My 13-hour flight finally brought me to my long awaited dreamland of the United Kingdom. It has always been one of my biggest intentions to absorb Drum n’ Bass culture at its birthplace, and I proudly achieved my musical goals with this visit. The overwhelming excitement brought me closer to the unknown future.
London at first sight shows me the diversity a metropolitan city has. Even though the country is England, I see people from all over the world with many different nationalities, appearances, cultures, ethnic backgrounds and interests. There are so many restaurants from different nationalities lined up along the street, painting the view with various scripts, colours and letters. Many tiny Asian supermarkets look so welcoming. Even fish and chip shops, the traditional English food, are owned by foreign faces. Where do all the English live?
The big difference I found was the personal rights and respects for other’s rights. Vehicles always stop for pedestrian at the zebra crossing. But the driver would totally ignore them if he had right of way, causing long, loud honk sounds and never expect them to slow down. I think it is fair in order to maintain order in such a chaotic setting. The common sights in downtown are the human signs. Basically, there were people holding advertisement cut out boards pointing to little hidden shops on side-streets hoping to catch the passer-by’s attention. What struck me was the look in their eyes. I guess the strict law enforcement creates new jobs for the less fortunate.
I am impressed by the amount of artistic and musical opportunities available in England. Just the moment I arrived at the airport, I saw a huge shelf promoting various theatres and plays. The choice of pamphlets and flyers really awoke my interest in performing arts. There were more than 20 events to choose from ranging from the all-time classics such as Phantom of the Opera, Sound of Music, Les Miserables etc. to many of the Hollywood favourites like Grease and Lord of the Rings. Even the animated Simba of The Lion King was a stage show! The underground stations allocate spaces for licensed musicians to perform at certain times. Loads of party flyers swamp the vinyl shops. My six hours experience confirms my admiration of artistic and musical appreciation in England, which definitely excites a music junkie like myself.
An afternoon stroll in London immersed me with unforgettable artistic and musical experience; both directly and indirectly, some because I went looking for it; some completely at random, providing me with emotional fulfilment.
What about you? Have you fulfilled your heart’s desire today yet?
