At first, my arrival in London was a pretty nerve-racking event. I was beginning a study abroad program where I did not know any of my fellow classmates, in an unfamiliar country, and in a very rigorous academic and internship program. However, as my first week in London comes to an end, I can say that confronting new places, people and things are a wonderful way to challenge yourself. For instance, my biggest adjustment thus far was dealing with the opposite direction of traffic in England. People drive on the left rather than right side of the road and, while it will take some getting used to, I have learned how to be much more aware of my surroundings. I always look both ways when crossing and triple check the roads before I leave the sidewalk. It is a much more important task than I had first thought before getting here. Another observation is how nice the British dress. I have noticed that I do not catch many people in tennis shoes or sweats at all; often, people dress very formal for events I would usually assume to be casual and this will also take some getting used to.
As for my academic orientation, I had a lot of questions answered and left the event with true understanding of my responsibilities while studying abroad. My program’s coordinator went over the various assignments we would complete as Hansard Scholars and our class schedules. One exciting part of my orientation was meeting my professor for the next coming weeks who will be lecturing on British public policy and the Houses of Parliament as a whole. Another segment that was interesting was a writing exercise we did during orientation to practice reflecting on our experiences so far this week. Finally, another portion of the orientation that stood out to me was the opportunity to meet our guest lecturer for the day Lord Norton who is an expert in the British Constitution and works for the House of Lords in Parliament.
In London, there were many new things I had the chance to experience during my first week. With my orientation and many tourist excursions out of the way, I am excited to see what else my study abroad will have in store.
