It might sound weird, but I guess it all started with the death of Princess Diana in 1997. She was a figure of inspiration, not only for the people of England I guess, but also for many people in all over the world. Her death was such a great loss that made almost everyone at that time set his or her eyes on England, a big nation that has such a long history. It was a nation that ruled the world, and now its English rules the world. The great exposure to the Royal Family of England at that time really caught my interest and invited me not just to know some facts about UK, but beyond that to learn more about it, and to experience living in UK myself.

Living a half world away from UK doesn’t separate me from its pop culture. In fact, I grew up listening to Spice Girls, reading Harry Potter, and even having a crush on Prince William XD Lol… Those British pop cultures have been coloring my life and even become a part of me. Spice Girls’ songs for example, have spiced me up with the ‘girl power’ insight that makes me become a not-so-easily-giving-up girl who believe that girls can reach whatever dreams they may have. Thus, for me the British pop culture is much more than just an entertainment. It is also something that teaches me with some of the greatest values in life.

When I was 14, I started to read the Harry Potter series and I also grew up with the characters in the story. Through it, I learned about bravery, to stand up for my friends, and stand up for what’s right. I was very impressed with the imaginative world created by J.K. Rowling in the story, but as I’ve grown older, the real world in which the author lives catches my interest much more than the imaginative world she created. I start to gain more interest on the British pubs, the places that have given inspirations to so many great British authors including J.K. Rowling herself.

I have never been to the Great Britain but from the history lesson I got, I can tell that pubs are an inseperable part of the British life. Since I can’t tell when xD, public houses have become the common places for the British people to eat, drink, meet friends and share ideas, or just to relax. For many great authors, pubs are also a source of inspiration. Many British great authors got their inspirations while they were in pubs. J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in a pub called “The Elephant House” in Edinburgh. Even the Father of English novel, Daniel Defoe, also got his inspiration for the story of Robinson Crusoe while he was in a pub! That of course makes me get more curious on UK as the Land of Inspirations. How I’d love to step my feet on the land and feel the magical experience myself…

So far is UK from my land, yet so great is its influence on me. Hitting on college, I choose English Literature as my major of study and get fascinated even more by the Englishmen’s high culture; their best thoughts and works such as Jane Austen’s “Mansfield Park” or Dickens’ “Great Expectation”. My interest to all of those fine things from UK really makes me want to become a part of them even for just a few years of my life. O…how I’d love to walk in their shoes; to enter their pubs, to enjoy their meals, and watch their football. How I’d love to study in UK!!