Week 1

Howdy from London!

Our group is continually awestruck by the simple fact that we are experiencing the incredible sights that we have only seen in movies and pictures! Our preparation for this study abroad experience has preceded our arrival in London by several months so finally being here is extremely surreal. The weather has been beautiful all week (for London).  Our experiences in the first week alone tell the tale of a well-travelled, eager to learn group of Aggies.

Most of us arrived on Saturday and Sunday trapped in the clutches of some rough jet lag. With a six hour time difference between Texas and London, it took about two days for our bodies and minds to get adjusted to the bright, early mornings of Europe and the quick arrival of dark hours in mid-afternoon. Having navigated through London during the weekend, Monday came with another test. We were tasked with figuring out our path through London in order to arrive at the location of our classes for the semester, Anglo Educational Services, located in Russell Square. Now at the end of the week, the winding tube (subway) route already seems secondhand.

DAY ONE – We received an orientation on London, staying safe, a general overview of what Londoners can and can’t do compared to citizens in the United States, and a look ahead at what we could expect from the actual study portion of our journey abroad. Afterward, we had a delicious lunch at a grilled chicken restaurant near Russell Square called Nando’s and then rode the tube to Marble Arch, our rendezvous point for Tuesday morning. Officially, Day 1 was in the books!

DAY TWO – Tuesday morning brought us back to Marble Arch to begin our bus tour of London. The bus was equipped with an audio tour guide for interesting information on each building. The best attribute of this kind of tour was the exterior second level of the bus. Although it was pretty chilly outside, the elevated viewpoint that we observed from was excellent. Unfortunately, the sights did go by quickly but we were able to return to most of the locations on Thursday for a more in depth experience. Additionally, our tour pass enabled us to get a ferry tour on the Thames! The river viewpoint was marvelous. Fortunately, we were graced with blue skies and crisp air for our travels.

DAY THREE – Wednesday was spent at Anglo for our first day of Construction Law lectures. We covered topics like vocabulary in the UK (chippy = carpenter, skip = dumpster, lorrie = truck, dump truck), etiquette on office and site visits, and construction contracts.

DAY FOUR – On Thursday, we met to walk around most of London to visit each of our research sites. Each member of the group has a certain building that we are researching in order to give a presentation and paper on later in the semester. Iconic structures like the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, College of Arms, Thames Embankment, and St. Paul’s Cathedral are just some of the areas we will be learning more about. After walking about 10 miles, we called it a day! We definitely earned a good meal and a satisfying pint at one of the local pubs that night.

DAY FIVE – Friday started relatively early as well with a tour of one of London’s majestic structures, Westminster Abbey. Although we couldn’t photograph the interior, the chilly stone, intricate carvings, soaring vaulted ceilings, and elaborate decorations promote an awe inspiring experience. Over 3000 people are buried in the Abbey including a tomb representing the deaths of all of the unknown soldiers from World War l. We spent several hours inside and around the Abbey; soaking up the significance of the almost 1000 year old structure.

This weekend, we are spending time experiencing more of the sights of London as well as getting a good bit of homework and research done. We’ve been here a week but time has certainly flown by. Although we are fish out of water, we have adapted very well to London! Like my Swedish relatives like to say: “Borta bra men hemma bast.” or “Away is good but home is best”.

GIG’EM & God Bless Texas.

Hans Osth ‘20