Time is a fluid …

The first 3 weeks of my exchange semester have reminded me of the fluidity of time. Sometimes it surrounds you like an ocean and other times, it flows through you like a rapid stream. I can’t believe that I’ve been in Washington D.C. for 3 weeks, it seems like only yesterday that I was tugging my suitcases off the luggage belt after that 8-hour flight. I simultaneously feel surrounded by the vastness of the memories that I’ve created in the past 3 weeks, as if though I have been here for months. It’s a strange paradox, to feel like I’ve arrived only yesterday yet also that I’ve already been here for months. Time, after all, is a human construct that does not account for the influence of experiences.

The blanket of clouds

            The first few weeks are definitely an experience that I won’t be forgetting. When my best friend turned 14, I wrote in her birthday card that one day we would go and live in America for a while (specifically California), although I’m on the East Coast rather than the West, I feel like I’m living out mine and Asli’s teenage dream. It felt like every day I was doing something for the first time; such as the novelty of drinking out of a red solo cup, going to a basketball game or the adult milestones of setting up a bank account and phone account in a new country, or learning how to use the public transport system. I’m becoming more accustomed to the novel facets of American college life and have reduced the frequency that I exclaim, “That’s so American!”

Probably the most stereotypically American meal I will consume

Transfixed by the ceiling in the Library of Congress 

"Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light..."

            I’m optimistic about the months ahead and the adventure that it will bring. I endeavour to continue keeping myself busy and attempt to make the most out of my short time here.

- Roop xx 

Moving across the puddle

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both" – Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

2015 was a year of decisions that defined me; I followed my heart on various choices and learnt how to listen to my gut. One of the decisions I was set on was the choice to study abroad for my second semester of my second year at University. I felt that I was stuck in a cyclical pattern of life back in London and wanted to experience something new. It was incredibly easy for me to latch on to my comfort zone and I was becoming determined to place myself outside of it. I began the application process in May, applying to a few Colleges in North America, and by early September I knew I was moving to Washington, D.C.

The first thing anybody asks is: “Why did you pick Washington, D.C.?” I’ve answered this question numerous times, in numerous forms. Mostly I provide the simple answer of, “I thought it would be a cool place while the electoral campaigns were going on!” My motivation for coming to Washington was more multi-faceted than this. This city is transient; everyone is simply passing through for work, education or a holiday. This fascinated me and as a History student, I wanted to go somewhere that could rival my love for London’s history. The choice therefore was glaringly obvious, when else would I get the opportunity to spend five months in this beautiful city.

- Roop xx