Arriving home from a month in London and Manchester, by all accounts the best month of my life, I eagerly showed my parents my souvenirs. Retro soccer jerseys, Arsenal match programs, and books (So. Many. Books.) leaped out of my suitcase and backpack like frogs on lilypads. My most expensive England purchase, however, was in my pocket. Serenaded by parental laughter, I pulled out my new iPhone 16. To clarify, I wasn’t planning on purchasing a new iPhone in England — I had just purchased one over winter break. But, on the fateful afternoon of Jan. 9, the Ole and Steen coffee shop located on Bedford Avenue in Central London hosted a robbery. And I was the victim.
No one was harmed; it was a typical pickpocket-style job. Amidst the chaos and stress of figuring out what to do after your phone gets stolen in a foreign country, something emerged: the power of a story.
Look, I would’ve preferred to have not been robbed. But whereas my phone would’ve been in my life for 5-10 years, this story is immortal. Stories should not be underestimated: they’re scrapbooks for our lives, reminding us of the good, bad, and in-between of our most memorable moments. For me, none of my souvenirs (even my 1954 copy of “The Great Gatsby”) outweigh the stories I can tell from my magical month abroad. Stories — especially this one — are icebreakers, instigators of laughter, and remind us of life’s unpredictability.
Most who studied abroad over J-term, or chronically use Fizz, heard the rumor that someone was arrested abroad. And guess what! Do you know who came closest to getting arrested? Me. For 15 minutes I rode in the back of a Metropolitan Police car with the sirens on looking for my thieves. How’s that for a story?