Life at St. Mary's University College

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for taking so long to write this post! It's been a few weeks since my last post but I just haven't found the time to sit down and write everything I would like to say about life in the UK. But I’m writing now (better late than never!) and from now on I hope to publish a new post each week (and I mean it!).

Anyways, the first week Gabby and I spent at St. Mary's was mainly orientation activities. There are a lot of other American study abroad students and we've met a lot of people and made some new friends. During the first week we took a trip into central London, confirmed our schedules, and of course moved into our dorm rooms. My room (we get our own rooms) is in a quiet hallway with one of the less busy kitchens. The rooms are simple but nice. My favorite thing about the room is I have a nice window looking out the back of the dorms which provides lots of sunlight and a nice breeze when I have it open.

View from my window

Brewing tea in the campus kitchen

The cafeteria here runs on a weird points system but the food is pretty good. Only two meals are provided each days, but I’ve found ways to get around that. For dinner each person gets seven meal points which don’t roll over, so I’ll usually use 4 points on dinner and then get food in a to-go box for lunch the next day. Since we have kitchens in the dorms this system has been working really well. The breakfast they serve is pretty good, and I’ve started to really like baked beans and sausages for breakfast!

Classes started the second week, and they are all going well. I’m taking four classes (all English literature): Gothic Cultures, WWI Literature, Modernism in the Novel, and 18th c. London. Each class meets once a week for either 2 or 3 hours. I got very lucky with my schedule and only have classes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so I have a four day weekend! There is a lot of reading for class each week but it is manageable. The classes themselves aren’t too different from back home. My favorite classes so far are Gothic Cultures and WWI Literature.

Map of London I drew as an activity in my 18th c. London course

Apart from classes I’ve been trying to stay involved with other campus activities. Each week there are various events, including a weekly pub quiz at the campus bar (yes, the campus has it’s own bar!). I’ve gone to the pub quiz most weeks, but not very successfully; the questions are pretty hard! Gabby and I have also gotten involved with the Catholic student center on campus. During the day sometimes I’ll go into one of the nearby towns for a little shopping or studying at one of the many coffee shops. From Twickenham it is very easy to get to Teddington, Richmond, and Kingston. Sometimes if we’re not too busy, some of my friends and I will all meet up for a movie in someone’s room or just to hang out.

Park in Twickenham (the river in the back is the Thames)

Cappuccino from the Costa Coffee in Kingston

Campus life isn’t too different from in the states, but it seems like there is a lot more drinking and partying. A lot of people smoke too and it doesn’t seem like it has the same kind of negative social stigma as in the US. Everyone I’ve met has been very nice, but it’s been hard to make friends with British students. Outwardly the US and UK don’t seem that different, I’ve found that I actually don’t have as much in common with local students as I thought. I’ve been trying to blend in and live like a regular British student at uni, but sometimes I feel like I don’t stand a chance because the minutes I open my mouth to speak it becomes obvious that I’m a foreigner. In all I feel more like an outsider than I thought I would. However, this isn’t really a bad thing. Part of the reasons for studying abroad is learning about other cultures and people and sharing your own culture with them, and already I’ve learned so much about the differences between life in the UK and the US. Being different isn’t a bad thing, and I’m now trying to wear identity as a Texan in the UK confidently. After all, Texas is an awesome place and although England is pretty awesome too, Texas will always have the biggest place in my heart.

Now, moving on from the slightly corny stuff! In the past few weeks I’ve gotten to do a lot of exploring in central London. Some of my favorite things that I’ve seen are Westminster Hall, the top of the Gherkin (open for London Open House weekend- I waited for about two and a half hours to go in, but it was worth it!), the National Gallery, the state rooms at Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. I’ve also gotten to see two plays at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. Since the Globe Theater is open roofed, the season only runs through mid-October because the weather gets really cold and wet. I knew that if I wanted to see a play at the Globe before the season ended, I would have to do it right away! I saw the play “Julius Caesar” on a lovely Tuesday and it was awesome! I’ve studied “Julius Caesar” in school several times, and it’s one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It was so special seeing performed at the Globe. I had a standing ticket so I got to experience the play as a peasant would have done in Elizabethan times. I went back to the Globe for new play called “Doctor Scroggy’s War” with some friends about a week later, which was also very good.

In front of the back of Buckingham Palace

Cake and a cappuccino after visiting Buckingham Palace

Monet's Waterlilies at the National Gallery

The Globe Theater (sorry the picture isn't better- pictures aren't allowed before performances so I had to take this very sneakily!)

View of St. Paul's at night

Horse Guards

Wellington's desk inside Horse Guards

Westminster Hall

Stained glass window at Westminster Hall

Ceiling at the Banqueting House

The Gherkin

At the top of the Gherkin

I’ve also been to Greenwich, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Stonehenge, and Edinburgh, so I’m going to split those into another two posts which I hope to also post today or tomorrow.  Everything has been wonderful so far, and sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am to be spending four months in England!