Arcadia England

Sunny, warm days at last are here in London – just in time for the stress of exams, essays and assignments: here’s the summative proof that your semester abroad is coming to an end – and quickly! You’re days away from “re-entry” and seeing loved ones again, maybe getting back behind the wheel and driving from A to B without even thinking about public transport, readjusting to family life and revelling in all the things you’ve missed.

Time’s suddenly speeded up (strange how you’ve probably been more aware of the elasticity of time, how you’ve somehow experienced it differently during your semester abroad from when you’re “at home” embedded in your normal routines). You’ve been living intensely – at least we hope you have – exposed to a new environment, new routines, sights, sounds, ideas, tastes and ways of being: all this takes time to sediment down and develop into a more rounded understanding of how much you’ve grown and how the adjustments you’ve had to make (and wanted to make) have subtly changed you.

After a few days when your friends are clearly getting tired of the stories and pictures from your life here, you’ll probably get flashbacks to your London commute, fun times with your flatmates or dorm buddies, eureka moments at a gallery, looking at a building, in a class discussion or against the ever-present backdrop of London.

Once you’ve experienced a little bit of distance in time and space from your semester with us, all of us at Arcadia in London very much hope that your time studying, living, learning abroad will start to crystallise and refract in new ways that inform and guide you as you progress through university into careers.

We love it when you stay in touch: let us know how you’re doing, what you’re up to, how your London semester influenced choices, decisions and opportunities. And, since you’ll come back to London at some point (everybody does!), please stop by in person – you’ll always get a warm welcome at Southampton Place!