Seeing the entire world is an impossible task. This lesson is what I have learned after studying abroad for two weeks in London and barely scraping the surface of one city.
After arriving back in America, the two weeks I spent in London both feel like years and just a few days. I have so many stories yet I can barely remember each meal that I ate. While my mind swarms with every location and landmark I saw and the need I feel to tell people about them, I cannot ignore the incomprehensible concept of seeing the world. I am pleased after coming back from London because I just wanted to see a piece of Europe and a piece of the British philosophy that I have studied. I did not have a list of attractions I wanted to see as that could have easily been left incomplete.
The idea of seeing the entire world in the form of such a list is an impossible idea that leads to only disappointment. While the idea itself contains so much adventure and hope, it will fall through. If one did get the opportunity to see every inch of the world, the time humans have does not allow for true enjoyment of every inch. In two weeks, one could see six countries in Europe and visit the basic landmarks, gift shops, and photo opportunities. However, in two weeks, I tried to become a part of London and know its busy character, its old architecture, and its Pret A Manger cafes.
As technology is advancing, it seems that travelers are not choosing to dive into one city and learn about how it works but instead, they try to see as many countries as possible, only hitting the highlights and falling into a nature of rushing. In the busy and culture-packed city of London, it is difficult to not fall into hurrying through tourist attractions.
When there is so much to do in London, I had to make trade-offs. However, without a list of worldly sights to check off, I did not need to rush and I learned not to be disappointed in not seeing something. In England, it was hard not to regret seeing Oxford. Without rushing through the city and seeing as much as possible, I truly absorbed the part of traveling outside the physical location – the people who come together because of the location. Without rushing, I remember how easily we could fall asleep on the tube, how pigeons caused us to twitch, how to listen to music in art museums, and how to find perfect Nutella crepes. I remember how it felt to find people who had separated from the group, to figure out when we were walking in circles, to look out the window of my bunk bed and seeing a genuine London neighborhood, to hold a signed J.K. Rowling novel, and to drink a cappuccino where Ed Sheeran once performed. There are thousands of little details I will remember that are parts of London, and I saw these parts of the world without trying to visit a huge range of space in Europe.
If you have the chance to travel the world, do it. But, remember that the world can be found in details within a small space, not necessarily the surface level experiences of traveling across a continent. Dig deep into a city of the world to truly see it. That is definitely what I will do when I am traveling from now on – separate myself from the busy London spirit.
