Pigeons and Tesco: Our London Family Week 3

We are eating pizza on the balcony of the Lyric theatre when I hear my friends burst into song. They are singing Ooh Child, an original song by Adele (My friend, not the artist of Hello), but new parts are being added to make it the ultimate song of songs. For example, the line “the pigeon walks across the ledge” is part of the new additions. It’s really catchy, believe me.

My friends in this program are absolutely brilliant. There are so many talented and passionate individuals attending Theatre Arts Behind the Scenes that it has been really inspiring. During class, everyone contributes their own creativity and during our acting games, some amazing stories have gone down.

We also have an insane amount of inside jokes that have been created while on the trip. I could mention Harry Potter, recorders, pigeons, hot dogs, walking, or even Tik Tok and each and every one of us will burst into laughter (and sometimes happy tears).

Outside of class, we are planning visits to Primark or some boba tea place. We also sing and listen to our favorite musical soundtracks and also learn the choreography to the songs. We are so full of energy and laughter and happiness, it’s so contagious. Some strangers are annoyed at us for how loud we can be, others are intrigued by our group and would love to know more about what we’re doing.

We eat baguettes together. Tease each other about our laughs or sneezes. We converse about our love for Jaffa Cakes and dogs. We cry in bowling alleys together. One of us has even done a professional recorder performance. I could go on about all the things we’ve done, we’ve racked up an impressive list now.

At the hostel, our adventures carry on there. We head to Tescos for Ribena and Aero bars (preferably mint) or we hang out in the common areas to talk with our families and to use the wifi. The main common area plays amazing music from Vampire Weekend to Saint Motel. The hostel, in general, has a very chill atmosphere. They even have a fantastic cardboard cut out of the Queen that I adore so much.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I have three other roommates and we all get along very nicely. We listen to Piece by Piece by The Hunna because I’ve played it so many times that it has become a room favorite. We also all listen to me whispering “Ella” every morning because she snoozes her alarm so much.

All my friends, we hang out with each other and laugh all the time. Our London family is so precious and remarkable. I’m so grateful to have met all of these wonderful people. This is a piece of our home away from home.