Coffee shops, for someone who doesn’t drink coffee, aren’t really all that exciting. Before studying abroad in London I only ever went to coffee shops to make a quick stop with friends while they grabbed a drink and then we would be off. Maybe I would grab a hot chocolate, but usually I was in and out. They never held any meaning to me, they were just another place to go into and buy something I didn’t really need. I remember reflecting on my time in London while sitting in a coffee shop, my new favorite, Farm Girl located upstairs of Sweaty Betty in Soho. Why would I be sitting here? Why would I actually now enjoy being in a space I never placed much thought on before? As I have lived in the large, crowded, loud, and busy city that is London, I have come to appreciate my alone time. I found peace ordering a croissant, still not a coffee, but something I find enjoyable. I pulled out my laptop, opened up the work that had been taking up my mind, but needed to be crossed off my mental to do list. With all of the busyness in my life at that time, I felt that in a place like Farm Girl, your average coffee shop, I found peace and comfort. I could unload my feelings of stress, my worries, and all that was consuming me. It was calming music at a level that still gives me something to occupy my mind, but not too loud that I can’t focus if I was doing work.
Living in London gave me the opportunity to meet new friends, and experience new places. I’ve made countless memories in this city that I will carry with me forever. Amongst all of the late nights, pasta dinners with friends, shopping trips, etc, I will still always find my way to a coffee shop to reset myself for the week to come.