British Countrysides: 3 Days in Cotswold

This is quite a melancholy sunday afternoon because I've been seeing christmas-y and snow-y pictures on instagram and it really breaks my heart. I don't understand why can't I get over with London? It's desperately been a year and I keep missing that city and it's getting harder. So then, I went up to my facebook page and scrolled down london picture I found all the pictures Aunt Ellen had taken during my short visit to Bourton-on-the-Water.

Anyway, the pic below was taken from Aunt Ellen's dslr camera and I think it looked like it was taken from a disposable cam. Don't ya think so? 

Uncle Phil and Aunt Ellen

me being so fashion-y disaster for a pink sweater underneath a bright yellow cardi

The pic above was taken on my third day of visit which was my last day in Bourton which was also the first snow in 2013. It was on sunday, we decided to stroll down the town and had a breakfast at the nearest cafe. I can say it that the cafe was beyond cute, like any cafe you could ever find in any winter wonderland in any disney movies, i didn't take pic because the battery died, so unfair.

The typical british breakfast. It wasn't mine, it was Uncle Phillips's. I didn't take pic of mine, but fortunately Aunt Ellen did. Praise God

Oh well, that's me with my breakfast. I can't remember what was the name of the food, but i can remember it was yummy and.....warm. By the way, look, I was like a pig, i was sooo fat during my last days in the UK.

The day before, well this is a backward post though, we visitied Aunt Ellen's friend, who has been living in the UK for about 18 years, because her husband had a birthday dinner and that day was one of my memorable day in my life. I felt so lucky because I was able to experience a real british tradition. 

Yes, as you can see at the first picture, me sitting at the dinner table, was ready for some great foods. As i can remember, there were pudding, roasted chicken, bacon, sausages, fruits soup and oh it was heaven and they didn't treat me like i was stranger... I really felt like I was one of them too. I mean, like, i was their family too. 

Smell some great foods?

Yes, i didn't take off my jacket, it was cold, it was freezing to death even you were already sitting infront of the fireplace. But really, I am so blessed for everything they, The Millmore Family, had given to me that day, specifically the love which made me feel so loved, eventho they just knew me that day, and blessed, and also the food. I'm not kidding.

This is true. I can't wait to grow up, and wander. I've been finding out what my passion is, because I was jealous to my friends who had known theirs, like drawing, fashion-sketching or stuffs, and I've finally found out; wandering.

It's not traveling, not like that typical one or two-weeks visit to a new place. But really, it's wandering, meeting some new local people and get lost. By ourselves. Not guided, it's just yourself. I've said for hundreds time, I love to see things from another different perspective. 

I really wish Jason will have so much in common on wandering with me.

British Countryside

"You played yourself. 

But did you, did you think you could really find love from someone else?"

I've been listening to Nsync again lately.. I don't know why, but their song never gets old. I always love Nsync.... and JC.

Oh yes!! It was snoooowing like you can see in the picture aboveee! But wait, it wasn't in London. London wasn't snowing like that, but I was in Bourton-on-the-Water! Two and a half hours drive from London.. I know, the name of the town is really cute! I DO LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT CITY SO BAD. I visited my auntie's childhood bestfriend there, she's been living here with her family for 13 years, that's long time I know. I stayed for three days and they took me everywhere during my stay.

When I said everywhere, I mean everywhere.

They drove me to Stonehenge and Bath at the first day and took me for a really nice (and expensive) dinner in Cheltenham. It was terribly cold and windy and raining that day... So so horrible. We were in Stonehenge for 10 minutes only, because it was really windy. I only took a few pictures and... we went back to the car. You know Stonehenge, right? This:

I even couldn't take a picture properly......... It was so so so windy that day.

Arrived in Bath, they said I need to go to the Roman museum.... which was I do not understand at all. I mean, the history value they said. I really really really did not understand, but I tried to enjoy anyway. And I finally did, when I found a hot spring. Standing there for like twenty minutes and taking a lot of pictures and got my body warmed...

The second day. Aunt Ellen's husband, Uncle Phillip got sick... I think it was because of me, I've been having a very bad cough these days. He stayed at home all day, while Aunt Ellen and I went to Stratford in the morning, to see Shakespeare's birthplace and stuff. I swear it was really really beautiful...... and we had a really nice wheater that day. Very sunny, eventhough it was still cold, but we've got some sunshine! A very rare thing in England.

After that we drove to another village... It was super far, like we drove for one hour away, but I mean, if I said one hour here in the countryside of England, it means that it's really really far. Not like in Jakarta, one hour is probably just from Pondok Gede Tol to Halim with traffic jam.

The important thing is what we were up to in that another village. Yes, we went to Aunt Parti's house, aunt Ellen's friend who has been living in England for 16 years, another Indonesian married to a british man and got two beautiful kids in their family! As far as I'm concerned, the house was SO big and pretty. Aunt Parti's husband, Uncle Mark had a birthday dinner and they invited us to come. You know, it was really something to me. I got to know the real british family. As soon as I arrived, they welcomed me soooooooooo nicely. I really really really love them. Grandma Margareth, Aunt Sue and Uncle Marc as well.

I always always always love british accent. I'd give anything for that. Really. Eventhough they said my english is really good, but my accent and grammar are just--no. Anyway, after I visited Millmore Family, I decided to marry a british man and live in England....... I wish. I wish.. I wish :))))

The third day, and I told you that the weather the day before was so beautiful, like you can see in the picture in Shakespeare's stuff. BUT that day, it was snowing. I woke up in the morning with Aunt Ellen's scream, "ECHAAA IT'S SNOWIIING GET UP!" because she knew I was dying to see snow... I was sleeping in Aunt Ellen's daughter, Abigail's room. She is really cute, but she's too shy and talks a little, we couldn't talk a lot. Abi also has a younger brother, Sammy and he's very very very cute and always smile. He does resemble his dad, always smile. Too bad that day, they had to go to school, although it was snowing. They were so upset that the school weren't off. So, after Uncle Phillip took the kids to school, while I was playing outside with the snow, we drove to the village....

They took me to eat in the british cafe and I ate British soup. Too bad my camera was died, so I couldn't take any pictures. It was so british: a bowl of veggie soup with slices of bread, bread with butter and a cup of english breakfast tea. I know it was expensive... But I don't understand, I think for them, paying 36 pounds for breakfast is normal. If you know what I mean.

After we finished our breakfast, we drove back home because I had to pack things. I got an hour to skype with Mom and show her the snow! Hahaha norak ya

Then they drove me to Cheltenham at 1 because my bus comes at 2.15. It was sad to leave, I really like that village... I promise myself, I'll be back in the future :)

A Day in Oxford

So, here we go, people, nine days left to fly home. Do I sounds happy? I do. It's like happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I'll meet my family, my friends and my huge bedroom. I mean, my room here is only a quarter of my bed room (to anyone who knows my bedroom back home, will understand how tiny my bedroom is here), and we have to share with another girl. I really really miss my bedroom. Then, the sad part is, I love this city. Everything. The people, the park, even a little sunlight we can get here, the cold, everything.
The most important thing is because I met lots of good people in this city, who has becoming a part of my life. Friends, who I've never imagined before. Friends like Yvette, who always taking care of me, and Kim, who always says "don't listen to other's people opinion! Do it!" and people told me I've became 'Mini Kim' now. Dilara, who always listen to a very detail and specific thing, always neutral and loving. Not to forget mentioning Angelica, Yusuke, Kathrin, Mariana, Thiago, Jose, Janson, Mary, Akari, Patricia, Minako, Ali, Richard and the only one favorite teacher of mine Daniel Bunbury. Now, I've realized what made me feel I-want-to-go-home-real-soon is because I don't have them anymore here, which is really sad.

Anyway, yesterday I was really sick. Like 39 degree celcius fever, bad headache, flu and annoying cough. The school took me to the hospital yesterday, which was for me so unforgettable. The funny thing was this illness came from my roommate, she was really sick, she got really bad flu and sneezed every-minute, so she used our bin to throw her boogie (eww). But, because she's very slovenly, very very slovenly, to be honest I also want to get rid of having her as my roommate, then she didn't put away a bin of her boogie in the toilet, she just left that in our room. How-disgusting. Then yeah, you can guess, I got sick because of her boogie-virus. I'm sorry I'd sound so rude, but I'm so done with her. She had never cleaned the room, it's been always me. Oh my God. Thank God I'll spend four days in Chatelham Spa for this weekend, and I'm going home next week.

The first pictures above were taken when I was in Oxford last sunday. Oh my God, Oxford is such such a beautiful city. I love everything there. Especially, knowing that Oxford was the place where Harry Potter filmed some of the scenes... I also went to Christ Church (ofcourse!). I couldn't believe, just could not, I was there. I was in the great hall of hogwarts, hogwart's corridor, hogwarts' stairway...

I know, my face was just..no.

But Oxford is totally different from London.. No traffic and less people. And shopping centre isn't just everywhere like in London, which is for me it's good for myself. I do love shopping and here in London, shopping centre is everywhere. So, if I've chosen Oxford for my destination, that'd be good for myself and my wallet. Yeah, I should've chosen Oxford...

Very well, for my 2013's resolution, I don't ask for any specific. I want to be grateful more than ever. Oh of course, I want to be a medical student this year.

London: New Year 2013

So, it's 2013 (D+7) already, buddy. Yeah I know, everyone does think the time is running really fast like an arrow. We have to be more grateful that God had given us the chance to live this far. Anyway, I'm proudly say I'm 18 years old right now. Hehehe, you know what, this is totally different with last year when I turned 17. I desperately didn't want to be 17 and stay at 16, I didn't know why but 17 seems super old... But, here, when everybody always treat me like a kid (although everyone does in Indonesia) and keep calling me with 'under eighteen', I was really happy when I turned 18.

I was in Waterloo Bridge on New Year Eve to watch London Fireworks, it was really fun, thousands of people came, eventhough I prefer the fireworks in Disneyland. But, when we did the countdown from 60 seconds, it was super duper fun...!!! 

I took the picture from google, because I was busy and amazed taking a video of the fireworks, but it was as awesome as it looked in the picture above! The fireworks only lasted from about 6 minutes, maybe, and we waited for 2 hours at Waterloo Bridge because we wanted to get the best place (and we did!). It always feels awesome, when the whole world celebrated your birthday. Hehehehe...

BUT to get home was a real madness. From Waterloo Bridge to Charing Cross actually needs 10 minutes walk, but after the fireworks, it totally needed 90 minutes. So crowded like I've ever imagined before... Drunk people were everywhere... And there was a moment, when we were stuck in the middle of the people ocean, a guy kept staring at me and suddenly asked me, "hey kid, are you okay?" and I was, "I am.." and he said, "you look so pale. Are you sure you're okay?"  and he kept giving me a way to go first. He was a nice stranger guy<3 p="p">

The day, I was waking up with my host-mother screaming from the first floor, 'hey birthday girl, wake up!' and Enzo, her three-years-old sang Happy Birthday to me. It was really cute.. Then I spent the rest of the day with Dilara & Yvette in Covent Garden. As you can see, they gave me a birthday treat!!! Once again, they gave me. I mean, in our culture, Indonesian culture, I don't know if it's a culture or not, but when we are the birthday person, so we are the one who treats people you want to treat, but Dilara & Yvette bought me everything. The cupcakes, the candles, the drinks, the candies, everything.... Eventhough it's only three of us, it was one of my sweetest birthday ever. 

P.S: It's 13 days left to go home! Not sure if I should be really happy or sad...