Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…
This week has flown by!! We had our Fall Break this week so I decided to travel during this time off. When I was in high school I did an exchange with a school in Lyon, France. I’ve kept in touch with the girl I lived with through Facebook. When I came to London, one of my top priorities was going back to Lyon to visit all of the friends I had made there. This break was the perfect opportunity to do that. It was so great to see old friends, practice my French, and EAT!!
After a couple days in France, my friend and I flew back to London for Halloween. She had never really celebrated Halloween and she wanted to experience what real Halloween was like. Now, while British stores have lots of Halloween decorations and costumes for sale, and restaurants and pubs have Halloween specials, England does not do Halloween like America does Halloween. I was a little disappointed by the lack of spirit, but it was still a fun evening with friends.
Having a friend visit was (beforehand) a stressful experience, but (afterwards) a very rewarding one. Having a new visitor helped me realize how much of a local I have become in these past couple months. It was fun revisiting some of my favorite tourist spots (Big Ben, South Bank, Piccadilly Circus, The National Gallery, Camden Markets, Oxford Street, Hyde Park) as well as checking out some new ones as well (mostly: Cereal Killer Café!!!). Cereal Killer Café is a café that serves every kind of cereal you can imagine. Then, you choose from a myriad of milk flavors. THEN if you already aren’t dead from all the options, you choose a topping! I ended up getting Reese’s Puff Cereal with M&Ms and normal milk (not trying to be too crazy). Plus, it was Halloween so I could have candy on my cereal.
It was an exhausting, but very enjoyable week here. Now back to classes. Hard to believe I’ll be home in a little over a month.