Lindsay's London Flummery: My last week in London

I can’t believe it’s my last week in London. It’s a sad, sad time in my study abroad experience.

Last weekend I went to Wales and stayed with a friend I met in massage therapy school in North Carolina. She lives in Caernarfan, which is on the west coast of the country. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in the UK so far. We visited Penrhyn Castle, Castell Caernarfan, and watched a rugby game at Marston’s, the local pub. On my last day we took a walk to St. Baglan’s Church in her village of Llanfaglan.

Every place I’ve visited, whether it is right here in London, or miles away in Wales, Ireland, or Scotland, has had a gigantic history lesson. There were times I was tired of hearing the history and just wanted to look and enjoy. I tried to tune out the tour guide and just observe, but it wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. I didn’t know what I was looking at. There is no college course in existence that could teach me the history and culture I’ve experienced studying abroad.

Luckily, my traveling, learning, and experiencing doesn’t stop here. This weekend, when the semester is finished and my last paper is turned in, my mom and two friends are flying to London to go on a three week European tour with me. We’re spending the night in Thornbury Castle in Gloucester, a part of the Cotswolds, visiting Paris, Rome, Venice, Pisa, Prague and Berlin before we head back to the US. It is going to be AMAZING!!

Each class has a paper due by the 31^st of March. These assessments will ensure my understanding of the concepts taught throughout the semester. I am almost finished with them and they were not as easy to write as I anticipated. The concepts are not difficult to understand, but to put them in the situation of a real company, piece of theater, or place in history is hard to do. But with time, effort and brainpower, it’s all coming together.

There are no words to describe how amazing this adventure has been. For any students thinking about studying abroad, do it. Set aside any fears you may have and go for it. Jump in and acquaint yourself with new places, new people and new cultures. Once you’re here it’s not as scary as you might have thought.