Time Flies When You're Having Fun - Maddie Rule

Wow, I absolutely cannot believe that I have been living in London for two weeks!  This experience still seems unreal!  Now that I’ve been here, I’ve toured London, seen Big Ben, went to Scotland, visited numerous museums, taken two stats exams, went to Cambridge, and now I’m planning a trip to Paris.  This is completely insane from what I would otherwise be doing at home.  I am so glad that I was able to have this experience with all of my amazing GLS fam.  Each and every member brings a fun and exciting element to the group that impacts the trip every day.  I love that we anyone can say, “Hey, let’s go do something” and everyone is on board!  We function just like a family would and should, and it is fantastic when living away from your actual family.  I can’t wait to continue on this awesome journey! Cheers for now!

- Maddie Rule

Beginnings, Broken Hearts, and Wimbledon - Eric Peters

Buckingham. Piccadilly. Westminster. Names in this city. Names of places, buildings in London that conjure up images of greatness, of heritage. This is where we, the GLS class of 2017, now live, in the Bloomsbury District, in the old world. 

Entering into our third week of our stay here in Britain, I, Eric Peters (Economics and Philosophy), find myself finally coming to grips with my present reality. London is a masterpiece, containing frescoes of steel and mortar. We live a dream. A blessing. 

As we settle in more, we all are beginning to find our own rhythms of life. Personally, between classes I have found a local Italian cafe and frequent it daily for much needed introspection, rest, and green tea. London is a very good setting for things like that. I like that. 

However, despite the constant clouds and threat of rain, London is an exciting place, full of adventures and possibilities. For me, I have made journeys to a number of places in my short time here: Cambridge University, The Imperial War Museum, British National Museum, Dunnhumby Analytics, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Wimbledon. Of all of these places I have ventured so far, I believe that my trip to find glory at Wimbledon has definitely been my favorite so far. It all started out so innocently...

So, the previous day, while in my quiet time in the cafe, the grand idea came to me that while in London, I have access to some of the world's premier investment banks, like Goldman Sachs and UBS. Actually being able to visit these prestigious employers seemed too good of an idea to pass up, so I set myself on visiting the Goldman Sachs International location on Fleet Street. I decided that the next day I would go to Goldman Sachs and see Wimbledon.

So, Friday, as I walked up to what I assumed was Goldman, I rehearsed my script... I had no script. I did not have a resume. I had nothing to distinguish myself. However, I did have a well-pressed shirt on and undeniable amounts of charm. That was sure to be enough right? 

Goldman Sachs International: The Evil Empire

I soon found myself in front of a massive unmarked building, which seemed to be the address Google had given me for Goldman. They had doors, more accurately gates, all barred and closed off to the outside world. As I pondered how to infiltrate the corporate giant before me, I became aware of an unassuming set of revolving doors to my right. Looked good enough. I strolled over and noticed a squatty, middle-aged Italian man standing close to the door, almost like a guard... He was a guard. Fantastic. I can get by him, how hard can it be? The following is a transcript of our dialogue:

Squatty, Unassumingly Intimidating Guard: Are you looking for something?

Me: Yes! Goldman Sachs!

Squatty, Unassumingly Intimidating Guard: ...... What are you looking for?

Me: .................................. Goldman Sachs.

Squatty, Unassumingly Intimidating Guard: Well, we own this whole city block. What are you looking for?

Me: Oh, um, well, I, um, am looking for the front desk. 

Squatty, Unassumingly Intimidating Guard: Do you have an appointment?

Me: ............................................................................................. ah, about that....... Not exactly. Ok, look here, working for Goldman Sachs has always been my dream. I am studying abroad here and I am from the states. I just want to be able to talk to someone about what you all do and learn more about investment banking..... (cheesy smile)

Squatty, Unassumingly Intimidating Guard: ......... Well, that's what the website is for.

Me:.............................ah.............. yes. So, um, can I come in?

Squatty, Unassumingly Intimidating Guard: No.

And that was it. No Goldman Sachs. No job. No talking to receptionist. Nothing. I didn’t even make it in the front doors. Yeah, my heart broke right there on the horribly grey sidewalks of Fleet Street. Dreams - shattered. Life value- questioned. Ok, that might be a little far, but it was disheartening. So, what better way to combat sadness? Go find the home of champions, Wimbledon, and revitalize yourself by experiencing a hundred years of tennis excellence. 

So, I did just that, riding the tube all the way out to the tube station labeled Wimbledon on the map. I naively assumed that if tube said "Wimbledon," the tennis center must be right there. Wrong. So wrong. Wimbledon is a neighborhood. The tennis Mecca - nowhere in sight. Splendid. I did not plan this out well. I was hopelessly unaware and slightly lost. So, I started asking around in businesses if they knew how to get there. The first three employees I asked told me they had never been and had no idea how to get there. Ok. Sure. Of course you haven't. It is not like there isn’t a globally televised sporting event hosted here every year. The fourth business finally contained someone who had heard of my famous destination. They pointed out a sign on the street behind me which stated "Wimbledon Tennis Center - 28 Minutes Walking." Well. I had already made it this far out here. I was going to see some tennis today. So, I ran, in full business casual clothes, impatient and ready to see tennis, for 20 minutes before finding a bus to take me the rest of the way. I was nice and sweaty. J

Two hours after leaving the study centre, I made it to Wimbledon. I did it. Goldman may have brushed me off, but Centre Court did not. What a stunning sight. Federer, Nadal, Murray. All of the greats have played here. Wow.

Panorama of Centre Court. 

An hour later, I left refreshed and energized. Another hour later, I was back at the study centre. What a day, what a tale. So, there is story of my favorite adventure thus far across the pond. The lesson learned: If you don't succeed, go explore and get hopelessly lost. Maybe you'll find something worth remembering. Maybe you’ll discover something about yourself. Maybe I don't want to work for Goldman. Maybe that's not me. Maybe I want something more. Hmm. Regardless, those are questions for another day. Adventure on. 

Getting Cultured.

A Taste For Adventure - Jen Moseley

The best adventures end in treasure, and today mine came in the form of roti followed by Brazilian churros.

Found in the charming neighborhood of Camden Town, the cradle of alternative rock in the UK, Camden Lock Market, is the perfect place to appreciate London’s multiculturalism at its best. Whether you are looking for handcrafted furniture, artisanal leather or some of the best street food you can find, Camden Market has you covered. 

We bypassed the clothing stalls as we were on a mission to satisfy our grumbling stomachs, and Camden Lock did not disappoint. Following our noses, we rounded the corner to what could only be described as chaos; utter, beautiful, delicious chaos.  There were scattered stalls of street vendors exhibiting their home countries delicacies, and we were anxious to try them all.

After wandering all the stalls, it was time to make the hardest decision to date: what to eat. We settled on Roti, a traditional Pakistani street food, from “Food in the Middle – Roti House” where I devoured (or should I say inhaled?) a vegetable roti wrapped in garlic naan, complete with added onions, lettuce, garlic yogurt sauce, spicy chili sauce and of course my main staple in life: cheese.

As if this wasn’t enough to fill our stomachs to the brim, it was time for dessert. We had passed a Brazilian churro stall when we first entered and I knew that was where I was destined to eat next. I opted for a cinnamon sugar churro filled half and half with traditional dulce de leche and brigadeiro chocolate sauce. I couldn’t pass down an opportunity to indulge some more, so I washed this all down with a Brazilian soda called “Guarana”, and finally hit cloud nine.

Tune in next time for some more adventures, if I ever get out of this food coma..

xoxo Jen Girl

Visiting Dunbar- Hannah Dunbar

On a whim, a few of us scholars decided to visit Edinburgh, Scotland this past weekend. After our business site visit to Dunnhumby, a group of us left for an 8 hour overnight bus ride, only to arrive back the following Monday morning an hour and half before class. Scotland was an adventure to remember. We arrived in Edinburgh Saturday morning and decided to hike Arthurs Seat. The view was breathtaking! The rest of day we toured the Edinburgh Castle, visited ruins that were centuries old, and ate at a local pub. And I must say, High Street Hostel is super nice! The most memorable and special part of this journey was voyaging to a small town named Dunbar.

When I was a little girl, my father told me that our heritage was part Scottish; I remember hearing about a small town in Scotland named Dunbar. I always thought that was a coincidence  but later researched that my family is part of the Dunbar clan which originated in Dunbar. One of my friends on the trip found out that the town Dunbar was only twenty minutes by train from Scotland! So, Sunday morning, we set out to explore the countryside of Scotland.

Dunbar has a small harbor and is known for the Dunbar Castle which was one of the "mightiest" Scottish castles in the 11th century. Because of this, it was a strong fortress in the Middle Ages. John Muir, the Scottish- American naturalist, was born there. Muir is known for his work in Yosemite National Park. The Muir Woods located in Marin County, California is named after him. Dunbar also had the oldest Methodist Church in Scotland. Raised Methodist, I found this especially interesting.

Our weekend trip to Scotland was a great way to start our first week abroad, and we made it back to London in time for Statistics class.

14 boxes of cereal in flat 14 - Maggie Mobley

With some free time this weekend I got to see a lot of the city (and rode the tube by myself for the first time)! On Saturday, we went to Borough Market which is a food market by the Shard and I got a delicious chicken sandwich. Then I went over to Piccadilly Circle and walked from Hyde Park down to Buckingham Palace. I then walked to Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. For dinner I went to a little Asian street restaurant and after Ross got his food they brought out a bowl of water. We pondered for a few minutes what to do with the bowl of water then decided to ask the waitress who told us if was for washing your hands after eating.

Sunday I walked over to Tower Bridge and the globe theatre followed by the London Eye. On Monday night I took a break from stats homework and saw Wicked!

During the process of writing this post, we have added to our collection and now have 15 boxes of cereal. Here is proof (we had 18 at one point).

Ross with the water bowl 

Big Ben and Parliament from the London Eye

Wicked at the Apollo-Victoria Theatre

A Girl Named Tennessee - Laura Beth

I should preface this by saying I’ve never been the homesick type. After my work in Spain, my parents and friends at this point surely must be used to me being an ocean away. That being said, it’s amazing what feeling like I’m at home in Tennessee can do to my brighten my day.

Living in a big city can seem soul-sucking compared to the land of sweet tea and southern hospitality I come from. Typical of an urban atmosphere, London is in a hurry and signs of nature are few and far between. That’s why it was wonderful to travel to Scotland and after an all-night bus ride immediately hike up to King Arthur’s Seat, a hike that ends in a view of Edinburg on one side and a vast expanse of water on the other.

In my flat I have a calendar of Tennessee my roommate gave me before I left, and when I see it I am reminded of everything I love about Knoxville’s culture and natural beauty. I really only know the places I travel because I can compare them to Tennessee. London would be a big city, but the accents wouldn’t stand out as much and the pace of life wouldn’t seem as fast without Knoxville to compare it to. Likewise Scotland’s friendly citizens and beautiful overlooks wouldn’t have felt so wonderfully like home. I see some people shrink away from their small hometowns, but for me no matter where I go I’ll happily give in to finding all the reflections of Tennessee.

From London to Edinburgh - Troy Galyon

I've always been a fan of travel. All I was able to talk about for the year before London was finally being able to experience everything that I am experiencing now. I also like to think that I am an optimist. I have made it my goal while in London to never have a bad moment, and because I think happiness is a state of mind, everything so far has been an incredible experience for me.

Scotland's National Monument

Surprisingly, my most amazing moment that has happened yet wasn't in London. It was instead on Arthur's Seat in Scotland. The hour walk from our hostel seemed like it would end with us not reaching the top until we finally found the path and then ran into our friends that made it to the top earlier in the morning.  The view from the top of the mountain was one like no other I've experienced before. It was the combination of amazing natural beauty and landscape mixed with incredible architecture from hundreds of years ago. 

Arthur's Seat

Like many of my peers, I feel like London is becoming my home more and more each day. We have only had two weekends abroad, but it already feels like we have been here for months. I am astounded by how much fun I am having while experiencing the culture and tradition of Europe. I can already tell it is going to be hard adjusting to Knoxville when I am there again because easy, affordable travel is spoiling me here. Also, the food is incredible. Food is my favorite part of the journey, and I've already been able to try a traditional English Breakfast as well as Scotland's main treat Haggis. 

English Breakfast

The fam takes on Cambridge this weekend, so I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure they'll offer me free tuition once they see me though. Until next time, Troy signing off.