Introduction & Beginning

I have created this blog (short for "web log") for my journeys in London and Europe. Check back here for more posts as often as you like. I cannot guarantee a post everyday as life will be hectic in a foreign land!!

I have added news feeds from BBC UK on the right side of this site so that you can see the major headlines of the day in England. I do not monitor these news stories so do not credit me if they seem inappropriate.

You can leave comments by clicking on the link just beneath each post titled "COMMENTS" with a number in front of it and do not need to sign up on this website in order to do so. You should leave your name though so that I know who is writing me! Once you click the COMMENT button then click OTHER and fill in your name!

You can click on anything that is colored yellow or orange on this page (including some people's names as I will try to introduce you to important people with words as well as pictures!)



Now that the introduction is complete I can expand upon what I have done so far for this London excursion. I applied to the UNC LONDON PROGRAM during Fall Semester 2006 and was accepted via letter! This is a summer school abroad program so I will be taking classes; a Drama course and an Education course both taught by UNC-Chapel Hill professors (Professors Kimball King & Gerald Unks) that have been doing this program for over 30 years. We will be attending plays, visiting galleries and museums, site-seeing, and possible travelling to other places in Europe. There are about 65 students in the program this year; by far the largest study abroad program at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

I have only been out of the country once before and that was to Ontario, Canada with my best friend from high school, Julie, and her family. It was a fantastic trip but I expect Europe to be a bit more of a culture shock for me. My cousin Jennifer studied abroad in London during college and her mother Kaki is passionate about the Royal Family and therefore is very excited for me to visit one of her favorite places on Earth!

We have several meetings before we depart in May to get us acclimated and teach us more about the culture. The first meeting was on February 8 2007 and we received packets full of information and assignments. We also watched a BBC documentary on the Queen to get a glimpse into what daily life is for her. Before the next meeting on March 21, we are required to read the text Brit-Think Ameri-Think by Jane Walmsley and take an exam. Before we depart we must also read the travel guide Time Out Guide:LONDON and take that exam and view two films laid out by the professors. My favorite assignment that must be completed by August is a scrapbook to be turned in for credit. This requires me to do something I already planned on doing: taking pictures of everything that I do (a trait that must have been passed down to me from my mother)!

I cannot wait for such an experience and I am so appreciative of my parents for allowing me this opportunity to venture to a place that neither of them have ever explored.