Wine and Whining

April 13, 2010

Last night was our farewell dinner… and I’m still in complete denial that I’m leaving here in a week. Where the heck did these four months go? It has been a pretty sad week around the flat – everyone rushing to do last minute things, packing, and kind of saying goodbye. And it all got worse last night. Mary and Damien, our program advisors, rented us a boat on the Thames for dinner. They fed us way too much food and way too much wine. We danced after we ate and after we danced, I bawled my eyes out like a baby. Oh, God, so embarrassing. I had way too much to drink (everyone did!) and then it hit me as we passed under Tower Bridge. I’m leaving. So freaking sad. Tears the whole way home. But then my feet started to hurt, so my tears turned into whining and then finally we got home and went to bed. Good night, but embarrassing. Good thing my camera died halfway through the night, so I don’t have any documentation…

And that has kind of been how the whole week has gone. Just in this pathetic, sad daze that makes everything worse. Every time I walk by something I love here, I’m upset because that is probably the last time I’ll see it. Ugh. So whiny right now. Gotta stop. Gotta enjoy this last week and go out on a good note! Yes.

We were busy on Sunday. A digital art show at the Victoria and Albert Museum was first thing. We got up early, waited in line for the museum to open, and were the first ones in the exhibit. Now, when I say early… the museum opened at 10. And we had to get there early because we waited for the last possible day to see the exhibit. It closed the next day. Always so on top of things. After the artsy fartsy stuff, we went to Wimbledon! And it was very different from what I thought it would be. Now, my knowledge of Wimbledon consists of the movie, Wimbledon with Kirsten Dunst and a few glimpses of the final match on that tiny TV in the Zimmer cabin up north as Grant watches it on 4th of July weekend… I didn’t really know what to expect, but that place was huge! Everything was green, too. Literally everything. We took a tour and saw all the big courts, the locker rooms, practice fields, this place called picnic hill, and the player’s café. All the minor courts were bundled together in pacts of three or four and there was no room to stand. Six feet between each court I think and the lady said they cram 200 people in there. In the heat in the middle of July? No thank you! But she did give us some tips on how to get tickets. We sat in the pressroom, in the very seat where they do all the interviews… I sat where Roger Federer sat. I think that was the only tennis guy I knew. Besides the Williams sisters. We saw a bunch of their outfits in the museum and Maria Sharapova’s golden shoes. Real gold on those babies. The gift shop was decent and we found some good stuff. And then headed back to London.

But we weren’t done for the day. We rode the tube up to St. John’s Wood and walked to a little place called Abbey Road. Saw Abbey Road Studios and the wall outside covered in signatures, Beatles lyrics and other messages in permanent marker. I wrote mine in highlighter. It was all I had. Walked across the cross walk to the annoyance of all the cars driving by. It was a busy intersection, but we did it anyway. And by this time, I was tired. There is some guy, I think George Shaw, who said, “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life”. It is written on stuff all over this city. I think I agree with him. There is so much to do!

Monday and Tuesday were loaded with class and homework… ugh. Wednesday was Viv’s birthday! We ate dinner at this Korean place in Holburn. It was a great time. It was Viv’s 21st, which wasn’t that big of a deal here because she has been drinking in bars all semester. Woo hoo!

And yesterday I had more class and the going away dinner on the boat. Not a very exciting week after Sunday, but still good. I’m going back to Spitalfields Market tomorrow to pick up some gifts and just shop around. I just love that place. And then I’m going to see the Tower Bridge one last time. And maybe the Tate Modern, but we’ll see.

Back soon.

Love,
Kelly