I stepped out of the airport and couldn't breathe. I had been here for less than 20 minutes and I was already smitten beyond my wildest dreams, which never contained so much detail and feeling as what was currently sprawled out in front of me. The air had a bite to it, but the only reason I was shivering was because of my own uncontrollable excitement. I was finally here, after years of dreaming and planning and wishing. Good day to you, England.
If you had asked me why I wanted to travel to England so desperately, I wouldn't have an answer for you. I just felt an undeniable urge to go there and experience everything I could. I thought everything about the British was infinitely more exciting and intelligent than my dull life locked in on an island. Their humor was clever and more poignant than American or Hawaiian slapstick attempts at comedy, their style before it's time and always on the cusp of bizarre yet still perfect, their weather depressing but indescribably majestic in its obvious gloom, and their lives just all-around more sophisticated than my own quaint existence. Tea in the afternoon sounded unexplainably appealing, as did the glorified freedom British teenagers seemed to enjoy - well, according to Skins, a show I religiously watched (and harbored secret a girl-crush on Effy, just to throw that out there). Everything about England just seemed better than Maui.
When my school offered a chance to travel to England over spring break, I jumped at the opportunity, regardless of the fact that I'm not a huge fan of my peers. It's not them, it's me - I just can't really relate to them. Then again, I don't even bother trying. Luckily, fate brought Claire along for the ride. I didn't know her well before the trip meetings, but after realizing we both hated certain attributes some of our classmates possessed, we instantly bonded. Oh yeah, we both couldn't deny the perfection British guys encompass. Can't forget that tiny detail.
Now, I was here. Living the dream.
Claire let out an unarguably obnoxious shriek beside me. I jumped and let out an unflattering expletive.
"What are you doing?!" I stage whispered. "We're in England now, we have to pretend to be sophisticated so they don't accuse us of being stupid Americans."
"Oh yeah, I forgot," she shrugged. We giggled at our own stupidity. No matter how amazing we both thought the land we were in was, it wouldn't change our excited giddiness.
We were ready to take on England, but the question really should have been was England ready for us?