Post Trip

Post Trip

I have no words to describe how incredible this trip was for me. I love architecture so much and traveling across the world to see it is a dream. Here in America it is impossible to examine earlier history that places in Europe have to offer. I miss exploring London and its near by cities so much already and I am itching to go back. I am however thankful to be sleeping in my own bed and have my boyfriend and cat back. But nonetheless it was a fantastic trip. The experiences and people I met on this trip are truly something I will never forget. The trip taught us many life lessons like how to open up a map when you don’t have data on your phone and figure out how to get to a place by looking and asking for directions. I feel so comfortable navigating the Underground its unbelievable. I did not think that I would feel comfortable after just one week going from station to station but when I go back I will know exactly what to do. This trip was definitely something I will recommend to anyone who asks about study abroad trips and I cannot wait to go home this weekend and share my experiences with my family who helped make this trip possible for me. It was great.

Big Ben in all of his glory

Big Ben in all of his glory

London After Credits

London was a striking experience, but I was definitely ready to go home. I was dreading the plane rides home, especially the five hour layover, being someone who can’t sit still for too long.

From the start of the flight, I was fixated on the small pixelated plane on my screen, trying to will the trip back to go faster. There wasn’t anything particularly I wanted to do (besides sleep) when I got home, but I was definitely excited to give people the gifts I had bought them.

The layover wasn’t as bad as I had assumed, and we amused ourselves with “card tricks” (it was mostly just random shuffling and throwing of cards). Before I knew it, I was back in Ohio, retrieving my bags and passing the others that I had gotten to know so well, seeing them reunite with those they had left behind.All the while, I couldn’t stop thinking about my bag full of English chocolate that I wanted to devour as soon as I got back.

Overall, the experience was one I won’t forget. Though I spent much more money than I though I would, irl T was all worth it in the end. I’ve met some amazing people and I’ve gotten to know them well on this trip. The sights we visited were wonderful, and the sketches have helped me improve on my architectural drawing skills. I would definitely give this trip a 5 stars on Yelp. Thank you for allowing me to take this chance, I hope next year will bring many more amazing opportunities such as this.

Looking Back…

I had been looking forward to this trip for such a long time. I would come out of class everyday more and more excited. When the time finally came it didn’t even seem real. Even though we left at 3:30 in the morning I was wide awake. By the time we finally arrived I couldn’t wait to get out and explore. Seeing everything we had been studying in real life was incredible. All of the buildings were so much bigger than I expected! Especially the Walkie Talkie. Never before had I bothered to learn about a place prior to visiting. It made a world of difference. I got so much more out of the experience. This was also the first time I had ever really sketched. I was skeptical of myself at the beginning, but I actually do think I got better as the week progressed. I learned so much over the course of the week. Not just about architecture, but about history, culture, and traveling in general. I also had the opportunity to spend time with some amazing people. This was probably my favorite aspect of the entire trip. Overall, this was one of the best weeks of my college experience thus far.