London opened the door to the world
Elizabeth Alvarado
Studying Abroad in London in 2003 at age 20
I always knew I wanted to travel. As a kid, I felt it deep inside me—this pull to see the world. It wasn’t until my junior year of college, in the spring of 2003, that this dream became real. I signed up for a study abroad program in London, a city I knew nothing about and had only experienced via movies and tv shows.
Before I left, my sister gifted me a journal. It was grey suede with an old map of the world on the cover. To me, it was the coolest thing I ever owned. I tucked it into my overstuffed suitcase, along with far too many clothes. I was convinced this trip was my chance to reinvent myself. As I folded each shirt, I found myself asking: Would this go with my new life?
I’ll never forget that first ride from Heathrow Airport into the city. The streets were alive with red double-decker buses, the rhythm of traffic flowing on the opposite side of the road was disorienting and thrilling all at once.
There is nothing more eye-opening than the moment you step into a culture that is not your own. Once that door opens, you realize how vast the world really is and how much you didn’t even know you wanted to experience.
London was the first time I was completely on my own. There was no safety net from my family and friends. I figured out the Tube system, navigated trips to the grocery store, and negotiated the price for my first apartment (“flat”) rental. I got lost more times than I could count, but getting lost was part of the adventure. Each wrong turn opened a new street, a new café, a new corner of the city I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.
The journal became my companion, and I wrote down everything—my goals, my anxieties, the excitement of meeting my roommates. More than twenty years later, those roommates are still some of my closest friends. We bonded not just because we were living in the same flat, but because we were all navigating the same transformation: opening our eyes to a world we never imagined—with castles like Windsor and the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge stretching across the Thames, the history behind Westminster Abbey, and the posh Notting Hill.
London was just the beginning for me. My sense of wonder took me to Portugal that spring and then to a second study abroad program that summer in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. From there, I’ve traveled throughout Europe, India, Africa, and South America. Each place has left an impression of what’s possible.
Traveling has taught me that I am capable of far more than I realize. That I can trust myself enough to take the next step forward, even when I don’t know exactly where it leads. Once you begin to see new possibilities, not just in the world, but in yourself, you become aware that the person you are is not fixed. It can shift, grow, and be reshaped.
That’s the gift of travel. It transforms you.
