I’ve
faced a few dilemmas in my first week in London, the biggest of which have been
whether to renew my subscription to the New York Times and whether to sign up
for a gym membership. My parents graciously got me a subscription for my
birthday this summer, which unfortunately expired one week before leaving on
the phone. I figured I’d stretch out my ten free articles for as long as
possible, and then save my money to pick up a subscription here. I ran out of
articles after two days. So, after talking with my boss and an English friend
(and some of my own research, of course) I decided to follow the Guardian, a
left-leaning “broadsheet” here with a free website. I’ve been really impressed
with its articles and analysis (some of my Facebook friends may have noticed my
occasional Guardian postings over the last few days), and I’ve used the
Guardian to follow much of the Algerian hostage crisis and EU referendum
fiasco. But I still missed waking up with Paul Krugman, Nate Silver, Nick
Kristof, et al, and once the President came out with his gun safety initiative,
I gave in to Mr. Sulzberger & co and purchased a subscription for another
year. While I would have liked the experience of seeing the world solely
through British eyes, I figure I’m enough of a political junkie to keep up with
both the Guardian and the New York Times during the semester.
As
for the gym membership, I’d been going back and forth between paying 100 pounds
to get access to the YMCA gym for three months and running regularly. I don’t
run much, but I’ve learned to enjoy it ever since I started crushing on a
runner in high school (I’m sorry to say that that tactic failed). After
experiencing the London cold for a few days, and realizing that I could hardly
be outside for more than 15 minutes at a time, I talked with my parents earlier
in the week and resigned myself to sign up at the YMCA on Friday. Yet before I
left, I decided that I might as well give running a shot—if I hated it or got
too cold, I could just come back and sign up later. So I layered up, strapped
on my Vibram toe-shoes, and ventured out into the cold. What followed was one
of the coolest runs I’ve taken. I hardly felt the cold and ran all the way up
to Regents Park, a gargantuan public park in Northwest London. Walking around
the perfectly-manicured trees, I realized that this is what studying abroad is
really about: stepping out of my comfort zone (in this case, buildings with
central heating) and doing something that may not turn out well. I wasn’t going
to cocoon myself in the gym anymore—it’s going to be way too much fun to
explore the parks and sites of London on foot. The runs might be scary at
first, but if they work out, this ethereal London world may become a little
less daunting.
So
if these dilemmas tested my willingness to integrate myself into British
culture, I guess ended up a bit split. I couldn’t tear myself from the
American-based newspaper I’ve grown to love, but I avoided the allure of the
all-too-American gym and made a commitment to exploring the city outside. All
bets are off, though, once I start my internship on Monday.
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