My last day in London could not have been better. My friend Monica and I went to Camden Market one last time and then walked up to Primrose Hill that overlooks the whole city to say our good-bye. Walking down the hill back to the tube, I realized that I don't know when I'll be back but I have no doubt in my mind I'll be returning the first chance I get.
To conclude, I thought I would make a list of things I will miss from London and things I'm looking forward to now that I'm at home.
Things I will miss:
1. The new friends I made from all over the states. It was such an interesting and eclectic group of students that made the program so fun, interesting and enjoyable. One of the biggest things I learned is that what makes a place special is not where you're at but the people you're with.
2. The best public transportation system in the world. I am going to sorely miss being able to get anywhere I want in the city from a simple tube ride, bus ride or even walking out on the street and throwing my hand in the air for a taxi in a matter of just two seconds. Even though London is one of the most sprawling and biggest cities with over ten underground lines, the organization is incredible and extremely convenient. The way they move people is pretty cool. Going along with that, I'm really going to miss being able to hop over to a completely different country with a completely different culture in a matter of hours. I love the mixture of cities in Europe.
3. Feeling so safe. Before this whole experience I think I pictured the world as a dark and dangerous place full of bad people. The wonderful thing about London is that it is one of the safest cities in the world with an extremely low violent crime rate. The fact that the policemen don't even carry guns shows just how safe it is. I think adding to the feeling of safety is that everyone there seems to have a purpose. It really changed my view of big cities as before I thought of them as full of crime but being in London showed me that it's pretty hard for someone to hurt you when you're always surrounded on the street by a million other people. I actually believe living in a city is much safer than the suburbs simply because you're never really alone in a city. I'm really going to miss being able to walk anywhere by myself and feeling so safe. Along with that, I think I realized that people are the same at heart no matter where you go and I don't view the world as such a scary place anymore.
Things I am looking forward to:
1. Seeing my friends and family. I am so incredibly excited to be an aunt and I cannot wait to get home and see Haylee for the first time. I am so excited for the baby shower tomorrow to see everyone and also to see Aunt Libby!
2. Driving around listening to music in my car. One thing that was somewhat difficult about this semester is that being surrounded by others constantly meant I never really got any alone time to relax and unwind. My favorite thing to do to just relax is drive around and listen to music, so I'm really looking forward to being able to do that again.
3. Studying what I love. As much fun as this semester was, I am antsy to get back to work and school. I can't just have fun for too long or else I feel like I'm missing out on the things I want to learn and understand and I don't like feeling like I'm falling behind in my studies. I think it is just as important to figure out what you don't like as much as what you do like and this semester definately showed me what subjects I don't like. Now I'm ready to get back to what I do enjoy.
It has certainly been an amazing, most wonderful semester. I feel like it went by in the blink of an eye and it seems like all a dream now. London is the most amazing city in the world without a doubt. It's a place you hate and love at the same time; with ten million different types of people trying to coexist in this micro/macro-cosm, there is certainly no place in the world like London. But there is also no place like home.
Yes this picture is cheesy, but I had to. Saying my good-bye to London behind me.
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