Hello again! It’s crazy to be writing to you all as I finish up the first half of my semester in London!

While studying in London, I am lucky enough to be housed in the neighborhood of White Chapel, located in East London. It is a neighborhood filled with culture and residents from all over the world. Living here has allowed me to explore so much of East London as I am only a 10-minute walk away from Tower Bridge and a 10 min walk away from Spitalfields Market. Spitalfields Market is an area filled with so many cute cafes, shops, and restaurants. I am also only a 5-minute walk away from the tube station!

Here in London housing is referred to as “flats” and thus my roommates are actually called my “flat mates”. In terms of my flat, we live in a building with numerous flats filled with other students, including a large amount of Pitt students! In my flat specifically, there are 6 of us total, and I did not know any of them prior to coming to London! While 6 people can be very overwhelming, living them has been so much fun and has allowed me to meet people from different universities and even countries. 1 of my roommates is a senior at Pitt, 1 of my roommates is senior at a branch campus of Pitt, 1 of my roommates is from UMass Amherst, and 2 of my roommates attend Hollins University but are originally from Nepal. While we all come from very different backgrounds, we have all gotten along with each other very well and have gotten the chance to learn more about each other!

While I love living in London, it has definitely been an adjustment as it is very different to Pitt. The biggest difference would be that we do not have a real campus in London, so we have to either walk or take the tube to classes. Thus, my commute to class is no longer a short walk around campus, rather I have to take a 40-minute tube ride to my classes. However, the great thing about London is that the public transportation is very easy to navigate once you get the hang of everything, and you can take public transportation almost anywhere in London!

Life in London has definitely been an adjustment, but I have loved every minute of it so far. The differences and challenges that I have experienced have taught me a lot about myself, and I am excited to see how I continue to grow during the second half of my semester abroad.

Until next time!