A Year That Answered Questions

 Zora Neale Hurston once said, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”  This was absolutely a year that answered. 

            I am so grateful for the opportunity that I was given to study in London for the summer.  The experience changed my life in so many ways.  It even got me so excited about living abroad that I am currently studying French Literature at the Sorbonne in Paris.  My time in London also got me interested in working abroad for a media company, preferably in London.  There were many things that I enjoyed about the COLAET program in London, and a few things that I think should be changed.  These items I will be listed in this report.

            I feel that the University of Westminster was a very good choice for the summer school classes.  There was a wide variety of classes to choose from and something that really interested everybody.  The class times and outside work were not too strenuous so I was able to really enjoy my time in London and see a lot of the city and surrounding areas.  I also enjoyed living the dorm.  The atmosphere was wonderful and it was great to live with many international students.  I met people from across the globe, one Japanese girl in particular, whom I met up with in France and plan to visit in Japan one of these days. 

            Although everything worked out well during my stay in London, there are some things that I think should be changed, or would advise future students against doing.  First, I feel that the University of Westminster really is a great fit for this program.  Like I said, there are plenty of classes to fit every interest and the staff who run the program were incredibly friendly and helpful.  However, my particular class, “Introduction to British Journalism” was something of a letdown.  My professor ended up being an American woman from Ohio who lives in London and makes documentaries.  She had very little experience in the field of journalism at all and even less in the field of British journalism.  We spent most of our time in class learning about and watching British documentaries.  I would advise future students to look into who will be teaching their class before they decide which one to take. 

            The other aspect of the program that I would change is to choose another dorm to live in.  The University of Westminster has several dorms across the city and I think it would be better to choose one that is closer to the downtown area.  We were a bit far away from the center of town and it made it difficult to attend cultural events or go out at night because we lived so far away.  This also made our daily commute to class quite a bit longer.

            All in all, I had a wonderful time in London.  I enjoyed meeting the Lord Mayor and learning more about that interesting part of British culture.  I also had a wonderful time attending the Rotary meeting in London.  I have been to several Rotary meetings in the United States and it was neat to compare and contrast them with the staunch traditions of the British Rotary club. 

            I would like to thank the London Bridge Rotary Club and COLAET for this wonderful opportunity that I know I will never forget.