The End

And so we leave this great country of Great Britain. Where has the time gone? It seems only yesterday that we were taking our first field trip to the Bank of England and to meet with Detective Andy Fyfe. Has it really already been a month?
This trip has been such a great experience for me, in so many ways. I not only made new friends while experiencing a whole new country and culture, but I learned a lot about business as well. I learned that companies are really trying to do all they can to help future generations live a better life than generations of today. I learned that it is the law to recycle in your homes. I learned that it is just as competitive for jobs out in England as back home (if not more so). I learned how to master a whole new way of transportation, how to get from point A to point B in the fastest and easiest route possible. I learned how to have fun while still having a work responsibility.
At first, I thought this class was going to be a lot of work, and honestly kind of boring. But I was so wrong. These last few weeks has helped me see just how much one can learn outside of a classroom. Everything I learned these last few months has been through field trips, class activities, and discussions, not through textbooks and PowerPoints.
Although the month is up, I wouldn't change anything for a moment.

Week 4

It's incredible how quickly this last week has flown by, but that's probably just because it was the best week yet! When Brian and myself became separated from the rest of the herd en route to the coca-cola factory I thought we were surely going to miss out on seeing that. We were unphased however and navigated our way there by ourselves. Getting to our next field trip at Pennington's and Lloyd's went a lot smoother for us thankfully. Those were amongst some of my favorite places we visited because it gave me a different perspective on the business world that I had never before seen. To top off the week a few of us went to the Shard tower in London for some fancy, overpriced cocktails with an incredible view of the entire city! Yesterday a group of us hopped onto the BritRail and took a day trip down to the coastal city of Brighton. It was beautiful there and was easily one of my favorite places ive traveled to while here. It was an incredible experience being here, one that has changed the way I think about myself and the world. I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to come here!

Week 3

As with every week in London this one was full of not-stop activity. I started off the week exhausted from my travels to Amsterdam that weekend, but I didn't let that keep me from seeing all that I could. I liked our class trip to the maritime museum in Greenwich. There they had an enormous map of the world painted on the ground, which I thought provided an intriguing new perspective of the world. After the musuem i went up to the royal observatory and planetarium on top of the hill in Greenwich. I especially liked the planatarium where they had a movie about the mysteries of the universe narrorated by astro-physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson. Our mini cooper plant trip was one of my favorites because I liked seeing the advanced robots working together in such a precise way. I was lucky enough to attend the media class's field trip to BBC headquarters and go on a tour of the building, Overall it was another incredible week in the UK.    

Week 4

To begin week 4, I went to ireland with my mother. We stayed in the most beautiful castle and got to do some amazing activities. We did falconry, archery, high tea, rode horses, and had a traditional Irish dinner. Once I got back from ireland, there was one more country I had yet to visit, Wales. So My friend and I headed to Wales Beach and Bay for a day to relax and learn about their culture. To be honest, It wasn't that different. Back in London, I went to the national Portrait Gallery where I got tot see the Audrey Hepburn Exhibit and see a painting of my relative William Cecil (1st Baron Burghley)!!! This week is when things started to fall apart. I am getting tired, I got a sinus infection and my feet hurt, but I am at least trying to do one thing a day! Other things I did this week were the Coca Cola Factory, Penningtons, Lloyds, The london eye, walking the pier, and high tea at Kensington Palace. Overall London has been great, and I feel so lucky for all the places I have gotten to go to and the people that I have met. I am excited to go back home but I feel like when I come back to England one day (because I definitely will be coming back), I will fit in like a pro! This experience has enriched my life in so many ways and my eyes have opened to a culture that I thought was very similar to mine, but in fact, is vastly different, but in a good way! I have learned a lot by just being here for this amount of time and am so grateful for everyone involved who helped me along the way.

Week 3

This week we went to the offices of Nielsen & Unilever on a class field trip. This one one of my favorite days. We learned about what each company does, their history, clients, different aspects of the different jobs within all levels, and sustainability. We sat in conference room for most of it and three different, extremely intelligent people presented to us. Usually, I would hate this kind of thing, just being lectured, but the way they presented, explained things, and told stories relating to their business was interesting and intriguing. It helped solidify my choosing of “business” as a major and all the opportunities it holds. After the presentations, we had a workshop where we were to go into their mini store, and pick a brand that could be more sustainable by way of the environment, social responsibility, packaging, etc…. We picked out two products from the “Bed Head” brand. Our environmental one had an outrageously large lid that had no use and could be cut down to better the earth. The second product was hair gel with the message in bold, bright colors and letters…“Smart Stuff for Dumb Blondes”. We used this one for our social responsibility example. After Nielsen and Unilever, we had an hour to get food and look around so we went to a crepe café, and did a little shopping! After lunch and window shopping, we met with a branding agency called LPK. This presentation was interesting as well. Basically, companies come to them for help with new ideas on products, their looks, and their message. LPK then has a system where they look at trends, create a world board (inspiration board), they personalize the product, ask questions about who the target market is, then design something appealing that will help companies have better sells. Being a creative person, I really enjoyed hearing about all the case studies. The herbal essence one, their baby, was interesting because they came to them with the old boring bottles and said change anything you want, except the stuff that’s in it and the name. Which to them, meant excitement because most companies only ask for a 10% change whereas herbal asked for 95% (if looking at change with percents.) 

Other things I did this week were: Scotland Excursion, Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh Dungeon, Scotland Whiskey Tour, and Alnwick Castle 

Week 2

This week, I started out by going to Salisbury and Stonehenge on the CCSA planned excursion. It was just a day trip but it was a lot of fun. We got to learn all about the stones and the theories and history involved with them. We also got to see the Magna Carta! The next day my friends and I traveled to Brighton to relax on the beach. Something I was not expecting was that the beach was composed of rocks...it was not comfortable. The weather was really nice though and the little area where we were was super cute. One of my favorite things I did this whole trip though, was going to the Zoo! As an avid animal lover, this was one place I couldn't miss. It was incredible. They had many different animals than the zoos in the US and some of their exhibits were way better. My favorite was the lemur exhibit. They were so friendly and they just let them roam within a fenced area that you were allowed to walk in. Unfortunately you weren't allowed to touch them, but they would walk right up to you and smell you! Some other things I did this week were The British Library, Regents Park, St. Mary's Gardens, British Museum, Tate Modern, Hyde Park, Changing of the guards, National History Museum, Ikea and Wimbledon. Once again, a very busy week. However, I was able to accomplish more and more each day because I'm getting more accustomed and comfortable with working the tube! I have to say one of my favorite things here in london is their transport system. The tube itself is not so nice because it is hot and sometime too crowded, but the fact that it has taken me all over london is amazing and has made the ability to do everything I have wanted to do here in London possible, so i appreciate it.

Week 1

Since the day of arrival, I found myself to be super busy. Seeing the city for the time was overwhelming but exciting at the same time. I had so many things on my to do list that I crammed in quite a lot during the first week. I stopped and took the classic red telephone booth picture. I ate at Carlos’ Kitchen where I had some very fancy water and some baked beans, fries, spinach, egg, and a piece of toast (A Traditional English breakfast, it’s a very odd combo) but it was absolutely delicious! I decided to take the tube out to Farringdon to practice using the tube and walk around central London. I went to the Charles Dickens museum where we got to see where the novelist lived. I signed the book stating the fact that I actually stepped foot in his home. This week we also had our first class! class was exciting and we went over all the different field trips and projects that we would have to do and I was super excited about them! After class, I went to see Big Ben, London Eye,Westminster Abbey, and the Churchill war rooms. All were extremely beautiful, fun and informational. Other things I did this week were China Town, Bank of England Museum, and Camden Town. One of my favorite places here in London is Camden Town. It was very eccentric and had a good london vibe to it. Overall, my first week was filled with excitement but I still haven't even crossed off half the stuff on my bucket list!