An ode to instant communication

It's officially a month since I've been away from London. The month has been punctuated with multiple texts and calls across the Atlantic. The pixels of my face are decoded and streamed across the ocean, delivered to the screens that are held in the hands of my nearest and dearest, just as I receive the images of their wonderful faces. Without the ability to do this, I would miss my family and friends an unfathomable amount. 

Before I left for the US, I was sat surrounded by piles of clothes I needed to fold up and take with me, and Adele's Hometown Glory started playing from my playlist. She sings "the people I've met are the wonders of my world", the lyrics felt so profound in that moment. 

Oh the people I've met are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of this world. 

Her lyrics flooded me with appreciation for the people in my life and as I emerged from this appreciation to take some air, I was hit with the fear of being alone in a place without them all. My excitement for my semester abroad was momentarily knocked out by fear. 

          In some sense, my fear was not misplaced. Moving away can pull the common ground that you are stood on with some of your friends from under your feet, you're left plummeting into an unfamiliar space  where both parties are at a loss of what to say. However, I largely had no reason for my fear. For those who matter, nothing has changed at all. I can pick up my phone and the distance between us dissipates. 

I've been able to have lunch with my sister numerous times (although Jevan is usually eating dinner when it is lunch time here). We pretty much talk constantly, on every form of communication that may exist because I would be at a complete loss on how to function if I don't speak to my sister everyday. We simultaneously snapchat, text, FaceTime and write letters to each other - this may or may not be a slight exaggeration. I talk to my best friends all the time and sometimes I feel like they're here with me. I've even been able to go grocery shopping with my best friend. Serena patiently waited for me to pay and then I carried her home as I juggled my Whole Foods bags in one hand and my phone in the other. 

I feel like my life is moving at 100mph here and I've been able to keep my loved ones in the loop thanks to Skype, FaceTime, Messaging and the unsung hero that is Oovoo (it's a group video calling app that has been amazing for the girls and I). I understand the complaints that perhaps our generation is far too attached to our devices, we're cuffed to our phones and chained to our computers. Yet, this attachment has emancipated me from the weight of homesickness that I had anticipated. I am truly thankful that I have been able to be so connected to everyone back home, so thankful that I could sing an ode to instant communication. 

- Roop xx

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