Summer Reflections

I've been having the 'summer-went-by-so-fast' conversation a lot.

Truth is, it's not the speed, but the absence of doing so many of the things I had planned. It's not that it went by too fast, it's just that part of me must have been hoping there would be an extra week hidden away somewhere so that I could live out my summer the way I had pictured it. 

So far, that does not seem to be the case. So instead I'm trying to focus on all of the great things I did do, and all of the things I have to look forward to.

Kale Pesto

The day of my birthday (having gone out to celebrate the night before) my friend Jess and I woke up hungover, sleepy, a little whiny, and in definite need of a good lunch. Luckily the newspaper that day had an awesome collection of recipes involving kale. We quickly decided that kale pesto would make the perfect meal, and it definitely did not disappoint.

I've never posted recipes before, but this one was too good not to share.

If we're going to be completely honest here... I ate all the leftover pesto with a spoon last time. It's that good.

This batch came out a little bit chunky because I was just using a blender instead of a food processor. Luckily I was happy with the outcome either way! 

Magic Gardens

A few weeks ago, my friend Daniel visited me from the UK. Having people visit you in your home city is fantastic because you get to play tourist all day, and rediscover all of your old favorites.

One of these things was the Magic Gardens. Right on South Street, it's a space covered entirely in mosaic art. It's beautiful from the outside, but you really have to go in to get the full experience.

Weekend pictures

Over the weekend, Alex and I visited his family in Devon. It's pretty great being able to go 'home' for a weekend even when I'm in England.

On Saturday we went for a walk on Dartmoor. After being in London for so long, it's pretty incredible to spend some time looking at such a beautiful landscape.

Moving Day

Moving out was abrupt.

Not the process. Getting everything together took far longer than expected, from checking in with the storage place to the 'last few' things I needed to pack up. It was a long day for me, and for Alex who somehow managed to power through helping me all day while dealing with my grumpiness.

I imagined having some sort of goodbye with my room. Taking a couple of pictures, hanging around for a bit reminiscing on the year.

But by the time my final items had found a nook or cranny in one of the bags to be shoved into, neither of us felt like hanging around any longer than we had to.

I won't miss the loudness or the dirtiness of student halls. I won't miss lugging tons of stuff back and forth between my room and Alex's, somehow always forgetting something I meant to bring. I am so much more excited to be living with Alex when I come back in the fall.

But there was something comforting about having one small space in London that was all mine. It was my first home here, and I'll miss it.

A wave of nostalgia hit me as we closed the door-- suddenly this room, this space of mine, was gone.


And I have not even a picture of an empty room to share.

On Homesickness

Today I was caught off guard by the first wave of homesickness I've felt since moving to London in September. I've been thinking about summer a lot, and looking forward to spending some time in Philly. But I also know that after about a week I'll be missing London tons, thinking every day of how I can't wait to get back here. I guess that's the problem with feeling settled in too many different places-- no matter where you are you're always homesick for somewhere else.

It's a familiar feeling, having first joined me when I started going to overnight summer camps as a kid. I went to two, and my experiences at each continue to be a huge part of who I am. Both felt like home to me. I spent the other parts of my year missing them, and my time at each missing the other, and sometimes missing home. Not that these nostalgic feelings took away from my experiences, just that they always seemed to be slipping around in the back of my mind somewhere.

The more experiences I have, the more places I'm aching to call home. I frequently daydream about India. I miss the mountains in a way I've never missed of nature before. I miss how colorful it was and the people who were my family those three months. It's a strange feeling, knowing that I will never get those exact feelings back. I hope I will return to India some day, but my situation will be so distant from what it was.

It's stranger still feeling that I'm past the point of knowing where to call home. Just floating I guess, which isn't so bad. I like being in the in-between.

Family

Recently I was lucky enough to have my parents and sister come visit me in London. My Dad and sister Rachel had never been here before, and my Mom had only been one, when she came to help me move. It was lots of fun to go around and do all of the touristy things, and of course to spend some family time together. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Portobello Market

My Dad, Rachel, and I at Portobello Market

My family at Stonehenge! I didn't get to go because I had a lecture, but still thought it was a great pic

I never get tired of looking at Big Ben