Exploring London and traveling around Europe has expanded my perspective on the world, and made me realize how big it really is. It made me appreciate the multicultural tight-knit community I grew up in, and how that has kept me open-minded. Another thing I like about London is how diverse it is. London is a melting pot of 8.9 million people, and is actually one if the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. Since there are so many cultures in London, there are a lot of different cuisines. London is most known for pies, roast beef, and fish & chips, but there are a lot of popular Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Arabic foods. The public transportation system is fairly advanced, and it's easy to navigate around the city. Transportation is definitely one of my main expenses. To get to and from the city from Roehampton would cost an average of £6.
The university system is also very different in the United Kingdom. Rather than being graded on attendance, participation, tests and assignments like the United States, students are graded on a final summative report. I've noticed that attendance is usually lower and there is little participation in the seminars. Although there are quite a few differences here, I've learned to become adaptable and open-minded. It helped me understand how people live in Europe, and realize that the norms I have back home aren't the same everywhere else in the world. During my time here, I am constantly pushed outside of my comfort zone and I'm grateful to have these new experiences and lessons in London.
0 Comments
One of my favorite places I have visited in Europe by far is Barcelona. It's a beautiful city with extraordinary foods, views, and architecture. It's a walk-able city, and everywhere we walked, we're met with incredible architecture. One of my highlights was visiting Antoni Gaudi's buildings and projects. We visited the Sagrada Familia, Casa Milia, Casa Battlo, and Parc Guell. Each of these places had admission prices, and since we were on a budget, we were only able to go inside the Park Güell. It reflected a lot of his Catalan Modernistic style through stones, ceramics, and tiles. His vision and works were truly creative and unimaginable. Barcelona is such a beautiful city with so much to see and do. We could walk around the city for hours! One thing I really enjoyed was walking through the Mercado de La Boqueria and eating fresh seafood. It was a large public market with stalls selling meats, cheeses, and all types of seafood. At the market, we encountered a restaurant where I tried seafood Paella for the first time. Other foods I really enjoyed was Pulpu Gallego, a grilled octopus tapa, and Crema Catalana, a glazed custard dessert. One thing I love about traveling is trying the different cuisines the country has to offer. We only stayed in Barcelona for three days, but I would definitely consider coming back in the future.
|
|