Over the past six weeks, I have had so much fun exploring London and the surrounding areas. Before this experience, I had only ever left the country to go to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, so this was a huge step up from that. I was able to see the city, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, Brighton, Seven Sisters Cliffs, as well as travel outside England to explore Paris and Edinburgh.
The last weekend in London, some of my roommates and I got tickets for the England vs. France rugby game! I had never seen rugby in person before, and it was a culture shock coming from our enormous, rowdy stadiums in the US to a calmer (but definitely still passionate) sporting event here. I was also really missing air conditioning during the game, because it was unbelievably hot outside, and we had to resort to fanning ourselves with hats!
The rugby game took place at Allianz Stadium in Richmond, about an hour away from where we were living. After the game, I made sure to go to the street from Ted Lasso, and got to see the pub from the show. We also got delicious gelato from a place down the street!
After buying some souvenirs from the gift shop, we took the tube back to London and stopped in the West End to see Rachel Zegler sing ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ in Evita at the Palladium Theatre. We ended up getting there at 8:30 pm for the 9:15 pm performance, but it was already absolutely packed. By the time she came to sing, there had to be at least 500 people swarming the street outside the balcony. The wait was totally worth it though, because she was amazing!
On this trip, I was pushed outside my comfort zone, in a totally new country, and ended up learning a lot of things about myself. I went into this experience only knowing one or two girls in the program, and had to branch out to meet new people. I had to manage balancing school obligations with making sure I made the most of the experience. This was especially relevant during the final weekend, as I had to prioritize finishing my final papers before going to Richmond or the beach.
I also want to say a special thank you to the scholarship donors who helped make this experience possible! I learned so much both inside and outside the classroom, and got to explore a whole new part of the world! This has been the most amazing experience, and I have made so many unforgettable memories. Thank you again!!