Week 2

    I can't believe i've been here for two weeks already, I feel like I have been here forever! I feel like I have learned so much in the short amount of time that I have been here and I hope to share some things with you. We had an academic orientation where the academic director gave us some very useful advice on what we should and should not do while abroad. It is important to have a new experience while abroad and we can't do that if we are constantly on facebook, updating our statuses, and connecting with our family and friends back home. I love you all but he does have a point. By me constantly being on Facebook, I am not getting to experience everything and live and learn in London. I am here physically but mentally I will be back in NYC and I do not want that. This experience will allow me to deal with daily life occurrences and this will teach me to miss people, as the director said. All of these emotions are a part of life and this is the perfect experience to see what the future will be like. This is an experience I am using to better myself but I can't do that if I am still looking to what's going on in the city. In order to see London from a different perspective and live as a Londoner I need to stop approaching things through the eyes of an American.
     Something that I used to do when purchasing things was comparing the prices to those of US dollars, because the currency is much higher. 1 British pound is worth $1.55 US dollars. Can you imagine that! This makes it very difficult because I am trying to budget my money and sometimes I feel that this is very hard. I have to buy groceries and other things but I have five other roommates so this is not too bad. The point that I am trying to make is that comparing prices to the US is something that is preventing me from adjusting to London. The British pound, although very expensive, is what people have grown up using and to them certain prices are reasonable. This experience and many others have opened my eyes to many of the differences between the US and London. There are many things that are acceptable in the culture that are not acceptable in the U.S. and vice versa and a part of this experience is learning and understanding the cultural differences here in London. I hope to tell you all about these experiences when I return.

Classes

     Today was the first day of classes! The first day of class can be the most exciting and the most nerve wracking because you are getting a feel of the teacher, and what you need to do to get a good grade. I am taking 15 credits, 5 courses while abroad this semester. I am taking forensic psychology which I am looking forward to, because I love watching Law and Order: SVU and Dr. Wong's diagnosis of a patient and his explanations for their behavioral patterns. In this course we are going to focus on criminal psychology, different approaches to criminal psychology in the US vs UK, and different factors that may affect a verdict. I am taking a history class called Contemporary British Politics and the Modern World, and this class will be focusing on British politics through its history and the impact that Britain has had on the world as a whole. I am taking an english class called Interpreting Shakespeare and this class is awesome because what better place to study Shakespeare than in the city of London. We will be reading some of Shakespeare's plays, reading and analyzing the text, and seeing performances inspired by these plays.

     I am taking a sociology course which I am also very excited about because it's called Multicultural London. Who wouldn't be excited about a class like that! In this course we are going to focus on the local multi-cultural and multi-religious groups that reside in London. The final course i'm taking is a Communication and Rhetorical studies class called Leadership/Stewardship communication which will be focused on different styles of communication leaders have used as well as having the class work on and develop their own leadership styles. I am very excited about all the courses I am taking because even though some of them are outside of my comfort zone like the CRS class, I feel that this is a new experience and I am going to use this opportunity to better myself and grow more as an individual. I better get back to studying, I am trying to improve this semester in every way and I want to start doing that with my grades. Write you guys later!

Flats Flats Flats!

    Hi everyone! I have finally arrived in London and I don't know just how I feel about it yet. We arrived at about 6:30am on Tuesday and went straight to orientation (horrible, I know!), then they talked to us a little about the history of London as well as how what not to do in London. This covered logistics like watching out for pick-pocketers, and how to be safe in London. The detective that came in told us that London is now the #2 place for pick pocketers. Can you guess what #1 is? That's Barcelona, pick-pocketers have different tricks and ways of stealing from you so we have to be very careful.
    I also took the tube for the first time today and it was awesome! I felt like a real Londoner. Today's orientation was about looking for flats and after that we found a tour guide and began our search for a flat. Unfortunately we didn't find one today because we are only staying for 3 1/2 months and they will charge us for 4 so we are not looking to pay for money that we don't need. It's a bit dodgy (London slang, like that huh) because this place was listed on the page of listings the school gave us. We were exhausted after searching for a whole day and coming up short but tomorrow is a new day and we are going to start over.
    The city is very nice though overall but it reminds me a lot of the city with all the buses and diversity that's here. London, however, is the most diverse place in the world and that is believable because something like 95% of the population was not born in the UK. So far I am very excited about what's to come and the many many field trips I will be taking this semester. I have met some really cool people that I would have never met had I not done taken the chance and gone on this adventure. Wish me luck as I continue finding a flat tomorrow with my roomies.
 

It's the final countdown!

     After a long summer preparing for this moment I can honestly say that I am ready. I leave in two more days, and after purchasing the many items on the suggested packing list I feel both happy and sad. Happy because that means I am one more step closer to leaving, and sad because that means I have to pack now. Personally I would prefer to pack on sunday night, but I would rather not put myself through all of that stress because I have so much to pack.
     I am even more excited for the many wonderful people I will meet and friends that I will get to know even more while abroad. This is one of the greatest college moments in my life, besides deciding to come to Syracuse University. Even though the tuition is expensive and increases each year, I feel like the people I have met and the opportunities I have had while I have been there have really helped me grow and become more independent. This study abroad experience will help me even further by preparing me for my life in the real world. Even though it is not my first time traveling outside of the US it is a different situation because I will be living in London for 4 months. I will be living away from my family and friends and while this is disconcerting I know that I will also enjoy my time abroad.
     When I came to Syracuse University freshman year there were so many things I wanted to do, but the main thing I wanted to do was to be able to study abroad. The opportunity to study abroad would provide me with an opening to further my studies in another country, as well as being immersed in the culture. I knew that I wanted to study abroad although I was not sure which country I would like to study in. I began doing my research about studying abroad on the SU Abroad website and I came across programs in Chile, Italy, France, London, China, and many more countries, however when I began doing more research about the courses offered my options were narrowed down to London and Chile.
     I have taken two semesters of Spanish since arriving at College and although I want to be fluent in the language it is a challenge being able to keep up with assignments and all of the courses offered in Chile would be taught in Spanish. I thought to myself "I don't have time that, i'm not ready for courses taught in Spanish". In the end I decided to apply for the London program because there is a diverse culture, much like in the US, and I found more variety in the courses. I will be taking 15 credits, 5 courses which are: Forensic Psychology, Interpreting Shakespeare, Multicultural London, Contemporary British Politics and the Modern World, and Leadership/Stewardship Communication.      
     One of the downsides is that I chose one of the most expensive places in Europe to study abroad, $1.55 in US Dollars is only worth 1£ British pound sterling. I plan to make a budget for the amount of money I spend each week and only buy items I need and not things I want, which is my problem.