Last Day in Londontown!

I imagine this will be my last post! Although it was tough to keep up with the blog, I am so glad I decided to write one, not only to share with family and friends who might be wondering what I'm up to, but because I will be able to look back on it and remember all the little details and the day-to-day things about my semester in London.

SO. How do you end something like this, anyway? I suppose what's at the forefront of my mind right now is the snowstorm that is hovering unpleasantly over the East Coast. My flatmate's flight (on the same airline as mine) got cancelled yesterday, and she had to scramble to re-book a flight. Luckily, she's on her way home now, but I'm nervous about my flight. I've been checking pretty regularly, and everything seems to be okay. Probably because I'm not flying out until Sunday morning, and my flatmate's flight was for today, Saturday.

The flat is clean, I'm all packed and (hopefully) under the 50 pound weight limit for checked luggage. All I have to do is get myself to Heathrow, check in at the airport hotel, hang out, get up early tomorrow morning and COME HOME.

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Now I want to offer some kind of summary reflection. This entire experience has been really incredible, but also kind of whirlwind. It HAS gone by really fast, and it has actually been pretty difficult to process and digest everything that happens everyday here. I suppose living in central London has contributed to this hustle-bustle kind of feeling, but at times it has been hectic. That being said, I really do love living in a big city. There's always tons of things to do, and especially in London there's always tons of FREE stuff to do. I had to come to terms with the fact that London is just a really, really outrageously expensive city, but it is only money, and I think this entire experience was invaluable.

I found myself going through phases of likes and dislikes while here in London. Towards the beginning of the semester, I would spend hours just sitting in Trafalgar Square, watching the people moving against this unbelievable backdrop of Big Ben and Parliament and Nelson. Perhaps it was the changing weather, but I stopped going there as the semester went on. My favorite trip would definitely have to be the recent, 5-day Ireland trip with my literature class. Ireland's history is just so complex and in some ways the wounds of the past still haven't healed over. I think I will definitely go back to Ireland sometime in the future, to see more of the place.

Going to Paris by myself was another big deal for me. My parents and flatmates were kind of worried about it, but I knew that I could handle it. I think sometimes you have to do things that scare you a little bit, if only to show yourself that you're capable. I'll never forget walking around the Louvre at like, 10 o'clock at night, with the Tour Eiffel lit up against the sky... it was wonderful.

If nothing else, I think this experience, albeit kind of short, has taught me a lot in terms of cultural immersion. I suppose you can't live abroad for 4 months and not change in some ways. I expect my family and friends will comment on my generally more dressed-up appearance. Everyone in London dresses so well, that it was hard to leave my flat in jeans. Likewise, the women wear more makeup, and so I started spending more time on that, too. Probably more than this, though, would be my newfound attention to the art of conversation. My dad and I recently discussed the differences between Brits and Americans in terms of speech patterns and general manners, and I think I've matured a bit in the way I express myself verbally. I noticed this the most in class discussions... I definitely use fewer "likes" in conversation, and I've noticed that I also generally talk a bit less than I used to, especially while conversing.

This is all just personal reflection, but I'm having a hard time trying to process "What London Means To Me" at the moment. I suppose the subtleties will come out more the longer I've been away from here, but I have most definitely been changed by this experience, and I believe changed for the better. That being said, I believe I am ready to come home. I didn't really make many friends on this trip, which is totally fine, but it just made missing my friends and family that much more difficult. I was able to distract myself with the city, but the holiday season only made me pine for familiarity that much more. My dad asked me if I wasn't going to miss London. I will miss this city, the culture and the general attitudes of Europe. These attitudes, in my mind, are in some ways better than American attitudes. However, I think I can take what I've learned here and apply it in some really good ways to my life in America. I think that, wherever you go, you're still in your head. Sure, there will be some cultural shocks when I get back to the States, but I think I'm strong enough to keep my head and maintain what I believe to be valuable elements of British and European culture. I'm happy to be coming home, not devastated to be leaving London.

Will I be back? Someday. Perhaps I need to see a bit more of the world before I'm ready to come back to Londontown. But I know this city has changed me, and perhaps will continue to change me even though I'm not here. It is a beautiful city with a beautiful character. I can only hope that I do this experience justice by continuing to learn from it and by making an effort not to unlearn all that I've seen and experienced.

Torrey