Experiencing London, on my own
When I took my first Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instrument to learn more about my personality, the result told me that my personality type is INFP: Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Perception. And, I agree that I am a total introvert.
Growing up, I enjoyed going out with my friends and spending time with people that I am close to. However, I was always tired and burnt out when I got back home at the end of the day. It is definitely not that my friends drained my energy, but I am more stable and recharge when I am alone. Knowing that I am the definition of an introvert, I was worried that I would not be able to explore London alone. But, shortly, I realized that it actually may be better to be an introvert to explore new places.
On the second Saturday of my Dialogue in London, I woke up to my alarm at nine in the morning, took a shower, wore the most summer looking clothes that I had, and headed to the London SEALIFE aquarium. Just to clarify, I went alone. Entering the ticket booth, I punched in my reservation confirmation number to claim the ticket that I bought online with the London Eye set promotion deal. After printing out my ticket, I joined the line, initially feeling very awkward with hundreds of kindergarteners surrounding me. As I entered the tunnel that led me to a shark tank, I began to feel comfortable being a solo college student in an aquarium full of kids under the age of ten. Feeling belonged in the aquarium, I was not less excited than the kids half of my age. Walking around and taking photos, I felt free and independent. After exploring for about an hour, I decided to take a break. Sitting in front of the penguin exhibit, I noticed that a lot of people, mostly adults with strollers, were on their phones waiting for their companies to finish taking pictures. Seeing numbers of people tired of waiting for their companies, I, who was alone, began to appreciate the fact that I visited this aquarium by myself.
Leaving the SEALIFE aquarium after spending three hours trying to get the perfect picture of a turtle, I headed to the River Thames. With my favorite black trainers on, I was ready to join other tourists taking a nice walk along the River Thames. Seeing a clear blue sky with the perfect amount of clouds, I took out my phone again and started taking pictures without feeling bad about people waiting for me; remember I was by myself. River Thames on a sunny day was the perfect spot to take photos, and although I did end up getting a huge sunburn on my neck, it was worth it for the photos that I took.
Passing by the Tower Bridge after walking for an hour or two, I decided to rest my legs at Starbucks; after multiple disappointments at Costa and Pret Coffee, I decided to play it safe and get drinks from Starbucks. With my order of Grande Green Tea Frappuccino with warmed up chocolate croissant, I turned on my iPad to edit the photos I took at the aquarium and along the River Thames. After spending a good amount of time at Starbucks, I decided to actually cross the Tower Bridge.
Walking up the stairs of the Tower Bridge, I knew that it was going to be very crowded seeing the number of people walking in front of me. When I saw the bridge after the stairs, I could not hold in my amazement. When I got to the middle of the bridge, the Tower Bridge staffs with yellow vests stopped me and told me to stand behind the lines. At first, I thought I was in trouble, but when they smiled at me and told me that they had to lift the bridge for a ship to pass; I still cannot forget how they tried to use body language to explain thinking that I could not understand English. When the bridge was finally lifted, everyone that was waiting behind the line took out their phones and cameras to capture the moment; I thought the Tower Bridge Lift was a rare event at the time, but when I Googled it at home, the bridge lifts around 777 times a year, which is about twice a day. When the bridge was down after the ship has passed, I decided to leave the bridge for the highlight of the day, the London Eye.
The London Eye is one of the tallest Ferris Wheels in the world, and it is located on the South Bank of the River Thames. Joining the line at 7:45 pm for my ride at 8:15 pm, I re-checked the sunset time, which was 9:11 pm. Although I noticed that I was the only person who came to the London Eye alone, I could not care less. Getting close to the entrance to the London Eye, I could not keep my phone in my pocket seeing beautiful the London Eye looked with the sky that was turning pink. After waiting about an hour, I finally got on the London Eye with strangers. With a slow movement, I reached the peak of the London Eye and saw a beautiful, vibrant sunset with an amazing view of the city of London. I hoped that I could stay at the top longer, but the London Eye brought me and my hopes down to where I was in the line.
Walking back to the tube station on my way back to the dorm, I checked the photos that I took on the day. Scrolling down, I was amazed by the number of places that I have been and experienced. Re-experiencing the day through the photos, I realized that being an introvert is AMAZING.
“Learn to be alone and to like it. There is nothing more freeing and empowering than learning to like your own company.” – Mandy Hale
