Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…
Alright! This is my penultimate weekly summary of my time here in London. Trying not to get too sad. I’m excited to get back home and see my family and friends, but I will be leaving a part of my heart here in London. Looking back on my time here, I am amazed by how much I have grown while here. I have learned so much about the world and about myself. It has been a life changing experience.
This week was very stressful because the “final papers” and “exams” that my professors have been talking about for the past couple months that I laughed and brushed off are almost due. I spent this week working on work due this coming week. Fortunately, I had been working on a lot of these papers so when it came time to write them, I felt prepared. And since I was able to accomplish writing most of my final papers early in the weekend, I took this last weekend I have in London to do personal bucket list items.
Thursday night, I went to Barrafina, a Michelin-starred tapas bar in Soho. I included a picture of the food we got there. I know I keep saying “that was the best meal I’ve had in London” etc., but this was amazing. Tapas are a very popular Spanish tradition. They are small portions of food that you share with your friends. We had patatas bravas (a dish recommended to me by my friend who studied in Spain), courgette flower (a thin zucchini with a filo pastry filled with goat cheese on top), roasted quail, and chickpea ropa vieja (a twist on one of my high school Spanish teacher’s favorite dishes). After a week of stressful nights writing papers and studying for exams, it was nice to go out and get to try really amazing food. Accessibility to a wide range of amazing food will be what I miss most about London. The museums are nice and the culture is wonderful, but oh my goodness the food.
Speaking of museums, Saturday, I was able to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum. Early in the semester, I went to the V&A with my class. We were only interested in one exhibit so we were quickly ushered to the room with Shakespeare’s First Folio (amazing in its own right). But as we were walking to see it, we passed rooms and rooms and rooms filled with other exhibits that I wanted to see. I told myself I would come back sometime when I had time. Saturday, I finally found time. They have exhibits ranging from fashion through the ages, Middle Eastern Artifacts, Asian cultural objects, a room with priceless jewels and jewelery, classic paintings by Raphael, sculptures, an exhibit on shoes, and many, many more. And it’s free! Okay, free, amazing museums are definitely high on my list of things I will miss about London.
Today (Sunday) I went to the BBC headquarters and Portobello Road. I went to the BBC to get souvenirs for my friends, but after shopping I got to look around a little and I even got to see the morning weatherman doing his live report. I then returned to Portobello Road one more time to get last minute souvenirs for my friends (and myself). There are so many small and unique shops to investigate, one really cannot see them all.
Now I should get back to studying and distracting myself from the fact that I have less than a week left here.