The Traveling Scholar

After a 3A wake-up call, we were off to a rather groggy but excited start. Having packed beforehand, we got dressed quickly and set out of the flat by 350A to catch the N38 bus near Holborn to Victoria station. As luck would have it, we made it in the nick of time… this would be a fortunate pattern for the day ahead. After making it to Victoria Station, we jumped on the Gatwick Express and rode to Gatwick Airport to make our 610A flight. Eek. I can confidently say that my choice in booking a flight that early in the morning did not make me the most popular person.

Running through Gatwick Airport

Despite the lines, the incompetent people and the overall stress of early morning airport runs, we made it aboard the plane and landed in Prague by 930A (Czech time). We snagged a ride to our hotel in Central Prague for 15 pounds and were hitting the streets shortly after.

Poor tired Tiffany, big ballin!

We all thought we were ballers with hundreds and hundreds of Czech koruna in our pockets… with the exchange though it really only equated to roughly $75 – 100. By the time we wandered into Old Town, we were enthralled with the architecture and the palpable differences between Western and Eastern Europe. Such a difference, and definitely a good change for our mini Euro trip.

The Astronomical Clock in Old Town

Tyn Church in Old Town Prague

Dad & Tiff in Old Town

We stumbled upon a fun German-style market in the middle of Old Town Square near Tyn Church while wandering. After seeing the Astronomical Clock at Town Hall and a number of other sites,  we perused the market. I grabbed an oh-so-delicious crepe while Tiff had snacked on some Czech goodies and dad downed a couple of beers from a stand. Though I’m not a beer drinker, his five beers from the afternoon would lead me to believe that Prague is home to some good beer!

Beer #3?

We decided to head to Prague Castle by way of Charles Bridge next to get a glimpse of St. Vitus Cathedral and enjoy the stellar view from the top.

St. Vitus' Cathedral

The castle and St. Vitus’ are spectacular! The structures are ridiculously huge and ornate. The sculptures in the cathedral were remarkable and the stained glass was unparalleled. Even after all of the gorgeous stained glass in British churches, this bad boy took the cake!

EVERYWHERE!

Gorgeous Views!

Tiffany enjoying the views from the top!

After viewing the cathedral and glimpsing the views from the castle, we headed back down through the market so Tiff & dad could enjoy some Czech beer before we had dinner in the Prague sunshine. Glorious!

When in Prague...

We meandered the streets for a while and found our way home fairly early after a long, long day. We relaxed for a few hours before heading out for late night drinks at a local eatery.

Get this: four drinks, a coffee and two delicious desserts: $20. Can you say ’steal’?!

Now it’s nearly 11P and I’ve been up for entirely too long. Hopefully this is semi-coherent when I re-read it tomorrow. In the AM we’re off to Kutna Hora to check out the ossuary (a church made of bones) before coming back to Prague. Catch up with you soon!

Love from Prague,

To see the rest of the photos from Prague, click here!

For my fam’s last full day in London, I had a few things planned to finish our three-day tour off with a bang! We started our morning rather lazily with a visit to the Le Pain Quotidien next door to my flat to energize with bowls of caffeine and croissants before heading down to Westminster station.

Delicious coffee at Le Pain Quotidien!

We headed down to Westminster to check out the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey shortly after. My dad has toured Westminster Abbey before, but both sights were a first for Tiff!

Dad & Tiff at Big Ben!

Tiff & I <3.

Tiff & Dad at Westminster Abbey

I have done with Westminster Abbey tour before and though it’s worth every pound, I don’t know that it necessarily warrants a second visit so soon after the first. Especially considering entrance fees are 12 pounds for students (15 for adults). While they toured around, I sat in the cafe in the abbey’s courtyard enjoying a little downtime before regrouping. The verdict? Total success! Tiffany loved every second of it!

After our Westminster Abbey jaunt, we headed down to Buckingham Palace by way of St. James Park.

Bobbies by Buckingham

Dad & Tiff at Buckingham

We were only there for a quick minute, just long enough to snap a few photos before heading out to Victoria Station. Our choice museum of the day was the Natural History Museum (one of my most favorite)! We headed down to South Kensington to explore for a few hours before heading back home. We made a pit stop in Leicester Square at a pizza/sandwich place that Tiffany had been dreaming about and then headed home to relax before our final night out in London.

Dad & T at Wicked!

To finish off our time in London right, we decided to get tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. I have seen Wicked previously and enjoyed it so much that I thought it would be the perfect choice for my dad and sister. Luckily, I was right! They were both in love! Neither of them had seen a real musical production and I think I have successfully converted them into theatre/musical-goers!

After our last day of fun and madness in Londontown, we headed to bed as early as humanly possible (midnight) so we could be up this morning by 330A to set off for a few days in Prague! Prague Day 1 to be posted soon… stay tuned!

Lots of love,

Dad & Tiff at the British Museum

After everyone’s excitement over the markets and the gallery on Saturday, we decided to try something similar yesterday and hit up the British Museum right when it opened to beat the crowds. At 10A on a Sunday, it’s quite possibly the best thing to do in London since the rest of the world is sleeping. We meandered through the maze of the museum for about an hour and a half to check out the Egyptian, Roman, Grecian and Chinese sections before heading out.

Tiff & I at the British Museum

To say ‘they liked it’ might be the understatement of the century. They loved it! My dad was obsessed by the time we left. We grabbed a quick coffee at Cafe Nero in Covent Garden before hopping on the tube to head to Spitalfields and Brick Lane! They had loved Borough and Covent Garden so Spitalfields seemed like a good choice and a welcome change from the West End scene.

Heading to Spitalfields

Though it wasn’t quite the same charm of the close-by markets, we actually ended up doing a fair bit of shopping while perusing. Plus, the graffitied walls and grungier scene showed them a different side of London, even if just for a few hours. I ended up with a new top, new leggings and a new beret; Tiff ended up with a new beanie and new dress; and even my dad got a hat as a practical souvenir! All-around successful excursion. Plus a little Ethiopian food in the belly didn’t hurt.

Heading through Neal's Yard

After our Spitalfields excursion, we headed back to Covent Garden for round two to explore the markets and cruise through Neal’s Yard. We broke for a quick coffee break in the (rare) London sunshine at Le Pain Quotidien (mmmm!) before heading home.

Coffee in Covent Garden

After we took a quick break at home, we headed back out for dinner. Choice of the night? Proper British fare: Sunday roast and fish & chips. We headed to Leicester Square first to see the sights and then found a nearby pub to sit down and enjoy a relaxed evening.

Heading to dinner <3.

Dad & Tiff in Leicester Square

Cheers!

Another successful night in Britain! On the agenda today? Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Natural History Museum and Wicked!

Love from London,

The Three Musketeers at St. Paul's!

I headed to Heathrow bright and early yesterday  morning to pick up my dad and sister from the airport! I can’t even express how exciting it is to be reunited. Bizarrely, it felt as though we’d never actually been apart. After a long tube ride home and some post-flight clean-up time we hit the streets of London!

Covent Garden Tube; heading to my flat!

I should say now that since I’m a bit anal when it comes to planning, I had created a map of places I wanted to take them on each of our three days together… I figured they’d be a bit tired from the flight, but since we have limited time in town, I wanted to see as much as possible. Surprisingly, their energy levels were up most of the day (or they were total troopers) and we managed to complete most of my day one and day two ideas!

Dad & Tiff at Borough <3.

First stop: Borough Market for a taste (no pun intended) of an awesome London’s farmers market. I wasn’t 100% sure how they were gonna feel about the market, but it was quite possibly the best way to start their trip! They love, love, loved it (who wouldn’t?)!

Admiring the beer selection at Borough

After grabbing a mug of mulled wine for the road, we took a walk by the Thames down to the The Globe Theatre. My sister, despite her purple-streaked hair and heavily tattooed exterior is a huge Shakespeare fan so she was beyond pumped to get a glimpse of the Globe. I was only disappointed that plays don’t start showing until late April. So sad…

Living the dream...

After our quick stop at the Globe, we headed down Millennium Bridge for one of my most favorite views in London: St. Paul’s. The view of the building from about halfway down Millennium Bridge has got to be one of the prettiest sights in all of London (tied with the view of Big Ben from the steps of the National Gallery).

Reunited on Millennium Bridge! <3.

Dad & Tiff heading towards St. Paul's <3.

I have never actually been inside St. Paul’s. I had been saving that for their visit, so we took about an hour and a half to head inside and grab a bite to eat in the Crypt Cafe.

One of the illegal photos I snagged

After a delicious mid-day snack, we were re-energized and headed down Fleet Street (past the Royal Courts of Justice) to my home away from home: LSE. They hadn’t seen LSE before so it was nice to be able to show them the campus and the place that I spend most of my life!

Admiring the art work on campus

At this point, mind you, my day’s plans were pretty much exhausted. I had assumed it would be about 5P at this point and that we’d head home to relax for a minute and then grab dinner. We had made really good time though and it was 2P by the time we were done checking out the LSE! On the walk home, we decided to hit up Covent Garden and check out the market during a sunny Saturday. Another score! The place was awesome and I’ve learned that markets are a success for my visitors (taking them to Spitalfields today and going back to CG this afternoon!).

Chinese Checkers <33.

There’s actually a reason I put this random picture of Tiffany up; it’s associated with possibly one of the funniest statements of life. We ran across this little stand selling mancala, Chinese checkers, etc. and when I asked Tiff how one plays Chinese checkers (I haven’t played in years), she tried to explain.

Me: “So, you can jump only your peg though, right?”
Tiff: “Oh, no! You can jump anyone’s balls!”

Hahahaha. She didn’t even realize quite how funny it sounded until my dad and I just stared at her, mouths agape. Priceless.

We spent enough time running around Covent Garden for my dad and sister to realize that they loved it and wanted to hit it up today, too. We decided, however, to take the time and head down to the National Gallery to glimpse the artwork before closing.

Dad & T at the National Gallery

This was another success! I had no idea my sister was an art buff, but she is (a woman of many surprises)! After seeing Van Gogh, Cezanne, Renoir, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Rafael and even a da Vinci, they were thoroughly satisfied. Plus, we got the views of Big Ben from the Gallery that I was talking about. Spectacular.

We headed home to rest our feet before heading out for dinner and a drink. After a sufficiently long day of walking and sightseeing, we kept it close to home, hitting up Bhatti, an Indian place in close-by Covent Garden, followed up with a trip to my favorite Prince of Wales for a pint. Perfect way to end an epic day in London!

Possibly my favorite picture ever!

Now it’s 745A on Sunday and they’re still sleeping after a long and eventful couple of days! Plans for today: British Museum, Spitalfields, back to Covent Garden and then winging it! So much fun to be had <3.

Lots of love and happiness from London,

PS. To see more pictures, check out my photo album.

My family is going to be here tomorrow!! Tomorrow! I can’t even explain the excitement running through my veins right now. It’s been 6+ months since I’ve seen anyone from back home (Skype doesn’t count), and I finally get a piece of California right here in London!

Papa Falzon is en route to the UK!

My dad and sister arrive at LHR early in the morning, so I’m preparing mini care packages for them to welcome them to the UK! 13 hours of travel takes a toll on you. It’s exhausting to be cooped up for that long, plus it’s physically a bit draining. My sister has never been to Europe before and thus has never been on a 10+ hour plane ride. She thinks she knows but I know she doesn’t really know how it all goes down. About 5 hours in to your journey your eyes get super dry, your skin feels taut and you’re trying to sleep but you’re a bit too cold and the kid at the back of the plane thinks it’s a good idea to run laps inside. We’ve all been there. I gave her a list of things to bring in her carry-on: a mini container (<100ml) of facial moisturizer, eye drops, an eye mask, earplugs, an iPod, a books, a few snacks and a bottle of water. I’m usually a happy camper with those few things in tow.

Missing my sister! <3.

When they land, though, I know that a care package will serve them well. Sooooo, I’ve put together a few goodies for them to welcome them to London properly:

1. Snacks! I know they’ll be a bit hungry, so some healthy snacks should help perk them up (courtesy of my most favorite store ever: Holland & Barrett)
2. H2O: After a long plane journey, a bottle of water is always necessary. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
3. Oyster cards: They’ll be here for three days (plus a couple of days at the end of their trip) so I’m getting them each an Oyster card with 15 pounds pre-loaded so they can get around for a bit!
4. An umbrella: They’re Californians. Honestly… I don’t know that they own umbrellas. Gotta be prepared.
5. Coffee: Landing in London at 9A, they’ll have to be ready to face a fun-filled day of sightseeing and hitting the ground on foot. Caffeine will be much-needed for the tube ride back to Central London!

Cannot WAIT!

Less than 24 hours until a much-needed reunion and I have so many brilliant things planned for their time here!

Pictures to follow.

Man, this woman is mad talented! This song never gets old. Every time I hear it, it makes me think about moving to NY a little bit more… maybe after graduation! Hello, UN Headquarters!

Fast Tube by Casper

BTW, she loves sweet potatoes? A girl after my own heart!

♥

I’m a dreamer. Some people call that naivete, but I think ‘dreamer’ is a much kinder description. There are so many places in the world that I want to see and so many things I still want to experience. Visiting and experiencing Africa is on the top of my list. Europe was on the top of my list last year, but now that I’ve been able to experience what Western Europe has to offer, it’s time for me to branch out; to escape the western world and dive into something different. Like I mentioned yesterday, I’m seriously considering taking up an internship in Ghana (or Tanzania or Kenya, possibly) to gain some developing world experience and to gain some work in the HIV/AIDS world.

Ghana aside, however, there are a million things in Africa that I still want to see and do. Here’s my Top 10 Wish List… hopefully one day I’ll actually be able to cross these things off:

Isn't this on everyone's list?

1. The Great Pyramids of Egypt: I realize that this could better be classified as the Middle East, but since it’s part of continental Africa, I’m gonna lump it in with the group. Who doesn’t want to ride a camel and see the pyramids of Giza?

2. Go on safari in the Serengeti: ‘Safari’ means ‘journey’ in Kiswahili, and since my life has been a crazy journey this past year, a legit safari in the Serengeti would be an amazing way to top it off!

3. Climb Mount Kenya: It would be much cooler for me to say that I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, but I have some doubts about that bad boy (40% of climbers turn back… eek)! Instead, I’m looking at climbing it’s little brother, Mt. Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa!

Ostrich Jockey?

4. Ride an ostrich (or elephant) in South Africa: I feel like an elephant is a bit standard, but an ostrich… well, that would be an experience. Plus, it’s doable! Did you know there are ‘ostrich jockeys?’ Also, does it sound dumb if I say that I didn’t realize ostriches were big enough to ride? (!!)

5. Visit the markets in Marrakech: Such a fun Moroccan thing to experience and a culture that’s much different than sub-Saharan Africa (and Egypt for that matter)… maybe a trip to Casablanca while I’m there?

6. Stay in a tree house in South Africa: Very eco-friendly and sooo cool. I haven’t stayed in a tree house since the summers I used to live at my grandparents house when I was a kid. This would qualify as the grown-up version. 950 South African Rand per night… Sounds like a ton, but it’s about $125. Not cheap, but maybe worth it?

7. Check out Victoria Falls: I don’t really have a preference as to whether I experience it from Zambia or Zimbabwe, but the pictures are so incredibly breathtaking, I feel like it’s a must-see.

Blissful beaches of Zanzibar

8. Relax on the beaches of Zanzibar: Relaxation and taking in the gorgeous views from the Zanzibarian archipelago in the Indian Ocean… paradise. Definitely a potential honeymoon destination.

9. Experience a Ghanaian festival: Like I mentioned yesterday, I have a particular fondness for Ghana after meeting so many amazing people from there! I feel like festivals — real, authentic, joyful festivals — are a big part of the culture and definitely something cool to experience.

10. Visit Uganda’s children: Whether this is at an orphanage or just meeting kids in town, I think interacting with children always brightens your life. Kids have an uncanny ability to be happy and enjoy their surroundings before understanding all of life’s obstacles.

—

There’s no real possible way I can cross those off in the next year. Probably not even in the next five years, but I’d like to experience them at some point in my life! Africa’s such a brilliant continent just begging to be explored. Now I just need to find a partner in crime that’s will to explore with me!

xoxo,

How cute are these kiddos?

You may recall that I had a long-awaited epiphany a few months back, wherein I (re-) discovered my life’s purpose. I realize that seems like an incredulous thing to say as a 23-year-old grad student, but I think it’s true nonetheless. After going back and forth trying to pinpoint my areas of interest, I realized that I had known it pretty much all along: HIV/AIDS research in sub-Saharan Africa. Not that I’ll have to go to sub-Saharan Africa necessarily, mind you, but I find that to be the most fascinating area (in a number of aspects) and the HIV/AIDS pandemic is clearly concentrated in the region. Unfortunately my experience in the HIV field is limited. My experience in developing countries is also limited. If I’m being intellectually honest with myself, that’s a shitty combination.

However (there is a ‘however’!), the good part is that I recognize that. The next step after admitting that I have a problem is, of course, taking action. I know that I’m lacking experience in HIV/AIDS and I’m lacking experience in developing countries, so I need to take a step to remedy that. And now that I’ve come to grips with that, I’ve decided to head on out to Africa in late summer/early fall to gain some experience. It’s not set in stone yet, but I’m about 80% sure that it’s something I’m interested in doing. There’s an internship opportunity of sorts available through a placement organization that gives young people opportunities to intern in a number of countries in a slew of relevant areas: teaching English, ag work, tourism, HIV/AIDS, micro finance, etc. After reviewing the programs that they have on offer, I have decided to participate in either the Ghanaian, Tanzanian or Kenyan program. They all have HIV/AIDS specific programs and they also offer free time wherein I could actually do some personal research.

I have a particular affinity for Ghana after my year in London. I have more Ghanaian friends that I can count and each and every one of them are remarkable: intelligent, caring and all-around brilliant individuals. The program is centered in Accra so I don’t feel a particular sense of insecurity in working in that area. The Tanzanian program is rural and the Kenyan program takes place in the outskirts of Nairobi.

Serengeti... ahhh...

I’ve been dying to go to Africa. I have a mental list of all the places I want to visit and all of the things I want to experience. I think that going, even just for 6- 8 weeks (roughly the length of the internship, although I can definitely stay for longer), would help me decide whether or not my fantasies about Africa are just the musings of a naive graduate student or potential reality.

Has anyone been to Ghana, Kenya or Tanzania or done any work there? Does anyone have recommendations on which country offers the most ability for growth and for experience? Like I said, I’m leaning toward Ghana, but I’m open!

xoxo,

Maybe it was boredom. Maybe it was me needing to get my mind off of paper-writing. Or maybe it’s just that my old website theme starting inducing seizures because of all of the colors on one page. Probably a combination of everything.

Either way, I decided today that I was a bit tired of my old theme. As a general rule, I think switching the look of your website is a bad idea: people get used to seeing it a certain way, they learn how to navigate it and they become comfortable with the normalcy of your site’s facade. I’m definitely breaking my rule. In fact, I might break it again. I’m still trying to find the perfect theme for my site — something cool and modern, but not too cluttered. I think this will work for now as I continue to scour the internet for something suitable. It’s super plain, but I actually kind of like it. It’s easy. And though it’s not as … flamboyant as the last theme, I think it’ll due.

xoxo,

Unrelated — I’m digging this song:

Fast Tube by Casper

Avenue Q!

I finally did it. I finally made it! After six-plus months of London living, passing by Avenue Q and dying to see it, today I finally made dreams happen. I still have a touch of a cold hanging out so I was ridiculously tired by about 5P, even after a thousand gallons of water and a re-energizing gym sesh. On top of that, I’ve just been having a bleh day. You know those days where for some inexplicable reason you just feel kind of… well, bleh? Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally nothing seems to be right? Well, despite the fatigue/overall bleh-ness, I decided to turn my frown upside down and get out and see the world. Part of me was thinking that my lack of contact with humankind could be to blame for the lack of brain function… the fact that I’ve been holing myself up inside of my shoebox of a room could probably at least partially be to blame for my grogginess. Surely a little sunshine (well, sunshine’s a stretch in London… sunlight, perhaps is a better term…) would help my mood!

Well, since real sunshine wasn’t much of an option this evening, my personal sunshine came in the form of my friends, Pooja, Ronan and my new globe-trotter friend, Guneet (Pooja’s friend from NY). We all met up for coffee at Le Pain Quotidien (one of my new most favorite places in London… the soy lattes are delish!) for introductions and chat time. It’s kind of amazing how friends manage to put you in a better mood. I felt a million times better just being with human beings. The fact that they happen to be stellar specimens of human beings doesn’t hurt either!

After our quickie coffee break, Pooj & Guneet headed off to a monk show at Sadler’s Well in London… I wish I could actually explain what I mean by ‘monk show’, but I really can’t. It was a show/performance that involved 17 dancing monks… not really sure, but they said it was good. I’m gonna take their word on that one.  Since the aforementioned ’monk show’ wasn’t really up my alley, Ronan and I decided to try our luck at getting tickets for this evening’s Avenue Q. As luck would have it, they had two tickets available — awesome seats for 20 pounds with a student discount! Note to students — you can get tickets an hour before (sometimes even just the day of) at super discounted prices! At the last play I attended, we got best available seats for 20 pounds! Spectacular considering they can run you 60 – 65 pounds a piece normally!

Finally!

The musical was hilarious! Honestly, every twenty-something needs to see it. It hits on so many of the issues that we deal with, but does it in such a funny way that you don’t feel like a stereotype (even though you clearly are). Also, I’ve learned that waiting until the last minute can be a good cost-saving strategy… it’s very anti-Shannon, but I’m gonna give it a try from now on.

Also, I would like to add that this is officially the second item checked off of my ‘Lent Term Break To-Do List’.
As you may recall, my list contained the following items:

1. Visit the National Science Museum

2. Head to the Prime Meridian and stand in two hemispheres at once <3

3. See Avenue Q at Wyndham’s Theatre

4. Check out the V & A Museum

5. Have lunch in Hyde Park (I still haven’t spent any time there!)

6. Proper tea time at the Wolseley <3.

7. Check out a cool film at the Curzon {Soho}

8. Check out the Tower Bridge up close & personal

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I’m happy to report that items #1 and #3 are ticked off and I’m on my way to completing this stuff in no time!

Now I’m off to bed. In a much happier mood than when I woke up. Thank you to friends and family for managing to help put me in a better place and helping me realize what life’s all about!

xoxo,