Arcadia England

As many of the staff who work at the Arcadia London Center have studied abroad themselves, we understand what it's like to leave a city that you have loved so much once the semester is over. You become attached to the people, the culture, and the lifestyle - despite any initial feelings of culture shock! We hope that our students this semester have enjoyed their time in England, whether they were studying with us at the London Center or at one of our partner universities. 

One of our students, Jade Harrell, a Xavier University Ohio student, had to write a love letter to London as a part of a class assessment, and we felt it was definitely an apt way to wrap up the semester on the blog. Thank you to Jade for letting us post it! 

Dear London

I remember when we first met and the time of our meeting will never be forgotten. I was just a nineteen year old girl from the United States. I came from nothing, but a small town in Ohio by the name of Wilmington. A town filled with fields of corn and old farm houses. Never would I have imagined leaving such a place that I called home. I would have never imagined that I would have met you. Yet here I am now, writing a letter of thank you and goodbyes. It is surreal to me that we even crossed paths and I am thankful for every second that I have been able to spend with you in the last several months. My time with you was short, yet it was the most memorable time of my life. You have done so much for me since I have been here. You have made me the person I have always wanted to be. You accepted me more than any other human has in my life. You greeted me with open arms, ready to break my heart; make me cry; make me laugh; show me love; give me strength; give me confidence; introduce me to new friends; enlighten me. Thank you, for being my mentor and helping me grow and mature beyond words. Thank you, for making my ex-boyfriend break my heart, then stealing my phone away from me for a whole month.  Thank you, for chopping my hair off, then teaching me how to love myself and encouraging me to be myself. You gave me the best gift. The gift of a thousand stories to tell one day and the countless adventures that you only get to dream about as a child. When I was at my worst in life, you held me tight like a mother does with her weeping child. After years of dealing with depression and anxiety, for the first time in my life, I am able to say I am at a point of eudemonia; a point of full potential happiness. You taught me how to love life and cherish every second of it. You taught me how to love, whether the love is for a person, place or just a simple thing. Most importantly, you taught me how to love my life.

Leaving you, I now know that I love who I am. I now know how to just enjoy my life and live in the moment. I have learned how to stop in that coffee shop I pass by every day, and have my routine coffee and game of backgammon. I have learned how to reach my hand out to strangers and start with “Hello, my name is Jade… and yours?” I have learned how to take out my headphones and just enjoy the sounds of either a busy city, or the passing conversations in a small town. My favorite lesson, has been just to sometimes go for it. To stop questioning and second guessing things that seem like the beginning of a new adventure; another story waiting to be told. I cannot believe that our time is coming to an end in only two more weeks.

London, how many hearts have you taken and how many have you broken? Do you miss the many souls that meet you then leave? I know that in the end, I have fallen for the city, the place of many mysteries that you are. I never thought I would be sitting here crying, fearful that this will be our last time together. It may not be, and one day, we might be together until death do us part. Until then, London, know that I love you and I thank you for giving me a place on this beautiful earth to call home. I hope this is not a goodbye, but a see you soon. You will forever and always have a part of my heart and be a big part of my life. Here is to you, London. A city I will never forget.

Love,

An American girl who loves you dearly… Jade Harrell

To any students who are taking their break up with London similarly hard, don't forget that you can still follow our adventures on Instagram and Facebook. Don't be afraid to let us know how you're getting on back in the US - we love hearing from our Alumni!