Submitted by Colette LaPorta on the 2018 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Art and Design …
The second week in and here we are already feeling like locals. It’s amazing how much of a confused outsider you feel like at first, wandering blindly, feeling so small in such a big city. Fast forward to just under two weeks in, and you so quickly get comfortable in a foreign country, understanding how the people dress, knowing the restaurants in the area, strutting to locations without the help of a map, feeling so confident on the Tube…
Pressure sometimes really does make diamonds, and when thrown into a situation like this, an overwhelming, amazing, experience, you learn and you learn fast. I honestly think it leaves us all feeling a little proud of ourselves, corny enough so no one wants to admit it, but everyone thinks it. We’re here in London, putting ourselves out there, adapting, trying everything and anything, and that feels pretty good.
This week we ate. And we ate, and we ate, and we ate. Prior to this program, so many people made a point of telling me that “London isn’t know for it’s food”. Maybe not it’s British food, but that just means they have and take advantage of every other culture’s food. Plates of Italian risotto, Asian dumplings and egg noodles, German sausage sandwiches. You can have it all, all in one place, and in my opinion that’s better than just having fish and chips (although we’ve definitely eaten a lot of that, too) everyday. Street markets flood streets in almost every area we’ve been in, cooking right in front of you, restaurants like Noble Rot and The Orange give you plates of unique things that you’re unsure of, but can’t get enough of, and the grocery stores have Cadbury chocolate ten times better than the Cadbury back home. Yes, I do understand that makes no sense. Yes, it is true though.
Here I am, signing off on a second week finished up, no longer nervous, but almost sad at the feeling that this program is flying by. To many more experiences and good restaurants to try!
