A Hop, Skip, and a Jump Across the Pond
The first semester of my first year ended in a celebratory way. I attended a Flyers x Capitals hockey game with my two good friends, whom I had made while trying to adjust to a new climate of life. It felt like a movie moment, just a couple of months earlier, I had moved to Philadelphia, not knowing anyone, to cheering in a packed arena with people who had quickly become some of my closest friends. Things were great, and I felt that I had started to feel at home at Arcadia. Then came the next big scary move: London.
Arcadia’s First-Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE) was something offered to me after receiving my acceptance letter. From there, I knew my college decision almost immediately. What FYSAE does is send first-year students abroad for their spring semester. When I talked to my family about the program, there was definitely some hesitation at first. But along with that caution came an overwhelming amount of support. They knew how much this opportunity meant to me and how unique the experience would be.
I was freshly 19, excited and terrified, about to roam the streets of London for the next 4 months. At first, everything felt huge. The city moved quickly, the trains were loud and packed, and the immense history was showcased everywhere. Being in London made me feel not only that I was on top of the world but also significantly small.
What made part of this transition easier was not only that I was surrounded by fellow students experiencing the same overwhelming awe, but also the professors and staff who took our wide-eyed Bambi looks in stride. My favorite class from my time there was an immersive one. One week we would learn about SoHo, and its deep artistic history, and the next week we did a scavenger hunt through the streets we had just studied. Instead of hearing about these beautiful places, we were given the ability to completely experience the streets, theatres, and neighborhoods that shaped London’s culture.
These classes and the friends I made helped ease the transition and made me feel like I was not only an observer of London but part of it. I would take long walks starting in Camden Market, and somehow found myself on Oxford Street. There were endless possibilities to explore and discover that I had never known before.
Living in London taught me something I didn’t expect: how comfortable I could become with the unfamiliar. The city that once felt overwhelming slowly became part of my routine. I could operate on my own, the Tube became my best friend, and the theaters never had a night off from me crying my heart out in the back row. London had turned from something frightening into a space where I felt so much ease and peace.
If it had not been for FYSAE, I do not know if I would have ever experienced those life-changing 4 months. London has forever become deeply ingrained in me and is a place I feel the most at home. Since my time there, I have been fortunate enough to visit it again and again. Because, as Dorthy says, “There is no place like Home,” and I thankfully now have so many.
