month one.

by Amanda Huggins

So…I’m here. After months of preparation and anticipation, I’m finally living in London. Nestled in the heart of South Kensington, my quaint little fourteen-person flat has quickly become a home away from home. The area is fabulous — a Lamborghini dealership is just around the corner, policemen drive BMW’s, and women are dripping with the latest fashion trends (faux fur galore). But ritzy South Ken isn’t just a wealthy neighborhood, it’s so rich in culture as well. There’s museums, parks, international restaurants, and a few colleges all within a ten minute walk. It’s completely overwhelming…with so much to do in just my area, it’s often hard to decide what my daily adventures will entail. I’ve waited a full month to blog about London, partially because I was too busy out exploring, but also because I wanted to give myself a little time to really internalize everything that’s been going on these past thirty days. Basically, what I’ve come up with is this…

LONDON IS AMAZING.

Despite having the absolute WORST plane ride I have ever experienced (think multiple delays, unnecessary bus transfers, thoughts of throwing myself off of the double decker, etc), we arrived here in one piece. After lugging a good 130lbs of luggage up 6 flights of steps — there’s no “lifts” in my building — we began to get acquainted with our neighborhood. Like I said, this neighborhood is fabulous. just… so gorgeous.

In terms of classes, I’m in love. I’m a closet Shakespeare nerd, so London is basically my dream come true in that sense. My Comtemporary Brit Theatre course requires that I go and see one major play per week, and my Brit Culture class gives me exactly the culture history I’m looking for. The professors in the UK are incredible– they genuinely care about how we experience London. Grades are obviously still important, but they value the way in which you achieve the grade, rather than just making sure you get that A…just one of the major differences I’ve noticed between British and American schooling. I love that instead of tying us down to a classroom, the professors regularly take us for walks around the city, showing us little bits of history that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by the uniformed eye.

So much has happened that it’s hard to recount everything here….so instead, I’ll throw some pictures at you. Explanations will come. And from now on I’ll start recounting my experiences better instead of waiting an entire month.