From the moment I landed in London, I’ve felt the need to calm the inner tourist that I know makes up probably 80 percent of who I am. I think museums are really fun and taking embarrassing pictures at weird angles is crucial, but I haven’t done a lot of that here.
I’m not completely sure why — maybe it’s pride or the fact I feel like I’m living here rather than just visiting. Instead of embracing the fact that I’ve never experienced London before, I’ve been making some trivial and pretty fruitless attempts at blending in.
The most cringe-worthy example would be how I've tried to start saying “Cheers!” instead of “Thank you,” because that’s what Brits do. Ironically, this does nothing except emphasize my American-ness, because while they sound like absolute angelic wordsmiths — “Chee-ahs!” — I sound like an enthusiastic pirate at best — “Cheeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrs!”
I spent this past weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland, where I did a lot of sightseeing, and the tourist inside me thrived. As I went on a walking tour of the city and hiked Arthur’s Seat, I remembered how much I love learning about new places and discovering different cultures. Edinburgh reminded me I should be treasuring my time in London, geeking out the way a tourist only here for a few days would.
I’m not sure why tourists get a bad rap. They’re essentially little kids, jubilantly shouting and pointing and discussing things too loudly in spaces that should be quiet, but in adult bodies with cameras around their necks and (hopefully) dressed in floral button-down shirts.
I’m glad to say I’m off to a good start with this new mindset because I’m writing this in the British Library, where I’ve been learning about the incredible books and manuscripts housed here in a tourist-y, overawed way. It’s obvious I’ve never been here before, but that’s okay.
Acknowledging you know nothing about a place or a subject opens the doors for you to learn, and I think it's admirable that most tourists can do that. This week, and for the rest of my time here, I’ll (metaphorically) wave that floral shirt like the emblem of tourism it is, embracing the fact that I’m a tourist and proud.
