It’s Friday! This means that I am done classes for the week, seeing as I only have class Wednesday and Thursday. The classes that I am taking over here are Genetics, British Culture and Society, and Healthcare Policy. I am also taking an online class for Ethics. My first class was on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. and it was four hours long. Our schedule is in four-hour blocks, but only once a week! The first day of each class consisted of going over the syllabus and us trying to understand our professors’ accents. In Genetics, we adventured over to the Natural History Museum, which is only about a five-minute walk. The museum is beautiful and gigantic. We visited the biology section and Darwin had his own center. We also extracted DNA from strawberries on our first day of class in Genetics. In our British Culture class, we talked about Britain’s history and went on another walking tour. It looks like we will be writing a few papers and going on lots of field trips. In Healthcare policy, we learned about America’s broken insurance policy and how each country wants to be more like the other with healthcare. Very interesting so far.
   Last weekend, we went out in Soho, which is only a few tube stops over then about a fifteen-minute walk. Soho resembled New York City very much so, and there were people everywhere. The bar we went to played the latest music that we hear back in the U.S.A. It felt like I was at home, except everyone spoke with a British, French, or Irish accent. I made a point to talk to many people since we haven’t had much interaction with locals yet. Everyone was very nice and always asked, “what part of the states are you from?” I guess they knew it by our funky accents. I met people from Ireland, Spain, France, and here in London. I can’t wait to go out again so we can meet more people!
On Sunday, we went to Oxford Street, which held several shops. The style in London is AMAZING. It makes me want to go shopping all the time. Not to mention, the men and women are beautiful and so petite, which makes the clothes look even better. I discovered a new store called Ms. Selfridge, which I totally fell in love with. Well that’s it for now; I’m off to Amsterdam and Germany for the long Easter break! Ta ta. (Photo below is all of us in front of Buckingham Palace)

Today marks the first week that I have been staying in London. I can’t boost enough about how beautiful South Kensington is, which is the neighborhood we live in with our study abroad group. A Porsche here is just like a Honda at home, a car that several people drive and we are not too dazed about. Ferraris, Maseratis, and Bentleys are parked up and down the block and we have a Lamborghini dealership right down the street. There is shopping and restaurants located around every corner of our flat (apartment) and we are a couple blocks away from the underground tube.
There are thirteen of us studying abroad from Drexel this term. We all live in a flat called Manson Place. I live in a room with three other girls. We have two bunk beds, our own closets and a private bathroom. It is much nicer than you would think. Everyone here has been great so far, I am totally comfortable. We all get a long really well and we are just so excited for this awesome opportunity of studying abroad.
All day, everyday we walk. I think I have been on about five walking tours since we have been here and that does not include my own adventures through London. You will definitely get your exercise in by just venturing out into the city. The tube system, which is sort of like the subway at home, is fabulous here. It will take you anywhere you want and plus we received an oyster card that is prepaid courtesy of FIE. Also, it doesn’t smell and has a comfortable and clean environment.
The food here is very yummy but I find it different than our meals back in the states. The first day we went out to dinner, I got an English meal called bangers and mash. It is a traditional meal composed of sausage and mashed potatoes. I rarely eat sausage and I found this delicious. Fish and chips is very common here, still something I need to try. Food shopping is done weekly since there are no preservatives; the food tends to spoil quickly. I haven’t spotted any lean cuisines, so you most likely have to cook, make pasta (easy), or just eat out. It does get expensive to eat out in London; therefore, I really need to freshen up on my culinary skills.
Those are just the basics of London so far; I will post later about what I have been doing all week.