Taking the Tube



Before I went to Philadelphia last summer, my public transportation experience was limited to the school bus in middle school. I have lived in small towns for most of my life, so my mum would drive me to school and we would drive to the grocery store, the public library, etc. Last summer I visited Philadelphia with my grandparents and we rode the bus and the subway. I thought it was so cool because I had never experienced anything like that before. Even living in Provo, where the bus and the tracks are readily accessible to me, I still drive everywhere because it’s more convenient. In London, the only times I was ever in a car was the Uber ride to and from the airport. We rode the tube and walked for all of our transportation in the city. In fact, the first thing we received when we got to the center were our sheets and our Oyster card.



Covent Garden
One of my first times riding the Tube. 


When I tell people about my experiences during this study abroad, I mention the museums and art and Paris. I don’t automatically talk about the tube, but the tube was an integral and iconic part of this trip. I don’t think I would have received the full London experience if we had not used public transportation. The tube allowed me feel like I was more than just a tourist. So, so many people use the tube and I got to see all the people who live in London and observe their black leather jackets. Words like “Notting Hill” and “Queensway” soon began to be very familiar. The opportunity to get to the destinations by ourselves, in small groups, as opposed to all 40 of us, also enhanced my experience of navigating London.

Notting Hill





I was lucky to be with friends who were very savvy and willing to find directions and lead us places. Over time I began to memorize different places and how to get to them but I didn’t go anywhere completely by myself until last Saturday, when I went and saw the Tate Modern for the second time. It opened at 10, so I left the center that morning at 9:45 because it takes about a half hour to get there. It wasn’t too complicated because all I had to do was take the center line to St. Paul’s and walk, but it still felt liberating to know enough about London to be able to do this by myself. We were also blessed with the experience of staying for 7 weeks, so it felt like we were living there instead of just visiting. After I got lunch by myself, I was thinking about how when you visit places you’re almost never alone because you are visiting with a group of people and there’s no need to split up, but I was getting a special experience to be able to go off and do things on my own.
St. Paul's 

Found in the Tate Modern


Taking the tube also allowed me to be a lot more familiar with the different parts of London. Before this study abroad, I didn’t even know there were so many different sections of London. To me it was just London, but there are so many different parts because the city is so big. You might not think at first you learn a lot about the culture there just from the public transportation, but I learned a lot. I learned that people say “lift” instead of elevator, and I liked when I noticed my friends and myself saying “lift,” too. In the States, you kind of just stand anywhere on the escalator, but in London, you stand on the right if you’re not walking fast to leave space for those who want to walk quickly up the escalator. I also observed how people dressed when I was taking the tube. People in London love to dress really nice and wear a lot of black. They wore a lot of expensive sneakers and Doc Martens (at least I fit in that way). I also noticed how a lot of them read books on the tube and I liked that. People were really respectful of others’ space and didn’t talk to people they didn’t know very often.
On our way to Camden Market

Cassidy with a girl whose hair I want

Olivia looking a little dead



Towards the end of the trip, Nina, Emma, Olivia and I decided to get pizza by King’s Cross station. We didn’t want to pay the dine-in fee, so we decided we were going to get it and then bring it back and eat it at the center. Carrying our pizza boxes back on the tube, we got so many quizzical and dirty looks. I think it would have been more acceptable if we had been carrying them in a bag, but just carrying them out in the open, for some reason the people of London really didn’t like that. It made us laugh because we had never been so ill received by the locals before.

It was a truly a blessing to be able to stay in London. I loved visiting so many places and museums. I loved finding my way around with my friends and feeling a little bit like a Londoner.

Borough Market

China Town



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