Uven Reflects on his Third - and Best - trip to London

I had been to London twice before this summer, but I admit that this experience was the most comprehensive, exciting, and ultimately the best. There are many reasons that I can attribute the quality of this specific trip to, but I believe that it was fundamentally the fact that I was able to spend a whole month in London, whereas previously, I could only afford to spend a few days in this vibrant city. Because of the amount of time this scholarship allowed me to stay in London, I was able to truly experience the people, location, and culture of England.

First, the people I met on this trip were extremely accommodating. On the second day we were in London, we met with Erin Mott and Christine Shine, both of whom were not only familiar with this specific scholarship program, but also with living in London. It was wonderful to have Erin and Christine not only treat us to lunch, but more importantly, give us a wonderfully warm welcome that many study abroad students do not get when they first arrive in a strange land. Another person who was extremely amiable was Samy Dallal, Samy arranged for us to have a very generous lunch with the London Rotary Club. Additionally, he also introduced us to the Lord Mayor of the City of London, a privilege that not many American tourist are afforded.

While these two events were planned months in advance, it was a pleasant surprise for our group to be invited to lunch with Martin Doherty, the director of the University of Westminster Liberal Arts Summer School Program. It was humbling that Martin wanted our advice on how to better the program. I told him that I felt my International Human Rights class was taught very well by Yasmin Sulte, a qualified barrister who had been recently one of the candidates considered for judicial appointment. Based off of this, I know that the faculty in the summer school program was carefully selected.

The final group of people who made my trip amazing was the students that I became friends with. Primarily, I grew very close to the other four scholars who went to London with me. Nick, Erica, Crystal, and Jesse were the first people who I befriended in London and they were the ones who I was able to relate to. We were Arizonans in a big city and together we laughed at all the cultural mistakes we made as well as all the lessons we learned. The selection committee for this scholarship made good decisions in picking interesting, friendly, as well as intelligent students who made my trip incalculably better.

Outside of that group, I befriended many students from all over the United States and the world. One of the most beautiful aspects of London is that it truly is an international city. People from all over the world travel there to study, do business, or just vacation. This was no different for this program. One of my favorite memories of the trip was playing soccer (or I guess football) in Hyde Park with not only Arizonans, but also people from Argentina and Germany. This, of course, was directly after the World Cup, so soccer was at the forefront of everybody’s minds and was a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Towards the end of the trip, I also met a couple of Italians, who did not speak fluent English. I had a fantastic time interacting with them cooking pasta in the kitchen. It is moments like these that made me believe London was not really an English city, but an international one.

While the people are the ones who usually determine whether a trip is good or not, the location also helps. In this case, we lived in an absolutely central part of London in between Victoria Station and Westminster Abbey. We were able to get to any part of London by the tube stop at Victoria Station. Nick and I, however, found it more refreshing to walk around. Everyday, we walked for 30 minutes to the university. The walk was a pleasure, especially because we passed by Buckingham Palace, Green Park, and Oxford Circus. These are areas that are especially nice to walk through during the summer when all the Londoners are out shopping or lounging around in the park.

The dorm room itself was more than adequate. Most places I’ve stayed at in London are pretty much the bare minimum hole in the wall rooms because real estate is so expensive in the city. The Wigram House, however, had more than enough space for me. Most importantly, however, the bathrooms and kitchens were cleaned daily so I was never ever deterred from taking a shower or cooking a meal. Overall, the location and facilities at the Wigram House were over the top, especially considering it was in London.

Additionally, we took many side trips that I would recommend for future participants of this program. One such trip we took was to the beach town of Brighton. Nick and I braved the water (which was not really that cold at all) and just relaxed in the sun. We also visited a few of the many restaurants and cafes on the boardwalk that served remarkable fish and chips. Brighton is an amazing place to go for London tourists looking for a day by the beach and away from the city. I also enjoyed my excursions to Oxford and Cambridge, especially because I am very easily impressed by gothic architecture. Both of these towns are set in the typical picturesque English countryside. I enjoyed walking around, visiting the individual colleges, and learning about the remarkable history of the famous intellectuals these institutions produced.

In London itself, I was very happy with all that this city had to offer. First, I took advantage of London’s famous West End theatre shows by attending Avenue Q and Les Miserables. I was able to get cheap tickets by attending Monday shows and also buying from discount ticket booths such as TKTS. Second, I was also very impressed by the food London had to offer. England, in general, gets a very bad reputation for not having any distinct food items. But I think this generalization is untrue in London. On two particular occasions we had dinner at an Indian restaurant on the infamous Brick Lane. The lamb vindaloo I ate was stellar. I also frequented Chinatown by Leicester Square. The noodle soup here was not only delicious, but also very affordable (£3.50). Lastly, I enjoyed visiting the museums in London, which were oftentimes free. In particular, I visited the National Gallery three times and also made trips to the Royal College of Surgeons Museum, the Science Museum, and the Sir John Sonne Museum. Because these museums were free, I was able to casually stop by without having the burden of blocking out a whole day to get my money’s worth.
 

After spending part of my summer in London, I believe I have returned a changed person. Primarily, I have become more sociable with new friends. I am typically a very quiet person. Attending the University of Westminster forced me to open up in many ways. First, my course was structured so that a significant amount of time was devoted to debating controversial human rights issues. The teacher ensured that everyone participated by calling names. As a result, I was forced to speak many times. Initially, I stumbled, but as the course progressed, I became more comfortable and pretty soon, I was raising my hand to speak. Second, I went to London without knowing anybody. I had met the other scholars a few times before, but none were friends that I was really familiar with. Living in a dorm situation helped me break out of my shell and I soon became very used to meeting new people and starting up interesting conversations with them.

More importantly, however, I am thankful for my opportunity on this program because it enabled me to enjoy myself for the first time in a long time. Upon returning home, my mother commented on my pictures that I looked truly happy. In the hectic everyday living of a college student, I often get lost in the frenzy, focusing on what task is at hand. Attending this program gave me perspective in that it reminded me that there is a whole world out there and that there are so many other things that are important. This is not intended to demean the importance of small tasks, such as a homework assignment. Rather, it has caused me curb my oftentimes obsessive quest for perfection and help me step back and realize the big picture of an entire world full of opportunities that will occur, even if one detail is not perfect.

Given the preceding account of my adventures in London, I find it very hard to pick out suggestions for a better trip. I honestly feel that everyone involved with this program covered all the bases in anticipating possible problems with sending five students to a different country. I feel that the choice of university (which I understand was a relatively recent decision) was well chosen, especially given the amount of passion exhibited by Martin and his staff. The location and comfort of the dorms were also exceptional (especially when compared to other students who stayed north of central London). Most importantly, I feel that the individuals involved with the scholarship program itself truly cared about my safety. They went to great lengths to ensure that I was having a good time.

Ultimately, I wish to thank all those who made it possible for me to spend my summer in London this summer. John Parrott and Ken Moyer have worked diligently on ensuring the quality of this program. Samy Dallal, Erin Mott, and Christine Shine went out of their way to make sure we felt at home in London. Finally, Martin Doherty and his staff were exceptional in catering to all their students’ needs.