well, i said i never wanted to leave...

it's looking like i may be calling london my home after all...the 2 inches of snow we got on saturday apparently had the magical powers to shut down every airport in london, displacing 500,000 people and counting since then. one of those 500,000 people is yours truly.

i accidentally booked my flight for the 20th instead of the 18th, when everyone else was leaving. what a blessing in disguise, because some people are on their second or third cancelled flight now, and i've only had today's cancelled. i don't mind sticking around for a couple more days, especially because it's looking like not many people will be leaving, but this means...

CHRISTMAS IN LONDON.

see ya, california?

the final countdown

wow. one week left.

this semester has been pretty unbelievable. it's getting to the point where everything is "the last": the last trip to the eagle, the last final exam, the last grocery store trip, the last time we top up our oyster cards. everything is sentimental.

things i am excited to get home to:

my family! especially my sister, who i haven't seen since september,

my car. can't wait to DRIVE somewhere,

a variety of flavorful food,

my friends, the ones i've kept in touch with and the ones i haven't,

chapman and the standard of education that is lacking here,

my bed and it's pillowtop, and my many many pillows, (#whitegirlproblems, anyone?)

the full use of my iphone,

& sunshine.

but, there are a lot a lot a lot of things i am sad to leave:

london as a whole...who knows when i'll be back?

the friends i've made, who i may or may not see ever again,

real winter weather and the coats, scarves, boots, gloves,

the eagle, which has served as my living room for the last four months,

the public transportation systems and their ease,

historic buildings, art, and parks everywhere i turn,

the ability to order a drink whenever i want,

the comfort i've developed in this city,

& the darling accents i've gotten so used to hearing.

i'm making the most of this next week. through the goodbyes, the finals, the packing and the bittersweetness, i have a ton of things waiting for me upon my return. so london is going to get its fill of me over the next 7 days while it still can!

vampire weekend, janelle monáe, + ratatat

sabrina and i bought tickets to see ratatat and vampire weekend forever ago at the alexandra palace (fondly known as "ally pally" to londoners). on friday we met up with matt, tran, and lindsey when we got there, just in the nick of time to see ratatat!

[ratatat was awesome but not loud enough, and they

had some really bizarro moving portraits on the screen behind them]

[me, tran, lindsey, + matt]

i'll be honest, i didn't know who janelle monáe was until that night, so i really had no interest in seeing her. but apparently she's a big deal. i thought she was pretty eh, but whatever, i was there to dance to some cape cod kwassa kwassa with the rest of the indie kids.

[vampire weekend! and some cool light]

[BALLOONS!]

[sooo much confetti, perfect ending]

[sabrina's shirt]

vampire weekend played a great set! plus, the lead singer ezra koenig isn't too bad to look at. let's just say he was wearing a scarf, and many of you know how i feel about men in scarves...(positively).

on the ride home sabrina and i were the only ones in our tube car, so we had fun messing around until a dad and his son joined us at the next stop. oops, time to take my feet off the seats.

[14 days!]

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

i am sitting here, snow outside my window, listening to christmas music, and reflecting on the fact that i have had the best week and a half ever.

my best friend came to visit me all the way from home!

i'm done with all but one class!

it's been snowing for three days!

i finished my last assignment of the semester!

everything is decked out in christmas decorations!

i'm a happy happy lucky girl.

a summary of erin's visit:

harry potter in the odeon, the theater that the premiere was at. shopping, shopping, and more shopping. a delicious thanksgiving dinner that just wasn't the same without our families. a skype date with every member present at labelle family thanksgiving. a wonderful hotel room, complete with the most comfortable beds ever. breakfast at the wolesly. vogue paris meeting occurring at the next table. harrod's. heaven. ice skating in hyde park. design museum. somerset house: dior exhibit and tiffany courtyard. shopping and wagamama covent garden. phantom of the opera. happiness.

[the hotel lobby! tree!]

[her majesty's theater]

after erin left i was sad and ready to come home. i love london, but it's getting to be a sentimental time, missing the end of the semester at chapman and the usual christmas festivities around the house.

AND THEN IT SNOWED.

you guys,

heather sweetly woke me up to snowfall on tuesday morning, knowing how excited i was for it to snow. SNOW! i actually cannot remember seeing snow fall ever. i think i must have seen it at some point in my life, i mean, i've been in the snow, but i don't think it's ever just fallen from the sky on me?

on tuesday mo and i braved the weather to take some street style pictures for an article we are writing, and oh my gosh. it is so cold. soooo cold.

on wednesday sabrina and i went to greenwich to see the maritime galleries, queen's house, and royal observatory. SO MUCH SNOW. we were so cold the whole time, and although we probably never stopped complaining, and i definitely fell down at one point, it was really fun to see the beauty of it all!

[that's the prime meridian...two hemispheres at once!]

so i only have 2 more classes over the next 2 weeks, which is great. it gives me plenty of time to pack, christmas shop, and say goodbye to an amazing four months! 17 days left...