London/England

I spent summer 2019 in London and some of 2020 exploring Cambridge and other parts of England. Having lived in the outskirts of London for 2 years when I was younger, I knew London as Hamleys and the place where Mary Poppins came to life on stage. This time, London was so much more. It was a place where eating out meant traveling the world with each plate, where I paid to see art with time not money, where friends from childhood became adults with jobs, and where the rest of the world felt so close because of the 5 languages I'd hear on a 10-minute tube ride. The city was simultaneously old and new to me, and revisiting it was a childhood adventure seeping into a still very new adulthood. Stepping outside of London, I also learned how London is not England, just as New York City is not the United States. And so, here are some moments that to me represent London, England along with some that represent London vs. England.