notre Dame so we can check out the interior of the impressive church.  It amazes me how a cathedral so large and beautiful could have been built in the 1100’s.  Unfortunately I didn’t see any hunchbacks going up the tower to ring the bells.  After the cathedral we walked around Ponte Maria, which is an island behind Notre Dame and the Bastille area where we eventually got dinner.  Later on in the night we headed out to the Montmartre district, which is on a hill on the north side of Paris.  Although it was quite a trek walking up all of the stairs to the Basicilia Sacre Coeur, the view of Paris was absolutely fantastic at night.  The area had numerous outdoor restaurants and a lively cub scene.  After the long day I headed across the city to my hotel to catch a few hours of sleep. 

            On Saturday morning I woke up when it was still dark out to meet up with Mike so we could take the train to Versailles.  Versailles is famous for its palace, which was built by Louis XIV during the 1700’s.  The palace is absolutely huge and is extremely ornate to a point in which it is almost disturbing that Louis XIV would spent all the taxpayer money for his own glory.  It’s no wonder why the French had so many revolutions.  The palace had quite a few impressive rooms including the hall of mirrors, but the most impressive part of the palace were its gardens.  The gardens were beautiful and absolutely massive.  It would take over an hour to walk from one side of the gardens to the other and it would be nearly impossible to see everything without a car. 

            After the palace we headed back into central Paris where we went to the famous Louvre museum where we saw the really lame and disappointing Mona Lisa and a bunch of Italian art and other stuff (I’m not into art that much if you cant tell).   After the museum we went to the Paris Opera and then to the giant Arc de  Triomphe.  The road surrounding the Arc does not have any lanes painted into the street and as a result has the most accidents of anywhere in the world with one accident every 30 minutes approximately.  That night Mike and I went to dinner in the Montmartre dinner where we also saw the famous Moulin Rouge.  At night we went to the Effiel tower which was pretty amazing and a lot larger than I was expecting it to be for some reason.  The Effiel tower is a pretty magical place a night, not going to lie, and every hour there is a light show that takes place, which is awesome and was the perfect end to my time in Paris. 

            Although I went to Paris expecting everyone to be rude French people, I found my experience to be the complete opposite.  With the exception of one rude encounter, everyone in Paris was very friendly and helped me out with directions and questions that I had, even with my completely broken French (I can speak like 10 words).  Another rumor that I head about Paris was that it was a very dirty city, which could be no further from the truth.  Everywhere I went in Paris, everything was extremely clean and there were trashcans on every street corner.  The only grimy place of the city was the subway, but it was extremely efficient so I really didn’t care.  The rumors of Paris being a very beautiful city were completely true, and Paris is easily now one of my favorite cities in the world.  Between people walking down the street with half eaten baguettes, open air cafes on the sidewalk and some of the most famous landmarks in the world, where is there not to love about Paris?

            Well, thanks to the three of you who decided to read this entire long post and ill update soon! 

- Rees

P.S.- This blog has now reached over 1,000 views, so thank you lonely people without lives!

Notre Dame!

Pretty Hotel

View of Paris from Montmartre. 

Basicilia Sacre Coeur. 

Versailles!

I want a Palace also. 

Huge Garden

The Louvre. 

Disappointing Art. 

Arc!

Effiel Tower!

Light Show!

Eurostar- coolest trains ever. 

Back in London- home of the 2012 Olympics.  They are in the international train station to remind Paris that it lost. 

Les Miserables/ Being a Tourist

             After a long week of interning, I was very ready for a fun weekend.  This weekend my friends Stephanie and Deb (who went to Dublin with me) were in London.  After work on Friday, I headed over to Picadilly Circus to watch the longest running musical of all time, Les Miserables.  Les Mis opened on the West End in 1985 and is currently celebrating its 25^th anniversary.  Even people who do not enjoy or appreciate theatre in the least, could find something to love about Les Mis.  The musical is famous for many songs such as “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Castle in a Cloud”, “Master of the House” and “Do you Hear the People Sing?”   The show was sold out and there were even people inside the standing room (I would never stand for a 3+ hour long show).  We somehow got tickets for only 15 pounds, and it was definitely money well spent. 

Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre

            The performances, scenery and music for the show were all incredible and it is easy to see why it is the longest running musical in the world.   The musical tells the story of Jean Valjean, who is released from prison after spending 19 years there for stealing a loaf of bread for his sisters starving child.  Eventually he rises to become the Mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer and a factory owner. However, Valjean has broken parole and a harsh police officer Javert is constantly tracking him down.  As one of his workers, Fantine is about to die, Valjean promises to take care of her daughter, Cosette.  The rest of the musical is focused on the struggle of the French Revolution and the heroic acts of Valjean.  Although the musical was over three hours long, I enjoyed every second of it.  Everyone in the theatre was moved by the musical and many people left crying (not me, but whatever).  I still have quite a few of the songs stuck in my head.  Les Mis will forever remain a classic and is now my second favorite show after The Phantom of the Opera.  

            On Saturday I continued to act my role as a tourist in London with my visiting friends.  I went to Abbey Road to see all the Beatles attractions and then went to see Paul McCartney’s house.  After the tour I walked around St. James park, which is easily the most beautiful park in London.  It is filled with wonderful trees, a giant pond and lots of wildlife. Buckingham palace is also the backdrop of the park.  Later on in the afternoon my friends and I went to a prayer service at Westminster Abbey, which is absolutely beautiful inside.  The Abbey is the venue for the upcoming Royal Wedding and is full of history, holding every coronation since 1066.   Going for a service is also free, while it is 15 pounds ($24) to just enter the church when not attending a service.  Although it is impressive, I cannot justify spending that much money just to see a church, so going to the service was a good option.    After the service we walked around the area up to Trafalgar Square in the midst of huge protests in London, against the cuts in pensions the British govt just put into place.  Hundreds and thousands of Londoners took to the streets in protest, which started to get violent at night.  After the protests, we went to the National gallery where there are paintings by famous artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Degas.  The museum is one of the largest and most famous art galleries in the world and it has a very impressive collection.    

BEATLES!

Buckingham Palace from St. James Park

Pretty.

Mother and Babies

Believe it or not, this is central London.

Trafalger Square!

Only 489 days to the London 2012 Games!

Londoners are angry. 

            Today I went to Victoria coach station to see Stephanie off back to Brussels and then I met up with Deb to show her around the South Kensington area.  We walked around Hyde Park and then down to Harrods.  We also rode on one of the original Routemaster buses which were built in the 1950's.  Overall, I am having a great weekend here in London and it makes me wonder why I travel so much when I live in the greatest city of Europe.  With only a month left before I go back to the States, I am going to try to enjoy and see as much as London can offer.  I have fallen in love with London and it has really started to feel like home to me in the last few weeks.  I know the tube inside out, I have memorized all the bus routes and I no longer carry around a map, like a true Brit.  London deserves its reputation as one of the best cities in the world.    

An Original 1950's Routemaster. 

Harrods- $8,000 for tea.

Paddington Bear and I are tight. 

Thanks for reading, Ill update soon.

 -Rees

Dublin, Ireland, The Globe Theatre and The British Library.

            On Saturday morning I was picked up at about 4am to head over to the airport for my trip up to Dublin.  Although it was super early I really enjoyed the cab ride, as it was nice to see London in the middle of the night.  There was a peaceful and eerie stillness to the city as we drove past landmarks such as Buckingham palace, Big Ben, the London Eye and the Tower Bridge, all lit up by lights and the moon.

            After my short flight on Ryan Air I took the bus into Dublin city center.  As soon as the bus departed the airport, a welcome video was played which Beautiful Day by U2, which made me really happy.  After checking into the hostel I met up with my friends Stephanie and Deb who are currently studying in Edinburgh and Brussels respectively.  We spent the afternoon on a walking tour, which included all of the major Dublin sights such as Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Stephens Square and Grafton Street.  After the tour we walked around the city some more and went to a few parks.  We also went on a Ferris wheel, which provided a great view of the city.  On Saturday night, Stephanie and I meet up with a few of my other friends and we went to a pub.  At the pub everyone was really friendly and happy since Ireland just beat England in Rugby.  The Irish people were some of the friendliest people that I have meet while abroad and they were all tons of fun.  Everyone in Ireland seems to just come up to you and tell you their life story which I found really interesting about the Irish culture. 

            On Sunday morning I meet up with Stephanie and we walked across Dublin to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which had a very beautiful park right next to it.  After the church we headed further across the city to the Guinness storehouse factory.  The Guinness factory was gigantic and we were able to see how the famous beer is made.  At the end of the tour we were taught how to pour the perfect pint, which involved 6 steps and takes 119.5 seconds.  After pouring my own pint, I received a certificate to acknowledge my serious skills.  The Guinness factory was a lot of fun and we both really enjoyed the experience.  After the factory we walked another 20 minutes to the Kilmainham Goal Jail, but it was closed as tickets were all sold out unfortunately.  Saturday night Stephanie and I grabbed dinner and then just hung out at the hostel since we both had early morning flights.  It was great to catch up with Stephanie as she was abroad last semester also and I only saw her for New Years in the last few months.  Overall I had a great time in Dublin.  It was a pretty city and the people were all very nice and friendly.

Dublin!

Dublin Castle

 

St. Stephen's Green

Deb, Me and Steph in the Park. 

Steph and I at the Guinness Factory. 

Learning to pour the perfect pint.

Success. 

             Today I had a class trip for my British Life and Cultures class to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and the British Museum.  The Globe theatre was pretty interesting to see and I learned a lot about British theatre during the 16-17^th centuries.  After the Globe theatre, a bunch of us grabbed lunch at a Mexican restaurant, which was pretty good but a bit pricey for lunch.  After lunch we made our way to the British Library where we encountered the worlds worst tour guide.  The guide was boring, didn’t know the answers to anything was really annoying and spoke in a really soft voice that no one could hear.   Even my dull Professor was making fun of her.  Although the tour sucked, it was pretty cool to see original books and documents such as the Magna Carta, The Canterbury Tales, Alice in Wonderland, the worlds oldest Quran and original sheets of paper that the Beatles wrote their lyrics on.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Inside the Globe

The British Library. 

Well, that’s all for now…Im about to go to sleep so I can wake up in time for another week of interning. I'll update soon, whenever I get the chance.
-Rees