My daily routine while studying in London seems pretty typical and I feel like I have gotten the hang of how native students spend their days. I have lived in Manhattan several different times so navigating a large city came fairly easy to me. I start my day by commuting to class where I take the tube. While on the tube, I see many different types of people. I recognize the people that have commuted from far away who work tirelessly to make London operate so seamlessly and then I see the businessmen and women who have moved to London to work for large corporations. This is interesting to see because in NYC, you hardly ever see a man in a newly pressed suit taking public transit. It is much more accepted here in the UK. Even the busses are packed to the brim with people from all different backgrounds.
As soon as I hop off the tube I head to class. Taking class in London is like taking a breath of fresh air. I get to learn something new in all five of my classes that I would never learn back at Rollins. London is big into the creative industries and I am lucky enough to take several classes in that field. I am eager to learn because I am not just learning how to be an entrepreneur in every single class, but I am learning to put my skills to work in the industry I want to pursue. I get to see how the workforce is different in all EU countries and that is what has been most shocking to me. A lot of my classes have taken me on field studies to different parts of the city where we get to learn from our professor along with tour guides. This experience has extraordinarily broadened my mindset.
Many times, after class I will hop back on the tube and go grocery shopping for the night. I was most surprised to see that groceries in London are incredibly inexpensive in comparison to the USA. Because London is such an expensive city to live in in general, I expected it to be the opposite. Many of the foods in the stores are different and a lot of the snacks that are abundant in America do not exist in London. Self-checkout seems to be a bigger deal in Europe than it is in the USA. People always tap their credit cards on the screen and walk out of the store with their reusable bags without being checked or monitored by an employee.
Every weekend I travel to a new country. I have noticed that security is much more efficient and much more relaxed in Europe. There are never long lines and the energy is much more pleasent here. Interacting with boarder control and security, they are always incredibly helpful and easy to communicate with.
When I return back to London, it is always time to buckle down and start my homework. Because we are living in the city and not on a campus, it is hard to work at home. I live with four other boys and share a room with two of them. London is filled with small coffee shops that are filled with students and young professionals getting their work done. The energy is always positively productive. Being in this environment makes me want to grind until I turn in some of my best work.
Being half-way through with my time in London is bittersweet. I am beyond excited to continue exploring the UK, but I miss Rollins and am looking forward to being back.