If I were to ask you what you thought of London right now, what would you tell me? Until this July, I would say London was that faraway, magical place I only dreamed of before studying abroad with the British Studies Program.

Imagine it: Half a world away, a bustling city opens its borders to accept you. After a nine hour plane ride, you hop aboard a coach and travel through this new country where it’s almost impossible not to say “We aren’t in Kansas anymore…”

I felt a keen shiver of fear and excitement as the only ULM student to participate in the BSP program this year.

For a month, I was part of the daily workings in one of the most world-renowned cities known to history. I walked the streets, ate the food, read the papers and knew I was experiencing the world in a way in which few students might never have the chance.

Before it was time to pack my bags and head back for Monroe, I felt as if I were leaving a second home filled with new and precious memories.

About a week after I returned, I saw that same familiar city in flames.

Riots had burst out and covered the news. The streets I walked just days before became scenes of chaos and violence. I watched the television in stunned silence, remembering my July home.

It gave me reason to pause and think: What happened to that poised and dignified British atmosphere? What had changed so drastically in such little time to transform this country into the mirror of itself?

All countries have the capability to become a ticking time bomb, where one event might trigger a whole series of choas. The world is home to many different people. Despite the trials life throws our way, I believe that people will always be brought together to put the pieces back into their rightful place.

After all, it takes the darkest of times for lights to shine their brightest. For a case like this, I find the British World War II adage a fitting resolution for those in the face of adversity: Keep calm and carry on.