Submitted by Marina Roos on the 2017 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theatre…
When we first landed at Heathrow Airport in England everything was what I was expecting. We got on the coach and drove through very green areas with horses, cows and quaint row houses with distressed roofs. When we got to the center of London, I felt like I was in New York City. Besides the obvious, cars driving on the wrong side of the road and the “look right signs” it didn’t feel very different than any city I’ve been to in America; not to say I was disappointed, but I was definitely expecting to feel like I was in a very different place. There were a lot of people around and everything was fast paced. There is a street that has all designer clothing stores that reminded me of Fifth Avenue. There are Starbucks and McDonalds on the street corners; things just felt familiar. As the week went on, London started to feel very different than New York City. Of course there are people everywhere all in a rush, but everyone in London is much politer. If you accidentally walk into someone THEY will apologize profusely even though it was your fault. All of the shops and buildings are very quaint and inviting. I was even tempted to walk into a convenience store just because the architecture was so beautiful. Everything is also so colorful, buildings aren’t just brick and shades of gray, but yellow and blue and pink.
The city has so much history with many traditions and buildings dating all the way back to the sixteenth century. We were lucky enough one day to catch the changing of the guard. I come across new and exciting things each day I go out!
