As I near the end of my first week studying abroad in London, I can already tell that this experience is going to be memorable. Although I still have two months in this historic city, I am starting to feel like an everyday Londoner. Maybe that’s due to the kind reception I have gotten so far from the locals, or perhaps it’s the feeling of unity between everyone packed on the tube at 8 in the morning, our body heat warming up the cars hundreds of feet below the dreary and cold London morning.

The tube’s effective system is not only a staple of the efficient city life Londoners are used to, but once you get the hang of it, you start to feel like you’ve been there all your life. In this way it almost serves as a rite of passage to those new to the city. Like any foreign place, you want to do everything you can to not stand out as an obnoxious American tourist. While many, including myself typically achieve this by not speaking whenever possible, there is an extra layer of deceiving that I always have found to be handy especially when navigating a new place, look like you belong there.

On the tube this can be as simple as keeping your head down and staying silent or as I’ve gotten accustomed to, catching up on the local news via a newspaper. To the same effect of reading a book at a café, if you have your head between pages, people will leave you alone and/or assume you’ve been taking the tube for years, despite the fact that in reality it is only your 5th trip.

But sometimes you have to do typical touristy things in order to enjoy and fully experience the city. During our first weekend here, me and group of friends decided to head to Tower Bridge (aka London Bridge) at night, not only to beat the crowds, but to experience the heart of the city at night. Although everything to do in that area was closed for the day, Tower of London, The London Eye, etc it was nice to take a step back and just enjoy the city for what it is. A historic city with experiences to unpack at every turn.

And with that in mind I know this is going to be a life changing summer.