It is getting close to the halfway point of the semester here. I have a few midterm papers due in the upcoming weeks which seems a lot more stressful than usual since I haven’t really had homework up to this point. I have been speaking with my professors about some of my worries in regards to the essays (as a math major, writing essays has never been my strong suit) but they have been very helpful and kind. The midterm papers I have been assigned seem to be similar to assignments I would get back home. Overall, my adjustment to the English school system has been good. I am finally used to the 3 hour lectures and have really been enjoying the classes I am taking!
Now onto the fun stuff! On the 26th of February, I saw the play “Nora: A Doll’s House” for my theatre class. It was definitely one of my favorite plays. The play was based on Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” but this rewriting featured 3 Nora’s: one from 1918, one from 1968, and one from 2018. It was very interesting to see the way that male and female relationships and power dynamics have changed in the last century.
On the 29th of February, I got to go on a tour of the Emirates Stadium, home of the Arsenal Football Club! I’m not a big football (or as we call it in the States, soccer) fan, but the stadium tour was really interesting. London Met (my university) is only a 5 minute walk from the Emirates Stadium. We got to see the Directors Club, the Diamond Club, the player’s changing rooms, and the pitch. (they call the field the pitch here, I’m not sure why) We also got to walk down the players tunnel onto the field!
On the 1st of March, I went to Notting Hill with a few friends! We went to brunch and then explored all of the quirky shops. There were lots of antique/vintage shops as well as lots of clothing boutiques. Luckily we had really good weather that day, which made it a great day for walking around and taking pictures. After Notting Hill, we traveled to Hyde Park to enjoy the sunset. We saw the Italian Gardens and the Peter Pan statue which is in a part of Hyde Park I hadn’t been to yet.
On the 4th of March I saw the play “A Number” for my theatre class. It was a play about kids finding out that they are one of many clones. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but the acting was amazing! The theatre was located right next to Tower Bridge so my friends and I walked across Tower Bridge after the play was over.
On the 6th of March at 4 AM, I began my journey to Aarhus, Denmark. I decided to go to Aarhus because the flight was cheap and Aarhus was named the “Culture Capital City” of Europe in 2017. Once I got into the city, I went to the Central Food Market to grab lunch. I was surprised to see that most things were only in Danish though most people spoke English. Throughout the weekend I usually ordered food based on the pictures in the menu. After I grabbed lunch, I explored the Center City before checking into my hostel. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the ARoS Museum, a modern art museum in Aarhus. At the top of the ARoS is the “Your Rainbow Panorama”, an exhibit featuring a 360 degree walkway lined with colored glass to imitate a rainbow. Not only was this exhibit extremely fun to walk around, but it also had amazing views of Aarhus. I was pretty tired from traveling, so after the ARoS museum, I grabbed dinner and headed back to the hostel for an early night in. On the 7th of March, I went to The Greenhouse at the Aarhus Botanical Garden. It had 4 different climates with plants from nearly every continent. I am a big fan of Botanical Gardens and this one exceeded any expectations I had. In the rain forest section, there was a little tree house you could climb to look at the rain forest from the tree line. After the Botanical Garden, I went to the Den Gamle By museum. This museum replicates an old Danish town with exhibits showcasing what life was like in Denmark during different time periods in history. This reminded me a lot of Colonial Williamsburg. The sun ended up coming out while I was at the Den Gamle By, so I decided to make the trek to Tangroken, which is a small beach in Aarhus. While walking along the coast I actually saw areas of turquoise water, something I’d never imagined I’d see in Denmark. While walking back to the city, I stopped to have dinner at the Aarhus Street Food Market. Evidently food trucks/street food was a big thing in Aarhus, so they made a market dedicated to it! I enjoyed walking around and looking at the various types of food offered; I ended up getting Korean food. I ended my Saturday by going on a pub crawl with some of the locals. They took me to some of their favorite spots and I ended up learning a lot about Aarhus from them. This weekend was truly unforgettable and I am so glad I decided to travel to Aarhus!
Courtney’s Semester in London 