Hello! I’m Alena and over the next few months I will be sharing my experience with the Hansard Society Scholars Programme in London, England. The Hansard Society Scholars Programme originally attracted my attention due to its dual nature as both a study abroad and internship experience. As a Political Science major this is invaluable as it will allow me to explore government and public policy in both an academic and professional capacity. This program is also unique as it allows students to directly connect coursework to their internship placements as they are learning.
I believe that in my field of study the world is my classroom and I have made every effort to take full advantage of the available experiential learning opportunities which is why this will be my third global experience with Northeastern. I have previously studied abroad through the Balkan Wars, State Collapse, and Strengthening the European Union Dialogue in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece and completed my first co-op in Belgrade, Serbia. These experiences were invaluable as they allowed me to further develop my academic interests in international affairs and social activism, in which I now minor. What I am even more grateful for is how they allowed me to cultivate a desire to better understand the world.
While Hansard is based in London, the program’s coursework, internship component, and diverse student body allow ample opportunities to get to know people and places that aren’t necessarily the United Kingdom. As a third year Political Science major a program like Hansard Society Scholars, which combines academics and professional experience in this way, is a dream.
Arriving in London
The city greeted me with a torrential downpour. I’m not certain why I expected anything else, but as I stood under an overhang at Waterloo Station trying to remember where I packed my umbrella, I wasn’t the slightest bit upset. I have dreamed of living in the lovely, rainy London for as long as I can remember and my first few days here have far surpassed my expectations.
After a relatively painless day of travel, I settled into my flat which is conveniently located in central London equidistant from the Palace of Westminster and the London School of Economics and Political Science which is where the program’s internships and classes are located. My flat fits nine people, though the accommodation has flats of all sizes.
Determined to beat jet lag, I set out to get the essentials such as groceries, toiletries, and a SIM card. When I arrived for my co-op in Belgrade, Serbia, it took me a few weeks to settle in. Here, I completed the tasks that took me weeks in Belgrade within a matter of hours and found every Brit I encountered to be extremely helpful and exceedingly friendly.
Later, I took a walk to get a feel for the area and was pleasantly surprised to find myself completely comfortable in this wonderful city. London feels wonderfully safe, like everyone is looking out for one another, and is much cleaner than I was led to believe; though as a New York native, just about everywhere seems pristine. With major monuments such as Westminster or Big Ben in view of my building and the river Thames just footsteps away, my tiredness vanished and was replaced with excitement for the semester to come.
Now that more of the program’s scholars have arrived, we have had time to explore London together and were taken on a guided tour of some of London’s history, with quick stops to see Buckingham Palace, The Palace of Westminster, and Tower Bridge, all of which I’m sure I will see again soon.
Cultural Differences
Though I am in an English speaking country known to be rather similar to the United States, I have noted a handful of small differences already over the course of all this wandering. For one thing, their subway, called the underground or the tube, is shorter than trains in New York and most other American cities. I mean this in terms of height and number of cars. Also in the tube, there are no ‘Exit’ signs, as the Brits instead have signage pointing to the ‘Way Out’.
Another big difference, though I had known about this before arriving, is the bus system: Londoners enjoy their iconic red, double decker busses as a regular method of transportation. This begs the question, why don’t other cities use this method? Most large cities have double decker tour buses, so why not public transport too?
In addition to functional differences, there are a number of some small cultural differences as well. For example, if you walk through a college campus in the United States, a significant portion of the student body would likely be wearing headphones, tuning out the world around them. In my short time in London I’ve hardly seen any people walking with headphones in, something I also noticed while in Serbia. Similarly, and likely consequently, Brits are seemingly more willing to strike a friendly, casual conversation with a stranger. Though the conversations I am referring to are typically not of import, I’ve found through experiences in other countries and in non-east coast areas of the US that these chats bring a certain light to my day.
London also makes for fantastic people watching. With its massively diverse population, penchant for the arts, and general friendly demeanor, this city is a writer’s dream. It’s brick and mortar, too, add to the charm as classic architecture mixes seamlessly with the more contemporary. As a lover of literature, I am incredibly excited to immerse myself into what London has to offer, both in terms of history (Shakespeare!!) and current works.
I’ve found that most people have a recommendation for something to do or see in London, if not a wish list of their own, and I can’t wait to start working through mine. I was also lucky enough to receive advice from friends who have lived in the city and feel it important to end this post with one tip that has already proved exceedingly true: pack and wear layers. London can go from perfectly warm and sunny one minute to a rainy November day the next. While somewhat inconvenient, I can’t help but enjoy the few hours-long fall days London keeps sending me.
We’ll see what else I learn as I get to know the city better, but for now London has made me feel right at home. I absolutely cannot wait to begin my program in earnest this week and am looking forward to providing more updates!
