NYC -- The Kindest City

I have yet again stumbled upon some gold.  I don't know how it happened, but I know I've found it.  Somehow I am surrounded by people who inspire me to be a better person. Somehow, this week I became even more aware of the kindness that surrounds me.

I have already spoken about my incredible living arrangements, but the peace of the apartment and the hospitality of my roommate have made the late nights pleasant.  No matter the time, I know that I will walk in to a friendly face offering me food or tea to make my late nights at work a little more enjoyable.

The truth is that the late nights of work haven't been bad at all.  And that is only due to the incredible people I work with. They really are some of the kindest people I've ever met.   You know the amazing feeling when you look around and the people around you amaze you and make you think... Do I treat people like this? Would I have their patience? Would I be this considerate.  They keep in mind the fact that everyone around them is fighting a battle of their own. Therefore, they make sure that they do not cause any extra stress, grief, or problems.  It's truly amazing, and it became obvious this week.

My week started at the firm.  In the usual conference room with the 11 to 12 other people that sit in there.  I brought in the cookies and everyone was thrilled to have them.  It was a slow morning, but everyone was chatty and as friendly as ever.  From Tuesday to Thursday, I was at the client site with the 5 other guys that work there from the firm.  I had sat there 3 days last week, so they knew me and were incredibly sweet to me.  The kindness started at the entrance to the building. 

Since I do not have a pass to the client's building, I have to stop at the door, present my ID, and one of the 6 men working the front desk has to check the list to see that my name is on it.  I had done this last week, so I was very familiar with the process, and I knew which guy was assigned to my floor. I went straight to him. He recognized me and said, "you're back! I need to start remembering your name!" And then he quickly searched through the list.  Of course... my name was not on it, but he called upstairs and gave me the pass.  While we waited, he asked me about the Super Bowl and whether I thought it was getting warmer out or not. Super nice! And everyday after, he didn't even ask for my name. Such a great way to start a day... a friendly face always ready to chat.

Then I head upstairs to the conference room with 5 guys under the age of 25.  The whole team has the driest most hilarious humor.  I spend my days holding back tears while I work, because I'm laughing so hard... Now just picture that humor in a tiny room and with only 5 guys and me.  It was hilarious.  At the same time, however, they were so considerate and kind.  Everything they thought of that I could need or want to learn, they included me.  They were so encouraging and inclusive... I was shocked beyond words.  Even among themselves, they messed around, but most of all they helped each other, focused, got the work done, and encouraged the team.  No one stressed about the daunting deadlines that occurred this week and they made sure that everyone was happy while working.  If someone needed help, they immediately dropped everything and helped.  If someone needed encouraging words about something they kept messing up, they came with ease. They are not paid to do this, no one told them to do this to impress the lowly intern.  I'm pretty sure if they had been told to do it, they wouldn't know what people were talking about.  They are just 23 and 24, it's clear that they act just like they would if they weren't at work.  It's so absolutely lovely to watch.

On Thursday night, the team celebrated the press release with a group karaoke outing. All 30 + members were there.  Again, kindness shone through. There is one guy who is from India and is here on rotation until April. When some of the girls asked him if he was going, he quickly said no, because he didn't know the words to most songs.  The girls quickly assured him that the words would be on the screens, and convinced him that it would be a blast.  He ended up coming, and just like the rest of us, he had a blast.  We had a room to ourselves, like 8 screens with lyrics, and a whole lot of fun. As we walked out of the building Friday night after work, I asked him if he had fun and he said, "it was amazing, it was one of the funnest nights of my life." Ok... maybe that could have something to do with the fact that after karaoke at like midnight, the guys took him out... but still. Every hour of every day the team checks on him to make sure he's ok.  During his first snow here, they all made sure he had a coat and boots that would keep him warm.  During our lunch hour they took him to get a cell phone, they helped him with the move, and they constantly make sure he's ok.  Now, again, this is not an order from above... this is just them caring.  They ask about his home, about his family, and about his culture with honest interest.  It's inspiring.

Work makes up 90% of my week, but the kindness in people reaches outside my work environment as well.  Working until 11 or midnight cuts into any possibility of meeting people for dinner or anything, but people from home that now live in the city continually keep me posted on things that are going on.  They know that the answer is likely to be no, yet they keep inviting me and including me.  It is just sooooo nice!

Basically, with the repetitive routine that is work... I have found it amazing to be surrounded by such incredible people.  They continually challenge me to question if I would act in such formidable ways if I was in their shoes.  It's definitely not what I thought I would find in a 9-5 job and life in the big city, but I'm thrilled that I did.

So... I'm fully aware this week's post is not as interesting, but aside from work and karaoke, this week involved showering and sleeping. I didn't have time for much more until Saturday. Saturday I finally got to meet up with Marion for brunch and it was great to catch up! After that, I felt like I needed to stay outside of the apartment and enjoy being outside while I could.  Since it was... you know... FREEZING, I knew I had to keep moving. So I walked... and walked.. and walked.  Next thing I knew I was at Washington Square Park (4th)... I started on West 84th.... I definitely got a lovely walk and enjoyed the city, but my legs were worn out! I headed back up on the subway and decided to go into the Barnes and Noble on the corner of my apartment. And I was shocked!!! I found people everywhere sitting on the ground reading! It was great!!!! I picked up a book and when I realized it 2 hours had gone by!!! At around 7:30 I headed back home and enjoyed my amazing bed!

Now it's Sunday and I've been washing clothes, making chilli, and getting ready to go grocery shopping.  The excitement is astounding.... so I better go.  I have to get quarters before the banks close or I won't be able to do laundry!!!

Work. My Not So Cheesy NYC Movie.

What a week!!!!! Amy warned me it would be busy. Everyone warned me it was busy season and it would be... you know... busy.  But jeez!!! I didn't see it coming! Not like this!

I talk about how my life reminds me of cheesy movies without the cheesy, but guys... the struggle is real.  All these pretty people look so glamorous going to work in their fancy coats, making a difference, blah, blah, blah.. but y'all... You have to get up every morning and try to make yourself look presentable and then you have to struggle to just meet deadlines.  Real life = not glamorous.  

[WARNING, this could get graphic]  

First struggle daily. The alarm.  When you are at the office working until 11 pm. Seven o'clock feels ridiculously early! When am I supposed to shower? Um... don't think these people want to sit with me in a tiny conference room without me showering... So... when? Ok, fine midnight it is! That will mean my hair will be halfway dry in the morning and the struggles will only involve getting rid of frizz, huge bags under my eyes, and the exhausted look I've perfected over the years.  The later the nights... the more the makeup.  Except for you know... Wednesday, when I forgot to finish my makeup and just walked out the door. Poor people at work.

Second struggle of the day.  Yeah... I love the subway and I love my walk to the subway, but... to go to the client site, there was also a bit of a walk involved. Not too long, BUT, if you add the big bag I use to put my boots once I change into my heels and the huge laptop case and the paper work... yeah it's a long day. So Monday I walked.  I was fresh and ready for the new adventure.  New building in a  tiny conference room, but WITH 5 very funny guys that were very helpful and patient during my time there this week.  Monday, I was so well rested!!!! 

I was a bit concerned about the week because after my first two weeks, I felt the stress coming on the rest of the team.  Now, if there's something I am horrible at doing, it is watching other people stress. I hate it. I don't like not being able to help someone that's struggling!! And believe me, when you are an intern, all you are really good at is being a burden of questions on the actually busy people.  This week though... it was busy for me too!! I spent the week helping one of the 'Staff 2's' with his work.  If you'd asked me to do this 2 weeks ago, I think I would have cried, but this week... I even started to enjoy it! I like understanding what I'm doing!!! Although... I still asked a trillion questions and probably drove everyone crazy.  But they are just the best!!! If I had to describe the team (both at the client site and in our office) in 4 words, I would use: patient, sweet, funny, and helpful!  Oh yeah... maybe young too.  They are the best, and I am the luckiest.

Anyway... my days involved a LOT of work, late night till after 11... and lots of laughing.  But back to the daily struggle bus they skip in all these cheesy movies.  Tuesday felt like a joke.  I stayed up until 1 on Monday finishing some work and I woke up at 5 to finish it. No, no one asked me to do such a crazy thing, but... I really wanted to get that task done so we could keep going and didn't get behind.  So, I did it.  But by the time I was presentable and ready to go... there was no way I was walking with all my stuff. Soooo when that lovely yellow cab drove by... I took the chance and went for it!  Wednesday and Thursday turned out to be pretty similar as well... but what was I to do?  I legit didn't feel ok with my new schedule until Thursday.  When I got home at 11:40pm and realized I wasn't dead, I thought... I guess I could get used to this.  Do I want to? Still not sure.

Twice this week I also had that "Devil Wears Prada" moment when you have to take something from one office to the other and everything that could delay you happens.  Oh you know... the subway closes for construction, option 2 subway stops between two stations, and a taxi is out of the question because all the roads by the office are closed for the Super Bowl crap which has made that area an amusement park full of tourist without a care in the world... AKA they don't care that you have somewhere to be and you need to be there fast so you can get back to your Excel file in the other office. Jeez!  Anyway, as I was stuck in the subway for the second time trying to get back, I started thinking about that part in the movie where Anne Hathaway has to go get an early edition of Harry Potter or something and started laughing to myself, which led to some priceless staring.

Ok... so on Friday we ended up going back to work from the office on Times Square, so it was subway time again! I was actually feeling ok, which was a lot better than every other morning.  Maybe, it was the idea that soon I'd be back in bed... soonish... right? Anyway more work awaited me at the office, I did make it home before 11, and I did pass out on my bed.

Saturday was like recovering from the flu or something. I still can't figure out if I'm getting sick or just exhausted.  Either way...  I slept way too late and lounged.  Went to pick up some dry cleaning, dropped some more off, I shopped for ingredients to bake cookies for the office, and then lounged around watching Sex and the City with my roommate. Funny.  I'm aware. 

Conclusion... if my currently life was portrayed in a movie...Now, who would go watch that movie? No one, and that is why my life is NOT a cheesy movie.  But I do love it anyway! I wouldn't watch it, but I love living it... so I guess it works! A couple of extra sleeping hours wouldn't hurt though... right? 

A Coffee Shop Update

I'm back!!!!! Another week of work has passed. Unbelievable.  This week was more about getting into a routine and getting to know the team.  My daily routine keeps me thinking back to cheesy Netflix movies featuring Hillary Duff or someone equivalent... It freaks me out daily. No, my life is not as interesting and it definitely does not involve the interesting love life or cheesy story lines in my favorite movies, but it has New York. Ok... maybe that's all it has in common, but still.  I'm perfectly happy with it!



One would think that week two would be less nerve racking... but, it kind of wasn't.   Monday felt like another day 1....  It was week three though!!! Waking up was absolutely terrible! But the walk to the subway ALWAYS makes it better.  I love seeing the same people waiting for the subway and watching the same commuters on my cart.  This week I watched one lady make it through over half of Street Lawyer.  I saw her almost every day! Except for Wednesday... yeah I was running late Wednesday.  I hate not being able to roll out of bed, throw on a sweatshirt, and run out the door. It takes so much thought to look presentable for work and even more thought with this cold!!!!!



Monday was full off different projects, so I wasn't able to finish organizing the binders! Sad day!! On my way out, however, the team was ordering dinner.  I didn't, but as soon as they delivered it... I wished I had... Y'all.... I don't know where those burgers came from but I wanted some sooooooo bad!!!!!!!! I left desperate enough to consider stopping at McDonalds for dinner.  But I didn't, instead, I made a quick stop at the grocery store and got a delicious sandwich. But then.... I made it to the apartment and found my roommate making burgers.  Um... WHAT?!?!?! Perfection.  She is the best and made the most delicious burgers for us! Moments like this make me think I'm clearly where I'm supposed to be.  Yes people... I'm just talking about burgers.



Tuesday was supposed to snow, but the weather predicted like 1 inch, so I didn't think anything of it.  I went to work without my snow boots and by 10 am quickly realized that I had made a horrible mistake.  From our corner office we watched the constant, strong, heavy, snow fall from around 10 to 6 when I left.  It was sooooo cold and I was sooo not prepared.  The morning was slow at work, but by lunch time I was knee deep into a project that will take about 2 weeks.  So… by the time it was 7, those of us that didn’t have a long commute home couldn’t decide if it was smarter to stay and wait for the snow to stop or venture out before it stopped.  I decided to leave at 6, mid snowstorm.  The streets were empty, there was no one in sight, which is very rare considering I work in the middle of Times Square. It was a beautiful sight.  The sidewalks were completely clean on Times Square and the subway station was almost empty.   The subway was clean and also almost empty… but as soon as I got off on the upper west side I found about a foot of snow.  What was I wearing, you ask?  Oh you know… just flats.  Casual.  No sock, no nothing.  Might was well have been barefoot.  The 4 streets and 1 avenue really felt long…. But I made it and as usual just fell onto my bed.

Wednesday was going to be a long day… I knew it.  Lots of snow, lots of work, and then a work dinner.  Eek.  I’m probably the only 23 year old-old that dreads a free dinner, when it means a late night in the cold.  But… work was busy (much better than when there’s nothing to do) and stressful.  At 6, we all walked over to the restaurant, Keen’s.  Look it up, it’s a great, famous steakhouse.  The two partners on the engagement team planned this dinner for all 30+ team members and had rented a room for us with a special menus with a thank you note inside, bottomless wine and beer, and a great atmosphere.  I was slightly terrified for the dinner, because… after all…. These people all know each other, and I am the only intern.  And… I’m 1 of 2 new people.  It was a bit scary.


The start of the dinner was basically standing around chatting. Which was awk, because I only knew the people in my room… and lets be honest, we had been talking all day, so there really wasn’t much more to talk about.  Hahahha just kidding!  They really are great!  I ended up sitting at a table where the partner I met 2 summers ago sat.  He made the night pretty funny.  He had us going around signing a card in all the languages we could speak and then telling personal stories that had us all laughing.  He is great!   The purpose of the dinner was to have a last hurrah before busy season starts, and I think it worked!  At one point he stood up and started talking to the whole room about the busy months ahead.  He asked people to speak up about their concerns and people followed…. There were lots of worried people, but there were also lots of encouraging words about teamwork and flexibility of schedules.  It was great!  Then he started having people come up and speak…. Lots did… and then he said, “well… we can’t end this evening without having a few words from our intern.” OHHHHHH CRAP!!!!! What now??? They asked me how long I was staying with the team and when I said March 12^th, they freaked.  “What? You leave in the last two weeks of busy season!! No fair?!?! Can’t you stay??” Then the partners started saying, “well you have to come back March 28^th to celebrate with us!!! You have to fly up! We can see about expensing it!”  I was cracking up. I quickly said something about how wonderful the team has been and how helpful their patience has been (which is 100% true) and then they let me sit down… Whew.. nerve racking.  By 10:30 people were on their way out.  And then… the senior managers said the after party was at the Fiddler. WHAT?!?!?! No!! I have so much work tomorrow, how in the world can these people go out and stay out late and then show up to work at 9.  No way!   I escaped and tried to chase down a taxi for what felt like forever. It was late and it was late!!! Luckily I got to catch up with Amy, my best friend since forever, on the phone while I struggled to get a cab.  I think I made it home at around 11:30. Soooo late.  I was so confused by the fact that people could be going out at this point.  I barely could keep my eyes open long enough to shower.  Might I add that I had a deadline for Friday!!! And so did some others.


Thursday morning I showed up to work kind of early because I was concerned about getting everything done, and I really expected to see no one. But slowly, they came in.  And early! I quickly realized that the group that actually went out was pretty small. I was so relieved; I really was starting to think these people are superhuman.   The ones that did go out were miserable, and one didn’t come in until after 12.  Whew! They are just people after all.  Thursday was soooo long. 11.5 hours of non-stop work and I didn’t even finish a fourth of what I needed to do.  After lunch, I took a break and went with another girl to Duane Reade to buy snacks for the room. After 240 dollars we went to check out.  But… they had no large shopping bags. WHAT?!?!! I was ready to call it quit and return to work snackless, because I really had a LOT to do.  But, instead, the other girl stood her ground.  She said, “what do you mean you have no bags? We are about to pay $250…. Find some bags.  There are Duane Reade’s on every corner. Can’t someone bring some??? Can we see your manager?”  I was so impressed.  The manager came and said he was sorry and came back with two bags and gave us a bag they sell (for free).  When we were walking out I turned to my co-worker (she is my age) and said… “um… I’m so impressed, I would have left…”  She couldn’t’ believe it.  She was laughing so hard and kept saying, “you have to stand your ground! You cant just let that stuff get you!” After we made it back I told the room about our adventure, and I was thrilled to see that others felt the same way as I did.   I just cannot do confrontation! Glad she was there, because I would have returned to a hungry room without any food… I have to learn! That night, I left at 9 and was going to walk home, but it was too cold and late to walk the 40 streets and 2 avenues up….. Another day.  


Friday started early again.  The subway was packed!!! I felt trapped between people… smelly people.  But I got to work early and started my never ending work. I was interrupted by one of the managers who is on a 3 year rotation from the Netherlands. (Side note: her parents were Chinese in Vietnam and escaped to the Netherlands during the war. Their other option was Uruguay! Howe funny!) She interrupted because she wants to learn Spanish and I told her how during my time Germany I really wanted to learn Dutch.  So… she made it a rule that every day we would all learn a phrase in the languages represented in the room.  The first phrase, “Good morning, how are you?”  We put it up on the board and by the end of the day we had German, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Russian, and French. I think this will last about a week, but hey! We will all learn something!   Oh! Also… we will take a break because next week I will be at the client site… UGH! Once I really felt comfortable, here goes something new! I was promised that from the beginning.  The partner said, “as soon as someone feel comfortable with what they’re doing at the firm, we promote them so that they are again challenged.”  Ugh well I’m not promoted, but I’m certainly out of my comfort zone again.  New people, new office, new routine. Another adventure next week!


At around 6 or 6:30, I headed home with work left to do over the weekend.  I have a pretty big deadline on Thursday and in order to be ready to meet that deadline, I had some work to do over the weekend.  It turned out ok, because I headed home early! Once at home my roommate and I ordered some Chipotle and I headed to pick it up.  I had never had it and neither had she! We were pretty impressed and ate it over some Scandal! Gosh I love that show!!! 

I’ve named Saturday my recovery day! I don’t sleep past 10, because I don’t want to get my schedule off, but Saturday is my “lazy/cleaning day.”  I woke up at 9:30, and started my day. First on the list was grocery shopping.  So I headed out to Trader Joe’s, which was so packed that there was a line outside.  Miserable! But it was quick and they have great stuff! From there, I headed back and started laundry downstairs.  The building has washers and dryers that you can pay for in the basement!  While the laundry was downstairs, I washed my delicates upstairs, vacuumed, and straightened up my room.  Then… I started my work for the office.  Oh! And I got my syllabus for the internship class, so I started my work for that as well.  Quite productive!  


At night, my roommate made a thyme chicken, roasted vegetables, a delicious salad with homemade salad dressing, and brownies! We chatted while she cooked and then had a lovely dinner! Did I mention I hit the jackpot? I am trying to come up with something to make for next week! I’m really slacking! So far I’ve just made her crepes and mushroom and tomato cous cous.  I’m going to have to start thinking! Recommendations are welcomed!!!  After dinner we started watching one of her movies on itunes, but at around midnight it stopped downloading, and we headed to bed. 

Today was kind of a crazy morning and then I made a trip to the grocery story. Oh yea! My roommate recommended that I make a stop to look at a coat at the neighborhood’s goodwill and I went and it was a freakin brand new, $400 coat, priced at $40!!! And it was soooo cheap!!! Definitely bought it.  She swears by that goodwill, because she says it is where all compulsive buyers in the upper west side dump their unused clothes.  I mean.. I’ll buy into it! I’m a coataholic.  I’ll take it to the cleaners tomorrow! So pumped.  Now… it’s snowing again… and I’m sitting at a coffee shop!  The usual.  I really wish it would stop snowing though! And it’s supposed to snow tomorrow too!!!!!! UGH! Hahaha, I’m not going to lie though… It is a wonderful sight from inside any coffee shop!


Ok… so this week was just a work week. And I have a feeling the next months will be just work weeks with Saturdays at work, but I like it.  I really do.   I really like the people and I feel like everything fits.  I knew I was in the right place when on day 1 the girls at work started to talk about the Bachelor.  Ok, yes… I’m that lame.  And sidenote… yes… I’m really upset that today I will miss watching Sean and Catherine’s wedding life.  They will have to put it up on Hulu or something … or I will be devastated!!!!!! Hahaha. I digress. I love the sarcasm in the office and the patience that everyone has.  I feel like although everyone is very different, everyone is the same.  Am I making sense?

My days are also constantly entertaining due to the people I cross on the streets and see on the subway.  Yesterday I crossed a woman who was relentlessly apologizing to her 3 year old for having crossed the street when the light still said do not cross.  She kept saying “I know, I’m sorry, you’re right, we should never cross when the light is not green. I know…”  It was so cute!  I also enjoy being able to help lost tourists find their way to central park, it is sooo entertaining!!! I’m sure this gets old fast, but I love it so far!!! Oh… also today, I walked past a man who was clearly advertising for one of the hundred standup comedy shows… He stopped a lady and said, “are you a fan of sit-down tragedies?”  It didn’t hit me until after I walked past him, but I soon realized his next line was probably, “well if you aren’t, then you should come to our standup comedy show.” I legitimately laughed to myself for the next block. So funny!!!  

Anyway,  I just wanted to keep you guys posted and not get behind! Nothing too interesting!  I am making it my goal to start doing more stuff around the city, but considering the fact that busy season starts tomorrow, I can’t promise anything! I am going to start making plans thought!!! In the next weeks, I will be purchasing tickets for “If/Then” with Idina Menzel  and “Les Miserables” for my last day in the city in March.  Usually I wait and get cheap tickets, but these are the two shows that I am just dying to see, and since I haven’t really had time to see much, I am making myself buy them in advance so I CANNOT miss them! I will be getting good seats and I cannot wait!

Well, I’m off into the snow again!!! Hopefully next week will be more interesting!

Working 9 to 5! (or a little longer)

Oh man! It has been a while!!! Last time I posted, I was anxiously waiting for my work to start! I really feel like that was a decade ago.  You should all be grateful that I've been running around like a chicken with her head cut off, because you've avoided hearing dumb pointless stories. Haha! Well, I'm going to quickly run through these couple of week to catch everyone up.  But here are the highlights:
  - I love my apartment
  - I'm the luckiest person ever
  - I love my job and the firm I chose
  - I'm so grateful and lucky

DISCLAIMER... IT'S LONG, IT'S POORLY WRITTEN, AND I PROMISE LOTS OF TYPOS AND MISTAKES!!  (if this will bother you, stop now)

So lets start from the very beginning... where I left off:

Sunday (two weeks ago) was a quiet day,  except for my trip to the theater!!! Finally, I made it to the theater ! I walked down to 48th and sat at Caffe Bene for a while... Again, this is my favorite place for listening to conversations and taking in the city. Then about 45 minutes before the musical started, I headed down to the theater.  I was soooo excited to see Laura Osnes, who plays Cincerella.  I follow her on social media and have watched her incredible performances on Youtube from the very beginning of her career.  She is amazing!!

As soon as I walked in the theater I saw it.... There it was.. the most horrendous thing I've seen in a while. .....  I WAS MORTIFIED. The understudy board.   SHE NEVER MISSES A FREAKING SHOW!!! But that day.... she was sick. Yes. Laura Osnes was not going to perform. Seriously?!?! I paid for actual tickets to see it before she was replaced by some pop star!!!   Oh well! The show must go on, what can I say?  So I went in... sat in my awesome seat in the very back with the binoculars my roommate/landlady gave me.  It was perfect. I was surrounded by little girls.  So precious!!! They were so excited.  By intermission I was able to move up to the front, because due to the snow, the turnout was pretty low. It was glorious. I teared up a couple of times.. no news there.  Gosh... musicals get me every. single. time.  There is something about incredibly talented people enjoying the opportunity to share their talent while simultaneously sharing a story and an incredible musical score. Whew! It's just so good. It was the perfect last hurrah before work.

 I'm not even going to try to sugar coat the cruel cold dark mornings that in endured to go to training in Secaucus, New Jersey... every day for five days straight!!!  Yes. That was my first week of work. In the morning I would walk the 6 or 7 blocks to the subway station.  Then the subway to Port Authority Bus Station, where I took bus 320x, which left from gate 231... NOT gate 320 (as listed).  Yes. The first day I got lost... but I had left extra time for those messes and still made it on time... actually waaaayyy early.  The way back to the city in the afternoons involved a shuttle to the Secaucus train station, a train to Penn Station, a subway, and the same 7 block walk home.  In the afternoons, due to the rush hour traffic, Lincoln Tunnel can be backed up for hours, and they did not recommend the bus. 

Ok, so let me try to explain the fist week...The first two days were introductions to the firm, we got our computers, our email, etc... they taught us how to report timesheets, and much more. It was fun to get to know people! I happened to sit at a table with a girl from Alabama and Texas A&M.  I don't think you guys realize how strange that is! No assigned seats... just kind of happened.  The others were all either from New York or very close by!  The training included Winter Inters, experienced hires, and first year staff.  I found Gennette at the training! She interned with me two summers ago! Then she interned last summer and did a client-serving internship (what I'm doing now). She took a semester off to work on the CPA and now she is starting full time.  Crazy! I was glad to see a familiar face and learned a lot about our intern friends.

On the first day of training we got done at around 5... so I headed back on the train.  Day two was a super early day at 2:30, so I headed back on the bus! A breeze! Just 20 minutes to the city.  Day three meant the beginning of audit/assurance training... I was lucky enough to be placed in the long winded room... which meant our trainers took their sweet time and we didn't get out until 7.  We were told in an email to show up at 9am that day, but they were told to report at  8.  So they were a bit upset that half of us weren't there until 9. Whatevs !They talked until freaking 7!!! So then I thought... oh I'll just take the bus... rush hour must be done! BIG MISTAKE! Took me 1.5 hours to get back!!! UGH.  Thursday was a repeat, but I took the train. And gladly Friday they let us out early and I took a short bus ride back to the city! 

My first week was pretty tiring because of all of the commuting and information we got constantly! But... we were well fed and had great company! I was surprised by how easy it was to connect with people, but then again... that was my experience with the firm last time.  You know how something just feels right? Well this city and this firm do!

Thursday night, after work, I met up with Adam, who is living in the city teaching with Teach for America, and Courtney, who was in the city from Oxford for a showcase that the theater department did in the city.  Courtney brought her friend Caroline, who also was performing at the showcase. We met up on the Upper West Side, pretty close to my house, at Sarah Beth's.  DELISH! It was a pretty cold night, so after some tomato soup and delicious grilled cheese we enjoyed a live trio (piano, standing bass, and guitar).  It was really delightful! After a week full of introductions and getting to know people... it was great to be surrounded by old friends.

After walking them to the subway station, I walked home and collapsed into bed as I had every other day! Kind of pathetic, but oh well... I'm the oldest 23 year old you'll ever meet.  Friday ended soon, so like every grown up... I rushed to the grocery store! Bahahah... but really!  I had an early night and enjoyed the daily nighttime conversations with my roommate.  She has the most incredible stories!! It in an absolute pleasure to hear them!!! She has lived so much! She is an Irish-American, so she has shared so much of the way she was brought up by that community. Incredible!!! I really hit the jackpot!

Saturday morning I woke up around 10 and headed out to meet Courtney and Caroline for brunch at a little diner close to my place.  I'd been there before when my boss/friend Penny came up for the Honors College alumni event 2 summers ago.  It's full of locals and I love it!!! After that, we walked through the drizzling rain down Broadway to my favorite little bookstore.  I wanted to take them, because they have a pretty great selection of plays! After a quick look, we continued our walk down to 48th, where our feet decided to rest over a cup of coffee at Caffe Bene. Y'all... it is my absolute favorite! Such a wonderful place to people watch!!!!!

Since Courtney's friend Caroline had not been to NYC since she was 13, we decided to head down to Washington Square Park and show her that area.  While out, I stopped at a Staples to get a nice journal to use at work to take notes.  I was a bit nervous at that point, but I wanted to be prepared.  There is also nothing I like more than shopping for office supplies!! I found the perfect journal and pens and then we headed out.  Since I was planning on making crepes for my roommate and I Sunday morning, we also toured some of my favorite little supermarkets and got fresh spinach, mushrooms, and goat cheese.  Yum! I've decided that in the future, I want to live in that area... highly unrealistic, but... a girl can dream!

At around 4, we dropped Caroline off at their hostel, because she was tired, and we headed to central park.  We still had some walking left in us.  There's something magical about walking through NYC with your best friend... I picture her bright future and I see her here! It's going to be a fun ride for her and I can't wait to see it happen!

It started pouring, so we headed to a store called Uni Qlo to buy some New York coats! And we found some!!! It was very exiting!!!! Once we were done, it was pouring outside!!! Soooooo we ran to the subway station, where I headed home and she headed to the theater to watch the Janis Joplin Musical.

Sunday was another day of lounging... Did I mention how lucky I am to be living where I'm living?  I woke up and made the spinach, mushroom, goat cheese crepes and we ate them while watching The Holiday.  It was incredible!!!! After that, I had to retire to my room, because I wanted to research the company that I would be working on.  So this is how it works... I was assigned to an engagement team.  The team has 35 people, which is huge in comparison to others.  They work all year on auditing this asset management company.  So I wanted to research the asset management company so I would arrive knowing what types of investments, funds, and investors the company had.  Basically, I was terrified.  Usually the engagement team works at the client site, but since our client has grown so much over the last couple of years, half of the team has to work from the Times Square Office. So... that is where I will be located! Yaaaay!!! That's where I was 2 summers ago, so I kind of knew my way around.  Still... I'm not going to lie, I was terrified!  I watched the golden globes and then headed to bed.

At 7:00 Monday morning, I was up!  Then my checklist: hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, coat, purse, computer... Ok? Ready to go.  So every day I walk to the subway station. This is my favorite part of the day... This is when I feel the most grown up.  Me and my long coat, walking to the subway.  It feels surreal.  I love it! Then I get to the station and I get to watch dads wave across the subway tracks to their wives and little children.  The toddlers wave through their huge snow coats.  It's precious!!!

Oh I digressed... Back to the topic.  So I took the subway and the first day ... I was an hour early! Of course... Typical. So I headed up to Cafe 22 and had some coffee! I waited around and at 9 I headed to the 29th floor...  Oh man... that was the moment.  Do I walk in and say hello? Will they know who I am?  What do I say? What if I'm the first one in?   As I cleared the corner another lady was walking in with me.  I tried to act like I didn't know if it was the right room and when she asked if I needed help finding the room, I said "no thank you, I think this is it! I'm your intern!"  Whew! Then the awkward began... so they are kind of crammed in there.  One room... 12 to 13 people. First like two people looked up and pointed out a desk.  I sat down. Got my computer out and though... "ummm... is noone going to speak to me? Like what do I do? Who gives me work???" AAAAHHHHHHH! The panic was hitting hard.  Then the senior on the team came and said, "hey welcome to the team (to me and this other girl who is starting full time). We are really busy this week trying to meet deadline Friday, so you might be light on work, but just read the UTB's in GAMx.  And get familiar with our work."  Then she sat down... I was like ... um... well they taught us how to open GAMx at the training, but what is a UTB?!?!?! So... like... Yeah I know accounting in the land of acronyms, but can you dumb this down just for today?!?!?!

A few minutes later, this guy comes over to us and introduces himself.  Soooo sweet! He works on capital and he was going to help us and give us our first assignment.  I swear this guy has the patience of an angel.  He reiterated that we should ask as many questions as we had, without hesitation.  The task, he said, was really complicate.  OH SNAP!?!?! Now what?????? He explained and showed us around on excel. All I could think was... how in the world are you getting from one tab to the other without using your mouse? how do you know what you're doing?? Please get me out of here now! Should I run and throw up in the bathroom really quick? Am I about to cry? Yikes! No joke, I was freaking out.  After a rough day, I got to leave at around 7:30.

I was exhausted when I got home, I just crashed!!! And then... day 2. What would I do??!?!?! Well, I went at it again.  After 30 minutes I realized I had made a horrible mistake somewhere.... SOOOOOOO I had to start over, but after a couple of hours, I had done as much as I could.  On to the next thing! Whew, this time it was simpler! And I got what he meant and I was semi helpful! It was so exciting!! The team turned out to be really funny and sarcastic! Everyone starting talking more and the atmosphere was amazing!!!

So... let me give y'all some background.  During my first internship I was paired with a partner of the firm.  He turned out to be amazing and let me shadow the team he led.  Then when I interviewed and got this internship he contacted me.  After a phone call in November, he asked if I would be interested in joining that team during my winter internship.  He warned me that the client was very complex, one of the largest asset management firms, and VERY busy during the winter (aka busy season).  Oh great! Well I couldn't tell a partner "thanks but no thanks" and I mean... better sooner than later right?  So the team I am on is his team.  On Monday, he had stopped by the room and when the team members told him that they had newcomers he responded, "oh I know! How long has it been Martina? Almost 2 years? I'm glad you're back!" I was so shocked!!!!!!  Then on day 2, I got a message from him in the company chat that said, "stop by my office sometime today before you leave."  So nice! By the time I got up there, he was in a meeting... So I sent him an email and headed home.  He said, no worries! Come back tomorrow and get home safe.  Now.. y'all... this is a partner at one of the largest accounting firms in the world.  It is unreal how nice the people are!!!!   The team was a treat and he was just so welcoming and helpful!   I went home tired but happy!


Day three was slow... which made it awkward.  There is a fine line between annoying busy people that are trying to make a deadline and being the intern that is lazy and doesn't ask for work when she doesn't have anything to do.  So I read the UTB (understanding the business) and some walk throughs of processes involving capital in the firm.  I was kind of excited, because I was really getting the hang of it! In the afternoon I went up to see if the partner was busy.  He wasn't, sooo I got to catch up with him.  He asked me about my family, my travels to Germany, my majors (YES HE REMEMBERED), and life outside of all that.  He was so kind.  Now... guys remember that the summer I was in New York I only met with him 3 times! He was so nice letting me shadow the team, but he wasn't there!! We met for breakfast with him and another guy who interned with me.  Unbelievable! As we chatted, he brought up that he had asked the team to put me on my specific assignments so that I would become exposed to capital, because that was the most complex part.  Ok... cool... so complex client, complex part, busiest season?!?!? Give me a break?!?!?!!  Who do you think I am!!!  Then he said, "now I know this will be challenging, but I want to challenge you because I know you're good.  However, if it gets to be too much, come see me and I'll take care of it.  I want you to have time to do things outside of work and enjoy yourself!"  Excuse me????? Like what is this man thinking? He's met me 3 times? I've never done any auditing? I barely made it through day 1 without throwing up!!!! And during training the girl that had interned with me told me lots of people we interned with did NOT get a job offer after their second internship.  Sooooo, please don't make me bite off more than I can chew!!! Legit he made me so nervous!! I hate expectations, they are the worst! As we continued  chatting, a partner walked by and he brought him in and introduced us.  It was a crazy surreal moment. As the other partner asked about my life and my plans for the future, this guy continued to tell him (as he knocked on wood) that if it was up to him, there was no doubt that I would be back... but sadly it was up to me! WHAT?!?! Excuse me, I must be missing something.  I guess this meeting should have made me feel more comfortable and less worried about getting an offer at the end of the internship, but instead, I left with all this pressure about what could end up happening if all these unfounded expectations come crumbling down when I actually start doing stuff.  Anyway... after the meeting, I headed back to the conference room and continued to work.

Day four started very slow... Again I worried about asking for work, fearing that I would be bothering all those that actually had work.  But then again, if I don't ask... then my reviews later might say that I never offered to help anyone... UGH.  So finally I reached out to the girl who started with me.  She's also a newby, so I knew I wouldn't bother her.  She was working on a project for the other half of the team that is located at the client site.  And... she said I could help!!! So she set me up on the work.  I finished it rather quickly and sent the guy a message saying I was done! He then nicely asked me about my first days and said I could sign off as preparer on the job. After that... the dull moments began... so after some minutes I reached out to the senior and said, "excuse me, you mentioned something about organizing binders yesterday... you said if there was free time, we could do that. Could I get started on that?" And she said YES!! So imagine me, girl who loves to organize, being handed the task of organizing over 50 binders, tagging them, and organizing over 15 huge boxes that are flooding the room.  That involves keep, give, and trash piles!   I was thrilled.  Everyone in the room started apologizing for giving me the job and I was thrilled!  One of the first years got me started and helped clear the room.  As soon as we got all the binders outside of the room, I showed the girl that started with me how to label them and I headed back into the conference room to organize the 3 huge boxes of supplies.  It was a blast!! (we are all aware I'm weird so lets try not to focus too much on that!)

As soon as I was knee deep into the project one of the team members looks at me and says, "are you busy right now?"  Um... seriously, do you see that I'm sitting on the floor covered in binders??? "Well" he said, "the other half of the team needs something done." Ok... let me put these boxes aside.... So there I go... Check my email and find my next task.. I knew this would not get done on that day, since it was already 4.  Well... I was working away when my nice little trainer from day one comes by and says, "are you busy?" Oh well... um... kinda... But I can finish this tomorrow... I think.  So off I go on to task three.  In the afternoon the senior managers (right under the partners) and the partners start stopping by to joke around and liven the mood.  My partner mentioned above stopped by and brought up a team dinner/happy hour to kick off busy season.  It has now been scheduled for next week on Wednesday at a very nice steak house! While the joking continued, I laughed and continued typing.  I finish task 3 and it is about 7:00. Well everyone is very aware that any overtime worked by the interns costs the team overtime, so noone really wants me to stay too late... So by 7:50 I'm out the door... WHEW!!! So much for a boring day! I LOVED EVERY MINUTE!

Sooooo...Friday... Grey day... Hard to get out of bed... and it was cold again! But I got to work early ready to go! Whew! I had work!!!! Oh... but when I walked in I found a senior manager ready to work.. on what you ask?  On a new layout for the room to maximize the space.  Since I was in charge of binders (which was my project 2 for that day), she wanted to talk to me about the room.  So we counted the carpet squares in the room and counted the amount of squares per table.... That led to some drawings on notebook paper... which soon turned into full out designs on excel!!!! YES! By the time the team came in, we had 3 options.  Well... we also all had several things on our to do list, so we left the remodeling for the end of the day.

I started on my project for the other half of the company... took 5 hour... and then... before I started on the binders, I thought I should ask if anyone needed any help.  Immediately one girl jumped up! Her task will probably take a day and a half.... so no binders for me just yet! I worked on that project until 5:00 and then headed home! It was a perfect day! The team joked constantly... we talked about Europe, traveling, anything you can imagine.  It's amazing how welcoming and funny they are! Great people all 12-15 of them!

From work, I headed straight to the grocery store. Yes! That was my goal, to make it to buy tomatoes so I could make a pita pizza to celebrate the week! As  soon as I got to the apartment, I cooked with some music in the background and then.... I just hung out! It was perfect!!!! I was sooo exhausted!

Saturday was the perfect quiet day of house cleaning and relaxing.  I watched Dallas Buyer's Club too! I highly recommend it!!! It was an incredible movie.  Then... bed.

ANNNNNDDD I've finally made it to today.  I apologize for the length and lack of cohesiveness of this post. But I wanted to catch y'all up! 


Today was a wonderful day! Slow start, lovely shower, and then off to meet my Oxford friends for brunch! It was wonderful!!! Conversation was terrific and it's good to see old friends! I was so happy moving up and knowing that Adam and Marion would be here, but since I have been so busy, I hadn't gotten to see them! After brunch, Marion and I walked down to Caffe Bene and I attempted to get tickets to a show.  Everything was sold out or overpriced, so I returned to Caffe Bene and sat for a good bit of the afternoon.   Around 4, I headed back home... walking! It was wonderful! I love this city, I love this experience, and I love the cold! (Good thing, because it's about to get a lot colder again!) Tonight, I enjoyed my bed and caught up with friends in Oxford.  It's been a great week and I'm excited for what the next one will bring!

New Year, New Adventure, New York

And.... she's back! After what felt like the longest hiatus on this planet... I'm back out of town. And much like I've done for the past 3 summers (and spring semester in Germany) I'm going to attempt to keep all of the craziness recorded here for the interested eye to read.

Where now?  Back to the big city to intern with an accounting firm until mid March! The city that captured my heart during my first visit in 2010.  There's just no place like New York!

I headed to the airport on January 1st with my three amigos! New year, new adventure! Mom drove, dad worked on his new years resolution, and Maia willingly got up at 6:30 am to come with us.  I'm the luckiest.  On the way up we talked about the excitement of going to the airport.  Always a new adventure, always something new.  Except for when you're actually leaving... you know that part still sucks.  Airports are such interesting places.  They are great for people watching... I remember waiting for Maia in Berlin last June... I remember tearing up watching grandparents waiting to see their grandchildren, who clearly lived outside of the country and were coming to visit.  The grandmother was holding a doll, and as soon as her little granddaughter came out, she handed it to her, they hugged, and I could see tears in the grandmother's eyes.  It all brought back many memories of goodbyes and happy tearful hugs that followed our arrivals back home to Uruguay.  As I said, airports are magnificent places, you get to witness overwhelming hellos and sad goodbyes all in one scene.

In my case, I said goodbye to my favorite three and headed off for my temporary home. I have to say, it is wonderful knowing that after all of my fun trips I always get to come home to my three amigos.

So with that in mind, I headed to the city.  My connection in Charlotte was very tight and thanks to US Airways (they told our flight crew the wrong time to report) we were delayed in Memphis.  Oh yes... My friend Matthew, who is also interning in NYC, was pretty chill about it, but the planner in me got the best of me. I went and asked and they put me on the later flight out of Charlotte.  Hey! It gave me an extra hour to have lunch! So that was fine! Matthew, on the other hand, didn't get the flight changed because he didn't make it to the front of the line by the time we boarded.  Turns out.... he still made our original connecting flight in Charlotte.  So much for planning!!! My luggage made that flight too! Just not me.  By the time I got on the next flight and made it to NYC, my luggage had been in the city for a while.  Pretty comical if you ask me!

Once in the city, I called the lady, who I'm staying with and took a cab to the apartment. As I did in Germany, I'm not posting her name, because I don't know if she wants it posted... haha!   So I'm officially a spokesperson for Airbnb.com.  Y'all.... That's how we found the place in Berlin, the place in Edinburgh, in Cinque Terre, in Cork, in Galway, in Dublin, in London, in Berlin (again), in Innsbruck, and in Paris!!! And now again in New York! It's magic the wonderful places you can find when you just trust people's reviews.  The site is made so that people with spare bedrooms can make a little extra cash.  They list the bedroom (or apartment if they do that), specify if breakfast is included, and see what they get! The guests review them and the host reviews you! It's magical.

Thanks to Airbnb, I'm now living in New York, on the upper west side (in a perfect location with Matt Damon and Kevin Bacon living very near my place... oh yeah.. AND TINA FEY), with a perfectly decorated and furnished room and plenty of closet space! The lady I live with is precious! She is an actress, and she also has worked in the catering industry.  She is super interesting and has millions of stories that range from meeting Oprah, to chatting with Blake Lively, etc.  It's so much fun to sit and chat! After I arrived at around 5pm, I unpacked all of my clothes into the lovely closet and rested the night away.  My situation is soooo different from the last time I came to the city to intern.  This is not a college dorm, I didn't have to bring sheets or towels, and the place is homey!!! It has a view and a kitchen!  I LOVE IT!






My first full day in the city was wonderful! I woke up at 9 and my new roommate made me a delicious Irish oatmeal with bananas and maple syrup.   After over an hour of chatting about her life and my life.... I finally decided to get dressed and head out.  Where?  Eh... I just wanted to walk. This city never ceases to amaze me.  The diversity of people is incredible! The shops, the restaurants, the parks... it's breathtaking. So I headed down Central Park West and walked all the way down to Broadway and 53rd, where I went into the theater for Cinderella.  I have been slightly obsessed with the show and the cast members... and after they announced that Laura Osnes would soon be replaced by CARLY RAE JEPSEN, I knew I had to see it before that happened.  So I got the cheapest tickets they had for Sunday's matinee and I figured that would be a wonderful thing to do before work takes over my life.

From there I walked down to Times Square and sat at my favorite coffee shop.. Caffe Bene.  It's like a magical hideaway in the middle of the crazy chaos that is Times Square.... Honestly if work and the theater weren't right there, I would avoid Times Square at all cost... It's like a theme  park! NUTS!  Anyway, I digress. I sat with my coffee for a few hours.  First I realized I was sitting by some Argentinean college students and since their conversation was too intriguing, I had to move ... I was there with a purpose! A book!!! Yes... I said it. A book.   New year... new me! My awesome co-worker/friend Jennifer gave me this awesome David Sedaris book, so I'm loving it!

After a couple of hours, I realized it was starting to get dark, so I headed back uptown.  Decided to walk the 40 blocks and enjoy the crisp weather.  I stopped at Columbus Circle at Whole Foods and purchased some food for lunch/dinner and then continued the walk to my precious apartment.  Once there, I lounged around and chatted with my roommate/landlady. She recommended the movie "the Apartment," which is the story that the musical Promises,Promises is based on... sooo naturally I watched that on Netflix.  Then her friend brought over some of the movies nominated for the Golden Globes, so she told me we could watch them whenever...


Then we started talking actors... priceless. It's funny to hear an actor talking about an actor.  They are so knowledgeable! Then... we talked about TV shows... and then SCANDAL came up.  I revealed my recent obsession with it and she said she was caught up as well. (GREAT SIGN, we are going to get along just fine!) As we started talking about it, she realized that she was one episode behind... so naturally we sat around and watched it! By the end of it, she went into her room and took out seasons 1 and 2 of Entourage.  It is apparently another good TV series that she recommends I watch.  Since a blizzard was about to hit New York and I don't start work until Monday, I accepted! Then... she gave me a book! (The Talented Mr. Ripley)... WOW! What is up with this!?!?  For those of you that don't know... I am the WORST about reading. I do it if I have to or if I really get into a book.  I hate putting a book down because I won't pick it up again on purpose. Sooooo... either I read it in one sitting or I force myself at some point to pick it up.

Right now--- the following are still on my list to read:  (if you're going to judge, stop now... there's no need for negativity, I'm aware of my standards).

• The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
• Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart (Trista Sutter --- yes she was the first Bachelorette, yes I love the book, yes stop now if you're judging)
• Holiday on Ice (David Sedaris -- almost done with the last pages, soooo funny)
• The Longest Ride (Nicholas Sparks -- got it for my birthday in October, started it to escape my sometimes depressing thesis research and found that it deals with a man's story concerning the Holocaust... So I put it down and now need to get back on it)
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (Patricia Highsmith) 
• The Fault in our Stars (John Green) 

So... where was I? Oh! I went to bed watching Entourage (instead of reading).

Friday morning I woke up to about 4-6 inches of snow.  So I made the conscious decision that I would make lounging my day's chore.  My landlady/roommate/new friend was supposed to go nanny, but due to the snow, they cancelled.  So... we lounged.  In the morning, I laid in bed and watched backstage interviews of Broadway stars... then I made a delicious salad for lunch.  At that point she asked me about my thesis... which led to about an hour explanation... poor woman!  Then she started telling me about all the fancy events she catered.  It's unreal! She showed me clips of the movies she was in too! So cool!!!

 Then... she went out for popcorn and we started the movie marathon.  First up: 12 Years a Slave.  Talk about hard to watch! Wonderfully done, but sooo sooo hard to watch.  Halfway through the film, we took a break.  She started a marinara sauce and I made us salads.  As the marinara sauce simmered, we ate salads and watched the movie.  Then another break, some ravioli making, and we returned to finish the film with some wine and delicious goat cheese and roasted tomato ravioli!    Next... Blue Jasmin -- Woody Allen.  GREAT movie! Also not a light film like my usual picks, but it was lighter!


After the movies I headed to bed thinking she was going to bed too! Instead we ended up talking about traveling and slave trade in Rhode Island.  Apparently the documentary Traces of Trade is a must see (historically speaking). After about an hour and a half later, she headed to bed and I started writing.  It was a perfect snowy lazy day! I'm so thankful that I didn't have to go to work.  I know that next week the temperatures will be lower and it will be painful to get out, but I can enjoy it for now! I am so lucky!

I am so happy with my living situation! And I have a new friend, the cat, it is perfect.

Ok, I think I'm done.  I'm sorry for the length, but I hadn't decided whether I would blog this semester... so I was a bit behind.  I have concluded that blogging might not be regular or specific these months (since it is predicted that I will be working from early morning to late nights and sometimes Saturdays), but I will make an effort to stay updated!  I'll make sure to keep up of my days in my new gratitude journal and on my lazy days I'll share the highlights.

 ---- Oh, for those of you wondering what a gratitude journal is... refer back to the books I'm reading.  Trista Sutter's book gave the idea of keeping a journal where every night you write 5 things you are grateful for.  Like things that happened, you remembered, etc.  I love it so far and I'm hoping to keep it up!!!

Ok, I'm really going to bed now, good night!

London (our final stop 5 months ago)

I’m blogging from Oxford… strange… I know! Only about 5 months late on this entry, but our European sister trip blog was not complete!!!  It still lacks one entry! Our amazing day in London with the best tour guide ever!!!!   I can’t believe I have waited this long to post it, but thanks to school, work, and excuses I have continued to put it off.  Now, since I am officially off for Thanksgiving, before I start focusing on my thesis and only my thesis, I wanted to post the concluding entry.  

Maia and I had an incredible trip through Europe! Germany, Italy, Scotland, and then England!  It was a dream come true! Then my parents came and we traveled through Germany, Austria, and France.  A perfect summer to top off a pretty incredible semester abroad.  I truly am sooo lucky and SOOO thankful!  And that is why I am writing this post! 

Time flies by, and it is so easy to forget to stop and thank people! So this is my small way of thanking everyone who helped along the way on our amazing Europe trip.  Thank you to all of the hosts that shared their lives with us, thank you to all of you that read my blog and kept up, thank you to all of that sent in recommendations, thanks to my friends who made every effort to stay in touch, thank you to my parents who made it all possible, thank you my aunt for surprising us later in Paris, and thank you to Adam, who took a whole day to show us around London.   We were sooo lucky and we owe you a tour group flag and a LOT more!!!  THANK YOU TO ALL!  Now starts the entry I wrote on our last day in London! (I have decided not to edit, since I never have done it.... the mistakes are part of my charm...  right?!?! or a sign of laziness... either way, they're there)

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Our Sunday in London began around 9. We got dressed and headed to the subway station. The night before Maia had messaged Adam, who dates Sarah Gaines, one of the sweetest, nicest, most generous friend we have. He is from close to London and studied abroad in Mississippi for a year. They met there and Sarah Gaines then spent this past year studying in England. They are both the sweetest. We messaged him to let him know we were in the city and were hoping he would come so we could meet him for lunch or something.  Instead... We got the best day we could have asked for to end our sister trip.

After waking up sort of early, we headed out to Embankment, where sweet Adam met us at our Starbucks. From there... He had the whole tour planned. First off, the Borough market, famous for its crowds and noisy vendors that yell at you to purchase their products! The booths were set up and lined the whole square! The plan includes a coffee at London's famous coffee shop, the Monmouth Coffee Company... Sadly it was closed, so we continued to the London bridge. The incredible fun fact and history started immediately! Did y'all know that what we think is London bridge is actually not! A town from the states tried to buy the rights to the "London bridge" and people couldn't believe it, because it is just like any old bridge... Nothing special... Not the picturesque bridge everyone thought... Too funny!

On the other side of the bridge we walked London city, where the business section is... And as Adam said... The money is at!  It is only a 1 mile radius but a lot of money!

From there we walked down Cannon Street, the Strand, and saw the St. Paul's cathedral, the royal courts, and Trafalgar Square. Along our walk we learned about the tough process of becoming a lawyer in London and the college life as well!! Final exams, class attendance, etc. We could have never learned so much without our amazing guide!!!! At Trafalgar Square we learned about the blue chicken statue and the New Years celebration that takes place!

From there, we walked down the mall past St. James's Park to Buckingham Palace. Adam told us about seeing one of the princes speeding by in his range rover... unreal! We then stopped by the guards... they don't play around... Their guns have knives at the end of them! Adam told us about his friend who is in the army and was assigned to guard one of the buildings by the palace. Adam and his friends went there to see him and try to make him laugh.  

This whole part of London is a bit surreal. It is like a surreal world... the royal world. Then we walked down the mall past St. James's Park to Buckingham Palace Gardens. We saw some of the guards and Adam told us about his friend who is in the army and was one o them for three weeks. He came to see him and made him laugh.

After that we continued through constitution hill to Hyde park! Sarah Gaines had talked about the park so I was sooo excited to see it! It was gorgeous! We walked all along the lake, by some swans, some Canadian geese (that bite), and Diana's memorial. It was full of people and beautiful! For the most part it didn't rain!


From there we headed back towards Covent Gardens and to a little place he recommended away from the tourist. It was called the meat market! It's an American style burger joint, but way tastier!

The tour continued Covent Garden and then just a walk away we got to the Parliament and Government offices.  After staring at Westminster abbey, we crossed the bridge over to Big Ben.  While on the bridge, Adam enlightened us on the unreal currents of the River Thames! Terrifying for one that is not fond of standing on bridges… heights!

 

From there, we headed to Jubilee park where we got to lay on the grass and enjoy it all! There was a mom taking pictures of her little daughter and lots of kids running around.  And absolutely perfect place to people watch and an incredible place over all! 

After a walk along the south bank, Adam took us back to the train station and we headed back to our awesome room!!!  It was the most perfect day in London, and all thanks to Adam.  An incredible day to say the least!!!!

The amazing people of Dublin, Ireland

After falling asleep with my Benadryl, I woke up 2 hours later when we were pulling into Dublin!! Our airbnb house hosts were going to pick us up from the airport stop, so we were happy not to have to find the place! At the airport we called Sinead and Des and Sinead said she would be on the second floor. Due to some misunderstanding we waited for 20 minutes in the parking lot. At that point we called and found out we were supposed to cross the street before going to the second floor. After that... we figured it out and found her!!!

She was super sweet and welcoming. Turns out she studied in Mississippi and played soccer at William Carey in Biloxi and Hattiesburg! How small is this world!!!! We were so thrilled by her hospitality! When we arrived at their house we met Des and their dogs Timmy and Cony. Des is from Glasgow, Scotland and has a super thik beautiful Scottish accent! We were offered food and drinks and were shown around. Again... We were offered two rooms... a double and a single, but... we decided not to mess up 2 rooms! After they showed us the bus station (20 minute ride into Dublin) they told us they would happily drive us to the two towns around them-- Malahide and Swords. We were too tired and decided to stay in... Again I felt quite sick! After laying down for a bit we went downstairs and met the other guests in the kitchen. Matilda (18) and her mom Celin, who were from France, and Julianna and Jen from California. We stayed downstairs playing cards and talking with Jen, Des, Julianna, and Siniad. We had a blast and discussed all things from gun control to taxi drivers and weather. Again... a blast, but we fell asleep exhausted at around 12:30.

On Friday morning, we woke up promptly at 7:58 and lazily got dressed and went downstairs. We found Des, Matilda and Celin eating. Des welcomed us warmly, made me a coffee and he insisted on toasting our bread for us. He didn't let us put our dishes up or wash, and then insisted on driving the four of us to the bus station. Once in the car, we realized that we didn't have the 2.80 in coins, sooo he was like... "Why don't each of you pay me 2.50 and i'll take you into the city?" My initial reaction was um... No way!!! You don't need to waste your awesome sunny morning driving us 20-30 minutes into the city!!!! But he insisted and drove us! So, we saved time and money because of his generosity. I don't think I've ever met such sweet, generous, giving, and interesting people. Anyway... He drove us in and we walked the day away.

It was sunny and the forecast predicted no rain... So we left our rain jackets at home and awaited a sunny day. We walked through Temple bar first, but since it was 9:30, it was dead. We decided to stop for a coffee at Starbucks and use the wifi to plan out our day and route. With Ricks help and our map, we were ready to go! First stop... Trinity College! No library tour but a great walk around!
Then... The national gallery! On our way... It started pouring down rain.. So, we ran the 2 blocks and arrived soaked to the museum. The exhibits included European painters and a special Irish exhibit. It was a wonderful piece of culture! After that... the national museum of archeology. I was kind of excited about this one... but it turned out to be a bit of a bore... We left and headed to Grafton Street, a pedestrian shopping street. But... it started pouring down rain!!! soooo we snuck soaked into a tiny corner cafe and had a delicious chicken, goat cheese, and pesto sandwich between the two of us. As it stopped raining we headed to Grafton.

Dublin is so picturesque. Precious houses, flowers, and full of people. I absolutely loved it. I would put pictures up but I forgot my phone that day!! We walked down the street and then to Dublin castle! By then I was really starting to not feel well... The rain, the air, and my cough was not helping... Sooo we decided to go back to Tempel bar and find a place to eat. Everywhere was packed, but the music flooded out into the streets. We found a cute little Mongolian place that was unique and provided Maia with the white rice she had been asking for. Yes... I know... strange choice in Ireland, but it gave us a chance to dry up and catch our breathes.
Then... back to Grafton for gelato and H&M... Can't take stuff back but we can eat it! Hahaha

The street was still lined with musicians and I was mesmerized by a trio (Violin, trumpet,and saxophone) that was playing Con te Partiro, which I know because of Andrea Bocceli. Oh it was soooo gorgeous that we didn't realize it was starting to rain. In two seconds it was buckets, cats, and dogs. We were soaked and ran to another Starbucks to kill time until it cleared up. After waiting 30 minutes and being soaked and cold we gave in and decided to find the bus home ....We headed out in the sun that lasted two seconds because it started to rain like never before. I couldn't see through my glasses and people were yelling at us that if we ran fast enough we wouldnt get wet. It was a joke. We legitimately were dripping when we arrived at the station and when the bus arrived... we didn't find the air conditioning amusing... It quit raining during our 35 minute bus rise... And we somehow got the bus driver to tell us where to get off. Of course when we got off... it started pouring. We ran for 3 blocks and realized that we were sooo drenched that it was pointless. We couldn't stop laughing. When we finally go to the apartment poor Sinead didn't know how to react! We were soooo wet!!! We hurried upstairs took the drenched clothes off and squeezed all the water off of it ... Then we tried to warm up... Which was easier said than done...

After a bit we went downstairs and hung out with Jen and Julianna, because they were killing time before leaving for the airport. We hung out until Matilda and Celin came down and asked us to join them for dinner. We hadn't planned on leaving again, because I wasn't feeling great and we didn't want to ask Des and Sinead to take us to town (either Swords or Malahide). However, Matilda and Celin had rented a car and were heading to dinner, so we joined!!

Malahide is on the coast and tiny, but has 24 restaurants. The ride there was hilarious. Celin had never driven on the wrong side.... And after 5 minutes.. We realized she was driving on the wrong side when a car was heading straight towards us!!!! Aaaahhhh!!! It was too funny!!! Movie worthy.

Our dinner was delicious!! I had risotto with shrimp and mussels, which I had been looking for this whole time! The conversation was hilarious.. From music to tv shows to favorite movies. Guess what... They like Nicholas sparks movies!!! And I didn't bring them up. Unreal!!! They also watch glee and how I met your mother! Matilda freaked when I told her I knew who the mother was! Haha

After dinner we met the new guests: another mom and daughter from Destin, Florida! Crazy how small the world is! They were super sweet, but we were sooo tired that we went straight to bed!

Saturday morning we woke up again at 7:58 (not sure why the same time again) packed slowly and went downstairs with all our stuff. Sinead needed to get our room ready for the next guests (an American couple from Michigan). While we ate breakfast she washed and dried all sheets and comforters and cleaned the room for like an hour and a half!!! Crazy! Luckily we had the Destin girls to chat with! They filled us in on how obnoxious tourists are! I can't imagine living there during spring break!!!

Sinead took us to the airport at 10:30 and we hugged Des goodbye at their house. Saying goodbye to the precious and sweet couple was sooo sad. We told them to stop by when they come back to Mississippi and we really hope they do!!! They are incredibly nice people!!

Sinead dropped us off and as we got out, the next couple got in. We let them know that they were in for a treat and hurried through security and to our gate. Our plane left on time and we ordered fries just to see what they tasted like when cooked on a plane... GROSS is the answer!!!

When we arrived in London we just walked in. We haven't gotten 1 stamp on our passport and they have just glanced at it once... And nothing in London. We got some pounds and headed to the bus station. We voted agains paying 30 dollars for the quick train and took the bus (extra 80 minutes) but only 12 dollars. Arriving at Victoria station an hour and a half later, we bought a day pass and headed to the tube. 25 minutes later on the central line, we reached ealing common and walked the 15 minutes to our place. Nowhere near the center of London but a super cute 3 story tall house. The lady met us at the door and led us to our perfect room (two twin bed and in suite bathroom). After that she left us and we understood we probably wouldn't see her again. She lives here with her husband and kids, but we are only allowed in our room upstairs, no kitchen, etc. The arrangement is fine and gives us privacy, but a little strange after the hospitality that was des and Siniad.

After changing we headed out and took the tube to the West End. Our goal was to check and see if Once the musical had tickets left for cheap... and they did!!! Their most expensive tickets in the orchestra were reduced to 19 pounds!!! We jumped on it! Then headed to grab a sandwich and walk the west end! 1.5 hours later we were sitting in our seats to watch Once! The Irish pub musical!

The references to Dublin streets and Cork made sooo much more sense!
I've seen the show twice but this time it was so much more meaningful. Again the magic of musical theater overwhelmed me and I cried. Music is just such an incredible thing!! I was thrilled that Maia got to see this piece of magic and we both left incredibly grateful!!!

Today was even more amazing and again showed us the kindness and generosity in people... But because of how amazing it was.. I want to dedicate a special post to it. So, tomorrow, as we head back to Berlin and wrap up our sister trip, I will share the incredible last day that we had!


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