Today marks the first day of my study-abroad trip to London, England! I’m taking a class in Econometrics at the London School of Economics (LSE) this August, and I just arrived in my dorm room where I’ll be spending the next three weeks.
This trip came about for a few reasons, but primarily because it made sense with my degree. As an economics major, I must fulfill a few requirements for Economics electives and LSE had many options to fulfill them. In addition, the school itself isn’t too pricey considering its prestige and I was able to get a good deal on studying there. With these factors altogether, traveling to London made a good deal of sense.
However, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t uncertain or nervous. After all, London is a major metropolitan city and one that I’ve never traveled to. It would be my first time in the UK, and I was studying at one of the best business schools in the world as a foreigner… there were plenty of uncertainties. Yet, after arriving in the UK, I suddenly felt a lot more confident. I slowly got introduced to “the Tube,” their metro system, and found my way from the airport into the city where I’d be studying. As I walked the streets of the center city (and snapped this shot), I felt a calming voice reassure me this was the right decision and that I would do just fine here.
This is my first time in London, and I’m excited to see where it could take me; with a city this large and multinational, you don’t know who you could run into and what role they might have in your life. For now, I’m content to see it through as I get ready for my first day of classes!