London is exactly how I thought it would be, cold and exhilarating. All of my expectations of London were fulfilled and more. I’ve only been here for about three weeks, but it’s felt like months. The first week was just getting adjusted to our new environments and getting to know/making friends with our flatmates through various activities planned. It felt like going through freshman orientation all over again. However, I managed to meet people from all over the US seeing as the majority of the study abroad students are Americans. The big event for the week was a welcome back boat party, which was really advertised with the study abroad students. It was a truly beautiful sight seeing tour.
As for other events, I watched a Chelsea FC game. It wasn’t a big game and some important players didn’t play, but it was still one of the best experiences of my life. I have loved Chelsea since I was little and time has only grown my love for them. Plus, Chelsea is such a beautiful area and just taking a leisurely walk there is pretty scenic.
(Snapchat photo while I was there)
I have already taken two trips while being in London. I went to Reykjavik, Iceland for three days. It was breathtakingly beautiful and feel like I didn’t see enough of the country. I was a bit too early to see the Northern Lights, which was such a shame. It’s on my bucket list and I thought I’d have a solid chance to see it, but alas I did not. In Germany, I went to visit one of my best friends, who lives in Frankfurt, and we took a road trip to Munich. This was very interesting because it was during Oktoberfest and I didn’t know it was also a carnival of sorts. There were pretty awesome rides and the food was pretty amazing. We went into one of the big tents and they’re known for their duck and it was one of the best ducks I’ve ever had in my entire life. We met these two guys, one of who was American so we bonded over that, and they told us that they’ve been coming to Oktoberfest for the last eight years together. The American comes to visit his friend in Munich every year and I think that’s an amazing way to maintain a long distance friendship.
(This is the sunset from the flight going into Reykjavik)