Student Bloggers

By Lynsey L., London Internship Program Summer, England

So this past week has been extremely hectic, but completely full of beneficial knowledge. From a Britishness lecture to a trip to a market on the weekend, I've surely gained some helpful tips for surviving London without being a total stereotypical American. This past week has been a great help in learning about the British culture. Arcadia's faculty has been amazingly helpful and responsive in guiding us in the right direction. 

We did everything and saw everything. Our first day was jam-packed with a tour of the Student Center and the surrounding area. We also had a practicalities lecture in addition to our Britishness lecture. The faculty was definitely prepared to lead us into the culture that we will be immersed in for the next two months. Arcadia also paid for us to attend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was superb! We also got the amazing chance to visit Kensington Palace. 

We were also strongly encouraged to explore London on our own, so we did just that. My flatmates and I have gotten accustomed to hopping on the Tube to head to High Kensington Street, which is a large shopping area. Here, you can find all of the essentials, and items you'll totally want to make your flat your home. We visited Argos, which was compared to Target, but it's a tad different. It’s an automated catalog store that you shop from an iPad and send items to your designated trolley, which are retrieved when you checkout. We also found a great take-away Asian restaurant called Wasabi, where you can grab a warm bento box or assorted sushi rolls. We've walked the length of Hyde Park (which I don't recommend if you're not completely prepared) just trying to find the nearest Tube stop. We've rode the London Eye on a sunny day, and grabbed some amazing photos (and selfies)! We've eaten an assortment of foods and baked goods at Camden Market, for prices that were a steal! We've found the Super Tesco (after some searching and long walks), which is about the size of an American supermarket and has literally everything. We've ridden a bus through Earl's Court and got nasty glares from the driver when we requested to get off before the stop. We've also, thankfully, realized how to blend in and be quiet on the Tube. We've gone to the pub to watch a football match (Juventus v. Barcelona). We've napped in a park at lunchtime. We've gotten used to the culture, but keeping our American roots. 

This next week we start our classes and our internship placements and we are all completely stoked to establish a routine and to get into the nitty gritty. 

Lynsey Leopord is a student at the University of Montevallo and is blogging from her summer abroad with the London Internship Program Summer in London, England.