Hello
all!
Greetings
from Leicester, the rather chilly but surprisingly sunny center of England. Interestingly,
I can already say I’ve had an amazing trip, even though I’ve only been here for
a few weeks. I traveled with a friend from UNCG and we decided to come a bit
early and have some time to adjust in London, which was incredible. In our days
there we saw the National Gallery, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, The Victoria
and Albert Museum, and Benedict Cumberbatch in an other-wordly production of
Hamlet. At the end of the week we met up with the rest of the internationals
headed to the University of Leicester at Heathrow and traveled to Leicester.
 |
| Clive approves of my new home |
I think
the thing that most surprised me about studying abroad has been how truly impactful
and exciting it is. I always heard the same speeches from everyone who came
back from their respective trips: that it was amazing, that it was a life
changer. And for some reason I always felt like it might not be that way for
me. But not even a month into my adventures I can already say that it is true.
I have met people from seemingly everywhere in the world. My roommate is an
absolutely lovely gal from Korea, and she has been teaching me every day about
her culture. This has been invaluable, to be able to see everyday situations in
the light of her perspective.
As
expected, there have been some interesting moments of being lost in British
slang, (ex: “are you all right” is their “how are you”), but for the most part
I have been able to navigate fairly competently thanks to the kindness of the
people around me. Additionally, when things go wrong I am finding that getting
through a misunderstanding or having to figure out how to get home after the
GPS fails is growing my confidence. Culture balancing has also been a learning
curve: I am learning to love rugby, as the world cup is going on in London
right now, and at the same time I stay up ridiculously late to catch MLB games.
It seems crazy at times, being so engaged in both cultures. It is crazy…..but
it is also incredible. Classes haven’t started yet here, and so I’ve been able
to enjoy soaking up the newness and adjusting to the change.
 |
| Clive discovering "suggested reading" |
And so I
am quite pleased to be able to report a wonderful trip thus far. This week I am
traveling around in Paris, which has been super fun, and in a few weeks I will
go join the Honor’s College’s Literary London class, which I absolutely cannot
wait for. Thanks for letting me tell you a little about what’s been going on
with me and I hope everyone’s semesters are going well.
 |
| Me being pensive by the Thames |
Cheers!
Caroline
and Clive
Caroline Somerville
University of Leicester
Leicester, England
