latergrams from london & some musings on life abroad.

{a little bit of big ben // shoreditch // curry town exploring}

living abroad is tiring, you guys.  the only thing that went through my head before i embarked on this adventure of living/working/breathing new foreign air looked like the following: eating crepes and gelato and all of the french things on cobblestone streets while the sun shines and an accordion is playing in the back ground.  now don't get me wrong; that picture has definitely occurred (more than a few times, i'm happy to report!).  but what they never tell you is that you'll always be thinking about the next place to travel to before your time runs out, or that you'll be working two jobs so you feel like you can never really catch a break, or that you'll be pulling out your jeans more than once as a cool french spring is longer than most.  you'll hardly be able to stay in touch with loved ones back home because of the time difference (and you'll find out you're just plain bad at staying in touch..), and you'll strain your neck a bit closer each time your homestay-mom mumbles something to you in french (even though you still, like last time, don't speak the language).

but there will be good things too: that picnic by the seine and the first time the big ben came into view and that first bite of the belgian waffle that beats out all of the waffles in all of your 23 years.  more than a few times i've been walking along and reminded myself that experiencing this newness is what living abroad is all about.

"non, je ne regrette rien."

- edith piaf

are you from london?

{from green park to buckingham to st. james' park}

{westminster abbey to big ben}

{wandering along the south bank: riding the london eye to shakespeare's globe}

{stumbling upon borough market and taking in the tower of london}

{PIE and notting hill and fish n' chips}

{a lovely tea time near king's cross}

why have i never heard anyone wax poetic on the loveliness that is london?  i know that it rains 96 percent of the time and the city is definitely NOT known for its food, but it was a wonderful 70-ish degrees all weekend and how can you not love a city that prides itself on its meat and fried things!? (fun fact: meat pies are one of my favorite foods. don't worry, that fact weirds me out, too.) london is also odd because they serve their beer with ice cubes, their street signs come up to my knees, british girls wear scrunchies unironically, AND they drive on the left side of the road (evidenced by the fact that Teeba was 2.5 feet from being run over by a double-decker bus).  even more, we went to a comedy fest where we were called out as being american in a 100-person room and the comedians proceeded to call me "woo girl" all night.

despite these minor drawbacks, i fell in love with another city this weekend with wonderful company by my side and a strong desire to answer "oui, oui" and "merci" to every british person with whom i spoke.  I'M BECOMING FRENCH, Y'ALL!

"human beings are a work in progress that mistakenly think they're finished."

- dan gilbert

this weekend, we:

sat on the edge of the seine and ate foie gras and drank mojitos and felt uber french

ate black sesame ice cream sandwiches and thai food in the luxembourg gardens and tried on floor-length leather dresses in a vintage shop 

drank wine out of baby bottles and dipped many things in cheese fondue and almost got kicked out of a restaurant (IT'S CUS WE'RE AMERICAN)

went to my new-favorite-museum-in-the-whole-wide-world l'orangerie and had the best macaron in paris and drank bubble tea with little handles 

went to a jazz fest and set up our picnic next to a man playing his guitar (did he know he was at an event... for listening?)

watched france kick honduras's derriere and ate a croque monsieur the size of a large baby.

it was grand.

"there are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in paris."

- ernest hemingway