London: A New-Found Remedy for My Mental Health
Giovanna Grizotte
For the past two years, I’ve had to learn how to live in a new “normal.” When the first quarantine was implemented back in 2020, I was in my final months of senior year in high school. At first, it didn’t seem like a bad thing to get a break from school and spend time with my family, but after months locked in my house and isolated from the world, I definitely felt a change—one I never had before.
That following summer I began college and it did not feel like the college experience I had dreamed of. It was difficult to pay attention and learn with most of my classes being on Zoom. It was also scary to meet new people due to the amount of COVID cases. Although many restrictions were reduced the following year, I was still living with the mindset of isolating myself. It was last semester where I was given the opportunity to study abroad in London for Spring 2022. I am not going to lie, I had doubts about moving to another country, especially with the ongoing pandemic. (I’m sure many others also felt this way.) In hindsight, I wish I could go back in time and tell myself this would be the best decision I have made for myself in years.
The moment I stepped foot in London, I immediately became a new person and all of the worries I had about coming, went away. As humans, we strive for perfection, but learning to navigate through London came with many mistakes—mistakes that felt good and sometimes funny to make. For example, standing on the wrong side of the staircase or escalator or almost getting left behind because the Tube (train) spares no one with how fast the door closes. Of course, I am glad to say I have begun learning how to be a “Londoner” now and am not making as many silly mistakes. Despite the Tube’s hectic atmosphere at times (like during rush hour), it has become one of my favorite parts of my day… allowing me to sit back and just ride.
One of my biggest worries was missing home-cooked meals since I am so accustomed to my parents cooking Brazilian food. However, despite being separated by the Atlantic Ocean, I still feel at home here. One day while walking through Camden Market, I found a restaurant called Made in Brasil. I was so excited to have accidentally come upon something I was missing. The following week, I brought my friends to come try some Brazilian food there and I was happy that everyone loved their meals. This discovery made me realize that London is a place for all cultures and wherever you go, you will discover something new. I still have a lot of exploration left to do in London and am excited to find new parts of this city and of myself as well. I am glad to admit that I am no longer in the mental funk I once was in. A piece of advice I have for you is to listen to your gut and if you have the opportunity to travel, just give yourself a break and do it!
Academically, London has become a learning tool for us all. We’ve gone on field trips and visited museums during class to enhance our learning. I have been to the Imperial War Museum for two of my classes and we have currently been focusing on propaganda from World War I and World War II. While it is one thing to learn information from your professors, it is a completely different experience to view historical artifacts in person. The way museums are set up makes it feel as if you are currently experiencing what you are seeing. In the World War I exhibit, there was a trench simulation and as I walked through it, I felt the terror and unpredictability many soldiers had to face. It reminded me that it is important to immerse yourself in history to truly understand it.
