Category: Fall Semester

Submitted by Zachary Shulman on the 2019 fall semester DIS program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

As with any new experience, whether a person, place, or idea, the first impression is the critical factor in establishing the emotions, convictions, and interpretations I will associate with that experience for the extent of my relationship with it. My college experience so far has been (and continues to be) punctuated by new people, places, and ideas, each with their own unique first impression. As I reflect on my first week in Copenhagen, Denmark, I carefully consider each first impression that these new experiences have had on my experience so far.

First and foremost, this week has been a flurry of faces, scheduled orientation events, and the stressful process of developing a routine for myself in a foreign country. What I discovered, however, more than made up for the near-constant exhaustion of the first week of any study abroad. As a political science major, I was primarily interested in learning about the Danish lifestyle as it relates to their high cost of living, extensive social services, and reputation for being the happiest country on the planet.

After a series of conversations with my host father, Bent, I learned that the willingness to sacrifice, inconvenience oneself, and take care of others at great personal cost is built into a tradition hundreds of years in the making. The Danes are admirably committed to building a functioning benevolent society in which each citizen happily contributes their share to the whole. They regulate their own actions to conserve, pay great attention to their personal impact on those around them, and reject the notion that small, incremental actions can’t make a difference.

While I have only been here for a week, and expect to learn much more about the culture, traditions, and society of Denmark, my curiosity and interest in gathering as much as I can about it continues to grow exponentially because of this wonderful first impression. I would encourage anyone who studies abroad to pay close attention to emotions, perceptions, and tones that they experience in that critical first week. Keep an open mind and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the sights and sounds; they will set the course for an unforgettable semester.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

OKAY! It has been a long, exciting, amazing and beautiful semester. I got back to Philadelphia at 4:30 EST (9:30 London time) last Saturday and I’ve been trying to process everything in my jet-lagged state. Coming home is weird. I almost miss the days when it took people weeks or even months to cross the Atlantic. Then at least, they probably felt like they went somewhere. I sat in a seat for 8 hours, watched movies, and then all of a sudden, I was surrounded by people with my accent, a currency I’m used to, and 70° weather (because Global Warming is here, too, I suppose). People keep asking me if I’m sad to be back. My answer has been: no. This semester has been amazing. I’m so glad I went. I got to do most of the things on my bucket list, as well as do things I never imagined I’d ever do. But after traveling, it’s so nice to have a nice home to come home to.

I’m so grateful for this experience. I’m so fortunate to have friends and family that have supported me through my highs and lows and who allow me to discover more about the world and myself. I’ll stop before this starts sounding too much like the end of a Disney movie. But truly, London is amazing and I can’t wait to go back.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

Alright! This is my penultimate weekly summary of my time here in London. Trying not to get too sad. I’m excited to get back home and see my family and friends, but I will be leaving a part of my heart here in London. Looking back on my time here, I am amazed by how much I have grown while here. I have learned so much about the world and about myself. It has been a life changing experience.

This week was very stressful because the “final papers” and “exams” that my professors have been talking about for the past couple months that I laughed and brushed off are almost due. I spent this week working on work due this coming week. Fortunately, I had been working on a lot of these papers so when it came time to write them, I felt prepared. And since I was able to accomplish writing most of my final papers early in the weekend, I took this last weekend I have in London to do personal bucket list items.

Thursday night, I went to Barrafina, a Michelin-starred tapas bar in Soho. I included a picture of the food we got there. I know I keep saying “that was the best meal I’ve had in London” etc., but this was amazing. Tapas are a very popular Spanish tradition. They are small portions of food that you share with your friends. We had patatas bravas (a dish recommended to me by my friend who studied in Spain), courgette flower (a thin zucchini with a filo pastry filled with goat cheese on top), roasted quail, and chickpea ropa vieja (a twist on one of my high school Spanish teacher’s favorite dishes). After a week of stressful nights writing papers and studying for exams, it was nice to go out and get to try really amazing food. Accessibility to a wide range of amazing food will be what I miss most about London. The museums are nice and the culture is wonderful, but oh my goodness the food.

Speaking of museums, Saturday, I was able to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum. Early in the semester, I went to the V&A with my class. We were only interested in one exhibit so we were quickly ushered to the room with Shakespeare’s First Folio (amazing in its own right). But as we were walking to see it, we passed rooms and rooms and rooms filled with other exhibits that I wanted to see. I told myself I would come back sometime when I had time. Saturday, I finally found time. They have exhibits ranging from fashion through the ages, Middle Eastern Artifacts, Asian cultural objects, a room with priceless jewels and jewelery, classic paintings by Raphael, sculptures, an exhibit on shoes, and many, many more. And it’s free! Okay, free, amazing museums are definitely high on my list of things I will miss about London.

Today (Sunday) I went to the BBC headquarters and Portobello Road. I went to the BBC to get souvenirs for my friends, but after shopping I got to look around a little and I even got to see the morning weatherman doing his live report. I then returned to Portobello Road one more time to get last minute souvenirs for my friends (and myself). There are so many small and unique shops to investigate, one really cannot see them all.

Now I should get back to studying and distracting myself from the fact that I have less than a week left here.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

Two weeks ago, CAPA planned a trip for us to go see Matilda in the West End. I went in thinking it would be cute, but I came out awed. There were about ten kids in the cast and they were all incredibly talented. The dancing. The singing. The costumes. The set. It was all so great. I probably would have never gone to see this by myself, but I am so glad I went.

This past week has been great because my parents came to visit! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and my parents had been wanting to come to London, so it made sense to kill two birds with one stone here. I felt truly thankful that I was able to spend this holiday with my family. I can take things like this for granted, so it made it much more meaningful.

The weather here has taken a turn for the worse. We’re getting rain almost every day and if it doesn’t rain, it’s cloudy. And cold. And rainy. But it’s amazing: I still love it here. London has such a life to it that cannot be overshadowed by bad weather.

Pretty much all of my classes are winding down. In anticipation of my parents visit, I worked ahead on a lot of papers so I am almost done a lot of the work in my classes. My London bucket list is dwindling as well. As much as the idea repulsed me a month ago, I think I will be ready to come home in two weeks. And then after a week, I know I will be missing London.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

First, I want to say that this week was saddened by the events in Paris. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to; the architecture, the museums, the culture, the language, the food and the people are all so wonderful. My thoughts and sympathies have been with them.

This week,the professors have begun to talk about final papers. It made me realize that my time here really is dwindling, but with that in mind, I have tried to make the most of the time I have left here.

This week my class went to see The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre. It was a horror play (I did not know this genre existed for plays) and it really was scary. I think it was more scary seeing a horror play than a movie. With a movie, you know the monsters are stuck on the screen, but the cast members made frequent trips into the audience and you never really felt safe. The actors did a wonderful job with the show. After the show, we got to talk with the two of the actors in the show –  Tom Godwin and his father, Christopher Godwin. It was interesting to talk to this pair and to get their insight on the show.

After the play,  I met up with my friend who was visiting London for the weekend. We went to high school together and were both studying in Europe (she is in Spain) so we decided to have a mini-reunion. It was so nice to see an old friend. What was nicer was getting to show her all of my favorite places that I have discovered over the past two and a half months. I had also been saving some of the big tourist stops so I could go to see them with her.

The two highlights of this weekend were going to Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station and the London Aquatics Centre. Now Platform 9 ¾  is the magical platform where Harry Potter boards the train to go to Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books. King’s Cross has set up a little carriage that looks like it is half way into the wall (in the movie you run through the wall to get to the Hogwarts Express). I grew up with Harry Potter. I had Harry Potter birthday parties, several of the movies came out on my birthday, and the books were what started my love of reading. Getting to go to the small homage to Harry Potter was one of my bucket list items.

The next day, we went to the London Aquatics Centre, the pool where the London 2012 Summer Olympics was hosted. This was another bucket list item of mine. I swam in the same pool that Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte swam in. It was the most beautiful pool I have ever swum in. I learned to swim practically before I could walk, I swam for my high school team as an 8th grader, I swam all through high school, I have lifeguarded for the past six summers, I’ve taught swim lessons, and I swim for the University of Delaware Club Team. I love swimming.

On our way to the pool, we accidentally stumbled upon a Winter Festival in the mall. They had bands playing, people singing and dancing, holiday lights, Christmas trees, and free popcorn and cotton candy (or candy floss). While the events I had planned were fun, this unexpected surprise festival was just as fun. There is always something going on in London. If you are bored, walk a block and you will find something new and amazing.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

Time for a brief history lesson. In 1605, a young man by the name of Guy Fawkes was involved in a plot to assassinate the protestant King James and blow up the Houses of Parliament. Their goal was to replace the king with his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who would become a puppet queen for the Catholics. Unfortunately, Fawkes was discovered beneath the Houses of Parliament with the gun powder and thus the plot was foiled. To celebrate his failure, every year on November 5th the good people of England set off fireworks, burn effigies of Fawkes and have bonfires. The day is secured in our memories by the poem (Remember, remember the 5th of November…) and by the movie V for Vendetta which came out 10 years ago and stars Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving.

Before coming to England, I thought one of the most fascinating cultural celebrations that England has is Guy Fawkes Day. I was very excited to get to go to a bonfire and see fireworks. The actual Guy Fawkes Day (5th of November) was a Thursday so not many places had fireworks planned. So we decided to wait until the bigger celebrations on Saturday. But, it turns out that just because fireworks are not planned, that does not mean, they do not happen. We heard about 5 different fireworks displays going on, and we could even see some from the window of our flat. We walked around for an hour in search of fireworks, but unfortunately they proved rather hard to find. Lucky for us, Saturday the 7th had a nice organized event at our local park and we finally got to see some nice fireworks. So, a successful Guy Fawkes weekend for me!

On Wednesday night, my Shakespeare class had a trip to the National Theatre to see As You Like It. This class is great because we’ve been seeing some very good and very interesting productions of some of Shakespeare’s work. I like the field trip component of this class because it’s one thing to sit in class and discuss minor plot points, but it’s another to actually go see professional actors putting the show on. It has made the class so much more meaningful to me.

I think what I’m going to miss most about London is the food. The other day I went on a walking tour of Soho with one of my classes. We ended near a bunch of little street vendors selling all kinds of food for a decent price. Delaware has some good restaurants and food carts, but London has an amazing array of diverse and delicious food. What is more, the “Little Feast” market next to our flat reopened on Friday as well, decorated for the holidays. I mentioned them before in one of my first posts, but basically what it is is a converted alley way filled with food stands and lights and tables and happiness. And we pre-registered online, so we got free apple cider when we walked in.

Between the fireworks, celebrations, shows and food, I really don’t know I’m going to come home in a little over a month.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

This week has flown by!! We had our Fall Break this week so I decided to travel during this time off. When I was in high school I did an exchange with a school in Lyon, France. I’ve kept in touch with the girl I lived with through Facebook. When I came to London, one of my top priorities was going back to Lyon to visit all of the friends I had made there. This break was the perfect opportunity to do that. It was so great to see old friends, practice my French, and EAT!!

After a couple days in France, my friend and I flew back to London for Halloween. She had never really celebrated Halloween and she wanted to experience what real Halloween was like. Now, while British stores have lots of Halloween decorations and costumes for sale, and restaurants and pubs have Halloween specials, England does not do Halloween like America does Halloween. I was a little disappointed by the lack of spirit, but it was still a fun evening with friends.

Having a friend visit was (beforehand) a stressful experience, but (afterwards) a very rewarding one. Having a new visitor helped me realize how much of a local I have become in these past couple months. It was fun revisiting some of my favorite tourist spots (Big Ben, South Bank, Piccadilly Circus, The National Gallery, Camden Markets, Oxford Street, Hyde Park) as well as checking out some new ones as well (mostly: Cereal Killer Café!!!). Cereal Killer Café is a café that serves every kind of cereal you can imagine. Then, you choose from a myriad of milk flavors. THEN if you already aren’t dead from all the options, you choose a topping! I ended up getting Reese’s Puff Cereal with M&Ms and normal milk (not trying to be too crazy). Plus, it was Halloween so I could have candy on my cereal.

It was an exhausting, but very enjoyable week here. Now back to classes. Hard to believe I’ll be home in a little over a month.

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

Highlight of this week: cat yoga!! The new trendy place in cities are cat cafés. They started in 1998 in Taiwan, were really commercialized by the Japanese, and now have become the hot new place to go in big cities. Missing my cat, I decided to book a time at the cat café to go play with the cats. As I was searching the website, I saw that on Wednesday nights they host Cat Yoga. Yoga for an hour with the cats and then a tea party afterwards where you can eat cake, drink tea and play with cats. So obviously, I had to do it. It did not disappoint. The yoga was great, the cats were adorable and I got to bond with other cat lovers.

This weekend, I visited more family in Banbury. My aunt and her adorable three-and-a-half-year-old twin grandsons picked me up at the train station and then we went home. I was recharged by the family time and the delicious home cooked food. After lunch, we walked around Broughton Castle (this country has so many castles!). There were beautiful rolling hills outside the castle where cows were grazing. You could just walk right up to the cows. They were so docile and beautiful. After dinner, I got to watch my favorite show, Downton Abbey, with my family in their cozy living room by the fireplace. It was lovely.

This week is our Fall Break, so I am leaving for France tonight to visit old friends. Then we are coming back here to celebrate Halloween. It should be a fun week. Stay tuned!

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

This week was brought to you by the letter ‘F’. F for Fall which is my favorite season. Talking with friends back home, I started to get homesick for the first time since being here. I miss apple picking and pumpkin carving. But, I figure that if I could be anywhere else in the world, London is not a bad substitute. Plus, it has been sweater (or jumper) weather here for about a month. It’s beautiful.

F is also for Food. On Friday I went to Camden Markets to do some souvenir shopping. I got some nice decorations for my room, specialty teas for my friends and a nice scarf for my mom. After all of our shopping, we were starving. Lucky for us, Camden Markets have some of the best food in London. There are a myriad of little street vendors that sell all kinds of food. Sushi, macaroni and cheese, pizza, Polish food, Venezuelan food, Colombian food, crepes, Jamaican food, burgers and desserts. It was all very overwhelming. I finally decided to try Venezuelan Arepas. I had had a Venezuelan exchange student who told me that this was her favorite Venezuelan food. She has good taste. An arepa is a very versatile food but mine was a fluffy corn tortilla filled with grilled chicken, cheese, avocado and fried plantain. I have been researching recipes online ever since. It was amazing.

Finally F is for Football and Family and Framlingham. When I came to England, one of my top priorities was to reconnect with family. My grandmother’s family comes from a small town called Framlingham. We visited them once when I was about 4 or 5 and we still exchange Christmas cards, but this is about the extent of our relationship. Before coming over here, I made an effort to email them to try and work out a time that we could meet. This weekend was the first of 3 trips that we arranged. First, my uncle and cousin took me to a football match for their local team, Ipswich Town. Even though the match was a draw, it was a great time. I had been wanting to go to a match, so what better way to see one than with family! The whole weekend was a delight. After dinner we sat around and looked at old family pictures and exchanged stories. It was a perfect cure for the homesickness I mentioned earlier.

Farewell!

 

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

This week I am writing from the Shepherd’s Bush Theatre Café. Before I came to London I was researching fun places to go and I found a list of the top 16 cafés in London. At the time I thought they looked cool, but I did not have a context for each of the places. Then this weekend I was going over my old notes and I found the list. Now that I am here, I know where all of the places are. In fact, one of them, Shepherd’s Bush Theatre Café is right down the street from me! My tube passes it every day. So here I am doing homework in one of the top rated cafés in London. The tea selection was a little limited, but the lemon poppyseed cake was amazing!

 

Okay, more details about this past week. I had a relatively calm week at school which was nice. Then on Saturday, we had a field trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Shakespeare’s grave and birthplace as well as Kenilworth Castle. I have to admit that Stratford was a little touristy. Every restaurant or shop was named after a Shakespeare character or a pun on a famous quote, for example “Ophelia’s” and “The Food of Love”. I was proud of myself for getting most of the puns though, thanks to my Shakespeare class. Kenilworth castle was a ruined castle that we got to see next. It was really beautiful. I felt like I was in Game of Thrones.

Then we had Sunday Funday. Sunday Funday consisted of attending the early celebration of Diwali in Trafalgar Square and visiting the Churchill War Rooms. Trafalgar Square was decorated with lots of Diwali themed decorations and they were playing music and people were dancing and there was food and it was wonderful. Then we walked over to the Winston Churchill War Rooms. They have converted Churchill’s underground bunker into a war time museum. This museum was very well done. They had lots of information on Churchill’s life, history of the war, and recreation of different rooms in the bunker. It was a very cultural and educational day.