Most days I go on a long walk around my neighborhood. It is usually around dinner time so all the weirdos are out on the street coming home from work. Now I have seen some strange things but here is a collection of the ones that stood out the most.
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Woke up at 5:30 to see Anna off. I cried, but it's fine.
So now I'm working on two hours of sleep. Abby had come down to say goodbye also and so she could go early to Abbey Road. She asked if I wanted to come and I said yes, so we went. It was cute, we took out pictures it was all nice and dandy. Later that day after getting a covid test with Bri, her, Abby and I walked to Covent Garden to take phone booth photos since I hadn't yet. They turned out really cute. We split from Abby there and Bri and I went to Daunt the bookstore in Marylebone. It's a really cute shop and I got a baby tote bag that makes me really happy. On the way home I split from Bri at Tottenham because I wanted to go get some London postcards (which I did find!) and then I made a pitstop in Foyles so that I could buy the illustrated copy of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I read it here, I saw it here, I might as well buy it here too. We brought a bunch of clothes people left to the donation center down the street. Madison, Chopan, and I got Wok to Walk for dinner. Then I spent most of the night packing. The rest of us in the house went to College Arms for one last drink. I walked in and was waiting in line and I almost started sobbing (but I held it together, go me!) because my first drink in London was a cider at College Arms and my last drink in London would be a cider at College Arms. I was not okay. But it was fine. We also played our final game of Oh Shit!, Chopan of course won, I think I made like third place?? But I was happy my final book was 4 and I made all 4! The semester is officially over. It's weird. It feels like it went by so fast, but at the same time when I think back to that first Sunday when everyone went to Brick Lane, it feels like eons ago. Time is funny. The last few days have been pretty sad. I haven't let myself get too sad yet because I still have a few days left in London with my family. I'm excited to show them around the city. I have so many amazing memories here that I can't wait to share. Even though the semester wasn't always perfect, I feel incredibly lucky to have had this experience.
So, even though I'm not leaving London quite yet, I'm leaving 35 Gower Street. It's already weird thinking about the fact that other trips are going to happen in this house. Our memories here feel so distinct and person that I can't imagine any other group of people inhabiting this place. I'm going to miss this house, this street, these people. I'm going to miss going to the College Arms, and Tuesday trivia, and karaoke nights. I'm ready to be home, but I'm not ready to leave this place. My flight is tomorrow, and this is my last journal entry. I did end up staying with Bronya, so I’ve been living in her flat these past couple of days. I ended up getting her a bottle of vodka as a gesture of gratitude for letting me stay at her place. The twenty or so pounds I spent on it compared to the several hundred dollars Bronya has saved me on a hotel makes the scales still feel a bit uneven though. She’s been a great hostess, and I regret not talking to her more earlier on. Each night so far we’ve chatted for hours straight on all sorts of different topics, from working at the pub to how ethics relate to law. She’s wicked smart, and I’m kind of bummed I’ve only found that out in my last few days here. I have a feeling I’ll cross paths with Bronya again though, she’s said several times how much she would love to visit the United States. I told her that if she ever does she has a place to stay.
Chopan flies out tomorrow too, and he’s been staying at the house by himself, so each night while Bronya is at work I’ve been taking the tube back into zone 1 to meet up with him and grab a couple of drinks, just to keep each other company until we head out. The other night we went to the Angel and I played darts for the first time. He said I was a natural for it being my first time, with the way I throw or something like that. I was able to make it competitive with him, but I don’t think that that necessarily says much. We’ve not been saying much to each other, but neither of us seem to mind. I think we’re both super tired and figure we’ve told the other about everything we have to say already. At this point, I know I’m leaving London, but it still doesn’t really feel like I’m going home. I know I am, but I’m not as excited as I thought I would be. I was telling Bronya that it still kind of feels like I’m longing for home like it’s not something I’m going to see tomorrow night. I guess that that’s just a sign that I’ve built something special in London. I knew coming here would be a once in a lifetime experience, but I never planned on being as deeply impacted as I have been. Frankly, though, I would be shocked and unnerved if everything went according to plan. The last night. I was in a weird mood the last night. We had done a whole scavenger hunt during the day where we adventured through London to previous places we had been to win the final reward of drinks and medals (my team and another team tied in first). It was a fun day, however when night came along is when it got pretty bad. In the beginning days of getting closer to leave I was kind of feeling okay. I was ready to kind of go home but I also didn't want to go home but I would be fine with it. However, as that last day approached I realized I didn't want to leave everyone and go home. I had made so many good friends in London and some of them I might not ever see again as some of my closest friends happened to be seniors. As the night went on the house was full of tears. Even I was, I was probably one of the ones crying the hardest to be honest, it didn't help that the Professor put on some of the saddest songs in existence. I was one of the first ones leaving and it was sad to have to say goodbye to everyone, I hope to see them again on campus next year and I hope to see the seniors again. We also held a little award ceremony that night where we handed out awards of superlatives to the people in the house although it was fun and happy, it was still sad for me. Towards the end, some karaoke started to begin and I finished getting packed. The time eventually arrived where I had to leave. I said goodbye to my good friend Bronya who had been a bartender in London who we became good friends with and goodbye to all the others awake. It was a long sad, quiet ride to the airport.
The whiteboard schedule of doom decreed that, on this day, we would play basketball. So, despite the spitting chilly spring-rain, a ragtag group of six – myself, Madison, Boogie, Anna, Georgia, and Chopan – ventured into the great beyond of “that park just behind Russell Square where there’s hoops.”
I used to hoop, once upon a time. I loved basketball in middle school, but haven’t really played since my abysmal freshman year of high school ruined it for me. So, it’d been a while. I was nervous, and basketball in the rain sounded like a recipe for skinned knees and shitty ball handling and probably frustrated tears from yours truly because I’m just that type of person. I was wrong. Basketball in the rain is sick. Especially when there’s very low stakes and you’re playing with people you fucking adore. It ended up being some of the most fun I’ve had on this trip. I don’t want to sound like a corndog when I say this, but I will either way, so I’ll just say it: that afternoon with those people healed some small part of me, an 8-year-old bruise that I didn’t realize I still had. I remembered that playing basketball competitively could be fun, was fun, once, and not terrifying and anxiety- and self-hatred-inducing. We walked back to shower the cold and sweat off of our skin and start our dreaded, dastardly literature papers, and Madison was kind and lovely and miraculous enough to braid my wet hair. How great is she? I’ll tell you: pretty darn. London was amazing. I may have accidentally procrastinated my journal entries because I wanted to write each one really well and I never had the time to sit down and write one really well. . . well, Madison of the past, now you have a bunch of cobbled together half-memories very poorly written. Well done.
Things I'll miss most: Bookstore cafes the Gower Gang food markets walking everywhere tubing everywhere else not literature class late night cards late night McDonalds being walking distance from a lot of cool places and never going to any of them I remember when deciding to study abroad this semester, I was most upset about leaving my friends behind at Eckerd. They all comforted me and said that I would make new friends and that everything was going to be okay. And of course I didn’t believe them. And of course I was wrong.
Over the past 3.5 months, the dynamic has gone from 18 strangers to a family of 18. I’m writing this with 2 weeks left in the trip and I can not believe how fast time has gone and how much I have grown to love the people that I share the house with. The post-London depression has already started to hit and I still have 12 days left. I have grown to love London and will miss it terribly. But what I will miss even more is the Gower Gang. The laughs we share in the common room, the family dinners, and all the chaos in between. For the past semester, we have been crammed in a tiny house, having to smell each other's shits and farts, dealing with each other's bad moods, and all the other challenges that come along with other people. We have spent every second of everyday together. From having class together to eating together to doing homework together to going out together to relaxing together it is safe to spend plenty of time with each other. And when you want to get away from it all and FaceTime your family or friends from home, you can’t. Because the WiFi is horrific. So you're really stuck with everyone in the house, even when you don’t want to be. But with being stuck with each other, we have grown an unbreakable bond and have become one big family. It feels weird that in just a few weeks it will never be the same. I find myself in the same position I was at the end of Winter Term. Not upset about leaving the place behind but leaving behind my friends, the people who have made this place feel like home. The past 3.5 months have been nothing short of amazing. But now as the trip is coming to a close I have to face the hardest part. Having to say goodbye to the people that have made the past 3.5 so amazing. Wow. I didn’t realize that I didn’t write at all yesterday. We were so busy getting all the shit ready for the reading that I barely had any down time.
*** I had to stop writing because we left to go to a market. We were originally supposed to go to Portobello Market, but we decided not to go because it looked like it was going to rain. So, we headed to Borough, but the tube was so packed, and part of the Northern line was down, so we were close to South Bank market and decided to walk there instead. I hadn’t been to that market yet, but it was cool! I got a duck confit burger with duck fat fries. It was insane. Absolutely insane. I think it might have been the best meal I’ve had so far on the trip. If not, it’s definitely in the top five. I also got a really good chai latte there. After the market, we came home, and I facetimed Ethan. We talked for a long time, and then I came downstairs. We’re all in the common room right now. It’s almost 5:00. Sage is doing a game night thing in a little bit, and then some people are going to karaoke tonight. I don’t really want to go. I’m just starting to feel better and I don’t really want to change what I’m currently wearing. Anyway, back to the reading. It went really well! I didn’t even get nervous when I went up to read. Also, all the decorations looked great, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Chopan even made all of us cry with his closing remarks. It was a really nice night! I have been home for a few days now and London feels like a dream. When people ask me about it, I don't even know what to say because it doesn't feel real. I read something years ago that said your spiritual body takes a long time to catch up to your physical body, so maybe my physical body is still in London and thats why my head feels cloudy. Or maybe my spiritual body is traveling across the ocean. Either way, it feels like Im dreaming every day. I go back to work tomorrow, so lets hope thats what I need to snap back into my brain.
Dearest 35 Gower Street,
Thank you. Thank you for hosting a ragtag group of college students with their unhinged professor. Thank you for giving us Billy and Maria, two of the loveliest humans who I will miss dearly. I never did get to say goodbye to either of them, but I hope they know how much they are loved. Thank you for giving a diverse group of people a place to call home, bringing us together in the common room that should not host 18 people at a time. You always did anyway. Thank you for letting us share the space with the little mice who liked to hide in the library. I loved sitting still long enough for them to come out and sniff around the room. Thank you for giving us a safe place to share laughter, love, and little pieces of life. I will treasure each mood I experienced there for the rest of my life. Thank you for witnessing so much of our shenanigans. From Georgia and Madison’s sack race down the street to Chopan throwing a water balloon at a passing car in the midst of the Gower Olympics, you’ve probably seen too much in such a short amount of time. Thank you for teaching me how to be more open about my opinions, for showing me that it’s okay to say no sometimes. I trust myself more now than I ever have before, and it’s because I put myself in your midst. Thank you for holding so many memories for generations past and generations to come, but especially for holding the memories for my generation. I’m letting myself be selfish, but it’s true. Spring 2022 will forever hold a special place in my heart. I am forever grateful for everything you have done for me. There is no way for me to repay you for all of your kindness, but I hope my gratitude suffices. I give you all of my love. Thank you. AKF Dear future resident of 35 Gower Street,
You're probably going to stress about so many things before you come to London. Maybe you're worried about getting to the house from the airport or about making friends or about your dog dying while you're away. All of that is normal (I think), and you're going to be okay. When you finally walk through the door, know that lives has changed here, and yours is about to change too. Try to make friends. Whether in the house or outside of it, talk to people. Don't hole up in your room. The common room can be a magical place. Inside jokes are better when you know what the punch line is. The house is old, but the heat works! Pack a few outfits for warmer weather. It won't always be as cold as you're expecting, and it gets hot in the house. Don't leave your phone on the table in the bar, especially when you've been telling people your passcode. That's a good way to get it stolen. Explore the city. Find your favorite places, and visit them often. Don't promise yourself you'll go back "one day" because you probably won't. Take alone time when you need it. And be social when you need to. You're going to love it here. You're going to have good days and bad days, but at the end of it, they'll all feel like good days. Take it in, whatever that looks like for you. Much love, A former resident of 35 Gower Street We won! We finally won at Trivia! After all these weeks the Gower Gang finally won out against the other teams in Trivia. We then proceeded to drink all of our winnings in 17 jaeger bombs and then climbed the jungle gym outside of College Arms. College Arms has been a lot of fun, through Boogie we made friends with the bartenders there and the house has weathered many a drunken Tuesday because of it. Interestingly, when we said goodbye to Mark (the man who ran the Trivia Night), YMCA was playing. YMCA was the song we ended our time at Central Station with. Is that our return to America song or what?
Another song with an interesting finish was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." For some unknown reason, that popped into all of our heads today while we waited for the beginning of Chopan's Amazing race. It's interesting because the finish line was Trafalgar's Square by the Lion statues. Strange coincidences, or as our Professor Robert taught us, unheimlich. The Amazing Race was wacky, fortunately I did not have to do much work as my team stormed on ahead of me. I am not a fit person Whomstve, I am not going to lie. But I ended up being the first to the finish line since my team texted me the final location so that was pretty funny. My team also won that with a tie. In other competition news... I SAW SIX!!!! (Context required to understand that transition, but I'm not going to spoil it). It was so much fun! 10/10 would recommend! Such good fun! I'm really gonna miss the access we have to the theatre here. You can see so many shows for such little money comparative to the states. Before my venture overseas, I was occasionally warned about the daily life span of a pub; the closing time being 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm if we’re lucky. Only on the weekdays, but it still makes for an empty night because 10:30 pm is when the crazy usually begins. We will have to adjust, or pregame harder, but I refuse to allow this early closing kerfuffle to put a damper on our time here.
However, what is open late, and even employs bouncers and security guards for the crowded nightly occasions are the fast-food restaurants that populate the streets. It was midnight, the perfect time for fries and a milkshake when we began our first (or at least my first) venture to a United Kingdom McDonald's. We pitied past the closed pubs and lack of Thursday nightlife until we turned a corner. Lines piled out the door of McDonald's, and across from it, a line outside Five Guys, with an almost empty Burger King completing the triangle. As this was my fourth night, I had gone to a pub or liquor store at least twice a day and had yet to be questioned or carded. For the poppin’ nightlife of the fast food, each establishment comes with its own bouncer and I thought I was going to have to pull out my social security. These guys had everything from neon vests to flashlights. If you’re thinking this was for social distance purposes, that was not the case because those laws were lifted here. Who would’ve thought McDonald’s was the place to be? Honestly, not I. I am so grateful that I had the privilege and opportunity to spend the semester in London…. it was truly something out of a storybook.
Studying abroad was the best decision I have ever made, and I want to make it very clear that if this is something that interests you, it is possible!!! Every program is different, but for me, the poster price of attending college abroad was cheaper than being on campus (to put that into perspective, Eckerd is cheaper for me than in-state university would be). That being said, if you are at all interested in studying abroad, I urge you: apply for scholarships, work your ass off over the summer, write letters to relatives, etc. With the right program, going abroad is likely possible and SO worth it. Thank you 35 Gower Street for all of the love and the lessons. On Thursdays the Gower Gang besides Jlana and I have Chopan's class at 10am until Noon and then we all have the British Seminar Class at 1pm. This Thursday was the Thursday before excursion week so Briana and I were flying to Scotland that night after British Seminar. In the morning while everyone was in class I went to Primark to get last minute travel stuff like a travel toothbrush and a couple storage bags for liquids.
After Primark I stopped at Tesco to get a meal deal which is my go to lunch in the UK. Tesco meal deals include a 'main' which can be a sandwich, a wrap, or a salad of many different varieties, a packet of crisps, and a drink. The best part of these meal deals is that they only cost 3.50 quid. It is with these meal deals that I had started to try different crisps and drinks in order to rate them as a part of my reviews section on this website. That day I had gotten the Roast Beef flavor of Monster Munch to try and then headed home to pack. Once I finished packing my bag for the airport it was time to meet for British Seminar. That day we had tickets for the Tower of London but we couldn't take the Tube since the entire Underground had been shut down due to a Tube Strike. Cost of living has been skyrocketing in England so this strike was in response to that. Unfortunately that meant having to walk from Gower Street to the Tower of London with my massive 30lb backpack on my shoulders. A walk that took a little over an hour. It was honestly pretty exhausting but hopefully I gained some shoulder muscles. The Tower of London is a castle and fortress on the north bank of the Thames and it has stood for 900 years. The Tower of London is where the Crown Jewels are kept so we got to see them although we were not allowed to take pictures. They were extremely sparkly and looked like they would cost enough to feed many families for a year. A flock of 6 ravens live on tower grounds and it is legend that if the 6 ravens leave the tower the monarchy will fall. The ravens that live here have gotten very used to people and one flew up to us on a bench and we got to take pictures with it. After class was over Bri and I walked to London Bridge Station. This 20 minutes walk took us across London Bridge, famous for its nursery rhyme. Once at London Bridge Station we took the overground train to Gatwick airport and flew into Inverness, Scotland. That night upon arriving at our Hostel we saw a large tabby cat that let me pet it before getting scared off by sudden movement. We took this as a sign of good luck for the rest of our trip. |
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