I’ve got a feeling we’re not in London anymore.

imageI still can’t  believe it’s been two weeks since we landed in London. Time flew by so quickly it all seems like a blur, but yet I remember everything just like it was yesterday. My favorite part of this trip was all the architecture and culture of the city we had swimming around as 24/7.  The  camaraderie of the group was fantastic and by far an amazing group of architecture students and non architecture students. Everyone there was ready to learn and explore the city together. I’m excited to continue our classes to develop a final project and see how everyone in the class interprets their adventures in London.

Til next time, London

Being thrown back into the swing of things with class, homework, and the daily struggle of a college student, I find myself day dreaming of the time spent in London. It’s strange to not see a Pub at the turn of every corner, walk through old brick streets under towering white marble and stone buildings, or to be taken aback every time a see a car coming on the wrong side of the road. The time spent in London was one that was invaluable and really gave me a new perception of classical architecture and challenges the notion of what I though a city was. I’m also thankful for the fun group of people that I was able to experience this trip with and the new friendships that we all made. I hope that someday I will find myself once again “minding the gap,” sitting in a old pub, and enjoying the city that so quickly captivated me. Cheers, All.

Back into the swing of things

Coming back was hard for a few reasons. One was that London was not just a study abroad it was an experience and I loved every minute of it. From going to Starbucks at night to catch up on a few sketches or walking around central London with everyone during the day, every minute was great. Coming back to work and school is a little difficult. Last time I studied abroad it was in may so I was able to go right home after it and have two months for summer. Spring break brain is hard to rebound from. I will say, even though we woke up around 7 each day, went clear trough til 5 or later, then went out at night just to do it all over again, it was still a break. We were able to be out element and enjoy someone else’s way of life for a while. I will miss London.

Post-London Adventure

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London was non-stop and filled with culture and once in a lifetime experiences. These experiences were shared with twenty new friends that will have a lasting bond. On this trip I saw, did, and tried new things that I would have not done on my own traveling through England. For example the British tea in the National Gallery, I drink my fair share of my own as well as my neighbor’s tea and ate one of the best scones I have ever had before. And it was really nice to have a reason for all of us to get dressed up for the classy event. I also would have never thought to go to the markets on my own. Just because you wouldn’t think to do all of your shopping and amazing food in a local market where I’m from. Local places such as that are replaced by Wal-Mart’s and shopping centers, but I loved that experience and wish I could bring it to my local hometown. 

Desiree

Goodbye and See You London

It has been 4 days since we came back from London. I cannot stop thinking about those beauties I experienced in London. I really miss those friends and that time we spent together. Although I did not go to the Sherlock Holms Museum, did not have time for the Harry potter studio and failed in completing the patterns at back of the coins, I still feel this is one of the most wonderful trips I have ever had. Maybe sometimes things are perfect just because the imperfection, so you always have aspiration for them and try your best to make it better. Anyway all good things come to an end. But we always have chances to start something new. I believe that sometime in the future I will experience London again.

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I Will Be Back

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The past week is probably my favorite week so far in my life. London is such a tremendous city which is so clean, so cultural, so secure and so beautiful. I really don’t know how it managed to be so pretty as the background of our pictures. Everyone seems to be a photographer in the city and we took so many perfect pictures without even trying. I am so jealous of Londoners as they can just go outside and get fantastic photos of themselves. I absolutely loved the culture there and I loved the way people talked, dressed, and everything. I think that explains why Doug Graf spends more time in London than in states. Given the chance, I will be going back at any time and I don’t even need a reason to do so. That’s how much I love the city.

 

Final Post

It is sad to not wake up in London. Already our week has already begun to fade into memory. It was an excellent experience and I am very glad to have gone. I can now say I have flown on an airplane as well as travelled out of the country (and continent). I tried new cuisines…and actually liked them. I learned new things about British culture and was able to walk through places that I have only before seen through pictures. Most importantly, this trip has given me the will to travel. London is just the beginning, the gateway to everywhere. I am grateful for the opportunity to go and would love to one day go again. For me at least, London 2014 was a success.

 

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Goodbye London

Now that I have added all the pictures to facebook and tagged everyone in them I can finally write my final blog. Visiting London was an incredible experience, not just from the architectural standpoint but also the cultural standpoint. Getting to see a very multicultural city with hundreds of years of history and a culture all its own was spectacular. I miss many parts of it such as the efficient Tube and the way that when a bus passed you on the road it didn’t reek of gasoline. I’m sure I will visit the city of London sometime again as there is far too much there to only spend one week there.

Post-departure

Wow, that was a very fast eight days.  I can’t believe I am back in America already.  But I can’t really complain because I had an awesome time and made memories that will last forever.  I plan to go home this weekend so I can show my family everything I did.  I can’t wait to tell them all the things I saw and what I did while I was on the trip.  This trip was by far the best Spring Break I had ever had.  The weather there was at a nice 60 degrees.  I got to experience an entirely new culture.  Also, I was able to see the great architecture that London has to offer.

Missing London!!!!

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After arriving home and adjusting back to normal life all I can think about is the next time I’ll be able to go back London! The entire experience was so incredibly amazing especially since it was my first time abroad.  Being able to go on this trip was the experience of a life time and what made it even better was the group of people I got to share that experience with! We as a class seemed to bond from the beginning and it was so great to have such a gos group of people around you when you were in such an unfamiliar place, I would not have wanted it any other way!

Post-Trip: London Withdrawl Symptoms

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This trip was one of the most fabulous trips I have ever been on. The UK was such a different place, even though I would consider it one of the global cultures more similar to that of America. Back in the states, I find myself deeply missing London and its many perks. I miss the mixture of fantastic architecture, both old and modern, that was present everywhere. I miss the convenience of the Tube. I miss a lot of the small things as well that were not blatantly apparent to me while visiting there but are definitely missing here. The friendliness of the London red color that marked public service areas, the quaint view right outside the hotel window, the street art and artists– these are all minor elements that together added up to a unique culture. And, of course, I terribly miss the tea and scones. Hopefully I will be able to travel there again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I will sip the tea I brought back with me and start making a bucket list for London round two!

I can’t express how fulfilling this trip was. It exceeded all of my expectations, which were not low either. Thank you, everyone, for being such a pleasure to get to know and travel with! Cheers!

 

Post-Departure: Missing London

It’s weird because on Saturday I was a little ready to come home. I missed my cats, communicating with my loved ones on a regular bases, and sleeping in my bed. But now that I am home I miss London and everyone from the trip. It is strange when you leave a place (or even just learn about something new) how you see reminders in your everyday life that make you think of that. I turned on the TV yesterday and a news story about the monarchy was airing. As I waiting for the CABS bus to take me to class this morning I thought about how the tube would already be here by now and we would’ve squeezed more people in the subway than the bus. Besides these thoughts I have also been thinking about how thankful I am. I am thankful I had the opportunity to attend a great university and study something I love and make friends in the process. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to study aboard and make even more friends and learn about the culture and a piece of the world. Thank you Aimee and Troy for taking us around the city and countryside for a crazy, long week. And also thanks to everyone else for making me feel welcomed in the School of Architecture and becoming my friend!

See you on Thursday,

Ashley Hofmaster

Back in the States

As we arrived in Chicago and waited for our plane ride back to Columbus our group looked exhausted. I know I was! We should really be thankful for our instructors putting together such a well organized trip. At times it was annoying how little free time we had and how much we were touring each day, but looking back I am very glad Aimee and Troy pushed us each day to explore more of the city. We really did so much in the week we were abroad, and I would have to say we definitely got our moneys worth. One thing a lot of students were saying is how they are going to have a tough time appreciating the buildings and planning in their towns and cities back in the United States. I sort of agree. Our country is much newer and in our time as a country we have adopted a culture that knocks down older buildings and rebuilds without thinking of historical value. I think we need to appreciate everything our country does have, but adopt some things from older European countries that have been around much longer. London took centuries to turn into an iconic city, but we should not let it take hundreds of years to adopt some of the practices that make London better than many cities in The United States.

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[post-trip blog] All about London

It was a long week definitely. I still cannot believe we are back in school, and the semester is going on now. I think I had a wonderful dream for a week. I miss everything, every moment, every place that I went to. So, there are three things I cannot stop thinking of: people, weather, and scone. 

I had a CRP class this morning as the first class after since we came back from London, and the first thing I did was looking around to find where Ashley and Desiree are. (They are my classmates in that class) I don’t know why but I miss everyone; and perhaps that is because we spent 24/7 together for a week.

DSC_1385this is the first Sunday in the morning, everyone looks excited.

 

The second thing is the weather in London. We expected to have rain (as it supposed to..) but we did not! I believe one of the reasons that we had great memories in London is the wonderful weather. I heard they will have rain this week. We were meant to be there, I do think so.

CSC_1705 The first Sunday afternoon, walking along the London eye.

 

Finally, the scone, my favorite food in London. I miss British scone so bad. It is so much different from Americans or any other countries. I think I will have to learn how to make British scones.

IMG_9850 I found this book in Portobello market. I should have bought it.

This trip was wonderful as itself. I really have to thank Aimee and Troy (and Amy) for making this great trip possible. And I hope we could keep in touch with our classmates in future as well!

Post Trip

London was a fabulous experience and I’m so thankful I was a part of this group. It’s hard to pick a day or a place that stands out as a favorite because everyday was full of different experiences and sites. The real food market was a great introduction to London and assured me there was good food to be found in London despite many warnings I had heard from others. Actually, I indulged in the local cuisine more than I should have! Thankfully the 10 miles we seem to walk everyday hopefully made up for it! I adventurously tried fish and chips, bangers and mash, Canterbury brie, macarons and even a lox and cheese sandwich! After returning home I think I’m missing the delicious food the most! The experience was awesome and I loved every minute of it!!!!

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post-trip

This trip was absolutely spectacular! My friends are already begging for details about what I did and everything I saw. It is so exciting to share everything now that I’m back in the states. Staying in London was awesome, but being home is really nice. Unpacking, though, not so much! It just reminded me that on this trip I bought more clothes than my tiny closet can handle! Doesn’t matter though, there’s not going back now, right? Besides, now I have a bunch of super adorable dresses from London! How many people can say that?

I can’t wait to see everyone’s photos pop up on facebook. We need to show everyone our O-H-I-O’s! I’m sure our group pictures are all fantastic, just like us.

Post Trip

Wow, those are very fast eight days.  Spring Break literally flew by us and I am sure no one wants to leave London.  I still feel like I have so much more to explore and learn about London.  If I had the time I would just want to walk around London and take my the exploring the city.  I could not care if I got lost or not because I would be having such a great time just walking through the city.  Also, there is an underground station and maps all throughout London.  I just wish that Spring Break  could be a little longer because there is still so much more that I want to see and do.image