February 18th, 2020

Having successfully navigated a trip on the tube, I walked with a pep in my step and a newfound pride in my navigating abilities. Our feet followed the pathway traced in blue dots on my phone as we practically zipped through Westminster, dashing from street to street. My eyes didn’t have enough time to take in every building, statue, and person as we walked and weaved through crowds of people in jackets, hats, and scarfs-until we stopped abruptly at a crosswalk across from the statue of Winston Churchill. This was the first moment we had slowed down since hurriedly ripping our tube cards from the card readers and rushing out onto the packed streets. At the crosswalk, protected from the wind by the masses of people huddled like penguins, I felt an overwhelming sense of fulfilling joy for just one blissful second. All I needed, wanted, or cared about was looking up at the London sky, feeling my feet rooted on London ground, and letting my fingers freeze in the London breeze as I stretched them open slightly. It was as if my body was taking all of London inside itself so as to never forget it.