The following week was a bit more exciting I promise. After getting settled into our flats and classes, our group was able to take a couple of field trip studies and some trips of our own. In total i was able to visit the local pub nearby our town called brewdog where I had my first ever British beer.then, I was able to visit what they call the London Time Square or Piccadilly Circus. There’s so much life on the strip and so much to do and see. There’s people dancing, singing and all around having a great time in each other’s companythen, we did something legendary. We visited Stonehenge and Bath in the same day! Not many people can say that. The historic stones were said to have “magically” appeared there during the time of the Greeks and Romans and were used to tell when the calendar would date good days for praying and rest. The stones would show a perfectly good view of wherever the sun was shining that day. I’d say they were pretty magical as well. Now Bath, that was all for the Romans. The bath was said to have special healing waters and powers to bring forth good energy in life and the after life. They would bathe in this warm bath once a week to continue prosperity. (I even got to touch it since I am becoming a doctor so now I’m extra healed and my patients will be too)
The London Eye photobombed me our own boat tour to Greenwich where I had Greek food (again, I’m addicted now). Greenwich market is such a beautiful place with many old town buildings and places to shop. Finally again I was able to knock something off of my bucket list and visited the infamous Notting Hill movie book shop. Btw both actors signed the poster
To the country that has made me the most humble, I thank you and I’ll always cherish you forever
As eager as I am to return home for the fall semester, I am a little saddened that my trip is officially over in London. I’ve seen so many places and met amazing people from all over the globe in just a short amount of time. Each of these things I’ll hold near and dear to my heart as I return home to the U.S. In the next couple of minutes or so (depends on how fast you read haha) I’ll be giving you an entire rundown of my trip from A to Z starting with the very first week.
I studied through a program called CAPA Global Health that centers its entire being on the well-being and academic achievement of their students regardless of their background and learning abilities. Each of them have a unique characteristic that interacts and solely focuses on getting their students up to par and becoming successful in whatever field that they choose. I instantly felt a connection with the entire staff and educators there because we were more of a family than a school. They made my transition easy and ultimately possible. So to them I say a thousand times thank you. Just to name a few (Carlos, Hanna, Sue Snoxall, and Ceri Butler) you all rock!!
But wait…there’s more
On the first day we all checked in to our flats (which had a beautiful view of the nearby city of London) and met our flat mates! It was a bit challenging at first for me to get used to the time change because we were five hours ahead of what I’m normally used to so first things first, I took a nap but of course since I was excited to be in another country and to go explore, that didn’t last long. The very first place I went into was a Greek food shop called the real Greek where they had all things Greek food, another new thing for me. Although we only tried appetizers that time, they were still a solid 10/10. Pretty great for a small shop. next , we discovered another tiny restaurant near the Westfield Mall caked Bill’s. It’s an all around London food shop but has other menu items for vegetarians, Indian food, and much much more. The scenery here was absolutely beautiful and the waitress sure knew how to treat brand new londoners by explaining the menu and process of ordering food (btw you have to ask for receipts, they don’t just bring them to you and they box your take away food for you!) This was a perfect “welcome to London” lunch and I couldn’t have picked a better place to start my journey with. After eating, we traveled around the mall for a bit and decided to go back to the flat to get to know each other and prepare for the next day of class.
over the course of the next couple of days we all had a bit of adjusting to do. None of us really slept the first couple of days. Half because of Jetlag and then half because of excitement. So when it came time to go to our very first class, all of us were pretty eager. Our specific program had 10 students, all from different parts of the U.S. and one teacher for each different course. We would be taking Comparative Health and History of Medicine & Midwifery, two very important and humbling classes in my opinion. After class, we all decided to take a stroll and find some fun things to do as official londoners. We even knocked two things off of my bucket list (eating at the infamous Nandos chicken restaurant where the chicken is to die for and taking a photo in one of the photo booths)
Pretty fun right?
When we were done exploring, we had a surprise waiting for us back at the program. They had arranged a private tea party for all of us to partake in as a way of welcoming us to a new life.
The next couple days went a little like this:
A visit to two corner coffee shops, because what’s a trip to London without visiting those?A trip to St. Paul’s CathedralA glance at the real life beauty and the beast rose (my favorite Disney movie of all time)and a stroll through Covent Garden.
I just got back from an amazing 3 weeks long travel to Cape Town in South Africa. I got to leave because of Averett University’s study abroad program.
Before I left, I was wondering how this beautiful adventure really was going to take place. But my fears quickly faded away after their incredible and warm welcome in the country.
I volunteered for a non-profit association : Great Commission United that was founded by Mario Van Niekerk. This association has the goal to bring scholar support in different primary and high schools. They also have an afterschool program that uses sports to get kids out of gangs, drugs and violence. It’s within this part of the program that I used my coaching experience to create soccer practices for them. I also helped schoolchildren by teaching them : reading, talking, writing and the seasons for the younger ones. I helped a boy named Mario in his multiple association activities.
During the weekends, I participated in different travels, visits and fun activities to do in South Africa. It was an amazing part of my experience.
Since I have been back, I don’t see life in the same way. Such an amazing travel leaves a mark for ever.
As I sit in the airport gazing over the next couple of weeks I can’t help but to thank my amazing support system and family for all that they have done to get me here. All glory goes to God.
London, to me, is a city I’ve always wanted to visit and it seems so surreal that this is actually happening today! Within the next 24 hours my life will be changed forever. During my time abroad I will be constantly updating on not only Averett’s blog but my own person blog as well! (AriTravels).
I will be studying with CAPA global health and midwifery over the course of 4 weeks with live seminars, lectures, and personal tours around the city. To all of my readers out there wondering if there is ever a right time to study abroad, I’m here to tell you that the time is NOW. Take that leap of faith and go for it. When life gives you lemonade, you drink it. Averett is such an amazing school with awesome opportunities such as this one. Learn more by going to averett.abroadoffice.net
Today is the big day! It seems like just yesterday I was applying for my study abroad program and then time completely took off. I leave for London, England today to study something I truly love which is nursing. Choosing to study abroad was a path that chose me, I always said that one day I would become a travel nurse but I never thought I would be able to do it until I graduated. After talking with a friend she connected me to Dr. Clark. Dr. Clark showed me that no matter what career choice you have and the limitations you might have with your school schedule there is a way to include traveling, this is where London came into the picture. Out of all the programs, the London classes seem most fitting because it offered a sense of perspective to career. The classes not only teach you about the history of nursing but gives you the opportunity to compare the healthcare system to your home country. Seeing what London offered helped me make a decision rather quick (literally a few minutes after reading). Besides the classes London offer, the city has so many great touring places I am ready to see. I know this might sound a little cliche but who wouldn’t want to take a picture at the London bridge! I am so excited about all the memories I am going to make, the photos I am going to take! I have researched (googled) major places to see while I am there and events that will be going on during my time there, it seems that there is always something happening which makes me even happier! I will be carrying you guys through almost every second of my trip so enjoy the ride and I’ll be sure to keep you posted (get it?).
Averett Around the World 