As a student living in Smart Student Accommodation, none of my days are completely identical. Sometimes, I spend most of the day working on homework in my flat, and sometimes I leave early in the morning to go on an adventure around London. Most days, I wake up with the sun shining through my window at 7am. I make breakfast and coffee and read up on the daily news. After washing the dishes, I usually go for a walk around Finsbury Park or Highbury Fields and take in the joys of the season. After the walk, I eat lunch (usually peanut butter toast!), and get some work done. If I have class in the afternoon, I leave the building (saying hello to the office team on the way out), walk down Hornsey Road, past Emirates Stadium (sometimes wading through a sea of Arsenal fans), and to my university. After class, my friends and I sometimes walk through Highbury Fields up to Blackstock Road to enjoy the amazing wine bars and restaurants, especially on Friday evenings.
On weekends, I usually take the bus downtown to visit a gallery or museum or walk around Regent’s Park and buy yet another book from Daunt Books. Sometimes, I’ll walk around the Marylebone farmer’s market, or enjoy the sunshine in Hampstead Heath, or wander through a flea market looking for forgotten treasures. If I don’t feel like cooking dinner, my friends and I will check out a kebab shop (we’re currently on the lookout for the best one that’s in walking distance to Smart Student Accommodation, and so far, Mono Wraps is the winner), or I’ll try a restaurant in Highbury or Islington.
At night, I keep my window open to let in fresh air while I catch up with family or read a book. Sometimes I can see stars from my flat and I try to identify different constellations. If there’s an evening Arsenal game, I’ll hear the fans singing, or cheering, or booing, and I try to guess what’s happening in the game based on the sounds they make. Sometimes, I’ll hear a fox screaming, which as an American not used to city foxes, is an unfamiliar sound that is equally terrifying and ethereal.
I’ve been lucky to make some wonderful friends who also live in Smart Student Accommodation, and on Sunday evenings we have a tradition of watching a movie in the common room. After our first few movie nights, we began watching movie series, and we’re currently halfway through watching the Harry Potter series in reverse order (so that we get the sad and depressing ones out of the way first, of course). These movie nights are bright spot on my weekly schedule, and I always look forward to the laughter and good conversations that we always have while watching our Sunday movies.
No matter what the day brings, I know I’ll always see a friend, enjoy nature in one of the nearby parks, find joy in the unique experiences London offers, and end the day feeling content and excited for the coming morning.