Southeastern Louisiana University’s London study abroad students arrived safely back home late Saturday night with many stories to tell about their experiences in the United Kingdom as well as some wise advice for future students considering study abroad trips.
“Be prepared to walk a lot. Try to pack light, take it from someone who knows. Be prepared for rain as well as hot and cold weather because you never quite know what you’re going to get there,” said theatre student Kaci Davis.
“I second packing light, but at the same time there are some things you can bring with you so you don’t have to buy it there and have it cost more: small bottles of shampoo/conditioner, shaving gel, razors, etc—of course these should go in your check-in luggage, not carry-on,” suggested sociology major Bonnie May.
“Definitely pack light and consider shipping some of your luggage home. Be prepared to cut back a lot on communication if you don’t already have an international phone. We had trouble getting online and I had trouble finding a phone that would work in London to temporarily replace my Blackberry,” advised recent Southeastern graduate Kathleen Kelly.
“If there are some things that you won’t absolutely need, leave it at home. Especially if it is to entertain yourself because you will barely spend time at the doors and when you do, you are mostly sleeping or getting ready to leave again,” said communication student Tiffany Baptiste.
Theatre graduate Will Stacey advised, “Bring a lot of extra money! There are a lot of cool things to do in London but it’s very expensive.”
Sophomore, Jessica LeBlanc, also recommended to bring at least one nice outfit because you never know when you may need it. She also warned to bring comfortable shoes since you will be walking most places.
Some of the highlights of the trip included the following places:
-Big Ben
-Victoria and Albert Museum
-the Globe theatre
-the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, Ireland
-the Imperial War Museum
-the West End theatre tour
-the Tower of London
While in London, the study abroad students got to see a variety of plays and shows such as Wicked, We Will Rock You, Henry VIII, the Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Chicago, Avenue Q, and more.
When asked what students would like to see done differently next year, many agreed they would have liked to stay in London and Ireland longer.
“This might sound corney, but stay longer,” Stacey said. “I also wish we could have spent the night in Ireland.”
Davis agreed saying, “It’d be nice to have a longer time in Ireland to really be able to get out and see stuff without having to worry about catching the flight on time. Also it’d be nice to go to Stratford-upon-Avon again.”
“I’d like to stay in London a few more days because there is so much that we did not get to do,” Kelly added.
May suggested that it would be nice to have made use of the kitchen more or had a meal plan of some sort to keep the cost of food down, but added “We were just so busy.”
One of the major problems faced on the trip was trying to find free internet. All the students agreed it was difficult to get assignments done or communicate home since the dorms did not provide internet and even the free Wifi connection at the local pub and Starbucks were very unreliable.
“I would like to stay in a place that free internet in the building,” LeBlanc commented.
“It would help if we had access to wireless internet in the dorms,” Baptiste agreed, “It would cut down on the time it takes to post stories for class so we can have more free time and let us communicate back home more. My parents gave me grief about that.”
But even with the communication difficulties, all the students raved about the great time they had on the trip and many said they would love to go again next year.
Til next time,
Cheers Y'all
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