October 12 — We are now finishing up our third
week as associate students at Queen Mary, and have been in the UK for
just over one month. I think it is safe to say that everyone had their
own expectations coming into this trip, each likely to be different from
the next.
This experience led me to my first impression of what life is like in Europe for young people. None of my friends had curfews and all spoke at least three languages. They had all lived in multiple countries around the world, and were fascinated with how American I seemed to them. Fast forward a few years and I am at Lewis & Clark. The chance to study abroad in London had presented itself, and the decision seemed obvious, as I could be closer to my parents and friends from high school for a few months, and had the experience of being a young person in Europe already.
I grew up in a suburban city in
Northern Virginia, just fifteen minutes outside of Washington, DC. I
knew little of life outside Virginia, and while I had been lucky enough
to have traveled while growing up, I was in a bubble. I did not come to
realize this, however, until my parents and I had the opportunity to
move to Geneva, Switzerland, when I was fifteen. I can distinctly
remember my naive teenage self being presented with the option to move
to Europe, a place I had never been to, and having no reservations
whatsoever. This was not because I thought it would be an easy and fun
thing to do for a few years, but because I truly had no knowledge of
what I was getting myself into.
Fast forward a
few months and I am uprooted from the one place I had ever lived in and
am now a junior in high school in Geneva. Switzerland has four national
languages, with French predominantly spoken in Geneva. Again, my
naive teenage self did not think this would provide me with any trouble,
as someone with zero knowledge of the language, in the weeks leading up
to my move. Though I definitely had Duolingo downloaded on my phone in
an attempt to learn the basics of the language so I wouldn’t completely
embarrass myself.
This experience led me to my first impression of what life is like in Europe for young people. None of my friends had curfews and all spoke at least three languages. They had all lived in multiple countries around the world, and were fascinated with how American I seemed to them. Fast forward a few years and I am at Lewis & Clark. The chance to study abroad in London had presented itself, and the decision seemed obvious, as I could be closer to my parents and friends from high school for a few months, and had the experience of being a young person in Europe already.
While I
thought I would seamlessly adapt to life in London, my expectations were
quickly challenged. In our first month or so here, I have seen
buildings and structures older than I can fathom that are home to
historically imperative events. I have the opportunity to learn new
material from a professor with a perspective I am not used to, in an
environment that is very different from that of our home institution. I
am finding comfort in my discomfort within the community of Queen Mary
as well as the larger community of London. And what has truly delighted
me about London is the vibrancy of the city, specifically at night. When
taking the tube to Leicester square on a Saturday night, there is
nothing that will match the boisterous energy as you emerge from the
tube station and see thousands of young people sharing their experiences
of a night out. Try going to a McDonalds at 2 in the morning without
leaving with a handful of stories of weird, hilarious or shocking
interactions with strangers. Geneva did not prepare me for this. These
first three weeks have done nothing but teach me of the complexity,
youthful nature, and diversity the city contains. I look forward to
continuing to experience and learn from this new city in the weeks to
come.
—Claire Greene