My time abroad in London is speeding by and is already more than halfway over. I have loved my time here and am excited for the last couple of weeks! My university abroad is called CEA CAPA, The Global Education System. The university is in Kensington, about 40 minutes from my living arrangements in Farringdon. I am currently enrolled in international marketing, and a global internship course.

The international marketing class has been very interesting so far and unlike any class I have taken at Pitt. We meet twice a week for 3 hours on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Although it is different, I like the style of teaching my professor uses because he always keeps us on our toes, making the 3-hour class feel shorter than it is. So far, we have completed two group projects, a mid-term research paper, and visited the Museum of Brands. For the first group project we analyzed how McDonalds and Gucci have had success expanding internationally using adaptation and standardization (respectively). For the second group project, we recommended why the security system company Ring should expand internationally to Brazil, and identified the steps they can take to find success marketing in a different country. For my mid-term research paper, I analyzed how Nike grew to be the world’s leading sportswear brand. In my paper I Introduced the company, gave background information, discussed their business & purpose, analyzed their clientele, gave examples of brand expansions and promotions, and wrote about their international expansion history and future plans. We also had a class field trip which included a tour of the Museum of Brands. This was my favorite class to date because it was interesting to see the history of all the brands I have grown to love and use every day.

I have been living in Farringdon, a busy neighborhood in Central London. I am living in an apartment complex with many other CAPA students and got very lucky with my housing assignment. I have made many friends in the same building, and my two roommates have been great to live with. We even have a pool, gym, and Ping-Pong table in our apartment complex, a luxury not many other CAPA students have in other buildings. The living situation has been much like re-living freshman year of college. Moving in and meeting all the new people that you will be living and taking classes with is very exciting and I enjoyed re-living the process again. One challenge I have faced is ensuring I am on-time for everything I am going to, whether it be class, work, meeting up with friends, or catching a show, I need to prepare for a commute whenever I leave the apartment. My commute to class usually takes 35-45 minutes, depending on the tube line I take, but this can differ when the tube workers are on strike. I have learned to manage my time wisely and make sure I give myself extra time when traveling to class, work, or a place I haven’t visited before.  

Here is a photo I took of the sunset at Hyde Park!