Good Morning

Flat white. Strong espresso. Oyster card. This is a southbound Piccadilly Line. These are my morning worlds. A big world contains many versions of morning vocabulary. And this is a new one.

Differences between the United Kingdom and States are less sharp at the edges as the ones that show up from spending time farther in the east. No, there is something that draws people from all parts of the world to this city filled with money and opportunity. And something deep down that lets people find those who come from their own country. Or at least in my experience that tends to show up.

I slip out the door, light jacket only, walk own the street, teal blue store fronts splashing color into a traditionally grey ambiance, one step one step. Bicycle is the best way to feel the wind and capture the spring time. Not good for the morning commute. No, instead I rush-jog to catch flatmate to wander together to the Tube station, tap the contactless card and wait for the yellow light to flash green and the doors to open and then slide through sideways, step on the escalator down down down stand on the right to ride and the left to pass. Feel hot air grip the edges of my body and draw out small beads of sweat on my brow and at the temple.

Conversations tend to come down to one question: Why did you move to England? It has come at me on all octaves of the whimsical to grave and urgent scale. Some are curious. Some are confused. Some are critical. Some are downright frustrated. So I will start to explore that. What is the point of living in another country? Or at least a country beyond America for a period?

Let’s talk about some people who I met who let’s be real I would not have any occassion to meet in Ohio.

1. Malta. I met by my own estimation, 1% of the population of Malta. I cannot say that I truly knew of Malta’s existence prior to this moment. But I know now that it’s a place with real people who come to London and go to boarding school and attend house parties
2. Rhodesia. I rock climbed at a gym that has all that grunge USA feel. There is a community here that truly gets after it. We call it Zimbabwe now. And unless I had heard Leo say it in a Hollywood movie, I may not have known that. But he did say it and I do know it. And when a friend of friend now hopefully my friend in the flesh said it, that made me feel like I was living something real and different. Oh and of course my interviewer said it too.
3. France. Are you from Germany? It was one of the worst or perhaps least aware questions that I have asked of somebody to interpret their accent and their background.

This world is a lot bigger than I am. Is that one of the reasons? Did I come here or need to come here to understand that?