As I was sitting in Heathrow Airport while scrolling through the pictures from the six weeks in London, I still can’t believe that this journey has come to an end.

Taken in Sky Garden, London.

I still remember the day when I was on my flight to London. I was extremely anxious because I was heading to a country that I had never been to in the past. Although I have traveled to different countries in the past, it was still very different than traveling with your friends/family. I did not really know anyone who was in the same program, and I was not sure whether I had any Pitt student on the same flight with me at the time. I tried to do as much research as I could for the transportation and location of our housing beforehand. Fortunately, I found the public transportation from the airport to the city very convenient. Although I was a little bit stressed in the beginning, it did not take me long to figure out how to get to the housing location in Camden Town. The staffs from CAPA were very friendly, and their advice and resources provided greatly helped me to adopt the life here in London.

In the beginning, I thought I would be able to spend a lot of time exploring London and going to other parts of the UK. However, due to the internship schedule, it was very difficult for me to do so. Although it was ashamed, I definitely didn’t regret to take the internship program instead of taking another class because I learned so much from my colleagues and supervisor at the internship site. At the same time, I get to experience the life of a white-collar in London while trying to get to work by tube during rush hour: It definitely was not the best experience because not every line of the tube has air conditioning on the train, and it gets really hot and humid in the car during summer. I definitely believe that London has one of the best public transportation systems in the world, but due to the old infrastructure, it would seem a bit behind compared to the transportation system in Asia.

I never thought I would have the opportunity to go to London as it always seemed like a pricey location compared to other cities in the world. However, fortunately, because of the program, I was able to do so and learn more about the city and expand my cultural competence. At the same time, the international internship experience also helped me to understand the discrepancy between workplace culture and apply my academic knowledge to the real world. During the six weeks, I was able to step out of my comfort zone and became more independent throughout the journey. I am glad that I decided to participate in the program this summer, and I definitely couldn’t have made it without the support from my fellow friends and family. I hope that I would have the opportunity to come back to visit London sometime in the future.