BES Journal One

The first week in London was pretty tiring. I was jet lagged and had plenty of things to do for the orientation week. One of the activities during orientation week was bowling. When I first heard we were going bowling, I was a little disappointed and a little excited. I was disappointed because I have bowled plenty of times in the States, and I was hoping to try new things and step out of my comfort zone. On the other hand, I was a little excited to see if bowling in London was going to be any different than in the States. It turned out that the game of bowling was the same; however, the crowd was much different.

Walking into the bowling alley, I could not help but feel like I was transported back in time. In the U.S. almost all bowling alleys have stepped up the technology; they have flat, touch screen monitors and covered ball returns. At this alley, the monitors were very old and outdated, and the ball return was open. The ball return was also really skinny, and I may or may not have knocked a couple of the balls off of it. Although it seemed out dated, it had a very homely feeling to it as if we were no longer in London, but rather, in a small country village where everyone knows everyone. It was a refreshing get away since I was still adjusting to the city. As I said before, the game was played the same as in the States. What was different was the amount of people that were there in, what looked like, their business clothes.

 In the U.S., bowling seems to be a pastime that is dominantly for younger kids, families, and for the people that have nothing else to do at night. In London, it looks like many business people gather at the bowling alleys with their work friends when the day is done. They all seemed to be having a blast in their suits and ties, and I myself was having a fun time. I wasn't too concerned about the bowling. I was more having a great time just getting to know the people in the group better. It made me understand why so many business people were there. Something about the atmosphere of bowling alley made it great for socializing and getting to know the people with you. By the second game, I wasn't even bowling anymore. Instead, I was sitting on some of the couches they had there with other people from the program talking and having a fun time.

Overall, Bowling was a great time. Not because of the bowling, but rather the atmosphere that the alley created. It helped me to feel a part of something in such a large city. It also helped me to get to know people in the program better, which was needed. When people are forced to get to know one another, it never works well; however, the environment we were in allowed me to feel less pressure. I was able to relax and be myself.