Mary Wisniewski
Overseas Columnist
With only one day left before I departed for London, I decide to pack my bags. My whole two bags. This was certainly a difficult feat for me, as well as a strong cut back from last year when I took five suitcases and 15 boxes to school. But somehow, I manage. I suppose a framed picture of my dog wasn’t that essential anyway.
I’ve never been the most prepared person. I’m always the person in the tour group who the guide dreads – I’m often late and usually lagging behind. This is partly because transitions have always been hard for me. I move slowly when I don’t know where to go. I love change; I just hate the actual process of changing.
A couple of days before I left, people told me I must be so excited about my oversees trip. Truthfully, at the time, I wasn’t quite there yet. Things seemed to stagnate at summer break. In my mind, I was going to wake up at 4 a.m. the next day to make a skinny vanilla latte at my summer job. It was hard to grasp that instead I would be in Europe, strolling around London.
My brother tried to give me some advice, having just come back from Europe himself. He told me Italy made him a changed man, a better man. He reassured me I would have an amazing time as long as I didn’t bring too many shoes and met as many people as I could. His advice seemed to do the trick, as well as watching “Mary Poppins” a few too many times.
Well, I think I brought too many shoes, but already I can see he’s right. I love London. There are all kinds of places to go with all kinds of people to meet. I just have to step outside to see Imperial College and walk a couple of blocks to see museums and theatres and shops. It’s a completely different world here than Pepperdine.
Here, we are forced out of a safe college bubble and plunged into unpredictable city life. One day we could be sauntering through a palace, the next day our pockets could be picked, while the next we could find ourselves trapped in Hyde Park and jumping its fence (Opps, too late for that! Next time I’ll read the sign).
Here we are, a group of about 40 students who don’t really know each other, on a quest to see the world. We are in a new city, in a new house, in a new room with a whole new set of friends. We must adjust to a whole new lifestyle. But already, it feels natural being here (except for crossing the street). It feels like a home.
Today we went to Greenwich Royal Observatory to see where time began. The Prime Meridian isn’t something I would normally call fascinating, but somehow it seemed that way as I stood before it. It’s much more powerful to see history instead of just being told about it in a class.
Seeing historical sights isn’t the only thing that will teach me lessons.
Already, I’ve been lost a countless number of times. Although it’s aggravating, it is also interesting. Sometimes it’s getting lost that really makes me feel like I have been found.
I’ve met some people from England, some from Switzerland, and others while riding the tube. Each person tells me his or her own stories, each very different from my own. They talk of poverty and religion and going back home. Even now, I feel like their stories have affected me – the world is much bigger than I ever realized.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to see the movie “Garden State,” a movie about a man trying to figure his life out. This is exactly what I’m trying to do here. I want to explore the infinite abyss, and here I have the chance. The world awaits, and I am an explorer.
So, right now, I can’t wait for my adventures. I don’t know what lies ahead, but that is why it is so great. I’ll go wherever London leads me, even if that means getting trapped in a park with only my two suitcases.
09-15-2004