From Mining to Ice Skating- Elizabeth Schofield

Hello Everyone!

My name is Elizabeth Schofield. I am currently majoring in Marketing at UT and I am beyond excited to be spending this semester in London.

Well, as of today we all officially survived one week in London!

We all have been taking advantage of our new digs! Most of the flats have even come up with names. My flat, Flat Thirteen, decided to be called "The Mine". Due to the fact that we all feel like dwarfs with our low,slanted ceilings and the fact that are flat stays fairly dark... giving the illusion that we are the dwarfs from Snow White working in a mine.

So far, we've gone on many adventure my favorite being going ice skating at the Somerset House. I'm kind of a dork when it come to how much I love all things winter, so when I heard that we were going ice skating I was elated. The Somerset House is a beautiful old government building that dates back to Elizabeth I, basically a beautiful building that could only be made more beautiful with an ice skating rink in the middle of it.

This was one of my first realizations that I was not in Knoxville anymore. One month ago, I was skating on the tiny ice rink and market square. Now, I'm ice skating over 3,000 miles away in a city with more history than I can imagine.

Over the next four months I cannot wait to see what other adventures London has in store!
- Elizabeth

Rise Again - Laura Beth

I’m obsessed with watching the underlying rhythms of areas I’m an outsider in. Whether it’s the dark effects of slavery in Haiti or more mundane like the fashion of New York and Rome, teasing out these undertones is my favorite thing to do while traveling.

Before coming to London, various people suggested to me that the UK was an nation in spiritual decline. Some said the land of Christian epics like Wycliffe and Tyndale had lost its curiosity and openness towards religion. Many Americans had the perception the UK was as a land of people uninterested in anything beyond the history of religion in their land.

Eager to seek out any remnants of religious fervor I found a church nearby and decided to give it a try. As soon as I reached the doors I knew at least some of the perceptions I had heard were far off the mark. The packed theater looked to be mostly college-aged, modern music with a religious twist came from the speakers, and the crowd had more ethnic diversity than I have seen before or since here in London. Most surprisingly, the service itself had the most responsive audience of any religious service I have attended during two decades in the Bible Belt.

While staring at a New Testament copy from 350 A.D. in the British Library, I concluded the UK has a much more complex relationship with Christianity than I was told. The British do have significant influence in the history of Christianity, but it appears there is a group of Brits my age ready to write their own chapter.

Starters - Harris Smith

For those of you new to our GLS blog, welcome.

To those of you returning, welcome back to some interesting adventures with even more interesting people.

To introduce myself, I am a University of Tennessee sophomore that hails from Smyrna, Tennessee. I am pursuing finance within the Haslam College of Business at UT and am using this London experience to expand my skills in international business as well. I pride myself on being able to learn and adapt on my feet, and this experience is sure to put that to the test.

I come to London looking to experience a new culture, thrive in a major world city, and grow as an individual before I return to the States. After my recent arrival, I have started to see the early formations of what could be an incredible semester, and I have nothing but excitement for the months ahead.

Stay tuned for some updates on more happenings across the pond.

Chilling in the Dojo - Troy Galyon

After all of the anticipation, we finally made it! We ate with Dr and Mrs Mee yesterday, and classes started today. We have taken tours and seen a lot of sights already! Pretty fun experience so far. I am in flat 8 with Eric Peters, Eric Alley, Harris Smith, Whit Emerson, and Will Gass. We have named our  flat the Ocho Dojo because it is flat 8, and we have all decided that we will open the first in-flat American Dojo in London. Our first class met this morning. We are all planning out our spring break trips, and we have groups going everywhere it seems. From Portugal to Poland, from Dubai to Dublin, the GLS fam is going to take on what seems like every continent. We are practically British already.

This is Troy, signing off.

London Day 3- Rani Zaouk

Dear readers,

I am a sophomore at the University of Tennessee currently majoring in Finance and International Business. I am from Lebanon, yes the country, and lived there for most of my life. I moved to Knoxville a couple of weeks before school started Fall 2013 and did not know anyone at UT. I did not know what GLS was however, the moment an older GLS student told me about the program, I had to apply and become part of this unique experience.

So far, London has amazed me with its live entertainment and historic character. It's a global city that has modern buildings next door to 17th century cathedrals and historic universities are everywhere around the Bloomsbury district. Every part of London has its own taste to offer with a particular statue, Bloomsbury is mostly for students, Westminster is surrounded by politicians and business men and Soho is know for its artsy statue.

Since Day 1, I have been walking around our area to centralize myself and know my way around the city. Everyday we walk further from our Study center, discover new places and find the most iconic places that represent London. Today we went ice skating at the Somerset House. It was one of my best ice skating experiences I have ever had.

More stories are to come later on from your favorite blogger around,

Thank you, 

Rani Zaouk

First Week in London-Adam Miller

Greetings from London,

I’m Adam Miller from Kingsport, Tennessee and majoring in Supply Chain Management. It is hard to believe the third full day in London has already passed. From (accidently) breaking the light in our flat’s dining room, enjoying fish and chips, and quickly learning to always bring a rain jacket with me, it is clear that this will be a memorable semester.

I’ll be working at Maxus Global, a marketing firm here in London, beginning in March. I look forward to meeting new people and traveling to a few different countries during my time here.

Today we went on a historical tour of the Bloomsbury district and got to ice skate at Somerset House. I am excited for the adventures that lie ahead!

-Adam Miller 

 

Exploring London -Hannah Dunbar

Hey!
My name is Hannah Dunbar, and I am considering majoring in Economics with a minor in Food Science.  I am so excited to start this adventure and cannot wait for what the semester has in store. My first interesting experience occurred when we reached customs at the Heathrow Airport. The security guard's computer messed up and could not interpret my visa so they had to detain me. It was a complete misunderstanding, but nerve-racking all the same.

 The past few days have been full of tours and excursions around Bloomsbury. Today, we went on a walking tour and saw Charles Dickens home and the park Virginia Woolf walked in. I am excited for the rest of the semester and to explore London.

-Hannah Dunbar