Dear England...

I hate the way your seagulls cry,
And the way your traffic roars.

I hate the way your WiFi sucks,
I hate your dirty floors.

I hate your coined currency,
and how it weighs my wallet down.

I hate that they can't find a pen,
when I use my 'swipe card' in town.

I hate the heat down in the Tubes,
I hate the crowded shops.

I hate it when I cross the street,
and look the wrong way to walk.

I hate the way things seem so cheap,
like I'm spending no money at all.

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you,
not even close, not even a little bit,
not even at all.

But in all honesty, guys, I am going to miss it here. All I have talked about lately is how much I want to come home, but England really is great. As you can see above, there are some less than awesome things, but I mean, there's always some things no matter where you go. And if you didn't catch the poem reference, you're time in the 90s wasn't complete.

Now that you have seen what I won't miss about this lovely land, here's what will be fondly remembered:

Afternoon tea
There's nothing like some cream tea and scones with clotted cream and jam outside on the streets of Worcester. It's delicious and the town is beautiful. Always one of my favorite ways to relax. I can't wait to count out all my English coins so I can pay! (Note: sarcasm. It's going to be embarrassing most likely.)

Beautiful design. Everywhere.
While 'awesome' was probably the word that came out of my mouth most often this trip, 'cute' was a close second. I probably could have spent all of my money on greeting cards and maps if we're being honest. (Good thing I exercised some self control for once.) Not just print design, though. Exhibit design in the museum, architecture and fashion. Everything is just fantastically beautiful. And now I get to go back to Muncie. Joy.

"Cheers"
I probably heard this said about 1,000 times a day. Checking out from Tesco. Scanning in at the Tube. Random people walking down the street. It's so casual, but puts a smile on your face. I mean, it just sounds so much more cheery — hah — than a blunt 'hey.'

The view
No matter where I went, there was a beautiful sight to see. In Worcester, I had the best view of the sunset over the Malvern Hills every night. And I could talk a walk along the river with the Cathedral down at the end of the city center. In London, I fell in love with twilight walks along the Thames, with Parliament and the London Eye in the distance. IT'S JUST SO PRETTY HERE!

So much more that I can't even recall right now because I'm three weeks deep and my brain is fried.
Yeah, it's been a long trip. But a highly rewarding one at that. I will never forget this experience and value it so much.

Thanks, England. It's been a wild ride :)

Relaxing and reflecting.

If I could describe these past three weeks in one word it would be "whirlwind."

A crazy, exhausting, amazing and Olympic-speed whirlwind. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This trip was so much more than any of us could imagine. We get daily media media reports from our PR team that goes over all content that was published to other news organizations, and it's just incredible to see. From the Huffington Post to USA Today, WTHR to our infographics in the Chicago Tribune, our effort has truly been admired by so many people.

We feel like we really made a statement. And I think we have.

To report as our team has, a group of college students with no credentials going into the field, it is actually pretty impressive.

No, we didn't cover the actual sporting events. We didn't have people front row center in the action.

But we captured the spirit.

And honestly, that's one of the greatest parts of the Olympics, I think. It's not just being the best and winning medals. It's about the world coming together for a common purpose and celebration. It's about being a part of something bigger.

And I know I felt it. Just being here. The energy is insane.

But like I said, it can also be exhausting. Especially when you're trying to be a tourist at the same time. Which is why this weekend and the next couple days, I couldn't be happier to be back in Worcester just relaxing before we head back to the USA on Wednesday.

 

We've had brunch a couple times at the cutest little place called "Boston Tea Party," and got some fish 'n' chips and cider at a local pub.

We've wandered the streets in town doing some last minute shopping.

And we've just celebrated the end of the Olympics. The end of an amazing effort that was more than we could have hoped for. The end of summer.

I think we're all ready to go home.

But with grateful hearts. 

Grateful to our advisers who made this whole thing happen, and have dealt with the drama and shortcomings yet remained supportive and strong as ever.

Grateful for our peers who were right by our sides, pushing us to keep going and matching our dedication, keeping each other excited throughout the whole process.

Grateful to our families who helped us get here and be able to have this experience at all.

Forever grateful.

THAT ONE TIME I SAW USA WIN GOLD

 

So after lots of thought and deliberation, I finally decided that there was just no freaking way I could miss the women's football gold medal match. And so many people in our group felt the same way. 

And man am I glad I went. In a word, it was PHENOMENAL. 

In more words, it was probably the best moment of this entire trip by far. I LOVE THE OLYMPICS.

Also, we were pretty much celebrities. Everybody stopped us to take our picture. I mean, who wouldn't? Check out how crazy some of us were dressed. (Also, that last picture is from someone at BSU at the Games. Not my own. Just so you know. OK, cool.)

But really, we are probably plastered all over Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by random people from all over the world because they thought we were the craziest (read: MOST AWESOME) Americans ever.

 

Even though my seat was pretty high up, the view was great. I wasn't stuck behind a goal and could see the entire field.

And in case you didn't know already, WE FREAKING WON. And I got that Mighty Ducks moment where everyone is singing "We Are the Champions" as it plays over the loudspeaker. Cheesy? Maybe. But mostly fantastic.

Note: I also witnessed another Mighty Ducks reference earlier in the night when a group of rowdy Americans climbed the stairs before the game changing "Quack, quack, quack, quack!" I approved.

So yeah, there I was in Wembley. Watching the USA Women's Soccer Team receive their gold medals and sing the National Anthem with crazy grins on their faces because THEY JUST GOT WORLD CUP REVENGE AGAINST JAPAN AND BECAME OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS.

They are literally champions...of the world. (Hah.)

 

So, yes. It was unforgettable. As was getting back to the flat. I mean, we were a record crowd of over 80,000 people. Filtering all those people into the Tube station was like Rockville Road in Avon at rush hour. With a four car pile up.

But we made it back to Farringdon. Still pumped. Pretty sure the energy high still hasn't worn off.

And of course, stopped at the local Tesco to pick up some celebratory chocolate gold medals.

Because America.

Time off in London (Really, that happened.)

 

On the first day of my group's last rotation in London, we just took a day to just chill out and walk around the city.

A few of us went to the Tate Modern, and besides gushing over all the awesome art, we were gushing over the awesome exhibit and information design. We are just huge geeks.

After strolling back over Millennium Bridge and walking by St. Paul's Cathedral, Lindsey and I went to the Tube station and headed over to — are you ready for this? — KING'S CROSS STATION.

Sorry, but 11-year-old me was pretty much having the best time ever.

21-years-old getting a picture at Platform 9 3/4 and proud of it. The station was also beautiful inside and out. Magical, if you will... ;)

 

The next night we headed out to see the Olympic montage on the side of Parliament. It's about a 15-minute presentation about Team GB over the years and runs on loop for about two hours every night. And it's pretty cool. I literally got chills. There are just so many times during this trip that the energy gets to you and everyone just gets so pumped up.

 

Also, London is gorgeous at night. Especially by the river. My camera just can't do it justice.

 

On our last day in London, I think I had just about had it with everything. I went out to Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus with Lindsey to do some last minute shopping, and I was just getting super irritated with people in general. I just wasn't feeling the crowds.

Too many people. Too much exhaustion.

I was just ready to get back to Worcester and relax before coming home.

Rare break in Worcester

As I may have mentioned, the graphics team has been working incredibly hard. So when we finally got a break the other day, we made the most of it.

This was really the first time I’ve gotten to photograph some of Worcester, which is where we stay when we aren’t in London. The University of Worcester City Campus is right near the city center, and the town is Muncie size and quite adorable. Just like that little girl in all pink. That’s my professor’s daughter, Tommy. She dressed herself that morning. Pink may or may not be her favorite color.

A group of us headed down to take a stroll along the river in town and feed the swans. Then, Tommy discovered the fountain. Or as she like to say, the geysers. We were all pretty impressed that she knew that word.

It was all good fun. Until it started pouring down rain. That’s England for you.

I swore to myself at one point that I would never leave a building ever again without an umbrella. I don’t stick to that, and England likes to rub it in my face every chance it gets.

Regardless, Tommy just didn’t care. We all huddle under trees and what umbrellas people had, while she remained the only child splashing in the fountain with rain pouring down.

She was soaked to the core. And despite her pouts and pleads, nobody would go back out and play with her.

And still, she didn’t care.

We finally faced the rain and decided to go warm up with some afternoon tea and scones. I could really get used to having that every afternoon. So good and relaxing.

By the time we left, the sun was back out and the skies were nothing short of beautiful.

Gosh, England. So bipolar.

We did a little more shopping, then headed back to campus to relax, do laundry, pack for London and watch Team USA women’s soccer advance to the gold medal match.

You know, important things.

Street markets: When money should stay at the flat

Just within the week, I have quickly realized why the girls who have been studying abroad in Worcester all summer are more broke than I am.

Some of us hit up the cutest street market ever in London before heading back to Worcester last Saturday. If I had brought any more money with me, I would not be eating this whole last week.

Somehow, I manage to buy just an antique ampersand type block for me, then quickly found a souvenir shop to buy things for my family before I did too much damage on my wallet.

It’s also probably a good thing that this market is only open on Saturdays, and I won’t have any more Saturdays in London. But I’m also really sad about it. Just conflicted all around.

Anyways, it was just oozing cuteness and charm and just look at those beautiful houses.

Yes, I could live there. Except for the fact that I would empty my bank account every Saturday.