England: Natalie Elliott (Participant-Observation)

Program: UW Global Launch in London

On a Thursday afternoon, as I was taking refuge from a crowded, bustling Oxford Street, I found myself in an equally hectic Leon. I’d been craving their gluten free chicken nuggets since I moved in to Metrogate House, but had been firmly denying myself from spending money on fast food up until that day. The object of this engagement entry was to observe a location, and I knew that I wanted to choose a place that wasn’t within a ten minute walk of my flat.

Oxford Street is, to put it plainly, crazy. There is no simple way to describe it, and as much as I could try and put the feeling into words, there is no manner of explaining it until you are actually in it. That’s why I decided to stop into Leon, in hopes that there was something I could capture in words. Additionally, hungry people are often more interesting people, or at least I feel that’s true in my case.

At this specific shop, there was some outdoor space that offered a view of the road and a place for the stylish French couple sitting near the door to blow their smoke into my face as I walked in. There was limited seating inside, and what dominated the space was the group of people standing next to the counter waiting for their orders.

I shuffled around a middle-aged British man who was speaking into his phone and wearing a New York Yankees hat. I had increasingly begun to notice just how many little bits of America seeped into my everyday life, even when I was on the other side of the ocean. Besides football shirts, baseball caps were very prominent in London. I’d yet to see my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, but I was still holding out.

I made it over to the electronic kiosk to place my order and secured an order of chicken nuggets. In London, it is common for small restaurants to charge more if you decide to dine-in. I sacrificed a few extra pounds to be able to sit down, something that wasn’t really common in the states. I glanced over at the three small tables on the right side of the restaurant and saw that one was empty, which I found strange considering there were so many people waiting for their food. I weaved carefully around the other customers and made it to the table, setting down my tote bag that contained my notebook, umbrella, and wallet. The last two were what I deemed ‘essentials’  three weeks into living in London.

I slid into the bench seat and looked up at the screen that was displaying order numbers, and began my time there. I sat in that Leon for the better part of two hours, only getting up once to grab my food. For the remaining time, I sat and watched.

I observed busy people on their lunch break tap their feet impatiently and cross their arms as they glared at the workers. I wondered why they were in such a rush, which important meeting were they about to be late for? I think of my dad, who always goes out for lunch when he has a break in his corporate day, and I wonder if he is ever this bad at planning.

I discretely giggled with teenage girls as they gossiped with each other over chicken satay wraps and raspberry lemonade. It reminds me of my days in high school, sitting at the cafeteria eating school food and laughing about something funny our history teacher said.

The woman next to me had her laptop out and was typing furiously for about a half hour, but I didn’t have much luck figuring out what she was writing. Sometimes, when you’re people-watching, it’s more fun to make up a story for someone, so I decided she was writing an angry letter of complaint to the catering company for her failed event.

London is finally starting to feel like home, but there is still so much for me to learn. It is so full of life- a living, breathing haven of adventure and experiences waiting to shape the person I turn out to be. Everyday, I walk by thousands of people whose names I will never learn, but whose lives are intertwined with mine in the smallest way. That is something that I think is beautiful, and the reason why I love London.