The Last Post :(

Well, I’m back! And I really miss England. The flight back was smooth, no problems. It’s weird to be back in the U.S. but I’m not having any problem adjusting, except for the missing England part. I thought I would be experiencing “reverse culture shock” or something but it’s been fine, so that’s good.

So here’s some basic tips about studying abroad in England:

1. Decide how long you want to go. I have no idea how people could only go for one semester—I went for a year and I still wish I had had more time. But it all depends on personal preference. If you have all your major/school requirements in order then I’d suggest going for a year, but if you’re homesick easily then just one semester should do.

2. Learn about the money. Yes, there are a lot of coins. Be prepared for this. I went to the store the other day and was surprised when I was handed back five one dollar bills. It looked like so much; I had gotten used to getting coins back as change.

3. The metro in London is really easy to use. Utilize it.

4. If you’re planning on travelling while overseas, make sure you have all necessary visas/travel documents. Some countries require a separate visa.

5. Packing is rough. I’d suggest bringing a bunch of old clothes you don’t want, and then when you buy new clothes you can just donate the old clothes to charity or something. That way you won’t have extra weight in your luggage—the new clothes will replace the old ones. I thought the problem would be fitting everything into two suitcases—the actual problem was the excess weight.

6. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind going to the library, I think I’d recommend getting your schoolbooks from the library instead of buying them. The main reason for this is, again, luggage. Books are HEAVY. I bought one book for a class that’s like 5 pounds (weight, not money)…not fun. And there’s no guarantee you can sell them back to the store, so just take that into consideration. The library would save you money as well. Of course, if the books aren’t available at the library then you’d have to buy them.

7. If you’re into musical theatre, or even just regular theatre, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE utilize the West End in London. I discovered it too late unfortunately. The prices for shows there are cheaper than they are in the U.S. (for the most part) and they have tons of discounts for students. Check the tkts booths for lower prices (yes I spelled it right, Google is your friend), and check each box office for dayseats (Wicked has a thing where if you show up on the day of the performance and you have proof that you’re a student, they’ll give you the best available seat for 25 pounds. I got a premium seat for 25 pounds, it was awesome). Plus, the shows are amazing. I only saw Wicked but from what I saw at West End Live the other shows are incredible as well.

8. If you’re planning on travelling in England, look into National Express coaches. They have funfares where you can go from Brighton to London and back for two pounds. TWO POUNDS. The thing is, you have to book early enough to get that price. Also, you have to click on the funfare section—otherwise when you search for buses the site will give you regular prices.

9. The food is different. Prepare for this. Beans on toast, tons of curry, etc. There’s a very big Indian influence when it comes to English food.

10. Leave the stuff close to home for last. That is, if you want to go travelling and you’re living in London, go travelling elsewhere and leave the London stuff for last. The reason I say this is because if you run out of time or money, at least you’re already there in London (it won’t take much effort to explore), whereas if you want to go to, say, Germany, but you don’t have any money, you just can’t go. Of course, I’d suggest spreading it all out, but it’s very common for people to say oh, I’ll do this eventually, I have plenty of time…plenty of time left…a whole five months…four months…one month…TWO DAYS?!? So just make sure you plan your time wisely.

11. Beware about certain words. “Pants” means “underwear” in…er, English. So if you say “I have to change my pants” be prepared for some odd looks.

12. Have an open mind.

13. HAVE FUN!

So…this is it. My last entry. I can’t believe it’s over! I hope this blog has helped someone. It’s been fun writing and hopefully other people have gotten some useful information in all of my ramblings and such.

And well…that’s that. Have a great year everybody!