Woke Up in London Yesterday

I've always wanted to travel abroad but when I was younger, I did not really have the opportunity to do so.  Going to college, I liked the idea of study abroad and while staying in a foreign country for a whole term may seem intimidating initially, risks are worth taking for the reward.  

My name is Emily and  I'm currently away in the beautiful town of London in the United Kingdom for study abroad.  I'm majoring in Design and Merchandising so, studying in the Summer is the most suitable time because there are more relevant classes offered such as 'Product Promotion and Trend Reporting'.  As a D&M, London is a place I hear about a lot and have learned quite a bit about in regards to some of their fashion culture and retail environment.  It is quite exciting to finally visit places I've done projects on such as Marks and Spencer.  

I am also a Culinary Arts minor so food, fashion, and I hold a deep love.  I will not be taking any culinary courses however, I've obviously been exploring some of the London food traditions, (bangers and mash, a 'must taste'). 

London has been a very nice change of pace after a very busy last year.  Drexel University is affiliated with the FIE program that allows us to take four classes which, are divided into two sessions for the ten weeks leaving only two classes at time.  This is a substantial difference from the usual five or six classes.  Everyone needs a little change every once and while or else we would flat out go crazy! 

My group from Drexel and I are amongst planning trips to other countries as well as places in the area.  FIE also provides the group with a list of trips and events to choose from as well as a coach bus tour of London and walking tour of the surrounding area.  The tours made me feel like I saw so much of London in such a short time.  I plan to go back and see some of the historic landmarks a bit closer.  

Pictured, is the neighborhood we are staying in.

We are staying in the South Kensington area, which is quite wealthy.  This area is also close to Kensington Gardens and Hyde park, lovely places to take a nice walk in or go for a jog.   I've been here about three weeks so I'll  recap some highlights through my future posts and update on the rest of my time here!

* Title, Lyrics from Good Life by One Republic