A week in, and I am finding that adjusting has been harder than expected, but not impossible. When the program first started, I wondered if this was something I was ready to handle. I had never traveled outside of the country by myself, and was honestly feeling incredibly overwhelmed. However, after about a week and a half, I am starting to settle in to life in London. The neighborhood I live in, Islington, is wonderful, with so much to do in such a close vicinity. I’ve come to enjoy taking walks around the neighborhood when I need to clear my mind, as it is an incredibly peaceful exercise for me.
When it comes to living, it has been quite the readjustment. I lived off campus all of last year, and so I had settled back into life without a roommate. While I can’t say I don’t miss having a room all to myself, there are a lot of added benefits to having a roommate. One of the main ones has just been having someone, or in my case three people, to experience stuff with throughout the city. I love exploring, and it has been great to be able to see some sites with my roommates, as opposed to doing everything solo. My roommate Daniel and I had spent a day all around Trafalgar Square and Westminster, doing a tour of Westminster Abbey and then just generally site seeing. While this is certainly something I would’ve attempted to do by myself eventually, I was more encouraged to do it with a friend. My roommates have been incredibly accommodating so far, and I can honestly say that I feel so lucky to get to spend these next coming weeks with them.
When it comes to classes, I’ve been greatly enjoying them so far. I am enrolled in one class, and then an internship course as well. The class I am in is centered around exploring and analyzing London as a global city, which involves field studies and more exploration. Our first assignment had us go to a variety of different locations around London, to better understand the layout of the city. Pictured below is a photo of me in front of the Elgin Marbles, located inside the British Museum.
The class has already provided a great way for me to get out and explore the city of London in a way I otherwise would not have. My internship course has been great as well, focusing more on our individual stories. I enjoy self-reflection, but don’t always get the opportunity, and I feel as though this internship course is making me look inward at myself and my journey up to this point.
My internship itself has been going very well, with me fully feeling like a part of the team now. I am working for a startup named “In Good Company”, which is a tech-for-good app focused on highlighting ethical and sustainable businesses in and around London. My first day I was incredibly nervous; I didn’t think I would fit in, and was scared that I wouldn’t be able to complete the work I was asked to. Little did I know that my supervisors, and the team as a whole, are incredibly compassionate people who are open to every question I could throw at them. The working environment is very relaxed, but focused on completing their work at a high level. I’ve been focusing so far on the more financial side of the business, mainly analyzing different financial statements and models. It is incredibly rewarding work for me, because not only is this something I am passionate in, but I can tell that the work I am doing is leading to something good. While I still have a little ways to go in feeling fully accustomed, I can confidently say that I feel welcomed whenever I walk in the door.
Overall, the adjustment to London was tougher than I expected. I didn’t know how the first week would go, but whatever extremes were in my head did not happen. I would say it was more in the middle, not all great but certainly not all bad. I understand that there are going to be days where I love everything about this trip, and some days where I wish I was home. Luckily for me, I have three incredible roommates who I know will be there for me if I need them. As I look forward to the next five or so weeks, I am excited to continue taking advantage of this great opportunity, and seeing everything that London has to offer me.