A City That’s Old and New

After months of applying for a visa, selecting classes, planning, and packing, I have finally arrived in London, and it has been a whirlwind of a first weekend. My only international experience up to this point had been a weekend in Canada four years ago, and so I was excited to get to Europe and see in person the famous sights that I had only ever seen in pictures.

I’m not totally sure what I expected London to be. Part of me thought that it would be just like American cities: not too different from Philly, except with more tea and people driving on the left side of the road instead of the right. I think part of me also thought that it would be completely different from American cities: nothing but pubs and small coffee shops, all of them hundreds of years old. In reality, neither was exactly true.

The thing that has shocked me so much since getting here is that London seems to be from every time period at once. As I walk across the Thames to go to our classroom building, I look around, and on my left is the Palace of Westminster, which is possibly the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen, with huge arches and towers. It was built in 1016, and then rebuilt in the 1800s after a fire. On my right is the modern London skyline, most notably the Shard, which was opened in 2013 and is made entirely of glass. I walk down the street and look up at all these beautiful European buildings, many of which are older than America, only to realize that what now occupies the first story of those buildings is a Burger King or a Starbucks.

What I have found to be so beautiful about London in the first week of being here is that the city seems to be constantly evolving. You can look around and see evidence of all the years that this city has existed, you can see the remains of buildings that have been around for a thousand years, you can see the new buildings that have just opened, you can see the old cobblestone streets, you can see those that are freshly paved, and you can see everything in between. What’s even cooler is that it is all mixed together, with the old right next to the new. There is no separation between the past and the present; the London that existed yesterday is a vital part of the London that exists today.

We’ve gotten to do a lot of really cool things since getting to London, and I’ve already started compiling a lengthy list of the many things I want to get to do in the next four months. More than anything, though, I am excited to keep exploring and creating my own story here in this city. That’s what’s so striking to me, I think, about the blend of old and new: there are so many people’s stories from hundreds of years that all are part of this city, and every day, people are making new stories here and adding to the history of the city. Obviously, I’m not in any kind of influential position to be able to create any kind of story in this city that people will remember after I leave. Still, I am so excited to be part of this city for a few months and to get to make it part of my own story.