London Itinerary & Lessons Learned

The most important lesson learned: solo travel rocks, and I’ll be doing this again ASAP!

Spanglish & Wanderlust

It’s my last night in London! I’ll have a little more time to explore tomorrow before I catch an afternoon train to Manchester, and I’ll fly out of Manchester on Sunday morning. I’m having some beer and pizza at my hostel and daydreaming about planning another trip (thanks to Pinterest). I think I’m going to do another one soon – I don’t want to stop!

Here’s a recap of everything I did in London. Overall, I feel like my trip was a great introduction to the city, and I did a good mix of cultural attractions and more laid-back explorations. I loved it! I’m going to have to come back – there is more to see than I could do in a lifetime.

Monday
•Train arrived at Euston and took the tube to Wombat’s City Hostel.
•Walked around the Wapping area (accidentally, as I was actually trying to go to…

View original post 690 more words

Happiness Project: Month 1, Day 29

My view when writing this post was the incredible Greenland from above!

Month one of my Happiness Project is coming to a close, and my life is so different already–though not in the ways I thought it would be.

This month’s theme was enter through beauty, and my goal was to do 30 small home improvement projects for 30 days.

That didn’t happen.

Here’s what did happen: I went through a breakup. I resigned from my job. I went on my first solo international trip (which, before said breakup, was intended to be a reunion trip). I did exactly five of the 30 projects.

And here I am, one month later, feeling that my life is more authentic and promising than ever. It finally feels like my own life. I’ve had other really wonderful and fulfilling phases of my life before, but I don’t know that I’ve ever felt such freedom and genuine excitement to explore the uncharted territory that my life has become.

I’ve always done the next logical thing, and the next, and the next. Now I’m doing the opposite, and giving up the logical and orderly path that I could’ve followed in pursuit of a life that makes me feel really alive.

Traveling helped to shake away the metaphorical dust in my life. The breakup helped me recognize that even wonderful things sometimes don’t work out, and that you should still fall in love with people anyway, because it’s worth it. And the few little projects I did improved the apartment ever so slightly–and with this Happiness Project being a year-long endeavor, I’ll have plenty of time to get to the other 25.

So now, as I am reflecting on a tumultuous and humbling and enlightening month, I’m wondering what to do next. What will my Happiness Project theme be for December?

Just like last month, the themes that are coming to mind are simple and almost seem too small considering all the big things I should probably figure out in my life. But I think that it’s helpful to have small, feasible goals to work on in the face of much bigger challenges. And I don’t want to pressure myself into making rushed decisions or forcing my life to come together in a neat, orderly way. My theme for December is going to be: take care of my physical health. This month’s combination of long days at work spent snacking on various unhealthy foods, hardly ever drinking enough water, never going to classes at the YMCA despite having a membership and actually loving the classes, and eating the most random diet during my trip to London has left me feeling lethargic and uncomfortable. If I focus on my physical health, I think it’ll make everything else in my life a little better, because I’ll have more energy and will feel more comfortable in my own body.

The goals I’ll work toward in December will be:
•Do a cardio workout out at least three times a week. I’ll only do workouts I actually enjoy: hiking (weather permitting), Zumba, kickboxing, and a really long walk here and there.
•Do yoga at least one a week. My body has been craving yoga after traveling on planes, buses, and trains this week. A formal yoga class would be ideal, but if I do an online yoga video in my room, that’ll count, too (as long as I don’t fall asleep on the mat ten minutes into it. Not that that’s ever happened…)
•Make a grocery list every week and give myself plenty of time to go shopping. I’ll end up saving myself money and guilt if I just plan out what I want to make and buy ingredients for those meals. I’m often stingy at the grocery store and then end up regretting it when I buy two slices of pizza on my walk home for three days in a row because I’ve already gone through all my food for the week. Better to spend the money upfront on healthy food and things that I actually want to eat. And I enjoy cooking, so there’s no reason not to do this.

In keeping with the whole idea of the Happiness Project, this month will be the start of integrating these practices into my life, with the goal of continuing them long after December because they’ll have become habitual. So, for December, I’ll focus on my physical health and continue to work on entering through beauty.

And, because I might as well throw another theme into the mix for this month, I’m going to challenge myself to tentatively plan another international trip. Only once I’ve mapped it out will I know whether it’s possible, so I won’t say that I necessarily need to actually book the trip… But I sure hope I do. 🙂

Stonehenge

Stonehenge was straight up MAGICAL.

Spanglish & Wanderlust

Happy Thanksgiving from England!

I have to confess that I thought Stonehenge was going to be an overrated attraction–one of those places that you’ve seen a million pictures of and that isn’t any different in person.

First of all: it’s (almost) always better to see anything in person. There are only a few exceptions (I’m looking at you, Plymouth Rock).

Second: I LOVED IT. There was something so incredible about being there. The site itself, the audio tour that went with it, the beauty surrounding it–all indescribable. I am so glad I went.

England, you continue to amaze me.

View original post

Meandering to Museums

What makes you happiest when traveling? For me, it’s exploring on foot, taking my time to get places, and eating and shopping along the way. 🙂

Spanglish & Wanderlust

After this morning’s trip to the British Museum, I walked through more parts of London and went to a few museums.

From the British Museum, I went to Charing Cross Road.

I stopped in Foyle’s bookstore and ate lunch at a little diner. My next little venture took me to Covent Garden and around the Seven Dials.

From there, I took the tube to Kensington, an area with several museums. I stopped in the Victoria and Albert, or V & A, first.

After that, I grabbed a crepe for dinner and took in the beautiful sights of Kensington – including the skating rink and Christmas lights in front of the Natural History Museum.

My last museum stop of the night was to the Science Museum, which was open this evening for a special themed event called CalcuLates. “Lates” are nights when a museum is open after hours for…

View original post 352 more words

British Museum with a British Friend

There are so many good people out there – go find them!

Spanglish & Wanderlust

Right now, I’m at the halfway point of my time in London, and I’m sitting on a bench at the British Museum just taking it all in. Here’s my view:

I came here with a new British friend named Sophie from Bristol. She and I had breakfast with another woman from our hostel, then took the Tube here and spent a couple hours exploring. We saw the Rosetta Stone, the Ancient Egypt collection, and pieces of the Parthenon. We talked about relationships, school, our interests, our families, and pretty much everything that you can cover in half a day. We just exchanged email addresses, hugged one another goodbye, and now I’m going to do some more exploring and have lunch.

I’m still finding my mantra for this trip to be true: I’m traveling solo, but I’m not alone.

View original post

Real Life

“To me, the real world is outside – outside your comfort zone, your routine, your country, your perception of reality.” -Mikey Tour

On a walking tour of London today, I was talking to another solo traveler who also quit his job without something else lined up. We had similar reasons for making our decisions, and we both don’t know what comes next. But we have both loved our trips to England so far, so I think we’re onto something.

Tonight, I read this Thought Catalog article about the idea of leaving the “real world” behind when you quit a job – but then discovering that the real world actually exists beyond your everyday routine.

So I don’t know what I’ll do next, and I don’t want to think about it much now. But I think I want to discover more of the real world – the world that exists beyond my everyday life. I hope that this trip is just the start.

Crash Course in London

Day 2 in London!

Spanglish & Wanderlust

Today, I covered so much ground in London. It was a day filled with classic sights, like red double decker buses, Big Ben, and telephone booths.

My day started with a Sandeman’s Royal London walking tour. We saw all the classic sights–Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, and pretty much any other building you’ve seen in a British movie. The tour was fantastic (shoutout to Charlotte from Kaukapakapa, our tour guide!).

(I have to confess that I don’t remember the name of the building I’m standing in front of in the photo, because all I could think about was the scene in Parks & Rec where Andy is flying toy helicopters with Lord Covington in this very spot…)

I met two other solo travelers on the Sandeman’s tour. We had lunch together after the tour, and I got my first fish and chips of the trip. It was delicious, as…

View original post 318 more words

Manchester to Crewe to London

My current adventure 🙂

Spanglish & Wanderlust

“I didn’t know anything really, which is a strangely wonderful position to be in. Everything that lay before me was new and mysterious and exciting in a way you can’t imagine.” -Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island

Good afternoon from London!

I landed in Manchester around noon yesterday after an overnight flight. The flight was an unexpectedly lovely experience. I flew with British Airways, and I was charmed by how nice the crew was. They served dinner (complete with dessert), breakfast, and several rounds of tea and coffee.

I sat next to a man who was flying back home to England after a visit to Connecticut. We talked about our families and our travels.

There are some people who I feel instantly comfortable around–something about their presence seems authentic and grounded and trustworthy. This man was that way. He spoke about his children with such pride and love; he…

View original post 482 more words

The Right Thing

I’m following my heart, and here I am. In 24 hours, my plane will be taking off for London.

Tomorrow is my last day at work, and as soon as I’m done with my shift I’ll go to the airport. I spent this week training my replacements and preparing to leave my office in the best possible condition. I took care of outstanding tasks and projects, archived old materials, cleaned and organized every nook and cranny of the office, and left helpful resources out for the new staff members. I edited and polished the manual I created, which I’ve been working on for my 14 months at the company.

And tomorrow is my final push. My final day of giving my all to the organization before going on my first solo international trip – and then figuring out my next steps.

I can’t describe how free I feel knowing that my life isn’t planned out. There are a few things I’ve scheduled for when I get back, but for the most part, my life is open and I feel so hopeful about what comes next.

There are some things I want to remember going forward. Right now, I know that these things are true, but it can be easy to forget when life gets hectic, so I’m writing them here for future reference:

1. It is easy to wonder whether you’re doing the “right” thing. In some ways, there really is no right or wrong thing. In the words of Louis MacNeice, “in brute reality there is no / Road that is right entirely.”

But even though wrong and right aren’t as black and white as we might like them to be, you do always know what you really want. I couldn’t decide if quitting my job was the “right” thing to do. But I did know that I kept trying to find evidence and support and signs that would prove that it was the right decision. And I found the signs everywhere, because I was looking for them and asking for them (and because I needed about a hundred signs before I could convince myself to follow my gut). So whatever you’re trying to convince yourself of is probably the right thing for you.

If you need a reminder of this, it helps to listen to Hozier’s “Someone New” on repeat: “Would things be easier if there was a right way? Honey, there is no right way.”

2. When you make a decision that comes from your authentic self, people will respect it and will genuinely wish you well.

The people who don’t are the ones who don’t support your growth and happiness, anyway.

3. Don’t be afraid to disappoint people. If you are doing something because someone else expects you to, then reevaluate. Ask yourself why it’s expected of you and why you continue to do it. Is it because it genuinely helps you? Or is this sense of obligation something that only benefits others? It’s good to be altruistic and helpful, but there are limits. Only you can draw those lines.

4. Kindness goes a long way. You will never regret being patient and kind and thoughtful. Especially when people return that kindness back to you when you need it most.

5. It’s all okay. Really.

Life can feel so messy. After all, life is messy, divine chaos with moments of quiet understanding – and a lot of the time, we’re stuck in the middle of the chaos, and it feels like life will always be a mess.

But those moments of quiet understanding are so beautiful. Right now, I know that I made the best possible choice for me. I am looking at a future that fills me with hope, rather than dread. And I look forward to tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.

In this moment, I’m just going to follow my heart. First stop: London. We’ll figure out the rest as we go.

Finding It

I’ve been struggling to put my feelings into words recently. Today, the words came out. Here they are:

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” -Steve Jobs

This week is my last one in my first post-grad job, and deciding to leave was not easy.

As I was training a replacement today, he asked me what I planned to do next. I sheepishly said that although it sounds cliché, I am going to try to find what I am truly passionate about and pursue that.

He shook his head. “No, that’s not clichéd at all. That’s why I’m here.” He chose this organization and this job because it’s what he truly loves to do; this is his thing. “You have to focus on where your heart is and where your passion lies,” he said.

I have no idea what lies ahead, and while that’s a little scary, it’s also pretty freeing. And as I begin pursuing the things that are life-giving for me, I am handing over my job to someone who will truly love it, and I can’t think of a better way for things to end.

Here’s to uncertainty, taking chances, and to all of us finding “it”–whatever it may be.