Hey there! Or as they would say here in London, “You alright?”. My name is Justin Strzelczyk, a Junior at the University of Pittsburgh, from Pittsburgh, and majoring in Finance. Writing to you from the cosmopolitan city of London, England, I’ll be tackling classes and an internship administered by Pitt and the CEA CAPA study abroad organization based locally in Kensington. Choosing London was a no brainer for myself given the goals I have undertaken as a finance major. As a major hub for finance not just in Europe but also globally, I saw the combination of completing credits and gaining experience in a professional setting through a local internship as an opportunity I could not pass up, one that I’m able to take on with the help of Pitt.
Through this program I hope to not only grow in ways that aren’t as tangible as GPA, which is to say as a person and a professional. Coming into my time studying in London, the completion of college coursework has been an important factor, but admittedly the main draw for me was this internship opportunity. I come from a working background outside of an office, so the possibility to acclimate myself to this lifestyle was a major decision to sign up for GBI London. And furthermore, I do aspire to move abroad post graduation; clearly this was tailor made to my needs.
Now to the exciting stuff; what has the first two weeks in London been like. In short, it is a lesson every single day, and one that I have to approach with humility. CEA CAPA is a wholly different world from Pitt. Lessons are taught in small, intimate classrooms with students from across the US, in a five story townhouse centrally located not far from both Buckingham and Kensington Palaces (which really is an impressive boast the organization can claim, but let’s be honest. These palaces can’t compare to the majesty that Cathy has in Oakland.). Commute has actually kind of been upgraded; I’ve traded a jaunt down 279 and on to Forbes for the daily ritual of making my way to the nearest Tube station and bus stop to navigate one of the most extensive, and impressive, public transportation systems I have ever seen. And if I’m not content with filling my time taking the Underground across London to see historical buildings or one of the hundreds of pubs, the national rail system not only encapsulates the Isle, but more importantly, it’s cheap.
Exploration has been slow these first weeks. Initially I was sidelined with a fever the first week and a half (a common occurrence here it would seem). The little time I have been able to get out of my 2 bedroom flat in Islington, I have spent taking in the numerous neighborhoods. Much like Pittsburgh, London has a seemingly endless amount of neighborhoods that have at times felt wholly unique from one another. A run over the Tower Bridge and down the Thames with the London City Runners club, taking in a football match in a pub overlooking a park with the help of Guinness(es), 5:00am wake ups to catch a train to the coast to hike magnificent chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel, London has no shortage of adventure. Dare I say, I may even feel like I belong here by the next blog post.
But I still will not understand the usage of “You alright mate?” as a greeting.
