Eye on London: Syd says cheers to the UK

By: Sydney Adamson, Columnist

I have to leave London this week? What? No, that can’t be true. Just yesterday I was strolling jetlagged through the streets of Kensington and now you’re telling me I have to go home? I don’t even know where to begin, really. This experience has been something truly life changing and one of a kind.

I got to spend each day with Big Ben practically at my doorstep. I found myself a homey local pub that I just can’t imagine leaving behind. I saw artwork that I never thought I would be able to see in person. I made friends with some one of a kind people.

I was actually able to comprehend a really confusing public transportation system.

Not only was I lucky enough to live in London, I travelled to other countries too. I was able to climb to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and discovered the history of my family name in Scotland. I also found myself in Brighton, a coastal town in England, where I could get away from city life for a bit on more than one occasion. It’s definitely a place I can see myself going back to again and again.

Along the way I even found a love for film photography. Like I’ve mentioned in previous columns, it’s really been a pleasure to take a step away from digital artwork and to capture breathtaking locations on film. It’s become such a significant part of my life over here and I can’t wait to continue working with the medium when I come home.

I’d be lying if I said that my few months here were all sunshine and rainbows though. No peaks without valleys, right?

There have been times when I desperately wanted to go home and others when I felt just plain unhappy. There have been moments when I felt really lost, too, and I don’t just mean the long list of times when I got off at the wrong tube station.

I’ve forgotten what it’s like to drive my car and to cuddle with my dogs. I long for the taste of my mom’s homemade lasagna and her red velvet cake (my mouth is watering as I type this). I’ve missed the comfort of waking up in the morning and making myself a cup of coffee in an actual mug instead of making myself a tea at the dining hall in a paper take away cup.

But all of that was nothing that a stroll through Kensington Gardens or a trip to the pub couldn’t fix.

All the rough patches and the good times have really forced me to grow as a person. Traveling has taught me a lot about myself, too; I feel more well rounded now than I did before and more content about the person that I am and that I’m becoming. I’m pretty familiar with London, but I still want much more time in this beautiful city.

I’m incredibly excited to return home to my friends and family, but I’m even more excited about the possibly returning to England in the future.

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