"It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time." - Steve Jobs
I can vividly remember the great joy I'd have when school would get canceled growing up. Whether it be due to a blizzard, or some other type of extreme weather, I just loved waking up to find that school had been called off for the day. Seeing "Muscatine Schools" finally slide by the bottom of the kitchen tv screen, accompanied by a large red "Cancelled", was thrilling! Why? Because that was one less day I had to go to school! It gave me extra time to do what I actually wanted to do, even if that meant jumping back into bed.
That desirable "extra time" I sought after growing up, is something I've apparently been able to find a lot of here. What's interesting about the university I attend, is that class is only scheduled Monday through Thursday; three-day weekends being the norm here. Furthermore, I have no real commitments besides making this blog and going to class so accordingly, I have much more "free time" than I did back in Ames. With this, I want to be careful and understand, as Jobs eventually did, that time on this earth is a "precious resource". I want to use the time I've graciously been given wisely and purposefully, especially as my days here are numbered.
My normal routine last semester consisted of a six-thirty wake-up call, a trip to the gym, then class till about one. Most of my afternoon was free, but my nights were usually spent attending some sort of meeting or organization I was involved in. I tried to efficiently use my time -and for the most part, did- but as the semester progressed, I got pretty lax and began falling short in a lot of areas, overwhelmed by my commitments. And so, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this time, getting to take a step back and "not have to worry about anything". However, as much as I thought that'd take my "worries" away, I've begun to realize that stress is less of a commitment issue and more of a management issue.
I think it was when a group of us were struggling to find a Chinese restaurant in China Town (who would've thought that'd be an issue??) that I first recognized myself getting tense for no real reason. For something as trivial as finding a restaurant, I couldn't justify my unease and wanted to just enjoy the moment. It reminded me of my time as a camp counselor this summer, attempting to corral a challenging group of 13 year old's. I would get so worked up and stressed out over what?... Difficult kids? The worrying and stress I’ve faced, and continue to deal with, is all pointless. None of it's going to help me, or my situation in the end, so why even bother with it? While I’m here, I’m going to work towards developing some better habits and attempt to be more present. I’ve got a very unique opportunity to live in a foreign country for four months!! I want to make the most of it, to enjoy the extra time, and not sweat the small stuff.
One thing I've found that helps me relax a great deal is working out. There's a certain calmness that comes from just focusing on my workout at hand, being able to let go of all else. Recently I've been running, and not only is it a good workout, but it’s also an awesome way to see the city! One really nice part about living in Kensington (besides being surrounded by the super-rich) is that I live just a quarter-mile from Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park. Being that close to one of London’s top attractions is something to take advantage of and morning runs there have been incredible.
Running is also my attempt at offsetting an increased intake of croissants. I've quickly realized that the quality of food here is significantly higher than what I'm used to. Mostly everything (food-related) is just somehow better; specifically, my beloved almond filled croissants! Given my previous standards set around the Pillsbury's Crescent Rolls (which to my surprise is NOT the same as a croissant), I’ve been blown away at how good these golden, flaky treats taste!
I‘d have to say, however, that the highest quality of food I’ve gotten so far would be from the Borough Market. The place I ate was called North Burthery Farms, and it deserves a top-notch yelp review because my sandwich was excellent. I ordered a breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg, bacon, cheese and hash brown, and I mean to tell you it was probably the best sandwich I’ve ever had. It tasted like more of a dessert than anything because of how sweet it was, but I‘m not complaining, I loved it! The only fault I could find with the place is their prices, running at about £8 a sandwich isn't cheap. All things considered though, it was a good treat; everything was extremely fresh and filling! Highly recommend!!
The biggest flop of the market would the cinnamon roll I got from one of the bakeries. The roll looked much better than it tasted and was a mess to eat.
The biggest risk I took at the market would be trying a mussel. Unlike the cinnamon roll, this surprisingly was extremely good.
The biggest “L” I took at the market would be getting dumped on by a bird. This was probably my way of getting the “complete experience” of the market. Frankly though, this incident doesn’t surprise me much. Unless those birds have 20p to spend, they don’t have access to a public restroom! So how could I blame them?!
I learned about the payment for public restrooms the way you’d probably expect me to, by really needing to go while not having 20p on hand! It was a beautiful Tuesday morning at Hyde Park and in the midst of my run, I decided that I needed to go. Although I had £10 in my back pocket, I had no easy way of getting change, so I booked it to the nearest Pret, and bought a water in exchange for the restroom code, “2020”.
So lesson learned: always keep 20p on hand in case a trip to the public restroom is needed.. it might just come in handy!!
That‘s all for this week though!! I’ve got a cheap flight to Amsterdam that needs to be caught but I’ll be back next week to update y’all on how it goes!
After pricing out this trip, I might need to re-considered how much I’m really saving through these low-cost flights. They fly in and out of no-name towns that’re just outside of the bigger cities, boasting cheap prices. The catch though, is that transportation to and fro these small airports is neither easy nor cheap. So next time, I’m going to look harder at all of the transportation needed, not just the flight.