Sweating and Reflecting in one of London’s Finest Parks
1:31 PM
Today marks my 267th day of living in London, and
4th day before I leave. The idea of
leaving London is a little bit unbelievable—actually, the fact that I have
gotten so habituated and have become almost a “local” in a city like this is
the unbelievable part of the situation. Regardless, it’s a sad departure,
something that as of recently I’ve realized I’m not particularly ready for.
An unexpected situation forced me to get out of bed this
morning and go outside for a brief second. With the stress produced by the end of the academic semester: finals, moving out, figuring out travel, etc., I’ve been too busy to notice the surprisingly favorable weather that London’s been having these past few days. The city has ditched the gloom and adopted the sweet smell of spring with a delicate warmth and promising blue skies.
When I encountered the sun, I decided studying for finals could wait a few hours. I thought it would be a great idea to dirt up those Nikes that have been hidden under my bed, rock the spandex for a while and go out for a run. London’s parks are probably some of the most amazing pieces of constructed landscape I have ever witnessed, my favorite one is Regent’s Park.
Regents Park is like the British version of Central Park but 100 times better. There is biking, football (soccer) fields, lacrosse, runners, yogis, walkers, hikers, families, cute couples, English breakfasts, gardens, and there’s even a zoo in there. I walked to Regents Park and then attempted to run for a little bit. Admittedly, I am a terrible athletic person, my attempts are genuine and full of motive but the execution is just not the prettiest thing to watch. So I found a space that was surrounded by trees that almost created a type of room with walls of overlapping branches. As I was lying there, secluded from the rest of the crowd, I could stare up at the blue sky and the tree’s leaves and take a minute to reflect.
The reason I’m not ready to leave London is that I could never take enough time to fully absorb all of the things it has to offer. There are many things that make London great, but the greatest one is the effect it has on the people that inhabit it. It has an effect of making you feel like you are participating in the making of history just by walking through its narrow streets. Never has a city been so historic yet so modern-thinking and evolutionary. It’s a city that thrives on young people and is ruled by the old and elite, a city that embraces diversity and awards you experience. Every step in London is a learning opportunity. From bricks that have existed since the 15th century, to halls and rooms that housed the most influential people in history, or for being a shelf of the most quoted literature ever.
It is popular consensus that London is awesome, so I don’t even have to make a case for that. But London makes people awesome too. It brings in millions of millennials who are looking for ways of defining themselves, and then throws them out armed with all the knowledge of self-discovery and awareness that they can possibly afford. It’s like a slap in the face telling you that you are independent, self governable—and if you are not, that London will make you that way.
After my escapade into the tree nook, I went out to walk around the perimeter of the park. I kept encountering all these metaphors during the walk. The multiplicity of greenery against the background of a city skyline; people feeding ducks in a constructed canal; the complexity of the flower gardens and the colors of the flower beds that changed with the seasons; all these things were alluding to the fact that London is only so great because of what the powerful people in it have made of it. I wasn’t sure what it was that I had contributed to this illustrious city, and I wasn’t ready to leave it before I did.
I was ready to leave the park though; my body had given all that it would give after that last squat so I decided to put it to rest.
With the philosophical mood I had set at the park, I headed back home. Recognizing through each of the streets I crossed, all the things London had to offer me. Everything I’d ever wanted was given to me on a silver platter here: independence, freedom, an excellent public transportation system, great Indian food, reliable networks, interesting people, a change in the seasons, the list is endless.
Maybe I hadn’t gathered the courage or the ability to offer anything back to this city, but I have a feeling I will eventually find my way back here to pay my dues. In the meantime, I give London my complete admiration, absolute gratitude, and utmost respect. I say adiós temporarily to one of the greatest places I’ve ever called home—with love, me.
Now I’m in serious need of a shower, I really did work out a sweat.
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