Traveling With Strangers

from The London Review 2023

Who Are The London Reviewers

By Ladazhia Taylor

Who would have known that traveling with strangers would have been one of the best ways for me to learn about another culture and about myself as well? I found this out only recently, because for the first time in my college journey, I decided to take a leap massive enough to land me in London.

Leading up to the trip, I researched the city A LOT. I watched TikTok and YouTube videos daily, and this helped me get more familiar with London’s vibe. By the end of this research, I had an itinerary so jam-packed that there was no time in between sights for me to take naps or for me to fit in impromptu activities. Additionally, I felt that I knew all there was to see in London.

During the classes before the trip, I found myself gravitating towards the things and to the people that I was used to. I didn’t necessarily want to step out of my comfort zone too much ( I mean, I was already going to a new country!), so I attempted to stick with what I knew. With this being said, I didn’t make many personal connections with my classmates before our journey. I instead observed the different perspectives and personalities from a distance.

Once we got to London, though, the dynamics began to change. My classmates would send their daily itinerary to the group, which began to pique my interest. I still had my packed schedule, so I just listened to my classmates rave about fun sights.

On the first day, I took a solo trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum near our hotel. I knew that I had a lot of ground to cover, and I didn’t want to bother anyone to come along. It didn’t take very long for me to realize that I wasn’t a museum fanatic. With this being said, I didn’t have a super great time looking at the sculptures. I could appreciate it, though. I ended up walking around V&A for about 30 minutes, many of those spent on my phone. I left the space feeling a little underwhelmed.

Two days later, I continued to go on solo adventures, but in the midst, I overheard Jill talking about what a great experience she had at the V&A. I had a hard time believing that we could have had two entirely different experiences at the same place. “You went to the V&A?” I asked. Jill’s response was so enthusiastic. She talked to me about the African fashion exhibit as well as the jewelry collection. After speaking to Jill, I felt that we saw two different museums, and I wanted to experience it in the same way she did.

On that same day I revisited the museum and I made sure to seek out every room of possible interest to me. With a nowopen mind, I too was able to fall in love with the jewelry exhibit. There were two floors filled with sparkling jewels and there was a spiral staircase in the middle of the room. The lights were dim, so the diamonds grabbed my attention. In one section of the exhibit there was a spiral of more than 50 bright gemstones, in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. On the opposite side of the room sat a few crowns and even some diamond-encrusted swords. The exhibit was exquisite, and I was only able to witness it after being open to someone else’s perspective. This was interesting to notice, as I am usually not easily moved by persuasion.

All in all, this article is a nod to solo experiences, but truly emphasizes the importance of being open-minded. It didn’t take long for me to ditch the point-by-point itinerary that I had in the beginning and to start living in the moment with the group. I had a few more moments like this one, where I had a different solo experience than I had with the group, and I think this added some razzle-dazzle to my week in London! Thank you, London Review Crew 2023 for making my London experience so amazing! Mind the gap, these strangers quickly turned into friends.

What’s the weirdest lingo you encountered?

“Mind your back”. Apparently this means “behind you, watch out.”

Two Truths And A Lie

1. I watched the Kansas Jayhawks win the March Madness tournament.

2. I went to Dopamine Land and felt true dopamine.

3. I saw an alien and gave them a high five in Camden Town. See

Lucas is a freshman biology major on a pre-med track with a journalism minor. He is from Springfield, Missouri, enjoys reading, and being active. His favorite part of visiting England was visiting Oxford.