First Week in London!

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Sherell Comeaux

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Sherell Comeaux

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello! Hallo! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of Houston <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2022 <i>Destination city & country:</i> London, United Kingdom and Amsterdam, Netherlands <i>Program provider:</i> CIEE <i>Major/minor:</i> Psychology & Health <i>Demographics:</i> African American/Black, First-Generation College Student <i>Future career aspirations:</i> I want to work towards building healthier communities through a profession in public health. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> 1. Gain a better understanding of the healthcare systems throughout parts of Europe, 2. Immerse myself in the cultures and try as many new foods as I can, 3. Make new friends!

My first week in London has exceeded my expectations!

I decided to take my first week slowly. With no set plans, I was able to take as much time as needed to sightsee and get used to life in London. My study abroad program had a few events set up for students who wished to travel in groups. Because of this, I was able to take an exclusive bus tour through the city of London with a very well-educated tour guide. I was able to get a great view of all of London’s most popular monuments. Having such a well educated tour guide not only made the bus tour entertaining, it also helped with getting recommendations to the best museums, restaurants, and other attractions.

I also started classes this week, and I was able to take a walking tour through the university campus with my professor. My class had the opportunity to look at museum exhibits that delt with public health and the history of medicine. I really enjoyed this interactive learning exercise, it made the topics we learned about this week in class a lot more real and practical. I know we have another interactive tour coming up in the next few weeks and I am very excited to see how the next one relates to the material we learn in class.

My study abroad group also got to spend a day in the beach town of Brighton. We were able to take an amazing tour through the vacation palace that belonged to King George VI. After the guided tour, we were free to do whatever we wanted on our own. I was able to spend the day with some of my new friends. We spent time on the pier, enjoying the views of the beach and riding a few amusement park rides. We were able to do some sight seeing, and finished off the day with some freshly made pizza from an Italian restaurant. I really enjoyed this trip, I always enjoy the feelings a beach town bring. It feels as if everyone is taking things slow and enjoying the moment.

The last event of my first week in London was watching Mamma Mia live in theatre. This was a fun experience since I’ve never seen the film before. I refrained from listening to the music before the show since I wanted the entire experience to be a surprise. The songs were a lot of fun and it was great to see everyone dancing and singing along during the encore at the very end of the show. This experience has inspired me to try and see at least one more live show before I leave!