Wow. I can’t believe my two and a half weeks in London are already at an end. So much has happened, yet it seemed to fly by too fast. The thought of returning home tomorrow is very bittersweet. The friends I’ve made on this trip have become like my family away from home. We all got along so well and had so much fun together—it is so hard to say goodbye. But I have so many good stories to tell my family about all my excursions in England. And of course I’ll always have the nearly 1800 photos I took—and those are all good photos. I didn’t count the ones I deleted. I’m such a photo junky.
I have fallen in love with London and the whole UK in general. I love how London has so much to do and is such a cultural mecca of arts and history. I have discovered an obsession for theatre. Everything from West-End musicals to Shakespeare—I love theatre. And I love how I can go hang out at the stage door after a show and get the actors to sign my programs. The actors are such great people. They are so down to earth and willing to hang out, sign autographs, and talk to us. They are so appreciative of the attention and complements about their performances. Theatre was definitely my favorite part of London.
My favorite places I visited were definitely Dublin and York. Dublin has such a cool vibe. It still has all the amenities of a big city like London, but it’s much slower paced, more relaxed, and has friendlier people. York is the same way, except that York is only about a two hour train ride from London, so you could easily commute back and forth. I could easily live in either city…or both at some point.
I also fell in love with London food. It is definitely not at all like people say. Pub food is awesome. Fish and chips are so delicious, and I don’t even like fish, so that’s saying something. I also found the best Thai and Chinese restaurants over here. The menus are huge, the food is incredible, and the price tags are extremely reasonable. I never went hungry over here…far from it in fact.
Another thing I love is how easy it is to get around London simply by walking or taking the underground railways. I actually much preferred that to driving back home. In the time I’ve been here, with all the walking I’ve done, I was able to eat whatever the heck I wanted to eat no matter how junky or calorie filled it was, and still lose weight! I kept wanting to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. For that reason alone, I don’t want to return to the supersized portions of American restaurants. And the food over here is so much better quality than American food. They use much better quality ingredients over here since their food is regulated at a much higher standard than American food. Even the tap water over here can be consumed without having to worry about getting sick, and it tastes just as good as bottled Evian. I will definitely miss the food here.
I’ll even miss the dorms where we stayed. Despite the fact that they had no air-conditioning, no internet, and a shower that was possessed, the actual dorms were great. Every dorm was relatively spacious, had a comfy bed, very large desk, two chairs, closet, its own bathroom, and a mini fridge. It was awesome! And each suite of rooms had a communal kitchen which was great for hanging out at night. We could even cook if we didn’t feel like going out every night. Plus the dorm security was as tight as Fort Knox. Everybody had a key card to get into and out of the building, each suite had a key card to get in, and each room had a dead bolt lock. No unauthorized personnel could have access to the dorms. At all. It felt so safe. I really appreciated how tight the security was.
But perhaps what I’m going to miss the most is the sense of independence I had when I was here. It was great being on my own, being able to go where I wanted, when I wanted. Even though I honestly have the same privilege back at home, it was different because my parents weren’t here to watch over me, even though I checked in by phone multiple times a day. It was just a neat feeling knowing that I could survive by myself in a new country and figure out how to go places on my own. It was even really cool having to support myself over here. Back at home, I’m a super-scrooge when it comes to spending money on anything; but being over here and having to pay for things gave me a sense of accomplishment. But when I get back home, I’m sure I’ll get over it quickly and readjust to how things were before. Haha. But I really learned that I could make it on my own, and that I could enjoy being on my own.
Words can’t describe what an amazing experience this trip was. I enjoyed it so much, saw so many cool things, met so many new friends—going home is going to be very bittersweet. Though I missed my family immensely, I really feel like I won’t be happy living in one place for too long. I love travelling and exploring new places, new cultures, new people and I would honestly get very bored living in one city for too long. I feel like wherever my parents live will always be home where I can come visit when I start to miss them too much; but I like being on my own.
Honestly, I am so sad to be leaving. Even though I was unbearably homesick upon arrival, I have had a complete change of heart. I dread leaving the beautiful city and weather of London to go back to stupid-hot and humid Louisiana. I dread leaving behind all the theatre, museums, shops, and great restaurants. I dread not being able to see my study-abroad family all the time even though we are already making plans for multiple reunions. I also dread not being able to play ‘That’s What She Said!’ But I am very ready to see my family again. And my puppy. I can’t wait to give them all their souvenirs. (I got them some REALLY cool gifts!)
But I certainly won’t miss the crazy drunks standing outside my window at all hours of the night screaming at each other. Or the super loud sirens and motorcycles racing down the street at 3AM. Or the creepers that have tried to hit on me.
And there is a lot I miss about home: my family, of course; air-conditioning!!! (that’s a BIG one), my iPhone, my church, Diet Orange Sunkist, using the internet at home from the comfort of my own room, my own room, free wifi, my bed and pillows, Vietnamese food, iced tea (another big one), chips and salsa, a shower that isn’t temperamental constantly going in cycles of scalding hot to freezing cold, a bathtub, and southern hospitality, just to name a few. Even though England is in no way anywhere close to being comparable to a third world country, being here made me realize how spoiled Americans really are. We have so much yet take so much for granted.
In retrospect, London has been such an extraordinarily phenomenal experience. I feel like I have grown so much during these last few weeks and gained a great deal of self-confidence and independence. I want to do everything in my power to make sure I can come back for study-abroad next year. And even though this is my last blog from London, my blog will continue. I will not abandon my readers. You’ll just have to settle for stories from home.
Til next time, dear readers,
Cheers Y’all
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