London, UK

It's funny. I never thought I'd visit London or anywhere in the UK anytime soon. Because of my family's cultural heritage, I had mostly been drawn to the Caribbean or to the romance-speaking countries of Europe. But I was in Paris for nearly a month, and London was literally a two-hour train ride away. On top of that, I had a very good friend living in London who so graciously offered to host me, so it was like, how could I not visit? In any case, I'm so glad I did. So glad I did. I found that London was the perfect mix of being able to speak English while also being in Europe! I speak French, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. But after not having been in France for a while, my French was kind of rusty when I returned to Paris after about 11 years since my last visit. The reintegration into French (or I should say, Parisian) society was *initially* a little less welcoming than I had hoped for, and searching for vocabulary in a second language on a daily basis does take some getting used to (it's, in fact, exhausting). So, it was a great reprieve to be able to spend a few days in London during my trip to France. And I learned that London is such a great mix of a modern, bustling city juxtaposed with one that is steeped in centuries of history.

And the subway system is a monster. It's huge. I did the touristy thing while trying not to do the touristy thing. I got lost several times on the way to my friend's house. I bought my Oyster card, which is the subway pass card, and did the smart thing, I felt, by getting instructions from the subway workers in addition to the instructions I already had from my friend. I got on the train in the wrong direction. And then when I got off to board in the reverse direction (which would have been the right direction), I got on the wrong train. And then I think I even boarded at the wrong station, because the station I was looking for had practically the same name as another one, and I don't think I registered that the short-hand reference to the station I was being told to board at was different from the station that I was actually looking for.

In any case, all that aside, I made it, weary and excited to begin my travels in London! See below!

Me with my Capoeira sister! It's so awesome to have a friend welcome you when you arrive after traveling internationally. We were all hugs and smiles upon seeing each other!

Westminster Abbey

I was at Westminster Abbey! The inscription reads: "May God grant to the living, grace. To the departed, rest. To the church and the world, peace and concord, and to us sinners, eternal life."