A Model From Charles Dickens

12 July 2013

Excerpt from my writings in travel writing class.

Anthropologie is my favorite store on the ENTIRE EARTH, and they have a giant one on Oxford Circus in London!

Are men books? Are we a people thrown around the shelves of an old world waiting to be opened up and read? We can’t begin on our own, for we need people to start us, to give us structure, and to bring us to where we are now. We have our independence, yes, but our character, our emotions, and our setting, change with time and with our readers. I believe that our stories are predestined, and that time, place, and people simply shape them. For this purpose it is important to journey through life with eyes and ears open to everything around you.

Looking out over the Eye of London, Parliament, and Westminster.

Allow me to introduce myself-first negatively
In the morning my clothes are never ironed and I rarely spend more than a few minutes fixing my hair. Habits of penny pinching and an academia in finance keep me from doing some of life’s greatest pleasures. My to do list is lengthy and rarely do I get it done. Decisions are my enemy and they usually hold me captive for more time than I have TIME for. Relationships come quickly for me but commitments seem to fall fast, they are my vice. My unwavering believe that time is of essence often overpowers the details in life, and I let them breeze by with little acknowledgement. And yet-proceeding now, to introduce myself positively.
I am productive. I go out and get. My time is efficient and well booked. Culture is my love and people are my joy. I am a girl with a family whom I do not deserve, they are that great. Everything interests me, there is not anything out there that I am not head over heels to learn about.

More photos with Westminster and Big Ben 🙂

Not just I, but the park too, and the sky surface their emotions. Today is good. It is another journey for me to explore and understand what I did not know previously. As I prepare to board the bus, I can hear the green grass of the park rustling in the wind waving me on and feel the warmth of the sun in the blue sky embracing me as a journey on. Soon I will be in a place with history so deep it could drown me. Soon I will be in London!

Travel writing has taught me a lot about myself, as I am a traveler through space and time. Someday I hope to reach the level of writing that I am capable of, but it is just so hard to grasp at this moment. At the end of the class and at the end of my trip I will be anxious to go back through and analyze my writings from the start to the finish and see if I have indeed improved in both structure and style.

We spent a great day in London today. We had a struggle hoping from embassy to embassy trying to figure out when and where we were supposed to go…but as a result we got to see A LOT of the city. We went into one of the largest Anthropologie stores I have ever been in and it was incredible. I have been into so many Anthropologie stores without buying anything that this time I was not going to let myself leave empty handed. I purchased a beautiful collar necklace that I absolutely love! After our journeys in Anthropologie we headed to one of the largest Whole Foods I have ever been to. I think it is quite funny that we spent several hours of our day in the Embassy, Anthropologie, and Whole Foods…what a life!

Of course being in London we had to venture out of the incredible shopping district and experience some history and culture. Although the bus ride gave us quite a bit of culture as we sat by some Italians and drove through the Middle Eastern part of town just as all the people were finishing their ceremonies and hitting the streets. It was quite incredible to see so many people dressed in their traditional clothing (Turbans, veils, dresses that covered their entire bodies) walking the streets of London…that is something that you just do not see in the United States. Walking through “Embassy Row” as I call it because all the Embassies seem to be lined up one after another, was also quite the cultural experience…I heard more languages on one block than all the languages I have ever heard in my life up to this point totaled. London is a melting pot and I love it. After our grand morning adventures we headed down Regent Street toward the River Thames to relax on the bridge just south of Big Ben and the Eye of London. The view from the bridge was astounding and absolutely stunning. We finished our day by walking by the Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.

Look at the treasure I picked up in Anthropologie! I love it!

This was my fifth time to London, and every time it just gets better. My favorite thing to do now is to just get lost in all the culture that surrounds me. Tomorrow we have some incredible adventures planned and so I better get to bed because it is already 2:30am!