Indiana University

Indiana University School of Journalism

Summer in London:
Winding down, returning home

Thirteen honors students from the School of Journalism are spending their summer in London, working in British media and studying British culture.

Winding down, returning home

June 25, 2008
Nicole St. Pierre

Clare Krusing, Nicole St. Pierre
Courtesy photo
Nicole St. Pierre (right) isn’t sure she’s ready to trade this London street for a bagel shop in Michigan, her next stop. As for Clare Krusing (left), she’s already told her parents she wants a flat in Kensington.
Last week I was ready to go home. I was ready to tan my skin (the only thing it’s been exposed to is British gloom), buy things without being plagued by a weak dollar and see my boyfriend, family and friends instead of hearing their far-away voices over Skype.

But yesterday an image flashed through my head: driving home to Michigan on the not-so-scenic Ind. 37 and through the flat fields of Indiana. That’s when I panicked.

I have been living in a cosmopolitan city with limitless things to do and see, eat and drink, every day of the week. The tube painlessly (except during crowded rush hours) takes me everywhere I want to go in London. My work at Crimestoppers has only gotten more exciting and busy as the weeks have gone on. And I’m going home to a job smearing bagels with cream cheese.

It’s going to be an adjustment.

I’ve been thinking about my feelings about British life and wondering why I just say “good” or “great” when someone asks me how I’m enjoying London. Aren’t I having an amazing time? Why can’t I describe how London is?

I’ve realized that it has been the individual experiences — meeting friends to relax in Green Park after work, attending a jewellery event at the Tower of London, seeing Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House, having my breath taken away by Big Ben at night and the countryside outside of London — that have come together to make me fall in love with this city. That’s why “good” or “great” doesn’t capture it. One, three, five or even 20 words can’t explain my life here.

Since I made this realization, my panicky feeling has only grown. Going back home is going to be an adjustment.