Another week in London! With the second week passing by I am finally starting to settle in to my flat and having a great time with my flatmates! I am in the unique situation where my roommate in Pittsburgh is also my roommate in London! The two of us and our other very good friend from Pitt are all having a blast in our room, sharing the flat with 2 other students from the University of Alabama! Having so many flatmates is amazing because it immediately gave me 4 people to talk to during the adjustment period, 4 people to explore London with, and 4 familiar faces in my classes. Together we have gone out to see Mamma Mia on the West End, ventured out to the Platinum Jubilee activities (the Queen's 70th year on the throne celebration!), and explored Bath and Stonehenge!
When I was preparing to go abroad, all the Pitt students complete our orientations and modules together, with a program director who only handles a handful of schools. Because of that, I expected to be surrounded by Pitt students in class and in our flat at all times, but so many different students have come here from schools all across the country! Getting to know them, and how their institutions compare and differentiate has been a really cool experience. I'm getting to learn a lot about different cultures in London while also learning about the different university cultures of American schools.
Unlike a lot of the other living situations the program offers, I am in a building that is completely study abroad students. This has been a fun opportunity because it brings a sense of comfort to navigating a new city and country. Much like adapting to college freshmen year, we all have to adapt again to our new neighborhood, our commute to classes, and the surrounding boroughs. Getting to do this together with 50+ students in my vicinity has been crucial to my adjusting while abroad.
What I think I love most about living in Whitechapel– the neighborhood my flat is in– is how much there is to do within walking distance, while also having London at our fingertips with public transport. Leaving my flat if I go one direction I hit the Underground station, where the tube (subway) can take me to Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, or Big Ben! But if I walk the other way, I can be at Tower Bridge and the Tower of London in 10 minutes time. If I walk another way I can either reach Brick Lane, known for its infamous curry selection, or Spitalfields Markets, where local vendors sell clothes, art, and food! A really neat aspect of London is that it feels as though every neighborhood has its own market, so even in a big city everyone has an opportunity to be an entrepreneur and create for and contribute to their local community.
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