I came to London for a writing class. Of course I'm going to learn something, right? I'm going to learn about London's history and I'm going to learn how to write about what I experience. That seems pretty obvious so why would I write about what I'm learning? Because, just like with any experience, there is always so much more to learn than meets the eye. Here I am on day five and I have learned more about life, love and humanity than I could ever possibly write about.
So where do I start? What's the most important thing that I've learned in my five days in a different country? If I had to choose one thing that London has taught me so far it has to be to expect the unexpected and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I know what you're thinking, "that's two things" but honestly, they go hand-in-hand and hopefully I can explain why I think so.
As I already wrote about in my previous post, "London Bridge is Making Me Fall Down," my first day in London was a rough one but it turned out to be incredible. That whole day was simply a series of surprises. For example, they told us we were going on a speed boat tour for an hour--it was freezing and rainy. Expectation: I'm going to be cold, wet and miserable. Reality: Sitting on that speed boat getting splashed by water in freezing cold temperatures for an hour was one of my favorite parts of London so far. When we got there, they gave us extra large, thick rain coats that mostly protected us from the wind and rain and we were told to get on a boat with a lovely guy named Nick. Nick was our tour guide and he was so full of life when he was talking to us. He kept us engaged and awake and when he wasn't talking, we were just listening to music, cruising around the Thames River. Pretty cool huh?
That is just one of the many times that I was thrown out of my comfort zone into unexpected territory where I was left to just soak in the experience. That is one of the biggest parts of what I learned is that every time I've been put in unexpected or uncomfortable positions, that all I need to do is simply let it happen, keep an open mind, and soak in what is happening. No matter how it made me feel while going through it, I was always grateful for how I handled it after the fact.
The speed boat was just one of the thousands of times that London has thrown me out into the unknown where I've been left to grow. I think one of the best decision I made was to not pay too much attention to the itinerary. The fact that I am with a group that already has everything planned is a real advantage because I only have to follow the schedule but I don't have to actually worry about where we are going or what we are doing. Thanks to this fact, I have been able to spend my time here focusing moment by moment, day by day. I've rarely looked up where we are going before we've gone and so I've gone into almost every single place and activity completely blind. Doing this has ensured that my expectations remained rather low and so everything that I've experienced FAR surpassed whatever ideas I got from their titles on our itinerary.
On the second day, I saw Sky Garden on the itinerary and I was automatically dreading it because I love gardens but I didn't see the appeal in spending a few hours at a garden. When we arrived at the top of that incredible tower surrounded by gardens and some of the best views of the city, I was in shock. That has been my absolute favorite part of the trip thus far--seeing the city from a romanticized point of view. The skyline, architecture and downright beauty that I experienced from the top of the tower was exactly what I had expected all of London to be. Again, I was wrong.
Seeing the city from up above was a completely different experience from walking the streets down below. When I'm actually down in the hustle and bustle of the city life, it isn't the idea of London that I've always had in mind. It isn't as quiet, polite, or romantic as I had pictured. I'm constantly reminded that we are still in a city and although that may sound like a negative thing, I promise you it isn't.
Just because reality has consistently differed from my expectations, I haven't been discouraged me from finding the beauty in what I actually see and experience. The more I am immersed in the environment, the more I am able to find the beauty in the overcast weather, in the homeless people on the streets, in the strange smells that come from sewers, in the fast-paced, loud lifestyle. I'm falling in love with the authenticity of the London I've come to know.
I didn't have this sort of outlook on life before traveling here. It's not that I was super set on expectations or staying in my comfort zone, but I have never been so aware of my need to let go of expectations as I have been for these past five days. Each day has come with its own set of circumstances that push me way out of my comfort zone and although I have oftentimes hesitated before leaning into it, I have always appreciated my decision to lean in. The more I've pushed myself, the further my experiences have surpassed my expectations.
