This past spring semester, I took a huge leap out of my comfort zone and studied abroad in London, England. I can honestly say that I don’t think I will ever have another experience like living abroad for four months. Meeting new people, trying different foods, exploring different places around the city, and just purely being immersed in a new culture was something that I could not have gotten by staying in the United States. Not only do I have fond memories of my time as a student in a foreign country, but I will forever highly recommend it to anyone who is even a little bit curious about studying abroad. Because, truly, when else in your life will you get the opportunity to live in another country for a few months?
How do you approach it?
Studying abroad had always been something I was fascinated with, so the fact that I was actually able to do it is still so amazing to me! I started doing research right away during my freshman year of college at Florida State University (FSU). I quickly discovered that FSU had study centers around the globe (London; Valencia, Spain; Florence, Italy; and Panama City, Republic of Panama). I already knew that leaving the country would be a big deal (I had never done it before) in itself, so I didn’t want the added pressure of a language barrier as well. This narrowed my choices down to London right away. From there, I researched what classes/major programs the FSU London program offered and started planning out what classes I would take while I was over there. Since FSU London did not have classes for my major, I saved some required broad curriculum classes for my semester abroad. This included a speech class where we had to give speeches at places like Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, the National Portrait Gallery, and even the London Underground (also known as the Tube), a Shakespeare class where we got to tour the Globe Theatre and see a few Shakespeare plays, and a British Life and Culture class where I got to learn about all the things I was experiencing first-hand while living in London.
How it worked
Since I studied abroad at a FSU Study Center, I lived in a flat and took classes with other students from the United States. This made the whole experience more comfortable for me. All the friends I was making were in the exact same boat as me, and we were figuring things out together. The FSU Study Center happens tube in the most prime location in London, in Camden – literally around the corner from the British Museum. This meant that anything you could possibly want to see or do in London was a brisk walk or quick Tube ride away (the Tottenham Court stop is a three-minute walk from the study center). Almost all of our days were spent exploring. Our professors would take us out on walking tours, our program assistants would show us fun things to do in our free time, and we even went on multiple weekend getaways with the school – Stonehenge, Scotland, Belgium, Switzerland, and France (all included in the program fee).
Things I wish I’d known before
Culture shock is very real. The obvious differences between England and America, like the fact that the Brits drive on the opposite side of the road and call pants trousers, were easier to get over, weirdly enough. The things that I wasn’t so prepared for were much harder to get past, like how their grocery stores don’t refrigerate eggs and how everyone in London will look at you weird if you wear a sweatshirt and leggings out in public. The point is, I was SUPER homesick right away because I felt like I had entered an alternate universe. But I got over it quickly, and after a week I was already feeling less overwhelmed and more adventurous.
The ‘pushing yourself out of your comfort zone’ doesn’t end the entire time you are abroad. You have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
My favorite parts
Traveling with newly made friends was such a weird experience, but looking back, I realize that was one of my favorite parts of my entire time abroad. Nothing breaks down walls like squeezing into a tiny hostel room with five other girls.
Last but not least, I got all that time to explore. I got to call London home for a semester, and now I know that whenever I go back, it will feel like I never left!
Neapolitan Family intern Ginny Lundstrom is a 2015 Barron Collier High School graduate. She is a senior at Florida State University majoring in Editing, Writing, and Media.