Fordham London

It’s time to get on the tube and head to Farringdon for another day of classes, but not before I stop at Prufrock Coffee (my café of choice) for a latte and breakfast. Mornings are my favorite time here in London, as the city wakes up quickly… but never chaotically.

Today in my Global Sustainability Marketing class, we discussed the importance of branding. What makes you buy something? I immediately reflected on the jewelry I thrifted over the weekend, the flight I had just booked to Spain, and the jacket I bought at Portobello Road Market. What made me choose certain brands as I swiped my card? I think these types of reflections have been my favorite aspect of this summer class—our brilliant professor has structured it in a way that relates the lessons to personal experiences, rather than teaching strictly from theories. I couldn’t be more grateful for this type of learning environment.

We wrap up class and I head out on the road next to Fordham, which is lined with street food vendors. After careful consideration, I order Thai food and walk back to eat it on the campus rooftop. Before I know it, it’s time to head to my second class of the day, Legal Frameworks of Business. I won’t drown you in the details of torts and contract law, but it was a productive class, as it always is.

Once I’m done studying the law, I catch the train over to Clapham, where I take a cycle class at Psycle, with an instructor turned friend, Louis, who always lifts my spirits with his workouts. This silly detail about a workout community I’ve been welcomed into may seem meaningless to many, but I believe it’s an accurate reflection of the kindness that’s present in this city—something I’ve come to love over the month I’ve lived here. Temporarily being involved in local communities lends me a perspective of what life might look like if I chose to move here permanently—a daydream I constantly find myself having on the tube.

After getting a sweat in, I train home to change and meet my friends for dinner. As we walk over to Shoreditch, the sun is still up and people are everywhere. Pubs with patrons spilling out onto every sidewalk… each one I pass is more filled with conversation than the previous. I can’t help but daydream again, hoping one day I’ll find my way back here.

I signed up for this summer abroad because I love to travel, but I never could have imagined it would be so incredible. From the amazing London faculty members to my random roommates who are now great friends, to every single day giving me a unique adventure, I am so thankful. I don’t live by many mottos, but the one I have stuck to and will always abide by comes from the poet Georgia Douglas Johnson. She wrote once, “your world is as big as you make it,” and what she didn’t write but should include is that, every time you make your world bigger, you’ll fall in love with life just a little more.