By Mia Dilluvio.
Endless shops and vendors, every color hair imaginable, tattoos that seem to cover every inch of the visible body is what I witnessed walking through Camden Town every day for fourteen weeks. On my last day living in London I walked up and down Camden High Street and nothing has changed. I observed the people pouring out of the tube station and heading for the Barclay’s ATM across the street, while preteens tried on different pairs of neon sunglasses and homeless men sat against the buildings, Styrofoam cups in front of them for spare change. This is Camden Town, a borough in the north of London. What once was unfamiliar and frightening about this place became my home when I studied abroad.
Camden Town is different from your typical idea of “jolly old England”. Instead of posh white narrow buildings with large pillars on the front of the house, there is a grungier feel to this borough of London. This first turned me off as I had pictured myself living in a flat with a view of Parliament from my window. My view instead was a Sainsbury’s Super Market. Little did I know how convenient it was living across from Sainsbury’s. Later I found out that it was opened until midnight Monday through Saturday, which was perfect, especially if I was craving a late night snack. Some buildings are made of aging brick or wood, split from the weathering it has endured over time and others, like the building my flat is in, looks misplaced as they portray modernity with their geometric shapes, wide windows, and containing the most uncomfortable furniture that IKEA ever made.
As I made my way down Camden High Street, I crossed the bridge over Regent’s Canal. After familiarizing myself with the area, I did not hesitate to wake up early on weekend mornings, lace up my sneakers and run along the canal that cuts underneath Kentish Town Road and Camden High Street. Its waters travel through London and empties out into the River Thames. As I traveled down the walking path I would always pass the same gondola like boats that were docked along the side. 
Each one colorful, sporting a name such as Perseus or The Water Quell, giving each its own personality. Not only were these used for transportation, but they were eccentric homes for some of the Camden Town residents as well. If I thought my room in my flat was cramped with a bunk bed, a closet and just enough room for a person to stand comfortably in between them, I would have never survived living on one of those boats.
I finally reached the top of Camden High Street, home to Camden Market. You know you’re there when you see a structure that resembles an overpass that says “CAMDEN LOCK” in a bright shade of yellow. Shopping in Camden Market is an overwhelming experience. At first, the pushy sales people overwhelmed me. If I even looked at an item they would say, “Very pretty! We are having a special today. Two for 30 pounds! If your friend buys one I’ll give it to you for 25 pounds instead. It’s a very good deal.” After a few weeks, I didn’t think anything of it. They are only trying to make a living. From experience, I learned that it is better to go to the market during the weekday, as Saturdays and Sundays are filled with tourists making it impossible to navigate around the people, kiosks and displays. 
However if you are willing to be adventurous, you can find something unique for a bargain. After a lot of pushing and shoving, I was able to reach a particular store where they sold large Union Jack flags for one pound. I knew that I wanted one for my apartment when I got back to school and there it prominently hangs today. In one section of the markets, there is an area designated for food stands. It is here that you can get food from a vast majority of countries: Greece, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Jamaica, just to name a few. The aromas of each of the dishes indigenous to those countries made me feel bombarded during my first visit to the markets.
I stood in line for a gyro, but upon smelling the spicy and bold Jamaican jerk chicken, I immediately moved to the Jamaica stand. Unfortunately, it was neighbors to the Belgium waffles stand where the vendor was pouring Nutella all over a waffle hot off the iron. It was in that moment when I made one of the hardest choices while studying abroad. 
All of these aromas symbolized the city of London on a much smaller scale: the diversity of a great city that contains major influences from all over the world.
On my way back from the markets I passed one of my favorite nightclubs, The Electric Ball Room. In addition to Camden Market, Camden Town is renown for its nightlife. The Electric Ball Room where there was a special ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s night. The highlight of that evening was singing and dancing to “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls, something that was as familiar to me as it was British. The Camden Eye, The Oxford Arms and the Elephant Head are just a few of the pubs that are popular, although one can get a excellent pint anywhere in London. At these pubs, I acquired the taste of beer that my father promised I would develop someday. 
There is also a pub called The Hobgoblin, which is located next to my building, Hawley Crescent, but I never ventured there, mostly because the dress code posted outside of the door said that only people that were wearing black were allowed to enter, the sign forgot to mention that an exuberant number or tattoos and piercings as well as a pair of combat boots were also required. At the end of a night of debauchery, it is common to get fried chicken, a strange British obsession, or, my personal favorite, a huge cone filled with chips for a pound thirty from a kebab shop on Kentish Town Road. It is a short walk or thirty second sprint, depending on how hungry you are, from Hawley Crescent.
As I walked down Camden High Street once more, I took notice of the variety of natives: students, families, senior citizens and homeless people. Every individual has their own sense of themselves and their own panache, however, Camden Town mostly known for their punk rock style: Men and women sporting leather jackets, leather pants, piercings and tattoos are not out of the ordinary for this area of London. Leading up to Camden Markets are several tattoo and piercing parlors, which I managed to steer clear of to the relief of my parents. Although my style opposes the guidelines of punk rock etiquette, I began to embrace it the longer I lived there. At first when I explained how I lived in Camden Town to a Brit, they would comment on what an interesting area it is and how the pubs really rock, I would respond by saying “Yeah, it’s really cool, but I don’t exactly fit in there.” Finally realizing what a snob I was, I began to welcome the pierced faces and electric blue mohawks. My answer changed to: “Yeah, it’s an awesome area and I love living there.”
Benjamin Disraeli, a past British Prime minister, once said, “London is a roost for every bird.” It is in Camden Town where I found my place to roost, regardless that I felt like didn’t fit in or felt that I couldn’t keep up with the city life at first. Camden Town is a place for every one, and you find your niche somewhere. It is nothing like the London everyone else knows or would ever expect, and that is what makes it extraordinary.
