Malika Singh, London Through a Different Eye
The past four months in London have been some of the best of my life, especially being able to explore this city. It is so easy to get stuck in the Santa Clara routine of going to class, doing homework, and hanging out. For much of my college career, I told myself that I was adventurous and tried new things. Until I got here, I realize that I didn’t truly know the meaning of the word.
Being in this city has taught me to find new experiences in the most random places, and how much you can get out of them. In just the last weekend, I visited the National Gallery, walked around Trafalgar Square and Regent Street, went to the pub with my flatmates, visited the local South Kensington farmers market, saw Covent Garden Market, discovered the Museum of Freemasons (who knew this existed), watched people ice skate at Somerset House, ate dumplings at Old Spitalfields market, smelled the flowers at Columbia Road Flower Market, scarfed down the best bagel ever at the 24 hour shop at Brick Lane, and walked around Canary Wharf.
That may sound exhausting and impossible, but doing so much makes me feel like I can conquer this city. Each week I try something unique to see how much I can get to know the city in a different way than most other people. Finding cute and unique experiences drives me even more, as I feel as though I know a place at an even better level if I see it from a different angle. Last week, I took part in a “Jack the Ripper” Tour, where a guide walked us around East London explaining the tale of a serial killer from the 19th century. I never knew the details that he explained before, and it made me feel like I knew the city in a new way. Places I had been before now seem different, as if knowing the history has colored them. Learning how to make the most of time here has shown me how much the world has to see, and I am determined to bring this mentality back to Santa Clara to see what else it has to offer as well!