A Weekend In Canterbury

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Jenine Jarrar

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Jenine Jarrar

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> James Madison University <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> London, England <i>Program provider:</i> JMU <i>Major/minor:</i> English / Creative Writing & British Communications <i>Demographics:</i> Middle Eastern/North African, First woman to attend college in the family <i>Future career aspirations:</i> My future goal is to become an editor of children's literature! <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> 1. Immerse myself in the communities and culture of a new place. 2. Visit historical sites, such as Shakespeare's Globe theater! 3. Learn new things about my British literature course curriculum through my surroundings.

A Weekend in Canterbury

This Saturday, we traveled by train to Canterbury. There were some immediate differences from our busy section of London. Canterbury had a very calm and serene feeling to it, with streets lined with small shops and craft stores all with unique products inside. The pace moved much slower there; it was not overcrowded or condensed. The nature there was incredible and beautiful to see, and it was a nice outing from the populated city we are living in. We took a historic boat ride through Canterbury, and the guide pointed out places that were built in the 1500s. The town felt very historic and lacked the modernity of London. I personally greatly enjoyed the more relaxed nature of Canterbury, and we also noticed that the people there were very friendly and willing to talk. The general age there was much older than in our section of London, and we got the opportunity to talk to some interesting people and eat some great food. I would say the best food I have had since being in England was in Canterbury. Overall, I enjoyed the trip and the opportunity to get a variety of environments to compare in England.

In our Media and Society class, we traveled to Soho yesterday to witness the area of pop culture in London. It was crazy to think that people like David Bowie would have been performing and buying their guitars there. It is unusual to get used to being in the presence of so much rich history all the time while living in a city with such an incredible past life.

This weekend, we will travel to Edinburgh, Scotland for a tour of the Highlands. The following weekend, we will attend “All’s Well That Ends Well” in Stratford, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. This is one of the events I was most excited for when signing up for the program, so I am thrilled that I get to go so soon. Time flies very fast here– it is strange to think the trip is already one-fourth over. It seems we do so many things each day that they tend to blend together. I am grateful for all of the incredible things I have already experienced and excited for the weeks to come.