Travel correspondents Linda and Cheryl on London

Following their study abroad trip to London over winter break, students Linda Marinetti and Cheryl Limoncello of New Jersey sat down with The Scribe to talk about their experience. 

Note: This interview was recorded and then transcribed at a later date. Due to the thick Jersey accents of the interviewees, some sentences are not transcribed verbatim. Most sentences have been edited for clarity. 
 
Abigail: Thank you, ladies, for sitting down with me today. I’d love if you could introduce yourselves and say your major. 
 
Linda: Hi, I’m Linda. I’m studying fashion merchandising. I’m in my sixth year.  
Cheryl: I’m Cheryl. I’m studying turtles. They call me the Jewel of Jersey.  
Linda: Cheryl, no one calls you the Jewel of Jersey.  
Cheryl: Here, I can be anything I want to be. 
Linda: And you’re choosing to be delusional. 
 
Abigail: I heard that you just came back from London! How exciting. What was your favorite part?  

Cheryl: You know what I loved? Those little bears.  
Linda: What little bears? 
Cheryl: Y’know the ones with the little hats? And the boots? 
Linda: No.  
Cheryl: And the little coats? 
Linda: OH! The one who likes jam? 
Cheryl: Yes!  
Linda: Paddington?  
Cheryl: YES! I loved Paddington!  
Linda: You know what I loved?  
Cheryl: What? 
Linda: The tube.  
Cheryl: I hated the tube.  
Linda: What? But it’s so pretty and there are all those lines for the trains in all the colors! 
Cheryl: It’s confusing! I never knew where I was. And it was too loud.  
Linda: Speaking of loud — y’know what else I loved? Their accents! They were so cute!  
Cheryl: SO CUTE!  
Linda: They all sounded like ‘‘allo guvnah!” 
Cheryl: They did! They did! 

Abigail: It seems like you ladies had a wonderful time. What was your least favorite part of London? 

Cheryl: Tube.  
Linda: Yes, Cheryl. We know you hated the tube.  
Cheryl: Too fast, too many colors. I can’t keep track.  
Linda: You could if you tried. You know what I didn’t like? The pigeons.   
Cheryl: UGH! The pigeons.  
Linda: They’re not like New York pigeons.  
 
Abigail: How are they different than New York pigeons? 

Linda: Well, first of all, they were rude.  
Cheryl: Yeah, only the people are rude in New York.  
Linda: The pigeons in New York? They’re just dolls!  
Cheryl: The pigeons in London look weird, too. When I went to the sea, there was this one pigeon, it was all white. It kept getting closer and closer to my bag, and I swear I could see it smirking at me.  
Linda: Cheryl. That was a seagull.
 
Abigail: Birds aside, how did you find the people in London? 

Linda: Oh, they were lovely. Couldn’t understand a word. 
Cheryl: Not a nicer group of people in the world. Especially not in Jersey.  
Linda: Well, your mother’s in Jersey! 

Abigail: Alright. You say you went to London to watch some plays.  
 
Cheryl: Yes, we’re art afficionados.  
 
Abigail: Are there any shows that stood out to you? 

Cheryl: That one show…that man with the legs.  
Linda: Cheryl, you gotta be more specific. There were a lotta men with a lotta legs.  
Cheryl: There sure were! 

Linda and Cheryl laugh raucously.

Linda: That was the show where we lived like kings — remember, Cheryl?  
Cheryl: We had that box right next to the stage.  
Linda: The man, the one with the legs, he gave us a thumbs up.  
Cheryl: HE DID.  
Linda: He loved us, Cheryl.  
Cheryl: He did, Linda. He loved us. 
Linda: Such a funny show.  
Cheryl: Who knew the Brits had a sense of humor?  
Linda: Oh! And there was that other man… the one with the eyes.  
Cheryl: Linda, I think they all had eyes.  
Linda: Yes, Cheryl. I know they all had eyes. This one had such sad eyes …. like that man we met in Zurich.  
Cheryl: WE DON’T TALK ABOUT ZURICH.  
Linda: Okay, okay… jeez.  
 
Abigail: Okay, ladies, thank you so much for your time. I just have one last question for you.  
 
Linda: Alright, make it quick. I have a hair appointment in 30 minutes.  
Cheryl: It’s about time.  
Linda: And what is that supposed to mean? 
 
Abigail: Ahem! What advice would you give to people traveling to London?  

Linda: Don’t get a phone plan.  
Cheryl: That way, you don’t have to call your husband.  
Linda: Cheers to that. 

The National Gallery. Photo by Abigail Katharin.