Submitted by Nicholas Valent on the 2017 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Art and Design …
London is very hot at the current moment and it is to the point where it is unpleasant, but no weather will ruin my time in London. Today, we had an animation workshop which was amazing. I enjoyed it quite a lot. When we have visits and opportunities like this, I really see how much our program differs from other visual communication study abroad programs. I did an animation project last semester so the workshop we did was very enlightening to see.
We also went to the Harry Potter studio tour this week. I was pumped for this day and was looking forward to it since I first signed up for the study abroad program. Being a Harry Potter fan, one would guess I was pretty excited. It was very interesting to see all the sets and props that they used in the movies. It really puts into perspective how many people worked on these films. Also, I realized that with such a versatile major choice, that many of the jobs people had while working on Harry Potter could be a direction that any of us could go in. This was an amazing experience and is definitely one of the highlights of the program so far.
We also went to the Globe Theatre and saw a performance of Romeo and Juliet. We had to stand the entire time in the peasant section. At first, I was a bit annoyed, but after the show, standing for two and a half hours was definitely worth it. The show was unbelievable. It was not the traditional Romeo and Juliet which was refreshing. The fact that I can say that I saw a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre in London is amazing.
I am so glad that these things are incorporated into our schedule. Our main point for this study abroad program is to work, which we do a lot, but it is nice to be able to do some things that are more about our experiences here in London.