England: Liana Lima (Participant-Observation)
Participant-Observation
Within my first week in London, I visited Kensington Gardens four times, and already know that I’ll be spending much of my time there in the coming months. I first stumbled upon the gardens by accident, when the grand Albert Memorial caught the eyes of my friend and I on our way back from Hyde Park. With its towering height and intricate gold embellishments, we couldn’t help but stop and admire its beauty.
A few days later, a few friends and I decided to explore the park a bit more in-depth before sitting down to journal and study. The more I explored the gardens on my frequent visits I realized that I’d briefly been there before on a family vacation. One thing that struck me after this realization is how different an experience of a location can be depending on the context. For example, on my rushed, touristy, vacation while I was able to see the external beauty, I didn’t have time to absorb the true life and joy inside the park.
With this newfound time, I have been able to not just experience but also observe and see the utter joy of humanity within the park. I’ve spied tourists taking in the beautiful space for the first time, local families chasing rambunctious children through the grounds, and best friends laughing until their chests hurt on the benches that line the pavement path. I have been able to see the grounds providing a space for like-minded people brought together through clubs, friendly volleyball competitions on a rare sunny day, children clumsily learning to roller skate, and young people falling in love. As I continue to see little snippets of life all around me during each visit, I’ve come to realize that Kensington Gardens is more than just a place of history and monuments, it’s an escape from city life and a home away from home.
Liana Lima
Major: Psychology or Communications
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Choosing to go abroad my first year of college was a big step, but I’m hoping that this experience will provide me opportunities to expand my views of global issues and ways of life while also helping me in my journey of discovering myself and what I would potentially want to pursue when I return home.
What do you most look forward to learning about London?
With Britain’s film industry on the rise, I’m ecstatic to continue learning about my passion for film and see how British media, film, television, and programming, such as BBC, impacts Britain as a whole. I absolutely can’t wait to see what it’s like to spend a year abroad and want to explore as many different cultures and opportunities as possible.