Stephen Condon | Contributing Writer

Hello my fellow Beavers!

Living in London has been a wild experience to say the very least. There are many days where I will have to take a moment and let the fact I am studying in one of the biggest and most popular cities in the world sink in. I am taking a theatre class that allows me to go see a production every week as well as completing an internship with the Golden Hinde Trust, which facilitates educational tours on a replica of the Golden Hinde, the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe.

There are many reasons why I chose to study abroad in London, and the first one is because I am a theatre and arts management double major, so naturally it makes sense that I should study abroad in a city where the theatrical arts have been a major part of its history. Another reason is because I visited London two years ago during the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II, and to be in London during that incredible time made me fall in love with the city. I swore to myself that I would come back and visit someday, and then I got the opportunity to do just that through the study abroad program.

There are many things I have noticed that are different between London and Storm Lake, Iowa. To begin with, the traffic here is completely insane. You have to either wait for the green man to tell you it’s safe to go or pull a Grandma from Disney’s Mulan and just hope for the best as you walk across the road. You cannot show hesitation or fear; the traffic can smell it and will make you pay for the slightest hitch in your step. Another difference is the way of getting around. Things aren’t just a 10-minute walk from your dorm anymore. Since living in London, I’ve probably walked the same distance as walking from campus to Wal-Mart and back without batting an eyelash. It’s either take the Tube or walk in London (Yeah, there’s the bus, but that takes longer than walking sometimes during rush hour or, God forbid, a Tube strike!).

London is a very expensive place to live, and it can be hard at times having to budget yourself. I have had some very fun times while living here, and I’ve even gotten to meet a few celebrities (Ron Weasley, Kiera Knightley’s Mr. Darcy, and Alice from the Resident Evil movies just to name a couple). As for what the future holds for me, I’ve got a few more weeks here in London, and I plan on visiting Italy for spring break before coming back to the States in May. As much as I love London and am happy I came back, the shine of the city lights is beginning to dim for me. I am growing to miss things about home I didn’t realize until a couple weeks ago (you can only go so long without La Jua’s!) and am looking forward to coming back to campus and seeing how this experience has shaped me. I am so thankful to have had this experience and I will bring some great memories and some lasting friendships back from this trip. If anyone has a desire to study abroad, I say take it if you can afford to. It’s a crazy opportunity that makes you appreciate what you have already and gives you the ability to tell some great stories when you are older.

See you when I see you,
Stephen Condon

Photos by Stephen Condon