An American in London... Almost

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.  - Samuel Johnson

This is London.

And I'm an American who will live there in about three weeks.

My name is Lindsey Grudnicki, and I'm a English and History student at Ashland University in Ashland, OH. Last fall, I told my professors, my family, and my friends that I wanted to go to London to study English literature. Queen Mary, University of London was soon brought to my attention as one of my professors has a goddaughter who teaches Medieval Literature there. After months of filling out forms, negotiating with the registrar, applying for scholarships (and groveling) to fund everything, and persuading everyone within a 5-foot radius of me for more than 10 seconds that this is a great idea, I'm finally getting ready to go. 

Living in London will be an adventure in and of itself, but I've already made grand plans for what I shall call "Lindsey's Literary Pilgrimage" - a grand tour of England, Ireland, and Scotland to visit the homes, counties, roads, churches, birthplaces, offices, and graves of the UK's greatest writers. I plan to visit, for example - 

The Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street in London....

Keat's house...

...and the grave of C.S. Lewis in Oxford.

Outside of classes and my year-long, over-ambitious pilgrimage, I will be experiencing British culture in all of its glory. Yes, you'll hear about my good times at soccer (I apologize, "football") games, good ol' English pubs, Mumford and Sons concerts, and watching the BBC. You'll also witness my attempt to eat fish and chips, drink tea, and battle the notorious London rain.

This is just the beginning, my friends. My next year on this earth has the potential to be the greatest journey. You may ask why I'm going across an ocean to read books I could read here, to see old houses and a few tombstones... Well, there's more to it than that. I will prove to myself that there is so much more in this world than what exists in the comfortable bubble I'm used to. I will be the adventurer, the dreamer, and the storyteller I've always wanted to be. I'm going to read, see, taste, and smell the books and the country that inspired some of the greatest writers in human history. 

You may ask: Why am I going to London? Why am I going to the literary capital of the western world? Why am I going to submerge myself in literature and bring myself into the closest contact possible with Doyle, and Keats, and Lewis, and Hardy, and Milton, and Shakespeare?

I'll tell you why: I'm a writer, and all my life that's all I've ever wanted to do.

This blog will be a chronicle of my adventures - a written record of what I learn, who I meet, what I see, and who I become along the way.