Submitted by Erin Boland on the 2016 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice…
As I entered my second week in London, I definitely felt more comfortable with my surroundings. Transportation on the tube was more familiar and I was getting even closer with my group. Our second week was just as busy as the first. We had classes, guest speakers, and went on class excursions. With my program I’m learning more about drugs, alcohol, and crime. The excursions we’ve been taking are so interesting to see. We made our way to the Crime Exhibit at the Museum of London, the Royal Courts of Justice and Old Bailey Criminal Court. We even did a Jack the Ripper walk where we learned all about the famous serial killer. We also went to the theatre for the first time to see Waste. I think my favorite part of this week was seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral. The art in that building is absolutely incredible. We climbed to the very top – 528 steps. It was such a beautiful view, we were able to see almost the entire city.
In my downtime, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the people in my group. I like that there’s only 13 of us because over the course of the month we’re becoming really close. We always get dinner together and just try to explore the city as much as we can. There’s so much to see and it makes it a lot more fun to explore as a group. We even decided to take a trip to Stonehenge, which is definitely a site everyone should see. I’ve always seen pictures of it, and it’s exactly what I had thought it would be. But there’s something different about seeing it in person.
I can’t believe how fast the time is going. We’re halfway done with our program and only have two more weeks in this amazing city. A few of us have made a list of all the places we still want to see before we leave. But so far it has definitely been an incredible experience.