My days here in London have left me with a very unusual "schedule", if you could even call it that. My time revolves around my classes, local food deals, the weather, and the amount of money left in my bank account. Here in London there is no set schedule like my days in Madison. My life in Madison consists of a strict weekly schedule stuffed full of classes, library time, and weekends meant to blow off all the steam which has built up throughout the week. Here in London my time is much more fluid and diverse.
My semester of classes abroad are much less time consuming than my classes in Madison. I have a set schedule for every day of the week, Fridays excluded of course, but my classes and days vary with which new excursion or activity we partake in. Mondays I have theatre class from 2-5, but occasionly take visists to plays, pubs, or areas of interest as a substitue for class time. Tuesdays I have museums, where we either explore a new museum each week or take time to learn more and further appreciate art. Wednesdays are by far my most demanding of days. There is my interpretation of popular culture class in the morning, where we discuss things such as the history of rock and roll and the beatles; rough, I know. And then my afternoons consist of travel journal, where we share our fun and quirky stories and views on different aspects of London life. Thursdays there is History of London in the afternoons, which generally leads us to new and exciting areas that examine British history. These five classes fulfill the basic "routine" to my life here in London, even though they vary in new and exciting ways each week.
My eating habits here in London always vary and fluctuate, but do in fact fall under a certain routine based on what types of food are available and at which times. Buying groceries in London is an irritatingly expensive task for food that typically lasts less than a week. Those days where the food runs low i opt for my bag of generic pasta with butter or whatever type of sauce or condiment I have left. When the pasta stops doing the job, the sandwich shop is always the answer. At the sandwich shop you can get sandwiches, pasta, pizza, or curry, all for an affordable price. They also offer half-priced sandwiches after 5 pm, a fact that our entire program was pleased to discover soon after our arrival. Other than the sandwich shop, there are other local eateries and London's trademark pre-made and packaged sandwiches. McDonalds has also, pathetically, become a part of my daily life here in London. I discovered that it is available, and affordable, in every country i have visited. On those nights out where we're completely starvvvvinnnggg McDonald's is always the first stop on our way back to the flat.
London's infamous weather has become another deciding factor to my days. If I happen to wake up in the morning and see the gray and rainy skys, I typically decide to go back to bed until my afternoon class at two. If the skies are clear and blue, such as recently, I generally try to pull myself out of bed to go running in beautiful Hyde Park. These gorgeous spring days seem to urge me to go out, be productive, and explore London on a whole new level.
The last, and most depressing aspect to my London routines are my bank statements. They're a constant reminder to how drastically expensive life in London is in comparison to my plain, old life in Hartland, Wisconsin. Not only do they dictate how frequently I'm able to go shopping or out to eat, but how often I can travel. One of my favorite aspects of being abroad is how easy it is to travel around Europe. I love travelling and experiencing new things and my London experience has taught me that not only is it impossible to do and afford everything in one semester, but that it's worth it to experience as much life in London as I can, because those other places will always be there to come back to.
I know that I am extremely lucky to be able to spend this semester studying in London. It's an amazing city with many different things to offer and an opportunity that I will never have again. My "routine" here in London is never consistent, but always changing and adapting for new field trips and excursions. These inconsistencies to my life have left me anticipating and looking forward to each new week here in London. My lack of routine here in London has left me feeling a bit unorganized and irresponsible, but I know it is something that I will miss next semester when I am back to the grind in Madison.
My semester of classes abroad are much less time consuming than my classes in Madison. I have a set schedule for every day of the week, Fridays excluded of course, but my classes and days vary with which new excursion or activity we partake in. Mondays I have theatre class from 2-5, but occasionly take visists to plays, pubs, or areas of interest as a substitue for class time. Tuesdays I have museums, where we either explore a new museum each week or take time to learn more and further appreciate art. Wednesdays are by far my most demanding of days. There is my interpretation of popular culture class in the morning, where we discuss things such as the history of rock and roll and the beatles; rough, I know. And then my afternoons consist of travel journal, where we share our fun and quirky stories and views on different aspects of London life. Thursdays there is History of London in the afternoons, which generally leads us to new and exciting areas that examine British history. These five classes fulfill the basic "routine" to my life here in London, even though they vary in new and exciting ways each week.
My eating habits here in London always vary and fluctuate, but do in fact fall under a certain routine based on what types of food are available and at which times. Buying groceries in London is an irritatingly expensive task for food that typically lasts less than a week. Those days where the food runs low i opt for my bag of generic pasta with butter or whatever type of sauce or condiment I have left. When the pasta stops doing the job, the sandwich shop is always the answer. At the sandwich shop you can get sandwiches, pasta, pizza, or curry, all for an affordable price. They also offer half-priced sandwiches after 5 pm, a fact that our entire program was pleased to discover soon after our arrival. Other than the sandwich shop, there are other local eateries and London's trademark pre-made and packaged sandwiches. McDonalds has also, pathetically, become a part of my daily life here in London. I discovered that it is available, and affordable, in every country i have visited. On those nights out where we're completely starvvvvinnnggg McDonald's is always the first stop on our way back to the flat.
London's infamous weather has become another deciding factor to my days. If I happen to wake up in the morning and see the gray and rainy skys, I typically decide to go back to bed until my afternoon class at two. If the skies are clear and blue, such as recently, I generally try to pull myself out of bed to go running in beautiful Hyde Park. These gorgeous spring days seem to urge me to go out, be productive, and explore London on a whole new level.
The last, and most depressing aspect to my London routines are my bank statements. They're a constant reminder to how drastically expensive life in London is in comparison to my plain, old life in Hartland, Wisconsin. Not only do they dictate how frequently I'm able to go shopping or out to eat, but how often I can travel. One of my favorite aspects of being abroad is how easy it is to travel around Europe. I love travelling and experiencing new things and my London experience has taught me that not only is it impossible to do and afford everything in one semester, but that it's worth it to experience as much life in London as I can, because those other places will always be there to come back to.
I know that I am extremely lucky to be able to spend this semester studying in London. It's an amazing city with many different things to offer and an opportunity that I will never have again. My "routine" here in London is never consistent, but always changing and adapting for new field trips and excursions. These inconsistencies to my life have left me anticipating and looking forward to each new week here in London. My lack of routine here in London has left me feeling a bit unorganized and irresponsible, but I know it is something that I will miss next semester when I am back to the grind in Madison.
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