Traveling Across the Pond

By: Lauren Bottazzi

Hello from London! It's truly one of the most exciting cities in the world. At first, it's a lot to take in, stepping off the plane at the enormous Heathrow Airport. Quickly, I followed people I recognized from my flight through customs and down to baggage claim. I prayed I would spot my suitcase making it's way around the luggage belt. I let out a sign of relief to see my gigantic suitcase moving my way. I was off to Terminal 3 to meet my CEA group. If you're not the type of person who likes to ask for help, there is no doubt navigating around Heathrow won't be an easy task. I hopped on the Heathrow Express, suitcase and all, and successfully found my way to Terminal 3. My group cheered when they recognized I had made it because I was the last to arrive. Next stop, Goldsmiths University of London.

The lovely city of London is rich in tradition, history, and diversity. On any given day, there are over 300 languages spoken here. Our guide, William, gave us a quick tour as we sped through the streets of central London. The flag over Buckingham Palace waved proudly and it indicated that Queen Elizabeth II was home today. During the taxi ride, my potential flat mates and I got to know each other. They were equally excited to be here and from all over country: Maine, Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Philadelphia, and South Jersey.

The British are all about "going green." In fact, I noticed that the lights in our flats are scheduled on a timer. Whenever we're out of the building, the lights automatically shut off in order to save electricity. As for the city, maintenance workers spend time sweeping cigarette butts off the street. On some street corners you will find something that's rare in the states. A glorified port-a-potty labeled "toilets" costs 50 pence to use but it's open to the public. Also, the bags in our kitchen are green bags and they're very strict on recycling. London's campaign to try and reduce litter is brilliant and it certainly captures your attention. Huge dumpsters painted in the colors of a cow have a billboard directly about them that say: "MOO FEED THE COWS !" An innovative and hilarious way to keep the streets of London clean. I hope to see animal print dumpsters at Rowan next semester.