Submitted by Anna Reynolds on the 2022 spring semester program in London, England…
Coming to London was nerve-racking for me because this was my first time traveling alone and I was going into a program where I knew no one. Once I got here, I was honestly surprised by how friendly everyone was. You can stop just about anyone, and they’ll make sure to help you to the best of their ability or find someone else that can help you. I found myself asking for a lot of help as I navigated the Tube for the first time on my way to my flat from the London Heathrow Airport. Over the past week, I’ve traveled all over London and even made my way over to SoHo to see a show on the West End. An example of how friendly people are here, there was this older woman and her husband sitting in front of us at the theatre, and they started talking to my flat-mate, Maria, and me, asking about our lives in the States as well as telling us about Whitechapel, the area our flat is in. By the time the show started, we were given the older woman’s number and we are supposed to message her when we’re visiting Stonehenge next weekend so that we can go over for coffee. One of the things I’ve noticed and was almost shocked by was how English people make eye contact with you the entire time you’re talking with them. This happens even when it is a brief conversation, and at first, it was intimidating, but now it’s nice because I can tell that they are listening to everything I’m saying. It’s nice to know that there are people out there who want to get to know you when you are in places like a show or out in the pub and you are having conversations about the experiences that you’ve had in life as well as learning about the experiences the locals have had.
