A Fabulous Journey!

So now I am in the 2nd week of December and I am COMPLETELY SHOCKED by how fast this trip has gone! I've seen the sights of England, shopped in London, visited the cathedrals of Barcelona and climbed the Eiffel Tower. It is incredible how much of the world you can see within' such a small amount of time. I've truly had an amazing time here...three months definitely wasn't enough! I hope to come visit and discover more of Europe in the future :-)

Lately I've been organizing my packing (which will take days to accomplish) as well as finishing some school work. I leave THIS Saturday; which again is shocking!!! Once I get back I plan to tell everyone of my adventures during these glorious months abroad.

Well now I must pack, this is short and sweet as my last entry! Thanks to all who followed my journey, please let me know through my e-mail if you have a friend or if you yourself plan to go abroad to Europe; it truly is an incredible experience.

<3 Ari

Discovering the streets of Paris!

A french Beret!

Notre Dame.

Views from the Eiffel Tower!

The streets of Paris.

Gorgeous architecture.

Le Louvre!

The river Seine.

The Eiffel Tower!

Last weekend I went to one of the mostamazing cities of the world: Paris. Now before I took this trip I must admit that I had SO many expectations! After visiting I have come to this conclusion...Paris is one of the most fantastic cities I have ever seen!

I arrived in Paris through the Eurostar which is an EXTREMELY fast train that rides from London to Paris at literally the speed of light. While on the train I was looking outside my windows watching trees pass by in a blur. As soon as I left the train I felt as if I was stepping off a spaceship (in a good way!). I think the difference between a train and a plane is that once you get off a plane you take about 30 minutes to get out of the airport...a train is like instant arrival into a new world!

After taking the metro and practicing my french (which wasn't too bad after 6 months of dormancy) I met up with my friends and we toured the city. We walked around the River Seine while gazing at the beautiful french architecture. I have to say that the french construct their buildings as if they are pieces of artwork! I must have looked a bit silly taking pictures of every building (whether it was a store or apartment) yet I was genuinely amazed. Paris as a whole has the unique ability to maintain it's history while adding a modern flair to the city streets.

Once I had finished admiring the Parisian architecture I casually strolled into Le Louvre and gazed at the Mona Lisa. After seeing this famous painting for years in my textbook it was truly surreal to be standing less than 15 feet from a masterpiece! The next day I woke up early and headed straight for one of the most famous landmarks of all time...The Eiffel Tower! The line to get in the elevators was about 30 minutes long...yet it was SO worth the wait! The elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower was really fast as it escalated into the clouds. Once I reached the top I had a birds eye view of Paris.

Later that day (after having a delicious banana and nutella crepe) I headed to Notre Dame, one of the most famous Gothic churches of all time. The dramatic exterior of the church had such detail; carved with beautiful angels and innovative gargoyles! Once I entered the church I gazed at the breathtaking architecture. There is something about the inside of a Gothic church that is so beautiful!

My friends and I then bought some french berets and toured the city streets. We decided to head into Les Invalides and see the resting place of the great Napoleon! The building was incredible; a large, beautifully crafted dome shaped building filled with intricate gold designs. Napoleon really had an incredible influence on the history of France! I later headed to a sculpture museum where I saw some of Van Gogh's work, which was gorgeous!

At night I headed to a kebab shop and then strolled around one of the most expensive areas of Paris at the Galaries Lafayette. There I contemplated purchasing a "Longchamp" bag; a french designer label sold for slimmer prices in Paris :-) After my shopping experience I once again walked the streets of Paris and gazed into the local boutiques!

Paris was WONDERFUL! I think I will definitely plan to visit once again and practice my french :-) I keep repeating the song "April in Paris" in my head...willing it to come true!

Until next time,
Ari <3

Taking a trip to Barcelona!

Barcelona City Streets

Breathtaking Fountain de Montjuic

Plush surroundings

La Sagrada Familia

On top of the Castell de Montjuic

So last weekend I took a weekend trip to Barcelona, Spain and ABSOLUTELY loved it! Spain is indeed a beautiful country and the city of Barcelona is fantastic. Picture this: Nice weather (For late fall about 60's isn't too bad!), beautiful buildings and great shopping! Barcelona has a very artsy vibe as it is where several artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Antoni Gaudi really flourished with their work.

Once I arrived in Spain I checked into a hostal with my friends from Wesleyan and the immediately woke up and started my day! I visited the Gaudi houses and saw amazing architecture. Gaudi created his innovative designs through inspiration from nature! (You can see one of his designs above!) One of his most famous works, also one of the most famous landmarks in Barcelona, is the Sagrada Familia which is a Roman Catholic Church. The Sagrada Familia is STILL being built and is not expected to be completed until 2026 which is WILD, yet beautiful!

Later I visited the museum of one of my favorite artists of all time: Joan Miró! He is noted for his modern designs and creative incorporations of interesting colors. It felt almost surreal to be less than an inch from some of the most famous pieces in the world! Visiting the Miró museum also got me inspired to create a few pieces of artwork myself :-) I actually first came across Miró in 6th grade Spanish class when I needed to do a presentation...I've loved his work ever since!

In the middle of the day I headed to the Montijuic castle which overlooks Barcelona (as it is on a hill) and is surrounded by the sea. It was BEAUTFUL! The views were amazing, I felt like I was on the edge of the world! After seeing the water, I was inspired to visit the Beach where I had dinner with friends and enjoyed some Spanish cuisine as the sun set :-)

After walking around the city (and taking the incredibly clean metro!) I headed to "El Barrio" or the old area of Barcelona. I've come to the conclusion that European cities are breathtaking! In the middle of the old town is Catedral de Barcelona surrounded by countless alleyways and winding streets with cute shops and cafes. By the end of the night I headed to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. I have NEVER seen a fountain so awesome! The fountain itself was huge; complete with flashing lights, intricate combinations of water shows and music. I honestly felt as if I was watching the opening for the Olympics!

In between all of this sightseeing I visited various cafes and restaurants where I had traditional "Spanish" food. Personally, I wouldn't say the main courses are my favorite...but the "tapas" or small Spanish snacks were excellent! It was kind of funny because I feel as if my Mom is ahead of her time, making tapas whenever she can! Also, churros con chocolate, or sweet sugar bread dipped in chocolate are SO delicious! Overall, I would say that Spanish snacks and deserts are great!

While visiting Barcelona I also got to practice my Spanish properly (which I haven't done in SO long!) and I actually surprised myself! From walking around and speaking with locals, I've found that I not only still understand Spanish but can speak enough with others to get by. That was quite a positive element to my trip knowing that once you learn a language it tends to stay ingrained in your system!

IT was GREAT to visit Barcelona! I think Europeans don't know how good they have it; they could travel to another country close by by plane within' two hours. Some parts of the states takes 5 hours to get to! From this experience, I have seen that I need to take advantage of the proximity of other countries. This weekend I am heading off to PARIS! I am so excited, yet still in shock that I just casually visited another country last weekend...this experience is AMAZING!

Until next time,
Ari <3

Traveling the World!

So a couple weeks ago I was in an AWESOME fashion show for the Afro Caribbean Society at Royal Holloway. There were really some interesting designs there that the students created (they really do have style over here in the U.K!) They had classic African clothing and then modern clubbing outfits. It felt awesome to wear some authentic African clothing :-) You can see the outfits above!

On Halloween I headed to London to hang with some Weslyan friends. London is pretty cool during Halloween, yet they aren't as original as the U.S.A. PLUS they are REALLY scary! I can't tell you how many zombies I saw. At one point I forgot it was Halloween and was riding home on a double decker bus when a zombie came up the stairs. It took about a minute for it to register that he was "dressing up" as a zombie. I'm telling you for about five seconds I was thinking: Ahhhhh!!! Overall though, Halloween was a cool experience.

Last weekend I had an EXCELLENT visit from my parents, we went to the Tate Modern, cruised by the Globe (where Shakespeare performed his works!) and had dinner in the most incredible restaurants. One of the restaurants, called "Amalfi," we discovered by chance! It was probably some of the best Italian food I have ever had! One night we went to the famous Ronnie Scotts, a famous jazz club in London. The music was excellent! It was great to hear the art of jazz. We also met up with a family from back home in Chatham and had DELICIOUS Lebanese cuisine. People say that the food in England is bad...you see the key to this is to only eat international food; then you're perfect!

This weekend I'm heading off to Barcelona to see the beautiful sights of Spain! I'm so excited, I hear theres amazing architecture with tons of history, breathtaking views and famous museums. One of my favorite artists of all time, Joan Miró, was born in Barcelona; so I will definitely be heading there to see his artwork! Barcelona is also surrounded by lush beaches (and I hear it will be high 60's while I'm there!) so I may have to take a stroll on the beach on my downtime.

I can't believe it's already November 12th! In exactly a month I'll be back home in New Jersey, which is crazy! I already think London is incredible!!! There's so much to see, I think it may take 5 years to see ALL of London.

Until next time,
Ari<3

Checking out landmarks!

The weekend before last my study abroad group and I traveled north to the "Lake District". The Lake District is so far north that it's actually incredibly close to Scotland (maybe about an hour). From London this is about an 8 hour bus ride through the English countryside...which is UNBELIEVABLY gorgeous! I thought that living in the East Coast would expose me to the nicest scenery...yet I was wrong! The British really know how to keep their natural areas scenic, clean...and STUNNING. The countryside is full of wide open trimmed grasslands (Think the Sound of Music) with breathtaking hills and beautiful trees. To top that off, the area is full of farm animals; there are cows, horses, pigs and MANY sheep. Now I think I know where the concept of counting sheep to go to bed comes from...

While in the Lake District I participated in Adventure Weekend where I did some really cool activities. On Saturday morning I went horseback riding throughout the beautiful English hills! In the afternoon...I went abseiling. "Abseiling" involves suspending yourself backwards over a large cliff and then repelling downwards until you can climb to the ground. It was SUCH a rush, but really fun!

On Sunday the group and I ventured into the neighboring town and sat in a small cafe. In this cafe I had a cup of hot chocolate and the most amazing Scottish scone ever! It seriously looked like on of those biscuit commercials you see on the T.V! I think I was really excited about the English experience of sitting in a cafe!!!

LAST weekend I headed off to one of the most famous landmarks...STONEHENGE! In case you didn't know, Stonehenge is a prehistoric landmark created before 2000 B.C!!! It was truly incredible to actually see a famous location that I've read about in history books throughout elementary school! Later I visited Lacock with it's beautiful Abbey.

In other news...last Wednesday I started my radio show on Insanity! In the show I play my favorite American Pop tunes while speaking about current pop news!!! It was SO much fun; I got to control all the equipment, speak with the many listeners and really learn how to create my own flow on the radio! I now have an official time for my radio show:

INSANITY RADIO SHOW-
TIME: Wednesday's from 11:00-1:00pm; TO LISTEN: Go to-http://www.insanityradio.com/ and press listen! If you have ANY requests or want a shout out, text: 011-44-07807-340-535
(Yes, that's a long number!)

This week I'll be in a fashion show for the ACS (Afro-Caribbean Society) where I will be wearing traditional and then modern African outfits, should be pretty cool! I then have a radio show on Wednesday and for the weekend I shall hang out in London!

Other than fun social activities...classes are great!!! They are really interesting, especially my Hitchcock and Point of View class. I've learned so much about film and I've discovered that the mechanisms of creating a film has ALOT to do with psychology; quite a coincidence :-)

Until next time,
Ari <3

Seeing the sights!

So this weekend I think I visited one of the most STUNNING places on Earth! On Saturday my friends and I journeyed to Bath, England (About a 2 hour train ride from my Uni) and arrived in Paradise. The city of Bath is located in the English countryside, so it's surrounded by plush greenery, breathtaking hills and beautiful trees. It has the subtle glory of the countryside complete with steep hills that remind me of San Francisco. Now...we all know that the countryside is gorgeous, yet what makes Bath ESPECIALLY incredible is it's city. It has beautiful European architecture, yet it is incredibly clean with some of the coolest shops you can imagine. (With the addition of some of your high-end stores.) I think what makes it the most intriguing is that it has a great combination of old and new.

Now for the history...Bath, England is known of for it's ancient Roman Bath's and incredible Roman architecture. Someone told me that for centuries the Romans visited Bath's bubbling springs, which spew thousands of GALLONS of boiling hot water everyday! Pretty cool I think :-) Once I visited the Bath museum I was in shock. The Roman architecture still stands strong with several large, Roman Baths filled with turquoise blue waters. Inside of the museum I saw several artifacts used by the Romans that were especially intriguing.

While exploring Bath, I also visited the Bath Abbey church...which again was GORGEOUS. I have no idea how a town can have such an abundance of incredible sights. The architecture in the church stood high, graced with detailed pillars and gracious sunlight...I was once again speechless. After seeing the sights in Bath Abbey, we visited the Fashion Museum that host's some of the most remarkable fashions from every era. It was so cool to see the variance of styles; and possibly how styles emerge from another decade.

After we saw the museums, my friends and I decided to break into groups and explore all parts of the city. AGAIN, I couldn't take my eyes off it. The picturesque streets, beautiful parks, and amazing shops we're enough to get my mind buzzing for hours. In the middle of the day I stopped and had some tea. (Pretty British of me). The small cafe was called "Tea Emporium" where I had a sip of "Hawaiian Cocktail" tea...well it was so good that I had to buy a bag to share with people in the states!

Bath is probably one of the most amazing areas I've seen so far...truly a gem of a city. If there was a place similar to there in the states I'm sure it would be publicized all over!

Throughout the rest of the weekend I went to London (twice) and did some sightseeing! In one day I saw Buckingham Palace, House of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and Greenwich...which really only took a couple hours :-) That's the thing about London, it's SO incredibly historical and interesting AND it is easy to get around. On Sunday I went to one of the markets in London to do some shopping, and the selections we're great! I'd have to say that the London markets are similar to Canal Street in NY...except there are ORIGINAL artwork and products that are unique. I'd say that some of the items you find are pretty rare...which is so cool.

At Uni school has been great. I would say that now I have the flow of classes down and they are so far so good! All of my classes are interesting in different ways, I come to lectures excited and ready for what I'll learn next. In my free time I've been hanging out with Brits and joining some cool societies. I recently joined Insanity Radio (student radio) society and applied to be a presenter (meaning that I'll have my own show). I was accepted to the station and now I have a show on Wednesday's about "American Pop". I'm still deciding on catch title for my show, yet I'm excited! The show should be for two hours on Wednesday afternoon and everyone in the states can listen to it through the radio. I will be sure to post a link to the website with exact dates and times as soon as possible :-)

This weekend I'm journeying off to North England to go on an Adventure trip with my program IFSA-Butler. There I will be exploring the area and the outdoors while doing some cool activities! I'm excited to see more of England; it's great to see all parts of this incredible country!

Until next time,
Ari <3

Into the Groove!

So now I can say that I have officially settled into my flat at Royal Holloway. Above you can see a picture of the ENORMOUS castle that graces the campus, it's GORGEOUS! For the past week, I've gotten into the student life here on campus. Not only do I love meeting new people, but I was also kind of curious to see if British students are any different from Americans. Well, after visiting various pubs, parties, clubs and dining halls; I've seen that British college students and Americans have a lot more in common than one would think! Learning that was pretty reassuring...letting me know that we're all kind of connected in some way.

One of the only HUGE differences I've seen is the vocabulary and presentation of food. When I talk to some of my friends at Uni (slang for University) I find my self repetitively asking...wait what was that? What does that mean? It's as if I need a small translator book sometimes! So far I've learned several slang words. Some of which are: biscuit=cookie, 20 quids=20 pounds (the world "quid" is equivalent to buck), if someone is standing in a "queue" they are standing in a line, "chips" are fries (which they eat A LOT of) and "crisps" are chips. When you board a train you may find a notice that says "mind the gap," which means watch out for the gap. There are various other funny phrases which haven't come to mind, but I'll use them for future posts :-)

In terms of foods...they pretty much have everything that Americans have, but less variety. They eat a lot of patatoes and such, but living here there has been a variety of meals that are pretty similar to the U.S. I think the big difference is the supermarket! America has it good, but it's nothing to be discouraged about. I would say that Bristish food isn't terrible, (as it is rumored to be) it's just not as creative and well-seasoned. Also, London is pretty diverse as it is so if I want I could get the best Italian or Indian (even though it's not my favorite) food around!

In other news...the other day I went to the neighboring town, Staines, (which is another adorable village) where there was an outdoor market. For some reason Brits love having Markets on Wednesday, which is pretty awesome...it's as if you NEVER stop shopping, which could be a problem in the future. I saw the movie "Fame" with some friends from school in the cinemas. The movie...well if you don't like the same highschool musicalplot I suggest that tyou DON'T SEE IT, but the experience was great!

As for classes...the reason I'm studying abroad. My schedule for classes isn't TOO strenious so it's nice to have the extra time to wind down properly. As of now I only have classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Monday I take the class: Hitchcock and A Point of View, a film class that so far is really interesting. (It's pretty cool to learn about Hitchcock in London!) Tuesday's I take my Developmental Psychology class followed by Psychoanalysis and Film. On Thursday I finish off with a beautiful two hour Sensation and Perception class (a requirement for psychology). So far the work consists of reading really interesting documents and texts, which is pretty cool. At home I'm pounded with papers every week, but here I feel like more of an adult as I read and then discuss topics with my proffessors.

On the weekends I like to get into London but during the week I frequent the events on campus. It's good to know that I have a nice place to come back to, get my studies on, meet interesting people & party during the week while I can go into London for weekends. Best of both worlds! Tomorrow night there's this huge Black Tie party on campus that I apparently "NEED" to attend. It's always fun to dress up and dance! Next week there are various parties on campus as well :-) This Sunday I'm popping into London for some sightseeing to visit the British Museum, take a boat trip along the Thames to Greenwich and then a visit to the Royal Observatory (Home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line).

I have been here for about 3 weeks now, and so far I feel like I've been here for about...two days. Everything goes by so fast! Lately I've been planning trips across Europe to Barcelona, Paris and possibly Switzerland, Italy and Amsterdam. When I look at my calender to plan, I find that I'm not really here for too long. Since I'm in study abroad program, all of October I'm visiting various sites of London. For most of November I'll be traveling around Europe and popping into London with some locals to see the Christmas displays, which are apparently incredible! After November, I'm in London for 2 more weeks and then off to Jersey! It's amazing how time can fly, but for now I'll just live in the moment!

Until next time,
Ari <3

Settling in!

LONDON!!! That basically outlines my sentiments right now. I feel like I'm still in shock since I have been settling in for only a couple days. This first week has definitely been going sooo fast! From plane flight to hotel to streets of London to Countryside I already feel like I've been in constant motion! So far though, things have been great.

After flying from Newark Airport on luxurious Virgin Atlantic (and watching the Hangover which was hilarious) I arrived at Hearthrow Airport right outside of London. The group and I (all the IFSA Butler students) were then transported by coach bus to mid-London. On the bus we had this hilarious British guide who dazzled us with his whit while we were driving across the hectic streets. We passed famous pubs and the "posh" streets of Notting Hill while we were cruising alongside the River Thames. After getting settled into the hotel right near the British Museum I felt so jetlaged! I think I was awake for more than 24 hours...but the shock of London could keep me up forever. After dinner that night, I cruised the streets with some other students and checked out a British pub. The place was pretty standard; there were several Brits with long coats and large pints of beer laughing and discussing their hard days of work. Pubs seem to be the social joints in London where people go to hangout and wind down.

The next day I got to check out the streets and shop a bit. The weather isn't too bad, it's actually quite comfortable. Sky is pretty overcast with a couple hits of sunshine, and the "pavement" is incredibly clean! London is such a mix of fast paced life with classic architecture, which makes it absolutely gorgeous. I sampled some British fish and chips, which were really good. Covent Gardens, an area full of shopping, markets and really nice restaurants, had these street performers entertaining the streets. I absolutely love the city, seeing such new and interesting people combined with gorgeous vintage streets and buildings is bliss :-) That night I bargained with a club promoter to let me into this hip club for 5 pounds (when it was originally 20 pounds). It was really cool; 3 floors with all different kinds of music and tons of people! I would say that's better than any of the clubs I've been to in the states.

Yesterday I arrived at Royal Holloway, which is about 40 minutes from the city in the English countryside, or the suburbs, of Surry. The campus is gorgeous. There is a castle, and I mean LITERALLY a HUGE CASTLE in the middle of the campus that looks like Hogwarts in Harry Potter. The campus is surrounded by large, plush trees and beautiful buildings. I think one of the most amazing parts so far, ( other than living in Hogwarts ;-) ) is my bedroom. It's pretty much a palace. A large COMPLETELY NEW room with tons of shelves, a KING size bed, a nice window and....drumroll please...my own private bathroom! Each flat, or apartment, in my building has a bunch of rooms with their own bathroom and a brand new kitchen at the end!

Recently I've been going out throughout the day and at night meeting some really interesting and cool people around the campus. There are TONS of international students and also lots of British kids as well. It's always so exciting to meet new people, it's almost like meeting different parts of the world.

Well, that was a detailed account of my first couple days abroad!

Until next time,
Ari <3