Big Ben and Other Things

He stood staring into the woods for a minute, then said: "What is it about the English countryside - why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?"

- Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

A view from a tour boat along the Thames

Summer was approaching and it was time to tick another place off my bucket list: England. I packed my bags, left my life in Spain and went off to start my next new adventure. Little did I know just how life changing this summer was going to be; personal growth is an amazing thing to experience.

The land of the Queen, football and bad weather. It was about time I made a plan to go and visit it. It's always been there, in the outskirts of my mind, the desire to go but at the same time, it seemed rather surreal; this famous country is the stuff of legends. Luckily, my job allows me to go where I wish and with my heart set on this island, I applied for a job at a summer camp and that is where my adventure began. 

In the middle of nowhere in Surrey, surrounded by forest in a school that's history comes straight from royalty, I met some amazing people; both students and colleagues, through working at Bucksmore King Edwards. We lived in a bubble for 6 weeks. The outside world was alien to us except on days when we ventured into the real world.

Summer Camp

Sexy Buscksmore bags? Check!

We were all pushed to the extreme; due to work or personal reasons, or both. Every student and adult that was at King Edwards this summer, left having learnt or experienced something new or different. With grueling schedules that started 7 am and officially ended at 10:30 pm, days seem to fly by. That being said, those 6 weeks felt like 6 months and I learnt a lot about myself and about life in general. Looking after 100 kids does that to you, I guess. I like to think that the responsibility did me good; not just as a teacher or as a care taker, but as a person; you either suffocate under pressure or you thrive under it. So, to any of you monsters that may read this, thank you for helping me become a better version of myself and re-affirming why I love my job so much. :) You guys are awesome.

My students were great, but what about my legendary colleagues? When you're thrown into a situation with other people, you either make it work or you don't. The first week or so was rough for all of us. We all had such strong personalities that we weren't quite sure where to place ourselves but, as night after night passed and we spent more time together, I like to think we all created pretty special bonds. That's the beauty of life though; sometimes you unexpectantly meet people that change you, teach you or just make life that much brighter. That's the brilliant thing about teaching at summer camps though; you go in to make a little money but come out with all these extra bonuses. For example, I saw so many tourist attractions that I would never have had the privilege of seeing otherwise.

London
London takes your breath away with its sheer size and history. Something famously important happened on that street corner; some other significant person lived there. Walking along the street with a friend and he casually dropped that that was the area where Jack the Ripper preyed on his victims. Well, how awesome is that! Nobody seemed to understand my enthusiasm; as you see, I am from the "colonies", where we have lions and elephants but no infamous murderers. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful the city was while walking through the streets. We were given the opportunity to see and do so much; London Eye, the London Dungeons, Thames River boat ride. Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey; all these iconic buildings that you grow up knowing about but never think you'd actually see.

Mr Denny and the King Eds Bucksmore group in the London Eye

Oxford

My group at Oxford

I think this city was my favourite city that I went to. Life in Johannesburg is so vastly different to this quaint little town that it just pulled at my heart strings. Walking through the streets and seeing where Harry Potter was filmed, Christ Church College as well as the Radcliffe Camera and other popular sights endeared this tiny community to my heart. Not to mention the flash mob I choreographed on the main street of the city :) Ah memories...




Windsor
I finished my summer camp experience at Windsor; another obviously famous English site with a whole bunch of cool Chinese kids that taught me how to count to ten on hand (which is pretty awesome, in my opinion). Taking a photo with an English guard, coffee with a new friend slash colleague, nosing myself into the Queen's business by touring her home, all quite necessary to complete an amazing working holiday.





What makes a summer of a life time, you ask? 
New places? Check.
Pushing myself professionally? Check.
New friends? Definitely check.
Catch up with old friends? Check
A little bit of drama? Check.
A fair bit of enlightenment on the side? Check.
Being happy, just because? Check :)