Good Life

While Lauren's and my alarms rung at 7 am this morning, our usual wake up time for work, we were instead getting up to head to our last final exams of the semester.  Not exactly something we were thrilled to do, but we knew that after our 2 hour exam we would be free until our Saturday departure!  As luck would have it, our Architecture exam was held in the Crofton, the largest of BU's three residences, and the farthest from Courtfield Gardens..of course!  At 8:35 we made our way to Queen's Gate, and arrived in our testing room by 8:50.  Since it was a 'seen' exam (we were given a choice of questions two weeks ago and only had to answer one) we anxiously looked over our notes we had prepared before opening our test booklets and beginning at 9 am on the dot.  We both ended up writing about the same thing: how the Blitz affected the architectural growth and development of London.  It was actually really interesting to learn about it in our research, it was truly a defining time for the city.  By 10:30, we were both done and rejoiced as we walked out the door of the Crofton - we're done with the semester!!  It still seems weird that we don't have just one more exam or paper to complete, but we're learning to love the freedom :)
Unfortunately, our arrival back at Courtfield marked the first of our friends' departures.  Ashley left this morning for Heathrow; it was so weird to see all her things packed up and her bed stripped and empty!  It's kind of a wake up call that our time here is actually coming to an end.  After lots of hugs, we put her in a cab, still in a slight state of shock that people are actually starting to leave.  After her departure, Lauren and I spent the early afternoon relaxing and watching movies.  By 2 pm, the second block of exams were finished, so Lauren, Maggie and I met Allie and her friend Kelsey at Gloucester Road for one more trip to Borough Market.  After a quick switch from the Piccadilly to Jubilee lines, we arrived at London Bridge Station and made the two minute walk into the heart of the market.  Lauren and I had only been to Borough on the weekend, so we were surprised to see how empty the stalls were on a Thursday!  There were only about 1/3 as many stalls as what we had become accustomed to, but of course we found things to enjoy.  I chose to return to the Raclette station Lauren and I had visited before for another toasted cheese sandwich, while the rest of the girls enjoyed what looked liked amazing veggie burgers.  After our main meals, Lauren and Maggie tried a Milky Chai Tea while I picked up some mulled apple cider; both perfect drinks for the chilly weather!  Top it all off with a brownie, and we concluded that we had successfully covered Borough Market for the last time.  After returning home on the tube, we spent a little more time relaxing until it was time to say goodbye to yet another friend, Allie.  She is leaving tomorrow for a week in France, and unfortunately has to catch a 3:30 am train to catch her 6 am flight to Dijon, so she went and stayed with her boyfriend who is accompanying her on the trip.  It was so sad to say goodbye, but I am so glad I get to see everyone in only a month at Wake!  We've already decided we're going to have weekly dinner together, I can't wait!
Not long after, it was time for dinner.  Maggie, Lauren and I decided on Mexican, and found a spot in Covent Garden that we wanted to try.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at the (delicious looking) spot, the hostess gave us the news that we would have to wait for an hour until we could be seated.  Since Lauren and Maggie were both starving, we decided to forgo the wait and try to find another Mexican restaurant.  After multiple attempts and numerous fails, we finally found a place called "Lupita."  We enjoyed a delicious meal of tacos and burritos, and by the end were absolutely stuffed.  We're still debating on what to have for our final meal tomorrow night...tough decision to say the least!
We are now cozy in our beds and looking forward to a good night's sleep.  Lauren Gensler leaves at 6 am tomorrow for Nice, so I've had to say goodbye to her, and our roommate Christine is leaving at 4:30 am tomorrow for Geneva, so we want to make sure we get as much sleep as possible since there's going to be a lot of activity tomorrow morning!  Tomorrow is our last full day in London and I absolutely cannot believe it.  Although we still have to pack, we want to make sure we visit all our favorites around the city, giving us one last chance to say goodbye to our home for the last four months.  We're sad to say goodbye, but we are definitely excited to get home and see our families and friends!!
    xo Carolyn

I've been listening to this song pretty much nonstop today - it truly has been the 'good life' here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyoFsv-jcrA