Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner

Except I’m not. But in a couple of days, I will be on the train making my way down to London. Of course, even when I’m down there I won’t be able to claim to be a Londoner as I will clearly have ‘tourist’ stamped across my forehead as I walk around the place with my mouth wide open, attempting not to get lost.

This will be the third time I’ve been to London, the first time was with my school and the second time was with a friend and her family. They both seem like they happened so long ago, though in fact it was probably less than a decade ago... This time, I’ll be going by myself. Travelling alone doesn’t bother me, though with my parents constant worrying you would think I was heading off to Amsterdam and booking into a hostel where I’ll be swept away by some strange organisation that want to cut me open. You’ve seen the movies, so you know what I mean. Unfortunately for my parents, I think they’ve seen far too many movies of this sort... that and they watch the news too much.

Yes, there is a certain element of risk for a young girl travelling alone to a large place such as London – just like there is a certain element of risk every time you step into an elevator or ride a rollercoaster. But when it comes to London, I won’t be completely alone. I will have a guide.

One of the main reasons for this trip to London, aside from a holiday and much needed break from not only work but from home, is that I’ll get to meet one of the most awesome people I know. It is for this reason that what fills me most is excitement and not fear. I only hope I don’t annoy the living daylights out of her, because like me, she is a writer, so I know she’s very capable of exacting revenge by sending me away to some strange organisation that want to cut me open... in her writing, of course.

Whatever happens along the way, whatever mishaps I may encounter such as delayed trains or getting lost in the tube... it shall be an adventure. One I am truly looking forward to. Experience is something that writers can take with them and hold tightly to in order to add a sense of realism to their writing. Sometimes the best part of being a writer comes not from writing but from how it changes how you view the world and what you take from each adventure and each new experience. I spend so much time holed up in my room, staring at my laptop screen, that it will be good for me to get out and about in the real world.

So here it is... in 48 hours I should be in London and I am finding it incredibly hard not to squee the house down in excitement just thinking about it.