Katie's Reflections on her Summer of 2012

I cannot properly express how grateful I am to the London Bridge Rotary Club for granting me the opportunity to study in London this past summer. In three short weeks, I learned so much and met so many wonderful people on a trip which would not have been possible but for the truly amazing generosity of the City of London/London Bridge Rotary Education Foundation.  I do not know how I will ever be able to repay this kindness; the best I can do is urge other students to apply, because this scholarship is really a remarkable opportunity.

London is a magnificent city.  As Dr. Samuel Johnson, a ubiquitous figure around London and in English literary history, said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”  It would take at least one lifetime to experience all that London has to offer.  I saw as much as I possibly could in my three weeks, but I know I barely scratched the surface.  St Paul’s was utterly breathtaking, inside and out; the British Museum was fascinating and timeless; Kensington Park was elegant.  However, world-renowned museums and famous landmarks aside, some of the most memorable moments of my three-week stay in London occurred at unexpected times, often quite by accident.  (Interestingly, many of these experiences are somehow related to BBC programming.  Coincidence?  I think not.)

When I left my mom at Heathrow Airport (she and I had spent a week in Edinburgh and a week in London before my program started) and rode away on the Piccadilly Line, it was the first time I had ever been on a subway alone before.  I had taken subways in a half-dozen cities but never without my mom, and here I was with a Tube pass that could get me nearly anywhere in one of the biggest cities in the world.  Rather than being daunting, the idea was exhilarating.  “The world is my oyster,” I thought…and suddenly realised that this might be why the Underground passes are called “Oyster Cards”!  I quickly grew to love navigating around London, endlessly poring over my unwieldy city map and studying the Tube map.  Planning each outing was like solving a puzzle, and when I actually reached my destination, it was a small, personal victory.  The more I walked around the streets London, the better I felt I knew the city and the more confident I became.

I chose to take “Londinium to the Blitz: London’s History Through Its Museums”, which turned out to be an excellent decision.  My professor was a local curator and archaeologist with fascinating stories about each church, alleyway, and monument in London—including facts and details I would have missed otherwise—and an infectious love of the city and its history.  The class was not very demanding, requiring only a short research paper and presentation, and, since I got to do a fair bit of sightseeing during class time, I had even more freedom in the afternoons.  Quite a few previous COL/BREF students suggested taking “Londinium to the Blitz” in their reflection papers, and now I will in turn recommend it highly to future scholars.  However, I suppose rambling through the museums and historical sites of London might not be everybody’s cup of tea; I suggest you take whichever course really piques your interest and which you feel will enrich your experience the most.

I spent much of my free time exploring on my own, and yet I never felt alone.  There were always people—kind, helpful, friendly people.  Nearly everyone I talked to asked where I was from and what brought me to London, related a story about the time they or someone they knew had visited Arizona, and then left me with sincere well wishes.  No one I met was standoffish or gruff (except, perhaps, one grumpy woman in Pret a Manger); everybody was warm and generous.  Commonplace exchanges with local Londoners and visitors alike really affected my impression of London and, to a certain extent, my worldview. 

Towards the end of my stay in London, my friend, classmate, and fellow scholarship recipient Joe and I were sitting in a café, working on homework.  I could not help but overhear the young man at the next table making disparaging remarks about The King’s Speech to his female friends.  The girls were fervently defending the film and, as it is one of my favourites, I could not help but join in the debate.  Pretty soon, we were all chatting, discussing literature and movies, and comparing notes on our home countries, which included the United States, France, Italy, and Poland.  It was so wonderful to meet other students who shared my interests, but could offer different perspectives because they were raised somewhere other than the U.S.

As I consider it further, more situations like this one come to mind—multiple people offering (rather, insisting) to help me with my luggage; a student from China with whom I bonded over a mutual love of the television show Sherlock; a chap who gave up an hour of his lunch break to show me around the BBC studios; a few young American women who were living and working in the UK and encouraged me to do the same; the Scottish country dancers who welcomed me with open arms and milky tea, and were graciously forgiving of my missteps and complimentary of my less horrendous moments.  I do not mean to overstate it, but London is brilliant.  It is big, complex, and crazy—“the wonderful immensity of London”, Dr. Johnson called it—but in my three weeks there, I found delightful people and great adventures around every corner.

To future COL/LBREF scholarship recipients, I would like to say:  By all means, visit the major tourist attractions—they are famous for a reason!  But realise that the human interactions, the quirky, lesser-known places (the roads less travelled?), and the little, everyday things are likely what will become most meaningful to you.  Do not be afraid to wander, to step out of your comfort zone, to just hop on a bus or pop into a pub.  Most importantly, I think, do not hesitate to talk to people; you never know what stories they have to share.  Thus, my next point: remember to stay open-minded and flexible!  Decide first what you hope to gain from your experience, and then relish every moment you are there, because the three weeks will absolutely fly by. 

I cannot seem to put into words just how grateful I am to have been granted this opportunity, how very much I enjoyed my time in London, or how much I learned.  Again quoting our Dr. Johnson: “The happiness of London is not to be conceived but by those who have been in it.”  So, in other words, get thee to London!