New Blog

So I've been on hiatus for a couple months taking care of business, getting my life back on track. I've moved over to Word Press. Follow me.

I know it's not as pretty right now but I'll be tweaking it as time goes by.

The Break

It's been too long since my last post. A lot has happened since then, as I had alluded in my last update. I came home Saturday the 20th exhausted and a little nervous about what the future had in store for me. It's hard to grasp that I am no longer in London. I had expected a culture shock upon my arrival in the US. I had expected to miss the UK terribly. This hasn't been the case. It's almost as if I never left. As if the past four months, living and traveling on my own in a different country, had been mundane days in my life. I know this is not true. Those four months and all the hard work, the fun times, the discoveries, the victories and even the hardships were some of the most important moments of my life. Then why haven't I felt a deep longing for those days?

Why I feel optimistic

The only reason I can think of is that the journey of discovery is not over. London has been around for over 1,000 years and it will be there for many more. I can visit as many times as I want in my life and I certainly will. Heck, I'm considering getting a job there post-graduation. However, the one thing that hasn't changed since I left is that I'm still looking towards my future. I came to the UK to explore my career interests, sharpen my academic and professional skills and most importantly, learn about myself. It was foolish of me to think that I could do all this in four months. London represents the first phase accomplished. I know I can succeed as a journalist, a political analyst and a writer. I know I can learn from my mistakes and move on towards a stronger and brighter future. My semester abroad gave me these tools. The next phase is to finish college with as many accolades as possible, in order to enter the professional world with an eye on grad school. I'm looking closely at Columbia University and if my time in London taught me anything, it's that I can obtain this goal if I keep trying and learning.

The Future?

With that said, I'm still unsure about what will happen to this blog. It was created for the purpose of writing on my experiences in London, especially with my internship. I'm considering starting another one for general use. I volunteered to write for The Eagle's blog so I will update soon and provide a link to that as well. In the meantime you can search for me on twitter at pjchile or look me up on Facebook.

Photo Update

With my last week in London fast approaching, I've been sightseeing as much as possible. Last weekend I paid a visit to Abbey Road, the street made famous by the Beatles on their album of the same name. Today, I went to the world famous Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. I managed to get photos taken with a few celebrities in the process. Here is a sampling of the photos from these two trips:

In front of Abbey Road

The gates of Abbey Road Studios

At Madame Tussaud's with Travolta and Jackson

With the glamorous Keira Knightley

Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, and me

One Week in London

With less than seven full days left in London, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I want to celebrate Christmas with family. I also want to take all the lessons learned here and move towards the future. I graduate at the end of this year and I will need a paid job and grad school options. That brings me to the second dilemma. London has been my escape. It has been a wonderful option to put the stress of DC life aside and explore new options and new ideas. Even with the hard work I've put into my classes and my internship, it has been nothing but joy to do all these things. I know life is not always as happy and as pleasant. Tough times are ahead. I have to start a career from the bottom, paying my dues to get recognized. I need a master's degree too and they don't give those away for nothing.

I have learned an important lesson though: a positive attitude goes a long way. If I'm going to put in years of hard work, I might as well do it with enthusiasm. I've realized over the past few months that I really do like journalism and politics. They're exciting and valuable fields to be involved in. Maybe I do have a shot at that career after all.

London represents the beauty of trying new things. I never expected to have such a rewarding experience. It makes me think that if I visit various places and try different experiences more and more often I will enrich my thoughts and my views on life. In one month I turn 22. I'm glad I have this outlook on life now and I can't wait for the future.