It only took a month for me to adjust to the fast-paced life that is distinct to London. Even the streets of New York City don’t compare to the quickness of getting to and from and there is a general understanding of everyone who arrives in London that to not “embrace the pace” means receiving quite a passive aggressive attitude from the locals. Something that I learned about London was the melting pot of cultures that is found at any street corner. This celebration of diversity and accepting of a variety of cultures in one area is heart-warming for the fact that Londoners don’t want others who come from different cultures to conform to the British way; they respect and do not try to make these culturally different people feel like the minorities.
I feel like my personality has shifted from once feeling like ‘a big fish in a little pond’ back home and feeling quite small in the big city of London. I’ve humbled myself by seeing crowds of people rush to important meetings or catch another international business flight. Now an expert in taking the tube, I can easily say London has the best public transportation system because trains come almost every 3 minutes with the longest I’ve waited, which was 8 minutes due to maintenance. However something I disliked about the tube is that it is always violently silent and crammed with people, however no one vocally complains about the lack of personal space they’ve got.
Throughout the first month and now into my second month, I have been scoping out areas for study and leisure that doesn’t require me to pay for a hot chocolate every time (most areas are cafes). So far, I enjoy reading at Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery which is home to Van Gogh’s and Monet’s paintings, Green Park is where I go to get away from the hectic city life, and Waterstone’s (which is a version of Barnes and Nobles back home).
Something else to note about London is the feeling of opportunity, it’s hard to find someone ill dressed here in London, so you never know who is a major entrepreneur millionaire and who is the director of a University to spark up a conversation with. At my internship, I didn’t realize my desk was right next to the director of where I am interning
