Submitted by Leopold Pullella on the 2023 spring semester program in London, England…
Here is a picture I consensually took of my roommate, Simone Grosswiler, while I was teaching her to play the violin in our flat. While in London, I wanted to continue practicing my violin to keep up with my skills and to also have an emotional connection to home. Playing violin helped me have an outlet as the stress of classes started to pile up but also felt that a part of my home life in Delaware was still with me. Simone became one of my best friends but also an extraordinary violin student. She absorbed all the lessons I gave to her instantly and responded with undivided attention. I am really enjoying building new experiences with new people while I am here. (Submitted during Week 6)
Above is a picture of me with some of my closest friends, Simone and Cassy, that I made so far during this trip. Although we love London, we wanted to visit Scotland to experience other areas of the United Kingdom. In this picture, we are at the famous Castle of Edinburgh. Unfortunately, we didn’t go inside the castle, but the views around it were breathtaking. One of our highlights of the trip was to gaze over the colorful hills and mountains. (Submitted during Week 7)
As you will notice, I am obsessed with good food. I also enjoy trying new foods and I nearly always love them. I ate dinner with Simone and Cassy at a Japanese restaurant where I tried this “special pork bowl” which was unbelievably delicious! If I could stay in the UK forever I would come back to this restaurant all the time! I’m also inspired to try much more Japanese food while I am back in America. (Submitted during Week 8)
One of the greatest things about my roommates is that they always know how to make me laugh. This is my roommate, Ernie, who unfortunately dropped some of his food on the floor, but still thought it was funny. We all had a good laugh. So far in this trip I have really enjoyed how well my roommates and I get along and I could not be any happier with how CAPA paired us with each other. (Submitted during Week 9)
This is a picture of Simone, Cassy, Amir, and me. One night we decided to spontaneously explore Oxford Circus, which was possible since the tube service was open until midnight. I have many great memories with these people but the spontaneity made me feel in the moment with life. I don’t usually go out to explore a city at night back in America so my friends all helped me step outside of my comfort zone. There’s always something to do in London! (Submitted during Week 10)
