Chapter 4: Grace

Well, I have finally caught up with Jess and Steve, the intrepid travelers, and have found myself in a cozy London flat, stubbornly keeping the window open despite the fact that it's 53 degrees Fahrenheit. I am already wearing a jumper (shut up, I can be British if I want) and a rather large knitted blanket, but I insist on hearing the light drizzle hit the pavement.

It reminds me that I am really here.

Traveling alone was quite the experience. I had some help in between airports thanks to my awesome family, but I disembarked from ORD and LHR on my own. I feel quite chuffed about that.

Like, I'm still alive and everything. And I didn't even get lost.

Didn't know I could do that, honestly.

I never really considered how much less attention I pay to my surroundings when I am traveling as part of a group. Most of my attention ends up focused on those I am traveling with -- I often feel the need to "mother" by making sure everyone is okay or seeing if anyone needs anything. But this time, since it was only me and I'm surprisingly quite well behaved, I got to listen in to a lot of conversations that I think I normally would have tuned out in favor of engaging with my friends.
For more updates on what sort of things I'm talking about, you can check out my twitter. It would take far too long to recount them here.

So far, everything is lovely and London-y and my jetlag hasn't caught up with me yet.
Everything is coming back to me quicker than I imagined. It all feels "right." And yet, irrationally, I already feel a little sad that it will all be over sooner than it seems on paper. It always is.

Still, the adventure is just beginning, and I can't wait to see where it leads!

-Grace

P.S. My inner gecko wins. I'm shutting the darn window.