Yesterday, I escorted my mom to the airport for her flight home. She spent the past week with me visiting, weaving my free time into her infinite supply. She hadn’t been to London since the 80’s (!) so I had a wonderful time condensing the ultimate London experience into but seven days.
A few days ago when I realized that we were more than halfway through our visit, my mom was suddenly no longer coming, she was going. We had spent more days together than we had left. Our time together went from overwhelmingly massive to quite restrictive. We struggled in the beginning to list enough things to fill our days, but by the end we were forfeiting experiences for time.
I’m now a little over halfway through my semester, and suddenly I’m no longer coming, I’m going. I’m frantically peeling away post-its as I think of all the things I have yet to do that I still need to do. I am frustrated with myself for spending so much time settling into a routine and not more time
But I live here, London has become the norm, and I have lulled into a routine. Museums are comfortably nearby, and not going anywhere anytime soon, so why stress? Well, I am going somewhere soon, and sometimes I forget this. Because it has become a home. The museums have sunk into scenery, ready for me when I’m ready for them.
Luckily, my mom afforded me (pun intended) a lot of amazing London experiences (pun intended), snapping me out of my school-time routine that I inevitably fall into every semester. She reminded me that I love museums, and that they’re free here! That quality theater is entertaining, insightful, thought provoking, beautiful, and worth every pence. That my budget shouldn’t make me avoid SoHo because window-shopping is just as fun and fulfilling. That, even if the British don’t have many distinct dishes, exploring local pub food, and also less local restaurants, is worth it. Food is a necessity, make it a vehicle for exploration.
I feel inspired by her visit, and by my approaching fall break, to really explore every inch of this city. To not just be familiar and comfortable, but to really know it. To make suggestions, have preferences, know the secrets. In NYC, I can tell you where the deals are, the secrets, the tricks; I feel like a local.
Maybe it’s too much to ask in 3 months, but I’m determined.