Classes started this week at London Met and it has been a while since I have gone to class, almost two months. I was ready to go back to school and am excited about all of the classes I am taking while abroad. I am taking four classes here: Becoming a Teacher, Psychology of Learning and Education, Art in London, and Theatre in London. I am most excited to take Becoming a Teacher because the class is focused on helping us understand the qualifications and experience needed to pursue a teaching certification, as well as the fundamentals of teaching. Since I am a math major at VCU, my home university, I haven’t had the chance to take many teaching classes, so I am excited to finally dive into the world of teaching! Of course, I am also excited about both Art in London and Theatre in London. We are visiting many different galleries around London and seeing 10 shows, all in different theatres. The classes are structured a bit differently here, since classes only meet once a week for three hours instead of multiple times a week for an hour or so. I have had a few classes at VCU that were structured similarly, but never my whole schedule. It was definitely an adjustment the first week having to sit in class for so long every day, but the professors give breaks so it doesn’t feel as long.
Now onto some fun stuff! On Wednesday I went on a Jack the Ripper tour in the East End of London. We got to see 4 of the spots where he murdered his victims which was cool. It was also a great tour of the East End of London, somewhere I haven’t visited much since I have been here. On Thursday, a few friends and I visited Buckingham Palace. I’m sad to say I didn’t get to see The Queen, but I still have 4 months here so maybe I’ll see Her Majesty in the future!
After visiting Buckingham Palace, we decided to try afternoon tea at The Pickled Hen. It was one of the highlights of this week and one of the most fun things I have done in London so far! The food was delicious and the tea was great.
On Friday, I went on a walking tour of Greenwich. Some of the things we saw on the tour included the Cutty Sark, The Old Royal Naval College, the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul, Greenwich Market, and the Royal Observatory, home of the Prime Meridian. While visiting Greenwich Market, I came across a stall where a man was writing poems for anyone who wanted one. I asked him to write me a poem about London and I love it; I’ll put a picture below so you can read it. The hike through Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory was not an easy one, but definitely worth it. The Royal Observatory is where the Prime Meridian is located. I got to stand in two hemispheres at once which was super cool. On Saturday I took my friends to Brick Lane, a street in London with lots of quirky shops, amazing hot chocolate, and a big vintage market. I ended up finding a jean jacket with flannel lining, something I have been looking for for a while!
On Sunday I went on a tour to Windsor Castle, Burford, and Bourton-on-the-Water. Burford and Bourton-on-the-Water are both part of the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds is an area of old English towns, as I’m sure you can tell from the pictures below! Storm Ciara hit the UK on Sunday and brought strong winds and rain for almost the entire day. The winds were so strong that Windsor Castle was actually closed. While in Windsor, I tried a Cornish Pasty which was delicious; I hope to eat more while I am here. It was fun to explore the Cotswolds and get out of the city for the day! We didn’t do much other than tour the cities so I don’t have much to say, but I will put lots of pictures below of the Cotswolds!
Courtney’s Semester in London 