Back to London
Growing up, I always dreamed about going to London. In middle school, the house across the street from mine had a garage sale. It was obvious that they were seasoned travelers based off the things they had collected and were willing to part with. When I was poking through their possessions, I found a teapot decorated with the touristy parts of London: the guards, the palace, the flag, the red double-decker buses. It became a decoration in our living room. It served as my little reminder of the place I hoped to visit one day. I wrote “visit London” on every bucket list I had (and for some reason I quite frequently would make bucket lists growing up). London was the first place I knew I wanted to go to when I went to Europe for the first time. My mom was pregnant with me when she visited London, so obviously I used to tell people that meant I had technically been there before.
And then I finally got to go and experience the city I had dreamed about for so long. I don’t know what it was in 4th grade that made me set my heart on London, but I’m glad I did. The history and the culture and the wide variety of people are all so wonderful. When I went to Europe, some places didn’t live up to my expectations. I was worried this would be the case for London, especially since I had been building it up in my head for the last decade.
And it was everything I thought it would be. We did every touristy thing you can think of. Saw the bridge, went to the museums, visited the palace, rode the London Eye. I ate more fish and chips than I’d like to admit.
In May, I get to experience London all over again, but this time with a much less touristy perspective. I’m studying abroad for a month through the Social Justice and Social Change: An International Perspective program at UT. The fact that I get to live and learn there for a month just does not seem real. The little girl buying someone else’s London souvenir would absolutely die if she knew what was in her future. And, of course, Makenmems will once again be my outlet to document every single aspect of my experiences abroad. You’ll see a lot more of me soon (for better or worse!).
