When in London… Go to Rome!

 

You get to be so immersed in the new culture of your home abroad that you can totally forget that you are there to study. That said, I have been loving my classes at the University of Roehampton. Compared to classes at MLC, the class time is significantly lower as is the homework load. I am taking three classes (Approaches to Popular Film, Shakespeare in London, and Writing Fiction), each of which takes up a three-hour time block. It seems overwhelming initially, but each of these classes only meets once a week, meaning I only have class on three out of the five week days. Additionally, the classes never feel too long because the professors will allot for breaks after each hour of class and switch between lecture and full-class discussion after each of these portions. Most of the homework is reading in preparation for discussion. In fact, most classes will only have one or two total assessments that due at the end of the semester. These usually include presentations and essays. All that said, academics here are much easier than academics at home. This is something I am happy about while I am abroad, because it gives me more free time to travel and explore London. However, I am glad that it is not the case for my full-time college experience, because I enjoy being pushed and challenged in my academic life to perform to the highest degree that I possibly can.

I am really thrilled about getting into the Shakespeare in London class. If there is any class that is being enhanced by my surroundings abroad, it is that one. Every other week, we take a trip to central London to watch a Shakespeare show, whether at the Globe Theatre, or another theatre. It has been surreal to watch Shakespeare shows in the place where they were performed over 400 years ago. They try to maintain the style of the original shows by eliminating the use of mics and spotlights, giving the shows a very intimate feel.

The length of the semester is also much shorter here. There are 11 total academic weeks, with one week of school off in the middle. While this free week is called “reading week” and is designated for personal study time, most people use the time to their advantage to go on trips. I was one of these people. Me and a couple of friends I have met along the way (L to R: Angelina, TJ, Teck, Mira, Anthony) took a 6-day trip through Italy. We started in Milan, then later traveled to Venice and Rome. This is no hot take by any means, but Rome was the best of the bunch in my opinion. With Roman architecture from the days of the Empire to medieval times to the Renaissance scattered along the streets, it’s as if you can see the timeline of the city as you walk. Here’s the hot take: Rome was more romantic than Venice. While the streets of Rome were bustling at night, ornately decorated and full of light, the streets of Venice became a maze of ominous unlit alleyways when the sun went down.

Italy was an even bigger culture shock for me than London, but I got a welcome taste of home when I saw Ben and Abby Hillmer, friends from MLC! Pictured above is our spooky trip to the London Dungeons. So many blessings!

Cheers, Joe