It's funny how you can all of a sudden realize that you are feeling at home somewhere. It's a hard feeling to describe- the feeling of getting used to things. As I have gotten more accustomed to London, there have been definite similarities that I have noticed between the UK and home, but there have also been differences that I noticed. I find myself wondering what exactly it is that is making me more comfortable here. Is it the fact that I am discovering more things that are similar to life at home? Or am I just getting to know better the people and things around me?
We went on a tour of the East End last week, an area known historically as the Jewish East End. But over the years, different immigrant groups have adopted that area as their own. Buildings have been transformed from temples to churches to mosques in order to accommodate various communities. Not only here, but all around the world people have culture, rituals, religion, and other things that we, as humans, often rely upon for various purposes. We have had a focus on immigrants and refugees during our trip. I am not an immigrant, nor am I a refugee, but I can connect with those people in the sense that I know what it is like to find a bit of familiarity and embrace it. When we find similar customs in another country, on another continent, we have a better sense of normalcy and a certain peace is allowed to take over our being.
