Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…
This week was brought to you by the letter ‘F’. F for Fall which is my favorite season. Talking with friends back home, I started to get homesick for the first time since being here. I miss apple picking and pumpkin carving. But, I figure that if I could be anywhere else in the world, London is not a bad substitute. Plus, it has been sweater (or jumper) weather here for about a month. It’s beautiful.
F is also for Food. On Friday I went to Camden Markets to do some souvenir shopping. I got some nice decorations for my room, specialty teas for my friends and a nice scarf for my mom. After all of our shopping, we were starving. Lucky for us, Camden Markets have some of the best food in London. There are a myriad of little street vendors that sell all kinds of food. Sushi, macaroni and cheese, pizza, Polish food, Venezuelan food, Colombian food, crepes, Jamaican food, burgers and desserts. It was all very overwhelming. I finally decided to try Venezuelan Arepas. I had had a Venezuelan exchange student who told me that this was her favorite Venezuelan food. She has good taste. An arepa is a very versatile food but mine was a fluffy corn tortilla filled with grilled chicken, cheese, avocado and fried plantain. I have been researching recipes online ever since. It was amazing.
Finally F is for Football and Family and Framlingham. When I came to England, one of my top priorities was to reconnect with family. My grandmother’s family comes from a small town called Framlingham. We visited them once when I was about 4 or 5 and we still exchange Christmas cards, but this is about the extent of our relationship. Before coming over here, I made an effort to email them to try and work out a time that we could meet. This weekend was the first of 3 trips that we arranged. First, my uncle and cousin took me to a football match for their local team, Ipswich Town. Even though the match was a draw, it was a great time. I had been wanting to go to a match, so what better way to see one than with family! The whole weekend was a delight. After dinner we sat around and looked at old family pictures and exchanged stories. It was a perfect cure for the homesickness I mentioned earlier.
Farewell!