London in Two Days!!!

Holy crap guys! My class leaves for London in two days and I'm already exhausted just thinking about it!

Going into this blog I wanted to offer you all an excited and upbeat explanation of what I am expecting to get out of going to London, but that just wouldn't be real. Because right now, i'm tired, frustrated and pretty stressed out. Now, those negative emotions are not all stemming from this trip but they are currently effecting my outlook on it and my expectations. I think everyone has been in this situation when they are about to go on a vacation, business trip, or study abroad. It can be very stressful planning, packing and going with the flow, especially if your like me and want to be in control of the entire process. So today, I'm gonna keep it real, and walk us all through how I handle being the little ball of stress that I am by sharing the way I find the things I am excited about for any given trip, specifically this London trip, in order to put myself in a better mind set.

The first thing I always have to remind myself of is what I enjoy most about traveling. Now, everyone's answers are going to be very different. But for me the highlights of any vacation or trip that I take are the food, the outdoor spaces, and the museums/historical locations. When I'm planning trips for myself I will choose where I want to go based on these desires. And London isn't lacking in any of these activities.

While traditional British food is known for being rather bland new, young, chefs all over London are taking old favorites like bangers-and-mash, fish-and-chips, and afternoon tea and creating fusions with other ethnic foods to create these new, fun, and unique experiences. The mixing of old favorites with new flavors is always a highlight in any city. I particularly want to try one of the Bao restaurants located in the city. Bao, for those who don't know, are asian steamed buns. Fillings change depending on what country they are coming out of, but I particularly want to try pork belly Bao because it just sounds heavenly. I'm imagining light pillowy pale dough filled with succulent gingery salty porky goodness and vegetables. Mmm...

Aside from food I am also a huge nerd. A literature nerd to be precise. So the fact that we will be able to go to the Globe Theatre is a huge check off my bucket list. I cannot imagine how I could ever be stressed being inside the theater where Shakespeare himself put on shows. The idea has me unreasonably giddy. It'll be a perfect mixture of my love of history and of theater and I can't wait see it. And that is really what it is about. Identifying the things you are passionate about and making them  the goals of your experience. On this trip I am expecting to learn, experience and eat damn good food. And remembering that makes me as a traveler a lot less anxious over the small details.

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