God bless America

After a couple of boat rides, a local bus route, countless ubers, a round- trip American train journey to New York, a week long bus tour, a helicopter ride, a cycling adventure, 9 flights and encountering 11 airports in exactly 6 weeks, I would now consider myself a travel veteran. I've seen 7 states- all inspiringly different from one another and I've discovered some of my new favourite places. I've seen family, old friends, made new friends, hiked, partied, laughed, cried, explored, swam, walked an average of 10km a day, taken over 1,000 photos on my phone and made some everlasting memories.

They say traveling is a way of finding yourself, particularly when going it alone. I just happen to have been fortunate in the sense that other than the actual traveling part, I have never been alone. I have had some of my best friends along side me, each step of the way. Not many people get that experience, and it has enhanced my trip no end. I have always described my traveling style as wanting to live how the locals do, and having friends and family in many states makes that possible. I never felt like a guest, I was part of the family and that is something so special to me and an experience you can't buy through a travel agent. 

I'm sad that this trip has had to come to an end, I could have happily stayed for another 6 weeks and seen some more of the country I feel most at home in. 

Until next time, America. You know I'll be blogging it!

Em x

A heartbreaking goodbye

My last day here rolled around way too quickly. It's hard to believe that months of planning and saving up can be over so quickly but I've had the best time. I've done everything there is to do, see everything there is to see and met someone new every day. I am both lucky and grateful that I have formed such amazing friendships around the world and that I have been able to return and visit them like we haven't ever been apart. However there is a certain heartbreak that is attached to any kind of long distance relationship. Not knowing when you will next see eachother is hard, but the fact that we will able to see eachother again someday, whenever that may be, is something that I am truly thankful for.

This morning, Taylor had no classes so we went to get coffee at Fritz's and then I grabbed a bagel from a shop up the road. Got to make the most of American cuisine! We then went to her friend Brianna's place to catch up. I saw her briefly the other night on campus but it was nice to finally get to talk properly. Due to an unexpected and unfortunate circumstance, we decided to use the rest of my last day to explore the remaining 4 campuses of Rutgers.

I got to see the huge football stadium and as you may know, I freaking love football! There is a game tomorrow, if only I could stay one day longer!! Most of the athletics take place on the Busch campus and after seeing the great sports facilities, we got the bus to the Livingston campus.

This campus was like a town! But nicer! It was full of shops and restaurants and even a movie theatre! I just can't imagine anything like this on Reading campus.

After walking around and doing a tiny bit more shopping- I got some Rutgers socks, I couldn't help myself!- we stopped by this amazing fro yo place.

I got watermelon and vanilla yogurt with an abundance of fruit and toppings. After we stopped by the house, I packed up most of my things and we had a cute Rutgers themed photo shoot. We sat out on the balcony for a while, soaking up the sun and before long it was time to get a late lunch.

We went to a sit down restaurant for the first time in a while! I got potachos- like nachos but made with thicker potato slices which were amazing! 

By the time we got back from lunch it was time for me to go to the airport. Taylor drove me- thanks so much!- and with my 2 suitcases and backpack in hand, we said a heartfelt but hopeful goodbye. Like I said, I'm so lucky to have met Taylor when she was in England and it's been so insightful to finally experience her college lifestyle here, in comparison to mine at Reading and at Ole Miss. It was definitely a different vibe but I loved it!

I checked in to my flight with a Manchester United fan behind the desk and conversation soon turned to football. For those of you that don't know, I had to borrow a rather garish LeicesterCity luggage belt from my Dad after mine was snapped off during my flight from Detroit! I have enjoyed the football hooligan vibe but also name drop the premier league winners to most Americans I meet. I even met a fellow Leicester City fan on the tour through this strap: hi Neal!!

I must admit everything about this trip has worked out just great. From our famiy holiday in Orlando, to getting to see Hillary and my beloved Ole Miss again, to Danaes family conveniently being in LA at the same time and including me in their adventures, to Alyssa and Ben's visit coinciding with mine, to going on the fantastic tour round the West coast with one of my favourite people in the world and probably the only one I could actually stand to travel with, to our tour group meeting up on our own accord in San Fran even after the tour had finished, to being reunited with Taylor and meeting all the people closest to her! Thank you so much to every single person that has been a part of my last 6 weeks and for making it a trip of a lifetime! I will remember it all- with the help of this blog!

However, with always moving on to the next location, I've never had time to reflect on what I was leaving behind. With this being my last stop, I was overwhelmed by the thought of having to leave every person and every place and every experience behind and it hit me all at once. America will always be special to me, and I have even more reason to visit often with so many close connections all over the states. It's amazing and I feel truly lucky to have met and encountered every single person. If any of you are ever in the UK, get in touch!

So that's me for now. It's been a blast!

Em- over and out,

X

the New Jersey local

Today, Taylor had a class in the morning and another later on so we went out to get coffee first. I had decided to navigate the New Jersey bus system and get to the mall to do some shopping for the day. I got a Vanilla latte and this huge donut because 'Murica but this place was cool. It had a similar vibe to the Manhattan Coffee Club, a place we go to all the time in Reading. Definitely my kind of place.

We parted ways for the day, Taylor went to one of the other campuses for her class and I went to find the bus stop. Luckily it all worked out, the bus showed up exactly on time, it was going to the right place and I managed to pay my fare right, perfect! The bus went all through several New Jersey towns and eventually arrived at the mall.

I haven't been to a mall properly for the whole trip I don't think. We went briefly in Orlando and Danae and I had a look round the one in San Francisco but today, as my penultimate day here, I was going all out to shop! Firstly, I picked up a store directory, hoping to make some sort of plan of where I was going to go but it was the right size and layout that I could actually just wander up and down and go into any shops I liked the look of. This was basically every single shop so I took things slow as I was in no rush and got a good look at everything.

I went into the Barnes and Noble because Taylor told me it was a pretty big one and being a literature graduate I had to check out the books. I liked this coffee shop banner of illustrations of all the classic authors.

Then I did a bit of clothes shopping and picked up a few things I had been wanting and also had a good look round all the discounts at JC Penney before going further up the hierarchy to Macy's. Pretty pleased with my buys, I got lunch at Panera. I actually have really enjoyed doing things by myself this week. I mean obviously it's amazing that I have Taylor who has let me come stay with her and I don't want to leave and for us to be separated for so long again. But for the last 5 and half weeks I have had absolutely zero time to myself and to reflect on what I am doing and sometimes you just need a bit of space to stay grounded, you know. So this has all worked out pretty well with Taylor's classes giving me time to look around but also allowing us to get together in the mornings and later afternoons for the rest of the day together. Plus shopping with other people is stressful because I never get to find anything I actually like. So this has been great!

I got the classic Mac and cheese for lunch because I don't know when the next time will be that I will have such easy access to this fantastic dish. After I had eaten, I went into Forever 21 tried on a few things I picked up for freshers in Reading next week but left with nothing. More shopping to be done at home I think!

I got ready to get the bus back to campus which I actually had to wait a while for but it was good just to sit and chill for a bit. Walking back through the town where the campus is, I couldn't help but take a few photos. The classic American flag/gas station combo, as well as the cool fire station building which is just a few houses up the road from Taylor's. And also the blackboard outside of one the cafes- #ripharambe

I got back to house and started packing my stuff up while watching the Kardashians. Kelsey and Taylor arrived back shortly afterwards and me and Taylor went with her friend to Walmart for my last chance to pick up American items. And by items I mean food. And another carry on bag so I can actually bring everything I have bought back home!

We dropped her friend back off at his house and went inside. His house was huge. Sharing with 7 people, he stayed in a triple room. A real college vibe it was cool!

Then me and Taylor went to the dining hall for dinner. Enter High School Musical moment.

There was literally every type of food you could have and it was like an all you can eat buffet- amazing. We ate and chatted until the dining hall was closed! When we got back to the house we caught up with Kelsey and then I reshuffled my packing into 2 bags rather than 1. Ideal.

Tomorrow is my final day of this American Adventure and I just can't bring myself to think about that right now! I wish I could have stayed in each place longer but I guess it's better to be that way than to have overstayed and be bored with where I visited.

Sentimental and nostalgic post to follow.

Speak soon, 

Em x

RU campus life

This morning I woke up late for the first time in over 6 weeks. It was amazing. Taylor was up already and had gone to do some work so I got myself ready and went onto campus for the day.

I got breakfast at a place called Hansel and Griddles, an egg and cheese wrap, and of course a coffee.

After breakfast I walked around a bit more and stopped in Scarlett Fever a Rutgers merch store like Rebel Rags. There was so much stuff but I'd remembered I'd seen some merch in the huge Barnes and Noble they have here too so I went across the road to check it out.

I spent a while in there, they had so many clothes and books I was entertained for hours! Eventually I left with some shopping. Pretty pleased with my buys, I went further onto campus to the main square called The Yard. There are some food places round here and some tables so I sat down and then realised there was a pretty cool atmosphere. The TV screen was showing local news and weather while a DJ was playing a cool soundtrack over the students lunch time. This van was also giving out free milkshakes which I missed out because I didn't realise until later what was going on!

After a while sat here I took another walk around campus and before long, Taylor had finished her class so I went back to the house to meet her.

We went to meet her friend Nicole for lunch at Playa bowls. A healthy fresh bowl of fruits and grains. They were really good! We sat outside eating on the patio for a while until the bees came over, then we went back to Nicole's apartment down the road to eat. Her house is insane! So beautiful!

While we were at Nicole's, Taylor and Nicole had a chance to catch up a bit and after a while Nicole's roommate got back and joined us. We talked for ages about how each of us had had a study abroad experience and how cool it was. Nicole went to Peru in the summer, Alyssa went to Rome for 5 weeks,  Taylor came to England and I went to MS!

Nicole then had class so we walked out with her and me and Taylor took a spontaneous trip to get our nails done. After 6 weeks of packing and unpacking, traveling and camping, this was definitely needed!

Later on we went to get some dinner. Taylor told me about a place where you can get pasta on a pizza. No further questions were asked.

When we got back from dinner, Taylor's roommate Kelsey was out on the balcony and we ended up having a super funny photo shoot together.

These shots crack me up. We heard there was a movie showing outside on campus (Grease!) and had planned to go but we got caught up in conversation with Taylor's roommate Christina for hours! And even when Kaitlin got home we continued to talk about all kinds of interesting issues. I love meeting people and being able to talk about things that matter, it was really cool. We ended up staying up pretty late so I the had a shower and got into bed. It was great to have the experience of being a student at Rutgers without the studying!!

Speak soon, 

Em x

New York, New York

An impulsive late night decision meant I woke earlier than I really wanted to as I was gonna use the day to explore a small part of New York. I have never had the chance to go before and once I found out there was a direct train from the campus I'm staying on with Taylor to Madison Square Gardens I went against my anxiety-fuelled instincts and planned a day in the city by myself.

I walked to the train station and picked up my tickets for the journey. After getting a coffee and a bagel I went up to the platform where there was a train ready to leave. I asked the train guy if it was going to New York and I asked again when I was on the train and sure enough it was the right one. I settled down and read a bit of my book while watching the sights of New Jersey transition into New York.

After just over on hour, I arrived at Penn station and my main faces was navigating my way onto the street. I must have taken the right exit as there in front of my stood Macy's. I didn't want to stay too long as I only had a few hours to see everything I wanted to see but it was good to have a little look around and escape the craziness of the city until I had mentally prepared myself.

I went to go find my bus stop for the hop on hop off ticket I had bought and it was right outside Madison Square Gardens aka the train station I had come into. I hopped on and was greeted first by the driver and second by the tour guide who told us all about the city as we passed the streets and monuments.

I met a married couple from Florida who were sat behind me and they had been on the buses for a couple of days and we both happened to be hopping off the bus at the 911 memorial site. We had to walk a few blocks but we soon found it and it was amazing to see such a tasteful memorial of a terrible disaster. (I took a lot of photos on my camera and none on my phone to save battery so photos to come). Pablo and Candy Marie (cute right) were going to do the museum for the memorial but I didn't have enough time so I walked around a bit more and then went on to Battery Park.

I bought a ticket for a ferry that would go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island and after going through airport-like security, I managed to somehow get myself prime location at the front of the top deck. Cue the fantastic selfies- thanks mum for sending me a selfie stick!! #solotravelproblems

Although the boat docked at each place I wanted to save time and see some more of the city so I stayed on and got to see a great view of the Statue of Liberty up close and the Manhattan skyline from afar. Very cool.

After the boat ride was over, I went to go find the nearest bus stop which was right outside Battery Park. I got on and the tour continued around the original habour, architecture from the 1800s, lots a Titanic landmarks, the meatpacking district, Chelsea and the New York highline. I decided to get off just past Madison Square Gardens again and make my way over to Times Square.

It was pretty crazy and busy there but I managed to have a good look around and pick up some tacky souvenirs. Tourist AF.

I had to get the train back to New Jersey as Taylor had finished her long day of classes so I went back to the station. I had plenty of time but couldn't work out which platform I needed to be at so I asked a lady in the station. I told her I was getting the 5.03 train to New Brunswick and she said that there's no way I was because she gets that train and it doesn't go there! Good job I asked because it turns out I had looked at the timetable for New Brunswick to New York train! Luckily I got on the right one in the end.

I got back to the house with ease and was greeted by Taylor who was already home. I unpacked my stuff and we got Chipotle for dinner. After we got dressed up a lil and went to go try some of the bars round campus. 

There is a bar just a few steps away from the house which we went to, however they wouldn't accept my driving license so we had back to pick up my passport. Good job we are so close by. We got in and ordered Long Island Ice Teas for $2!! After a couple of rounds, we were so engrossed in conversation that when the barmen tried to ask if we needed another we didn't even notice. When we did, we declined as we wanted to check out another place but he wouldnot take no for an answer and 2 blue Long Island ice teas appeared before us at no charge! God bless America!

After a bit, we left the bar to go check out the scene at another place but it seemed super busy and there was a queue to get into this one so we gave it a miss. Instead Taylor took me to a cookie cafe that was open late. We shared a chocolate chip cookie which they made to order and it was so good!

But I was ready for bed after my day in the city, and no sleep on the flight over and the time difference.

Speak soon, 

Em x