Greetings from Cambridge!

 

Hello from Cambridge! I have been in this beautiful historic college town for close to a week now. I have settled into a nice routine, I get up, grab coffee with a friend in the program and head to class. After that I have lunch and go over notes and readings from class that day and prepare for the next day of classes. I am really enjoying spending time with the other students here from Marietta College while also meeting and growing closer to those from Richmond’s Leadership program. I am currently taking two classes: Comparative Public Law and International Law. It is a privilege to get to learn from the professors here. On the weekends we get to travel and explore various other cities, this past weekend we visited Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a beautiful city and this upcoming weekend I plan to explore Cambridge more and take day trips to cities close to us.

 

 Coming to a new place and trying to settle in while also starting a new journey and exploring this beautiful city of London has been very trying but it has also taught me a lot about myself that I wasn’t so sure of beforehand. I realized throughout all of this that I am a person who likes a routine and who likes to have a plan as to what I am doing for the day ahead. I also realized that I am someone who feeds off of other people’s interactions and conversations. I think learning these little things about myself right now was some of the most unexpected yet helpful things to happen. Throughout my 2 weeks of interning and now 3 weeks of being here, I can finally say I have got my routine down pretty well.

I usually wake up in the mornings Monday through Friday around 5:30-5:45 and get ready for the gym then take the tube over to the gym and do my work out there and head back to get ready for work. After I get ready, I make sure to pack my bag with everything I could need for an afternoon reading in a garden to get some fresh air once I finish work. I then head out and on the days that I go into the office I have a lovely hour and a-half commute one way that I spend most of reading and on the days, I don't go into the office, I head to one of what seems like hundreds of coffee shops to do my work. I do my job at work and get everything done that I need to throughout the day which right now includes lots of research and putting together pitch proposals.

After I am done for the day, I have been loving to find a new garden each day to go to to read and get some fresh air. There are so many different gardens to pick from so I have had no trouble finding a new one and the weather has been delightful so that’s a bonus as well. In my most recent case, I went to St. James's Park which is right near Buckingham Palace, so I was able to just casually see Buckingham Palace after work one day. I will then head home and cook myself dinner and do any homework that I have or just relax and hang out with my flatmates. Then I'll go to bed and do it all over again until the weekend!

The weekends have looked quite different for me recently. This past weekend I went to Paris with my one flatmate, and it was amazing and so beautiful. We downloaded an app that had us do a scavenger hunt that took us to various parts of the city to show us around instead of just hitting the main tourist areas. This coming weekend I am going to Edinburgh, and I am super excited to be able to get away from a huge city and see some castles. While I have been traveling on the weekends, I would use the weekends to mainly explore different areas of London and see different attractions like a small farm and a botanical garden. The weekend is also the time that I can go grocery shopping/ recharge and prepare for the next week that is ahead.

Although it took me a little bit to get into a routine and become satisfied with it, I am feeling much better now that I have one. I am super happy that I still get to keep doing my workouts to help me prepare for my upcoming soccer season while also accomplishing this goal of being abroad. The days have slowly started to pick up and each day has felt like it has gone faster than the last and I cannot believe that after next week, I will already be halfway done with my time in London. There is so much to do and explore here in the city and it can be so overwhelming, but I am so glad that I have the opportunity to do it all. Until next time, cheers from London!

Final days in Italy

 I unfortunately had to say ciao to Italy this past Thursday as my program came to an end and it was time to come home. I finished off the second half of my stay in Italy with a trip to Rome and a trip to the Amalfi Coast as well as continuing to explore my home city of Florence. As expected, Rome was stunning and crowded. While we couldn’t go inside of the Colosseum, we did get to go in the Pantheon by joining a tour group last minute as entrance was by reservation only. After the Pantheon, we stopped by the Trevi Fountain and threw in a euro to make a wish per tradition. While I was taken away by the incredible culture and history surrounding the great city of Rome, my absolute favorite part about the trip was an unforgettable lunch. After searching around for a place to eat, my friends and I stumbled across a hidden gem of a restaurant. The food was amazing, but the atmosphere and the staff made the experience a thousand times better. Our waiters were incredibly friendly and would talk and joke with us throughout the meal. We must have stayed there for at least two hours enjoying their company and the free limoncello shots they gave us. After befriending the waiters, I introduced myself to the owner and expressed my immense gratitude for such great service and food. He actually shared some history about the restaurant including that it had been in his family since 1946! We even made friends with the tables around us and it turned into a whole social event. If I could relive one moment from my entire trip, I might just pick this lunch.

My trip to the Amalfi Coast was also quite eventful. After taking the train from Florence to Naples, we rode a ferry to Sorrento where our apartment was located. We dropped our luggage off, change into swimsuits, and went on a mission to find a beach. I decided the best way to find the perfect place would be to ask a local and so I did. I wandered into a bathing suit store and asked the lady who worked there which beach we should go to. We must have talked for twenty minutes as she was giving me the ins and outs of beaches in the area and eventually disclosed her favorite spot to go to. While it wasn’t in walking distance so we had to take a taxi and it was definitely off the beaten path, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. The taxi dropped us off about fifteen minutes away since the rest of the way was a walk down a cobblestone and dirt path. Eventually, after navigating this little path, we made it to the clearing of a breathtaking cove. While instead of sand there were rocks which aren’t very barefoot friendly, once you get into the water it makes it all worth it. I actually ended up cliff jumping for the first time here and the view across the ocean was to Mount Vesuvius. The next day we took a bus to Positano. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the fondest experience here as just minutes after entering the water I got stung by a jellyfish. Being from Florida, I’ve been stung by many jellies but this sting was unlike anything I’ve felt before. After refusing to let my friends pee on my sting, we found a pharmacy and got medication to treat the sting so it wouldn’t ruin the rest of my day. We finished up our day in Positano with some lunch and shopping.

My last few days in Florence were overwhelming with final projects and exams but nothing a Marietta College student can’t handle. As my time in Italy was nearing its end, I had very bitter-sweet feelings about it. On the one hand, I was homesick but on the other hand I didn’t want to give up my little life I created in Florence. Even though I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to do during my time in Italy, it just gives me more reasons to come back one day. I think one month was long enough for me as the homesickness was really starting to kick in. I missed free iced water, free bathrooms, and American air conditioning. Now that I’m back home, I miss the

quality of food, social culture, and friends that I made along the way. I think I’ve adopted a bit of the Italian lifestyle into my own unique culture. Italy has changed me as a person for the better and I wouldn’t change it for the world. This experience was nothing but life changing and marked the beginning of pursuing my traveling ambitions. Until we meet again Florence.

The next phase of life in Italy

 I have been in Italy for more than two weeks now and it has been anything but uneventful. I no longer feel like a tourist anymore; I think it’s finally hit me that I’m living in Italy and not just visiting. I tend to sleep in in the mornings, go to a café for a sandwich and pastry, and walk around the city or find a comfy corner to read a book before attending class. I finally learned how to use public transportation to get around the city. Initially, I was very reluctant to ride the bus for whatever reason but it has become so important especially on the days when it rains and I have a twenty-five-minute walk to class. I’ve been impressing myself with how well I’ve adapted to the culture of Italy. Unfortunately, I’ve also had to learn how to live with roommates that don’t want to be anything more than just people that live together. Dealing with conflict is something I typically try to avoid, but in this case it had to be resolved and ended in a civil conversation laying down certain ground rules. While I may not be close to my roommates, I have made new friends who are my type of people and we’ve been having a blast! It was difficult to admit and accept that my roommates and I just didn’t click very well together but everything happens for a reason and I’m glad we are still cordial with one another.

My weekend trip to the Venetian Islands, Venice, and Verona with my program provider was exhausting but absolutely worth it. Visiting glass blowing factories in the islands, going on a gondola ride in Venice, and visiting Juliet’s courtyard in Verona are my favorite highlights from the trip.

Classes began right after returning from Venice and my cooking class is even better than I imagined it to be. The title of my class is The Italian Sensory Experience: Pairing Food and Wine which I attend every Monday through Thursday from 4:15pm to 6:45pm. Each class is typically structured the same with a small lecture in the beginning followed by tasting two types of wines, cooking a traditional Italian meal, and evaluating the pairing of the food and wine together. We just took our midterm this past Wednesday and I feel pretty confident in my work. Before taking this class, I had been oblivious to the complexities of cooking, wine making, and finding a good food and wine pairing. I can now say that I’m improving my cooking skills, which did not exist beforehand anyway and I genuinely think I’m learning the ins and outs of the culinary arts in regards to Italian cuisine.

This past weekend was a free weekend in which Friday my friends and I joined an excursion to a thermal pool spa, private and family owned vineyard and winery, and a small town in Tuscany called Cortona. Immediately after that Friday excursion, my friends and I travelled to a small town on the southern coast of Tuscany called Follonica where we enjoyed some relaxing beach time. Getting to Follonica was a bit of a mess to say the least. After successfully getting on our train and riding it all the way to our stop in Follonica, the train doors had malfunctioned when trying to exit at our stop and kept us locked in the train. We were forced to ride to the next stop which was a half an hour ride and improvise a way to get back to our destination. After talking to both the train and bus workers, who both said that the next train or bus wasn’t for another two hours at least, our last resort was to take a forty-five-minute taxi ride back to Follonica, which is not cheap. The ride back to Florence went much smoother thankfully. After arriving in Follonica, it was clear that this is small town was not accustomed to tourists as we were most likely the only tourists there and most of the locals didn’t speak any English whatsoever. Although intimidating, it was fun in a way to try to communicate with a language barrier; my limited Italian knowledge from Duolingo actually paid off for the most part.

This weekend I travel with my program provider to Rome for three days. This trip has much more free time incorporated into it than the last. My top priorities for Rome going to the Colosseum and visiting the Vatican.

Now that I’m halfway through my study abroad trip, it’s a little bittersweet to think about. I’ve finally adapted to the culture and have a routine and friends that I love but I also really miss my home and family. But for now, I’m going to make the most out of the rest of my trip and will have another update for you soon. Ciao!

Working Abroad-- Kaylie's experience in London

 

When I first stepped off the plane and had to take a train to the main part of the airport, something I have never had to do before, I knew that I was no longer in a midsized city in Ohio. Being in London for two weeks has been amazing and has been so eye-opening as to what is out there beyond my hometown and the community of Marietta College.

With this being my first time out of the country I was not too sure as to what to expect from the British people. I had heard plenty of stereotypes of them being mean and rude but so far all I have noticed is that everyone just minds their own business and is worried about themselves. I knew that I would be having to rely on public transportation a lot for pretty much everything and at first it was super fun to ride the tube since we don’t have anything like this back at home or in Marietta but once you have to ride it for over an hour to work, it loses that glamour bit to it. 

Before I came, I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of articles about things to do in London because I was so worried that I would not know what I want to do or I would miss out on something cool but there is constantly so much happening that you can find something to do no matter what. If you’re feeling like walking through a market there’s at least a handful to pick from, if you feel like going to a park to read there’s more than you can count on your hands and feet, or if you feel like going to a museum, you can pick from the various FREE, yes that’s right FREE museums.

I truly thought that the British peoples' fascination with tea was just made up until I recently started working and every time someone walked out of the room into the kitchen I was asked if I wanted a cup of tea. I am not usually a tea drinker, but I have a few cups here and I can say that it is decent tea. Although I still have a list of foods that I have to work my way through trying, I can successfully cross off “have a cup of tea”. To go along with trying new foods, since London is so diverse there are so many different kinds of food that I am excited to try and can’t wait to experience further down the road!

So far in my two weeks of being here, London has been great. It is nothing like home, but I am learning to enjoy that and not resist it. I am very excited for what's to come and I can't wait to see where I go and how the rest of my time here plays out. I am looking forward to starting my internship and learning how I can be a helping hand to Middlesex FA. Although I am only here for 8 weeks, I know I am going to do my absolute best to make the most out of these 8 weeks. For now, I have 2 more days of work and then 1 class standing between me and my flight to Paris for a weekend holiday!

 

Cheers,

 

Kaylie Ward 

Introducing Aurora in Florence, Italy

 

Ciao! I’ve been in the beautiful country of Italy for little less than a week now and it has already been a wild ride with ups, downs, and everything in between. One of my biggest concerns leaving for this trip was making friends and developing a social life which turned out to not be an issue whatsoever. Before I even arrived in Florence, I met girls that were a part of the same program on my flight from Amsterdam to Florence. Since then, I have bonded with my roommates and other people in the program who will definitely be lifelong friends. These first few days have been overwhelming to say the least. The biggest lifestyle change I have had to adjust to is the amount of walking required to get around Florence. Going from little to none physical activity to averaging 15,000 steps a day has taken a toll on my body, especially my feet. I’ve had a lifelong history of issues with my feet but with a few scheduled breaks and lots of American Motrin, I’ve been able to manage my pain. If I can do it, anyone can. Walking around the city is also one of the scariest things I’ve had to do so far; the cars do not stop for pedestrians and you have to step out into the middle of the road to stop traffic and get across the road. 

My absolute favorite aspect of Italy has been the food. The quality of food is so much better than back in the states. I never feel bloated after eating no matter how much I eat, including gelato. Living in Florence feels like being thrown into a time machine set for the Renaissance. The buildings and architecture are unlike anything I’ve seen before. The most notable building in Florence is The Duomo, a church built in the 14^th century. While the architecture is stunning, I didn’t realize there would be a lack of grass and greenery in the city. The city is built so close together that there isn’t room in the city for the simple nature I’m used to besides in gated gardens that require tickets for entry. 

The apartment I’ve been placed in is actually outside the city center which is inconvenient when needing to meet for program activities, however, there’s less tourists on my side of town which makes it feel homier. Another issue I’ve had to adjust to is the lack of energy usage we’re allowed to use in the apartment. While I was lucky enough to have an apartment with air conditioning, it’s illegal to have the A/C on when the temperature is below 77 degrees Fahrenheit and also cannot be on for more than 12 hours continuously. Additionally, large appliances cannot be used at the same time such as the oven and washing machine. All these things seem like a major inconvenience to me, but to Italians it’s normal and a way to conserve energy. This weekend, we are staying in Venice and exploring the Venetian Islands as well as Verona. So far, Venice has been completely different than Florence but feels more like home to me because of the water and boats (since I’m from Florida). 

Classes start Monday and I’ll be taking a cooking class from 4:15-6:45pm. First impressions overall are the city and country are beautiful but there’s a lot for me to adjust to in order to adapt to the culture properly. I look forward to what’s next to come throughout the month!

Life in Cambridge

 It's hard to believe my time Cambridge is about halfway over! I have settled into a routine of going to class in the morning, exploring the city in the afternoon, and then hanging out with the other students at night.

Attached are pictures from Ely Cathedral, which is about 15 minutes from Cambridge. 

Pictures from a punting experience in Cambridge, as well as a Cambridge University Botanic Garden