Arcadia England

We are very lucky to have had Suruchi, who is here in London on the Internship Programme, write a blog for us. It is safe to say Suruchi, a student at The University of Texas at Austin, is making the most of her time in London. She has worked hard both on her internship and in her free time, gaining some priceless experience along the way.  Don't just take our word for it, let us hand you over to Suruchi. 

I came to London with many expectations as to how my time abroad would go. A lot of those expectations included getting to experience all of the rich culture and history London had to offer through museums and famous sights like Big Ben, or getting to grab a taste of food from all over the world in local markets and coffee shops, or even just meeting people from different parts of the world. What my expectations didn’t include were the opportunities that I’d be given through being able to work for a company while abroad and taking classes amongst local students all while learning applicable knowledge to my major in a completely different country.

My time in London has far exceeded every expectation

My time in London has far exceeded every expectation I had and I am surprised every day to get to experience something new. It was in our first few weeks here in London that I quickly made my way through the list of ‘touristy’ places to visit; Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Natural History and British Museums, Trafalgar Square, and the list continues. It was after checking off all of these items on my bucket list that I started just looking around for little hidden gems in and around the city. It wasn’t that hard to do being that I spend my days shuffling back and forth across the city multiple times a day for classes, work, and exploration time. Whether it's a new coffee shop or café, a new market, or even stumbling upon some gorgeous architecture, there is always something new to discover around every corner in London. Many of my weekends have been spent just walking around different parts of London and taking in every corner the city has to offer. Whether it was wandering around Greenwich market and spending the afternoon sitting at the Greenwich Observatory to see the entire London skyline, having a mini picnic at the top of Primrose Hill and seeing all of the beautiful autumn colors, or walking around neighborhoods like Brixton, Kings Cross, or Hampstead, each weekend has been filled with a taste of every part of the city.

I’ve learned so much about British culture

As much of the city as I feel I would have seen without having to work, taking on an internship while studying abroad has given me the chance to see a completely different side of London. Not only do I get to work in Shoreditch, one of the city’s coolest neighborhoods, at one of the most amazing restaurants, Dishoom, I have been given the chance to meet so many new people through my internship and completely immerse myself into the London work environment. It has been my co-workers who have suggested to me so many local places to check out and explore that I otherwise wouldn’t have heard of. I have never met a more amazing group of people; all of my co-workers immediately welcomed me into the office family and made me feel right at home. Between doing work to prepare the launch of a new restaurant, I’ve learned so much about British culture and have had lots of fun comparing the differences between the UK and US. One of my favorite moments included trying to explain American football to my co-workers and attempting to teach them how to say “y’all” as we do in Texas.

 I’ve been able to do so much in such a short amount of time while abroad, and being halfway through my time here I can only imagine how much more I’m going to get to do and see while here. If these past few months have been any indication, there is a lot more in store for this Texan in the UK.

To read more about Suruchi's experiences in London head to her blog Simply Living. Everything from autumnal parks, London sights and yummy food are covered.