So, I just wrote a giant post about my trip to Brussels/Antwerp/Amsterdam, and it got deleted :(. Unfortunately, I am too wiped to deal with it at the present moment, and hopefully you’ll see it soon. For now, I will post the following reflections:

I am sitting on my bed, in my new empty room in Jerusalem. The sun is hot, and the air is familiar. I’m fairly exhausted (and a bit frustrated, because British Airways did not allow me to take my guitar and they were incredibly strict about baggage) but I did want to give London a proper farewell.

Dear London,

I’m really going to miss you.

I’ll miss my three-mile walk in the morning though historic districts and wide streets with the rest of London’s working population.

I’ll miss the rare and exciting burst of sunshine that illuminates the Thames and makes it glitter.

I’ll miss adorable phrases, like “lovely” and “oh dear”.

I’ll miss getting lost on the winding, historic, streets.

I’ll miss Clapham South and Leicester Square.

I’ll miss florid street names, like “Theobald’s Road” and “Frognal Road”.

I’ll miss Cadbury chocolate. No need to elaborate.

I’ll miss Regent’s Park, with its brilliantly colored gardens.

I’ll miss the oystercard, which allowed me easy access to all public transportation.

I’ll miss the fact that public employees are respected, and that workers in the London underground wear suit jackets to work.

I’ll miss the European train culture, and that its so easy to access so many other amazing places from London.

I’ll miss the buses, whose convenience and clarity cannot be matched.

I’ll miss the public art and graffiti art in the East End.

I’ll miss the dozens of open-air markets all over the city.

I’ll miss the fashion. Londoners dress respectably; it is a place where wearing a skirt and long-sleeved shirt is not out of the ordinary.

I’ll miss the theatre.

I’ll miss the vibrant social action culture and the protest culture.

I’ll miss the frequent, well-kept public spaces and green spaces where community is built.

I’ll miss the fact that living in social housing does not brand you with a degrading label.

I’ll miss London social housing and mixed income residences, which actually look like real homes.

I’ll miss my university, where I feel challenged by the life experience of my peers.

I’ll miss the potpourri of languages spoken on the street from all over the world.

I’ll miss the Jewish community there, and the inspiring Rabbis and Teachers I met along the way.

I’ll miss the enthusiastic and active Tav HaYosher (Ethical Seal) team I worked with in North London.

I’ll miss the amazing people I met along the way who touched my life in incredible ways.

In addition to those I’ve listed above, there are many more things that I will miss about London. I always will think dearly about my time in London, as a place where I grew intellectually and spiritually, and as a time that I was able to assert my independence. I look forward, however, to taking the positive feelings I have about London and using them to foster positive change wherever I am.