Well, here I am in the Boston airport during my 7 hour layover mulling over what to say in my last post. I was doing the same on my flight from London while watching Darkest Hour, a movie about the beginning of Churchill’s position as Prime Minister during WWII. Movies are always better when you have been to, or at least recognize, the places in them. Therefore, when the Cabinet War Rooms, Dover Wartime Tunnels, Buckingham Palace and Houses of Parliament were shown in the movie, I felt like I had insider information. But as cool as this was, the scene where Churchill took the District Line one stop over to the Westminster Underground Station was what got me. It’s weird to think about the things that can make you emotional, but where he began his tube journey was likely the stop I transferred from everyday for class. The underground, this iconic London symbol, bringing you from neighborhood to neighborhood, culture to culture, world to world - it’s now in the past. Anyways…
Monday was a fun day, as far as finals day goes. After taking one test and presenting in the other, sadly bidding two of my professors farewell, I enjoyed one last Monday post-class pub meetup with my classmates (or, more simply put, just mates). Then I met another friend at Shakespeare’s Globe, where we saw Much Ado About Nothing. The play was wonderful, and standing in the crowd right next to the stage was a unique experience; the actors/actresses knew how to interact with the crowd well, never taking away from the plot. The performance was made even more 17th century authentic by the airplanes seen and heard flying above the open roof theatre.
On Tuesday, I presented my last final project in the morning on The Hundred, a cricket league in England. Afterwards, I went to Camden Market and along Camden High Street one last time in-depth. Camden is such a vibrant, wonderful place always bursting with people. The food stands of every different culture, the constant storm of tourists bursting to see the unique market, the cute cafes along the street and the canal running through it all; it has it all. It’s unforgettable. I could not be happier about the location of my housing after originally being unsure because of its far distance from class. Shout out Camden (which, if you didn’t know, is featured at the beginning of one of Marvel’s worst movies - Eternals).
Tuesday night, I went to my first (and only) rugby match, a Premiership semifinal between the Leicester Tigers and the London Irish. The Tigers, top of the table, were beaten very handily by a score of 59-20. It was a cool game, made even better by the fact that the Irish’s home stadium is shared with a Premier League club whom I had not seen. This means I only failed to make it to one of the London Premier League stadiums out of a total of 7.
On Wednesday, I didn’t have a final because we had taken that week’s test the previous week. Instead, my amazing professor booked us tickets to the Houses of Parliament and Sky Garden. First was Parliament - the tour was honestly underwhelming, because we were only allowed to go back and forth between 2 rooms as Parliament was in session. However, this was made up for because we actually got to sit in on the session afterwards. Apparently we got very lucky and showed up at the perfect time, because we were moved right in and somehow got to witness the Prime Minister Questions in the Commons Chamber. Ministers of Parliament asked Boris Johnson questions about Ukraine, taxes, upcoming elections, and other topics as we witnessed it unravel right in front of our eyes. I think they knew it was our second-to-last day, and they felt like we should see it.
Afterwards, a group of us went to Borough Market, where I had previously gone to twice and failed twice to eat in. Finally, it worked out, and I got some salt beef on rye (yum). Then we headed to the highest garden in London, Sky Garden. In the building known as “the walkie” because of its shape sits a great view and some trees. We got stunning pictures of the city and it was here I had to say goodbye to another professor. However, I was in a hurry to meet another professor for dinner afterwards.
My Sport in Britain professor owns a sports agency in London and I have the amazing opportunity to work under her and her husband in the summer in a limited capacity, followed by a formal internship in the fall. We discussed details over Thai, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to do so (I really like Thai). More importantly, I am beyond excited to work with both of them and it made that goodbye less sad; instead, it’s just a talk to you soon.
And finally, my last day. It started out with a pastry and tea with friends (as it should), soon to be followed by my last Camden Market lunch. In the afternoon, I said my goodbyes to Tower Bridge and Soho, and then enjoyed a farewell pizza party hosted by the program. Then, the highlight of my time abroad: I finally got Bubble Waffle, a small dessert stand right outside Camden Town Underground. It was everything I dreamed of, and the expectations Riley, Adam and I had after daily stating, “one day I’m gonna get that” were met quite well. After this, a group hang-out and a bunch of goodbyes were met with group sadness. Then, to end the night, a few friends and I took the double decker bus to Big Ben, my first time seeing him at night. Standing there in all his glory, the one symbol that I can point back my love of London to (at least to when I built a lego version of him), it was the only right way to end my trip. We stayed there until around 1:10 am, and, like Mom and Dad, I got to take one last double decker bus on my last night.
So there is the end to a life-changing chapter of my life. If I think back to the first night, it feels like a lifetime ago. At the same time, it flew by and wasn’t long enough. London has all of my heart, and I refuse to say good-bye; I truly feel like it’s just a see you later. Objectively, it is the most wonderful place in the world - I don’t make the rules.
Of course, the entire experience was made much better by the people I was around. They don’t get the necessary credit in this blog, but my time here was made wonderful because of the friendships I made along the way. The goodbyes to the people were just as difficult as the goodbye to the city. Even those who I wasn’t friends with in London, chances are they had an accent. Man, am I going to miss that.
I got the Wordle in two tries in my last attempt in London, too. That has to mean something.
One last time,
Cheers
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