London Diaries: 2 months and 2.5 Weeks

*this was written last year after my first two months in London

Treat Others as if they were YOU

 

During the Summer of 2017, I was given an opportunity to go live in the UK for a year and I took it.

I moved to London, England in September 2017 with my mom. I knew I had distant relatives in Europe but I wasn't aware that we were going to be neighbors as they lived right in front of my apartment building  in London. 

We arrived in London early in the morning on Saturday, September 9 and was received by my Aunt and her husband at the airport.

The first thing I notice of London was how diverse it was, how small the cars are and the crazy drivers.

The diverse culture in London is extremely similar to Paris, FR and Toulouse, FR. 

After settling in and getting my keys to the studio, my cousin Alfie and I set out to tackle the transportation system so that I could know what to do the following week.

     My first full week in London was spent in orientation and end with a coach trip to Brighton.

In London, I visited the Museum of London, went to Leicester Square and Camden Market. For the first two months, I attended Mass via YouTube. Then last week, I Google active Roman Catholic Church nearby and I found one. I attended Mass there and  was impressed. There was no one taking pictures during Mass nor touring the Church while Mass was being held. The Mass was a bit modern but it was active and full of diverse people  worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The funny thing  here in the UK, I' m consider an American. Just an American. Back home in the USA, I'm an African American. Also, one of my peers had trouble filling out forms in regard to the racial classification, she is an American of black slave descent but I am a Congolese who became an American citizen. The forms here don't have a box for African American; just Black British, Black Caribbean, and Black African and since she is neither of those, she check other. 

Highlight:

• diverse culture
• transportation system
• London History
• Non-English Foods

Lowlight:

• Foods --> no salt or spices in FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Bipolar Weather ---> it can be sunny in the morning, then raining then sunny etc
• People View of the USA --> not all of us are 45

 

 

~xoxo