With the first week of classes in the books, it is hard to
imagine what will be coming in the near future. I am as excited as I am nervous
to go and explore another country. I currently have booked a flight to Berlin
in February; I will be going with my roommate Max who is German. I am also in the research stage of planning
some other trips. I know for sure that I
want to go to Italy and see Rome; more than likely I will do that trip sometime
in the spring. Other places that I have considered going is to Spain,
Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland or France.
As for my classes I am very happy with all of them. My
professors are all very interesting individuals and I look forward to an
interesting semester. One of the major differences with the UK educational
system is that grades have to be double or even triple checked by other
professors. This therefore makes getting an “A” not as easy. I will be
interested to see how this plays out; however, I am fully confident in my
ability as a student and know I will not have a problem.
As I have started to become more acquainted to the city of
London and Richmond, I am noticing some major differences between the US and
England.
Europeans smoke more than Americans. No matter where you go
someone will be smoking a cigarette. Also most people roll their own cigarettes
rather than buying a pack.
The city of London is very clean. There is little to no graffiti
anywhere in the city of London. It has to be one of the cleanest cities I have
ever been. In addition, there are little to no litter bins anywhere. One has to
walk a considerable distance just to throw something away. I like to believe
this has a direct correlation as to why the city is so clean.
The city of London is a very safe place to be. With security
cameras almost everywhere you walk, one can walk in the streets of London with
ease.
The service sector is fabulous. If you are ever lost in the
city of London all you have to do is pop into a pub or a store and they will
give you directions on where you need to go. Building off this Tube stations
are everywhere, so it is easy to get from place to place.
Left side traffic takes a while to get used to. When I first
got here I did not think that left side traffic would be so hard to get
adjusted to, but it is harder than it looks. I have nearly gotten hit a few
times, but I am getting much better at crossing.
Newspapers are everywhere. This is especially true on the Tube;
most people riding are reading a newspaper.
London is a city of diversity. Whether you are taking a
stroll down to Buckingham Palace or walking along the River Thames, diversity
is everywhere. It is always interesting to hear 6 or 7 different languages
being spoken in a matter of minutes.
As for Richmond it is a very quiet area. Most of the population
is older folk, typically 50+. However, there is a growing population of people
my age in the area.
Richmond gets pretty old, very fast. While it is relatively large
area with 55 pubs and a nice walkway along the Thames, it feels very limited.
There is the Richmond Park, which I have not really explored, quiet yet, so who
knows.
Be wary of the foxes in Richmond. At night they come from
everywhere, so one must travel with a step of caution.
This weekend I am to see Camden Market and Abbey Road with
Max. Then on Sunday we are going to go and see the Roman Baths!
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