Reflection by Nora Gore

I have returned home from my month-long study abroad adventure in London! Even though I was only there for a month, I still feel like I have matured and grown up so much because of my time there. I have gained an abundance of new knowledge and appreciation for the history and culture of London and all of the existing cultures within the UK. I learned that I am capable of figuring my way around a city I have never been to and adapt very quickly. While I was there, there were a few tube and train strikes, meaning we could not take our main forms of transportation for days at a time. While it was quite inconvenient, I learned not to dwell on the small things that mess up and let it ruin my day, but to just go with the flow and figure out alternatives to getting wherever I needed to go. Before this program, I had little to no idea what I was getting into and barely knew anyone else in the program, which was terrifying. I felt like I always needed to have a plan and needed to know what happens next, but throughout this month, I have become okay with just trusting myself and trusting that everything will work out, and it definitely did. I quickly made friends with people from CofC and from the affiliate college, USM and have formed a special bond with them throughout the month. Not having a set plan for the day became something exciting because it opened so many possibilities of places to explore and people to see in London! As a history major, I have broadened my knowledge on British history that helped me to better appreciate the city of London and all of the landmarks we visited. I also met other history majors that are graduate students who got to research in the archives of British libraries and have considered doing the same in the future! Even though my time in London is over, I am sure that I will be back traveling and studying somewhere elseĀ  because I know that I am capable of doing this all over again in new places around the world!

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