Reflection entry!

It's been over a month now since I've returned from London and been back in good old Boston, Massachusetts. I can not not NOT express enough, especially in a blog entry, how much I miss London. I loved the people, the city, the lifestyle, etc. Going abroad has definitely had a significant impact on my life. I'm so proud of myself for going through with the experience, from the moments I started doubting filling out an application until the second I left my parents at the airport in New York. I can't believe there was a time when I was actually second-guessing my choice to go to London. I'm proud of the work I accomplished at the London School of Economics. The classes were definitely not like Northeastern and I had to push myself more to get a good grade. I'm proud of learning how to ride the underground, learning how to use pounds, and how to navigate around the city to the point where I didn't need a map anymore. I'm proud of trying new things, such as going on the London Eye even though I'm scared of heights and for trying Haggis- the grossest Scottish food ever to be created.

The biggest thing that has made a significant difference in my life is the friends that I made at LSE. The 20 or so Northeastern kids and I did not know each other at all, and we left feeling closer than ever. We all experienced something that not many Northeastern students know about or have experienced, and its fun for us to share and look back on. Back at Northeastern now, I've seen and hung out with the London-ers plenty of times, and I plan on continuing friendships with practically all of them.

Advice I would give to students even considering study abroad would be to DO IT. And when they do go, to try to see and experience as much as they can. Six weeks was definitely not long enough in London, even though we lived every day to the fullest, there was still so much more I would have like to seen and done. I would tell students to pretty much make the most of the opportunity because its an amazing experience and they'll regret it if they don't.

I learned that I really really love the city of London. I'm absolutely obsessed with it. I've already looked into international co-ops in London and I'm trying to get back there as soon as I possibly can. I also learned that I'm no where near done traveling; I want to do another study abroad program next summer, possibly Spain or Italy. I love meeting people from all over the world and getting to know about them and their lifestyles. I also learned to appreciate the internet, my cell phone, and the American dollar because the UK pound left me BROKE.

I cannot pinpoint a favorite memory. Probably it would be one of the nights we all went out as a group, and I can remember just walking around Picadilly circus and soaking up my surroundings, telling myself in my head to remember this place and how I felt at this exact moment because I'm going to miss it so much when its gone. I appreciated every moment I could in London, and for that I have no regrets. :)