Greetings Friends and Family:
I tried to take a picture of the bell, but I can't seem to capture it. Does anyone know the name of the clock??

The other pic is my garden!! Not that I planted it myself, but it's the english garden for my flat. While the heat wave has taken a major toll, it is filled with lilacs, lavender, roses, an apple tree and some other crazy things. I figure it will definitely keep me sane as the weather turns from miserably hot to freezing cold. AT LEAST YOU ALL HAVE AC!!!

Sarah's here in London as she got in on Saturday. Heathrow, mon dieu, what a nightmere. It's like a UN convention and not being part of the EU is just not fun when trying to get through customs. But sitting in the waiting area, trying to catch first glimpse of my sis, I realized in my old age that I'm becoming a weak sauce, depending on who's reading this.... i.e. basket case, baby sister, an emotional wreck. Little kids running to parents, grandmas meeting grandchildren, husbands greeting wives, men from the old country meeting the new generation's family...I, who have never cried in a sappy movie...there were tears in the eyes folks!

Despite the heat, I've been surviving. Work has gone from a part-time position to full-time, but as the deadline draws near for the case study deadline, it's all the better. Most of my days have been spent meeting with Execs from Network Rail.

I'm taking a few days off to enjoy with Sarah. Later this week, we'll head to Edinburgh to partake in the Festival activities. I missed it last year, so I'm looking foward to the concerts, etc.

More pics headed your way.

Hope life is good.

Kisses, Laura

SAVE THE DATE....I'M COMING HOME!!


Ya woo! I'm headed home September 20-October 10. Plenty of time for me to soon become Hannah's favorite aunt. She'll be over six months and I'm thinking I can quickly edge out my sisters for the #1 aunt pole position.

So not only will I get to see my niece for the first time, I'm also headed home for Rachel and RJs wedding. I'm looking forward to all of the festivities surrounding the wedding of the year.

I'm enjoying London and have settled into my flat in Muswell Hill. The internet is finally set up so I can enjoy coming home after work and don't need to stay late catching up on life.

Mobile: +44 7946 947897
Home: +44 208 815 9020 (I don't have a phone yet)
Skype: www.skype.com (download it people! It costs 2 cents a minute. Buy a Janet Jackson headset, plug in to the computer and call me. You can do it.)

International phone calls should be in all of those book of accomplishments or things to do....like the 10,000 things to do before you die. #172...make a freakin international call, it's not that hard!

So what's new? I have pics but haven't downloaded yet. London is new to me and I'm slowly exploring each weekend. These are the things that I've done, and these are the Brit comments that must be accompanied every time you mention these things.

• Checked out Downing Street (Tony Blair's domain)
• Big Ben (you know it's the bell, not the clock)
• Rode London Eye (it was supposed to be taken down after the Milennium, who knew it would be such a success?...this should be your cheeky response "kinda like the Eiffel Tower after the World Fair"; p.s. got the Big Ben education after not being able to spot the large monument in the sky)
• walked across Tower Bridge (those Americans so often refer to as London Bridge; but when you grow up in So Cal next to Lake Havasu, we all know where London Bridge rests)
• Sat in St. Paul's Cathedral (I don't have any rapid Brit commentary, however, oddly enough, there were scantilly clad ladies roaming around provacatively posing for the camera. It wasn't quite what I imagined.)

Well it's been pretty hot and humid here and I'm missing the AC. Global warming and all...sorry more Brit commentary. Work is going well and I've started interviewing Execs from Network Rail, steward of the UK rail infrastructure. I'm enjoying the position and am looking for further opportunities. I'll be applying for a work visa as I've found Scotland will be easy to hire me, but I'll find more difficulty in London...and London pays.

Pending visitors:
John Fellows, Torrance City Attorney
Sarah, Crazier and #2 sister (watch for the Blog updates)

oh yeah, saw Juliette Lewis in Fools for Love a play by Sam Shepherd. Good stuff, but a lot of yelling which i could barely handle. Mary Poppins is next.

So come visit. Find a good flight and save 2x the money you think you'll need because Pounds and Dollars just don't compare.

See you soon.
Love Loyalty Friendship......LAURA

Greetings and Salutations!

Dear friends and family:

I'm now living in London, Muswell Hill to be exact as I've secured a summer work placement with the Centre for Organizational Exellence (COREX.) It's a small consulting firm and I'll be working on a case study for their client, Network Rail. They are responsible for the railways in UK, which have been plagued with disaster over the years.

Anyways, I'm enjoying the City and getting to know London. The extent of previous visits consisted on sitting at Heathrow for countless hours. Already, I've had my share of visitors and this is only my second week. No one is staying with me because I'm living and working in the business. It's definitely creepy to check the work emails in a shower towel. I don't think the home office will ever be my thing. I have found a flat nearly 200 yds/metres so the commute will allow me to fashion my heels and get on down the road. I'm looking forward to moving in over the weekend, and although the flat is small it has the most amazing english garden. I needed something to cheer me up as summer turns cold and I begin writing my disseration.

I'll post some new pics when I get some. Come visit me!

Cheers, Laura

Au Revoir, Paris!

Well sadly, my days in Paris are quickly coming to an end. My time here has been absolutely amazing and I have fallen in love with this city. The love is not so strong right now as the spring sun is blazing and we have no air conditioning.

What will I miss?

• Greeting the cafe owner downstairs each morning. His name I still don't know.
• Croissants aux amandes from the local patissier and every so often a tarte dijonaisse.
• The rappers, crazies and preachers on the subway.
• Catching a glimpse of the Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame or the domes of Sacre Coeur all too often and still getting excited.
• Being asked for directions and sadly panicking instead of busting out my steadily improving french.
• The moon over the Canal St. Martin..I didn't take a pic b/c it will always be one of my great memories..
• Going to the second story of the Eiffel Tour and getting to kiss a man....relax, it was Ian, no scandals here.
• The many visitors that we shared wine, sampled cheese, laughed until the wee hours of the morning.
• Trying to fall asleep along the Seine.
• Reading my book and hanging my feet over the Seine, realizing that I was slightly starting to nod off and thinking that Patrick would just love for me to fall in.
• Food and wine, lots of it, and dinners that last for hours and somehow the time always escape you.

Paris has been amazing for me and my goal is to never be too far away. It's the conclusion of my studies, and now I move on to my work placement in London. I'll be back in Edinburgh for 10 days and then London awaits me. I'm looking forward to the new adventure, getting slowly back into work and attempting that disseratation, which topic continues to evolve.

Au Revoir Mes Amis....Love Loyalty Friendship...Laura

Spices, Nuts and Olives....Nobody Sneeze!

Ok, so this concludes the photo montage and quips of Morocco. I really enjoyed my trip and would recommend that any adventurous traveller head that direction.

My adventure post Morocco landed me in the hospital for 3/2 night stay. Not exactly what I had expected. I don't know if it was the swim in the Casablanca beach, brushing my teeth or eating the salads, but apparently you're not supposed to do any of those things. Who knew?

So my symptoms quickly progressed on the train ride home. Was poked and prodded the following day at the doctor and the following night encountered yet another adventure with the Parade of Horrible that go to ERs. Now keep in mind, you may be envisioning the local ER in Torrance or St. Jude's....oh no my friends...Friday night ER in Paris. Foreign language skills apparently rest in the short term memory of the brain so it's slightly difficult to convey everything accurately. It appears that only doctors speak a bit of English and the one ER doctor started the following morning. It wasn't cute people. I'll leave the details of scenes out of the blog...children read this. Actually they don't, stinking Parisiens, drunks, druggies, people wailing. Nice.

I just kept believing it was going to get worse before it ever got better. Very true! Taking antibiotics in China didn't help doctors with the diagnosis and then my travels in Morocco. The one African doctor came in and said...."have you heard of Malaria?" Not good! They ran enough tests to discover the cause...simple bacteria infection that wanted to kill me.

That is why I've been so delayed on the Blog. A little bacteria that tried to kill me. Thankfully, Jay was there in the beginning and Ian quickly flew down to help me recover. I missed my last class, which believe it or not I was bummed about. It was one of those things that you gear up for...I'll be done May 26! So May 26 came and went without the celebrations, sans biere, etc. I am feeling much better, still cautious for fear of possible invasion return.

So that's it. You'll quickly see that I'm doing ok. I've been roaming the city in my last days and enjoying every bit of it.

Cheers< L

Children of Morocco
These little ones were outside of our riad each morning as they lived and played in the area. They were too cute and got extremely excited each time that they saw us. I'm thinking that they thought Jay was just a big giant, but a nice giant that bought them all ice cream.

Porte d'eau...
You may have seen them earlier, but this pic is particularly gross because I'm wearing that hat which has probably been passed on from generation to generation. That thing hasn't seen soap, a river or sanitizer in it's eternal lifetime.

Back to Marrakesh

Nights in the Marrakesh Market and the Moroccan sunset. The African sunsets were amazing, I caught a great one on the train from Casablanca to Marrakesh, but unfortunately couldn't capture it.


The night market was filled with hundreds of street vendors and entertainers. Henna artists, snake charmers, drummers keep the square lively until the wee hours of the morning.

Champs Elysees-Scott comes to Paris.
My friend Scott was enticed to leave his student exchange in Copenhagen for a quick trip to Paris to visit me and Jay. We saw the Paris sites and made our way around town. The weather here has changed and we're now trying to escape the summer sun. Late nights are spent drinking wine along the Seine and St. Martin Canal, the canal rests just 200yds from my flat.

Parade of Horribles....

So the parade of horribles that I've grown to love, but not yet mingle with were just enjoying their saturday afternoon. Ian and I were crossing the street when all of a sudden I hear this commotion, a man running, a lady scurrying, people stopping to let the crazy battle ensue.

So, I transition from my "Pieton traversez en double temps" to a crawl b/c one of the parade participants is coming after the bourgie lady.
(Keep up people, bourgeosie made simple.)
So she's looking all high society scurrying away and I'm thinking this guy is going to kick her ass. But as I approach I can hear what's going one...Retournez, Retournez, Donnez moi....squak, squak, squak.
Right? You're with me. I'm understanding the dialogue and this guy hasn't had anything but Champagney all day long.

So get this...this crazy chick lifted potted plants from the Parade of Horribles. Now keep in mind that these flowers were probably once stolen, but I'm a Robin Hood fan. She wouldn't give the flowers back until the Parade conductor ripped them out of her hands. And then there was peace.

Everyone went back to their previous strides, people still looking a little confused and then disgust came over my face and my little puzzle pieces formed the mosaic. This Little Miss Bourgie came along and gangster bitched the memorial flowers for one of the deceased parade participants. The 40 ft. tree is the largest tombstone that I've ever seen, there's a photo attached with lovely ribbons of the spot that had once been occupied at the Place de Republique, and at the foot of the tree lay wrapped flower and the reinstated potted plants.

Can you believe it? Bourgie stealing from the homeless memorial?? Oh, I wanted to kick her in the head when I realized.

That's all for now, I'm exhausted just reliving the incident.

Ok, I'm way behind on life right now. I'll post some pics of Marrakesh and then bring you all up to speed.

Porte d'eau (i.e Man who carries water)
I never drank water from this man. He cannot be blamed for any of the little men that invaded my body. This is a sneak attack camera shot because had he seen me, he'd have followed me until I handed over the cash. Nothing is free in Marrakesh.






Me and my camel friends.
No, I didn't ride them, just pulled over to the side of the road for the photo opp.

OUT OF AFRICA....
Sometimes it's just a little weird walking around the city. I'm continually saying to myself...I'm in Africa. It's just one of those places that you hope you have the chance to see, experience and enjoy. Planning to head to Marrakesh and beyond.


1. Hassan Mosque
2. Jackass
3. The Medina

ATLANTIC OCEAN

This is Jay and I at the beach in Morocco. I'm seriously scantilly clad and loving it. I think I may be reflecting the sun here.

p.s. Jay's my roommate in Paris. I think he's yet to make a visual in the Blog. And, yup, he's at least a foot taller than me. The first time I walked around the Medina, no problem b/c he was walking 3 feet behind me. I like the cultural role reversal!

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

I am standing here beside myself.

Assalam Alaikum....

Greetings friends and family. Je suis arrivee en Maroc. I'm currently taking a course on Entrepreneurship in Casablanca and enjoying the life here. I think this is what I had envisioned for the pursuit of MBA. Go to school for a few hours, then shop, go to the beach, take a nap, have a few cocktails and then open a book every so often. I'm enjoying life here too much. Class is only 4 hours a day and because Ecole Hassania is a part-time program, the class is only in the p.m.

So, I've worked on the Redondo Beach tan that I have been without since moving to Edinburgh. I was happy to see that I still had a little beach girl in me, so my slight burn quickly turned into a tan. Ya-woo!

Casablanca was really reminding me of California and then finally it came to me that it's exactly like Palm Springs. My internal GIS is improving and I came to learn that the 2 cities actually sit on the same parallel. Good stuff.

The first two days were filled with studies and applications, but now my time can be redirected towards the exploration of Morocco. The food is delicious and I just came back from an amazing couscous feast. Solo, I walked the Medina yesterday and was harassed with snake-like hisses. I don't know why I didn't stop and talk, it was so endearing. Can't imagine. Purchased a scarf to go to the Mosque; however when I arrived visiting hours had come and gone; maybe another day. I been speaking more French, but for the most part no one ever seems to understand me. Most people are used to speaking this type of Frarabic so they continually are in and out of the two languages, much more fluent than the Spangish.

Have to get running. I'll post pics. Apparently, I've been a little longwinded in the postings and more pics are wanted. But hey, you travel to a bunch of countries and see what it's like where you can barely speak to anyone. My laptop and I are like best friends forever, or maybe it's more just the voices in my head that continue to speak to me.

Oh, I have Skype now too. I'll post that number or address...and people can call me there too.

Jesus loves me yes I know......Laura

Inquiring Minds Want to Know.....

Of course I never got on the elevator to Shanghai. I wouldn't have been able to write these stories if I had. Sorry that I left you all hanging that was not my intention. No elevators, no art, no muggings, fully clothed, etc. I think that sums up the questions that I've been receiving. Plus, my mother taught me well.

I got out of China on Monday. I guess my flight was scheduled early in the morning, who knew? I actually found out the night before that I was leaving in the a.m. so it drastically cut into my souvenir shopping. In other words, if you don't receive anything in the mail, I was probably shopping for you on Monday, but the trip was cut short.

I hate KLM! They only allow 20 kgs for travel. Who goes to China and only returns with luggage under 20 kgs? Sounds like a complete airline scam. After dealing with the Chinese post and mailing my belongings back to my parents in CA, I was able to board my flight. One of the items may have been illegally removed from the country. I can't state the validity of such a claim.

I returned to Paris being greeted on the train by of course, more Chinese travellers...Chinese travellers speaking French (language overload.) It was all good...I need to expand my breadth of Mandarin vocab which currently consists of Hi, Thank you, 58, 88 and No. I like to say them at random pretending I know the language. Oh, I know the numbers because that's the address of my friend and also where I got my massage, so I'm quite proud of myself for learning 58 and 88. I also picked up the numerical sign language which the taxi drivers were all amused by.

I started back in class today which I'll have through Saturday. Sounds miserable, but it's really not too bad.

Ok, here's the kicker. i know you think I the big jet setter these days, but as I told Patrick, I'm really just trying to see how much money I can spend being unemployed. So, this Sunday I will be heading to Morocco for another class. I'm trying to see how many continents I can visit within 3o days! It's a class in Entrepreneurship and I'm really looking forward to checking out the country. I'll have a few extra days for travel so will head out of Casablanca to Marakesh. I am looking into import/export, but haven't figured out if it's strictly to expand my personal jewelry and purse collection or if it good serve the greater good. I'm thinking it's the former.

I'm starting to get grades back from my second semester and have achieved significantly higher scores than my first semester. I really think the first dose was boot camp, where they beat us into submission just to build us back up again. I'm quite pleased b/c I received my first A which is rather difficult to accomplish in the UK system. I'm still waiting for my Business Finance grade, but he's on strike...no joke. I'm actually hoping he holds on tight to that picket sign and foregoes the grade...it may serve me better in the long run.

I need to sleep. I'm lacking desperately in that arena. But hey, I'm back safe and sound from China and enjoying the late nights in Paris (the sun is setting around 10 p.m.) Love it!

Talk to you soon.

Love Loyalty Friendship,
Laura

YuYuan Gardens and Bazaar

So, I came to Shanghai expecting to see the whole city covered with pagodas, but who knew they would actually build 2,000 skyscrapers over the past 10 years? This was my favorite part of the trip. Walking the gardens, exploring the pagodas of the Ming Dynasty and then shopping in the Bazaar and haggling my way to successful victories. It's great to shop in China because everything cost "about a buck" and then you go to DHL and FedEx to mail things back to the States and everything you saved during the negotiations goes out the window. Who knew?

I'll be writing more on my experiences of China when I get back to Paris. I've been sick for the past 2 days, but am starting to feel much better after seeing the local pharmacist. She used an abacus to find the tally of my purchase. Who uses those things?

Life in China has been a 10-day game of charades, I challenge anyone when I get home. You see how you'd convey sore throat, running nose...I need cough drops, please for the love of god will someone speak freaking english! As I am always amused at there dyer need to speak Mandarin to me, they in turn are always amused by my 1 Scene Acts. Really, I think all thespians should give it a go here.

Have to run.

Cheers, Laura (I hope I don't have Bird Flu)

This is the Pearl of the Orient on the PuDong side of Shanghai. Lights are out by 1o p.m. as are all the lights in Shanghai.

Slave Trade or Mugging???
Ok, so I'm in Shanghai; you're all up-to-date, right? I was walking the streets and definitely enjoying myself. This was my first day out on the town so I got an early start feeling guilty for wasting time on a nap yesterday.

I went to the Old City and the YuYuan Gardens in the early part of the day. I haggled my way through and did not relive my Istanbul incident that I encountered last year. From there, I walked to People's Square which is home to City Hall, a lovely park and a few museams. I took advantage of the student discount and went to the Shanghai Museum for some art and history lessons. Upon leaving the museum, the heavens opened up and the rain started. I headed up to Nanding Road, a pedestrian street with High Street shopping. Due to the rain, I started ducking in and out of stores hoping not to get completely drenched. My goal was to find a taxi to make it back to the University and grab a bite to eat. So standing outside of McDonald's, I started talking to 3 students from Beijing. They happened to be art students and were interested in my exchange program. Although the conversation was limited, it was nice to speak to someone in English beyond the voices in my head. So as we continued, I learned that my new friends were actually in town for an art show. I was really excited to have met people and I was hoping we'd be headed somewhere to grab a beer and to discuss Shanghai and the sights.

Better than offering a beer, they invited me to see there art. It was just two doors down and I obliged, but two doors down was actually a hotel. As I was talking to the two girls, their male mate had rushed ahead to call the elevator to the 4th floor. I know that I've seen way too many Jackie Chan movies, but I'm convinced as I straddled the doorway and reason came over me of "DON'T GET IN THE ELEVATOR!!!!" that I was either headed to Inner Mongolia or was going to wake up with some serious head trama, no money and maybe the hat that was on my head. Not cute.

Random thoughts/things about Shanghai:

• What's up with the toilets?
• I never have any idea what I'm eating. My diet consists of white balls, they're either filled with meat or they're really gooey and sweet. I never know which I'm ordering.
• I love hand sanitizer
• Sometimes when I'm paying, vendors see my Euro coins so I give them away. They just laugh at me. I don't know if they're excited or they just think I'm crazy. I can't tell.
• When you're feeling homesick, just go to Starbucks. I'm learning from Edinburgh, Paris and definitely Shanghai, that Starbucks in the mothership when the "fish out of water" feeling hits.
• Starbucks defeats the toilet issue.
• The elders practice Tai-Chi in the parks; it's great.
• They use American models to sell clothes so people think they're buying American fashion. Random fashion lines: Snoopy and Betty Boop....Why?
• There are definitely not enough taxis to go around. You can get one into the City, but definitely not out.
• Maybe I could start the AQMD here.

That's all for now. I'll try to post pics. I've been having a heck of a time. This is the longest internet connection

Greetings from Shanghai!

I arrived to China this morning and found my guest house near Tongi University. I have a few days to explore before I start the study trip portion. Not too sure if I will head up to Beijing or just see the sights of the city. The city is sprawling, similar to LA and leaves much to be discovered.

Life has been very exciting since moving to Paris. My roommate, Jay, and I have entertained guest since Day 2 of our arrival. The best yet was the visit from my parents. (pictures pending!) They arrived on Holy Thursday and spent the next week with me. I took them to the restaurants that I've enjoyed dining. Living the life of a student, I definitely took advantage/enjoyed our meals...tartes, crepes, pate, vin...delicious. We walked all over the City, explored the gardens, visited churches, went to Easter mass at St. Gervais, shopped in boys town (Marais District) and St. Germain de Pres. I think they finally mastered the subway system and know the best parts of City to stay for their next visit.

The next 30 days will be a great adventure. Today, I'm in Shanghai and will be here until May 1. I'm back to Paris for a week and then will head off to Morocco for a course on Entrepreneurship. 3 Continents...ya-woo!

Life is exciting. Still looking for the summer work placement so let me know if something comes up.

Send me emails.

love loyalty friendship, Laura

Bonjour!
I arrived in Paris last week and am absolutely loving it.

If you want to send me fun letters; please write me at:

8 Rue Beaurepaire
75010 Paris France

Anytime you see the riots; they're protesting right outside of my house: I will post some pictures soon: I have had 4 visitors so far; 3 from Edinburgh and 1 from the OC: looking forward to my parents' visit at Easter too:

Started class this week and am taking Venture Capital for the one day I come up with an idea:

French keyboards arenùt fun

Salut; LO