Submitted by Moira Gervay on the 2023 summer session program in London, England…
My last week in London is very bittersweet. I had such an incredible time on this trip, and I’m sad to be leaving. I learned so much, both about myself and the culture I was immersed in.
Our last week mostly consisted of working on our final projects and cramming in any last-minute visits that we wanted. On Monday, we visited Pentagram as a group. Pentagram is a global design agency comprising 22 partners stationed at various locations. Each partner has their own design team, and the agency is run entirely by them, including the business side. I loved this visit, as it gave me insight into how an agency can run on such a large scale while staying fairly in-house. I hope to open my own design agency one day, so the advice we received was super helpful and interesting.
Later that same day, we visited Abbey Road. While it was cool to walk across the crosswalk that the Beatles did, it was very dangerous to do so considering how many cars are trying to drive through on their afternoon commutes. All the tourists are such nuisances in their eyes. It was cool to see Abbey Road Studios, even if just from the outside. I’m a huge music fan, and I often incorporated it into my design work.
We spent our last day shopping up a storm trying to cover all of our friends and family’s souvenirs. We returned to Borough Market in the early afternoon to get some lunch. I got more chocolate-covered strawberries. I think they were one of my favorite parts of this trip. After Borough, we took the tube to Portobello Road to keep shopping. I found some perfect gifts for my friends and even scored a red leather jacket for myself. I always have fun chatting with the shop vendors and digging through piles of old things. I wish we had more markets like this in Delaware!
Overall this trip was unforgettable. I gained so much knowledge and insight (and an additional 5 pounds added to my suitcase from all the gifts), and I look forward to taking what I learned and applying it to my final year at the University of Delaware. (Submitted on July 9, 2023)
