The London Bubble (Or Lack Thereof)

With so many amazing aspects of London, it's so difficult to put my finger on my favorite thing about this city; however, if I had to choose right now, it would be how incredibly diverse London and my experience has been so far. I've lived in a bubble my entire life, whether it be the Orchard Park bubble, the Buffalo bubble, or the Villanova bubble, I was always living in some sort of bubble. I am so grateful that I chose to pop my bubble and get out of my comfort zone by studying abroad. Being able to experience diversity wasn't something that I considered much before leaving the country, but now that I am experiencing it, I am so thankful. I am currently living in a dorm full of both British and international students. While I was excited to hear American accents down the hall on day 1, I now find myself increasingly excited when I get to talk to German students, French students, Australian students...all living in my little dorm.

A girl came up to me after class the other day because she noticed that I was an American student. She is originally from Iran, but has studied in Africa, Spain, and now London (all in just 18 years of life). She was so interested in how I felt as an American student abroad, what it was like to be educated in America, why I chose to come to London... I felt like I really didn't have much to say, talking to a girl who has literally seen it all. A quick conversation with this girl between classes made me even more aware of this opportunity I have to learn so much about students, just like me, from all over the world. Studying at a major university right in the center of London means that I sit in a room of 50 students every day who have backgrounds strikingly different from my own. Before this seemingly insignificant experience, I would have never thought to just walk up to people, ask them where they are from, ask them questions about their life in their home country... but now I find myself meeting someone new everyday from a country that I really didn't know much about. I can now put faces to cities and countries that, before this trip, were just places on a map. 

Being abroad makes you feel like you can't take even an hour of your time for granted. Even as I sit in my room while I write this post, I am thinking about what else I could be doing, what else I could be experiencing outside this building. I'll be leaving for my first weekend trip on Thursday, a weekend in Paris (doesn't get much better does it?), the first of many trips during my stay here in London. I am so incredibly lucky that I get to experience the world around me like this, by literally going out and seeing the world. 

And with that being said, it's time to leave my room and go experience some more!

Bridget