One Week

I've been back in London for a week.

Most of my time has been trying to fix my sleeping, catching up with friends, figuring out the flat situation, reading (that's one trilogy and three books down for the week), and continuing to work on my book. I've now finished a solid 30 pages, and have another 40 waiting for me to mold. This would be a lot harder if I hadn't finished the whole book two years ago.

Good times.

I should be moving into my new flat this coming Wednesday. This is the moment where I ask you all to take a breath and say a little prayer that everything goes smoothly, and my next nine months will be blissful and trouble-free in this place. It shows me to get my first flat on my own in a foreign city, on the day my flatmate won't be in town. 

However, no one should worry too much because I do have a lot of support on this end.

Support - I always seem to need it. It's worse than just plain approval, because you need to rely on someone to be supported. With approval it's all you until you look back and see the nods and smiles. Maybe this is a new goal for myself, seek approval not support. It will surly force me to grow a little more and make my own decisions at the peak of choice making time. I'll stop worrying about other people when I need to make decisions for me.

... OR maybe I'm just being stupid - Can't blame it on not sleeping enough, haha.

Anyway, it feels good being back in London even though I do miss my friends and family. I'll have to start working harder on those train-tracks over the Ocean right onto Main Street Cooperstown. What would that be called: Atlantic Rails, West and a Bit More West Trains, Sunset Station? Ah well - building first, names later - although Sunset Station gives me a good idea for a shortstory.

xx, Kristin

Fact -

I  L O V E  W A L E S

(more to come soon).

Cardiff Castle 2011 : Photographer Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Why Do I Travel?

Dear London,

Today, I decided to step out of the paperwork and into the travel. As we all know, I have quite the flight ahead of me and I am very focused on my luggage now. While I had been planning on a little shopping spree to get new clothes for London, I may just pass on that now. I am afraid of loosing my luggage.

But what I am not afraid of loosing is my carry-on! So, today I went to CVS and bought a bunch of small travel sized things. While for some people, the following list might be boring, for me it makes me tap my fingers with glee.

This is what I bought:

• nail polish stickers - that I will apply right before I go.
• toothbrush lids, small toothpaste, floss, small mouthwash, small disposable toothbrushes - because I am apparently am worried about my oral hygiene on the plane... or plane breath.
• small contact solution
• small antibacterial
• small bottles for shampoo and conditioner & and a loofah - !!!
• small deodorant
• small tissues
• bandaids & bacitracin - because I tend to bump into things.
• small ibuprofen - to ease the pain after I bump into things.
• Chapstick
• face wash cloths - I do not enjoy that plane feel on my face.

It is nice to think outside of forms and about the travel. I AM SO EXCITED TO USE ALL MY LITTLE TRAVEL THINGS!

London: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, kristin

The Thoughts of an International Student

Dear London,

Everyday - every weekday - it seems that I am hearing more and more from Kingston. It is a constant flow of term schedules, orientations, and twitter following suggestions. At the beginning of the week, it freaked me out. In the middle of the week, I was in an honest panic. But now, I have returned to a moment of calm.

The thoughts of being a student again, after being out of school for over a year filled me with excitement and fear. I love to learn. I love the institution of higher education. I love being able to control - to an extent - how I learn the material I am faced with. However, will I be able to control myself when I return to Europe? I have told anyone who had asked, or suggested their own desires, that rather than exploring Europe again I plan to hop on trains and see the countryside of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. But then my head goes - of course I will visit Italy again with Phillipa and of course I will return to Norway to see my family - and this time with pictures and better presents from america. Not to mention that I have to visit Amanda in Spain!

And I do fear that this chain will break my attention from my studies, the reason I am returning to Kingston - I think - to receive an impressive master's degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. Constantly, I fill my head with the thoughts and advice from my Aunt Sandy. The power of a master's degree on its own, plus the fact that I was courageous enough to travel to another to receive this degree IS A GOOD THING. I hate, hate, hate to be limited and this path I am on should make my limitations less - except with the whole dollar, dollar bills thing.

I can imagine that I am not the only worried international student, though the arasmus students - European International Students traveling to another European country for education - would not be faced with the temptation of most countries in Europe. Perhaps Ruthie and Stacey are in the same place as myself. Maybe I will make new friends, bonding over this constant cycling thought process in my mind.

ANYWAY - back to the emails. Now, I am aware that:

• I should be finished with my course between June 4th and June 28th.
• I also know what the Master Classes will be of and that they will occur every Monday from 6pm to 8pm.
• I know that after I finish re-reading Harry Potter, I will need to read Rebecca.
• I know that I need to create a new and private twitter account, so I can follow their suggestions easily.
• I know when and what some of the orientation events will be and have added them all to my calendar.

Though - I still do not know:

• when I will receive my loans
• how and when to buy my plane ticket
• what my courses will be
• where I will live
• and if my visa is as easy as I hope and think it seems.

These thoughts are still weighing on my mind and every time I run though them, I am certain I am missing one. Even now, I am sitting here thinking if I need to add something to that list, but nothing else comes to my nervous mind.

At this point, I can no longer say, "I am probably going to England this fall." I have made a promise I will not, and that I will spend a year learning amazing things inside and outside of the classroom. Fingers crossed that I am not forgetting anything...

Norway: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, kristin

Old Tips from Past Self

Dear London,

The last time I traveled abroad, I made a list of tips for Hanna for traveling internationally. I never showed it to her. However, while I was looking for documents I came across them again, and reading through the list made me smile. This made me think it would be a good idea to post that list on here, so that I may reference it in the future.

Next Weekend Trip:

1. Ask if you can drink the water
2. Small toothpaste, Q-tip, small contact solution, small bottles for shampoo...
3. The right money: Euros, Kroners, GBP...
4. Make sure everything is charged: ipod, camera, phone...
5. Look up some language to get around the city
6. Check the weather
7. Bring: cards, pen & paper, chapstick...
8. Remember your family, write home
9. Stay out of the bike paths, marked by green and red
10. Take pictures with people - including yourself - in them
11. Remember your values, priorities
12. Ask questions
13. Don't forget to eat
14. It is okay to take a break, breath and do nothing
15. Gum makes you hungrier
16. Positive energy
17. Try something local: theater, museums...

There were more, but I could not understand what some of them meant also there was one giant warning - Cannot put all of them, some are inappropriate. I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean... ah well.

Holland: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin