Kelsey Overseas

A blog keeping recollection of my 15 months living in the United Kingdom. Check it out through the lens of my iPhone 5. Click the photo to see the full set....

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Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours; I was lucky enough to make it home for it for the first time in three years. My heart is bursting with happiness and love.

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The Breakfast Club, Soho, London.

Taste of London, Tobacco Dock, London.

Primrose Hill, North London.

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Wildlife photographer of the year exhibit at the Natural History Museum, London.

Brighton, England.

The view from my courtyard, Fulham, United Kingdom.

Central London views.

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“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

- Gustave Flaubert (via travelbite)

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Bits of West London...bits of East London.

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It's true, there's no place like home. How lucky am I that I have the most amazing family and friends to return to. No matter how far away I live, they always have my heart. 

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They say home is where your heart is set in stone.

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Paris, Versailles and all around good fun.

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Ile Saint-Louis, Paris, France.

Notre Dame, Louvre, Seine.

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Barcelona, Spain.

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Bordeaux, France.

Saint Emilion, France. 

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It's funny how much I feel as if I've changed over the last year. It's been 365 days (to the day) that I left the U.S. to live in the U.K. and I am so happy I took that leap of faith. Not only do I feel more independent, but I feel as if this experience has grown me in inexplicable ways. I appreciate the world, traveling, different cultures, and new experiences in a different way than I used to. For that, I'm so appreciative. 

So - this year has been filled with bagpipes, 12 new passport stamps, a MSc degree, a new career start, countless amazing friends, a supportive family, and a whole new outlook on life. It may be the scariest leap you can take, but having a little faith can take you a long way. Thanks Edinburgh for the times. Now onto Paris, Bordeaux, Barcelona, America, and then a final stop in London to start my new job. How lucky am I?

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37 Things Everyone Who Went To Edinburgh University Will Remember

From the DHT to Prow, there are just some things you'll never forget about the 'Burgh.

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The End.

The final week in Edinburgh and the end of my grad school career has come. I've had a year full of personal growth, travel, stepping out of my comfort zone, and learning. I honestly feel that living somewhere that is 110% different than the place you've grown up in should be a requirement for everyone. Not only have I become more independent, but I feel different. As this experience is coming to a close and, after nine long months, I will get to see my family, I honestly wonder how I'm going to view the place that I've grown up in, loved, and felt the most comfortable for my entire life until this year in comparison with this city that has become home. 

Maine has been, and always will be, the place that I value above all else. It's my home and it's always going to be the place I feel the safest; however, I have a new yearning to explore new places and meet new people that I don't see fading anytime soon. With this knowledge, I know that my next move to London will be the right move for me right now. I'm excited to start a career in a field that I love and at an office that will challenge me for the better. I couldn't be happier to be starting this next chapter, but I do have a bittersweet feeling lingering in front of it all for the place I'll be leaving behind. Edinburgh, you've taught me a lot about myself and I'm thankful for it. And with that, my year in Edinburgh comes to a close. 

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Oh, Edinburgh. 

[irynka]

And kid, you’ve got to love yourself. You’ve got wake up at four in the morning, brew black coffee, and stare at the birds drowning in the darkness of the dawn. You’ve got to sit next to the man at the train station who’s reading your favorite book and start a conversation. You’ve got to come home after a bad day and burn your skin from a shower. Then you’ve got to wash all your sheets until they smell of lemon detergent you bought for four dollars at the local grocery store. You’ve got to stop taking everything so goddam personally. You are not the moon kissing the black sky. You’ve got to compliment someones crooked brows at an art fair and tell them that their eyes remind you of green swimming pools in mid July. You’ve got to stop letting yourself get upset about things that won’t matter in two years. Sleep in on Saturday mornings and wake yourself up early on Sunday. You’ve got to stop worrying about what you’re going to tell her when she finds out. You’ve got to stop over thinking why he stopped caring about you over six months ago. You’ve got to stop asking everyone for their opinions. Fuck it. Love yourself, kiddo. You’ve got to love yourself.

unknown (via awelltraveledwoman)

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Edinburgh by night. 

London by morning. Took the train down for some sight seeing and professional stuff. Enjoyed a day in Portobello Market, exchanging glances with Big Ben, and having a cute British barrista pour me a cappuccino with a foamy heart. God, I love London.