London Calling

By Julia
Istanbul, Turkey

  It doesn't take two months of roughing it in Central America to make you realize London is the world's most refined city, but it certainly magnifies the fact.  Somewhere in between taking in a West End production of Billy Elliot, admiring original Turners at the Tate Britain and sipping high tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury, it had to be admitted that we were behaving quite cultured for people who just days before thought discovering an October 2004 issue of InTouch magazine to be the absolute pinnacle of modern civilization.  As a side note, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were on the cover of the magazine with the caption, "Could it Be Over???"

  Many Brits complain about the ills of Londontown: The traffic!  The expense!  The delays on the tube after someone falls on the tracks!  Let me reassure you: if you are just coming from Nicaragua, none of this will be of note.  You will only notice that hot water springs from the taps, the salads won't give you deadly amoebas and the clear signage. You will stare for long, blissful moments at the magical machine that tells you with astonishing precision when the next train is coming and where it is headed.

   Rediscovering the small, comfortable details of Western life is one of the bonuses of travel to distant, different lands.  All of a sudden the convenience of being able to put your toilet paper directly in the toilet rather than a trash bin makes your heart swell with appreciation.  I believe this is one of the many reasons why travel to developing countries is important for young people.  The niceties that we take for granted are acknowledged for the first time and finally appreciated.  Of course the most meaningful discovery is that despite the differences in clothing and custom, all people live shockingly similar lives that revolve around the importance of family, friends and children.  I have also discovered that teenagers in Tanzania, England and Nicaragua all treated me with the same degree of slightly irritated disregard.  This I find somehow comforting.

   Since Tom speaks Spanish and has traveled extensively in Costa Rica, he was our resident expert during the Central America leg.  After two months of me tugging at his arm and saying things like, "Can you ask that woman over there if we can attend her daughter's wedding?", Tom was more than happy to hand the reins over to me.  I spent my first semester of college in London and was eager to show Tom my adopted hometown.

  Over our four days in Britain, we unabashedly embraced London and all its hedonistic pleasures.  Tom hunted high and low for good beer, eventually finding some brews to his liking at the Belgo in Covent Garden.  Meanwhile, I desired an orgy of bite-sized tea time treats, which we found at Bea's.

Belgium Beer at Belgo's

Afternoon Tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury

Heaven!

  After spending the trip up until now on our own, it was amazing to see so many family and friends this week. During our stop over in New Jersey, we spent time with my parents and sister as well as our favorite pup, Sylvester.  In London, we were graciously hosted by Doug Henderson, who showed us into his family's gorgeous flat and let us hang out with him.  I was also able to see some ex-volunteers who were with me in Tanzania.  A big thanks to Lola, Vicky, Sam, Emmy and Lucy for making the effort to see us while we were in town!

  We are now in Istanbul and about to dive head-first into the Turkish experience.  We leave tonight on an overnight train to Cappadocia, a region famous for its unique stone structures (only pictures can explain).  More soon!

Also, a very Happy Birthday to my mom, Catherine Drake, who is turning 30 for the 23rd time tomorrow!