Final Reflection - George

London Final Reflection

I remember when this trip was announced, everyone wanted to be a part of it. I was surprised to discover I was one of the twelve people selected to go to London. The many following meeting and planning only furthered my excitement and anticipation. I couldn’t actually comprehend that I was going on an international school trip to London, one of the biggest, most diverse, and history rich cities in the world. Even now, sitting in my room on the day before we go back home, I still can’t fully comprehend the fact that I am currently here.

The first 34 hours of this trip were absolutely mind-numbing, but not in the bad way. Stepping out onto the streets of London after an eight hour flight was honestly probably too much for my brain to process. The long string of events after landing each contributed to an aspect of this trip that I would eventually find to be running motifs: housekeeping & maintenance, group travel & transportation, and exploring & learning. Every day of this trip would feature all three of these themes and would be improved and enhanced throughout. We began the day (after the eight hours on the plane) with our first taste of co-residing with each other, going all together to the supermarket. One prevalent feature of central London was the mixture of it’s rich historical architecture and modern, innovative architecture. One clear example of this is the first two sites we visited, located right next to each other: The Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. They clearly contrast London’s proud history and it’s rich, modern influences in the world; artistically and architecturally. After visiting these two places, we ate dinner at a ramen place and went to the apartments. By this point, we’d all been awake for over 34 hours straight.

The second day was packed with several locations, and choosing one to focus on is difficult, but I’d have to pick St. Paul’s Cathedral. Being in a place that has had such historical significance and influence and at the same time has some of the most incredible architecture and design I have ever seen in my life was an exhilarating experience. Seeing the graves of the Duke of Wellington and the famous Christopher Wren down in the Cathedral’s crypt was hard to digest for me. This is something that happened in Westminster Abbey as well, but after a near lifetime of hearing and learning about these historical figures and seeing their final resting place is fascinating to me. Near the end of the trip, in the Guildhall Art Gallery, we saw paintings of London that dated back hundreds of years, and in almost every single one of them, St. Paul’s looms over the city, almost exactly as it looks like today.

In one day, we all saw the Magna Carta, explored and pondered the wonders of Stonehenge and it’s origins, and witnessed the arrival of the Queen of England to Windsor Castle while touring it. Now, with all the respect in the world, I’d like you to tell me of another A-term that has been privy to the same exposure to three historically and culturally significant entities in the world. This likely it my favorite day of the trip — I find it hard to remember all aspects of the trip at the same time when considering my favorite events. But when recollecting the consecutive strings of captivating and exhilarating moments in the trip, these three have to take the cake.

I could go through the list of site locations and individually describe in detail what each one meant to me and the rest of the world, but I don’t believe that would be necessary because I can say with absolute certainty that each and every location has expanded my knowledge of London’s history, the technological limitations of the time said site was constructed, and the impact it has left on society then and how it has carried over into today’s society. One thing all these highlights of the trip have in common is that they’re historically charged and most of them are responsible for multiple facets of modern culture. Looking back, it was childish to believe that going into the trip, a concern of mine was the students I was going with. I had only ever really talked to Connor, Callista, and Nathan, but I wasn’t too familiar with anyone else. The process of getting to know and becoming close friends with my peers is only one of the many gifts this trip has offered me. It has fostered relationships that I know will carry on back to school and beyond.

While I was writing this reflection, I looked back at my “student statement of purpose” for applying for this trip. I mentioned some of my desires were to “learn more about history (origins of the colonies, birthplace of William Shakespeare), see paramount landmarks (The White Cliffs of Dover, Stonehenge), and compare what high school is like in London to what it’s like here.” I also mentioned wanting to experience London’s “focused concentration of culture, arts, and history”. I can now say with confidence that I am beyond satisfied. It was a privilege to be a part of this amazing trip with these amazing people, and bearing witness to such a drastically different society and culture, which ironically shaped most of the culture we know today in the US. I sincerely hope this trip is offered again for students next year and beyond, so they can witness the same wonders and monuments we did, and subsequently have their horizons broadened and their brains stuffed with knowledge and awe like we did.

-George