Monday, July 18, 2016

Melissa in Hull!

Cheers from Hull, England!
Tribute to Graham the dragon, who got lost amidst all the packing.

Traveling overseas has always been a dream of mine, and now I don’t want to leave! Study abroad is one of the best decisions I ever made. Though I miss my family and teachers back home, this opportunity to make new friendships and connections has been invaluable to me.



Hull City Centre
View from my window



William Wilberforce statue
Big Ben at night

Hull is a small port city in the northeast side of England. Despite its size, Hull contains loads of history and little-known facts, including the home to abolitionist William Wilberforce and being the second most bombed city in England during WWII. The City Centre in Hull is chock-full of unique pubs, shops, and museums, making for fabulous weekend trips!



Tower of London

 
As a music student, I chose the University of Hull because of the performance opportunities it offered—and I was not disappointed! Besides performing solo works and collaborating with other musicians, I was also given the amazing chance to work as pianist with the cast of Urinetown the musical, a production which has spanned throughout most of my time here. Also as it happened, all of my classes fell on Tuesday (class once a week whaaaat), so most of my free time is spent practicing my instrument and traveling!


You can't tell but I'm holding my breath-these things smelled so bad!

Sherlock Holmes museum in London. I really wanted that pipe!  
I absolutely loved riding the London Underground!


Speaking of travels, I have enjoyed many of these outside of Hull! My first trip was a week getaway to visit one of my best friends studying abroad in Toledo, Spain. Though not my major, I have been studying Spanish since high school; I loved getting to apply this learning! I also made several trips to London. There I not only met friends for travel, but I also got to visit my aunt who happened to be in London on business at the same time! My most recent trip was to Edinburgh in Scotland, which is easily the most breathtaking city I have ever seen. For my three week spring break, my beautiful mother came to visit and travel with me! Together we made it to London and Bath in England, Amsterdam and Haarlem in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Paris, France. Navigating all the different transportation systems was incredibly challenging, but the experiences were totally worth it!


"The Hiding Place" for Jews in Haarlem, Netherland
Chillin with this hottie in an art museum in Madrid


Toledo, Spain


To those of you who are debating study abroad in the future, stop hesitating—say yes! You won’t regret a moment of it, and your time there will fly by way too fast. Step outside of your comfort zone and simply go on an adventure; I know I’m glad I did!


View from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland


Melissa Sultan
University of Hull
Hull, England