Reflection - One Month In

I've been in London for just over a month now (Since Jan 18th), and it's incredible how fast the time has flown by.
When I first landed, I was staying in a hostel with a multitude of international travelers. Every night, I would hang out in the lounge area and chat with people from Australia and Brazil and all over the world. We could bond over the fact that we were all out of our element, and could ask "stupid" questions about the area. I remember that one Australian I met was looking for a job, and was wondering if I had any input about where and how to look. I had been in the country for a total of 18 hours, and I was "more experienced" than he was. The impermanence travel brings makes people much more open and willing to talk.
Later in the week, after everyone else in the Maryland program flew in, I was glad to have people I knew, or at least had a stronger connection to, to talk to. I could bond about the specific difference of American and English culture. There was a sense of familiarity, and we all huddled together to face the strange, unknown world of London.
At this point, I long for more. I enjoy being with Maryland friends, and I can tell that after this trip is over, those friendships will carry on. However, I haven't done enough exploration on my own yet. In my classes, they are predominantly Maryland students, so I struggle to find people of my age to branch out to.

My excursion last week was precisely what I needed. The night before, I was anticipating a horrible time, the weather forecast called for rain, and the departure time seemed so early for a Saturday morning. But as I continued to think about it, I realized that I was aching to move about. When I move about on weekends in London, I primarily hit the highlights -museums, and tourist attractions. I love seeing them, but it's not the true culture of London. (Ironic - I avoided it this weekend by going on a tour.)
Being able to take a bus around the countryside of England with tourists from other parts of the world was exciting. The locations were gorgeous, and I even imagined coming back to live in Bath (if only I had the money and flexibility!) later. But the real thrill for me was sitting next to an mid-20s Australian guy. He was working in London at PWC, and had his own experiences in the city. I could talk to him both about what his home in Australia was like, what he did in the London, and what he wanted to do.
In comparison, with my Maryland friends, I know where they're from, what they do - they're with me when they do it, and we make plans for the future together as well.

I can't wait for this weekend, I'm going on my first official trip with the Hiking Club from UCL to Waltham Abbey for a nice 7 mile stroll on Sunday. The last two weekends have really opened my eyes to how much country-exploring and culture-embracing I want need to do.