Local Restaurants and the Van Gogh Experience

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Makenzie Kuykendall

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Makenzie Kuykendall

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of Idaho <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> London, England <i>Program provider:</i> ISA <i>Major/minor:</i> Education with a focus in Art <i>Demographics:</i> I am a first generation college student and love to help others <i>Future career aspirations:</i> After graduation, my goals are to teach english as a second language abroad through programs such as JET and EPIK, become a high school art teacher in the Seattle area, and illustrate children's books <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> Maintain a 4.0 GPA, fill out a new page of my sketchbook every day, and travel within my city or the UK every weekend.

I spent this week trying a lot of new restaurants nearby. I set a weekly budget of 120 pounds, but I’ve been consistently undershooting it by 50 pounds each week, so I decided to use that extra money to splurge. I realized I haven’t spent as much time as I would have liked in Kingston. Since I live in Surbiton, I rarely go to Kingston aside from when I go to class, which has been quite scarce due to the fact I only have class three times a week, and most of it has been interrupted by academic breaks or strike action.

My favorite restaurant this week has been Giggling Squid. It’s a Thai restaurant on the Thames not too far from my school. I had actually never tried Thai food before, so I was a little nervous going into it. However, I am vegetarian and was excited by the variety of options. I decided to go with a vegetable curry with a side of rice, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. I already love eating my own vegetables, but this restaurant made me realize I could really level up my cooking skills.

On Thursday after volunteering, I went to see the Van Gogh Experience near Brick Lane in London. It was a large exhibit on Van Gogh’s life and artwork, and included replicas of his paintings. At the end there was a large room with projectors facing each wall and the floor, and it cycled through different environments based on his work. It felt like I was standing inside one of his paintings! The Van Gogh Experience actually came to Seattle last summer. I was living in the area with my grandparents at the time, and my granny really wanted to go with me. However, it was sold out. I have been interested ever since, so I was glad I got the chance to try it! In my opinion t was quite pricey for what it was though, so I wouldn’t recommend it for any struggling college students unless Van Gogh is really, really your thing. Luckily he is my thing!

My classes are coming to a close this week, and although I have some deadlines stretching into late April, I have already completed my finals. I’m going to do my best to entertain myself until I leave the dorms on the 23rd, which shouldn’t be too hard in a place like London. Whether it is hard on my wallet is a different question!

Images: Kingston Market Center, the Van Gogh Experience