“Six” the Musical & Stratford-Upon-Avon – 5th Week at NYU London!

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Michaela Greenlee

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Michaela Greenlee

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> New York University <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2024 <i>Destination city & country:</i> London, United Kingdom <i>Program provider:</i> NYU London <i>Major/minor:</i> Global Public Health <i>Demographics:</i> Caucasian/White, Hispanic/Latinx <i>Future career aspirations:</i> My future career goals involve becoming a university professor of public health in the social and behavioral sciences. I hope to conduct research in my own laboratory that explores how to mitigate health disparities among low-income and racial/ethnic minority populations. As a future professor, my mission is to empower my students (particularly females and students of color) to volunteer in my lab and develop a passion for working towards health equity. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> My top three goals for my time abroad include developing a comparative lens to analyze differences in health care infrastructure between the United States and United Kingdom, building strong and professional relationships with my internship mentors, and becoming an independent individual who can learn to take accountability by navigating through challenging situations.

Hi everyone, welcome back to my fifth blog post! As midterm season is coming up, the workload in my classes has started getting a bit heavier. However, I’ve been learning how to time manage to the best of my ability. This weekend I had the opportunity to give myself a break from my assignments and spent some time exploring London with my friends and even went on a day trip with the NYU London group.

On Friday night, my friend and I bought tickets to see the musical “Six” at the Vaudeville Theatre near Covent Garden. “Six” tells the story of King Henry the VIII’s six wives in the form of a competition where they each take turns competing to determine who had the worst heartbreak with their husband. What’s interesting about the musical is that the songs are inspired by modern pop royalty, which results in truly empowering pieces such as “Don’t Lose Your Head” and “Ex Wives” that remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a celebration of 21st feminine pride. My personal favorite songs (that I can’t stop listening to on replay) are All You Wanna Do and Queen of the Castle – I definitely recommend seeing the musical just to hear these!

On Sunday, the NYU London cultural programming staff organized a group trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the town famously known for being the birthplace of Shakespeare. My friend and I spent the day fitting in as much sightseeing as possible! First, we toured the Trinity Church and graveyard where Shakespeare is buried. Afterwards, we wandered around the picturesque streets and explored the food market which offered a diverse array of cuisines, ranging from Greek street food to Mexican and Chinese. At the market, we both decided to get some chicken gyro wraps with French fries, and it was delicious! We also treated ourselves to some chocolate bubble tea.

After having our meal, my friend and I rejoined the group at the Shakespeare’s Birthplace Centre, where we toured the museum that celebrates the life and work of Shakespeare. Inside we saw exhibits that displayed decorative collections of art, costumes, coins and medals. We even got to see the room where Shakespeare had been born in!

Once the museum tour ended, it was time to go back to London. It was an enriching experience that left me with a greater appreciation for Shakespeare’s contributions to history.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read about my adventures this week! I’m looking forward to sharing my progress in my internship and classes next week. :)