October 1 — Cities deeply fascinate me. I enjoy what they usually have to offer to the
bright-eyed newcomer: architecture, museums, landmarks, food, glitzy shopping
areas (which honestly, I only limit to window shopping), and so on. However, I
sometimes find these types of experiences as superfluous. I deeply believe that
limiting our interaction with a city to mere tourism does not do justice either
to the city nor its communities; a place such as London cannot be understood
through those experiences alone. So, I usually find myself at co-ops, community
gardens, or the subway, either actively crowd-watching or finding my bearings.
Whether this mindset comes out of a sense of respect for the places I visit, or
a vain desire of feeling that I am more than a tourist, it allows me to observe
the deeper dynamics and peculiar features of cities such as London.
However, this discovery process has been more complex than I thought it would be. The fact is that my presence, and that of the rest of our study abroad group, is so common and —I would dare say— integral to the city’s cosmopolitan nature. Not only are we here as international students learning about London’s unique culture and history, but we are actively a part of it. I point this out because, though virtually all overseas programs are done with that very purpose in mind, this process of immersion in London has been as seamless as can be. This doesn’t mean it’s been easy to adapt to academics or to figure out our place in a larger university, but it does mean that there are many others who share the same struggle. Moreover, as a Mexican student abroad, I greatly identify with the large group of other international students at Queen Mary (I’d lie if I didn’t say I feel like a fish in the water). This might mean I am less of an outsider (which usually makes it easier to observe from afar and gain insights), but it also means that this time around I will discover a place in quite a different way, and come up with very different questions and answers.
However, this discovery process has been more complex than I thought it would be. The fact is that my presence, and that of the rest of our study abroad group, is so common and —I would dare say— integral to the city’s cosmopolitan nature. Not only are we here as international students learning about London’s unique culture and history, but we are actively a part of it. I point this out because, though virtually all overseas programs are done with that very purpose in mind, this process of immersion in London has been as seamless as can be. This doesn’t mean it’s been easy to adapt to academics or to figure out our place in a larger university, but it does mean that there are many others who share the same struggle. Moreover, as a Mexican student abroad, I greatly identify with the large group of other international students at Queen Mary (I’d lie if I didn’t say I feel like a fish in the water). This might mean I am less of an outsider (which usually makes it easier to observe from afar and gain insights), but it also means that this time around I will discover a place in quite a different way, and come up with very different questions and answers.
I have yet much to learn, but an insight I have gained about
London is that from its very conception, it has possessed the “cosmopolitan”
nature for which we know it today. From its Roman foundation in 50 AD, the city
has gone through very different periods; its population has not only drastically
changed in number, but also in terms of ethnicity and origin. From the
Anglo-Saxons to the Windrush generation, and currently, immigration from the EU
and beyond, I am looking forward to the lessons that such a deeply
multicultural place has to offer. These teachings, I believe, are needed now
more than ever in a time where “citizens of the world” are deemed to be
“citizens of nowhere”… (Hello, Theresa May!)
—Emma Franco Ceceña