Riayn Rosenstock ’15 and Victoria Jonas ‘15 are both abroad in London with the Boston University study abroad internship program. Her Campus talked to the two friends to get the details.
HC: What made you decide to study abroad in London?
RR: It’s an English speaking area, similar to NYC, and a good outlet to Europe. We have been traveling almost every weekend and we’re planning to travel to 10 different countries this semester!
VJ: I’ve always thought of London as an amazing city, culturally in itself and because of its accessibility to the rest of Europe. I recently heard someone describe London as the “jumping-off point” for traveling the rest of the world, and I would have to completely agree – in the city alone, we have three airports, the infamous Eurostar, and lots of buses, trains and even ferries that can take you to other countries on a budget. Also, it helps that everyone speaks English here. As muchos professores at Brandeis can attest, picking up foreign languages isn’t really my thing.
HC: How is studying abroad academically?
RR: We’re on the BU internship program. I’m on the economics and finance track so there is work, but it’s nothing compared to Brandeis. We have one presentation, one essay, and one test for each class.
VJ: Personally, I’ve found the academics while abroad to be a lot less stressful than my typical course load at Brandeis. We go on a lot of field trips!
HC: What are some of the most interesting things you did so far?
RR: We have been to different marketplaces, cities, clubs, and tourist sights in London. We have also traveled to Denmark and France. Right now, we’re looking forward to traveling through Spain next week.
VJ: Within London, the different open-air markets and artsy corners of the city have been really fun to explore! I get to go on a lot of field trips with my classes, so also I’ve seen a ton of different museums that I’ve really enjoyed. And as Riayn mentioned, we’ve had our fair share of adventures/”learning experiences” while traveling to other countries!
HC: What are some of your favorite and least favorite parts about studying abroad?
RR: My favorite part is everything. My least favorite is the occasional rain and learning how to cook for myself.
VJ: Favorite things…. well first of all is waking up to the beautiful Riayn Rosenstock in our spacious quadruple room every morning. But seriously, I love the food here, how accessible the entire city is via Tube (arguably the best transportation system in the world), and how I can’t go a single day without learning something new! I also appreciate that many things around here are named after me: we have a Victoria Square, Victoria tube line, Victoria street and Victoria museum. I am a bit of a celeb. Worst things… the only thing I can think of is missing my family and friends back home!
HC: Do you have any advice for people who want to study abroad in London?
RR: Go. It’s honestly the best experience. The BU program is located in the most beautiful area and the housing is great. The tubes are safe and clean. The food in Europe is amazing. We are meeting so many different types of people and learning about many cultures and religions. For example, for Yom Kippur, Victoria and I went to an Orthodox Spanish/Portuguese temple in London with a French family (shout out to Jeremie Lahmi)! In Denmark, we met the nicest people who taught us everything about their culture (Victoria was sandwiched between models with the same name), in France we learned to look up the location of our hostel before going (we almost died…the cab driver was even nervous to drop us off!). Since we don’t have data plans on our phones, we are learning how to read maps, plan ahead, how to use different types of public transportation, how to get to destinations in countries in which the majority of people do not speak English. Our classes for this program end in the beginning of next week and then we will start our internships the following week. We are both super excited to work in London companies. I have visited my company and I am already going to a futbol game with the team! I hope everyone takes advantage of this opportunity. If anyone has questions, they can contact me at anytime. I hope this is helpful and good luck!!
VJ: If you have the chance to study abroad, absolutely do it. Don’t think twice. Once you get here (wherever “here” might be), take every opportunity presented to you! Whether that’s a night out with new friends, a weekend trip across country lines that necessitates that you wake up at 3 am after that aforementioned night out, or even just trying a food you’ve never heard of. That might sound like cheesy advice, but it will make for such a better experience. Also, my mom told me this, so shout-out to Marcie Jonas: live in the moment! London is beautiful (though I’m a little biased), so I would totally suggest anyone come here abroad, but anywhere you choose to study will be a life-changing experience for sure.