Remembering Harlow

How can it be 11 years since I went to Harlow? How can so much time have passed, when I can still smell the fresh laundry in the halls of The Maltings? Remember the feeling of the brick wall beside my bed that I would run my fingers along when trying to drift off to sleep? The taste of the potato salad the chef in the cafeteria would make for every single dinner meal? The feeling of joy and excitement and devastation bubbling up inside me while standing in Piccadilly Circus the night before I flew back to Newfoundland, trying to get as much of London into my veins as I could?

So many memories. So many sights and sounds and smells that bring me back to that place every autumn for the past 10 years. My time in Harlow changed me, changed my life, changed the way I see life and see people. I've told people it was the best four months of my life, and while I've had other amazing experiences and been fortunate to have had them, there's nothing that has compared to my time in England.

This is 30

This year, I turned the big 3-0. Eight months ago to the day, actually. I have to admit, I felt pretty anxious about it. There was something about leaving my twenties that made me feel uneasy. I think the start of a new decade always does that. When I turned 20, I thought about how much had changed from when I was a wee 10-year-old up to being so old at 20. Twenty saw lots of changes and lots of growing up for me. It was a year that held new experiences, new adventures, new relationships. It was a good year.

As I was approaching 30, I reflected on how much I had grown since I was 20. In 2005, I had the opportunity to participate in a term abroad that I've blogged about before. It really was a life-changing experience for me, one that I continue to cherish to this day.

I think about how my career path changed from what I thought I wanted to do with my life, to what I'm doing now. I think about how ten years ago, I didn't know some people existed, and now they're the closest friends I have. I think about the people who are no longer with us, who left unexpectedly, and wonder what they'd think of the world and the people in their lives now.

I even think about things like technology - being able to live-stream video chats from my phone to loved ones thousands of miles away while standing in Piccadilly Circus or in front of Il Duomo di Firenze. I think about how fortunate I've been to travel to some amazing countries and see beautiful sites. All things that happened in the past 10 years.

As I turned 30 this year, I said goodbye to a decade that changed me so much. My twenties were pretty good, but I'm looking forward to seeing what my thirties have in store. 

My love for all things "Alias" (and Sydney Bristow)

Recently, I've taken to rewatching one of my favourite television shows, Alias. I first got into the show in 2005 thanks to my roommate J in Harlow. She was a big fan of the series and had brought along all the seasons to date to Harlow with her. It was a show I'd wanted to watch for a few years but just never got into it.

While in Harlow, however, with access to a large number of episodes, I finally sat down and watched a few episodes every. single. day. I was hooked. I remember saying to J countless times, "Just one more...I'm only going to watch one more episode before bed." She'd nod her head knowingly, pretending she believed me, but she knew me too well. One episode always turned into two or three episodes.

I think what attracted me to the show for the most part was the fact that the lead character was a woman, and not just any woman: a strong, intelligent, kick-ass young woman. I knew it was only a television show, but I really admired Sydney Bristow and loved watching whatever mission she was sent on each episode, and how she juggled being a spy while trying to keep her identity a secret and have a real life.

Another friend of mine has recently started watching the show as well for the first time, and we'll discuss plot lines and different characters, but one thing we discuss the most is how much we like Sydney Bristow. There's just something about that Sydney Bristow.

The day my heart stopped.

Okay, that sounds a little dramatic. Rest assured, it didn't actually stop for like, medical reasons. It felt like it'd stopped because I was shocked by someone I'd seen on the street.

Seven years ago today, while in studying at Harlow in England, I was staying in London with my folks for a long weekend. It was a Monday morning and we were out looking around Bond Street at all the super expensive, fancy shops. As we walked along, I noticed some photographers on the other side of the street, taking pictures of someone from a distance on my side of the street. I joked to my parents, "oh, they're probably taking photos of some obscure British celebrity, we'll have no idea who they are."

As we passed by the shop window, however, I glanced in and felt my heart thud in my chest. I'd felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me and I know I turned as white as a ghost. In the store was one of the members of the Irish group Westlife. Now, I know I'll probably get lots of fun poked at me for liking a boy band, but I don't really care!

I first discovered Westlife while on vacation in Ireland in 1999 and had been a fan ever since. Living across the pond made it difficult to get CDs and merchandise a lot of the time, and I had to pay a small fortune to get things shipped from the UK. But it was worth it to me.



















So when I saw Kian Egan in the window at Dolce & Gabbana I knew it had to be fate. That out of all the British celebrities that happened to be in that store while I was walking by, it was one that I actually knew of and completely adored. I saw them starting to leave the store and my mother encouraged me to go talk to him, but I said "no, no, I don't want to disturb them." But then I thought, "...when will I ever get this opportunity again? To meet him? I won't." So I went for it.

I said "excuse me" and told him I was a big fan from Canada and I'd been following his group for years long distance. He seemed surprised that they had fans in Canada and was impressed that I'd been so dedicated in my following. I asked him for a photo and he agreed, while his girlfriend (now wife) Jodi chatted with my mother. I thanked them for stopping to chat and wished them a pleasant day, and as you might be able to see in the second last picture below, my face was beaming with happiness and shock.

When I went home a few days later and did a search, sure enough, I found the paparazzi photos online on a fan site. I couldn't believe it and immediately saved the photos and emailed them to my folks. Some of them are below. To say that it was one of the most memorable moments of my time in Harlow is an understatement, and I felt really fortunate to have met such a lovely young man who I've admired for years. So, haters gonna hate, but how many of you can say you've been in the tabloids? :)

Harlow

There's something about this time of year that makes me really nostalgic. I always think back to what I was doing three, five, seven years ago, and how my life has changed since then. This time of year always makes me especially miss Harlow, where I spent the autumn of 2005 during my undergrad at Memorial.

When I talk to other people about their Harlow experiences, the same words usually come up every time; their time in that small English town was "life-changing", and I know that for me, it truly was. I had the opportunity to study great classics like Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, North and South and works by Shakespeare, and then visit the areas of England where the books took place, or where the author grew up, or where they were laid to rest. To be able to have an experience like that to look back on fondly is something I'm so grateful for.

The picture below is just over seven years old. Even though it's been a while, I can remember it being taken. I was sitting in a T.G.I. Friday's in London, the one on Coventry Street, just down from Piccadilly Circus and across from the London Trocadero. My folks were visiting me for a couple of weeks and we stayed in London for the weekend in a lovely hotel on Gloucester Road. I remember being so happy to see them and missing Newfoundland and the people there...but at the same time, I was completely content with being in England and loving my little life there.

I can honestly say I think about Harlow every single day since my time there.Whenever I talk to people who are considering studying abroad for a term, I always, always encourage them to do so, because you will undoubtedly learn more about yourself, others and life in general than you ever thought possible. If you're thinking about making a move, just do it. Stop wondering and do it. :)