Pause and Reflect

Pause and Reflect leaf at Stourhead

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” ~ Mark Twain

This quote may have many meanings, but to me it means not to be a blind follower, and to do what makes you happy and fulfilled. Looking back at our trip to London, I spent a lot of time following this quote and just pausing and reflecting on the amazing experiences that I was having. I spent a lot of time following the group as we traversed our way through London, but I always had my own perspective on what we were looking at. Some perspectives I captured with my camera, but most of them I captured in the form of a memory. I felt that pausing and reflecting at each place we went to helped me capture the moments that I will never forget. We had the opportunity to see a lot of different buildings and landscapes while we were in London, but these are some of the moments that stood out as I took the time to pause and reflect; Sketching at Stonehenge, sitting in the grotto at Stourhead and looking out at the beautiful landscape, looking over the city on top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, looking up from the ground to see all the skyscrapers surrounding me, watching the water flow at the Princess Diana memorial, looking out over the city at night from the Shard, and having a bird land on the table as I was sketching the Princess of Wales conservatory.

After the study tour hours we were able to go out and explore the city by ourselves, and this is when some of the best parts of the trip happened. From having a pint at the oldest pub in London to going and seeing The Book of Mormon at The Prince of Wales Theatre in Piccadilly, the nights I had in London really made the trip more special. I also want to thank our amazing RD’s for making the trip as smooth as possible, even when we hit bumps in the road due to the current COVID-19 situation we are dealing with in the US. I am happy that we were able to finish the whole trip without it getting cut short. The projects we got to see on the trip were awesome, but it was the people I was with that will make this trip unforgettable. I was able to make new friends that constantly made me laugh and made this trip way better than if I were to have traveled alone. When leaving for this study abroad trip I did not know that this was going to be the last experience I ever had at OSU, but if I had to choose, I would choose this ending over and over again. I want to thank everyone that I traveled with for making this trip truly amazing. London was just one page in my book, and I can’t wait to see what is on the next.

These are some of the pictures of the moments on the trip that I will never forget.