London!

After arriving in London, I spent Saturday, Sunday & Monday discovering the city. I am studying abroad through a company called Eurolearn (GlobaLinks). Although I am not studying in London, Eurolearn organized a Bridging Cultures Program to help students acclimate themselves to British culture. The BCP usually takes place in the same country in which you will be studying but not always. We had a few people studying in Wales, but they were in London for their BCP. In the mornings, we would have three hour meetings to discuss important aspects of study abroad. We covered topics such as budgeting, goal setting, etc. We discussed the differences between American culture and British culture. There was a really neat activity we did which had us writing down the way we think the British will perceive us. While we were writing down our thoughts, two of the meeting leaders (both English), wrote down how they perceive Americans. Almost all of the students wrote down that they thought the British would see us as uneducated, loud, rude Americans. It was kind of sad.... The meeting leaders were nervous to tell us what they thought of Americans because we were so harsh on ourselves. They said they found Americans to be loud and very patriotic. They also said that Americans are extremely friendly and eager. I'd say that's a fair description.

The nice thing about studying through a company is that they created a facebook group, and they invited all of the students to join who are studying in England via Eurolearn. Through this facebook group, I met a handful of people who would be studying in the same place as me. We all bonded through messages. When we all showed up at the hotel, it was like we already knew each other. It was really nice to not be so alone right when I arrived. I really like the people I have met, and I'm happy we have each other for support.

On Saturday, my new friends and I walked from our hotel to Hyde Park. It was so beautiful. Random bit of information: The squirrels in Hyde Park are ridiculously friendly. They have no fear, and they will walk right up to humans.

On Sunday, our group visited the Tower of London. The tour was great, and I learned a lot. We saw the traitors gate, which is where prisoners accused of treason would have to enter the tower. Often times, while they made their way through the gate, they would have to walk by the heads of recently executed prisoners. The heads would be displayed by placing them on spikes. The tour taught us that the Tower of London has a rather gruesome history.

I also couldn't stop taking pictures of the Tower Bridge.

After Tower of London, we went to dinner. That night I discovered that Indian food really isn't my thing. Everyone else seemed to love it though. Oh well! After dinner, one of my program leaders took us to see Platform 9 3/4. I was so excited!! We ran all over King's Cross station looking for it. Upon reaching platforms 9 and 10, we discovered that there was no 9 3/4. I felt like my worst fears were coming true... I was a muggle! :( However, someone working at the station told us that due to such a high amount of traffic caused by the platform, they had to move the display outside. It wasn't as magical as I would have hoped, but it was still so amazing to see it.

On Monday, we had a really busy day. We saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and then we finished with dinner and a viewing of Billy Elliot. The show was actually pretty good. The music was great. We had gone to dinner at a restaurant called Nando's. I didn't have high expectations, because I was told that it was a chicken and burger place. However, Nando's had the absolute best veggie burger I have ever had. I am not exaggerating when I say that. It was so good. They also had fantastic carrot cake. Not as good as my mom's though. :) Nando's put clotted cream on my plate with the carrot cake. It was gross!  :(

On Tuesday, we said goodbye to London. We took the train to Lancaster, and we saw some amazing scenery along the way. In my next post, I will talk about the lovely city of Lancaster. :)

Cheers!