Hello! My name is Danielle Butler, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in supply chain management and certificates in global studies and international business. I am writing from London, England, where I have been for the past 2 and a half weeks and will return in late April. I am a part of GBI London, which is a study abroad program for Pitt Business students. I chose to study in London for the great internship opportunities, the vast and diverse city, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Some of my goals for this program is acquainting myself with a broad range of new experiences, so that I am better fit to take on all the challenges that await me when I return. Studying, working, and living in a big city like London teaches you important skills, such as making quick decisions and adapting to a new culture and way of life.

My university in London is called CEA CAPA, which is not a London city university or college, but a third-party study abroad educational organization. Because of this, I go to school with students all from American universities. It is a quite small school, which is different than I am used to, as Pitt is such a large school. But the city environment is familiar to me, and I’ve been able to meet new people from CEA CAPA, but also locals. This has been a great experience because even though Oakland is an urban area, you mainly meet other university students from Pitt.

I live in the borough of Islington, and my part of town is relatively quiet. It is a more residential area compared to most areas of London, but has some busy streets very close by. I like how centrally located it is, and how quick it is to get where I usually need to go. My commute is about 35 minutes to class and 45 minutes to my internship, which is much different from my 5 minute walk to class in Pittsburgh! I share my flat with 3 other people, 2 of which are from universities other than Pitt main, and it has been great bonding over our new lives in London. I would say I am adapting extremely well to my new living arrangement, as I have had many roommates before and know how to make sharing a space as enjoyable as possible.

I can’t wait to have more adventures and share more of experiences in these blog posts. Cheerio!

Tower Bridge!

Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, and of course, Big Ben!