Update: I've Fallen in Love

No, not with a boy. It’s midterms season and I’ve found myself being particularly stressed about schoolwork, my job, and my life as a whole. It is so easy for me to be swept away in the stress of it all and completely forget the big picture. As my dad likes to say, when I focus on something, I really focus on it. When I’m involved in doing something, it is hard to shift my attention to basically anything else other than the task at hand. This week, that thing that has held my entire attention was work. With three lengthy papers I had due recently, my mind has been completely occupied with everything academic. Even in spending time with friends, I’ve found academics to be central to that time. On Friday night, we participated in a scavenger hunt in Trafalgar Square. A few of the hints for the scavenger hunt were based on British/world history. As we were sprinting across the square, dodging bikers and buses alike, I wasn’t really thinking about being with my friends. I was going through prominent historical figures and facts that I knew to figure out the hints (I’m also very competitive, if you haven’t figured that out already). Even when we were at a restaurant after the scavenger hunt had finished, I found myself talking about summer internships and my post-graduation plans. While academics are a great thing and I am ultimately here to be a student, this week I found it difficult to shake my student mentality and just be Allison.

By Saturday afternoon, I was thoroughly stressed about my classes. In a panicked call to my roommate and best friend in Indiana (Andi if you’re reading this, you’re the best), she could tell how my focus had gone too far. Thankfully, she is a great friend who will tell me when I’m being a workaholic and need some fresh air. After we talked, I decided to take a stroll down to St. Paul’s and Millennium Bridge. As I was walking along the Thames, I stopped for a moment to listen to street performers and sit along the river. I felt such a weight lift off my shoulders. The funny thing is that over the summer, it was in that exact same spot that I realized what a special place London is. When I was feeling the breeze from the river and listening to the music of the performers, I was overwhelmed with such a deep love for London. I was reminded why I loved the city so much I did two study abroad terms here. There is something so special about being in London that is addictive. Every city is unique in its own way, but I’ve found it is London that has the magic combination of history and modernism. Each day is special, and each day there is something new to see and do. Sitting by the riverside brought me back to earth and helped me remember what continually calls me back to London. I have fallen in love with this place all over again (not surprisingly), and I am thankful for every moment I get to spend here.