Hello Collegiettes!
My name is Emily Featherston, and I am currently on day three of my spring semester studying in London!
To give a little background on me, I am a junior Communication and Media Studies major at Fordham University, originally from Massachusetts. This semester I am doing an Internship Program in London through Boston University. My program is split so that half the semester I will be taking classes in a journalism track, and the second half I will be placed at an internship.
 I arrived in London on January 15th, after a difficult parting with friends and family. The last few weeks after leaving Fordham for the fall semester had been somewhat difficult for me. I began to feel a little doubt in my decision realizing I wouldn’t be around for the semester at Fordham, and that I wouldn’t be able to visit home. I began to wonder, will I be able to do this?
Any bit of doubt quickly slipped from my mind once I got in the cab on route to my dorm. The city is incredibly beautiful and I couldn’t wait to explore.
Unfortunately I did have to wait, about two whole days. The first two days in London were packed with scheduled orientation events, so we didn’t really do much sight-seeing except for touring the immediate area I am living in: South Kensington. The only explorations I made were to the grocery store and to Boots, the “CVS-like” store of London, to find a hair dryer (The necessities of course).
Today we finally ventured into Central London via the Tube, London’s equivalent to the subway. One major different between London public transportation and that I am accustomed too in New York and Boston? It is amazingly clean. There is no trash to be found anywhere, and the trains themselves are very comfortable and feature cushioned seats. After getting off the Tube our program went on a frigid boat tour on the Thames River to see the sights: Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, and so on. Â
I was completely overwhelmed from the moment I exited the Tube station. Â I had to step back for a minute to let it sink in that his incredible city is going to be my home for the next four months. Â It is still kind of hard to believe.
The tour concluded by dropping us off in Greenwich, home of the Meridian line, so I got to stand in two different hemispheres at once! We also went to the National Maritime Museum for free! (Fun information I recently learned is that museums in London are free, which is great for a collegiette trying to save money!) We also just spent a great deal of time walking around Greenwich park at sunset, which was a breathtaking sight to take in.  The park is also going to be the home to the Equestrian competitions during the upcoming summer Olympics.
Classes start Thursday and I have a daytrip planned to Windsor Castle this weekend, so tune in next week for that! I also should be finding out my internship placement within the next two weeks. I hope you all enjoy following my adventures and experiences throughout this semester!
Until Next Time,
Emily