I’ve been dreaming of studying abroad in London since I became a Pitt students and its hard to believe that I’m actually here. London is one of the most diverse and cultural cities in the world and you really feel that the minute you arrive by the sights, the sounds and the smells of some of the most amazing food. Instead of having distinct cultural neighborhoods like Little Italy and Chinatown like New York, the restaurants and shops are mixed into the existing neighborhoods.

I am currently living in one of them called Shepard’s Bush. It’s in west London, about a 25 minute tube ride from CAPA. Right outside the building is the Shepard’s Bush Market, one of the oldest in all of central London. Just a couple stops away is Portobello Road on the largest and the most famous street markets in all of London. This neighborhood also has the Westfield mall, the 2nd largest shopping mall (america style) in London. There is also a variety of pubs, and restaurants.

I am already in love with this neighborhood and my little flat. My flat is on the top floor and to get there you have to use the rickey fire escape, but at least its shielded from the rain. The flat is much larger than the photo made it look, but still not massive like we would expect at home. It’s just the right size and definitely somewhere I could live year around.  My roommate, a fellow Pitt students, and I have been enjoying our little kitchen and dinning room. We been making sandwiches with some free bread we got from HOVIS, a local bread company with got at the Westfield Mall. It’s been nice to have food to take with me to CAPA and to work as well.

This past Monday I started my internship at a small market research firm in  Islington. The company specializes in eye-tracking technology so I’ve been learning all about that and helping them put together a competitive review.  The commute is pretty long at about an hour, but before you start moaning, that is an average commute for a Londoner door-to-door, so it’s really not that bad. All of the people at my company are very friendly and today we had a picnic in the park across the street because the weather was nice. Tomorrow, I get to assist them in a field study, so that will be exciting adventure.

My first week in London has been very busy and wonderful and I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store.

Until next time,

Emily