Last Days in London

Posted on January 16th, 2009 | 0 Comments »

After every experience surfaces the inevitable question upon your return to your homeland, “How was (blank)?” Well, how was London…hmmm I had to ask myself. What exactly did I think, feel, and if I had to do it again, would I go back? London was interesting…that seems to be the response I have given everyone who asked. I like to call it a beautiful launching pad for exploring more about yourself and the world. The language is convenient for english speakers, the universities and their resources (at least at SOAS) are great, and the people (well most of them) are actually pretty nice. I really enjoyed myself in London, honestly. I enjoyed being away from New York, away from my friends (even though I love them), and having the ability to be in solitude when I felt like it and yet still build wonderful relationships with the friends that I met. London was everything I  needed but the travel experiences it gave me actually was more. Although I only visited Wales, Portugal, and Italy, each site gave me a new story and a new sense of growing wisdom about my life. It gave me a sense of humility about my position in the world and truly made me realize how amazing God is in general and for giving me this opportunity to travel. I think that all of this came together during my last few days in London. I must admit, I was not ready to go home especially since we met ALL THE COOL YOUNG BRITS 3 days before we left. But we still made some pretty cool friends at my “uni” (university) since I was primarily attending the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) instead of just NYU’s London campus with the rest of the American students. There is so much that can be learned as a young person in college and I can’t even imagine how much I am going to grow over the next six months between my spring abroad experience in Madrid, Spain and in South America during the summer. As a result of all my experiences in London/my fall travels and their positive impact on my life, I have become addicted to traveling and placing myself in new contexts. Funny, because just when I thought it was over, I realized that getting on the plane home and eventually returning to Europe in January was solely the beginning.

“The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody’s fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind.” – Katherine Mansfield