Today was our last full day in England. It was sad that our trip was almost over but I was also excited to explore the neat coastal city of Brighton. The coach ride down there was much shorter than I expected and and once we got to the city, I thought that it looked a lot like San Francisco (minus the skyscrapers). The coach parked on a narrow side street about a mile from the beach and we made our way down to the beach (which was actually a pebble beach as opposed to sand), passing by the various shopping districts. We stopped at the Brighton Pavillion which was a neat palace with a mix of gothic and Hindu architecture. When we got to the beach, we dispersed into our small groups and began our few hours of exploration. I got a "British" hat in the first store we stopped in. Most of our time was spent walking in stores and looking around (but not really buying anything). Ziad would occasionally go up to people and ask them how old they thought he looked in his "British" outfit. We found a cool street with pastel colored houses and we took a few pictures there. I think it was a cool experience navigating the streets of a city in a foreign country with only three other guys. The shopping districts in Brighton were really cool with quaint architecture and local merchants/ street vendors. My favorite area was called "The Lanes" which had very narrow and winding walkways. There were a lot of beautiful brick buildings and countless jewelry stores. We found an Icelandic-inspired restaurant called Rybka. We all got fish and chips. I got Haddock with chips and mushy peas. I enjoyed this fish and chips experience much more than at Canary Wharf. The meal had much more flavor and I wasn't eating it outside under the blazing sun. There was also a bit of rain and cooler weather on this day which made our day even more British. We finished our trip at the Brighton Pier where I found out that they have a partnership with the Santa Monica Pier (kind of like sister cities). I had never been on a pier that large before and there was a lot of things to do. There were roller coasters, flat rides, carnival games, an arcade, food vendors, gift shops, as well as great views of Brighton and the English Channel. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to do anything there but it was cool to walk the whole thing (also, I'm pretty sure that the gaps between the wood planks on the pier were wide enough to drop your phone through, which is kind of scary). Before we left Brighton, I got a nice surprise when I heard a bunch of seagulls flying above me and a looked down to see seagull poop splatter on my shorts (fortunately, Ziad had wet wipes to help me clean up).
Fish and chips at Rybka
Brighton from the pier
Only minutes before the seagull poop disaster
When we got back to the school, we all packed our bags so that we would be ready to leave at six the next morning. Later that night we had a dance set up by the house parents where we had a waltz, danced more, and then listened to Ziad's band play a few songs which included "London Love", an original song written by Ziad and Tyler over the past week. It was a fun way to end our trip and afterwards we said goodbye to everyone.
Ziad performing
Looking back on the whole trip, I am eternally grateful for this opportunity. It's something that I will never take for granted and I will always look back at the great memories and experiences that gave me a new view of the world. To all of the adults who made this possible, I can't thank you all enough, I have learned so much and changed for the better as a person. Every single new experience from my first cross-Atlantic flight to sunrises at five in the morning were truly unforgettable. This trip will always hold a place in my heart as the motivator for me to travel more and grasp a better view of the world so that I can make it a better place.
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