Submitted by Katrina Anderson on the 2016 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice…
When we first arrived to the hotel in London, my group of thirteen were all still strangers. As a group, we decided to find a pub nearby to grab dinner and bask in the London culture while getting to know each other; and boy was it an adventure. We ended up walking to Kings Cross Tube Station (the famous tube station from the Harry Potter series). A few of us started to bond over our love for the Harry Potter series and the fact that most of the story takes place in London. As a group, we quickly ran over to platform 9 ¾ to discover a cart that was half way lodged into the wall in order to recreate the scene from the movie of Harry and his friends making their way to the secret train to Hogwarts. After we found a great pub for dinner, we figured we would turn in our documentation for the Tube pass in case we misplaced it. As a group, we were wandering around the station looking for the office to hand in our forms. We thought maybe the office would be downstairs by the trains. It wasn’t. Instead, we ended up having to get on one of the trains and riding it to the next stop. Then, we had to get on the next train in order to turn around. This normally would have been annoying and aggravating, but to us it was a grand adventure. All of us were laughing and becoming best friends. Spending a week in London going to the Naval College, Royal Observatory, Tower of London, Dover Castle and War Tunnels was amazing. The amount of history in one city is truly fascinating. From the very first day, I have learned an important lesson, and that is to take it all in. Whatever happens, see the adventure and excitement all of these experiences have. I can’t wait to see what the next week entails and what my new friends and I will discover.