A Reflection

There is something about living in London that just makes me smile. Every time I attempt to chronicle my daily life here, I find it increasingly impossible to wipe that silly expression off my face.

Living in such a cosmopolitan city where on any given tube ride you could hear 3-4 different languages is brilliant (Think Montreal, Mom and Dad).

Before I left, a lot of people (after I told them I would be studying in London) said "Oh, that's great, you won't have a problem adjusting..It's just like America!!" The truth? It couldn't be more different. The common language (English) in itself is so different, only vague comparisons can be made. The subtleties of day-to-day life and the fact that we live in "Little Lebanon"(Thanks Bri)make each day feel special. There are so many cultures packed into central London, it is crazy to generalize it as "Just like America."

If I sounded a little depressed that my classes are full of Yanks in the last post, pshh those are just classes. The real experiences are outside the classroom.

I love to compare my current stay in London to the trip I made back in 2004 with Roger, Ms. Roshong, ISCA, and everyone from MV. Back then, I was so much more naive. The personal growth I have witnessed in myself has been incredible. I am truly thankful to have the most wonderful parents in the world. Parents that cared enough to give me opportunities to travel outside my comfort zone and really figure out who I am. One percent of American university students take the opportunity to study in a foreign country. ONE PERCENT! What a statistic.

So if I am ever sounding a bit ungrateful (complaining about the mediocre living conditions, terrible organization at Regent's, or about the combination washer/dryer in the flat), take it all with a grain of salt. Those things, to me at least, are what make being a poor college student so great. Not everything is going to be perfect, there will be annoyances, differences, things we absolutely cannot stand, but when it all boils down to it, those are the things we will remember. If life was perfect, we would have nothing to remember.