Tired of London?

A man by the name of Samuel Johnson once said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Well, studying abroad can be stressful, intimidating and yes, even tiresome. Yet, as a student studying abroad, I haven’t found any of these to be true. At least not in London.

               

Originally, I was glad just to have chosen a location where I could understand the language. I think this is important and very helpful when you are many miles away from home and haven’t got a clue about a country’s culture.

Not only this, but I have also found Londoners to be extremely kindhearted, too. Everywhere, there are “mates” and “lovies.” They all say cheers and wish me well habitually here. There really are no limits to British benevolence. One young woman I was talking to who is living in London said she knows other Londoners who write letters to each other and sign them with hugs and kisses. However, she said if the friends don’t enough X’s and O’s, the person receiving the letter might think that person is upset with them or doesn’t think as highly of them. Yes, it’s pretty intense.

               

Thinking of this, I believe there will be a similar sort of gracious atmosphere when it comes time for the London Olympics in 2012. London will become the hosts again for the third time (the only city to do so thus far!) See? You can’t be tired of London. And the athletes and ticketholders will be greeted by that specific brand of Londoner kindness as well.

               

I took a quick video from the tour my class and I took to the Olympic sites, which are still under construction in the East End. (You could say the video is still under construction as well because of my shaky shooting skills on such a rainy day.) It’s very interesting to think that Olympic attendees will soon be standing right where we were, but I hope the weather will be more pleasant for them than it was for us! Until then, cheers!