Mind the Gap!
Megan Wright, University of Roehampton, London, England
In London, one thing you learn quickly is that whether you're going across the UK or just to the grocery store, every trip you take is to be considered a "journey." All the Transport for London advertising material says so, and after a while, you start to believe in the importance of the word, the importance of treating every outing like a journey of its own. My own journey began on June 6, when I boarded my flight at McGhee-Tyson and said goodbye to my parents for the upcoming three weeks.
Another thing you learn in London is that even a very densely packed city can be a small world; you can run into the same person on the street in different boroughs, and after a while, you start to believe in the magic of this, too, and the magic of London as a whole. I was blessed with a little bit of this magic even before I boarded my connecting flight in Atlanta, when I found a fellow MC student participating in my program and we realized we were on the same flight and could go through customs together! My seat mate was a lovely American expat living in Wales, and she gave me dozens of good tips for starting my journey in London. There's a third thing you learn: if people want to give advice, take it. Her advice helped keep me calm over the next several days, when I remembered what she had said about people standing extremely close to one another on the Tube or the bus, and when I remembered that if I ordered ice in a drink, I would get a weird look from the waiter. By the time we landed, I was as ready as I would ever be for whatever London had to offer, which, as it turned out, was a kid puking on his shoes in the customs line. 
This next picture is of the view from my flat, a place I would become very well-acquainted with over the next three weeks. On the day I arrived in London (the 7th), my phone was on the fritz. The IT guy at my work had set me up with an international plan, but I couldn't even connect to the university's wifi from my room. Thus, my first three days in London were extremely unnerving. I was an only child on her first solo trip and her first trip abroad, and I couldn't use any of my mapping applications or even text my mom. I learned another important fact about London the hard way: the old Keep Calm and Carry On slogan? It's very true. You have to learn to roll with the punches while you're abroad, even when it's super stressful. I learned to lean on my friends for navigation during our first few days in the city, when I couldn't use Google Maps. I learned that Waterstones Bookstore is London's best source of WiFi, but a Costa or Cafe Nero will work just as well in a pinch. I kept pushing forward and looking for solutions; eventually, I managed to communicate the seriousness of the situation to my mom, and my IT guy helped me change my plan. I ordered an Ethernet cable for my Mac so I could use my laptop in my room, and my little flat became a place of rest instead of a place of connection-less sadness. Bonus lesson: always travel with an Ethernet cable.
Another of London's important lessons is to keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities to explore. No one in my group of friends knew anything about the Trooping of Colour happening the first Saturday of our program, but we heard faculty mentioning it on-campus and instantly knew we had to go. What an amazing way to spend our first day in central London! We saw dozens of palace guards, a flyover with WWII-era planes, and walked on blocked-off streets straight down the Mall into Trafalgar Square. Throughout my trip, listening to local advice resulted in experiences I enjoyed and wouldn't have otherwise had. My group ended up planning a Sunday trip to Brighton on a whim after several Londoners told us we should visit–– they were definitely right!
My time in London's churches also taught me the importance of making time to find peace while abroad. In the hustle and bustle of a new school, a new city, a new country, it's easy to get overwhelmed without even realizing how anxious you've become. Seeking out places that are likely to put you at ease can be a huge source of comfort. Worshipping on Sunday mornings was an important outlet for me to openly acknowledge my struggles and to recenter myself before tackling a new week. Spending time in nature provided a similar outlet–– my host university had beautiful green space similar to the MC Woods, where I could wander densely wooded trails after a busy day of class and traveling. Nearby Richmond Park provided my favorite outdoor outing, though. At more than 3 square miles, Richmond is a gorgeous escape from Southwest London's cramped brownstones, and it's home to more than 600 Red and Fallow deer. I walked the .7 miles from my campus to Richmond Park one afternoon when I was in need of a mental break, and spent several hours alone, wandering the trails and using sign posts to navigate towards King Henry's Mound, a rise with views of central London and St. Paul's Cathedral. The open fields of knotty trees and wild grasses cleared my head, and I was blessed enough to see a herd of deer roaming free. I stood mouth agape, videoing and taking pictures as the bucks, does, and spotted fawns pranced by in front of me. After a particularly taxing few days in central London, Richmond Park was exactly what I needed, and the time I spent there was some of my favorite of the whole trip.
I definitely enjoyed traveling alone to Richmond Park, and traveling solo was something I did a handful of times. I had prebooked tickets to Shakespeare's Globe theatre and for a day-trip to Leeds Castle in Kent, the Dover seashore, Canterbury, and Greenwich, and I visited the Tate Modern museum and Covent Garden alone. Traveling solo is a fun challenge once you understand the transport system, because you have to depend on your own skills to get from Point A to Point B but are free to see whatever you like at your own pace. However, I found that, in spite of my introverted tendencies, I preferred traveling in a group to traveling solo, and spent the majority of my free time with a group of three other girls, one from MC and two from other American universities. As tough as it is to learn and interpret the culture of your host country, it can be difficult to learn and interpret the personalities of fellow American students. One thing we learned from London was how to adopt a bit of that classic British reserve in our conversations with one another, being extra-gracious to each other and accommodating the needs of our friends. My little group criss-crossed London in three weeks' time, from Tower Bridge to Abbey Road, the London Eye to the V&A and the Imperial War Museum. We never once got lost (the Tube system is wonderfully user-friendly), and by the end of the trip, we were not only comfortable with the transport system, we were comfortable and close with each other. My friends were a vital part of the success of my trip, as they acted as my support system, provided extra security when traveling, and were always ready to explore somewhere new. (And traveling with friends means there's always someone to take your picture!)
I've talked a lot about the traveling I did in my free time, but have hardly mentioned my study abroad class, which was an incredible experience in its own right. My lecturer, Dr. G., was a California-born London transplant with 10 years' experience of living in the UK. Our class of 18 women was her first ever class, having just completed her doctorate. My class was entitled Magic, Murder, and Mystery in London Literature, for which I can earn a senior-level transfer credit at MC. We studied the ways London has been used as a setting for a variety of stories written across centuries, from Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Mary Poppins and Harry Potter. Though I spent a fair number of afternoons and evenings in the University of Roehampton's spacious library, reading and writing papers for class, Dr. G. also incorporated film, walking tours, and even social media into the class (we created Instagram pages for Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton). Our class ran from 9-1 Monday through Thursday, giving us plenty of time for in-class debates, movie screenings, and tours of Jack the Ripper's stomping grounds and filming locations from the Harry Potter movies. As someone who has spent the last decade of her life learning all of London's hidden rules, Dr. G. was an incredible resource for us all, giving advice on where the best thrift shops are (Wimbledon Village), the best bookstores in London (Hatchard's is a MUST), and checking up on us to ensure we were staying safe and having fun. To our great amusement, the guides of our walking tours frequently mistook her as another student, wondering aloud where our lecturer had gone and posing questions to Dr. G. that were a clear insult to her seasoned knowledge of London life. You can see how easy it would be for anyone to make this mistake, though; Dr. G. is the one in the red sweater.
I definitely enjoyed traveling alone to Richmond Park, and traveling solo was something I did a handful of times. I had prebooked tickets to Shakespeare's Globe theatre and for a day-trip to Leeds Castle in Kent, the Dover seashore, Canterbury, and Greenwich, and I visited the Tate Modern museum and Covent Garden alone. Traveling solo is a fun challenge once you understand the transport system, because you have to depend on your own skills to get from Point A to Point B but are free to see whatever you like at your own pace. However, I found that, in spite of my introverted tendencies, I preferred traveling in a group to traveling solo, and spent the majority of my free time with a group of three other girls, one from MC and two from other American universities. As tough as it is to learn and interpret the culture of your host country, it can be difficult to learn and interpret the personalities of fellow American students. One thing we learned from London was how to adopt a bit of that classic British reserve in our conversations with one another, being extra-gracious to each other and accommodating the needs of our friends. My little group criss-crossed London in three weeks' time, from Tower Bridge to Abbey Road, the London Eye to the V&A and the Imperial War Museum. We never once got lost (the Tube system is wonderfully user-friendly), and by the end of the trip, we were not only comfortable with the transport system, we were comfortable and close with each other. My friends were a vital part of the success of my trip, as they acted as my support system, provided extra security when traveling, and were always ready to explore somewhere new. (And traveling with friends means there's always someone to take your picture!)I've talked a lot about the traveling I did in my free time, but have hardly mentioned my study abroad class, which was an incredible experience in its own right. My lecturer, Dr. G., was a California-born London transplant with 10 years' experience of living in the UK. Our class of 18 women was her first ever class, having just completed her doctorate. My class was entitled Magic, Murder, and Mystery in London Literature, for which I can earn a senior-level transfer credit at MC. We studied the ways London has been used as a setting for a variety of stories written across centuries, from Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Mary Poppins and Harry Potter. Though I spent a fair number of afternoons and evenings in the University of Roehampton's spacious library, reading and writing papers for class, Dr. G. also incorporated film, walking tours, and even social media into the class (we created Instagram pages for Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton). Our class ran from 9-1 Monday through Thursday, giving us plenty of time for in-class debates, movie screenings, and tours of Jack the Ripper's stomping grounds and filming locations from the Harry Potter movies. As someone who has spent the last decade of her life learning all of London's hidden rules, Dr. G. was an incredible resource for us all, giving advice on where the best thrift shops are (Wimbledon Village), the best bookstores in London (Hatchard's is a MUST), and checking up on us to ensure we were staying safe and having fun. To our great amusement, the guides of our walking tours frequently mistook her as another student, wondering aloud where our lecturer had gone and posing questions to Dr. G. that were a clear insult to her seasoned knowledge of London life. You can see how easy it would be for anyone to make this mistake, though; Dr. G. is the one in the red sweater.
My time in London may have been limited, but I could fill pages with all the stories I gathered during those three weeks! My advice to travelers boils down to this: be flexible, have an open heart and an open stomach, and bring comfortable shoes! If you ever find yourself in London, try the prawn wontons at Old Spitalfields market, and head to Fisher's in Putney for some great fried haddock and chips. And if you want more stories, come find me in Anderson. That's one last thing I learned about London: everyone has a story, and they'd love to tell you all about it. All you have to do is ask.