“This isn’t a goodbye, it’s merely see you later, London.” Prior to my departure, I could have never anticipated the sense of independence, confidence, and curiosity that I would have gained during my time in London. Throughout my time in London, I was forced to go out of my comfort zone; as I had to learn how to maintain a work-life balance between my internship and my course load; how to live and breathe alongside five other roommates; and how to explore all that the City of London has to offer, in the meantime.
However, this past month has been more difficult than expected, as I was faced with how to juggle the pressure of exams, more responsibility at my internship, and how to pack in all of the to-see sites and experiences in London. Luckily, I managed to do it justice as I sightseed hard and studied harder. By far one of my favorite places in London is Old Spitalfields Market. Although there are various other incredible markets: Borough Market, Camden Market, Portobello Road Market, etc.; I loved how out-of-a-picturebook Old Spitalfields is. Between its decorations for Christmas and the personality of the vendors, I fell in love. I even managed to grab myself a t-shirt of a fox wearing a british flag. Need I say more? If I needed to encapsulate my experience in London, it would be that: a fox wearing a british flag. Although I am an American and a study abroad student, I found myself fitting into London, its culture, and its scene with more ease than I thought I would. Even as I left Old Spitalfields that day, I found myself with a dead phone (rookie mistake #1) and yet I managed to find my way back to the Tube and back to my flat in another borough.
In addition to all that the sites have to offer in London, I found myself falling in love with the people. Although London is often compared to New York City, it has something that the Big Apple does not: it is devoid of chaos and the constant rush of people. Instead, the people of London have it all figured out. They have the nice city job and the cute flat in the Upper West side (a.k.a. Kensington), but yet they manage to relax, sit back, have a pint, and have a good time. Too often I find myself thinking about “what I need to do next,” but London has quite literally and figuratively forced to me to relax and reflect on my experiences. Between too frequent train delays and constantly falling down the slippery London stairs, I was forced to become a “Londoner” and live in the moment.
During these moments of reflection, I came to realize a number of takeaways from my experience in London:
1) I like coffee shops much more than I ever realized; especially London coffee shops as they are very good for people watching.
2) Cook more! Even if it is a disaster and you do not know what you are doing, be adventerous! Also, experiment with the variety of grocery stores that London has to offer: Waitrose, Tesco, Lidl, etc.
3) Plan! Always plan a week beforehand of what you want to do and achieve the following week. Although it may not be as exciting in the moment, set a list of places and/or experiences who want to visit throughout the week and especially during the weekend!
4) Enjoy your time to the fullest and especially in the company of friends! I was lucky enough to find a close group of friends within the program at London, where I was able to explore with them and to even cook – a very successful – Friendsgiving with them. Having friends made exploring London even more memorable and among all of my souvenirs, I am very lucky that I also get to take these friendships home with me!