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HC Ithaca Study Abroad: London 101, From the Pen of Sarah Parker

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Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Tessa Crisman
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ithaca chapter.

If there is one thing you should know before going to London, it is to look both ways before crossing the street. Besides the fact that people here drive on the other side of the road, they also drive faster, and a yellow light might as well be the same as a green one. When I’m not fearing for my life crossing the street, I am using London’s amazing public transportation system. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take the T-Cat again! The tube, or subway, is fast, reliable and easy to use. Unless it snows—then they shut down immediately. I have used the metro in Washington D.C., the T in Boston, and the infamous New York City subway, but none of them compare to the tube. Every station has a big, simple map by every train. The map shows every stop the train goes to, along with what trains you can transfer to at every stop. Every train is a different color and a nice voice comes over the loud speaker, that you can actually hear, at every stop, telling you where you are and what lines are available for transfer there. Why can’t navigating Whalen and Dillingham be this easy! The red double-decker busses are simple to use too. The tube closes at midnight, so learning what bus route will take you home is a must.

 

Where do I go on the fabulous transportation system, you ask? When I am not taking it to hip-hop karaoke or to find good-looking Australians, I am taking it to school and work. School is school. As always I don’t want to do my marketing reading. On the brighter side, I love my job so far! I am interning at an organization called Attend. It is a national charity organization and has over 700 member charities. I am working in their marketing department. I am currently working on their social media to create a cohesive online presence. On Friday I made a step-by-step guide on how to strategically link your Facebook, Twitter, and website.
 
Enough about school and work! I got really sick with mono the week after I got here, but I’ve managed to keep my spirits up and do some funs things. I went to an Arsenal game! Arsenal is my favorite football team and seeing them live was amazing! I saw Thierry Henry play and I felt like I was cured of mono for the day. It was an amazing day and Emirates Stadium is gorgeous! If you are not a football fan then I apologize for this means nothing to you, but for all you Arsenal fans out there I know you’re jealous, and I hope you get to see them play someday too! The cost of the ticket led me to eating bread and beans for a week, but it was worth it!

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Tessa Crisman is a sophomore (class of 2014) at Ithaca College, where she is studying as a sociology major with Spanish, environmental studies, and Latin American studies minors. Tessa is a Spanish and Arabic tutor for Ithaca College's Academic Enrichment Services, as well as a resident assistant for Residential Life. She is also an active member of IC Intercambios, which allows her to visit local farms to teach English to migrant workers, and of the Committee for Inclusive Education, a group promoting ethnic studies programs at Ithaca College and beyond. When she's not writing papers or handing out noise violations, Tessa enjoys knitting socks, going to the farmer's market, and dancing like there's no tomorrow. She plans to pursue a career in sustainable agriculture and food justice advocacy.