I have officially been studying abroad in London for a month, now, and it’s so weird to think about! I’m not sure how I’ll fit in everything I’ve seen so far into this blog post, but I’m going to try.
For anyone who has ever been to London, you know it is a huge, diverse, and exciting place to be. There is literally so much to do and see here that I probably won’t finish it all, even after the end of my four months here. It’s beautiful and lively, and there is something unique on every street corner.
I’ve done the major touristy things so far, like seeing Big Ben and Parliament, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, all of those things. I’ve also made my way to Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare!!!) which were both amazing. If any of you decide to visit England some day, you have to go there – that’s an order. I’ve seen little English sheep dotting the countryside, heard tiny children say “Bloody Hell!” and eaten my share of pub fish and chips – everything you’d expect.
I also went into the center of the
city this weekend for London’s Chinese New Year parade. It was pretty cool, but honestly not as big and grand as I expected. There were some beautiful decorations in China Town, though, so it was definitely worth the trip.
The hardest part of living here is the money – everything is more expensive, because the dollar isn’t worth much. Finding cheap food and groceries has been a pain, but all of us international students have discovered ASDA, a store owned by Walmart, which has pretty good prices and feels almost like a shopping center back home. It reminds me of Oswego’s Walmart, and sometimes makes me homesick.
I’ve been stalking my fellow collegiettes™ back in Oswego, too, via Facebook, and I have to tell you all that your recent status updates about the snow is making me even more homesick. We haven’t seen a single flake, something I should be happy about, right? But I miss snow! Someone, please send me some!
I’m heading to Wales and Bath this weekend with the other students studying abroad in London through Brockport’s programs – so that should be a blast. If any of you have ever been to this area, let me know some other places I should check out and I’ll take some pictures for you!