Study Abroad in London

What’s up Austin Peay peeps!?!? My name is Raven Jackson and I am a senior at APSU majoring in Corporate Communications with a minor in Graphic Design and Creative Writing. I’m hoping to graduate in May 2012 (fingers crossed) and move to good ol’ New York City. Today, or as I am writing right now anyways, is July 4th and I am listening to the pops, crackles, and booms around me thinking about my impending trip to London, and of course, my unbelievably full belly of BBQ. But we’re not here to talk about my tummy, let’s get into the good stuff!

Enjoying some fireworks before my departure!

In three days I am scheduled to depart on a flight to London through Austin Peay’s Study Abroad Program. I plan on taking Barry Kitterman’s “The Stories They Tell” course which analyzes some British short stories and allows the student an opportunity to complete a short story of their own by the end of the course. At one of the mandatory informational meetings for students studying abroad, we received awesome (and let me just emphasize that one more time for you…AWESOME!) detailed travel guides for our travel destinations. In the weeks before my departure I have read almost every page of this book and plan to utilize it heavily while I am there. The travel guide touches on shopping tips, the best parks to visit, free activities, and even includes a large pull out map of the city.

To prepare for my trip I have ensured that I have kept my passport in a safe place, as I will need it to get to London. I have saved, saved, saved, saved, and yes, SAVED!! my money to make certain that I will have enough spending money while I am over there. Because honestly, if I’m going to London the last thing I want to be worried about is money. I have also purchased a couple of cardigans to prepare for the sometimes chilly weather in Europe and made sure that my shoes are comfortable enough to walk in for long periods of time being that we have been told you usually walk many miles in one day.

Well folks, my tummy ache has subsided a little so you know what that means: MORE BBQ!!

P.S. Hey London, I hope you’re ready for me

The bustling streets of London!

Yiipppeee!!!! After 9 grueling hours of flight (following one shorter flight from Nashville to Houston) I have finally made it into London!!! Words cannot express how happy I am right now but I will try to express it anyway—I’M ECSTATIC!!!!! Upon arrival all students traveling through CCSA (Cooperative Center for Study Abroad) were directed to head through customs. Customs is what travelers have to go through upon entering a new country and was not as bad as I thought it might be. The lady just asked me a few questions then I was on my way.

Lita and Lacey getting ready to load the bus that will take us to our adventure!

After grabbing our bags from baggage claims, we all hopped on a bus that drove us to King’s College campus, which is where we will be staying for the next month. King’s College is only a five minute walk away from the bustling streets of London and a short bus ride from the major shopping areas. So right now I am definitely on top of the world!!!

After settling into King’s college and meeting other members of our class, the students were allowed to do their own sightseeing, and let me tell you, this is when the magic really happens! The first time I saw the pure beauty of architecture evident on London’s streets I could not put my camera down, nor close my mouth!!! I met a few friends I know from APSU and some that I met upon arrival in London at what we call the quad on campus (a green area in front of all the dorms) and then we headed off to our very first adventure in the city!!!

One of the many taxis available in the city. I thought this one looked really cool!

My very first walk in London! How exciting!

I would have to say that I am so thankful for my friend Lita’s nose, because she sniffed out an amazing, say it with me now—AMAZING!!!!! little pastry shop called Roni’s Bagel Bakery. I ordered a strawberry cheesecake that literally just melted in my mouth. After that slice of heaven I think I will become addicted to that shop. By the end of my stay Roni will know my name!!!!

Following the walk around, we all chose to go back and get some rest since we had been up for some time now. But before heading to bed, I decided to walk to a building on campus that had front columns that I could sit down and lean on (for some reason I’ve always wanted to do that), and write. It was a remarkable experience to look around me and see buildings rich in history and personality while a cool breeze played in my hair and orange sunlight lit the sky. Honestly, I still can’t believe I’m actually here.

I love the architecture here!

Today has been one of the most incredible days of my life. When the flight touched down a few hours ago at London Heathrow Airport it hadn’t hit me yet that I had done something so out of the ordinary for my life. It hadn’t hit me yet that these streets would be my home for the next month. But as I sit on these steps and take in the sheer beauty around me I know without doubt that my time here is going to be one of the most significant months of my life. These memories will last a lifetime!

The housing situation at King’s College is not bad at all. My dorm, though somewhat small, is perfect for study abroad students being that we are barely in our room anyways. There is a large desk in my room that overlooks the beautiful greens of campus and steps that look to a cobblestone walkway. I also have a mini-fridge in my room (though I have not figured out how to work it yet), a little lounge chair, a sink with a small mirror, a dresser, a closet, and a small bed. The funny thing is, each of my friends has a little difference in their rooms, so there’s no telling what surprises your room might hold if you decide to come for a stay!!!

I have a nice view outside my window!!

The bathrooms on campus (which include a shower) are communal. Therefore, it is a good idea to bring a robe and some shower shoes on the trip over. The bathrooms are generally clean and very usable although once in a while you’ll step into one and wonder if the person before you forgot how to flush upon their arrival here—YUCK!! But besides that the bathrooms get the job done and the unique handheld showerheads in the showers feel great after a long day of walking.

My bed is small, but it does its job!

Something also worth mentioning about King’s College is the campus’ no loud noise rule after 11:30 p.m. This is due to the fact that the college is located along a residential street and if the noise gets too high the campus will receive various unwanted complaints. This issue came up just a few minutes ago when a group of students were being loud in the quad in the middle of campus. A security guard came out and told the students that they had received noise complaints. Because of this, the students either needed to go back to their rooms or head to the “noise room.” In orientation the person running the college said that the “noise room,” although not pretty, is a place where students can go to be loud and have fun afterhours.

Noise is also sometimes a problem when trying to sleep being that many times people will let doors slam or play their music loud even though the walls are pretty thin. However, these small (super small really—maybe even tiny) problems have in no way negatively affected my stay, because at the end of the day the less time spent in my room the better. I came to see London not my dorm room!!!

Me inside my dorm room ready to go outside and explore!

Entering Golders Green Park!

Who really, really, really wanted to see a park today? I did!! So I decided to go on a “Walk in the Park” tour through Golders Green Park, led by Professor Ted Sherman. The park is in a cute little area that is within walking distance of the campus and offers vast green fields to lounge on. Upon entering the park we quickly saw a little enclosure that held some deer and a few emu!!! I love animals so I was excited to see them running around. After looking at all the animals showcased (there were some owls and even a chicken!) Professor Sherman took us all to a little ice cream shop. I got a double scoop waffle ice cream cone and it was ooOO—GOOD!! Some friends and I decided to hang around in the park and explore a little bit since after the tour the day was ours.

Me with "Capri--Sonne!"

Where's my ice cream for my ice cream cone? I ate it!

After devouring our ice cream cones we were still a tad bit hungry so we headed to a small café directly beside the ice cream shop and made a cute little discovery: a little packet of juice I purchased that would be called “Capri-Sun” in the states is called “Capri-Sonne” in London. How funny is that?!

Me by a pretty little pond in the park.

Some of the animals that were at the zoo!

The next place we all decided to hit up was a part of London called Oxford Circus being that we were all in the mood to do some shopping. To get there we had to take the tube which is what we would call a subway in the states. And let me just say, we have officially MASTERED the tube system here. It is not hard at all to figure out once you establish where you are and what stop will get you closest to where you need to be. When riding the tube I really feel like I am a local here, not just a tourist. It’s kind of an exhilarating experience actually!!

Goofing off in the tube station!

When we exited the tube station we were amazed at how many stores and people there were. I think London can be compared to somewhere like New York City, being that London is so much of a melting pot and you can see almost anything in this city!!!! Unfortunately, because today is a Sunday by the time we got there most of the stores were already closing or closed.

Which leads me to another interesting fact about London: the stores here close incredibly early!! Even during the weekdays. That will take us American boys and girls some time to get used to!! The day was not wasted, however (but really how can you waste a day in London, anyway?), when we found a small little cart along the street that sold some waffles and ice cream. And let me tell you, London knows how to churn some ice cream!!

One the tube ride back to my dorm I thought about how much I had walked today. IT WAS A LOT. You really do walk everywhere here. But I think that’s one of the things I already love so much about this city even in my short time being here. In this city, everything you want and everything you need is just a few steps away.

Walking the sidewalk in Hyde Park!

I think there’s a mood for everything in life, and today me and my friends Lacey and Lita were in the mood to experience a great park—and that we did!!! We headed to Hyde Park which is about a 20 minute distance from campus and right by the busy shopping areas of London. But that fact doesn’t bother the park at all, because once you enter it there is nothing but peace, love and good energy!

Lacey and Lita by some pretty flowers!!

A little cafe by the water!

Let me start my description of Hyde Park by stating that the flowers there are absolutely GORGEOUS!! They are so colorful and you actually get a whiff of them when walking past. Next, let me say that Hyde Park is HUGE!!! It would take days to see the whole of this park and that really excites me. Another cool thing is that spread around the park are little areas where people can rent or “let” as they say here, bicycles for a pound an hour. This is actually a very good deal and though I have yet to rent one I plan on doing so in the near future. My friend Lita says there are also places where it is possible to rent rollerblades, which is kind of a scary idea for me being that I have rollerbladed maybe once in my life, but we’re in London so I’m pretty much down to try everything!!!

Hyde Park is a great place to sit down and study!! It's so relaxing!

After a few minutes of exploring the walkways of the park, we ran into a little area where some street performers were rollerblading at high speeds through cones and doing tricks all the while. We were all mesmerized at how easily they did it (not to mention one of the performers was sporting a very nice six pack ). We decided to stay and watch awhile and listened to the groovy music playing in the background as they skated.

In Hyde Park with an amazing lit up statue behind me.

A little further down the pathway was a GIANT tree with Lita’s name written all over it! As we approached the tree we saw various people who had already reached the top of the monstrous tree and a couple who were just beginning their journey to the top. To say it was remarkable to see Lita climb her way all the way to the top of the tree would be a wild understatement. I couldn’t stop laughing when she reached the top and threw her arms wide open to the sky. That is definitely one of the moments I will remember for a long time coming.

Lita on top of a HUGE tree in Hyde Park! You go girl!!

After Lita climbed down from the tree we headed to a little café by a canal that had some DELICIOUS muffins!! Lacey especially enjoyed hers because it was gone in no time at all! There were also some beautiful swans in the canal that we admired before heading back to campus before it got too dark. Walking through one of the greatest parks of London as the receding sunlight shone on my back was a marvelous experience for me and most definitely one I look forward to repeating. London, I love you.

...and Lita with the crumbs from hers!!

Lacey with her muffin...