As I'm sure you've all heard, there has been a mild amount of chaos around here due to a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland hovering around the UK and most of continental Europe. Unfortunately, I was one of the many victims and my weekend trip to Zurich was canceled. For as much as I wanted to go to Zurich (and still do for that matter) it was somewhat of a blessing in disguise because I was still recovering from being pretty violently ill for most of the week, and I also had a big research paper due on Tuesday, which would have never happened if I didn't have the weekend to work on it. Saturday was the first day since I had been sick that I finally felt up to leaving the flat, and since it was a beautiful day, I decided to stroll over to St. James' Park with my book and do some lounging/reading/people watching.
On the way to the park, I stopped by the London Center because I had received an e-mail saying that I had mail. Just to preface, right around the corner from school is the meeting point/drop-off point for the Sightseeing Tours of London on big double-decker buses. Everyday when I walk to school, the same guy is out there, and he always says something to say to me. Usually it's an off-hand comment about I never bring him coffee (since more often than not I'm holding a Starbucks cup), and sometimes he'll say, "give me a smile!", usually if I'm not holding a coffee cup (there is a direct correlation between me smiling and having coffee). Well Saturday I was walking with my headphones in (listening to the Harry Potter books, which is totally awesome walking around London), and when I walked by, this guy who is usually pretty casual, stopped me, motioned me to take my headphones out and the dialogue went something like this
Tour Guy: "I see you everyday. Do you work here?"
Me: "No, I'm studying here for the semester."
Tour Guy: "from that smile I can see you're from the States. Whereabouts?"
Me: "Uh, Washington, D.C."
Tour Guy: "That's great. Why are you studying on a beautiful Saturday?"
Me: "Just going to the park."
Tour Guy: "Ah, well then, have a lovely day!"
For as harmless and as odd as this interaction was, it prompted me to think about the other friends I've made just around town. Here are a few:
Kevin: Probably my best London friend. He's the regular bartender at Exmouth Arms, also the man who taught me how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. He's from Belfast but he moved to London almost twenty years ago. Some of the other kids and I are thinking about pooling our money and flying Kevin to South Bend next year. We love him that much.
The Starbucks Girl: She is just the sweetest Eastern European girl. She's almost always there when I go, and when I go up to the counter she says, "tall coffee no room?" Ah, yes that would be lovely! Gotta love it when they know your order. Just makes me feel at home.
The Orsini Guy: This is the sandwich shop around the corner from school when I tend to pop in for lunch. They make some delicious take-away sandwiches for pretty cheap, including a clutch chicken, brie, and cranberry sauce sandwich on ciabatta bread that they put in the panini press took make it all warm, melty and delicious. The Orsini Guy always gives me the biggest smile when I walk in, and while he's making my sandwich he always strikes up a conversation. "How was your spring break?" "Where are you traveling this weekend?" "Did you have a nice time with your family?" And when I'm being indecisive about the sandwich I'm going to order he always makes good recommendations. Just nice to know that he's got my best interests at heart.
These are the people that make London feel homey. In such a big city, a sense of familiarity makes a world of difference, even if you don't know their names.
No comments:
Post a Comment