Matt Ess
For the past two weeks, I’ve learned so much about London and Paris. When we first arrived in London, I could already tell I loved it there. I felt so at home without ever visited there before. The culture and the people really spoke to me. I noticed how people from Britain are much more reserved than people from the states. Not all but most of the people seemed to be this way. While riding on the tube, I expected it to be loud and almost obnoxious like it is in New York but it wasn’t at all. Everyone seemed so reserved and kept the noise to an absolute minimum. It was so nice that I really enjoyed riding the tube and wouldn’t mind at all taking it everyday. I learned that how people act in America isn’t necessarily how everyone acts around the world. I keep fixating on that because London really matches my personality. The people aren’t so opinionated and don’t let everyone in the room know how they feel.
The architecture in London is very beautiful. I could spend hours just staring and admiring its beauty. You don’t see that much in the states, so it was nice seeing different types of architecture. There was so much to do and see, I never wanted to leave. London had some amazing museums including the British Museum and the Museum of London. The British Museum was my favorite. It was a breathtaking experience seeing the real Rosetta stone. Soaking up London’s history was a real treat.
I was very impressed with the fact that Britain regulates the food the way they do. Unlike the states, there are no dyes in the food. You never have to worry about seeing Red 40 or Blue 1 and the list goes on. They are extremely unhealthy for you and shouldn’t be put in foods in the first place. There’s less than half the sugar in food and drinks than there are in the states. There was only 19 grams of sugar in a Coke in London. That’s a lot better than a Coke in the states. I also discovered that guns are not permitted in London. Some people may not agree with that, but I’ve never felt safer. Everyday in the states, you hear about a mass shooting or someone being shot. It almost makes you not want to go outside. I didn’t feel that in London, but instead a feeling of peace and a brotherhood of man and sisterhood of women.
When we first arrived in Paris, I was a little nervous about getting pick pocketed. Later on that day, I wasn’t worried anymore, but was in awe of how stunning Paris was. Like London, the architecture was magnificent. In my opinion, the people weren’t as nice as they were in London, but that didn’t bother me. I was just glad to be in the city of love. I was astonished at the fact that we got to visit the world’s largest museum, The Louvre. I could have spent a week just staring at each individual painting wondering what the artist was trying to convey. I’m so grateful that we got to see the Mona Lisa. A lot of people go through life never seeing the wonderful things we got to see at The Louvre and I’ll never forget them.
This trip definitely opened my eyes to different parts of the world. I got to see things I never thought I would see. London spoke to me and I can see myself living there in the near future. This trip taught me to take charge of my life and to not waste a second of it. Life is too short to sit around in the same place all the time. There’s so much to see and so little time.
