Being a world traveler definitely comes with its perks. Frequent flyer miles? Sign me up! Watching four movies on the plane? For free?? Sure! Possibly running into famous people on the streets of big cities? Hasn’t happened yet but I’m still holding out hope! I recently went to the United Kingdom on vacation (or “holiday” as they call it — I am very worldly now, I know the lingo) and it opened my eyes to a whole new community of people. Through gaining knowledge about the cities of London and Scotland, I was able to learn about myself as well.
1. I can swiftly move out of the way if something is headed toward me.
In London, there is a lot of hustle and bustle. And I mean a lot. Think New York City x2, but with everyone speaking in cool accents. Because of this, I had to quickly learn the ways of the crowds. I will admit, at first I struggled. But I soon became able to move faster than the speed of light, gaining the skills to dodge any people that came my way.
2. The tube transport system is my friend.
The “tube” is really just the British way to say the subway system, for those who don’t know the lingo. It is also the eighth wonder of the world. I learned how to read all of the signs and maps in about twenty seconds—any longer and I would have been trampled by the masses of people—and not to brag, but I’m pretty proud of myself! I got from the city of London to Windsor Castle (the Queen’s weekend home) after transferring from the tube onto a train, and I somehow managed to make it back without any scratches.
3. I actually like learning about history.
I have to be honest, high school history classes never really did it for me. I was never interested in learning about the past, I only wanted to focus on the future. In the U.K., every square foot has its own story. I went to castles that have been around for almost 1000 years. I saw art pieces painted by famously talented artists still hung where they once were so many years ago. I truly got to understand the history of many countries and felt as though I was constantly learning (without having to do schoolwork).
4. I definitely cannot keep up with the daily pub crawls.
From an American’s point of view, you would think everyone in the United Kingdom has a serious drinking problem. At one pub I went to, there was a sign announcing that there was a beer special starting at 10…. in the morning. Businessmen and women go to the pubs on their lunch hour and order several beers, and then go back to continue on with their work day. And then they go back out later that night. Meanwhile, I was having my first legal drink. Maybe I'll learn their ways someday.
