London

I tend to shy away from tour guided trips, so I obviously signed up for every tour guided trip offered on the university itinerary. Attending a Shakespeare play or The Lion King play? Trip to Oxford? Trip to Stonehenge and Bath? Did not know what Bath meant, but sign me up!

The first weekend was the trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Since Stonehenge is one of the ancient wonders of the world, I would not stop talking about the rocks weeks prior. All jokes aside, tourists, like myself, flock to the prehistoric monument because of the mystery behind how the stones got there. Even though historians have proven the alien conspiracies to be utterly false, I realized the true curiosity stems from the meaning behind the rocks. Standing beneath the magnitude of the stones, it was clear the monument was created for a religious purpose to bring the community together. Even with all the tourists and cameras, it was dead silent. Peaceful, but seamlessly silent and feeling as if the outside world was closed off to us.

Following Stonehenge, the bus proceeded to the town of Bath. A miscommunication of time between tour guides meant I spent the majority of the time in Bath running after the lovely, elderly tour guide. I cannot fathom the beauty of Bath with the Georgian, limestone architecture and the lavish landscapes. However, I did refrain from taking a bath in the original ancient Roman baths due to the lime green, iridescent color not being to my liking. 

The next weekend was the trip to the University of Oxford where an array of the greatest individuals in history had studied. After following the first-year tour guide through the 39 colleges that make up the university, I escaped to the Oxford Botanical Gardens & Arboretum. It felt like I was walking through every ecosystem in the world in only a matter of steps. After relaxing in the gardens and watching hilarious attempts of university students punting in the nearby canal, I was ready to explore more of what Oxford had to offer.

By a chance of luck, I was able to snag a ticket to the top of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. I kept climbing the stone staircase and finally understood why Rapunzel did not try to escape the tower. Once I saw the light escaping from the top of the stairs I knew the climb was worth it. I didn't know at the time, but I was the first person to be allowed access to the top. The view was impeccable, and I was enjoying the loneliness until other tourists appeared. Since I was the first one to climb up the cramped space I had to be the last one to come down, but I was not bothered at all.

After reading over my weekend adventures, I have come to realize that I had a misconception about the United Kingdom. I was ignorant to think the country was solely the city of London; it is home to some of the greatest places on earth, and it took filling out a college application to discover that.

Until next time,

Jade

 

Ten hours later and the wait was finally over. Even though I was fulfilling one of my life’s goals by studying in London, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. There’s no book, YouTube video, or friend’s experience that can prepare. All I had to do was figure my way through the maze of Heathrow airport to receive my short-term student stamp and it would be smooth sailing from there.

With my documents in hand, the border security officer kindly welcomed me into his country. From then on, I was dropped off in the incorrect location, so my suitcase and I walked all of King Cross in a matter of hours. Thankfully my IES Abroad advisor saved the day and helped me locate my new home. The funny thing is I passed by the hotel numerous times, but I couldn't fathom that this was the place I was staying at. IES Abroad does not shy away from exceptional accommodations (gym included). After a good night’s rest and complimentary breakfast from IES Abroad, a quick orientation followed with an introduction to the IES Abroad Center staff. In a matter of hours, the team had made the transition from life in the states to life in London fairly easy.

The following day I would move into my permanent at the University’s living accommodations, so I decided to take this free day to fulfil all of my tourist dreams. Luckily, I arrived early enough to view the Crown of Jewels before the crowds would have made entering the castle nearly impossible. Pictures were not allowed in the vault, but Tiffany & Co. and Cartier are not close to being comparable. After exploring the towers, my journey continued across Tower Bridge. I refuelled myself with vegan fish and chips then set on to visit the St. Paul's Cathedral. The dome of the cathedral could be seen from miles away, but words cannot describe the beauty when standing in front of it.

I decided to stray from the map and simply wander the streets. I ended up following a red paved road to the Queen Victoria Memorial where it's shadowed cast upon an enormous building. When admiring the gold-plated gates and pristine architecture I realized this was the Buckingham Palace. After waiting for the Queen's corgis to come running out and respecting the admiration for the royal family, I decided to end the day with new friends soaking in the sun on a pub's balcony in London, England. 

Until next time,

Jade