My Three Weeks in London

 

This summer I got to have the trip of a lifetime: three whole weeks exploring the beautiful city of London. My technical explanation is that I went to take a class at the University of Roehampton. Let's be honest though, I definitely went for the city. I had always wanted to study abroad, but I never wanted to commit to doing that for an entire semester. I thought there was no options for me on a short term and that I would just have to find time to travel on my own somehow. Then during Christmas Break last year, I happened to have a meeting in the international office on campus and by being passed from person to person, wound up with a packet detailing the various programs that ISEP offered; with the summer programs that were being put on highlighted for me to research.

I went back and forth for months trying to figure out if I would really go through with this. I talked with advisors, professors, and other students who had studied abroad before. I wanted to make sure three weeks would be worth it. The application was due on April 1st of this year, and with about a week to the due date, I decided I needed to do this. Before I knew it, I was accepted and getting three or four emails a day of things I needed to prepare for. The beginning of summer vacation was definitely not a vacation by any means. I think I spent more time on campus meeting with people during the month of May than I did the entire spring semester. Somehow I got it all together by the morning of my flight though.

After a few mishaps in my travel, I finally found my group in the Heathrow Airport and was taken to the University of Roehampton. It was located about 20 minutes outside of Central London and was the perfect escape when I was missing the small town life right in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.

My three weeks were split between class and exploring anything and everything that London had to offer. The course I took while at Roehampton was called Magic, Murder, and Mystery in London Literature. It allowed us to see the way London is portrayed in stories and gave us reference points to look for while we explored the city ourselves. Our texts ranged from discussing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to referencing Harry Potter any chance we could, and many more classic stories.

London was beautiful and filled with every opportunity you could imagine. Not just inside the city, but outside as well. From Oxford to Canterbury, Stonehenge to Bath, and seeing sights like Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, there was always something new to explore. My favorite place we visited though was the Westminster area. There was Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and just an overall feeling that you were in the heart of London. I could stand there for hours just watching the boats pass by on the Thames and seeing the hustle and bustle of Londoners running for the Tube.

Three weeks gave me a wonderful experience in London. However, three weeks was nowhere near enough. The history, the people, even the transportation, absolutely fascinated me. I would go back in a heartbeat, and I plan to one day. Those three weeks allowed me to explore and gain a better confidence about myself. I could never be grateful enough for having an experience like this one. One day, I'll travel across the pond to that city again, and whether I'm there for a day or a year, I know it'll be just as wonderful as it was for the three weeks I spent there this past summer.