Author: Gabe Gerstner

Reflection Post – Gabe Gerstner

Visiting London was by far one of the best choice I’ve ever made, not only did I get to visit a different country, but I got to experience a culture that is different from my every day life and learn how other people live on this world, while at the same time getting to know some extraordinary people. Some of the most memorable things from the trip for me include St. Paul’s Cathedral, which left me in awe the second I walked into the door, Stourhead, and Princess Diana memorial. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed nearly every site we visited but those were just to name a few that left a lasting impact on me. My only regret for the trip was not spending enough time at the places I enjoyed and not getting to visit every site that I intended. I learned quickly how little time there really is in a day. Being a senior, this was my last spring break and it is certainly different from every other trip I’ve taken. Spending the week waking up early, and going out on tours was genuinely more enjoyable than prancing around a beach all day getting sun poisoning and I can’t thank OIA enough for allowing me that opportunity.

Go Bucks

Goodnight moon

As I sit in the airport trying to think about what I can possibly write about to sum up my time spent in London, and the many new things I learned along the way, I find it difficult to find where to start or how to even sum up my trip in a few hundred words. Experiencing a foreign culture first hand is an incredible thing that I always enjoy. Even in a country that shares the same language as us there is a different enough style and dialogue their English that is might as well be considered a different language. On my free day yesterday I spent the day with my friend that studied abroad at Ohio state for a year and I must have lost half of the days conversation as it went right over my head. It’s really interesting having to break almost every other sentence to ask “do you call it that in the states?” Or deciphering small phrases that would be lost if it weren’t for a little bit of context. Nevertheless, my first trip to London surely didn’t disappoint and I can’t wait to make it back and experience even more to this wonderful city.

Day 6 – a Haiku by Gabe

Banksy rats in morn

Skyscrapers in afternoon

A day of wonder

 

Today was a good day. Starting the day with seeing a few banksy pieces was really interesting, it was a side of London I would have never experience had it not been for Troy’s guidance. Art has always had a special place in my heart and learning about the political aspects that go along with it is a new interesting take on graffiti that I am not familiar with. After our tour I got to go to Camden again and see some of the things I didn’t get to see on my visit the day prior. I really appreciate the culture that surrounds Camden. The edgy, rebellious feel is something that I have never experienced in the States and after having small conversations with as many people as I could during my time there, it is a very welcoming community that appreciates different types of culture as much as I do and that is truly amazing.

Camden Market

 

Horse Selfie Diaries

Day 2 in London was one for the books. We trekked over 10 miles and saw too many things to count. My personal favorite thing that I got to see today was the Princess Diana memorial. The changes in water movement throughout the piece was incredible to look at as I walked along the outside of the memorial. It was an amazing tribute to her life and I am glad that so many people get to go there and experience something so special made in her honor. Another big aspect of the day was when we made it to Whitehall in time to witness the changing of the guard, where I got to meet my new friend, a beautiful, elegant symbol of historic London as he stood guard at the previous home of British monarchs.

Me and my best friend

Gabe’s First Day

With the first day wrapping up as a group I sit in my room looking back on the day and already can’t wait to see more tomorrow. I started off with one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve ever had, so that set the tone for the rest of the day to be a great one. Afterwards the group went to the a building center near our hotel and got to explore a little bit about the different styles of building not only in London but all around the world. Then we all left as a group to go and see the Barbican Centre, which I found particularly interesting because of the style that consisted of concrete buildings raised from the ground. It is one of the more controversial styles but I found the use of concrete especially fascinating. Once we were free to roam around by ourselves a bit I made my way to the museum of London where I took the most interest in the Great Fire exhibit. It had so many stories about different people trying to help out with the effort of putting out the fire, one person I found particularly interesting that helped with the effort was King Charles II. Once we reconvened as a group we went into St. Paul’s cathedral, it was by far the most awe inspiring chapel I have ever been inside. Before arriving the church I thought to compare it to in regards to size and history was the National Cathedral and St. Paul’s absolutely blew it out of the water. Now that the day is all wrapped up for group tours a few students and myself are planning on getting a bite to eat and exploring more of the city

Gabe’s Pre Departure Post

T-2 days until we are out of the Midwest and on our way to the wonderful city of London. I couldn’t be more excited to finally experience the city that we have spent the duration of the semester learning about and sketching from inside a classroom. I have all of my supplies ready to go and am starting to pack the last of my belongings tonight after a night full of cramming for an exam tomorrow. It never really occurred to me how different everything is going to be over in London, mainly because of the fact that both countries speak English, but the closer we get the more I am thinking that I am going to hit a brick wall of culture shock. We’ve all been taught well throughout the course of the semester and we should all know the map of London like the back of our hand at this point so after all this wait, we will finally get to put our knowledge and navigating skills to the test and venture around in a foreign country with nothing but a map and a good attitude.

I am hoping that every student is as excited to experience something new as I am and it is truly awesome that I get to share my first European adventure with a group of fellow Buckeyes.

Gabe’s Bio

Hey everyone,

My name is Gabe Gerstner and I am a 4th year civil engineering student with a minor in architecture. Although architecture is not my major I have enjoyed every class that I have taken so far, I have learned so many interesting things that I will not only be able to take into my career, but I have learned so many things that have given me a new appreciation for the built environment. This class will be my last bit of credits needed fo my minor and I couldn’t be more excited to end my time spent with Knowlton on a trip to London.

I am from Austin, Minnesota, a smaller town in the southern part of the state that is best known as the town that invented SPAM, we have a museum and all. Some of my hobbies include golfing, fishing, and hiking. I am also a huge fan of live music, so if anyone wants to find something during our free time in London I’d be more than happy to attend. I have always been interested in traveling, mostly in the States, but I am excited to broaden my horizons over the Atlantic and experience something completely new to me. It’s hard to pinpoint my interest to one specific thing that we will be seeing so I’d have to say I’m just generally excited to see something new every day and experience a culture that is new to me simultaneously.

 

Family photo at the SPAM Museum