Study Abroad Blog | Blogging From Abroad

22 Apr

So two weekends ago I finally made it out of Aalborg and traveled with my four favorite girls to London! It was no doubt the best vacation I’ve ever had. Despite the shared hostel bathrooms, the constant disorganization between the five of us, and all of us getting sick afterward….it was amazing! It felt just like home.

You may not know this, but I was raised under the sincere belief that I was British. My parents spent a considerable time in Britain until I was around five years old. Since then my house has been filled with British decor, traditions, music, movies and television shows. I’m not even sure I realized I was American until I began school. My schoolmates always asked “Why do you talk like that?”. I was always confused and asked them the same. I don’t think I have a strange accent, but it’s not exactly a West Virginia accent. In high school it was even worse. People frequently confused me with an exchange student. Even here in Aalborg, most people I initially assume I am from the UK or Australia! It’s always a long and complicated explanation, but I’ve explained it so many times, I’m quite used to it now.

So….needless to say Britain felt more like home than anywhere I have been in my life. It felt very very nice! All I really wanted to do was shop and eat (I needed foods, products, and prices similair to what I knew), so that’s a lot of what I spent my time doing. However, I did find the time to see all the wonderful historical aspects of London as well. We spent some time bargaining our way through Camden Market and managed to make it to the London Eye (such a fantastic experience!). We met up with one of my friend’s old friends who is living and working as a tour guide in London. He gave us a fabulous tour of all the bridges and neat facts about each one. We went to St. Paul’s but didn’t get there in time to take a look around.

The friends I traveled with were from France, Germany, Finland, and Italy. They were much less interested in eating fish and chips and much more interested in things like the changing of the guard at Buckingham and visiting Madame Tussauds. I just wanted to wander the streets and take it all in. But in our short three day adventure, we made time for all of it. Every night we came home exhausted, but it was well worth it!

The area we stayed in seemed to fit me perfectly! Half of the stores and restaurants in Hyde Park were entirely British and half were Arabic. My boyfriend at WVU is from Saudi, so I’ve become quite accustomed to the culture and really have learned love it. London culture is so vibrant! I was able to enjoy my fish and chips and my Shisha all at the same time! Staying at a hostel in a room with four other girls in bunk beds is not a dream vacation, but it was a learning and bonding experience. We had our “Top Model” and “The Bachelor” moments, but most of the time it was like summer camp.

The most obvious difference between Denmark and the UK was the existence of wealth and poverty. Upon approaching the airport I saw enormous beautiful country homes with pools and tennis courts and five car garages. In the city I saw lots of poverty: homeless people sleeping ion the sidewalks and park benches. I didn’t feel quite as “safe” as I do here in Aalborg, but I did feel at home.