Currently...

...being a little less bloggy because I'm in the final stages of finishing my dissertation. I see an end in sight!!!!! HALLELUJAH! I'll be blogging on the regular soonish.

...missing London. A lot. And dealing with reverse culture shock. It's just gonna take awhile. I sound like a broken record, but it feels validating to write it out.

...trying to get used to driving everywhere.

...loving the amount of days I've seen the sun.

...trying to remember all that I'm grateful for! I won't give into too much despair. Atreyu taught me that. And if you know who Atreyu is, we should be bffs.

"Fight against the sadness, Artax!" 

Some Like it Hot!

I know it seems like I've been a little mopey around these parts. Well, yeah. I have a little bit...

So thank God for my pals in San Diego that are keeping me occupied! I don't think I'd be able to make it through this transitional phase without these friends of mine to make mopey me smile.

A couple weeks ago, what made me smile REAL BIG was my good friend Rachel's Bachelorette party. It wasn't just 20s themed, it was Some Like It Hot themed.

Who doesn't love a themed party? Especially when it involves one of the best Marilyn Monroe flicks?

A few pictures for ya...

I thoroughly enjoyed adding a mole under my eye *wink* 

 Of course we played ridiculous games!!

And Marilyn Monroe Vodka was the prize, to which I won a bottle for taking a quiz on who knew Rachel the best. Yeah! I AM THE CHAMP (and not competitive at all...)

 All the ladies...

And the very beautiful bride-to-be! 

Rachel's wedding was the reason I came back from London early, and let me tell you, she's worth it. We've been friends for almost 10 years now, and it's hard to come by such loyal, honest, amazing people as this brunette stunner. Can't wait to see this lady walk down the aisle! Oh, and did I mention? I'm in the wedding...I'll have the best seat in the house. 

Around London Town (The Last Edition)

I know that part of the healing process of leaving a country you love is to reflect on your time there. And so, here is my last "Around London Town" post. It's kind of nice (and heartbreaking at the same time) to view these pictures. But it's also a reminder that just because I'm not there, my time abroad has not been forgotten.

 In my last two weeks in London, Lainey paid a visit and thus, it was my duty to introduce her to all things British! Above, the traditional Sunday Roast. 

 Hanging in my garden (that I miss dearly!) 

 On our way (with my old flatmates) to the Rihanna concert. This was a last minute buy, and a fun one at that! 

 The crowd pulling out umbrellas for a certain song. Do I have to even say it? 

Next, a visit to the Tower of London. First built and inhabited by William the Conquerer (that dude got around!)...

 My inner warrior loved all the weapons! 

...I remember looking at this view and thinking, "It won't be long now, and I won't get to see this for awhile." I really miss those stones. The old mixed with new. The tradition mixed with modernism. London is a very special city and will forever be a favorite of mine. It's added onto the list of Places that Feel Like Home. At least I got to call it that for a little while. I think it's safe to say that I was once a Londoner, and will always identify with that! 

Readjusting

To preface this post, I wanted to mention that I'm watching my sister's cat for about 3 weeks while she's on vacation. This required me packing up his stuff and moving him to my house. He's been here about 2 days, and hasn't come out of hiding. He's scared shitless and is unsure of this new territory.

This is important to bring up, because well, I'm like the cat.

I was quite comfortable in my little home in London. San Diego has always been home, so it was very distressing to come back and have it not feel like home at all. London had become my comfort zone, and in a weird twilight-zone turn of events, San Diego became unfamiliar.

This is slowly changing. SLOWWWWWLY. What helps is reading articles like this. And keeping as busy as possible. And remembering that it's ok (and normal) to feel a bit depressed. I won't wallow, and I won't frown all day, but I will acknowledge that there have been moments of sadness while being back. I'm allowed this.

HOWEVER, I am also aware that I am so, so lucky to have had this experience. I mean, I had the privilege to live overseas (a dream of mine!). I fulfilled a major life goal. I grew, I changed, I learned.

So at this time, I'm allowing myself to mourn the loss of London, while also reminding myself that I can visit again (I'm aiming for my graduation next summer)...and that things are going to be ok. Kitty and I are just readjusting. 

An Ode to Public Transport

Public Transportation,

I miss you so very, very much. The tube, the Southwest Train service and (even) the buses...you were all my best mates. I even miss the District Line, and if you've spent some time living in London, you know that's laughable!

You used to carry my ass all around London Town. You even connected to larger trains that would bring me to Oxford and Paris. I didn't have to worry about someone picking me up or dropping me off. Power was in my hands!!! It was a new independence I had never felt before, one that surpassed the freedom I previously felt when driving (and man, I used to really love to drive). You convinced me that there's something more freeing about a tube or a train, because you can just plug in your earphones, and check your brain into space! This is a time when extremely deep thinking occurs--life changing thinking.

I'll admit, there were even times when I complained about you when you were a few minutes late. I regret that now. We are apart, and I completely feel your absence. Won't you come back to me?

With All My Love,

Ashley

***

In all seriousness, I MISS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SOOOOO MUCH IT HURTS! More than a fat kid who misses cake. A more appropriate analogy would be a fat kid who misses ALL good food after being sent to weight loss camp! 

In Fair Verona

Visiting Verona, I (of course) had Shakespeare on my mind. I had the urge to point at random people and shout "A plague on both your houses!" But refrained, because my mission this year was to portray Americans in a good light while overseas.

*ahem*

Anyway, Verona surprised me with it's loveliness. Similar to Rome with its look, I think that's why I grew to love Verona so much (because I'm still obsessed with Rome). I think you know what look I'm talking about: peeling paint, orangey-reddish rustic buildings, beautiful bridges and arches, and lots of Roman influence! (yes, Verona was also part of the Roman empire).

 Oh, and this...this is the supposed inspiration for the balcony in Romeo and Juliet. In fact, the Italians went as far as to say that there was an actual couple in history that Shakespeare based the play on, and that Juliet lived here. Not so sure I believe any of this as there are a lot of damn balconies in Verona. It would be easy to pick any balcony and say, "Juliet lived here!" But it's a nice little spot to visit and pretend, anyway. You could also pay to go inside the house and onto the balcony; but I'm really not hankering for Romeo that badly.

Now this is a recommendation for ya! A restaurant we haphazardly bumped into that had the most delicious wine I had in the whole of Italy (and supposedly the oldest wine bar in Verona). Whether that's true matters not when there's great wine to be had! 

My favorite thing about Verona was the river and the hills that surround it. I completely recommend walking up the steep, jagged staircase to reach the top of one of those hills...

Because there is an amazing view to be had there!!

I liked Verona a lot more than Venice. I'm not sure why that is exactly, except that Venice is sort of painstaking to walk through with its maze of alley ways. Verona doesn't have much of a maze, is easy to navigate, and is equally as beautiful! It can also be done in a day, and honestly, I wouldn't skip it.

Verona, you truly are fair! And gosh, your wine is divine!

I Don't Feel the Same

I realize this post is going to sound terribly dramatic. But what I’ve learned from having a blog is that this is my space to let it out...so that’s what I’m gonna do. 

I miss London a whole lot. And coming back to San Diego has not been as smooth as I would have hoped. I knew I would go through some slight culture shock coming back; what I didn’t anticipate was San Diego feeling so different to me. To use the dumbest of analogies, it’s like coming back to an old favorite pair of shoes, ones that I used to wear everyday. I loved these shoes once upon time. But finding them again, I’ve noticed that my style has changed. I don’t like they way they look quite as much as before. They just don’t fit the same. San Diego doesn’t fit the same. 

It’s weird. 

And so, I’m stuck between the decision of staying or going. I've only been back a little more than a week, so of course I need to give myself a little more time before jumping on a plane (something that feels more home to me more than any place right now).  I just can’t decide if it’s a phase I’m going through, or if I’ve changed so much that San Diego will never feel the same again. 

A wise friend told me as I was leaving, “Everything will be the same when you get back, you’ll be the one that’s changed.” 

Well gosh, ain’t that the truth. 

In Venice, the Sinking City

I felt it necessary to add "the sinking city" to my title because we experienced this first hand! As soon as we stepped into our hotel, I noticed the floor was a little, um, slanted. One side of the building's foundation was SINKING! I knew this would make for interesting times after a few drinks.

Still, Venice has a certain charm to it. And, I think Krystal put it best when she called Venice, "a parody of itself." So true! I felt like I was in an amusement park. But it was fo' real.

Take a look at this.

 And see...I found Pinocchio! IT IS A THEME PARK.

 St. Mark's Basilica 

Having been to Italy before, and being totally infatuated with Rome, Venice didn't charm as much as I expected it would. It can be done in a day, and should still be seen (OF COURSE), but it's not the best place in Italy. My heart still belongs to Rome! But second place goes to Verona, for which the next post will be dedicated (stay tuned)...