I finally feel that I have settled down, and am really getting to know this town! Classes officially started, and what a difference it is to be on a schedule! I am taking mostly business-focused classes with students who are juniors and seniors (called 2nd and 3rd years). So far the courses seem very interesting. I attend a lecture for each class then after the lecture we have a small break and go to our seminar. In seminar, we discuss what we learned in the lecture, and work on our assignments. Here, they don’t have multiple tests throughout the semester, they just have 1-2 big assignments in the form of essays and group presentations that determine if you pass or fail. My roommate and I joined the women’s football (soccer) team! We were super nervous to go, but it was really great to play with them and meet new people. It is sponsored by one of the biggest football clubs in the UK, Arsenal, so our coaches are top notch! What I love about London is there is always something new happening. Each Tuesday morning, at every tube station, they hand out the magazine “Time Out London”, which gives you an inside view on what’s happening in London that week.
I live right near one of the busiest train stations, Kings Cross, where Harry Potter famously caught his 9¾ train, and just the other day as I was heading out of the tube, there was a large market right outside the station filled with fresh produce, baked goods and homemade chocolates! I love the little surprises of markets, and parks where you least expect them! In between classes it’s easy to travel to different parts of London, and this week I visited a small alleyway, that is the most colorful in all of London called Neal’s Yard (see picture!) It is a beautiful hidden gem with a couple coffee shops down the way. Neal’s Yard is located at Covent Garden, which is a large market filled with various shops and has the BEST cookies you will ever try, at a place called Bens Cookies! The line was out the door on a Thursday afternoon, I cannot imagine how long it would be on a weekend. You can smell the freshness of the cookies from blocks away! As I am exploring and learning more about London, it is starting to feel like my home, and I am getting more comfortable here!
