Eurotrip Part One: London

I recently took a trip to England and France and had such an amazing experience! I started off in London visiting my friend Ciela and spending the weekend with my sister Lexi. Then I headed to Bath with Lexi where she is studying abroad, and took day trips to Cardiff and Weston-Super-Mare with my friend Ben. Then my parents came to Bath and we all travelled to London together. And then finally I went to Paris with my parents before heading back to London to catch my flight to New York! It was definitely a whirlwind, but it was so great! I was so happy to be back in Europe, and now after spending more time in London, I am even more confident that it's the city where I want to live someday :)

My trip lasted almost three weeks, so I am going to break up my blog posts into several parts so it's not too ridiculously long. And I will start off with the first city I was in: London!

Me saying bye to Chloe since it was the last time I'll see her until Thanksgiving.
Based on her facial expression, she was obviously very upset that I was leaving.
Aw I miss my little puppy, but it's only a couple more weeks until Thanksgiving now :)

And I'm off to the airport, suitcase in hand!

Before I get into telling you about my time in London, I want to mention my flight because it was awesome! I flew on Virgin Atlantic, and it was by far the best airline I have been on before. As soon as I walked onto the plane, it just felt so cool because the lighting inside was all purple and all of the flight attendants were so friendly! And the food was great, the movie selection was amazing, and even the safety video was fun! From now on, I'm going to fly on Virgin Airlines as often as possible :)

My flight to London was a red-eye, so I arrived around 10am, completely jet-lagged and exhausted. I took the tube from Heathrow and met my friend Ciela at her work near Marble Arch where we were reunited! I hadn't seen her since June when she visited the US, so it was so great seeing her again! After meeting up with her, she went back to work, and I headed to her flat for a much needed nap!

Later on, Ciela and I met up again for a very exciting start to the trip. Her co-worker had VIP tickets to the Chelsea football match and invited us to go! We got a free three-course meal with unlimited beer and wine, and then we had box seats for the match. The food was amazing, and the match was so much fun! I will admit I started to fall asleep a couple of times because I was so exhausted and jet-lagged, but I still had a great time, and Chelsea won!

selfie with Ciela before the match

The next day, Ciela had to work again, but I had a fun day exploring. She lives right next to Hyde Park, so I spent my day walking all over the park, which was so nice and relaxing! My favourite part of the park was Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace which were both so pretty!

At one point, there was a swarm of hundreds of pigeons, swans, and geese.
I'm afraid of all three, so I was feeling pretty anxious! There were some people
that were actually trying to pet and feed them though. Those people are crazy!

the Princess Diana Memorial

the Prince Albert Memorial

Kensington Palace, followed by the beautiful Kensington Gardens

After a day of exploring the park, I met up with Ciela when she got out of work, and we went for a classic English experience: afternoon tea! We went for tea at the Royal Horseguards Hotel right in central London, which was such a beautiful hotel! Ciela used to work there, and her friend was there to greet us with champagne when we arrived! For tea, I got chai, and we got lots of amazing sandwiches and desserts to go with our tea, and scones at the end of the meal. It was really fun, and I'm so happy I got to experience an authentic London afternoon tea!

a scenic ride to our afternoon tea sitting in the front of the double decker bus

 Then that night, we decided to go out! Ciela knows a club promotor who got us into the opening of a new club in central London. The club ended up being kind of boring, but there was amazing free food there! We were brought sushi and dumplings which tasted so amazing! After that club, we headed to one of Ciela's favourites: Maddox. We met another promotor there where we got some free drinks and had a really fun night hanging out and talking to a bunch of new people!

sushi, sashimi, and cocktails... YUM!

And then it was Friday, and Ciela was heading home to Holland for the weekend. (I was originally supposed to arrive in London a week later, but after I was offered the position at L'Oréal, I had to change my flights and come earlier, and unfortunately Ciela had already booked her flights home for her mom's birthday.) But on the bright side, Lexi was coming to London that day with her study abroad program, and she decided to stay in London with me for the weekend! Lexi's program went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre until about 4pm, so before meeting up with Lexi, I explored some more of London!

I started off by taking the tube to the Financial District (I just gotta say, I spotted some major hotties walking around that area haha ;) I literally spotted about 50 contenders to be my future husband haha). Along with all the eye candy, I saw the Gherkin and then made my way to the Thames. I walked all along the river all the way down to the Tower of London and walked over the Tower Bridge. Then I walked along the South Bank, seeing the HMS Belfast, City Hall, the Shard, Borough Market, the Millennium Bridge, and then finally the Globe Theatre. I met up with Lexi after her show got out, and then the sister weekend had begun!

the Tower of London. All the red poppies are a tribute to World War I since it started
exactly 100 years ago. The memorial surrounded the Tower and looked really incredible.

the Tower Bridge

the Financial District including the Walkie Talkie and the Gherkin

the Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

reunited with Lexi!

 After dropping off Lexi's suitcase at Ciela's, we headed out for dinner. We went to a UK chain called Wagamama that does Asian fusion, and it was delicious! I had heard great things about Wagamama before and it definitely lived up to my expectations! I got a chicken and shrimp teppanyaki, Lexi got some ramen with lots of good stuff in it, and we got some chicken dumplings to split. Just writing this is making me crave Wagamama so much, and I really wish we had it in the US!

Wagamama dinner... so delicious!!

 Then we were craving some cocktails, so we decided to go to an amazing place called Giraffe that I had been to the first time I was in London. Giraffe is a chain, so I'm sure there are locations all over the city, but we decided to head to the one I had been to before in Belgravia, and walking from Marble Arch, it ended up being a lot further than we had thought! But at least we got a nice little tour of the city along the way :) We walked down Oxford Street, through Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square where there was a Malaysian festival going on, then we saw the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and then finally, after about 3 hours of walking, we finally found Giraffe! I got two amarettini cocktails, which were just as delicious as I remembered them!

Piccadilly Circus

Three London icons in one shot: Big Ben, the London Eye, and a red double decker bus

Big Ben

our cocktails from Giraffe! They make the best cocktails ever

 After getting our cocktails, we made the wise decision to take the tube home. But, while we were on the tube, I started feeling really sick and almost fainted! Luckily when I started feeling really bad, we were just getting to Ciela's stop, so we sat down for a few minutes, and I realised that I must have been really dehydrated. I usually drink a ton of water, but I guess I forgot to drink enough that day because I was so excited about being in London. Then on top of that, I walked for hours earlier in the day and then hours with Lexi at night, and I had a couple of cocktails. So after that, I made sure to drink a ton of water throughout the rest of the trip!

The next day, Lexi and I decided to check out an area of London that neither of us has been to before: the trendy area of East London called Shoreditch! Shoreditch kind of has a reputation of being really hipster, like the way Williamsburg is in New York. It was so cool! There was a ton of awesome graffiti all over Shoreditch and we came across a few vintage markets that had some really cool things.

After exploring for a while, we headed to King's Cross Station to see the sight that was probably at the top of both of our London bucket lists: Platform 9 and 3/4! We are both huge Harry Potter fans, so we absolutely loved seeing this! We got our pictures taken "running into the platform", Lexi as a Gryffindor and me as a Ravenclaw. It was so awesome :)

Hogwarts, here I come!

 After going to Hogwarts, we walked through Covent Garden where there was lots of good food and street performers, and then we went back to Ciela's to rest a little bit. Our feet were killing us from all the walking, and I was especially exhausted after three days in a row of constant walking. After sitting in bed, planning out where we wanted to get breakfast the next morning, and massaging our feet a little bit (TMI?), we went over to Paddington nearby to meet up with Lexi's friend for a drink. Two of Lexi's housemates in Bath were also in London for the weekend, and we went out to a pub with her friend Abby. We all got ciders and just had a nice chill night. That was fun because pub culture was an aspect of the UK that I hadn't really experienced yet!

Cheers!

 The next morning, we went out for something we had both been wanting to try: a traditional Full English Breakfast! We found a restaurant near Ciela's in an area called St Christopher's Place that ended up having amazing breakfast! Our Full English Breakfasts came with eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, beans, toast, and tomatoes (which neither of us likes, but they looked good for tomatoes)! The breakfasts were so delicious, and even after having a few more Full English Breakfasts throughout the rest of the trip, I think this one was the best one I've had!

 That night, we had a bus booked to Bath, and before that we decided to go back to Hyde Park. Lexi had never seen it, and I loved it before, so I was happy to go back! We saw Speaker's Corner, where there were a bunch of guys preaching about Jesus, haha. The park was pretty full compared to when I had gone a few days before, but it was still nice and relaxing. After walking through the park, we walked through Kensington a little bit before getting dinner and heading to the bus.

I am going to live in a house like this someday

Before heading to the bus to Bath, of course we had to get some London phone box pictures!

For dinner, we went to an Asian restaurant called Inamo that was probably the coolest place I've ever gone for food. The table was completely interactive. You could look through the menu, including pictures of all the food, and then place your order all through a big touch screen on the table. There were also games you could play against someone else at the table, see a chef's cam in the kitchen, shop, order a cab, and so many other things. The food was delicious too! I unfortunately didn't get any pictures, partially because I was distracted by how awesome the restaurant was, partially because I was completely exhausted, but trust me that it was the coolest place ever :) 

I had an amazing first leg of my trip in London! Check out the next post to hear about what I got up to during my time in Bath!

Exciting Announcement!

Recently, I took a trip to New York City where I was invited for an interview at a really exciting company. While I was there, I realised that I absolutely loved both the company and the city. I could completely picture myself working there and living in New York.

And then, less than a week later, I was contacted by HR... and I was offered the position that I had interviewed for! I was completely ecstatic because out of all the companies and positions I had been looking into, this was by far my number one. After returning to New York another time, I could also confirm that I really love the city and would love to live there. I had been starting to feel pretty discouraged and was definitely experiencing some post-grad depression earlier in the summer, but now I am finally starting to get an idea of what my future may look like, which is an amazing feeling!

I won't mention the name of the company quite yet, but I am so excited to announce that I will be working with the Customer Marketing team at a major company in the beauty industry! Anyone who knows me will know how passionate I am about beauty and makeup, so I can't think of a more perfect company for me! I will be starting on October 13th, so I'm currently working on figuring out where I will live when I make the big move to New York City. 

I can promise lots of exciting posts in the near future. First off, I am going to Europe for two and a half weeks starting on September 23rd. I will be visiting friends in England for a week, then my parents will come and we are going to visit my sister in Bath, then travel to London, Paris, and Lyon. And then on October 11th, I fly into New York and start working two days later! It will be a whirlwind for sure, but I am extremely excited for what the next few months will hold!

My Fall Fashion Wish List

It's almost September and the start of my favourite season—Fall! I love everything about the Fall: the weather, the beautiful scenery, the holidays, and especially the fashion!

Here are some of the new items that I am absolutely loving for this Fall season:

1. Superstretch Skinny Biker Trousers from Zara
Black skinny jeans and leggings are always a staple in my wardrobe for Fall and Winter. I especially love the zipper details on these pants because they have some extra edge to them!

Zara superstretch skinny biker trousers


2. Polka Dot Silk Top from Zara
I'm pretty obsessed with both polka dots and this pretty cream colour. This top would look so good for Fall paired with some skinny jeans, boots, and a blazer. And what I love about this top is that it could even remain as a wardrobe staple into the Spring paired with shorts or bright coloured skinny jeans!

Zara polka dot silk top


3. Metallic Skirt from H&M
This beautiful metallic colour is so perfect for the Fall. Even though this skirt is such a stand-out piece, it's structure makes it so versatile. I would wear this to work, out for a day of shopping, or to a party.

H&M metallic skirt


4. Contrasted Quilted Jacket from Zara
I absolutely love this jacket because it's so versatile and also so flattering. It is beautifully tailored and includes piping that creates a nice silhouette. I really like the texture of quilted jackets and think this one would pair perfectly with almost any possible Fall outfit.

Zara contrasting quilted jacket


5. Weave Printed Top from Zara
Cheetah print has been hugely popular for years, and the trend is continuing into this Fall season. I really like this top because it's more neutral and less "in your face" than a lot of cheetah print. The back of this top also has a black exposed zipper, which I think adds a great touch.

Zara weave printed top


6. Jersey Duster Jacket from Miss Selfridge
I absolutely love this jacket! It has such a cool print, but since it is so neutral, it could pair well with a variety of things. It seems so cosy, and I think it would look perfect with black leggings or skinny jeans, boots, and a plain white t-shirt.

Miss Selfridge jersey duster jacket


7. Petite Spotty Swing Dress from Topshop
As I mentioned before, I absolutely love polka dots and can never get enough of them! I saw this dress on Topshop's website and completely fell in love with it. It is A-line and skater-style, but still structured enough to be super flattering. I love the three-quarter length sleeves and the exposed zipper on the back of the dress! It also has a vintage 60s feel to it which is a big trend for the Fall.

Topshop petite spotty swing dress


8. Soft Slipper from Zara
I always like shoes like these ones because they are so comfy and easy to wear. You can slip them on with jeans, leggings, or a dress and tights and instantly make the outfit look more classic and polished.

Zara soft slipper


9. The Chelsea Boot from Madewell
Chelsea boots are a classic style that are going to be huge this Fall. Buying nice leather boots like these ones are a great investment because they will never go out of style. I especially like black Chelsea boots since they go with everything and add an element of chic-ness to anything they are paired with.

Madewell Chelsea boot


10. A-Line Faux Leather Skirt from Zara
Leather accents are going to be big again this Fall...leather pants, jackets, and, of course, skirts! I love this A-line style because it's not as tight as a lot of leather, so your legs are able to breathe.

Zara A-line faux leather skirt


11. Rubin Bootie from Steve Madden
Another pair of great boots for the Fall! I love lace-up boots, especially in brown and a taupe colour like this and definitely want to get a pair for this Fall. These boots are leather and seem like they are so comfortable, and they come in a variety of colours: taupe, black, cognac, and pale blue!

Steve Madden Rubin bootie


12. Faux Leather Jacket With Flounce from Zara
And last but not least, a classic Fall piece, a leather jacket! I'm really loving collarless leather jackets like this one and think this jacket would be the perfect compliment to any outfit.

Zara faux leather jacket with flounce



Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments of trends and clothing pieces that you're loving for this Fall!

24 Hours in Provincetown, Massachusetts

This weekend, some of the women in my family headed to the town at the very tip of Cape Cod—Provincetown.

I had only been to Provincetown (or "P-Town" for short) once when I was about 6 years old, so I had never fully appreciated the uniqueness of the town. First off, it is so beautiful. Of course, with it's location right on the tip of the Cape, it has amazing views. And the hotel we stayed in, the Provincetown Inn, was right on the harbour where our room had a patio overlooking the water. P-Town has some amazing beaches and is the quintessential "quaint" New England town, with narrow streets, lots of beach-themed shops, and the cutest houses and inns you can imagine! The downtown area has so much going on, and there are some really amazing restaurants—and with P-Town being on the Cape, it has some of the best seafood around.

And another reason that makes P-Town unique is that it is known as a huge hub for the LGBT community. While some of the LGBT people who come to P-Town like to blend in and stay under the radar, a huge amount of them love to be completely themselves and really flaunt who they are, which I loved! People there are so friendly, and it's so entertaining as well, because you'll see everything, from drag queens dressed as various celebrities to men walking down the street in speedo bathing suits, and even a dog riding a skateboard! (And yes, those are all things we saw while we were there!)

To start off the weekend, my mom and I made the two-hour car ride to P-Town where some of our relatives had already arrived the previous day. As soon as we got there, we joined them in the pool area of the hotel for some cocktails. The cocktail I got was called a "Watermelon Kiss" and it was amazing!

 After a few hours of lounging in the pool area enjoying some cocktails, it was time to get ready to go out for the night! I stayed in a room with my mom, cousin, and two of my aunts from my dad's side of the family. After we were all dressed and had touched up our make-up, it was time to break out some wine. My dad's entire side of the family loves their sauvignon blanc, and I cannot say that I complain about that! Then we headed over to the other ladies' room where my dad's cousins and a couple of their friends, were already starting to party hard! We got some group pictures on the P-Town waterfront, and then headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner. I ordered lasagna, which was really good and tried a drink called a "butterball" that tasted like butterscotch and was delicious! After dinner, we headed down the hall for the hotel's resident drag show—Forever Blonde. It was decent but, not gonna lie, we expected there to be more drag queens! The show featured songs from lots of different blondes throughout music history (Britney, Madonna, Lady Gaga, etc), but other than the host of the show, all of the girls were played by girls, and the guys just danced with them. Although, they did perform "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake, during which some of the guys showed off their moves on a stripper pole! It was a fun night, and definitely an authentic P-Town experience!

getting ready to go out with my mom, two aunts, and cousin

the whole Goyette clan!

                       
The next day, we headed into town. I walked in with my mom, cousin, and two aunts where we wandered through the streets and eventually found a place to get lunch that overlooked the water. The food was all so good, including my chicken panini and especially the scallops that my mom ordered! After lunch, my mom and I split off from the other three, because we wanted to go into some different stores than they did. We checked out clothes and accessory boutiques, consignment stores, and  beach-themed homeware stores. There was some really cute stuff, but we didn't end up buying anything. I think the most interesting encounter we had was definitely in the Marc Jacobs store. A man approached me and my mom asking for our help in picking out a man purse for him. He was one of the most eccentric people I had ever met, and based on his odour, he had definitely been enjoying some alcohol and marijuana earlier that day! I don't think he ended up buying a man purse in the end, but my mom and I had a fun time recalling all the crazy things he said to us! After that, we made the scenic walk back to the hotel, and then decided to head home for the night.

downtown P-Town

the view from the restaurant where we ate lunch

the view of downtown from the hotel

The rest of the group was staying an extra night and heading back downtown dressed up as superheroes, but we had decided to only stay for one night. And one night had been perfect for us, because we got to experience both the pretty and crazy sides of the town and had a really fun time! I want to go back to P-Town in the future with a group of girls, because it was definitely an experience I'd like to repeat!

Dealing With a Quarter-Life Crisis

Over the past six months, I have noticed a major change in my personality and levels of happiness, which can only be described as a "Quarter-Life Crisis."

Starting in the Spring of my senior year of college, the realisation that I would soon be graduating slowly started to sink in, and I knew my life as I knew it would change drastically. For starters, I had grown so used to being independent over the past four years at university, so it was definitely an adjustment to move back home with my family. My parents are definitely what most people my age would describe as "cool parents", but no matter how cool your parents are, there definitely comes a time when you feel the need to be independent and live on your own. (Or, more realistically for recent college grads, with about two or three roommates.) Secondly, I have kind of lost touch with most of my friends from home, because we have all changed a little bit over the past few years. I was really lucky to meet some great friends from all over the country and world through my years at Elon and my semester studying abroad in France. But, while it's amazing having such a geographically diverse group of friends, it's hard too. I still talk to a lot of my friends regularly through texting, Facebook, and Skype, but I haven't been able to just meet up with a friend to go to a movie or shopping. It's sad thinking that I'm in my twenties—this is supposed to be the most exciting and social time of my life! But, living at home in a small town, far away from all my friends, is far from the glamour associated with being a twentysomething.

And of course, there is the biggest factor: the fact that I am still unemployed. Not only am I unemployed, but I am also completely confused as to what it is that I want to do with my life. It's tough because I want to find a job that I will enjoy, but at the same time, who knows when this dream job could come along, and I'll need to have an income soon. There are some companies that I've applied to and am really excited about, but I know the positions in these companies are so competitive, and I'm up against hundreds of thousands of other young people from all over the country. In the meantime until I find a job, I have been working at the local ice cream shop where I worked when I was in high school. The owner of the shop is so nice, but I have to say, returning to work there has been pretty depressing. I was so sure I would have a job after graduating and wouldn't need to work there again. But unfortunately, the job search process is harder than I expected it to be.

When I was talking to my mom recently, she suggested that maybe the reason I've been feeling depressed over the past several months might have to do with the fact that this is the first time in my life that I don't know what my next step in life is and that things aren't going exactly the way I had thought they would in my mind. And after thinking about that, I think I agree that has been a huge factor in my post-grad depression. When I was a kid, I knew I had school up until I was 18, then I was accepted into my first-choice college, then I landed great internships two summers in a row, and lastly, I was accepted into the on-campus position that I applied for at university. Since everything else had worked out for me in the past, I was so sure that the job process would go just as smoothly (which, of course, it hasn't).

It's now been almost three months since I graduated. I am trying to stay as positive as I can and am continuing to look into different job opportunities. I have also decided that, in case I am still struggling to find a job a few months from now, I am going to start looking into different graduate programs or teaching abroad. I already know of a few great programs that I think would be great experiences and make me really happy! And until I can figure out that next step, I am going to try and stay as positive as I can and channel more of my energy into things that I enjoy: blogging, making YouTube videos, spending time with my family, reading, and keeping in touch with my friends from Elon and abroad.

Thanks for reading, and I will keep you informed of when I decide what that next step in my life is going to be!