A Love Letter to London

A year ago today, I was off on the adventure of a lifetime that I often think about when I’m bored at home. I didn’t realize that what I had ahead of me would be the best days of my life.

When I got into BU, I was admitted to this program called CGS January London. It was essentially spring admittance where I took a gap semester, but to make up for missing the first semester of college, I studied abroad amongst all my classmates in the program.

This specialized program was so dope because I was able to get close with all the people I was going to London with in Boston; so by the time London came around, we had established friend groups. All my friends lived in the same building and on Mondays, we would all go on field trips together with our professors. I was blessed to be able to visit Oxford and Canterbury. 

It was such a valuable experience to visit London’s most famous museums and see the art that we were studying in my humanities class.  Also, in my social science class, we studied both the World Wars and it was fascinating to me to be in a country where history was made. Being able to go to British museums and gain a British perspective on the wars was so eye opening.

If you are considering studying abroad, I think you should send it because being on my own in a foreign country made me grow as an individual and gave me experiences that were very impactful, which is bound to happen for you too. 

Dear London,
    The first time I met you, I came as a 13-year-old with my family. We eagerly visited all of your most touristy places. We sipped afternoon tea in the Savoy, saw you from above in the Eye, visited the royalty's palaces, and gazed at the Queen’s crown jewels. When our time was up together, you left me wanting more. I knew that one day in the future I would return and be in your lively presence again. 
    One day a letter came in the mail and an opportunity to see you again landed in my lap. It became apparent to me that sacrificing my first semester of college was worth it; we could be reunited again, but this time longer than a week-long vacation. Once my choice was made, I thought about the daily adventures waiting for us in the near future.
    Oh, the excitement of touching down in London town! I couldn’t sleep at all on the flight because I was so eager to see you. The ride from the airport to my dorm was thrilling and the best part about that memory was that I was in good company. I finally made it to the beginning of a new chapter in my life that I had been daydreaming of for months.
    London, you are so lovely in your early days of summer. So many afternoons and evenings were spent laying in the grass of your most pleasant parks, exchanging conversations over a bottle of wine. I’ll never forget our days where my closest allies took you on by bike. 
    London, you are fun. Your nightlife was always popping, and I never had a bad night out with you. I’ll never forget the drunkenly nights my friends and I had spent navigating your bus and train systems to get home after dancing the night away. The one person who was able to figure out which of your busses we had to hop onto and which stop to get off on was our hero for the night. We were all enamored by the unpredictable fun you threw our way, and the sun would be rising by the time we got home.
    London, your Indian cuisine that you had to offer was to die for. I was lucky to find comrades that shared the same love I have for Chicken Tikka Masala. It was our ritual to indulge in the deliciousness once a week.
    I enjoyed every minute I had with you. Even when work started piling up, and I felt like spending my valuable time exploring you, instead of focusing on my studies, I’d find one of your quaint little cafes and be productive there. I never wanted to stop exploring you. Even when I found myself feeling down, you picked me back up and made me feel better by surrounding me with unforgettable street art, aesthetically pleasing cobblestone alleyways, and egg-shaped skyscrapers-- all reminding me how beautiful life truly is.
    Your beauty and excitement wasn’t even the most impactful experience you had on me. London, you taught me a lesson that I realized when I was walking down the street alone with a handful of groceries on an average Friday afternoon. Even though it might have been one of our more uneventful moments, I had this coming of age realization that I was on my own in a foreign country without the guidance of elders. There I was, for the first time in my life, realizing that I was an adult and I was completely content with it; I was not scared or nervous in the slightest way to be independent. You gave me the experience and the confidence to know that I could go out into the world, take on whatever came my way, and have an extremely fun time in the process.
    Here’s to you London, and I look forward to the next time we meet again. Thank you for the memories that make me smile on some of my hardest days.

Love, Olivia