Trying to put the cultural and visual experience I had in London into a small blog post is nearly impossible. All the fish and chips, architecture, coffees, small streets, busy schedules, record stores, new friends, old friends in new places, stories, museums, art, tube stops, the list can go on forever. All I can say is London is a city full of...
So instead of glazing over my entire time, I'd rather focus on one cultural experience I had that blew me away on a wednesday night...
To really experience a new culture, it is crucial to spend at least a few hours on
your own wandering the streets. The city unfolds in front of you as you take the time to notice everything. I was taking photos and decided to venture down a strange alley half taken by construction. I was a bit weary at first, but as I ventured a bit deeper, I started to hear ukuleles. And as I got closer I began to see a back alley pub front courtyard covered in people playing ukuleles. I was a bit confused still and decided to head in. I saw a girl walk past me with her ukulele headed towards stairs to the basement and into the noise of many. I looked around me for a second, and then decided to follow the ukuleles. As I slowly took each step, not knowing where I was going, a sense of calmness overcame me. When I reached the bottom, I looked around and realized I had stumbled across a ukulele 'jam'. Behind every ukulele was a face glowing with good times as it sang at the top of its lungs to classic songs like 'Brown Eyed Girl' and 'Bad Moon Rising'. I immediately became a fly on the wall and caught the glow on their faces into my own. There were players from every age range, every walk of life, coming together in a basement of a pub to just play their ukuleles. I'd never seen anything like it. I couldn't help but sit there for a few hours happily observing the connection they all had with one another. The feeling of the whole scene, the joy in everyone's faces, was an awe inspiring scene from such a small unexpected group. Something I would have never experienced or seen if I hadn't have wandered off with the intention of just experiencing the city. I travel often, and I have always found the best experiences one can have is to just get lost and immerse yourself in your surroundings with an open mind. There is no other way to truly experience a new place.
That night was honestly one of the best I've had in the past ten years, and was a taste of London culture I never expected to find.
The outside world is a wonderful place if you take the time to see it.
Alex Kuhse
Graphic Design
Woodbury University
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