Hello! My name is Kat and I'm a sophomore at Eckerd. I'm from New York and my major is sociology, with a potential minor in history. I love most of the humanities including philosophy, literature, language classes, etc. I am an Italian citizen and I have a goal to take some Italian classes during my time at Eckerd so I can fully take advantage of my citizenship!
I visited London & Oxford this past summer and had a fantastic time. I wanted to experience living in Europe, and England felt like the perfect place due to my relative familiarity with it and the shared language. I also feel a bit like I need a break from living in the US. I love New York, Florida, and so much of the country, but, in my opinion, existing there with unending far-right shenanigans can be exhausting (though not that this is a phenomenon limited to the US). I'm excited to at least live in a place with different issues!
I've never been in a foreign country for an extended period of time past 2-3 weeks, so I'm intrigued as to what this experience will feel like and how it makes me think of De Botton's idea of the traveler. I must say that I generally feel a lot happier living in Florida than I did in New York, due to a variety of factors, so I'll be curious to compare my feelings on Florida and here. I also wonder if my experience here will be impacted by the fact that I know I have a hard deadline on which I must leave. Upon moving to Florida I was eager to make real friendships and connections to St. Petersburg, which I feel I've done successfully. Some of my best friends of all time live in St. Pete, but I don't think my friendship with them would've developed as it did if I knew I had to leave in 3.5 months time. That being said, I love the idea of having friends all over the world! I don't doubt that I could make such friends here but the depth of the friendships will perhaps not be the same.
I am looking forward to visiting the iconic historical landmarks of London, and especially so to visit the museums. I love art and history as well as the feeling of walking into a museum and getting the sensation that you have a whole new world to explore within one building. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris is my favorite museum of all time but I'm hoping to find a contender for that title in London. That museums here are mostly free only adds to that excitement. I like the idea of making art and history as accessible as it can be and I think removing that financial barrier is a really great idea. I'll be curious to see if the demographic of museum-attendees seems more diverse here than in the United States.
Overall, I cannot overstate my excitement about being here. I hope to leave with lots of memories, good photographs, friendships, and an increased confidence in myself.
My top 10 (in no order)
1. The Tate Modern
2. The British Museum
3. The Royal Ballet
4. Spain and the Hispanic World Exhibit at the RA
5. Southwark Cathedral
6. Hampstead Ponds
7. The Cinema at Selfridges
8. The Temple Church
9. Alfie's Antique Market
10. English National Opera
I visited London & Oxford this past summer and had a fantastic time. I wanted to experience living in Europe, and England felt like the perfect place due to my relative familiarity with it and the shared language. I also feel a bit like I need a break from living in the US. I love New York, Florida, and so much of the country, but, in my opinion, existing there with unending far-right shenanigans can be exhausting (though not that this is a phenomenon limited to the US). I'm excited to at least live in a place with different issues!
I've never been in a foreign country for an extended period of time past 2-3 weeks, so I'm intrigued as to what this experience will feel like and how it makes me think of De Botton's idea of the traveler. I must say that I generally feel a lot happier living in Florida than I did in New York, due to a variety of factors, so I'll be curious to compare my feelings on Florida and here. I also wonder if my experience here will be impacted by the fact that I know I have a hard deadline on which I must leave. Upon moving to Florida I was eager to make real friendships and connections to St. Petersburg, which I feel I've done successfully. Some of my best friends of all time live in St. Pete, but I don't think my friendship with them would've developed as it did if I knew I had to leave in 3.5 months time. That being said, I love the idea of having friends all over the world! I don't doubt that I could make such friends here but the depth of the friendships will perhaps not be the same.
I am looking forward to visiting the iconic historical landmarks of London, and especially so to visit the museums. I love art and history as well as the feeling of walking into a museum and getting the sensation that you have a whole new world to explore within one building. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris is my favorite museum of all time but I'm hoping to find a contender for that title in London. That museums here are mostly free only adds to that excitement. I like the idea of making art and history as accessible as it can be and I think removing that financial barrier is a really great idea. I'll be curious to see if the demographic of museum-attendees seems more diverse here than in the United States.
Overall, I cannot overstate my excitement about being here. I hope to leave with lots of memories, good photographs, friendships, and an increased confidence in myself.
My top 10 (in no order)
1. The Tate Modern
2. The British Museum
3. The Royal Ballet
4. Spain and the Hispanic World Exhibit at the RA
5. Southwark Cathedral
6. Hampstead Ponds
7. The Cinema at Selfridges
8. The Temple Church
9. Alfie's Antique Market
10. English National Opera