From February to April: A New Chapter Begins (Bucacci)
By Caroline Bucacci.
This memory is from February 2023, at the the beginning of our abroad adventure, and it is sentimental to look back on this memory at the end of my experience with greater clarity.
Today I only had a morning class, so afterward, I decided to take a half hour walk toward Gail’s for a sandwich and a hot mocha, where there was always a constant flow of people, of all ages, all doing different things. Whether it was coffee dates, business talks, or an old man grabbing his afternoon cup of tea, London truly provides the best people-watching.
I ended the day going back to our flat where Annie and I made homemade vodka sauce and chicken cutlets. We blasted music and danced around the kitchen as we made our mess that led to a delicious meal.
London has changed us, but not in the way I expected. So many of us had so many other obligations to worry about at home whether it be family life, work, school, or any other variable in our life that led to our personal lives being put on the back burner. This is not to say I don’t miss home dearly. Every week I encounter an experience that I wish I could share with my parents or brother as they are truly the most important people in my life. But London has allowed me to realize how much is out there for me to experience. It shows me the world a small town and small campus couldn’t.
I love my life at home, but I think it’s safe to say that I love the life I’ve created here too. I think the more I’m here the more I see that home is a feeling, not a place. It leaves me wondering what it’ll be like once we have to go back, specifically if the version of myself in London is just for a semester or just the beginning of a whole new chapter.
The change I was feeling then was because being abroad was the first time I was truly on my own. London gave me so much space to grow and mature that at the time, I thought I was becoming a whole new person. In the end, I have just added to who I have always been. London has just brought to light the aspects of myself that a small town or small campus tends to dull.
Being abroad at the transformative age of 20 years old, a lot seems temporary and that can be overwhelming, but this experience has taught me to embrace it all. Each day brings a new change that can be daunting, but if you take the chance, you may come out to the other side knowing more about yourself and being happier than you ever have been. It reminded me of a quote by none other than Harry Styles that I think sums up how London has taught me to live:
“Fill up your own cup. Let them fall in love with the overflow.”
