The GoGlobal Blog

Author: Elizabeth Newhart

Hey, my name is Beth and I'm a junior at Loyola! I'm a double major in English Lit and Journalism, taking on London this spring at Queen Mary University! Welcome to my blog that will capture it all. I'll probably get lost and confused at times, but I also promise to document and share every Harry Potter reference I can possibly find. So join me as I hunt down all the best dusty bookshops, ancient pubs, and mind-blowing food across Europe. Cheers!
Where Have I Been?

Where Have I Been?

It’s been a very long time since my last blog post, and for that I am truly sorry. Too busy having the time of my life? I suppose. But now that my excitement has died down and I have major essays looming, I thought I could squeeze in some updates…

 

So, how great is London, you ask? It’s simply the greatest. I wouldn’t trade being here for anything in the world, and the thought of returning to Oak Lawn for an entire summer away from Europe physically pains me. And it’s not just London I’ve grown to love, either.

 

Over Queen Mary’s spring break last month I had the opportunity to take my first trip outside the UK! Two friends and I flew to Prague and then stopped over in Amsterdam before returning home to London (“home to London”—isn’t that just the best thing you could possibly say??).

 

Traditional Czech food! Sirloin, dumplings, and spinach
Traditional Czech food! Sirloin, dumplings, and spinach
The gorgeous city of Prague seen from the Charles Bridge
The gorgeous city of Prague seen from the Charles Bridge

I’ve seen some pretty beautiful places in England this semester, but I can now say with confidence that Prague is the most gorgeous place I’ve ever visited in person. I loved everything about the city, from the breathtaking castle views all the way down to our hilltop hostel. Experiencing Prague was honestly one of the best weekends of my entire life. We saw all the major sights like the Astronomical Clock, Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Jewish Quarter, and the John Lennon Wall.

 

Since we were in Prague from Thursday to Monday, it felt like we had all the time in the world, which made it more of a marathon than a sprint. We had time to hit all the sights during the day and hit the town at night! On Saturday night we took part in the world-famous Prague Pub Crawl, which touted over 200 twenty-somethings to five of the city’s best nightclubs. (And if you think that’s a lot, the guide told me he was once in charge of 500+ people on a Thursday night tour… Try imagining that happening in Chicago!)

 

We made friends with other young people from Canada, South America, and the UK, just to name a few. That night was certainly a marathon, and also one I’ll never forget! Fun managed to lurk around every corner in Prague. After a long hard day of trekking up hills and across uneven cobblestone, we treated ourselves to traditional Thai foot massages, because we were on vacation and we could. And that might have been the most relaxing 30 minutes of my life.

 

Scenery in Old Town Square
Scenery in Old Town Square
Me with a chocolate crepe. Not particularly Czech, but totally delicious!
Me with a chocolate crepe. Not particularly Czech, but totally delicious!
The Astronomical Clock!
The Astronomical Clock!
The John Lennon Wall, full of amazing art and graffiti
The John Lennon Wall, full of amazing art and graffiti

 

Another highlight was walking far and wide to find a restaurant we heard referred to as “Monks and Beer” near the castle district. A few hills later we found ourselves at the foot of what looked like a private residence, but a few signs led us downstairs to a hidden but fully functioning dining experience in the wine cellars of an old monastery! We drank famous blueberry beer and sampled traditional Czech food like goulash and dumplings, all by light of a few candles. Everything about Prague was surreal, and I grew very attached to it in only four days! I didn’t want to abandon it for Amsterdam, but alas, our plane tickets beckoned…

 

Beautiful colored buildings outside our hostel along Nerudova Street
Beautiful colored buildings outside our hostel along Nerudova Street
St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle
St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle
Prague is all that and a bag of chips, basically
Prague is all that and a bag of chips, basically

 

Amsterdam was a SPRINT. We landed in “the Venice of the north” late on a Monday night, exhausted from travel and our weekend in Prague. But we only had until Thursday afternoon before returning to London, so we had to conjure up a second wind and get our butts in gear. And once we got going, Amsterdam became just as beautiful! It is definitely a city of museums, and we managed to see five in just two and a half days (six, if you count the massive seven-floor Openbare Bibliotheek Library). We could have spent two weeks wandering exhibits and galleries, but there was just too much too see.

 

I Amsterdam at Museum Plein!
I Amsterdam at Museum Plein!
The never ending Albert Cuyp Market. It had everything you can imagine
The never ending Albert Cuyp Market. It had everything you can imagine

 

On our first day we spent hours admiring every inch of the Van Gogh Museum, which houses the biggest collection of his works in the world. We followed up with a long afternoon wandering around the Albert Cuyp Market, widely recognized as being the largest daytime market in all of Europe. We sampled everything from traditional Dutch stroopwafels (a warm flat waffle filled with caramel and smothered in chocolate, also DELICIOUS) to spicy Tex-Mex street tacos. I even bought a wooden tulip!

 

Stroopwafels are a new passion of mine. So is posing with food.
Stroopwafels are a new passion of mine. So is posing with food.

 

But luckily, our day wasn’t over. We managed to book late tickets to the highly-popular and world-famous Anne Frank House. And as happy as I am with all the fun we had on this trip, visiting that house was the most important thing we did all week. You simply cannot go to Amsterdam without it on your itinerary. It’s one thing to learn about Anne and the Holocaust from the safety of a classroom and entirely another thing to physically walk through the annex and stand in those rooms. Absolutely nothing else can compare to it.

 

There's nothing like a canal at sunset!
There’s nothing like a canal at sunset!
Our new friend and awesome city tour guide, Kiel
Our new friend and awesome city tour guide, Kiel
Amsterdam is full of incredible street art just like this!
Amsterdam is full of incredible street art just like this!

 

We filled our Wednesday with still more museums and walking tours around the city. We even tried mixing with locals in the trendy Jordaan neighborhood, but I’m pretty sure they sniffed us out. Before we had to leave we managed to take a nighttime stroll through the infamous Red Light District and a morning boat cruise around the canals. It was so heartbreaking to leave, but I also couldn’t stop dreaming about my bed back home in London!

 

Amsterdam is all about the cheese, and I wanted to bring it all home
Amsterdam is all about the cheese, and I wanted to bring it all home
The city gets all lit up in the Red Light District!
The city gets all lit up in the Red Light District!
Canal cruises are the best way to unwind after a long week of travel
Canal cruises are the best way to unwind after a long week of travel

 

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better spring break. I may never get the chance to see Prague and Amsterdam ever again, but I would go back in a heartbeat.

More astronomically long posts to come…

 

 

Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?

Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?

People tell you a lot of stuff when you go abroad.

 

“Buy plug adapters”

“Watch out for pickpockets”

“Get to know the locals”
But trust me, there’s a whole lot they don’t tell you. I’ve got a few big points to share at only 3 weeks in, so I’m sure the list will be a mile long come June. But here are the basic 4 things no one told me before coming abroad.

 

1. YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AWAY

 

This might seem like common knowledge, but it’s really not. The first two weeks in your new country are going to BURN YOU OUT. You’re thrust into a new environment full of strange people, rules, and food to adjust to. You’re at the beginning of your program, and you obviously need to make friends. It’s like the first week of college all over again, and we all remember how much fun that was. It’s exhausting trying to be friendly and nice to everyone you meet, and you find yourself running around all the time.

 

Trying to cram sightseeing an entire city into the first week of your stay is not possible, but also exactly what everyone does. You have multiple months to see it all, so don’t try running around the whole town while you’re still jet-lagged. Take a step back, spend a little time making your room feel like home, and try to aim for doing one new thing every day. Everyone in London may always be in a rush, but trust me, they’re never as frenzied as a visiting American. Brits do whatever they want on their own time, usually abiding by no schedule you’re familiar with. So, similarly…

 

2. THROW YOUR OLD ROUTINE OUT THE WINDOW

 

This may not be true for every country. Right now, I can only speak for England. And more specifically, college-age kids in England. But since I’ve been here, I don’t sleep, eat, or go out the way I used to.

 

When most collegiate Americans head to Europe for a semester, one of the biggest things on their mind is the lower drinking age. But the drinking culture in the UK is NOTHING like back home. For one thing, Europeans are much more used to the concept of alcohol at an earlier age than Americans, so the novelty of binge-drinking has largely worn off by college. But that doesn’t mean there’s no drinking, because there’s still  A LOT.

 

At a typical American university, students drink recreationally on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Sometimes, even less than that. This complies with the fact that most Americans have class 5 days every week. But the average Brit only has class for 3 days per week, so they go out whenever they want. Pubs and nightclubs are open in London every single day, and a Tuesday night can be just as much fun as a Friday.

 

My point is, don’t feel bad for taking some time off to get adjusted. Europeans may go out to the bars upwards of 4 times a week, but they drink far less at a time than most Americans are used to. At Queen Mary it’s totally normal to catch up on homework on a Saturday night after you’ve already been out Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of that week. This also means Brits tend to sleep and eat on similarly relaxed schedules than you’re used to. Weekends are still fun here, but weeknights get a little more love in the UK than in the states.

 

3. SOMETIMES, YOU WILL BE ALONE

 

Yeah, all those new friends you’re making? You can’t hang out with them literally all the time. You’ll have different classes, schedules, and responsibilities at some point. This is when people start to freak out, because as human beings we tend to cling to the familiar. Even if “familiar” means a group of Americans you met for the first time 2 weeks ago.

 

Don’t be afraid to walk around by yourself. Take a bus somewhere new and get lunch alone. Ask locals for an obscure recommendation. Don’t confine or restrict yourself to what you think you should be doing. You’re in a new country, so do something different. But if you’re going to explore alone, be smart about it! Bring a little extra cash for a cab in case you get REALLY lost, and always remember a map. Because Google Maps just doesn’t work without WiFi.

 

4. YOU WILL GET SICK

 

Seriously, people, I cannot stress this enough. Nobody recommends a vaccination before you travel to London, but guess what? Your immune system will still betray you. It might not happen right away. In fact, it will probably take a few weeks for your body to realize you aren’t on temporary vacation and these foreign germs flying around you might just be here to stay. I’m not someone who’s prone to sickness, but I’ve had a terrible sore throat for the last week.

 

At first I thought it was just bad luck, but I slowly started to realize that almost every American I know has been ill in some small capacity. We’ve all been traveling through germ-infested airports and crowded tube trains, so I guess we should have seen it coming. But I really didn’t.

 

It sucks, but you can’t let it ruin your first few weeks abroad. Chug some orange juice, take a nap, pop a throat lozenge, and get back out there. Because as tempting as it is to skip class when you’re feeling under the weather, the last thing you want to do is get behind early in a brand new school system you’re not used to.

 

**This list is by no means exhaustive, I am an expert in nothing, and this is really just me complaining. London is worth all the struggles.

What Have I Learned? Part 1: Language

What Have I Learned? Part 1: Language

Anyone who studies abroad in a country where they are not fluent in the language will mention struggles with a language barrier, and that’s totally normal. But guess what? British English is SO different from American English! A lot of it boils down to accent and inflection. Basically every time I’ve ordered in a restaurant or bar since I’ve been here, I’ve gotten flustered from not understanding something the server said. And it’s important to remember that even though you’re in an English-speaking country, that doesn’t mean you’ll only encounter English!

blog 5

At a Lebanese café near Buckingham Palace, it took 10 minutes for us to order coffee and scones from a waitress who only spoke a few words of English. At an Italian restaurant in Soho, our waiter spoke with such a thick Italian accent that he was almost impossible to understand. When you’re traveling, you always have to keep an open mind and be patient with everyone you meet.

 

But lets not forget about the Brits! I’ve been speaking English for 20 years now, and up until this month I really thought I’d mastered it. But London may as well be a whole different world.

 

“Ello, gov’nah!”

“Pip, pip, cheerio!”

“Where’s the loo?”

 

Sound familiar? These are all examples of overstereotyped British phrases that most Americans are used to throwing out in humor whenever the UK is even mentioned. But I’m 3 weeks into my 5 month-long London adventure, and I can assure you that we’ve all been wrong this entire time. Yes, really.

blog 6

The first few might not come as a surprise. I mean, gov’nah? Come on. But I really was shocked about this last one. I’ve now been in London for 20 days and met countless England natives in my dorms, classes, and out on the street. But I have not once heard anyone refer to the bathroom as “the loo.” It’s just not a thing here. I know what you’re thinking, WHAAAAT??!

 

Most commonly, the Brits just say toilet. “Toilets” signs adorn every public restroom, with the occasional “WC” (water closet) thrown in. I’m not sure why this disappointed me so much, but the loo is no more. All those movies and TV shows lied to us. Let it go, Americans!    :’(

 

Some phrases I didn’t expect to be different, and those have led to some adjusting. For instance, “cheerio!” might sound a little silly, but Brits are huge fans of one simple derived form of the word. In my extensive scientific studies (ie., 3 weeks of being an obnoxious tourist) I’ve come to the conclusion that “cheers” is the most commonly used word in the British English language.

 

Open a door for someone? “Cheers!”

Lend them a pencil? “Cheers!”

Hand them correct change? “Cheers!”

 

Sometimes you’ll get lucky and even get a “cheers, mate” tacked on at the end there. It’s basically interchangeable with “thanks” and even “goodbye” but who knew???

blog 7
Two of my flatmates. Erica, left (American) and Marina, right (British)

I could go on for ages, but there is one last one that threw me. I’ve gotten to know my flatmates pretty well so far, and they are all wonderful, hilarious people. But I don’t always understand what on earth they’re talking about. For instance:

 

“Oh, last night everyone was taking the piss out of me.”

 

This is a completely normal sentence in London. Apparently, it’s another way to say “everyone was making fun of me last night.” The first time I heard this one I nearly choked on my dinner but now it’s become so common that I’ll probably have to watch myself from saying it when I come back to the states. So weird. Why, England??

I know I have it much easier than some of my other fellow study abroad-ers in terms of language, but adjustment is hard no matter where you go. I can already hear myself changing slightly when I talk to my local friends, like using “quite” instead of “really” and “a bit” instead of “some”….But I still don’t think my midwestern accent will be budging any time soon!

Where am I?!

Where am I?!

london blog 1

I’M IN LONDONNNNNNN!

 

Hey friends, welcome to my blog! For the next 5 months or so, I’ll be documenting my travels, adventures, and random musings of Europe all on this site. This first post might be kind of a doozy, and as much as I’d like to pretend the rest will be shorter, they probably won’t be.

This is my first time outside the US and I’ve rarely been so terrified in my life. Let’s keep it honest, travel is scary. For the past three months I’ve been waking up to panicked nightmares about studying abroad, and that’s why I did wait a while to pen my first post, to settle myself a bit before exploding onto the internet. I’m about two weeks in right now, and honestly, I’m having the time of my life. I’ve learned more in the past 14 days than I have in the last 6 months, and it’s all thanks to the magic that is travel.

If you have the means, I highly recommend getting outside your daily routine and seeing someplace new. You don’t have to pick up and move around the world for half a year like I’ve done. Driving to the next town over is plenty. New perspectives are what it’s all about, because nothing beats the thrill of experiencing the undiscovered. New year, new you, right?

london blog 2

Right! But it took a lot to get me to this point. Financial planning, program applications, course approvals, mental preparedness… The list goes on. Getting myself to Europe was no small feat, but also one that I refused to pass up. The process was stressful, but I already know it was incredibly worth it. I always had my finger on London. Being an English major with a deep love affair with books of all kinds, where else would I go but the literary capital of the world? Nowhere else felt right. And it only took 24 hours in the city to realize what a perfect choice I made. This is my place.

But even after settling on London, I saw how many choices I had in front of me. Basically, I could choose between directly enrolling in one of London’s many fabulous universities, living and studying on a London campus right alongside local Brits and international students. Or, I could choose IES Study London, which would have me living in private dorms and taking closed classes with only fellow Americans. Both options had their merits, and I really considered playing it safe with the familiar. But where’s my sense of adventure? So, direct enroll it was!

After a two day orientation with everyone in the IES London program I was carted off with about 20 other students to Queen Mary University of London where my adventures truly began. I found myself dropped into campus housing, living in a flat with eight other students. These include two Americans, one Belgian, one Pakistani, and four Brits. I’ve also met students from Romania, India, and Bangladesh, just to name a few, in a matter of days. I’ve never been surrounded by so many different cultures in my life, and I’m loving every second of it.

london blog 4

I spent the last few months researching London and being told what to expect by various advisers and friends, but you can only prepare so much. To Americans, London may not seem like the most daring choice for travel. And they’re right, because it’s not. Thankfully, I’m already fluent in the language! But when you’re alone, any task can be daunting. And England is not America. Not even close. So I landed at Heathrow Airport on the morning of January 6th with no one to greet me, no one expecting me, and without personally knowing a single person in the entire country. But guess what? I lived! I made it across town with a few fellow IES-ers on my flight, struggling with way too much luggage and serious sleep deprivation. (Note: don’t ever expect to sleep on a plane. Economy just ain’t built for it.)

The rest of the week was kind of a blur, full of new faces, breathtaking sights, and a ridiculous overload of information. I made a few mistakes, dropped way too much money on my first legal drinks, and probably took a socially unnacceptable amount of pictures while sightseeing. But I wouldn’t change any of it. London is incredible, and I’ve only just scratched the surface. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next few months, because I know it will be life-changing. I’ll never be 20 years old in Europe ever again, and I don’t plan on wasting a moment of it.

 

More to come!