Surviving the Tube Strike

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I've been delayed a day getting back to London due to the Northeast storm. It's an all familiar event as the same thing happened when I flew back after winter break. Oh well, flights are changed, and I'll be landing back in London on Saturday.

New LSE Tshirt that sums up the school!

I've covered the big events over the past week in my post on JPIA. Yet, last week was another crazy week. I had a few job applications due last week on top of capstone work and preparing for the JPIA weekend.

Tube Strike Madness 

Last week was also the big London tube strike.  The last tube strike that I faced was when I studied abroad in 2010. We faced a tube strike almost every month during my four months abroad. So, I was really excited for the past year and a half to not have one. However, this past week, the talks went forward and the strike happened starting Tuesday evening and lasting into Thursday. 

Traffic Madness

Luckily, I have a bus that runs straight from my flat to LSE. Normally, it takes around 45 minutes to get from one end of the city to another. Note, my bus takes the Oxford Street route which makes up for the majority of the time on the bus. 

Unfortunately, during the tube strike, my commute to campus took almost two hours. I had planned on walking, but of course, it was down pouring.  I got through an entire book and cleaned up my iPhone during that time. 

On my way home from LSE, I actually walked halfway home to just avoid the traffic and idleness of sitting on the bus. 

Thankfully, on Thursday, I had booked a Heathrow Express ticket in advance to avoid the chaos of trying to figure out how to get to the airport. Needless to say, I was happy to say goodbye to the strike! 

Orange is the Happiest of Colors!

Over the weekend, I got head back to the Syracuse campus for a few hours. 

There is something about walking back onto your alma mater's campus. It's a homecoming. 

I returned to campus for the first-ever ACC basketball game in the Carrier Dome. My Dad and I hadn't been to a game in forever, so we wanted to get to one while I was home. It was also my first SU basketball game since becoming an alumna. The last one I had been to was the Elite 8 game in Boston back in 2012.  And, we can all agree that staying up in the wee hours of the UK to watch a game is not the same as being there in person.

It was an intense game-full of moments of stress. Thankfully, we pulled it off! We beat Miami only by a few points, but we still won! My Dad and I had a great time dressed in orange and cheering on our team! I also ran into a few friends from undergrad! 

#orangenation

Ah, 2014.

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2014 came in with a bang. Thankfully, no Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball" style. 

2014 is a fairly big year. This is the year that I leave formal education. It's crazy to think that I've been going to school since I was three. Yes, that's pre-school, Kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, college, and grad school plus a few programs, here and there.  I'm excited to think about what life will be like outside in the "real world." Sure, I've done internships and held part-time jobs, but a real life job is on the agenda this year. 

By June, my goal is to obtain my first job. I'll finish at LSE by the end of June with graduate in July. Didn't I just graduate? Right…I did. 

I'm still on winter break at the moment. It's one of the last periods of my life where I get to sit at home, watch unlimited amounts of West Wing episodes, and sleep-in.  Sure, I've got spring break surfacing in April, but we know I want to travel then.  

Winter break doesn't just consist of watching Josh Lyman prance around the fictional White House. I've been beginning the job search process by updating my resume to begin to tailor to specific jobs and searching job boards. Over the next few weeks and months, I intend to officially begin applying for jobs!!

Oh, and winter break has consisted of capstone work and essay writing as well.

While I still have around eight days to go before I fly back to London, I'm excited to begin my preparations for one of the biggest changes in my life. 

Another Term Ends...

As I write this on a dreary, London day, I'm excited to announce that I've completed another term of grad school. 

Four semesters down, two to go!  

I can't believe how close I am to being done as well as how close the real world is! 

The end of this term was much quieter than my fall or spring terms during my first year at LSE. I had a non-graded essay, or rather a formative essay, due last Monday for my policy paper course. My policy paper is due in May, but I wanted to gain some more feedback about my proposal, etc.   The main assignment that I had due last week to complete the term was a 1500 word case analysis for my 'Organizations, Power, and Leadership' course. 

While I do have to work on an essay over break as well as capstone work, I can officially say that I finished another semester with a bang! 

Last week, I also finished my internship. It was so weird to think how quickly my time went at the Embassy.  I gained so much knowledge and acquired tons of new skills that I will take with me into my next endeavor..aka 'the big girl job.' 

I get to enjoy a few more days in London before I head off to America for a few days! 

Holiday Parties!

It's that time of the year again! 

The holiday season has officially taken over all aspects of my life. From the small decorations I have in my flat to the Christmas lights twinkling around London, you can't escape the feeling!  I had three different holiday parties this week as well as the LSE Christmas Concert!

Tuesday, some of the girls and I grabbed tickets to see the LSE Christmas Concert. There was both a choir and an orchestra!

Earlier in the day, my office had a Christmas Luncheon! Last week was my last week at the US Embassy for the internship, so it was great getting to have one more outing with the friends and mentors that I've gained!

Thursday evening, I had two holiday parties to hop to. But of course, what is a holiday party without an ugly Christmas sweater! This year, I went for the sweater inspired by the movie, 'Home Alone 2.' The slogan? "Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal!"

The first party on Thursday was the Pi Phi UK Alumnae Holiday Party! We tried out a new bar in the Holborn area. It was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones!

Maryann and me

Later in the evening, I headed over to Islington for the MPA Christmas Party! It was great to see a lot of people before we head off for a four-week break!

Capstone Partners 

Alyssa, Susannah, and me!

How many holiday parties are on your calendar this year? Any great Ugly Christmas Sweaters?

Returning to Londontown...

Well, break is over at home at least. 

I enjoyed my time home with my family. 

I caught up on a lot of sleep, made plenty of study guides, caught up on some television, and even got to read for pleasure. If you know me, I don't already watch a lot of television, so it was a big deal for those episodes that I did miss...

I'm off to London today. Typical journey begins. Flying out of Syracuse, a layover in NYC, and then landing in London early GMT. 

Stay tuned for my news once I return to my favorite city.

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