Well it’s been a while since my last post. Oddly it’s because both nothing much has gone on and yet so much has happened. Late July/August brought the reopening of museums and with that lots of work. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but with time and teamwork we were able to get through.

At the same time, I was still working independently on my final project for my MA which was due by the end of September. Fortunately I had set myself up well before August and so felt fairly good that I’d be able to stay on track. ​The goal was to produce three picture books to the level of complete dummies (meaning ​most of ​the ​spreads ​are in black and white ​with a select few in color). The first ​book ​took quite some time to finish ​but gave me a lot of practice for knowing how to approach and complete the second.​ I had found a groove and it felt amazing to do so.​ You can actually take a look at some selections of them as well as other work I've done this year here: https://creativegraduates.mdx.ac.uk/2020/programmes/ma-children-book-illustration ​

I was genuinely a bit nervous returning to work​ at the museum​, even just part time, and trying to dedicate as much time as I wanted to my books. During lockdown I had all the time in the world. I could wake up, stroll over to ​my work table with a cup of coffee and spend all day on my images. ​But being back in a job that took up so much time from what I'd had meant adjusting. My days off became crucial and at night I would also get to work right after dinner. On some occasions I would even photograph my images before work so that I could take advantage of the natural sunlight and then edit them in the evening when I was home. I think putting in so much effort into something that mattered to me made all the difference. I wanted to come home and work on my books, I wanted to spend my down time creating this world and these characters, giving them shape and form, color and life. It's why I came to London in the first place. To be able to not only illustrate and write these stories, but to do so at a level at which I am proud, is incredible.

Now w​​e're ​in our second lockdown and it feels somewhat different from the first. For one, some people are still going to work if they can't work from home. This, at least for me, makes it seem like I'm truanting while the rest of the good boys and girls go to school. This time they also set a specific date for reopening things, December 2 (or 2nd December as they would say here). Guess at least places can make plans instead of like last lockdown when its lifting was unknown in advance. But what's probably strangest of all is the unavoidable change in season. Between the sun virtually disappearing before 4pm (16.00) and the temperature hiding below 60º (low teens in celsius) it's hard not to feel a bit lost. You start your day and realize it's a bit too chilly to eat breakfast outside in the garden and then not long after lunch you're having to turn on lights to see what you're doing. Days feel quite strange, some of the habits from last lockdown don't come as easily like long walks to explore the city or soaking up some warmth outside in the afternoon.

The one major thing, though, that this time of year has as a great comfort is the holidays. Autumn is probably my favorite season because of the crisp air, colorful scenery, and general spirit. Granted it's a bit rainier than I am used to in New York, but when the sky is clear and you're kicking leaves up from under your feet, it's a beautiful feeling. Although the UK doesn't (for some reason) celebrate Thanksgiving, there are still lots of turkey ads to be seen as that is a common Christmas feast for many who live on these lands of Britain. While back home everyone is concocting ploys like turkey funerals in order to gather together with loved ones this week, I will be planning a quieter feast, but one that's no less thankful. I'm thankful for the time I've been able to spend here and the people I've met along the way. I'm thankful that when lockdown hit I had a place to stay and access to food and toilet paper. I'm thankful that back home there are so many friends and family members who send me so much love despite the distance. And I'm thankful that despite every hardship, I'm able to still remember this. Sometimes the toughest part of being thankful, is remembering all the things to be thankful for. Make sure to give thanks this week. It's the perfect time to do it.

Well, the Christmas ads are already in full bloom over here, and I've no doubt it's not so different in the States. So while I still enjoy the crunching leaves beneath my feet for a few weeks more, soon it'll be time to trim the tree and hang up some twinkle lights for the season of blessings and peace. Let's hope there will be some peace to be had this year, I think we could all use it.

As I am sure we are all finding in this interesting and unprecedented moment in history that finally having the time to learn how to play the piano or read all those books piled high on your shelf does not mean you will actually employ all this time doing so. Why would I clean out the fridge of all the unnecessary, virtually empty condiments like I keep saying I need to do when I can just as easily put that off until tomorrow? There are YouTube videos to be watched about how to fold a fitted sheet and circles that need to be walked between the fridge and the couch, there are crafts to be made like hedgehogs from toilet paper rolls and cups of tea that need to be drank. When you know tomorrow will be just as empty in required tasks as today, it is far too appealing to assign your future self certain jobs. It feels like planning for the future. But constantly putting off these little tasks is a great way to watch them not get done.

Naturally you don’t want to go mad and spend the entirety of one day completing everything imaginable. That’s not even a good idea in normal times, unless you’re on a crazy motivation high. Exhausting yourself doesn’t do well to pass the time either. Instead, do tasks but allow yourself to take time doing them. For example, London as of late has had the good fortune of nice weather. I’ve decided to take advantage of the sun and spring warmth by utilizing the green space in our apartment complex it do pleasure reading, class readings, or simply to sit and have lunch. If I want to pause for a moment to enjoy the birds chirping or the acoustic guitar being played a few flats overhead, I can. It’s not often we have the time to enjoy a moment. More often than not we only have until the next stop on the subway (or Tube or Metro or whatever you call it) to finish that chapter of the book we love, or it’s only the next twenty minutes before another meeting for us to finish and send that email. Perhaps we only have Saturday morning to do a load of laundry and the vacuuming, or Wednesday lunch to organize our thoughts on an assignment. Isn’t it nice, then, to have the time to spend not just doing these things, but even stopping in the middle to take a breath, to send a nice message to a friend, to close your eyes and listen to a breeze rustling some leaves.

view from the back garden in our apartment complex

Well, that’s what I’ve been trying to do. Spend my day allowing myself to pause and enjoy the time we’ve been given. There are too many people out there who aren’t able to do so, who are still out there risking their health to protect everyone and keep things running. If you have the ability to enjoy these days of isolation, try to do so. We don’t always have this luxury, and even now not everyone does.

One of the things I’ve chosen to do is bake and cook. Based on how much flour has been absent from the grocery stores I suspect I am not alone in this too. While it’s not as easy as I had thought to find recipes while in the UK which use measuring cups instead of weight (my scale is still in NY…) I have managed to make do and produce banana bread and fruit scones to some rather tasty success. I have tried to balance the eating of these baked goods with some exercise.

banana walnut bread

drop fruit scones

While Easter this year was a bit different from normal, that didn’t mean yummy food couldn’t be had! It was actually quite nice to spend an afternoon roasting up some ham with a honey-mustard-orange glaze. During normal times I don’t always have the ability to spend an afternoon cooking like this. If I’m at work or in class I often come home too tired and want something which cooks up quicker, or I’ve spent the day doing other odds and ends and don't leave enough time to roast something by dinnertime. Would be nice to maintain certain habits like this after the lockdown. Good food can make a real difference.

ham for Easter dinner

Other than baking, cooking, reading, and enjoying the sunshine, I’ve allowed myself some nonsensical down time as well. On Easter Monday I woke up without much desire to anything of consequence, and it was nice to be able to give myself leave to have a lazy day. What is difficult is falling into a bad habit of continuous lazy days. I’ve noticed that if I watch a YouTube video or tv show in the morning, I am infinitely more likely to spend the rest of my day being unproductive. Music is fine, especially some nice classical jazz with my morning coffee, but watching a video seems to set me off down an idle path. In all honesty, I think this is a good thing to know. I’m sure this applies even during non global pandemic situations, and so now I’ve learned something about myself, something which I will be able to apply to my life after all this.

Something else I hope to be able to keep up is my more open minded approach to my drawing. Since I’ve had the time to spend on drawing and redrawing the images for my current project, I’ve noticed how much I enjoy being able to take the time doing so. If I don’t think a page works quite right, I’m able to try it again without time constraints due to a busy schedule. It’s nice to be able to admit if something doesn’t work and allow yourself to have another go at it. I’ve also allowed myself to stop drawing if I don’t feel I’m getting anywhere one day and pick it up again tomorrow. Being less precious with my drawings and not viewing each one as the final or believing it must be absolutely perfect on a first go is a huge relief. I know at the moment I have all this time to draft and redraft, but it’s an approach I’d like to maintain moving forward.

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the first draft for one page of my current book

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the second draft where I was able to add a bit more detail and a more interesting and dynamic perspective

So we all are in odd times, but not necessarily empty ones. We are able to fill our days with little moments, whether those be productive ones or simply ones to sit and appreciate a cup of coffee and an open window. And maybe after this we will find the world and our days just a tiny bit brighter.

Whether I had chosen to move to London for my MA this year, next year, three years ago, or not for another ten, there would have undoubtedly been circumstances I hadn't predicted. Unfortunately the coronavirus (covid-19) has perhaps caused a few more unforeseen happenings than I would have expected. The annual Children's Book Fair in Bologna which had originally been postponed until May, is now cancelled altogether. While having that money back in my pocket isn't a bad thing, I must confess it is difficult not to be really disheartened by this. The Bologna Book Fair was something I had been looking forward to attending for quite some time now, it was what I considered to be a highlight of pursuing my MA in London as it's infinitely more affordable to take a flight to Bologna from London than from New York. In addition, we had planned a mini-trip to Venice beforehand which (as I can imagine you have already guessed) was also cancelled. Despite my course leader's positive attitude that the cancellation means next year's fair will just be even better and he anticipates everyone on the course will go, one of my peers shares my fear that we have already missed our opportunity as she, too, lives outside of the UK and Europe and the likelihood of either of us being able to attend next year is rather slim. And yet, I understand completely why it's been cancelled. 

Another benefit to being in London for MA was the London Book Fair. While not specifically geared towards illustrators, it's still an excellent way to see and meet publishers. But sadly that too was cancelled. I believe part of the reason was more or less indirectly due to the virus as too many publishers pulled out of attending. Again, a disappointment that's hard not to notice. 

And now, as of this morning, we are no longer allowed to have face to face classes. Our Uni is trying to stay open as there are students living on campus, but have stopped classes from meeting in person. As my MA is a rather small group, our course leader had been hopeful we could meet somewhere on our own, but apparently even that isn't allowed. FaceTime is the next best thing, which should be interesting. Not ideal, but what part of this whole situation is? 

But on a more upbeat note, the work for my MA keeps on! We have a 32-page book due at the beginning of April, or at least we assume it's still due, though we may be handing in the books to an empty office. The book has to be a finished dummy, meaning all the pages are fully illustrated with only a few spreads done in full color/completed to a final (or fully finished) level. In our case, we are doing 4 spreads completely finished. I've had the great opportunity to do a spread in etching and color it with watercolor, and while I am thrilled to have gotten to do an etching, I am not yet married to it being the final look. In fact, I don't think I will be able to do etchings at all seeing as there isn't quite enough time to complete them and if the facilities are closed it's not all too easy to create a makeshift acid bath in your flat. 

There really is so much that goes into crafting a book. You have to select the right paper, decide on the placement of the text, what do the end pages look like, what's the title... Having a kernel of an idea for a book is only just the start of a very long process. Fortunately I was able to get my text written out early on, so only some final tweaking will have to be done before submission. It's tough sometimes to land on just the right images. The benefit of working digitally is that you can quite easily make changes in layout or image, which is far more difficult to do when working by hand. Working by hand means that you may have to start all over if one small part of a spread is off, but you also get more happy accidents which are sometimes the most lovely parts of a piece. Personally I feel a bit disconnected when creating an image digitally, although I do recognize the benefits. There is also this world of a happy medium where you produce the images by hand but can tweak them after scanning them into the computer. Right now I've been creating my images with an ink pen on layout paper. The nice thing about layout paper is it's slightly transparent (though has a bit more subsistence than tracing paper) and so you can easily redraw an image or part of an image again while still seeing the first image underneath. The trick is actually to start at the back of the drawing pad so you can lay pages over without ripping anything out. I don't know if any of that makes sense, maybe you have to see it in person. Once I have the image (or images) I like I can scan them onto the computer, clean them up, and then print them out again on whatever paper I prefer to work on, such as multimedia or watercolor paper. A fun little fact, most standard printer ink is actually oil based which makes it ideal for combing with watercolor as the line is less likely to run or smudge since oil and water don't mix. The only minor issue with this at the moment is my ability to scan and print my images. As long as our campus and the facilities remain open, I can access a large enough scanner and printer. But if everything gets shut down I will have to get a bit creative. (Below you can see a bit of my process creating that single, etching spread)

initial pen and ink sketch

creating the etching

one of the first prints of the etching

new print of the etching, scanned and printed on mixed media paper, and watercolor being applied

Thankfully my job does provide me with artistic inspiration. We have some exciting exhibits on at the moment, including Aubrey Beardsley and British Baroque at the Tate Britain and Andy Warhol at the Tate Modern. The Tate is remaining open as long as they can. To be honest work hasn't been quite as busy as we had anticipated with Warhol opening this week, though also not as terrible as we feared it could be. Actually, if you're not too keen on crowds this isn't such a bad time to go to see exhibits as there are decidedly fewer people around. I'm just thankful to have some smiling faces and wonderful colleagues to help pass the time! 

So that's all for now. There are far worse places I could be and far worse situations in which I could find myself. We don't always know what tomorrow will bring, but if I can make something beautiful today it won't be a day wasted. 

As always, the holidays proved to be a rather busy time of year and with my first projects due mid January, there was just as much to get done after the new year as there was before Christmas. That said, I did thoroughly enjoy my holiday break (and I did take a proper break!). But before flying home I ventured out into some of the holiday markets in London. 

Thames Market

Thames Market

Thames Market

The one along the Thames is fairly similar to those I've seen in other cities, tasty bites and hand made crafts for sale in tiny, pop-up stalls, but the one in Hyde Park was quite the adventure! If ever you've been to one of those church fairs you’re likely familiar with the usual attractions, such as oversized stuffed animals being rewarded to those who can shoot a water pistol straight, goldfish (which will live for either twenty minutes or twenty years) being won in a ring toss, and the only rides to choose from being either a rickety zipper (which should have been shutdown eight years ago) or a carousel which may or may not be haunted. You've probably noticed that the magic and allure of those fairs seem to dissolve as you get older and the only reason you return to them is for the zeppoli hot from the fryer. The Christmas Market at Hyde Park, however, is what you imagined those fairs to be as a kid only bigger! It includes a massive Ferris wheel, two-tiered carousel, fun houses with varying themes, several, yes several, roller coasters, bumper cars, a circus tent, and an entire Bavarian village complete with brats, beers, and a massive statue of a somewhat terrifying man holding a bird (I cannot explain).

Hyde Park Market

Hyde Park Market

Hyde Park Market

Hyde Park Market

Hyde Park Market

Of course, in addition to this giant ornithologist, there are the usual little shops with handmade and not so handmade trinkets for sale, often more fun to look at than to purchase. This was definitely one of the most expansive markets I've had the pleasure to visit. I was quite glad to have seen it before I flew home as upon returning to London after Christmas I had plenty to keep me busy between my part time job and my full time schoolwork. 

For this first term we had a number of short projects to complete, three 16-page books and one 8-page graphic novel. Since the topics/themes were more or less provided to us, our focus was to be on generating the images, forming a good composition across pages, and (though this may seem obvious) completing the task. Sometimes the most difficult part of a project is getting started. Sometime the second most difficult is finishing. These first books were not meant to be true brilliance or even finely detailed works, they were meant to get our creative juices flowing and allow us to see a project through from start to finish. We were able to work out our kinks, better understand how we work, see what's effective, understand what might prove a better process in the future... while my books are in no way perfect and in many ways wanting me to return to them for tweaking and polishing, they did teach me quite a lot about what's involved with crafting a finished book. I handed them all in on Wednesday with much relief to be rid of them, for the moment at least, and did feel the tiniest bit of accomplishment. So what if they're not read to hit the presses, they're my own and I made them, and that counts for quite a lot.

one book in progress

finished books - covers

finished books - peek inside

Our next term will be focused on one 32-page book (ahh 32 pages!! *insert internal panic) The page count, and in turn the illustration count, seems a bit daunting, but it will be nice to throw all my energy into one, single story. My books in this first term at times I revised or reworked after getting feedback from lecturers (for example one book I scrapped an entire two page spread after talking over the book with a guest lecturer and I believe the book was better for it). Having so many mini-books to be juggling, however, made many revisions a challenge as you had to divide your time between all four. Almost inevitably some received more tlc than others. I'm looking forward to this next term where I'll be able to, ideally, make this one book a bit more well rounded. 

Apologies for the rather long gap in posts, the October/November/December months seem to have a way of flying by before we’ve even had a chance to enjoy that first fall cup of hot apple cider. Of course, fall doesn’t stick around long in the UK. In fact, I’m not entirely sure they celebrate November at all since the lack of a Thanksgiving makes everything go from Halloween to full-on Christmas at midnight on the first of November. But as the twinkle lights and carols have been making their ways through the London streets, I’ve been kept quite busy working on three 16-page books, one 8-page graphic novel, and numerous writing assignments all due in early January. In addition, I’ve finally been able to secure a part-time job! While this much needed income is very welcomed, I have had to be much more diligent in making the best use of my time. Fortunately my job is at a museum so at my fingertips are plenty of books and pieces of art to inspire my creative interests. And as if that wasn’t enough, the team I get to work with are so friendly and welcoming, I truly feel blessed.

I wish I could tell you a bit more about the numerous Christmas markets across London, but I’ve yet to fully explore them. Once my classes finish for the holidays I’ll feel I have a bit more time to venture out. But just because I’ve not been to all the markets doesn’t mean I’ve not gotten into the holiday spirit! While my resources are fairly limited, I was able to winterify my flat. It’s amazing what you can do with just a few reems of printer paper… I think Buddy the Elf would be proud, even without the Mona Lisa recreated on an Etch-A-Sketch. 

Regarding my actual school work, you know, the whole reason I’m in London, I have completed one of my three 16-page books and am fairly well along with one other and the graphic novel. The first took me a very long time, probably longer than I would have liked. Several dummy drafts and attempts in silk screen, riso, coloured pencil, and gouache were all made before I ended up with what I have now. Despite my frustrations with this labored book, I think the struggles were necessary. Not only was I able to learn the silk screen and riso techniques, but I was able to learn that my own personal style needs to be much more defined regardless of the medium. And furthermore, the movement and energy in my drawings must come through in the final product for them to be successful. Lots of trial and error, and so much more to learn, but it’s a journey I am looking forward to making. Not planning on sharing the book as it’s more a learning tool for me than a polished product for publication. I say that having such an amazing group of talented and support illustrators around me is such a wonderful way to keep up my spirits. Today we did a Secret Santa to get into the holiday spirit and it was the perfect way to spend our last class together before the break! Some of us even had a silly photo op with one of the trees decorating our the atrium in our studio building after class.

So just a brief post for now, though hopefully I’ll have more holiday fun to share soon. Until then, let me know if you’d like some paper snowflakes and stars posted to you. Clearly I have more than enough to spare! 

When I made the decision to return to school for a master’s degree in illustration there were a few programs to which I applied, most of them in London and all in the UK. Being from the US I wasn’t all too familiar with the Universities. Some of the names sounded familiar, but regarding general reputation I was pretty unversed. After reading what I could and speaking to some current students, I made the choice of Middlesex University in London, and I can say I feel incredibly fortunate for having been accepted. The other day in class a few of my fellow students in the program were talking about some of the other Universities I had considered. While my programme at Middlesex contains only 10 master’s students, other Universities’ programmes can have as many as 50! My lecturers are so supportive and eager to give each one of us the personal attention we deserve. I can’t imagine how lost I would feel in a large group of 50 students. One reason I am thankful for where I’ve landed. 

Another reason I feel incredibly lucky is because of the facilities I have at my fingertips. Last week we were able to take a class on silkscreening in our printmaking studios. One of the instructors dedicated almost her entire day to teaching us the process and allowing us to all try it out. In addition, we are greatly encouraged to continue to use the printmaking studio for our projects, whether it be in silkscreen, intaglio, etching, engraving, or letterpress (and if they don’t have a font you like, you’re able to design your own and have the 3D studio create the lettering for you!)

Also at our disposal are open life drawing classes every Monday evening. Current and former students, as well as even a few staff members, are all welcome to come and draw. Although the class runs rather late, it’s a nice way to start off a week. Plus as a bonus we have tea and biscuits about half way through, because of course why wouldn’t we. 

Beyond the classroom, London in general has a lot to offer artists. A number of the museums are free entry and there is even a card called the Art Pass which gives students free or discounted entry to museums or exhibits that do have a cost. The V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum is a great place to spend the day sketching as it has a wide range of exhibits. The Cartoon Museum is compact but offers a good variety of political cartoons and comics through the ages. It took walking into The British Museum and bumping into a mass of people to realize that in addition to quite a number of Egyptian and Greek pieces, the museum also houses the Rosetta Stone (yes, the actual Rosetta Stone). Also while there I discovered an old boardgame played by ancient Egyptians, which had been etched into the stone of a gate by guards (as in ancient Egyptian guards, not your modern day museum night shift). Personally I found the clocks exhibit to be one of the most interesting in the museum. Highly recommend if anyone visits!

^this is a clock and the photo doesn’t even begin to illustration how cool it is!!

There are still so many museums I am hoping to explore, such as the V&A Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the National Gallery… fellow museum explorers are always welcome to pop over to London to join me on my adventures! 

I’ve been in my flat for almost three weeks now and finally I’m starting to feel almost totally settled. Prior to arriving in London I had done quite a lot of research into potential living accommodations for myself. Believe it or not, one of the biggest challenges was finding a flat (during the month of August) that would be available in mid-September. Londoners seem to move rather suddenly and so many flats seem to come on and off the market within a weekend. It was frustrating (as anyone who has ever tried to find a place to live in any city in the world would know) trying to find a place in the right area for the right price with the right amenities. Any location can be the right location for somebody, but finding YOUR right location for YOUR right price… it’s a skill they don’t teach. But sometimes luck has a way of finding you, and so far it seems that’s just what has happened to me. I came across a flat in a nice location for roughly the price I was expecting that was available at the end of September. It had been on the market for a little while and so I was curious why it was still available (though again, I was looking for a place in August and so a late September move-in may have been to distant for many potential tenants). As New York was not a convenient location to pop in for a viewing, I had to depend on videos of the flat for quality assurance purposes. It was nerve-wracking selecting a place to live without having seen it in person. Was it smelly? Was it falling apart? Were the neighbors wretched and loud? It looked like a really great flat for that price, so I went with my gut and signed on the dotted line. And very glad I did! So far it has been just right.

While the flat did come furnished with a couch, table and chairs, desk, and the always popular Murphy Bed, there was still a rather long list of items I had to purchase in order to make it livable. Bed sheets, for example, were one such item. I had only been in the flat for about thirty minutes (photo-documenting it’s condition upon my arrival) before I was out the door and on a mission to retrieve linens, soap, and at least a few other items to get by. If ever I was on a game show that required you to carry miscellaneous items extensive distances on various modes of transportation, I could at least say I have had plenty of practice doing so. Carrying pots, pans, garbage cans, pillows, duvets, and electric kettles with nothing more than a backpack, Ikea bag, and a few cloth totes through neighborhoods and on buses and trains is a workout I had not expected. I think I now understand why people try to steals those shopping carts. It’s just people living alone who are merely trying to avoid making three trips to Ikea. And of course you never are quite sure if that trip to Ikea, which is about 15 mins farther away than a shopping center, was worth saving the £2 on that frying pan. To be honest, no item caused me as much grief as my kitchen garbage bin, though. It took more than one attempt and several stores before I found one that was just the right size. (I was the Goldilocks of garbages except the first two I tried were both too small. I want to be able to fit more than three items in the garbage before having to empty it.) These are the choices we make. 

But at long last my flat is starting to feel like home! I’ve added some personal touches, including twinkle lights and a window-turned-picture frame which I appropriated from the side of the road. Other things are also slowly falling into place. I have a new microwave (the one provided upon my arrival looked a bit unsafe to use as the inside wall were falling apart), fresh bulbs for my lamp, and even a few fresh herb plants to sit in my kitchen window. 

It is funny some of the things you find yourself needing which you hadn’t immediately thought of when you’ve first moved out on your own. A screwdriver and WD-40, for example, are two such things I found myself scouring shops to find. The screwdriver was to actually be able to replace the bulbs which had burnt out in the lamp and the WD-40 was to mend my bed which had a habit of squeaking quite tumultuously every time you touched it. How adult I feel being able to fix these little things all on my own! Although perhaps a bit sad that I see these as some of my proudest and most accomplished moments at this point in my life… 

The next step is to setup, at long last, a bank account. While in the US you can, for the most part, setup an account by walking into a bank and saying “I would like to setup an account, please.” In the UK it seems a slightly more challenging process. The first bank branch I went to upon discovering that I was an international student told me I had to setup an international bank account. After learning that an international bank account is an offshore account with a minimum balance of £25,000 I decided to seek a second opinion. The next bank branch told me all I needed was a letter from my University saying I was a student and they would setup a regular bank account for me (no mention of a minimum balance). Once I had my letter in hand, about two weeks later, and entered a bank branch to setup an account I was told I needed to have an appointment. The next appointment was in a week and a half. Needless to say it has been a process, but hopefully one that will soon be completed! Perhaps it was just me who seems to have found this process rather befuddling, or maybe this is just the norm. 

Another thing that seems “the norm” here is what I would consider unusual wildlife. While pigeons and squirrels are animals all too familiar to me (though it should be said that the skittish London pigeons are a very different breed than the New York City pigeons which could genuinely beat you up), one animal I am not accustomed to seeing wandering through my backyard are foxes. The other night I came home from class and noticed that the light for our communal back garden was on (it is on a sensor) and so I peaked outside to see what had set it off. My immediate instinct was that it was someone’s dog, based on the size and face I believed it could be a Shiba Inu. Of course my first reaction is “I must befriend the puppy!” But almost instantly I realized that not only are pets are allowed in my building, but the animal I saw was definitely not a dog. Quietly slipping past our flats was a rather large fox. While I chose not to venture out to befriend him (I’ve named him King as I thought it a fitting name), he was lovely to watch from my window. Not sure if I would have enjoyed seeing King as much if he had passed me on the streets, but seeing through my window was rather enjoyable. Wonder what the next animal will be that I encounter outside my flat. Who knows, maybe an elephant! I do live not far from a zoo. 

Prior to my arrival in London, I had read about an International Student Orientation offered at my University. At first I hadn’t been sure if I wanted to arrive an entire week early for this since (a) I’ve already had the undergrad experience (not really looking for the same on-boarding I had wanted, and needed, right out of high school) , (b) I’ve been to London before and so already am familiar with the city, and (c) doing so would require living in an Airbnb for an extra week before my flat became available. In the end, the pros of the International Orientation (free airport pickup, trips and tours around London, Oxford, and Brighton, sessions specifically geared towards postgrads and international students…) seemed to outweigh the cons and so I signed up. Rather glad that I did too! Met some really lovely people, fellow students and those who ran the orientation, from Germany, Italy, Portugal, India, Finland, Spain, and Czech Republic. One of the first nights of orientation there was a pub trivia game and my team even won first place! Very unexpected considering how many we assumed to have gotten wrong. Our reward was a box of Celebrations, aka chocolates, and they did not go to waste. Although we came from all over and were studying a variety of subjects, we got along quite well as a group. Amazing how people can fall into friendships when adventures are to be had! 

Our first trip was a tour around London. We hit all the classic sights, Big Ben (which is almost completely covered in scaffolding at the moment), Parliament, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square… for some reason being a “tourist” when you don’t have a plane or train to catch the next day makes seeing all these sights so much more enjoyable. Knowing that tomorrow I could sit along the River Thames watching people and little canal boats pass by without the need to rush off to a meeting is a luxury we don’t always realize or appreciate when living is such a lively, vibrant city such as London. Maybe I didn’t do that enough in New York. Funny how you travel so far to discover something so simple you probably knew all along. 

Our next trip was to Oxford, a very exciting one for me as there is a tv show I watch which takes place in Oxford. The architecture (stone and brick with stunning old glass windows), the cobblestone streets, and the playful flower boxes affixed here and there along the buildings create such a wonderful scene. There something scholarly about the way it all comes together. Of course, this city being home to Oxford University, Christ Church, the Bodleian Library, and the Oxford University Press might very well contribute to the “scholarly” atmosphere.

Oxford is also a big destination for Harry Potter lovers as parts of Christ Church and the Bodleian Library were filming locations. Even I upon entering the Christ Church dining hall felt as though the ceiling might suddenly change to floating candles or a night sky at any moment. In Christ Church there is also a famous bit of vandalism from the 1800’s. “No Peel” was hammered into a door and still remains there today. It’s an interesting story, actually, which you can read more about here.

The next trip with the International brigade was to Brighton. (“I want to go to Brighton!” to quote the always wonderful Pride and Prejudice). Reminded me a bit like Coney Island but with a more summer-home feel. Little shops for clothes or coffee, all brightly colored, line the narrow streets. There’s a breezy sense about the town (and I don’t just mean that because it was insanely windy the day we were there!). The Pier is one of the main attractions and for good reason. The wooden pier extends quite far out into the sea and looking out over the side makes it seem as though you were in the middle of the English Channel. On the pier are games, rides, cotton candy and chips (french fries) vendors, blue and white striped lounge chairs, and an arcade that’s much larger inside than you realize! It’s like a carnival at sea, and even if you don’t partake in one of the various games or food stands, it’s entertaining to merely wander through the crowd and take in the revelry.

One of the most popular sites in Brighton, which is dramatically different from the pier, is the Royal Pavilion. Built for King George IV, it’s stately, Asian-inspired elaborate domes and twisting spires make a very stately appearance alongside the road. The gardens are perfect for picnicking and although part of it runs right along the road, the whole appearance of the palace makes the sound of the cars fade away. Queen Victoria was known to not particularly like the Pavilion as she found it lacked privacy, and to be honest I can understand why she would say that. But despite her opinion, it’s definitely worth exploring (although with its size you can hardly miss it!) 

On the whole, so glad that I joined in on the early orientation! Now just to decide what English spot to visit next. Maybe Liverpool or Birmingham, or perhaps Bath or Hastings or even Stonehenge. For now, maybe I’ll just enjoy London. 

Went through a few different titles for this entry in order to best describe my current state. As anyone who has moved, cross-country, cross-continent, or just across the street, knows it’s a process. Arriving in London was a rather nice process. Orientation leaders from the University met us at the airport, bought us breakfast, and then provided shuttles to either the student dorms or campus. I was deposited at campus as I had some time before my Airbnb became available (staying in an Airbnb until my flat becomes available). 

After sitting in the University’s “quad” (a very cool space, they covered what had been the outside of a building with a glass ceiling to create a sort of atrium) to charge my phone and re-charge myself before calling for a cab to my Airbnb. The Airbnb is quite lovely, though bringing my suitcases up not one, not two, not three, but four stair cases was a workout I had not been expecting. Guess you got to get those steps in somehow! 

The next several days were divided between being “orientated” with at the Uni and trying to set myself up for the year. Some of the things on my “To Do” list were collecting my BRP card and student ID, opening a bank account, top up my SIM card, finding a part time job… quickly I realised that there were more steps to achieving these than I had foreseen. 

The BRP card and student ID were fairly straight forward. After taking a ticket in the help center at the Uni’s library, I proceeded to sit and wait while students speaking any number of different languages shuffled around trying to get questions answered while ticket numbers flashed across a screen informing those with that number to go to a specific desk. Very organised. Very English. When my ticket was finally called I had to not only provide my passport but also my plane ticket to prove I had entered the country. If anyone has traveled to the UK as of late, you may have noticed that they have a rather high-tech way of entering the country, at least for people of certain nationalities. No more officer inspecting your passport and papers, no more passport stamp (which I must confess is actually quite sad for me as I enjoy thumbing through my passport and seeing all the places I have traveled). Instead you walk up to a kiosk which scans your passport and your face and then doors open and you walk on through. So because of this, there isn’t technically proof in your passport that you have entered the country at all. For this reason, I had to provide my boarding pass to the Uni so they could record what day I entered the country. 

On the whole, that was a rather simple and painless process. The student ID card also was quick. Once they had inspected my documents and proved I was me (so glad to have confirmation) I was sent to get my ID card printed. After taking a photo from a far too close, far to low positioned camera (yes, who doesn’t just look wonderful being photographed close and up?) I had my ID card! Very official. 

The other tasks on my list were not quite to easy. After visiting three different branches of two different banks (why so many? Probably because the first bank tried to tell me that as an international person no definitely in the UK for more than a year I had to setup an international bank account. Did some research, the international account is an offshore bank account off the Isle of Man with a £25,000 deposit. It didn’t quite seem like the bank account for me, not sure why), I came to find out that in order to open a bank account in the UK I would need a letter from my University. To get the letter, I had to place a request for it through the Uni and they would then process and post it to me. Since they’re sending it to the flat I am not yet in, I get to wait until I do move in to (hopefully) get it. So alas, no bank account as of yet. The whole thing seems a bit odd to me, especially when despite the bank’s need for all this paperwork the one thing none of them mentioned was a minimum balance to open an account. Is £10 okay? Maybe £20? We’ll see what happens. 

When my banking pursuits turned up unsuccessful, I moved on to getting my phone’s SIM card up and running. Since I had just been in the UK this past June, I still had the SIM card I’d purchased on that trip in order to have internet. I assumed it would be simple enough to just add money to it online. But of course, assuming does not mean it is fact. For the record, you are able to top up your SIM card online, but it requires a UK post code in order to move forward with the purchase. Seeing as I was not yet able to open a bank account and therefore not yet owner of a credit card with a UK address, topping up the phone online was not an option. So off to a store I went to do the whole process in person (because of course in the store they allow me to pay with the my US card). While I waited for my account to be updated, the staff member who was helping me said I had to download the company’s app. About halfway through unsuccessful attempts to change my iTunes store to the UK based one (because as I learned that day that’s the only way I am able to download certain apps which I will need whilst here) I realised that my account had been updated and the app was not at all necessary. So I bowed out gracefully and promised to look into downloading that magical app once I had my iTunes location sorted. 

So at least I now had that settled. Next was to arrange for a part time job in order to fund my monthly phone top ups, grocery purchases, and transport costs (all of which are rather handy when living, well, anywhere). So I went to the employment office at my Uni so see what sort of on or off-campus jobs they could offer. Unfortunately, that, like my banking endeavours, ended before it seemed to even start. Apparently before I can get any job, I need to register for a National Insurance Number (I believe similar to a Social Security Number). While not complicated, it does require an interview whose time slots get filled very quickly. My interview, for example, isn’t until the second week of October. Hopefully by that point I will have a bank account for the earning from whatever job I find. 

So as you can see the “settling in” is still not quite as settling as I had anticipated. But one day at a time! I’ll just be thankful once I can move into my flat and not live out of suitcases which I spend my mornings opening and closing and reopening and re-closing because I can’t remember what shirts ended up in which suitcase after all the packing and repacking I had performed. Seriously considering wearing the same two outfits for the rest of the week in order to avoid the need for inventory reports for each of my two suitcases. Nobody will notice, right? 

Several months ago I started the process of applying to graduate school. Researching universities, composing a portfolio, nagging former, always supportive professors for letters of recommendation, drafting and re-drafting and re-re-drafting a personal statement, requesting copies of my undergraduate transcript, attaining the English translation of my diploma because apparently not everyone is fluent in Latin… it was a multi-layered undertaking. Of course, that was just to get accepted. Once I had the acceptance there was the visa application, which is an animal all its own. But at long last, here I am. In London. Ready to start a degree in Children’s Book Illustration and Graphic Novels. 

Though it was only within the last year that I started applying, the passion, interest, and love for Children’s literature has been with me for years. After college I considered illustration a hobby I would be able to maintain in my free time. And in many ways this is exactly what it was for me, foregoing store-bought cards for handmade ones, sketching here and there in art books, doodling little dogs on the bottom of receipts. But as anyone who has worked with me knows I am not the most adept at a life-work balance. I wanted to dedicate more time to learning and exploring illustration yet finding the time was difficult. Attempts to connect with others on work or advice on getting started fell short. Eventually I came to the crossroad: either make an attempt to pursue my passion or spend my life wondering. 

Doubts as to whether or not this was a good idea, to leave a full-time job working with some truly incredible people to move halfway across the globe, evaporated when I was accepted into not one but two programs. The decision felt right. At last I was moving in the direction I truly wanted. 

So that’s how I landed on the decision of moving to the UK for a year (or more???). Next came actually getting to jolly ‘ol London. My life became packing. For the better part of two weeks every time I picked up an item, from toothbrush to tuning fork, I contemplated whether or not it was a necessity which would be critical in my trip across the Atlantic. Two checked bags, one rolling carry-on, and a backpack somehow had to hold everything I would need for four season (though I understand London sometimes seems to only have two: cloudy or cloudy with rain). It was a struggle. Slowly items had to be eliminated, choices made, sweaters or jeans or shoes left behind. I thought I was doing so well when at long last I was able to zip closed all my bags. How proud I was for about ten minutes until I brought down the scale and weighed them. Of course just because something fits doesn’t mean it ships (USPS doesn’t run the airlines). 50lbs max for the checked and 22lbs for the carry-on was all that I had, and I was more than a little over. Frustrated thoughts such as "My clothes aren’t that big, why are they so heavy?” and “Maybe if I squeeze more air out of these packing bags that’ll take 5lbs off.” So after rationing bobby pins, weighing my need for three books vs. surviving with only two, scanning some of my recipes to GoogleDrive, and parting with yet more clothes and such, I got the weight down to my allotted amount. Maybe I couldn’t bring everything I had hoped, but I was able to bring what mattered to me (although I am still wondering if a bunny would have counted as my small, personal item…) 

It’s both terrifying and exciting when you realize you’d rather pursue what you love than succeed doing anything else. The biggest reason why any of this was possible, from applying to getting to London, is thanks to the support of my family and friends. (Shout out to Treat Yourself Travel for booking my flight!! Premium economy made me feel like royalty. Two checked bags included? Early and expedited boarding? A complimentary glass of prosecco when I got to my seat? A footrest for during the flight? Never going to be able to fly basic economy again.) So thank you, to everyone who got me here. I’m keeping the kettle hot for all of you to visit :)