The weather in London is beautiful. Yeah, you read that correctly—it’s gorgeous outside. Sunny and warm with cloudless skies. I’m impressed. I hate that it is so beautiful in London only because I have a trip planned for the entire month of April. I’m going to…The Library! Exams are less than one month away and my entire grade rests on one test in each class. You can imagine how high my stress level is.  I had plans to travel the world during my month “off” but, Easter Break seems to be an evil school trick to play on students—let them think they have a month off but then give them an extremely hard exam when they get back that only the students who didn’t travel, but studied instead, will pass. The dark side of the academic system.

The Love Edition

Something has happened. I have become disciplined and the procrastinating Euzahn; who I knew so well is nowhere to be found. There was no single moment of transformation but, rather a slow transition into this new me. I love her. I am able to enjoy my entire weekend now. I no longer have to work on homework assignments the night before they are due. I am ahead of the game and it's working quite well for me. Now, these exams coming in May are a whole other ball game. I have no idea what to expect and the uncertainty is killing me.

I leave for India in three days. India! Wow. Give a girl a scholarship to study in London and she'll turn it into a tour around the world. I'll be spending my weekend in Goa with my Phi Sigma Pi line brother Sheena Hall. She's studying in India for the entire semester…I'm so proud of her. What an amazing place to study! After Goa, I will spend five days in New Delhi. I look forward to the beaches of Goa and the red dirt in New Delhi. I want this to be a time of self-discovery and healing. I want to meditate with Hindu priests and eat traditional Indian dishes while my henna covered body bakes in the 90-degree weather. This, I expect, will be a huge learning experience. I welcome all teachable moments with open arms.

I have started to work on my Easter break plans. I get the entire month of April off, right before exams in May and June. My cousin and I are doing a European tour, with a splash of Africa right at the end. Keep a look out for the blog following that trip…I'm sure it will be one of the most exciting.

I met an exceptional group of black men last weekend while hanging out with fellow Howard Bison, Tanzania Bridgett, and a few of our mutual friends. Some of them worked in insurance, some of them were dancers, one was a nurse and the rest were singers. It was clear each of them was passionate about their work and each was doing their thing to the fullest. I was so content in their presence. This was the first time I had really spent quality time with Afro-Caribbean British men and they all were doing amazing things with their lives. That's all I want to see in my men. Greatness. No matter what you chose to do with your life, all I want to see is you do it to your maximum capacity---be the best you can be.

So now, it's Valentines Day, in addition to Phi Sigma Pi's 95th Birthday, and I'm finishing up my homework as I listen to DJ Chubby Swagg's mixtape. I wish I could have been in DC today. I heard it was beautiful and the yard was abundant with couples celebrating the holiday. Howard University I am SO in love with you.

The C grade Reality Check

I went to Paris from November 25-28 to get over my Thanksgiving Day blues. This is my first Thanksgiving away from my family and it was hard for me to cope with. So, I packed my bags, invited three of my good friends and hopped on the EuroStar train. Paris was everything I dreamed of and more. Good food and good friends is always an excellent mix.

Upon my arrival back to London, it hit me that the end of the term was near and I was saddened by the thought of leaving the UK in only a few months time. I have really enjoyed my time here and I cannot believe that it is already December!

The week started off rough. When I found out I had gotten a C on a paper, my anxiety level became high. I felt as if I was letting Howard University and the ESU down when they had both made this study abroad possible for me. After talking to my mother and a few friends on my floor, I was able to shake that off and move on in order to assure it wouldn’t happen again.

The A+ I received on another class assignment made the end of my week even more exciting — before I get back to the books, of course. Now, I can appreciate that C I got. It’s not the end of the world and it has made me work harder and, in turn.

Today marks my one-week anniversary of being in London. It has been one of adjustments and discovery. I have been able to find sanctuary in my new home – an eleventh floor single room – when I am missing my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia and my beloved school, Howard University.  Outside of my haven of a dwelling place, the Borough Market is an extraordinary place that has nourished me with sensuality.  Filled with, well — everything, the market is stocked with fresh meat and seafood, bread and sweets, fruits and vegetables, as well as local wines and ciders. It is a perfect distraction and a powerful pick-me-up.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is an overwhelming place of grandeur; a place you must add on your to-do list if you ever travel to London. The music of the boy’s choir resonated through the magnificently carved marble halls, painted with gold leaf and decorated in amazing detail using small mosaic tile. It brought tears to my eyes. I could never have imagined the power art and architecture could have on my soul.

I have finally found my way around on the Tube. It is like the Metro in D.C. — only a lot more complicated. The tube has around 270 stations and about 250 miles of track. It is the second longest metro train system in the world.  I should be receiving my discount student “Oyster Card” in the mail soon. It is the same as the District’s Smart Trip, just with added student discount.

School starts tomorrow! I had a wild time trying to figure out when and where my classes are. At Kings, they do not give you a personalized schedule with all your class information on it. Crazy right? I’m finding that we are really spoiled in the United States. So, I had to go through the timetables of each department and figure out when and where the classes I was given would be held. I have one class each day except, drum roll please — Friday! I have Health Policy and Professional Practice on Mondays from 2-4, Thermal Physics on Tuesdays from 2-5, Critical Thinking in the Academic Environment on Wednesdays from 9-11 and Evolutionary Biology of Man & the Vertebrates from 9-3pm on Thursdays. All of these are 15 credit courses, which translates to 4 US credits. After those long Thursdays, I will be sure to spend my 3-day weekends traveling and relaxing all over Europe.

So, it seems a year in London won’t be so bad after all. The people have been welcoming and being able to cook in my dorm gives me the power to have a “taste” of home whenever I am missing it.

This is it. I will intentionally live in every moment this year because opportunities like this are rare. I am incredibly grateful for the gift of the Luard Scholarship and will show this by gathering all that I can.

The anticipation and the unknown are killing me. I find myself fighting heavy anxiety. I am sitting in the back row, closed off, as I wait for my 5:05 p.m. flight from Miami International to London Heathrow to board. E11 is the gate number I will always remember.

The people waiting with me show an obvious difference from the every day American. A man in a navy blue suit sits with his legs crossed, exuding that English aura…“London swag.”

I am excited but a little uncomfortable. I feel like I don’t quite fit in. Not yet, at least.
Today I am missing the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, Inc. car wash and Alpha Kappa Alpha’s undergraduate round up in NYC. I am missing the everyday eventful campus of Howard University and though I am grateful for the gift of the Lucy Luard Scholarship, my year abroad seems bittersweet.

I’m looking forward to the learning experience I will receive while in London. The currency and exchange rate is one thing I am nervous about. I feel like I’m back in kindergarten learning the value of the “small, medium, and large silver coins.” I’m also worried that I will get lost in London. Sean Mickins, a [year] Luard Scholar and Howard Alumnus, tried to comfort me yesterday by telling me about the time he got lost in London.  He put my mind at ease for a little bit, but I still get butterflies in my stomach at the thought of getting lost in a foreign country.

I am excited to see how London embraces my taste in music and other ATLien mannerisms. My iPod has been and will continue to be my home away from home during my year abroad.

I have about 30 minutes until we board—a 9-hour flight directly to London, England. Perhaps, I will sit and meditate on the adventures to come--listen to the mixture of voices of those that, for the next year, will make up my community.