It has almost been one month since I first arrived in London! That is so crazy for me to say because it feels like I just got here last week. The adjustment to work and classes abroad was surprisingly a very easy one. I have met a lot of amazing people through classes, work, or even just walking down the street to try a new restaurant. The culture is so diverse and every little town or street you find yourself on, there is always something new to do. My class and internship have been going very well. The class I am taking is international finance, and has a very small class of 6 of us total. It has been very interactive and easy to connect and talk to the peers around you, which is a very stress relieving feeling. My internship has also been amazing. My company is very interactive and inclusive, and I have been able to get a lot done working for them for the last month. 

There are many similarities between living here versus living in Pittsburgh, but London is definitely a much larger city. London transportation is also much more complex than Pittsburgh, but was still very easy to figure out over time. My first week, I had to use my phone a lot just to figure out which transportation line to use, and now, one month later, I can get to many different places through just my memory. My new neighborhood is very cool because right below us there is an entire street of so many different cultural restaurants and spots. We live around 1-2 miles from the center of London, which is incredible because I could either take public transport or choose the scenic route and go for a walk to the center of the beautiful city. In my flat, there are four of us total, all Pitt business students. We did not know each other entirely before coming to London, but over the last month we have connected very quickly and I enjoy living with them so much. They helped the adjustment to London become a much easier and exciting journey. 

While living abroad is amazing, there are definitely a lot of different challenges that you face through time. I found myself to adjust very easily and automatically felt at home living in London, but I do miss my family. Having a time difference between here and home makes it somewhat difficult to always be able to talk to my family because our free times differ from one another. In addition, it has also been very difficult to create a budget because you are abroad so you want to do all the different fun things that the city has to offer, but you also need to be financially smart and remember that everything comes with a cost. London houses are not as modern as many places throughout the United States and things like air conditioning are not common with living spaces, so the increased temperatures and not AC have definitely been a new challenge. Overall, I love London and this city has truly been an enjoyable and memorable experience as each day continues.