London Loves

On this GORGEOUS Tuesday here in London, I figured I'd do a post about things I absolutely love here in London. We assume, & somewhat correctly so, that since England is an English speaking nation, things will be quite similar here compared to home. They are & they aren't. Here's a few things I've noticed in particular:

I always, always, always talk about grocery shopping here. But quite honestly, I feel much healthier living & eating here. Why? Preservatives. At home, we are very careful to eat Organic & hormone free food, especially meat. A lot of the preservatives available in the United States are not used here. This means that, yes, your food does expire quicker but it also is much healthier for you. You are not part of this constant influx of negative food elements. England, & maybe just the EU in general, I'm very grateful for your healthier food. Which also tastes better!

I love the markets. Not just the big markets, but the smaller food stands on the side of the road. Weekly, I get fruits along the side of the road for prices considerably cheaper than those in the store. && I love me some fruit. LOVE. I'm grateful for these little stands & the prices I can pay for some fresh fruit. Oh, & when they throw in extra fruit for free! (Happens almost every time.)

I love the weather here! I haven't talked about it much but honestly, I can't even imagine what it is like to be home right now. During the month of February, Syracuse did not make it above 32. One. Single. Time. That's insane!!! How grateful I am to have sunshine outside my window right now & the ability to wear a rain jacket as my only coat! The weather really hasn't been as bad as I expected. I expected constant rain, cold temperatures, & wind. Granted, we've had all of those elements but not in the quantity I expected.

I love my classes here. I've mentioned this numerous times but they truly are engaging, informative, & fun! I've never had a semester where I have enjoyed every single class before. Yes, it is midterm week over here & I'm swamped with readings & preparing but I'm loving it. I'm learning about religion, sports, the European Union, & history. Lectures can be boring sometimes but that is to be expected anywhere you attend classes.

London, I love your transportation system. Wow. I've been to Scotland & Ireland so far... The transportation in both of those countries was SO much more difficult than that here. Here, the tube announces where you are & the buses display the upcoming stop. In Ireland, we just had to guess! Scotland was even worse, as the buses didn't list what the next stop was. Connor & I actually got off at the wrong stop & ended up walking through a park at 1am near our hotel. We got a taste of the Scottish countryside... on accident! London, your underground and busing system is reliable, pretty much always on time, & easy to navigate! I am so grateful for that!!!

Tuesday, today... well today I had class this morning & am currently on my afternoon break. I am spending this time writing to you, clearly, & studying for my upcoming exams. After this week of exams, I am off on vacation to Italy. How crazy is that? My lifelong dreams of traveling to Italy are coming true!

Have a great Tuesday and I'll see you all in 59 days. Can you imagine? That number just keeps getting lower & lower.