“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau
This quote could not have been more fitting than last night. Sometimes, the best part about being in London is how often one is lost. I’m serious—I’m typically lost about 97% of the time here. I’ve come to find humor in my daily travels. Sure, going to class and work is simple. It’s just when I’m feeling extra adventurous after work on the hunt for a crumpet or a decent dirty chai that I become a total tourist. But the brilliant part is that if we’re all lost here, we’re all together in that sense too.
So I spent the weekend with Sarah Lynne Day. Sarah is one of my five flat mates and also one of the greatest people I have ever met. She is incredibly genuine and always has advice that is wise beyond her years. Oh, it was also her 22nd birthday on Thursday—so naturally, we celebrated all weekend.
While the rest of our flat was off gallivanting in Paris (it’s fine guys, we’re going next week) Sarah and I had numerous heart to hearts, adventures and made the most of our quality time together. I kid you not when I say that I feel like I’ve known this girl my entire life. Seriously, she just gets me. Some of the most beautiful parts of our time together were when regular conversations turned into moments of self-discovery.
We learned that all encounters have purpose, all insecurities have meaning and all flaws make us who we are.
As cheesy as it sounds, it was one of the most influential weekends I’ve had in a long time and we didn’t even do anything super special. We went to a new awesome pub that has a ton of ping pong tables, walked around the 2012 Olympic grounds, had amazing Chinese food, saw a Scottish musical, directed lost tourists and just enjoyed every simple pleasure London has to offer. From the complete Godsend of night busses to the comfort found in coming home to Camden, the coolest part of the city, it’s always a blessing living in such a lively city. Although our flat is directly over one of the loudest pubs in the area you learn to love the lullaby of drunkies in their prime.
To recap what went down the week before, I went to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and saw Macbeth live, saw a mock Victorian amputation and celebrated my 20 ½ birthday. Macbeth was unreal. I was completely star struck being in such a historical part of London. These actors meant business and it showed in every scene. The amputation honestly made me kind of queasy. Our “doctor” chose an assistant from the audience and explained how the surgery would have happened back in the day. Although no limbs were lost it was still pretty gross. Lastly, I celebrated—in true American fashion—my 6 month mark of being underage! Mill Ave, get ready. I’m comin’ for you in March!
For now, that’s all! This time next week, I’ll be running around the streets of Paris! In case you didn’t catch that at the beginning, I also booked a weekend trip to Paris for next weekend. Saying I’m excited would be an extreme understatement.
Bonjour, mates!
Lauren, In London
PS – I was also featured in Simply Audree Kate’s fashion blog last week – sharing my insider opinion on the London Look! Check it out, and all that SAK has to offer, here:
Lauren In London 