A Day of Firsts in London
During the very first week of my 20’s, I stepped off the plane at London Heathrow after an eight-hour flight from JFK. Finally, I had left Connecticut, left North America, to embark on something entirely new. With 45 other students, I arrived at my new home for the next four months in some random place called “The South Bank.” Little did I know, I would be living in one of the city’s most vibrant areas!
I was excited, anxious, exhausted, exhilarated, and ready. I wanted to make friends, to explore, to return with no regrets. Within an hour of arriving at my flat I found myself walking in an unknown direction and into Bangalore, a nearby Indian restaurant. I’d never had Indian food. I’d never crossed the Atlantic Ocean. I’d never been so far from home. I’d never truly been on my own.
Later that day, I hopped on the “Tube” to Covent Garden after stocking my fridge up from a tiny store that I referred to as “Saintsbury’s” for about a month (proper name is Sainsbury). Coming from a suburban upbringing where cars rule, I hadn’t know the possibility of loving public transportation. And I actually do enjoy the Tube and riding the London busses because of how lovely it is to read and people watch while traveling. The English are great for many reasons, the main one being that they actually queue up honestly for the bus.
London hooked me. It marked the first day of stepping out from my world as I knew it. The gorgeous city, with its remarkable history, stole my heart instantly and introduced me to a new way of life. Afternoon tea, Regents Park, a diverse food scene, nightlife outside of a rural Connecticut college campus, the slang, the Tube, the markets. That day the spark that inspired me to travel grew into a flame burning to see the world and see it well. It’s not going out any time soon.