Lessons from London
April 1, 2025
Writer: Ivette Flores Gomez
Editor: Victoria Pescod
A plane flying 600 miles per hour across the Atlantic Ocean. A girl trying to fall asleep despite the racing thoughts and racing heart. A city, with double-decker buses and a towering clock, awaiting her.
London has been my home for 10 weeks now. Sometimes it feels like it’s been longer, and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday that I was dragging my suitcases through the hustle and bustle of the city. When I came to study abroad in London, I had some expectations and thoughts of how I wanted to spend my time here. But, to be honest, no previous expectation really encompasses what my time so far has been like.
In the world, there exists a so-called “Illusion of knowledge” – the illusion that you know more than you truly do. Without a doubt, I have been a victim of this illusion before – thinking I already know everything about what it’s like to meet new people or experience new places. However, this experience so far has truly shown me I know nothing. Even though I know, theoretically, that we never stop learning, when I learn something new, I am again reminded of that fact. I have learned many lessons while being here, and there are many more I have yet to learn. However, to document a few, I’ve chosen to focus on 10 lessons, one for each week I’ve been in London.
1. Give things time. Not everything will feel amazing at first, especially if you’re stepping out of your comfort zone. But stick around for a bit, and see if your feelings toward something change. When I moved to Austin for college, I adapted very quickly — quicker than I expected. So, before coming to London, I thought I was just blessed and immune to homesickness. Then, the first day I arrived, so many things went wrong, and I was the only person who was there for me. The thought of getting back on the plane and going back home crossed my mind. But, I stuck it out, took it day by day, and I’m still here, excited about my current reality and the months to come. It did in fact get better with time.
2. You do you. When you’re walking through thousands of people with 2 huge suitcases, trying to follow Google Maps, you will get some nasty looks. Some people will be understanding, and others won’t. But in the end, no matter how much they judge, they’re going to forget about you in a few minutes, or even seconds. There will always be people judging you, or those around you. And the truth is, they really don’t deserve your precious energy. Keep going, pretend you know what you’re doing if it helps, they’ll find something else to judge.
3. Ask for help if you need it. Sometimes it can feel like it’s you against the world, but asking one simple question can then make you feel like others are on your side. There ARE people out there who will be happy to help you. After all, we are here to support each other. Unfortunately, you will also encounter people who don’t want to help at a certain moment, and that’s just the way it is sometimes – nothing to do with you, everything to do with them. Move on, find someone who’ll be willing to extend a hand, and offer your hand to others who may need it.
4. Let go of comparison. “Comparison is the thief of joy” is SUPER cliché, I know. But when you experience it firsthand, it really clicks. My first few weeks in London were surrounded by others forming huge friend groups while traveling for the weekend together. My social media was filled with others posting their new best friends. And in moments when I hadn’t really found my people yet, these posts flooded my brain with thoughts of “Why are they having such a good time while I’m still adjusting?”. The truth is, social media is truly only the highlights. Maybe they did have a great time with their new friends, and there are people out there adjusting rather quickly. But that doesn’t mean that their life is perfect or that you are somehow “less than” because you’re still adapting to your new reality. Everyone is on their own timeline, and yours is just as precious and important as everyone else’s. Be happy for others without undermining your own experiences.
5. Do what brings YOU joy. When you’re surrounded by so many people who are each doing something different than you, it’s easy to focus on what you SHOULD be doing according to others’ standards or preferences. However, in the end, it is always important to assess what you want for yourself.
6. Your body needs rest. The first few weeks I was in London, there were so many events hosted by my exchange university, and so many places I knew I wanted to visit. For several days in a row, I would go to bed late and wake up really early to try and get as much done as possible, but I quickly realized it was not a sustainable pace long-term. I was feeling very tired and groggy throughout the day. When I thought about it, I realized that wouldn’t lead me to have the best experiences when visiting new places or trying new things. So, I decided to slow down a bit, and give my body and mind time to reset. Eventually, I noticed my energy levels throughout the day were higher, and although I wasn’t doing as much each day, I was enjoying everything so much more.
7. Leave room for spontaneity. For a while, I would refuse to visit a certain place because I hadn’t planned on going there yet. While it doesn’t make much sense, it was a way for me to stick to my planner and list of to-dos. However, with so much to explore, I realized there was no point in trying to schedule everything. Instead, it would be so much better to just do something because I simply felt like it. Sometimes, spontaneous moments make the best memories. So sure, use a planner as a guide for your day, if it helps. But, leave a little bit of wiggle room – be open to doing something that just came up.
8. Stop waiting for the “right” time. I have to admit, the statistics are true – there aren’t many sunny days in London. For a while, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and going out for a walk or somewhere other than my room felt like something I should leave for another day. But, I hadn’t traveled across the world just to sit in my room because the weather wasn’t perfect. So, despite the gray clouds and light drizzle, I began walking everywhere and hopping on buses to discover what the city had to offer. After all, the circumstances aren’t always going to be perfect, but it’s important to make the most with what we’ve got.
9. Don’t tie yourself down to what you think something SHOULD be/feel like. When we have expectations, and something doesn’t go quite as expected, it can feel like something went wrong – like maybe you need to change something. But, expectations are just constructs of our minds – they don’t always reflect reality. Before coming to London, there were places I thought I’d absolutely love or things I thought I’d enjoy doing. However, when actually experiencing them, I didn’t always feel the joy I thought they would bring me. My first thought was that I was doing something wrong – maybe I was too in my head and not being present enough. But then I realized, maybe I didn’t love doing something as much as I thought I would, and that’s okay. You may think you know everything about yourself and what you enjoy, but not only are we constantly changing and evolving, but we’re also allowed to learn new things about ourselves. Rather than trying to force yourself to feel a certain way, be curious about how you’re relating to what you’re experiencing, and be open to things not always being what you thought they would be.
10. Time flies by when you’re having fun. Right at this moment, I’m halfway through my study abroad journey. For a while, I hated to see the days and weeks pass by – something I had waited months for, was getting closer to ending with each day that passed by. However, worrying about my time abroad ending, while still being abroad, was not a great use of my time or energy. No matter how much I worry about it, I will be on a flight back home in a few months. So, why not fully enjoy the moment? Rather than resisting time passing by, live in the now, in the present.
There are so many more lessons to learn I’m sure —so much to explore and experience. And while this can seem a little daunting, I know all I can do is just stay present and take it day by day. This is an experience I’m sure I’m going to look back on for the rest of my life. I’m super grateful that I get to call London “home” for 6 months, and while not every moment is filled with clear blue skies and sunny days, there’s always so much to appreciate, so much to learn, and great stories to take back home.
