A Love Letter To London

If I were a musically gifted person, I would write my feelings for you into a song because you deserve magnificent melodies, but nonetheless consider these words my love song to you London.

How do you repay someone for restoring you? You simply cannot. The only thing I can do is express my most sincere gratitude for your many wonders.

Whether it was a sensational first bite of Indian food on Brick Lane, or the subtly hypnotizing music found in every Underground station, London, you have given me something to look forward to every single day. Before I arrived here, I struggled to find a reason to smile, but since I have landed on your steady ground, I have no reason to not smile.

You have beauty in every crevice of your existence. From handsome parks booming with life to street corners full of adventure and opportunity, I have fallen in love with your large array of interests and your effortless charm.

I remember the butterflies fluttering in my stomach the first time I set eyes on Ben. I was captured by his massive presence. It just goes to show that even a million pictures of something cannot compare to the beauty of the real thing.

I remember the tears I shed in Shakespeare’s Globe when the actors stepped on stage to perform the opening scene. It had been a dream of mine for so long; I could not help but weep tears of joy at the realization that my dreams had become a reality. I was standing in the midst of history; in fact I was often placed in the middle of a historically significant location, which is something I truly respected and admired throughout my days.

London, you’ve introduced me to a whole new culture. You turned me into a disgruntled Londoner. I found myself getting annoyed by tourists on the streets who seemed to have forgotten how to walk and grinding my teeth in pessimism when some bloody person began to talk on the phone while riding the tube. I never knew I had this fiery energy inside of me. Thank you for allowing and even welcoming me to outwardly express whatever I please.

In your little pubs, I found warmth and comfort. Their home cooked food and rustic atmosphere left me craving more every time. Trying flavor after flavor of cider, I even grew to appreciate the burning sensation of your insidious liquid as it was pressed against my smiling lips.

Walking down the streets in my final days here, I take in the familiar aroma of your smoke-filled and hazy air, both remembering my initial distaste for it and feeling hopelessly nostalgic at the same time.

The gray skies fill my heart with joy. Their mystery and foggy persistence never ceases to inspire me. I welcome the inevitable fall of rain as I walk through the streets unprepared with nothing but a light sweater to shield me from your droplets.

You will never know what you’ve done for me. You have made me incredibly uncomfortable, turned me into a complete outsider, drained my wallet with your currency system, tested me with your dry humour and confused me by your unnecessary “u’s in your words, but I fell in love with you just the same. You gave me a spring in my step, inspired me to be artistic, introduced me to a world beyond the bubble that I had attached myself to and for that I can never truly repay you.

Here’s to the nights I couldn’t fall asleep, listening to the drunken songs of the South Kensington streets. Here’s to the severely underrated pastries you possess. Here’s to the beautiful strangers I met the gaze of on the train. Here’s to the architecture that took my breath away time and time again. Here’s to you London.

So thank you. I will never forget this amazing time that we spent together. You helped put the spark back into my eyes and I will return home with a new sense of accomplishment and pride. I am so lucky to have been able to call you home, if only for a matter of months. My heart has been sewn together with the Union Jack and a part of me will remain in this beautiful city forever.

So it is with a drawn out sigh and the phrase “Mind the gap” ringing in my heart that I at last leave you. It’s been brilliant.

Until next time, London.