LONDON FIRST DAYS.

FOR the second summer in a row, I have arrived in Europe without experiencing one hiccup. How do I continue to get so lucky? My direct flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul was much shorter than I expected — only 7.5 hours — AND to add to the enthusiasm, the seat next to me was empty. This was truly a luxury. The best part was that I didn’t have to pay first class to indulge in it. [This information serves a dual purpose: informative + encouragement to come visit me because of how truly easy it was to get here :)]
When I arrived in London I made it through customs, collected my baggage, and hopped on the Underground (commonly known as “the tube”). It was approximately an hour after getting settled in my seat before I arrived at St. Pancras/King’s Cross Station. From the station I was able to walk to my accommodation. As I was walking out of King’s Cross it was pretty clear I had no idea what I was doing. Perhaps I should have listened to my mom more when she told me (constantly) to thoroughly read my information packets. After circling around the square it finally occurred to me that I was supposed to follow the road with the McDonald’s and Starbucks on the corner. As I started trekking up the street (which was extremely busy and crowded, I might add) I was thinking to myself “K, why are so many people walking into me from the opposite direction.” Mind you that I was lugging a 30lb. backpack, 50lb. check bag, and a 35lb. carry on suitcase. Sweating bullets. I completely failed to remember the fact that everyone drives on the opposite side of the road in the UK. Instead of looking right, you look left. Instead of walking on the right-hand side, you walk on the left-hand side. I have to admit that everything became miraculously easier after this realization.

Processed with VSCO with k2 preset — For all of you Harry Potter fans..

I arrived a day earlier than most of the other students in the program. It didn’t take me long after settling into my room to go explore the area and find an Italian restaurant. The next day I was able to meet the program directors and some of the other students. On Saturday a small group of us bought our “Oyster Cards”, which are an unlimited access pass for the public transportation systems. Almost living here a week now, I am continually amazed how massive London is in size (almost 9 million people). For such a large population, the public transportation system is incredibly efficient.

One of the biggest adjustments for me has been figuring out what to cook. Unfortunately I have not acquired the cooking or baking skills of my mother, though I’ve tried. If you know me well, you know that I mainly live off of pizza, pasta, grilled cheese, and Kraft’s macaroni. Over half of the meals I have had thus far eating out in London have been Italian food. It has been surprisingly fantastic. The meals I “cook at home” have consisted of peanut butter bagels and Ritz crackers. As a part of the program, we were invited to a welcome dinner on Wednesday night. The food was phenomenal. We were provided a very elaborate three course meal that consisted of very delicious English food. It was also an opportunity to get to know the nine other scholars and directors. We have quickly become a cohesive group that enjoys each others company.

It is very clear to me even at this early stage of the game that coming to London was one of the best decisions I have made for myself. Words cannot accurately describe the energy of this city and how it allows me to “spread my wings” –for lack of a better analogy. I feel the need to address the continuing buzz that Europe is “not safe” to travel to right now. Perhaps I am partially biased, but I do not see the validity in that argument (other than parents fearing for the safety of their children, something I will not fully understand until I am a parent myself). The perspective here is interesting because many Europeans are actually fearful to travel to the United States at this time and have very persuasive arguments about why. Some going as far to argue that the United States is more unsafe than many other places. I do believe that there is a risk of danger anywhere in the world, not “just Europe.” Although this may be a slightly controversial statement to make, it is my opinion that living in fear is not really living at all. Now with that said, I do acknowledge that I am only twenty-one years old and am not in a position to analyze British Intelligence and counter-terrorism.

AnYwAyS,

Due to the fact that we have and will be meeting with several high-profile politicians and other prominent figures, I have to be mindful of what I publish on the web. As a part of my internship placement within the House of Commons and other activities I will be participating in as a part of this program, I will not be able to disclose everything in great detail. With that said, I am still able to share many aspects of my everyday life and most of my experiences here. This is arguably a blessing in disguise because it will keep me from rambling on and publishing novels on the weekly.

The last few days I have undoubtedly fell into the category of a typical tourist. We’ve had a guided bus tour of the city, Palace of Westminster, and the Westminster archives. In addition to the guided tours, the group has been able to attend events inside

Processed with VSCO with c3 preset — “typical tourist”

the Palace as well. One of the highlights of the touring was seeing the Parliamentary Archives. We were able to explore a very large room that consisted of thousands of parchment rolls dating back to the late 1400’s. Unlike almost every other archival room and museum, we were actually allowed to touch these documents. How many people can say they got a selfie with the original copy of the Declaration of Independence that was sent to the King of Great Britain in 1776? I also got a photo holding the famous “Intolerable Acts” and was able to touch written documents with the signatures of King Henry VIII (1509) and Queen Elizabeth I (1558). The handwriting was truly infatuating. As a self-proclaimed history buff, I was in heaven. [pictured below]

This Friday evening after the conclusion of our final event of the week, we will all be traveling to the country of Wales for the weekend. We organized this trip ourselves and it will be a wonderful opportunity to see another part of the United Kingdom with the other students in the program. We will spend Friday and Saturday evening in Cardiff, proceeding to travel to Abergavenny later Saturday and spending Sunday there as well. We will return very early on Monday morning to recoup ourselves for the upcoming week, where we have our official study visit to Scotland.

I hope you enjoyed catching up with me this week and I look forward to writing about the exciting trips and events I have in the upcoming days. Thanks for tuning in.

As always — Ciao for now.

CLM