Life Here Moves Quick

According to TFL (Transport for London), an estimated 2.67 million people ride the tube throughout London each day, totaling more than 24 million journeys per day. Could you imagine what might happen to this city if itsmain circulatory system suddenly grinded to a halt? Well, that is precisely what has happened today, giving most people in this city a 'work from home day', and granting me some much needed time to catch up on my SSIM duties! As you can see from the picture, this city errupted into chaos with the closing of the tube network, garuanteeing I wasn't going much further than the local library today.

Life here moves quickly, as I type this, the end of week 3 is already on the horizon. The time is flying far too fast!

In London i've found your time is divided between two key things: your daily activities, and the time you spend getting there on public transit. For me, this is exacerbated as so much of my job for the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) involves travelling around the city.

LEYF so far has been nothing short of amazing. Going through a huge growth process, the amount of cool work I have to do seems limitless, and i'm perfectly okay with that. My tasks so far have varied from playing with our children in the nurseries, to finding new spaces for future LEYF nurseries, to checking out entire neighbourhoods in this great city. Fortunately though, my internship here has been about more than work.

At LEYF i've been lucky enough to have a mentor who is just as passionate for showing me the city as she is about social impact. Every Monday I walk into the office, and Catherine has a new print out or magazine outlining all the cool and unique things going on that she insists I MUST check-out. So far, this has included watching Wimbledon from a rooftop patio that overlooks St. Paul's Cathedral, to Formula 1 in Battersea Park, to even a fitness program where ex-military instructors yell at you to run around Hyde Park (actually more fun than it sounds).

Of all the things i've seen so far though, I think London's Gay Pride parade has been the coolest to date. Following the United States Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on Friday, same-sex marriage was officially a constitutionally protected right. The vibes of celebration were in full flex, even though Britain had legalized this aspect of society years earlier.

The stories and the amount of things to do are endless here, so i'll try and post an update about the next adventure a little earlier than week 6! Up next, museums and touristy things in the sun, plus a visit from some highschool friends!

Till next time,

Tyler

#tylerbannerman #ssimexchange