September 12-15, 2018
The first week went by too fast!!! Here I am sitting in the kitchen writing this blog and give an update on what happened this first week here in London. I just arrived here on Wednesday with all of the other international students from different countries. I got to meet a lot of people and made new friends. I received my key to my room, oyster card for public transportation, and other useful information. I am staying at Southlands College (the name for their dorms) with most of the Hawaii students. As soon as we settled into our rooms, we made a little trip to ASDA (similar to Walmart) to purchase necessities. We had our orientation on Thursday, the 13th and got to learn so much more about the University of Roehampton. Although the university is pretty small, it is truly a beautiful campus! I love the fact that the university is so green and clean. Another fact that I learned about Roehampton University is that they grow their own vegetables and use them to make food to sell to students, which is great! Fall 2018 Class Schedule
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On Friday, the 14th, we did our registration through the school's computer, which is way different from Manoa's registration system. I went into this room, where I registered for the classes I wanted to take with someone guiding me, unlike Manoa, where I can just go online and register for my own classes. Our class schedule is posted on our student portal (www.roehampton.ac.uk), which is sort of similar to Laulima that contains different sections. My Fall 2018 class schedule looks like the one posted on the left side and the good thing about my schedule is that I only have my classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. In that case, I will use the remaining days of the week to do work and study. However, the education system here at Roehampton University is different from UH Manoa in terms of schedule. At Roehampton, we have an hour-long lecture and 2 hour long seminars. We only meet with our professors once a week. Later that day, my friends from Hawaii and I went to the Picadilly Circus and their Chinatown to explore the central city of London and everything was just really beautiful. I personally love milk tea and when we found one in Hammersmith Head, I got so excited and I was very impressed with how good it tasted. On September 15th, we went to visit the National Gallery and from there, we walked all the way to the Buckingham Palace. It was a far walk, but it was definitely great to see what is around you in such a beautiful city. |
On Thursday, the 20th, all of the students from Hawaii went on a tour to Sutton Hoo to learn more about its history. It was such a huge place and I was freezing! However, it was quite interesting that I got to learn so much about Sutton Hoo and some ghost stories that our tour guide talked about.
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September 16-22, 2018
On September 17, 2018, all of the Hawaii students went to visit the British Museum as a part of our history classes with Professor Jolly. It was quite interesting learning about the history of the Anglo-Saxon period. For lunch, I had fish and chips with a group of friends and it was pretty good! On Tuesday, the 18th, some of my friends and I went to Westfield mall (the biggest mall in London) to look around and see what they have. We decided to eat out for dinner, so we ate Indian food and it was very delicious! My friend Megan and I went to visit the Richmond Park, which is about 10-15 minute bus ride from Roehampton University. I got to see deer and they were beautiful! The park is really wide and we sort of got lost, but we found our way out. |
September 23-29, 2018
On September 23, 2018, it has to be one of the most memorable days in London so far. I am so thankful for my two friends ~ Megan and Sierra for going with me to see/meet my auntie for the very first time. She is one of my mom's best friends and I am so glad that I got to fulfill one of my mom's wishes - to see/meet one of her good friends located here in London. I also got to meet her oldest son. On top of everything, I got to see the famous London Eye and the Tower Bridge. They were absolutely stunning to see in person!! My classes began this week, Monday and Tuesday, and they were alright. I had two classes from 10 AM to 4 PM each day, Monday and Tuesday. All of my four classes aren't too bad. Although, there are a lot of readings to do, so I need to do as much as I can before class next week. On September 29th, we went on a boat cruise, which was a part of our social programme. It was quite interesting, and I learned so much more about the different buildings/towers in the city. Our final destination was Greenwich, where our tour guide led us to different museums. We went to the National Maritime Museum, which was very nice!! After the museum visit, my friends and I ate lunch at the International Marketplace, where they had many different types of food to choose from. |
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September 30 - October 06, 2018
On Thursday, the 4th, my friend (Megan) invited me to go with her to her field trip to the Southbank Centre Royal Festival Hall Shop for her creative writing class. She was required to visit a couple of places around that area, so we went to Bernie Spain Gardens, Tate Modern, and to the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. However, we didn't get to go inside the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre because there was a play during that time. That same day, I went out again to eat dinner at Hot Pot Thai Cuisine with my friends and it was a really great hot pot restaurant that I definitely recommend to others who plan on going to London!! Another activity we got to do that night is that we went to Ballie Ballerson, where we hung out with the rest of our other friends!! It was definitely a night to remember. On October 5th, two of my friends (Dylan and Katie) and I went to visit the British Museum to do more research on the Anglo-Saxons era that is part of our History course. After visiting the British Museum, we went to the Covent Garden, which is like an open market and a shopping mall, where you can buy a lot of things. It is definitely one of the places that you need to visit when in London as well. |
October 07 - October 13, 2018
During the evening of October 9th, we got to watch Wicked the Musical play at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. I have to say it had to be one of the most beautiful amazing musical plays I've ever watched live!! There are no other words I could describe how I felt towards Wicked the Musical play that evening!!! Everything was just WOW and I am really really impressed by all of the casts' performance. I would definitely recommend that musical play to anyone because I promise, they won't regret it at all! Two of my friends (Sierra and Katie) and I went out to Camden Market, where we found lots of different souvenir places and the best part about our trip was that we got to eat different kinds of foods! This past Saturday, on the 13th, we went on a trip to the Roman Baths and to Stonehenge. Both places were outside of London, which was about two hours away from Roehampton University. Both landmarks are believed to be two of the best historic sites in Northern England. I definitely learned so much from both amazing landmarks. |
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October 21 - October 24, 2018
It is reading week, which is like the version of Fall Break here at Roehampton University. Most of the students from Hawaii and I went on a 3-day trip to Northumberland (outside London, but it is still in the UK) to visit these amazing historical places that are vital for our History course with Professor Jolly. On our first full-day trip, we went to visit the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, where it was freezing cold (approx. 40 degrees Fahrenheit)!!! After visiting Lindisfarne, we went to visit Jarrow Hall: Anglo-Saxon Farm, Village, and Bede Museum. At the Jarrow Hall, there was a reconstruction of the Anglo-Saxon Fram, where it shows how the farm during Saxon's century would have been like. The Bede Museum was very informative and had a lot of different artifacts shown everywhere. The next day, which was on October 23rd, we went to visit different cathedrals - Durham Cathedral and York Minster Cathedral. Both were beautiful to discover and they were huge compared to the Cathedrals I go to every Sunday back in Hawaii. It was a great feeling that I got to visit those two beautiful Cathedrals located in different locations. Overall, the Northumberland trip was a great experience, especially about learning more of the history behind Anglo-Saxons and the famous Cathedrals in Northumberland. |
November 3 - 4, 2018
I just got back from the Wales weekend trip and I have to say it was truly an interesting trip. We got to visit a few landmarks in Wales and I learned some new information from each other places we visited. On Saturday, we went to Caerphilly Castle and you can see amazing views from the top of the castle! On Sunday, which is on the 4th, we went to the Big Pit National Coal Museum, where we went underground into the coal mine. It was such a great experience for me since I have never been into any coal mining underground. Until today, Big Pit is one of Britain's leading mining museums. Later today, we went to visit the Tintern Abbey, where it was freezing cold, but definitely a great landmark. Overall, the Wales weekend trip was a very adventurous weekend, since we got to visit a few landmarks outside of London. |
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November 19, 2018
Last night, a couple of my friends and I went to the National History Museum to skate. It was only a 50-minute skating session and it was actually fun. Although it was a bit challenging for me since I don't really know how to skate, but it was worth it. My friends made sure that I did not fall and were there to teach me. It was definitely one of those nights that I will never forget!! |
December 06, 2018
Last Thursday on the 6th, a couple of my friends and I went to the Winter Wonderland and it turned out to be one of the best nights I've ever had in London. I truly had fun as I went on a couple of rides and ate churros (probably the best churros I've had in life). Overall, Winter Wonderland was truly beautiful!!! I would definitely go again if I had enough time in London, but I am almost leaving soon. This is a must when traveling or studying abroad in London during the Fall Semester. |
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December 9, 2018
I met up with my Auntie Vilma the other day for lunch at Chinatown. We had Japanese food and it was so delicious!! The restaurant we went to was kind of pricey, but it was definitely worth the money. I had a great time catching up with my Auntie since the last time we hung out! I can't wait to be back home to my mom and tell her everything about what happened! It was a day full of memories in Chinatown. |
December 11, 2018
Whoah, I can't believe today is my last full day here in London before I fly back home to Hawai'i tomorrow morning. It's crazy how this semester flew by so quickly and it has been such a momentous past three months. Studying abroad has definitely given me so many valuable lessons that I will forever carry on throughout my life. I am beyond thankful and blessed to be able to do study abroad in London. Overall, being able to study abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you should take advantage of. It is such an incredible experience that will leave a mark in your life forever. Remember to take every opportunity you have and learn from each lesson you gain. Valuable Lessons I've gained throughout my study abroad experience: 1. Be Independent- you and your friends won't always have the same availability, so being able to do things independently is truly important. 2. Make new friends - Don't be afraid to make new friends, they're the ones who are there for you when you need help with something. 3. Take risks - Traveling to other countries can be risky, but it's all about taking the risk and have a positive mindset in order to enjoy each moment you have. 4. Understanding different cultures - Be able to observe and learn from the new environment you're in. I personally learned so much about the different cultures that I've been surrounded with when I traveled to other countries. It made me truly appreciate more about each culture I've been exposed to. 5. Self-knowledge - Through study abroad, you will learn so much about yourself that you didn't know before going abroad. You will face your fears, gain new skills, and become more mature and adaptable. |