I’m writing this post on my flight home to Chicago. I have never dreaded going to Chicago before, so it is a very weird feeling wanting to stay put and not go home. The past 8 weeks have been some of the most amazing I’ve had in my life, and definitely the best I have had in recent history. Throughout the trip I kept reminding myself of how fortunate I was able to study abroad, what with all the turmoil my family has been put through these past 2 years. Whenever I would see a spectacular view, beautiful church or a captivating painting I would always think back to my life the past 2 years and how much I deserved to be in Europe. I am beyond grateful to my parents for helping me financially this summer, and couldn’t have had a better experience if possible. I saw so much, learned a lot (not by my class, though) and had a lot of great experiences. I feel more cultured than I have ever been, much more open minded, and much more broke, haha. It’s taken a lot of pondering, but I have decided that the top three things I will miss in London will be the bus, Bulmer’s cider, and open air markets. I loved the bus because it was a cheap, easy way to get around and a good way to see the sites while travelling to various places, something the tube does not allow you to do. Bulmer’s cider is a delicious hard cider that is not sold in the US, in fact I don’t think any is sold except in a select few liquor stores around the country. It’s a really crisp and refreshing drink, my favorite to get. I’ve heard the US sells Strongbow, another cider, but I don’t like this one as much. Finally, open air markets, such as Portobello Road and Brick Lane, are places that various venders will sell goods for cheap such as fruits, antiques, clothes, art, ect. They are a really good way to experience British culture because Saturday and Sunday are market days, and all the Londoners go out to the market. Obviously there are tourists there as well, especially at Portobello Road, but the majority of the people are Londoners. Speaking of tourists, this trip has made me hate them. I don’t live in downtown Chicago, so I don’t get much interaction with tourists, thank God, but I definitely did this summer. They are so annoying, frustrating and have an air of entitlement about them. Now I do realize I was often in tourist mode, but being surrounded by them taught me how to travel and not act like a complete tool.
London is now my second favorite city, behind Chicago, of course. Brussels used to be number 3, but then I went to Edinburgh, and that fast jumped the ranks. Basically, I love, love, love Europe. This was not my first time there, but I got to experience it in a different way by actually living in Europe. It is so much more relaxed than the states, even in London. The people are much friendlier, and are very informed on almost everything to do with global and local news, so definitely my kind of people. I don’t think I would ever want to permanently move to London, but if I wasn’t such a home body, and didn’t like my family as much as I do, I would probably try to go to grad school there or have a first job there. The atmosphere is so wonderful, I miss it already. Leaving was so hard to do. As my car mates and I left Palace court, we started waving to various things that had good stories and memories. Notting Hill gate, Café Diana, Tex-Mex, Old Swan, Tesco, I’m going to miss all of it.
Saying goodbye to my London friends this morning was much more difficult than I thought it would be. Jess and I gave each other one look and the tears started. This is by far the best summer I have ever had, and I am so sad it is over. I am going to miss London so much, but I can’t dwell on that or else I will be glum for a very long time. I know I will miss London, but I will miss my friends even more. I had so much fun with them exploring London and Europe, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be with. Last night Jess, Vinita and Shivani and I went to the club Sound to dance our sadness way. When we left, we spotted a busker playing the sax to Lady Gaga. We ended up dancing for another hour on the streets of Piccadilly Circus. It was the perfect end to a perfect trip!
I think I’ll miss my new sign off just as much as everything else… CHEERS!!!
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