Notes From Above the Underground

It’s a good thing I really like walking because tonight the underground workers went on strike. Thankfully, all of my classes are within walking distance from my flat but I’m sure the rush hour traffic tomorrow is going to be a nightmare.

These past few days have been really relaxed. I visited two fantastic museums (The Courtauld and the British Museum) and have been doing a lot of homework at this great outdoor pub, the Queen’s Larder. I order a pot of tea, get into my favorite, slightly tattered green sofa and people watch… I mean read for class. Anyways, it’s so interesting to me how alcohol is such a dominating factor in English culture. Regardless of the time, I will always see people sitting and drinking a pint. In my only other experience living in a city, New York, day drinking is pretty much looked down upon. However, in London, it is a social norm and a vehicle that seems to bring people together. While I personally abstain from the noonday pint (hi M & D!) I feel very foreign doing so. I was apprehensive about studying in London because I was worried it wouldn’t feel “foreign enough” or be challenging enough (no language barrier & modern city) but the cultural drinking, as a microcosm of British culture, reminds me daily that I am very far from home. Walking home to my flat, with mail in one hand and bags of groceries in the other, it will hit me—I’m living in London. I will sort of smile to myself and let it sink in just how comical it is that I’m living in London! I don’t really know why it’s so funny to me- but it just seems ridiculous that I’m capable of staking out a small existence here.

Sorry for the introspective ramblings- I promise more fun stories from Walkabout, my nightclub of choice, to come!!