Study Abroad, Honors Program & Other Student Experiences

January 5th-12th

In orientation we were told, “you’re not a real Londoner until you’ve lived in London and gotten lost.” I was invited to tag along with a few friends who wanted to complete the scavenger hunt that was given to us. Well….it was less following the scavenger hunt and more just exploring London. I figured this was going to happen anyway and grabbed up the opportunity to do some more exploring. We ended up taking the tube to London Bridge – not bothering to see St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster, the Big Ben, London Eye, etc.

 

As soon as we left the tube we seemed to find quite a few theaters around, and in fact one woman was dressed up in costume with fake blood running down her face. Natalie screamed when she saw her before she realized it was make-up. The lady directed us to a bridge that showed us a view of the London Bridge.

It was pretty amazing and I have to admit I was surprised by its appearance. I never imagined it would have such vivid colors. Discoveries like this make me realize how much it seems as if we know about things just because we have a heard a lot about them. Really, though, we don’t have as much of an idea as we think until we actually see things first-hand. This is one of the reasons that study abroad gives such amazing opportunities to people. You can study architecture, traditions, mannerisms, etc., but you will never fully understand it until you’ve experienced it.

 

On our journey to the London Bridge we happened upon a monument for the great London fire of 1666.

 

I also never realized how amazing architecture was until I went to Europe (when I was and France and also now that I am in London). There is such a contrast between the old, intricately decorated buildings, cathedrals, etc. and the new, sleek, trendy skyscrapers and oddly-shaped buildings.

(If for some reason you don’t like/or aren’t interested in architecture, then you can skip this bit, but I assure you they really are quite unique.

 

 

We took a bus after walking over the London Bridge. We were unsure of where it would arrive exactly, but we knew we’d end up nearby our house. With help from some friendly English people walking the streets we eventually found our way back through a scenic detour. Overall it was a fun day of exploring and adventure.