Well, my six-week study abroad experience in London has ended, and so I thought I would take this moment to reflect on everything I have experienced these past six weeks. There has been no shortage of adventure, blunder, and laughs along the way. I can truly say this has been the best summer of my life.
That isn't to say that there weren't any moments of culture shock; they just hit in weirder moments than I expected. For example, ordering at restaurants was actually one of the most stressful things I had to do: service is much different because the staff doesn't rely on tips. And in most pubs, you have to order up at the counter...so imagine the embarrassment when I waited and waited for so long only to have the bartenders and staff staring at me from the counter and waiting for me to go speak to them.
Despite little hiccups, there were certainly many great times! From seeing Waitress to seeing Midsummer Night's Dream starring Gwendolyn Christie, from finding our favorite little hangouts to going to Bath, Stratford, Edinburgh, Oxford, and Paris. The list goes on and on!
I truly got immersed in the London experience. I learned how to grocery shop, do British laundry, cook on a very different stove, and figure out how to use pounds! I mastered the tube surprisingly easily, though the delays and random stops still stress me out (and I have been late to a few events…).
I've had to rely on myself a lot these past weeks. The minor independence that I got used to in college seemed amplified. There was no dining hall, and if I couldn't figure out how to get to the grocery store, I didn't get to eat. For class field trips, I couldn't just walk or meet the group outside my flat door, I had to get myself there. Staying alive and trying to thrive is a lot harder than I realized! I made every decision of my day, and while it was great, adulting is also exhausting.
I will say too that I have never been less motivated to do school work. Balancing work and play is already hard at Miami, but when you have a whole city and an entire culture to explore, it is really hard to focus on writing papers (even if they are about one of your favorite writers of all time).
If there was anything I would change, it would definitely be to give myself more of a break when it comes to the initial adjustments. Though my culture shock was in very trivial matters, I still felt stupid for not being able to conquer everything immediately. I was terrified of looking like a dumb tourist, but really, I shouldn't have worried! It's pretty obvious that I do stick out at times, but that isn't necessarily a personal failing!
I'm now on to a few extra days of traveling before coming back to the US after what feels like years! I will never forget my time abroad and some of the phenomenal people I have met here. Being a Londoner, if only for a little while, is one of the best titles I will ever get to bear, and I'm so thankful for everyone who got me here along the way!
