This visit to London was not my first rodeo, or my second. This September, I stepped out of King's Cross with my suitcase knowing exactly where I was. As a fourth-time London visitor, I arrived knowing the basics about the city. But when I moved to DC and GW, I learned that it takes a lot more than knowing a few spots to make a place home. The little bits of knowledge I've collected along the way in DC and now London have given me unique city identities.
Like DC, I've found several spots that have made London "home." The Senate House Library is the best spot in Bloomsbury to study and I never fight for a seat. Store Street Espresso is one of my favorite coffee shops in London with its dark and very studious downstairs. Charlotte Street is my current "home" and so many spaces in my neighborhood have little precious memories: The Pret where I got first-degree burns on my hand on my tea, the Thai place where we planned our Budapest trip, and the stores where I window shop while I walk home from class in the evening, looking into the shop windows. Tesco's strawberry laces don't stack up to Sainsbury's, but their sweet & salty popcorn is much better. The video & music exchange store by Notting Hill Gate station has original 80s and 90s CDs. And there's a tree in Hampstead Heath that's perfect for sitting against and reading, but I'm keeping its location my secret.
Running in London has been a great experience. Not only have I explored beautiful new neighborhoods and trails, but running has also helped me learn to navigate around London. There's an exactly 1 mile-long loop in Regent's Park where I do running intervals, but my favorite running route goes down Avenue Road, which looks a lot like my area in Massachusetts. Being able to navigate the city without directions, either on my favorite running routes or knowing exactly where I am in the city has empowered me and made me feel even more at home.
Beyond my city experience, going to UCL has been a unique experience because of how international the school is. Over half of its students are international, and I have met people from all over the world. The "societies" at UCL are especially vibrant, and I've met people from everywhere from outside London to Singapore in the film club and the running clubs. These experiences also include trips both within the UK and abroad. Traveling to Warsaw in particular was a completely new experience and type of city I would not likely have visited without this study abroad experience.
Above all, I've learned to explore where you live. The places we visit leave an impact on us just as we do on them. I never liked studying in libraries before I came to London, or taking the 15-minute walk from one side of GW's campus to the other. I never understood the point of wearing a scarf, or wearing a winter coat in above 40-degree weather. But yet, I stand here now as a scarf-wearing, library studier, and avid "if it's under 30 minutes we walk" advocator. Whether it's taking a walk in a new park or finding a new coffee shop, seeking out new experiences is what makes a space a home.
Lillian Buckley
Fall 2023
GW England - University College London (GW Study Program)
Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs and Economics Major