Budgeting- Let’s Be Realistic

London is an expensive place to live- and eat. Especially when the conversion rate is around 1.5 US Dollars to 1 GB Pound. No, London is not just a large but still quaint, English city. It is the business capital of the world and an international melting pot equitable to living in New York City. In preparation for my study abroad this summer I thought, “It’ll be so great to have a flat where I can cook all of my meals. I’ll average about $4 per meal!”- No.

            Any place you study abroad you will want to experience the local cuisine as much as possible. As someone who enjoys cooking, I have found myself cooking dinners at home only about one night a week. I eat lunches at home another 1-2 days and most breakfasts. Other than that, I’m always out and about in the city, traveling, exploring new places, not worrying about getting back to the flat to make myself a sandwich when I can pick one up on every street corner- beautifully prepared with a side of crisps from Pret a Manger.

           Problem #2 with trying to plan ahead and keep a well-stocked fridge: the food goes bad within a matter of days. Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve found the downside of the fresh, non-GMO, preservative-free food populating the grocery stores in the UK- it rots at rapid speed. Here, it’s the social norm to run to your local Sainsbury’s or Waitrose to grab your next meal every day, maybe twice a day. Keeping large amounts of food at home isn’t realistic for a busy student like you or me. When your bread, deli meats, and cheese are all perishing at different paces and you don’t want to buy a whole bottle of mustard or mayonnaise for the 1 to 2 months you’ll be here, why bother? Just go to Itsu and get some half-priced sushi between 7-8pm and punch another notch in your loyalty card.

            BUT don’t let all this get you down! There are still plenty of ways to stay on track and on budget while studying abroad in London:

-Sainsbury’s offers a meal deal of either a sandwich, pasta, or salad with crisps (chips) and a drink for 3 pounds (about $4.5). Stop by in the morning and bring it with while you’re traipsing around town.

-Have “family dinners” with your flat mates. As often as we can, my flat mates and I take turn cooking for each other. When you buy ingredients from the store, it’s going to be enough to feed 5 anyways.

-Don’t spend money on water bottles. All of the tap water in London is safe to drink and tastes fine! Keep 1 or 2 bottles at home and reuse them.

            Be sensible with your spending on food but know that a typical meal out is going to average 6-10 GBP (tack on 4 GBP if you plan on getting a drink). This will come out to about $15-$20 per meal. 

Budget accordingly and you’ll have a recipe for success. Cheers!

London: A Walk in My Shoes

By: Kristen Kemp

Sometimes it's hard to make a big city seem small. Depending on how you "see" London, this could be the case. Or, you find the places and spaces all throughout central London that makes one of the biggest and oldest cities in the world seem so small, intimate, and relaxing. But where do you start? It's simple: just start walking. 

I spent most of my school days off or weekends just going out in the city. Most of the time I would go exploring with a group of friends. But to be honest, some of my favorite days in London were those I spent walking around the city by myself, stopping in at shops or landmarks that interested me, taking my time, and taking it all in. One of my absolute favorite walks was from the FSU Study Center to Buckingham Palace. I had the turn by turn directions down by about my 5th week in London, no map required. Pass Tottenham Court Road, head toward Leicester Square, hang a right on Piccadilly and keep on going straight until you seen the beautiful Green Park on your left. On this walk, I would often stop into to Fortnum & Mason (Harrod's is amazing, but this department store gem is a must see). Fortnum & Mason is known for their world-class tea's and outstanding chocolates, the perfect gifts to bring home to your family. 

While cabs, and the tube and bus system are very time efficient, the BEST way to see this magnificent city is to just go outside and get walking. You will see things you wouldn't be able to see Underground (although I do love the Tube). When exploring, especially if alone, just be smart and avoid what Londoners call "dodgy," or sketchy, areas. When walking, open your eyes a little wider, listen a little harder, and take in the continuous fast pace and culture that is London.

“Don’t Miss” Location in London: Brighton

By Viviana Yepes

 It was a late Friday evening and after returning from a relaxing night out at our favorite local pub, I decided to look at the map and pick a random city to explore the following day. My finger landed on the city of Brighton, and boy, was I happy it did. I gathered a group of five friends (shout out to Cecilio, Ally, Amy, Jackie and Brendan!) bought us all some train tickets, and we were off the following Saturday morning at about 9AM taking the train from St Pancras Station. The trip only took about an hour and a half, so we passed the time by talking about what we wanted to do while looking at the beautiful English countryside. Arriving and stepping out of the train station we set our sights on the ocean shore and walked towards it, with no set plan as to what we would do today. I was absolutely determined to at least touch the waters of the English Channel (keep in mind it was still winter and the water was unquestionably freezing). Once at the beach the view was spectacular. We were all so amazed by the stony beach and endless horizon that we were caught off guard and completely soaked by a wave, a freezing but totally hilarious experience!

We decided to stay away from the shore at that point and made our way over to the Brighton Pier, all the while walking near the beach front containing shops and pubs. On our way, we came across a carousel and of course, I had to take a spin. As we walked onto the beautiful Brighton Pier, I had realized I had found my perfect place: the beach, amusement park rides, a world famous fish & chips pub, and loud music. COULD I ASK FOR MORE?! We spent the rest of the day riding rickety roller coasters, dizzy spinning rides, playing in a dark arcade in the middle of the pier (Ally actually won a toy from the claw games! Who does that?!), taking pictures with face-in-the-hole murals, and I ate the best fish & chips of my whole London semester for lunch.  

My friend Amy and I even got stuck at the very top of a loop de loop ride and as they brought us down, we got to see the sunset from the highest point on the Brighton Pier. We finished the day off buying souvenirs and talking to locals telling us to check out the bands playing at some local pubs. We were all exhausted as we got on the train back home and reminisced about all the laughs and fun we had that day. I definitely recommend Brighton to anyone at the London program looking for a fun-filled day and totally different experience from the big city life!

A Year of Adventure

By Claire McCleskey

As the end of my senior year began to approach, I knew two things: I wanted to go to Florida State, and I wanted to study abroad at some point in my college career. I had heard of FSU’s First Year Abroad program on my very first visit to the school but I never imagined I’d be able to spend my entire first year away from home in a foreign country. I’ll never forget the day I received one of the International Programs brochures in the mail. As soon as I started to look through it, both my parents and I knew there was no way I would be able to say no to the FYA program. A few months later, I packed my bags and headed to London.

London is a great city because it has something to offer any time, any day, for any interest. The Study Centre is located close to many theatres on the West End (London’s Broadway) and we learned early on that you can get discounted tickets to shows if you go the day of, so many students took advantage of that. I took Intro to Theatre during my first semester, which had us going to at least one play a week for class, but many of us expanded our theatrical horizons beyond the class. One of my favorite shows was The Woman in Black, which I saw four times in London, and attended a screening of the film introduced by none other than Daniel Radcliffe himself.  Because London is such a central part of the European entertainment industry, many movie premieres are held there. In fact, most of them take place in Leicester Square, which is about a five-minute walk from the Study Centre. One of the coolest events to ever happen there was the red carpet premiere for The Dark Knight Rises. My friends and I camped out to get spots along the carpet and managed to see all the stars, and even get Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy’s autograph! But it wasn’t just movies and theatre surrounding our home in the world-renowned Bloomsbury District—a million things would be happening every day in every field imaginable. One weekend could be a relaxing one spent picnicking in St. James’ or Hyde Park, the next could be the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee where one day you watch the Queen and company float down the Thames and the next you see Paul McCartney singing Let It Be in front of her Buckingham Palace home. Another week might be London’s Fashion Week, which I took advantage of in the fall and spring, and the week after you might head to Stonehenge and Bath. 

There were countless opportunities in London, but the most unique one I had was the chance to be in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics. My friend and I heard about the auditions and signed up immediately. Much to our surprise, we both received a callback. Even more to our surprise, we were both asked to be in the Ceremonies. I wasn’t able to do it because there would have been too many scheduling conflicts with the classes I was taking, but my friend did participate. While I wish I could have been in it too, it’s cool to say I had the opportunity to be in them. Watching the Olympics--which happened just days after I returned from London--made me homesick, but I was swelling with pride knowing that my friend was a part of the ceremonies. 

While in London, I actually completed all of my gen ed requirements except for one science class, and I ended up having as many credit hours as a junior by the end of my freshman year. The Broad Curriculum classes abroad are great, because they give you a really different experience than what you would get in Tallahassee. For example, if I hadn’t studied abroad, I probably would have taken a biology class with 300 kids as my lab science. Instead, I took an archeology class with 20 other students (my largest class by far) where we spent half the class at a museum or digging up the shore of the Thames. During one of the summer sessions, I decided to branch out from the typical Broad Curriculum courses usually taken by First Year Abroad students. I applied to participate in a program focused on documentary filmmaking in Britain, and the two courses I took as part of that program are the most interesting classes I’ve ever taken. Before the class started, I’d never so much as touched a real camera. By the end of the course I had made two commercial parodies and documentary about Abbey Road, filmed on location. That’s one of the greatest advantages to studying abroad—the city becomes your textbook.


When you study abroad, you form a unique bond with your classmates. No one will ever fully understand the experience you had together unless they were there. I made so many great friends studying abroad, but those of us who were together for a full year will always have an inseparable bond. It’s nice to look back at photos of us in London watching an FSU football game huddled around one tiny computer screen, and compare it to pictures of us at our first football game together in Tallahassee, or to see pictures of us on the London Eye at the start of our time in London and see that we took almost the exact same picture on our last day in the city together. Pictures like that make me really appreciate my friends from London because they show just how much we’ve been through together.

While I loved every minute I spent in London, it was also great to get out of the city and see the rest of the world! The Study Centre organized a number of day trips and weekend trips to places like the Highlands in Scotland, Liverpool, Bath, Stonehenge, and Wales. We also took advantage of how easy (and relatively cheap!) it is to fly from London to other parts of Europe. During my time there, I traveled to Venice (twice), Barcelona, Nice, Marseilles, Cannes, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, and more. And I got to do it with my closest friends. If there’s anything better than travelling the world, it’s travelling the world with your best friends.

The Harry Potter Experience

By Jordan Wagner

On Wednesday, July 11^th, 2012, I had the privilege of attending the Warner Brothers studio tour of the making of Harry Potter. As a Harry Potter fan from Orlando, FL, going on a studio tour in England was even more rewarding than going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, right down the road from where I live. The atmosphere of the entire place could only be described as ecstatic. Every person I saw looked so happy to be there. There were no rides or amazing shows at this place; in fact the pace of the tour could be called slow and humble. In spite of this, it was a blessing for someone that grew up reading the Harry Potter books and seeing them turned into big screen hits.

The tour featured the actual costumes, props and sets used in all the films. For example, encased in glass was the TriWizard cup from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Set up was the hut Hagrid lived in. The studio contained a ton of different icons from the film series that left everyone in awe. To go “behind the scenes” of the movies was as close to magical as muggles (non magical people) can get. Warner Brothers was smart to open this attraction following the release of the final movie, as Harry Potter fans are eager to keep the spirit of the series alive. I walked through the tour observing the different families with children that were present, and it was encouraging to see excitement in the eyes of even the youngest ones. I grew up with Harry Potter, reading the first book in 4^th grade and seeing the first movie when I was 11. To see a younger generation becoming engulfed by the Potter phenomena was uplifting.

 

After an hour and a half walking through the studio I was completely satisfied, although I now realize I could have purchased the complimentary audiotape and extended my stay much longer. As with any good journey, mine ended in the gift shop. I just had to buy a 40-pound (roughly 60 U.S dollars) Hufflepuff jacket. You might call it the effects of an American exposed to commercialism; I call it the wonder and innocence of a 22-year-old graduate student. The Warner Brothers studio tour was absolutely fantastic, and I would recommend it to any student going abroad to London. Cue the cheesy music, but it made my experience that much more magical.

Life-Changing London

By Suzanne Peterson


When I chose to study abroad for the summer of 2012, I never knew it would be the best decision I ever made. In the months leading up to London I became increasingly excited. When we got our itinerary a couple weeks before school let out in the Spring, I could not contain my excitement. It started to become real; I would be studying abroad in the Global Sports Management program and would be attending Wimbledon, the British Open, the Olympics as well as touring some of Europe’s most elite soccer clubs. The best 6 weeks of my life were about to begin.

Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club

Novak Djocavic warming up before his match

The first week being here went by so fast. Everything was so new, I was still getting used to the time change, and it was slowly starting to set in that I was living in Bloomsbury, London for the next 6 weeks. On the third day of being here we went to Wimbledon. I have played tennis since I can remember so I might have been the most excited out of the group. The process was not as easy as just getting a ticket. We waited in a line, which is called “queuing,” with 5,000 other eager patrons for roughly 3 ½ hours. It was windy and freezing but it was all worth it. I was able to see Novak Djocavic warm up, up close. And I met Lisa Leslie from the WNBA.




Some of my best memories didn’t come from visiting Chelsea soccer stadium, or being at Wimbledon, but from being with the other students in my program. Being able to wander around London and find cool buildings or shops are some of my fondest memories. One time that I will never forget is when a group of us were trying to find Buckingham Palace. It took us around 45 minutes when it should have taken way less. Even though we got lost, we ended up passing other amazing sightseeing opportunities in London and still managed to laugh about our shortcomings.

Stamford Bridge Stadium, home of Chelsea Football Club

Olympic Medals on display at the British Museum, which is located right down the street from the Study Centre

I was able to do things that I may have never been able to do including: meet Rick Scott when he visited the Study Centre or work with Michelle Obama at her ‘Let’s Move’ Tennis Event. I would suggest studying abroad to any person I meet. Describing an experience like this is so difficult because something memorable happens almost everyday. Studying abroad is really what you make of it. There are so many experiences that FSU presents to you by being here, but you have to get out and explore! I can honestly say that studying abroad has changed my life and I can’t wait to see what opportunities arise after this amazing trip.

Global Sports Management London 2012 group at Lord's Cricket Grounds. A very nice facility where apparently Sir Paul McCartney frequents to work out. Also, these grounds will be used for Archery at the Olympic Games.

I Loved Living in London and I Didn't Want to Leave!

By Sarah Kelley

I studied abroad in London, England for 3 months during the summer of 2010. It was the best 3 months of my life.

Before you go:

While you’re packing, don’t forget to pack a few jackets. In May, it’s still pretty cold in London and you don’t want to be stuck cold, like I was. But once June begins, the heat wave begins as well. Keep in mind that there’s a ton of good shopping on Oxford Street, a street away from the study centre, and at all of the markets around London have clothes you’ll want to buy too: Camden and Portabello Markets were my favorites. Pack clothes you’re comfortable in and prepare for every kind of weather possible. Don’t over pack, you’ll regret it when you have to return to the USA and can’t fit all of your new purchases in your suitcase. Don't forget converters! The previous students will leave straighteners, blow dryers, etc, that fit into the sockets there, so don't worry about those! We all bought little go-phones to keep in contact with each other while in London and used Skype, email and Facebook predominately when talking to parents or friends back in the USA. 

Once you get there:

Don’t be nervous about meeting people, at the introductory meetings and outings you’ll slowly get to know all of the people in your program and other programs. I’m still close with so many people that I studied abroad with; I never expected to find so many lifelong friends. Two years later, we still plan reunions every few months and keep each other updated with our undergraduate and post graduate lives. We went everywhere as groups, and the locals at restaurants, shows, and other places were friendly to us when we reached out to them.

During the first few days in London, a few of us explored.
This was our first venture to Big Ben.

A Typical Day:

I had classes three to four days a week, usually a class a day, which provided me with free time to explore London. Whether it was taking the tube to another side of town to explore a market, or riding around the bus to see all parts of London, there is never a moment where the culture won’t be everywhere. As far as the sites and locations I liked to go to, my favorites that you cannot miss while you’re over there are: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower and London Bridges, Camden Market, the Prime Meridian and Covet Gardens.

There are tons of museums for people with all interests, the majority of the museums I went to were during my classes. With such a big city, there are always new events going on. When I was there, there was the “Elephant Parade,” which had over 200 painted elephants around town to help promote how elephants need our help in order to save the species. I watched a red carpet event for the premiere of the second “Sex and the City” movie, and went to a popular Broadway play at least once a week (they have great student discounts). The best part about studying abroad in London is that there is so much culture and so much to learn from the city itself; therefore, my classes were all taught in different locations daily incorporating the culture of the city into our curriculum.

In front of the theatre before seeing the show "Hair" - it was our favorite show.
(I saw it 3 times while over there and again in the states)

Excursions and Daytrips:

While you may not “feel” like getting up to go on a daytrip or weekend excursion, do it anyways. Some of the best trips were ones planned by the GC’s (graduate counselors, like an RA). On my first session weekend trip we went to Wales, a green countryside with beautiful castles, beaches and mountains. Second session we ventured over to Cornwall, Bath and Stonehenge. We learned how to surf in Cornwall, visited the ancient Roman Baths in Bath and saw the famous Stonehenge rocks on our way back to the study centre. Everything is planned and it’s a fun time, you won’t regret going. There are one-day long trips as well, showing off the smaller towns in England which are each unique and fun in their own ways.

With your new friends, you’ll want to plan weekend trips to other countries around Europe. There are inexpensive flights from any of the three London airports, which aren’t very difficult to travel to. We had a group of twenty travel to Ireland for a weekend and accidentally planned to be in Spain when Spain won the World Cup- words can’t describe how amazing that was. Step out of your comfort zone. Studying abroad is the chance of a lifetime, so live it up as much as your wallet will allow.

One of the stops during our Cornwall Weekend Trip with everyone from session 2

I could go on talking about London for days. I took over six thousand pictures during the three months I was there and saved all of my show tickets, maps and brochures for the scrapbook I will one day make. The experience I had, the places I visited and the people I met contributed to the most amazing summer of my life and I couldn’t be more thankful.

Must Do Markets In London

By Kelsey Repins

Part of being a “true Londoner” is experiencing the weekend shopping at the various markets scattered around the city. Come back to the States with cool, one-of-a-kind souvenirs and gifts!

Borough Market: This market is a wonderful place to find fresh bread, homemade jams, cheeses, meats, and all sorts of yummy goodies! Do your weekly food shopping here and enjoy all of the sights and smells.  Spend the morning picking up snacks and go on a picnic with the food you buy.

• Make sure you try an ostrich burger!

Borough Market

Brick Lane: This was one of my favorite markets! Brick Lane is a string of markets that open on Sundays only.  Find cool jewelry and funky screen tee shirts. Locals make headbands, purses, dresses, and so much more.

• There is lots of food from all over the world here but make sure to try the Moroccan cuisine!

Camden Market: Come here to barter on anything from clothes to antiques. Camden is more the alternative scene and residents of this area are generally young. Camden is a known as the home for the struggling artist, fashion designer, and musician.  Just walking through Camden is an experience!

• After a morning bartering in Camden, get on the bus and take the short trip out to Primrose Hill. Here you will get a wonderful view of the whole city.

Camden Market

Covent Garden Market: My favorite place in all of London would have to be Covent Garden and the area surrounding it. Covent Garden is a little shopping plaza filled with great stores to buy little gifts and funky trinkets. Make sure you not only visit the stores but the actually market itself on the weekends.

• One time when I was shopping in Covent Garden I stumbled across a flash mob!

Portobello Road Market: Anyone who has seen Hugh Grant and Julia Robert’s Notting Hill has heard of Portobello Road Market. Here you can fight the crowds for antiques on the main street. Make sure you go off the main road because there are smaller stores and venders who are willing to haggle! Keep in mind that this market is only open on Saturdays.

• Even if you are not in the market for antiques or clothing go for the atmosphere. Notting Hill is a very fashionable and “posh” neighborhood.  The rows pale blue, pink, and yellow houses are adorable and a must see for anyone visiting London.

Knotting Hill

Spitalfields Market: Like most of the other markets, Spitalfield vendors sell clothing, antiques, homemade crafts and much more. There are actual stores as well as venders and booths. The market itself is only on Sundays but the stores are open during the week.

• When I was in London, I would go to Brick Lane in the morning and Spitalfields in the late afternoon!

Keep in mind some of the items are sold by multiple vendors in multiple markets. Shop around for the best price and don’t buy the first thing you see! 

 

Living in London

By Sam Thomas


Through studying abroad on the FSU Broad Curriculum program, I was lucky to call myself a London resident for 3 months. One of the aspects of this city that makes it unique is that no other city in the world has as many things to do as London. Whether it is catching a play in the West End, having a picnic in Hyde park, trying different cuisines from all over the world on Saturday morning at Borough Market, or just taking a midday stroll along the River Thames.


I am a bit of a history nerd, so some of my favorite spots were the Imperial War Museum, the Tower of London, and especially the British Museum. I lost count of how many times I visited it during my stay, but the British Museum was a wonderful place to go and look at the Ancient Egypt exhibits or Greek and Roman artifacts in between my classes or whenever I had free time since it was conveniently located only a couple of blocks from the study centre.


One of the best feelings in the world was having the ability to walk out of the study centre along Great Russell Street, and either walk or take a short ride on the Tube and within no time be able to do or see something new.  I had this feeling everyday in London.

Before seeing "Hair" on the West End

The fast-paced lifestyle you get to live while abroad makes it tough to fully appreciate some of the things you get to do at the time. To this day when I look through old pictures from study abroad, I come across things I forgot that I had done.

Wales

One of my favorite spur of the moment trips was going to an amusement park (Thorpe Park) not too far outside of London. A group of friends and I were looking for something fun to do that day, and found a pamphlet for Thorpe Park in the administration office. It turned out there was a special that day that a two way train ticket to the park and park admission was only 40 pounds. It ended up being a very fun day, but what made it so special was how I was able to go somewhere like that on a whim, and the fact that you can do something like that everyday in London.  

My London Family

The only drawback to London is the city can wear you out with so many sights and activities to do and see.  I had to remind myself to have a “movie day” or “reading day” from time to time at the study centre.


I accomplished a lot during my stay in London, but the fact that I was still unable to do half the things I wanted to do attests to how vibrant a city it is.  

London Internship Experience

By Janie Hoffman

An initial ten minute walk past King’s College to the Northern Line, a seventeen minute tube ride, and fifteen minute walk to Barlby Road in Notting Hill was my path every morning to the office of my internship.  Working as an intern abroad through Florida State University’s International Programs gave me immeasurable hands-on experience for my future endeavors.  Not only did I gain corporate and team building experience, but I became more culturally aware and learned about myself and my passions.

I have always heard stories about interns going for coffee runs or miscellaneous personal errands as “experience,” but my internship was nothing like that.  As a student majoring in Communication, my internship was designed specifically towards my interests, and I was placed with a small but mighty company called EMC3, which is the leading integrated London marketing and events company.  Whether a corporate cocktail, birthday party, media conference or the launch of a brand, I learned to develop integrated event programming including travel plans, team building activities, animations, speaker sourcing and celebrity appearances.  From the initial contact with the client, to seeing the event through, I gained valuable skills by being involved with the entire process.       

In front of the London Eye

Because of my internship, I saw many different parts of London that I would have never seen without working alongside locals.  For example, instead of riding the London Eye as a tourist, I took the staff of EA Games on the London Eye as a private party to welcome them to London for their global conference.  I was even taken to completely new places like Dubai! I was fortunate to stay in the Palm Atlantis Hotel for a long weekend to assist my director during all events throughout each day. 

In Dubai at the Palm Atlantis Hotel

The Falcon Group's Event in Dubai - with a Real Falcon!

Looking back over my experience, I cannot believe it is over.  My life for those few months was so wonderful, I sometimes wonder if it was real; as if soon I will wake up and will all be a dream.  Thankfully, I know that is not the case.  I never realized it was possible to do something you loved and get paid for doing it! It seems unfair! I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.  The skills I have gained over the past six weeks have been so useful to any job or skill.  A new community and friends, a real job, a few challenges and remarkable celebrations.

Here is the link to the company, EMC3’s website:  http://www.emc3.eu/

Video Contest Winner: London

Pierce won our previous video contest for his video about life in London during Summer of 2011:

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