The Scariest Experience I Had While Studying Abroad
Definitely not how I thought the night would go...
As I mentioned previously, I spent this past spring semester studying abroad in London, England. I had many amazing experiences that taught me meaningful life lessons. One such experience was when I got lost returning home from International Night, a school sponsored event.
International Night is basically a talent show where students from the school would do short performances like dancing or singing. The event was in Kensington, which is about a 30-minute tube ride from Richmond. However as opposed to taking the tube, I took the bus since it was cheaper, and I was going to be a little early (for once) so I had some time to kill. My friend Jake and I went to support our friend Sheila who gracefully sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. After the event ended there was an afterparty somewhere in central London. Initially, I was planning on going but as the night progressed, I realized that after several previous late nights, it might be a good idea to turn in early. So, I said goodbye to my friends, got a take away from McDonald's, and was looking forward to having the night to myself just watching Netflix and enjoying my chicken wrap. Well, at least that was my intention.
I ended up taking the bus again on my way home but made a mistake-I got off a stop or two early and took a wrong turn. Now normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem, I'd just use a map on my phone to get home. But to make matters worse, my phone was dead. I had always worried that something like this would happen and that I would be put in a dangerous situation. But I kept calm by thinking to myself that freaking out would only make matters worse. By then it was at least 11:00. After walking in the wrong direction, I began to realize what I was doing and turned around. I stopped at different bus stops to use the maps and to get out of the rain which caught me off-guard and lacking an umbrella.
Thankfully, two teenagers who walked up to the bus stop, pointed me in the right direction. I got off at the correct stop this time, but still had to do some walking. As I was hunched over, protecting my food from the rain and looking like a wet rat that hadn't slept in 6 days, I became relieved once I realized where I was and eventually made it back to school around 1:30. I don't remember a time when I've been so happy to be back in my bed. Overall, I'm glad I was able to use this as a learning experience and that I was able to keep my head clear despite the circumstances.
