Life is a Highway...

Today, I begin my road trip to Las Vegas! 

Not only is this the start of the next chapter of my life, but I can also finally cross something off my bucket list. Forever, I have dreamed of road-tripping across the United States. I've been to quite a few states, but there are the gems hidden around the US that most rarely get to see. 

Rather than speeding through to Las Vegas, I'm taking my time to see those hidden gems across this great country. 

Today, I pick up my friend, Nicola, in Cleveland, Ohio before we reach the suburbs of Chicago for our evening pit-stop.  This evening, I get to be reunited with two sorority sisters at dinner as well! 

Tomorrow, Nicola and I start to add in tourist activities to our driving adventures. We will be stopping to see Holt House, where Pi Beta Phi, was founded. We also get to see the Iowa State Capitol, several railroad monuments, and the Lewis and Clark Monument before reaching Omaha, Nebraska for the pit-stop.

On July 11th, we head to Lincoln, Nebraska passing by Chimney Rock, Ash Hollow, Fort Kearney, and the Gothenburg Pony Express Station before reaching Rapid City, South Dakota for the evening. 

On July 12th, we see Mount Rushmore in the morning before heading to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Cutting down through Wyoming, we see Fort Laramie, Register Cliff Monument, and the Wyoming State Capitol. We pit-stop in Denver for the evening where we get to have dinner with a few mutual friends. 

Nicola leaves me on the 13th to head back to Cleveland. I continue on through the Rocky Mountains into Utah on the 13th. I'll stop and see Grand Junction, the Colorado National Monument, and the Arches National Park before getting to St. George, Utah for the evening. 

And, on July 14th, I'll leave fairly early and arrive in my new home, Las Vegas!!

It's going to be a whirlwind of a drive, but I wanted to make sure I got to see as many things as possible! I'll be posting on Instagram throughout the entire road-trip! 

Stay tuned for blog posts!

Goodbye for Now

"There's nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere." 

-Vivienne Westwood 

Today, I leave London...

From the first time I studied in the city in 2010 to the last two years of grad school, I fell in love. London is truly one of my favorite cities in the world.  

I'm heading back to America with a suitcase full of Primark clothes and memories, a handful of new slang words, a passport full of stamps, and enough game theory textbooks to start my own library. 

As I begin to embark on my new journey and new chapter of my life, I want to say thanks for everyone who was apart of this chapter of my life.  My blog is appropriately named "Wandering Walpole" as even though I will no longer be in London and Europe, I'll still be wandering around this amazing world.

As I'm not good with goodbyes...I'm telling London that I will "see it later." I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I know it will be as soon as possible!

Pip, pip...Cheerio!

I got a job!

Well, folks...it's official! 

I have a job following my graduation in July!

If you recall my post yesterday about my trip to Las Vegas, I was out there for a final job interview!

In July, I'll be moving to Las Vegas to start a career in local government with Clark County! 

It's still sinking in, but I'm excited to begin a new chapter of my life!

Viva Las Vegas

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I creeped over to the United States last weekend.

I went to Las Vegas for four days, primarily for business (more on that, later). Yet, I also got to have some fun.

I got in late Thursday night, and I chose to stay at a hotel farther up the Strip. I actually had a view of the famous Stratosphere from my room.

Stratosphere

On Friday morning, I tended to some business. But, I then found myself by the pool. 

Cheers!

My brother, Ben, lives in California. He came in to spend the day with me for some sibling bonding! 

We soaked up the sunshine before heading out to see the casinos. We rode the roller coaster at New York, New York...which I do believe I passed out due to being so afraid.  We took in the Dueling Pianos Bar, caught the fountain show at the Bellagio, and just had a lot of fun catching up! 

Ben and Me

Ben left the next morning which meant I got to decide how to spend my last full day in Nevada. I started out by grabbing a pedicure. Post traveling around Europe, it was much needed.

From there, I went on a Hoover Dam Tour! I have always wanted to see the Hoover Dam in person being a history nerd. It was an incredible tour, and I don't say that lightly. One of the best day tours that combined the normal tour of the generators inside the Dam. 

Lake Mead

At the Hoover Dam

Generators 

Hoover Dam

Returning to Las Vegas, I took a night-time tour to see all the light shows, casinos lit up, and to learn more about the history of the City. 

We started at the famous Las Vegas sign!

Viva Las Vegas

Then, we stopped at the Golden Nugget and Freemont Street! What an experience!

Golden Nugget

Freemont Street

World's Largest Golden Nugget

And, finally, we got to see the volcano show at the Mirage and the fountain show at the Bellagio! 

Volcano Show at the Mirage

Bellagio Water Show 

I left fairly early on Sunday for the airport as I had a 10 hour flight back to London. It was a quick, fun, and exciting weekend! I hadn't been to Vegas in 10 years, so it was nice to go back.

And, stay tuned...I'll let you in on another secret on why I was in Las Vegas! 

Wrapping up Spring Break

I'm about three days from the end of what is very much likely to be my last spring break, ever! 

Tomorrow, I head to Newark to spend the night to catch a 7am flight to London on Saturday. Talk about an early wake-up call on Saturday! 

I'm excited to be getting back to finish up my last semester at LSE. The first week back is going to be crazy due to a lot of assignments being due, interviews, a showcase event, a few parties, and a potential tube strike.  Not too excited about that last one...

Once the first week is over, I'll only have one more essay to finish and two exams. My exams are not till the middle of June. That leaves plenty of cushion time to relax for a few days before diving into the books.

Spring break was full of relaxation, seeing old friends I hadn't seen in years, spending time with my parents and animals, and just enjoying the last few weeks of freedom!

Stay tuned! 

Traveling Stateside!

Today, I'm headed back to the States for my last four weeks of spring break!

I'll be in the air as you read this...but the majority of my break will be spent writing final papers, preparing study outlines, playing with donkeys, and relaxing! 

Get ready for me, America!

Spring Break!

As I mentioned in some earlier posts this week, I'm officially on spring break! Five glorious weeks! 

Although, these glorious weeks are going to be spent writing papers and studying. Unlike last year, where my final papers and exams were at the end of May and the beginning of June,  all my papers are due throughout April and the beginning of May.  For example, I'm wrapping up my final paper for my 'Information Systems for the Public Sector' class. My final paper is 100% of my grade...so, excuse me as I wipe the sweat from my brow. 

My other final papers are my policy paper (more on that in a future post), one for my 'Contemporary Issues in Media Policy,' and one for 'US Legislative Politics.'

And, as for exams...well I get to take a break once I write all of these papers. Both of my exams this year are back-to-back days in the middle of June. 

But for now, I'll let you in on a secret...I'll be headed back to America on Monday to work from the comfort of home. There is just something about writing and working from home that sparks my imagination! 

Luxembourg City!

Last weekend, I took a quick trip to Luxembourg City! 

As most readers will know, I am a huge advocate of traveling alone. It's a way to relax, think, and just grow in minute ways. So, this short trip was a solo one, and it was well worth it!

I flew out of the London City Airport bright and early on Saturday morning. I had never been to the City Airport before, but I will be going back! One of the quickest security lines, a silence policy, and a breathtaking view of the city during takeoff!

Upon my arrival in Luxembourg City and checking into my hotel which was just outside the main city centre, I ventured out to the American Cemetery. The American Cemetery in Luxembourg is to honor those men and women killed during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. General Patton is also buried in the Cemetery despite not dying there. 

It was a bit of a trek to the location because I did not have a car. Yet, thanks to TripAdvisor, there were fairly concrete directions via public transport. I took a bus ride for about 30 minutes, and then I had about a 20 minute walk on some backroads and makeshift paths. I'm sure I was a sight to see as I was trekking through the Luxembourg countryside!

When I got to the Cemetery, I found that I was the only one there. The Visitor's Center was closed. There was a guestbook outside under a small kiosk, and I had noticed that others had been present earlier in the day. Yet, I soon quickly looked around and realized I was the only one there.  It was a very moving experience as I took in the monuments and viewed the graves.

General Patton's Grave

After I returned to the city centre for a quick lunch, I grabbed a spot on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus to view the city!  Here are a few shots from places around  the city that I didn't have too much time to visit.

Building General Patton used for his HQ in WWII

European Investment Bank

Luckily, I was in Luxembourg on the first day of their Christmas Market! I grabbed a coffee with Baileys, some macaroons, and danced my merry way around the market looking at the crafts.

The rest of my evening was spent wandering around and taking in the old parts of the city that are separated by the valley.

Sunset

On Sunday, I had a few final hours of being a tourist before I headed back to London. I grabbed a quick coffee at the hotel before wandering back to the city centre to check out Notre Dame Theatre, the famous square of Place D'Armes, and the palace! 

Place D'Armes

Good Morning, Luxembourg!

Royal Palace

It was a great, quick weekend away! Perfect way to relax before the final few weeks of the semester!

And a bonus on my landing back in London? Flying by the Shard and Tower Bridge!

Overdue Recap: JPIA

A couple of weekends ago, I flew to Princeton University. It was the reading weekend for the Journal of Public and International Affairs. As you may recall, I was selected to be a Contributing Editor for the Journal back in October. The MPA office sends two students on behalf of LSE to be the contributing editors. 

The weekend started off with landing Thursday evening. Ganga (the second year, contributing editor from LSE) and I made it into Newark and Princeton right before the massive snowstorm.  We stayed with two MPA students at Princeton for the weekend. It was nice to actually be back in a real house instead of my tiny studio for the weekend.

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University

During the day on Friday, Ganga and I camped out and did work before the weekend started.  Friday night consisted of the weekend starting with roundtable introductions, the schedule of the weekend, and dinner! It was great to get to meet other MPA/policy master's students from around the US and the world. The rest of Friday evening consisted of starting to read the paper submissions and a Princeton MPA party. Don't worry for my fellow LSE MPA students....we still win on that front!

Saturday was the main reading day. By the evening, we selected the final eight papers that will be released in the Journal for the 2013 year. That evening, there was a social planned. It was a great way to cap off the weekend before the final meeting on Sunday, and my flight back to London. 

I know my trip to the US was short and academic, but it was nice to be back on the home soil for awhile. I'm glad that I was able to be a contributing editor for the Journal, and I look forward to participating again next year!

Thanksgiving a la London!

Well, once again this year, I found myself not being able to go home for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is  one of my favorite holidays after my birthday/St. Patrick's Day and Mayfest (oh, good old Syracuse).  In 2010, I was very homesick, and I chose not to celebrate then. I got myself a Thanksgiving cupcake and skyped my family. Yet, this time, with a solid group of friends here, we decided to do something. And, if you are wondering, I did have friends here in 2010 (haha), but none of my best friends and I went abroad the same semester. 

So, what did I do for Thanksgiving 2012 then?

Post a couple of meetings and helping out at the MPA bake sale for our charity this year, a group of us headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe by Hyde Park Corner for some traditional turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. 

We appropriately dubbed our Thanksgiving dinner the:

American/Finnish/Ukrainian/Jordanian Thanksgiving!

While the meal was no where close to Mom and Dad's, it did the job until I am home for the Christmas holiday. We ended the evening with a drink at a nearby pub!