I knew I was eventually going to go to London during the duration of my time studying abroad in Liverpool. It turned out that time would be last Saturday, the 29th of October. I loaded the train at six in the morning and arrived in the city three and a half hours later with my friends who were also studying abroad in Liverpool. We went to Buckingham Palace, saw Big Ben, and visited the British Museum. (Visit my Gallery page in order to see some more photos from my London Trip.) It was a fun but exhausting time especially after my train back got canceled, which was very upsetting to hear, but we got back in a very crowded train that night.
There's been a lot of strikes, which I entirely support the right of the railway workers to do. Though to be honest, it's been a bit inconvenient, which is the entire point of a strike; I’m aware. We had to take an Uber to and back from the Lime Street train station that would take us to London because the trains weren’t running, and the strikes will continue from what I’ve heard. Hey, if it was easy for workers to get the benefits they deserve, there wouldn’t be any need for a strike.
While I did enjoy my trip to London, I found myself getting exhausted quickly. Not just because of all the walking, though that certainly didn’t help, I didn't really feel I had any agency during the trip, and I found myself getting irritated with the friends that I was with.
I was too busy doing what other people were interested in and not really thinking about myself. I almost didn't go on the trip altogether because I didn’t think I would get much out of the trip outside of losing money and time. (Just the train was $75!) But I am interested in going to London again. This time by myself with a plan of what I want to do. Therefore, I have more control over my situation and not just following the whims of others. I don't even have to go to London. I could go anywhere as long as I’m by myself and can go at my own pace with an itinerary.
Smaller Updates:
My minor cold: Things haven’t improved much on this front since last week. I was talking to my mom about it when she said my cold is probably sticking around because I'm not drinking enough water or getting enough sleep. I am guilty of both! I'm trying to get better at drinking more water and sleeping more, so I can kick this cold in the butt!
The library: I mentioned I got a library book and library card in the post, “The Calm Before The Storm,” and my plans to read more have been a bust. I forgot to renew the book online and now I owe the library 80 pence (or 91 cents USD), which is not great!
Classes: My professors are nice and understanding, going above and beyond to accommodate me since I won’t be attending their classes as long as their other students, so my classes are going pretty well. I'm no longer attending the Fine Arts history class that I mentioned in “Oh Boy, The Storm Is Here.” It should have never been in my schedule in the first place; I still don’t know why I was shoved in there.