the first time i ran away

this weekend was busy, a lot of london, a lot of friends. 

friday night we ate dinner together at katlin's house and had a really wonderful time dancing and head banging until our necks got soar. i ended the night talking with kirk on the phone, getting an update about all things colorado and exciting ourselves about paris in march. 

on saturday i asked my kind friends to accompany me to meet with my korean friend michael. i met him last year on my first backpacking trip when he was studying abroad at grand valley; this semester he is studying abroad again in the netherlands and decided to venture over to the u.k. so it was extremely opportunistic and ironic that he came to london and that i caught him the day he was leaving! we met at and explored the tate modern, appreciating some of the fantastic art they have in their possession, then got a traditional fish & chips dinner at a london pub before he had to get on the train back to the netherlands. 

finally on sunday we went back out in the cold and rain to experience the chinese new year in london. the lanterns, the traditional rituals involving dragons and lettuce, the commitment of the huge number of people that came out, and even the incredible view of the tops of everyone's umbrellas, were beautiful. the wind, the rain, and the cold were not.

we walked around gawking at all the things we were able to see for as long as our tired bodies could stand, then made our way into a small chinese restaurant to eat a very appropriate, warm meal. 

productive and exhausting weekend, and now we try to go to school..