“By the end of the night, we were exhausted but both agreed that it was one of the best days we’d had so far.”
My name is Tyrese Shaffer, and I’m a senior Communication major at USC. Before I started college, I decided I would apply to a study abroad program. Even though I had the choice to go to London or Rome for my junior spring semester, there was never a real question of where I would choose. Being in London was a lifelong dream for me. Ever since I was a kid, I listened to British bands and singers and watched British TV shows. I was obsessed with the Royal Family (and still am), and I was beyond excited when Prince George was born on my birthday. Being able to finally be surrounded by the culture I grew up adoring was unreal.
Tower Bridge, Left to Right: Terrell Shaffer, Tyrese Shaffer
I’ll admit it was an adjustment though. A California boy born and raised, I was used to sunny skies and warm weather even in the middle of winter. I had never been more than an hour away from home, as I had made the short trip from Orange County to go to USC. Everything I knew was in Southern California. The only reminder of home was my twin brother, who also studies Communication at USC and decided to study abroad in London as well. Before our trip abroad, we were both used to staying in our comfort zones and rarely ventured out to explore new places.
Afternoon Tea at the British Museum
Knowing this would be a unique opportunity to live in a vibrant city with minimal responsibilities, I decided to push my own boundaries and explore as much of London and the United Kingdom as I could. I challenged myself to visit one new place every day, whether that was a coffee shop down the street or a museum I hadn’t yet visited. I kept track of all the places I visited using Google Maps. I was amazed, as weeks went by, at how much I had done in such a short time. Each place I went to was a new memory of London. I was able to see it as so much more than the city I had imagined while growing up. I was able to immerse myself deeper into the culture and even make trips to other parts of the UK.
My favorite trip outside of London was to Bristol in West England. My favorite singer was having a concert on a Saturday night, and I figured it would be the perfect time to finally see a city other than the capital. My brother and I made the short train trip on Friday night, and spent all of Saturday exploring the city. We walked up and down hills and all around the city through intermittent rain showers. We saw the zoo, a famous observatory, suspension bridge, and finally made our way to the hilltop Cabot Tower. Through the wet and windy trek, we managed to see most of the city’s sights in a single day and make it back to our hotel before the concert started. By the end of the night, we were exhausted but both agreed that it was one of the best days we’d had so far. This trip was completely different and so much better than any I’d ever taken. Usually I would sit in a hotel room all day and relax while I waited for the concert to start at night. Instead, I pushed myself to walk the entire city and use every minute of that day to get the most out of the experience.
Buckingham Palace, London
Cabot Tower in Bristol, UK
Lennon Stella in Bristol, UK
Trying so many new things while abroad was so out of character, but it also helped me grow and really see what types of things I’d been missing out on. I walked through more museums than I had ever been to and tried all kinds of food that I never would have at home. I was a new person. With each experience, I was given a more diverse perspective of the world outside of my Southern California bubble. I understood more clearly the importance of being open to new things. Now that I’m back at school, I take every chance I get to see different parts of Los Angeles (safely, of course). It may have taken me a trip across the pond to start exploring, but after visiting London I don’t think I can ever stop.