After taking three forms of transportation, I can easily say I am happy to be home. I have been back in the states for almost a week catching up with friends and family, and due to the craziness of reunions did not have time to write my last Study Abroad blog entry. Now that I finally have found the time, I will try and give an update of my last few weeks in London. I am having a hard time believing that my last update was almost a month ago!
Anyways, the vast majority of my last few weeks in London was spent "revising" (studying) for my last two exams and editing my final paper/presentation. Some of the most beautiful days in London I had to spend inside studying, but I know that the time I spent working will be worth it. I also was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shadow in Oncology for three days and in a HIV unit for one day. It was amazing having the chance to explore different areas of medicine and I could write pages about my experiences in each area. I loved being able to shadow so much while I was abroad (I've spent time in seven different departments), and cannot wait to share my experiences with medical schools.
In regards to more Londonesque experiences, I was fortunate enough to have my little in my sorority, Alexa F., visit me with her family. We spent a great day on May 15th exploring the Tower of London, eating amazing Italian food, and roaming around Notting Hill. Of course, I took her family to my favorite cupcake place, and they loved Hummingbird Bakery as much as I do. It was wonderful having Alexa in London, and I am so glad she got to experience one of my favorite cities.
Jason, Annie, and I also had a great time going to the Electric Ballroom in Camden where I saw my first indie rock concert on May 19th. I had never been to a concert in a standing only venue, and it was definitely a fun experience. I'm looking forward to going to more concerts this summer and learning more about different types of music. My friend from Case, Andrew I., also recommended a great restaurant in Camden called Belgos that Jason, Annie, and I frequented during my last few weeks. Along with having great meal deals during the week, they have the best Belgian mussles I had ever tasted. When I go back to London, I can guarantee I will be going back to that restaurant.
Once my last exam was over, Annie, her mother, and I went to go see Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on May 28th. I am so glad we had seats, because the groundlings were subjected to an experience that probably would have given me nightmares (look at my pictures on facebook if you want to see what I am talking about). It was definitely an experience, but I wish I would have seen a comedy instead of a tragedy since Macbeth was quite depressing. I'm glad I went though, and the Globe Theatre was everything I expected and more.
On my last Saturday in London (May 29th), my friend Dana and I went on a do-it-yourself Harry Potter walking tour. We were able to see all of the London film sites, including Gringotts Bank and the Ministry of Magic. We also explored Covent Garden and had a great time roaming around the city. I can't wait to re watch the films after seeing the film locations in London and Oxford. I also can't wait to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida this next year...its on my immediate to see list :).
The next day, I went to mass at St. Paul's and then to Spittafield's Market with Dana, Danielle, and her boyfriend Matt. St. Paul's was gorgeous and gigantic, and the boys and men's choir sounded absolutely lovely. While St. Paul's is Anglican, it was interesting to see the subtle differences between the Anglican and the Catholic faiths. Spittafield's Market was also wonderful and I was glad to have the opportunity to get some last minute unique gifts. While the market was more expensive than Notting Hill and Camden, the atmosphere was much nicer and the surrounding food stalls were wonderful.
I spent Monday exploring London with my favorite non-American friend, Veronika. We had a great time walking around the city and catching up on everything that had happened since break. I know when I go back to Europe she will be one of the first people I tell and I am so glad I can call her my friend.
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent preparing and giving my final presentation for the Practice of Medicine class. After all of our presentations were completed on Wednesday, our professor took our entire class out to an amazing dinner at Tas. I will miss that class so much, and am so happy I was able to take part in such an amazing experience abroad. I know we will have a Practice of Medicine reunion in a few years, and I cannot wait to see and hear how far my classmates have gone in life.
Finally, my last day in London was spent packing and exploring London for one last time with Danielle and her friends from the states. We ate at Borough Market, walked around the city, and went dancing at the Arches near my flat. I am so glad I was able to meet so many wonderful people, and I know my experiences with them have changed me for the better.
I don't doubt for a moment that studying abroad has changed me. I am so happy that I can look back and actually be able to say that I lived in London for five months. While it was hard being away from my friends and family, I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. I hope one day I will be able to go and visit London, but in the meantime I am grateful to be safely back in America. My travels have finally lead me home.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Papers, Tests, and Canterbury?
I am officially done with my first London final! Due to the fact that I have been studying, these last couple of weeks haven't been as eventful (but have definitely been productive!). For the most part, I have spent the majority of my days in coffee shops, either by myself or with Jason writing papers and "revising" for my exams. My favorite coffee shop so far is Toasted in Camden. They have amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and very nice couches. While I like studying in coffee shops, I am ready to go back to Kelvin Smith Library...I never thought I would miss Case's library!
While I have kept busy studying, I have had time for a little bit of fun since my finals are so spread out over the next few weeks. Two Wednesdays ago, I tried to go dancing at Fabric for student night with Jenni, Anna, Mitch, and Mitch's friend (Anna is in my Practice of Medicine Class and Mitch is her friend). While the club that we wanted to go to wasn't open, we had a fun night at Metra in Leichester Square. Hopefully I will have the chance to go to Fabric and the Ministry of Sound before I leave London since I hear they are memorable. Nevertheless, if I don't have the chance I won't be too heartbroken as I have had the chance to see so many other amazing things.
I have spent of time in Camden these past few weeks. Two weekends ago, I met up with Jason, Joelle, and Rich and enjoyed a great dinner at a Thai place in Camden. Camden by far is one of my favorite places in London due to its eclectic mix of restaurants and shops. Another recent Camden experience involved Bogo, where after studying all day last Monday with Jason, we went to Bogo for dinner and had the most amazing mussels. Bogo has a beat the clock menu from 5-7 during the week, making dinner at 5 only 5 pounds instead of 12 (which is the price after 7)! I definitely plan on going back before I leave, and I am so happy one of my med school friends told me about the restaurant.
Last Wednesday was also another exciting day, since immediately after class Anna and I headed to the Absolute Ice Bar where we met up with Jenni, Romy, Danielle, and Danielle's friend. Since all of us heard that it was a must see experience, we decided to check the restaurant out. While I forgot my camera in my flat, we all looked ridiculous due to the "designer ponchos" that kept us warm in the -5 degree room. Everything, from the bar, to the walls, to the glasses, was completely made out of ice. It was truly a "cool" experience and I am glad we succumbed to the tourist ideals. After the Ice Bar, Jenni and I headed over to Piccadilly to see Mamma Mia! Since I have been wanting to see Mamma Mia! since I came to London, I was incredibly happy that our student tickets got us the first row dress circle. I absolutely loved the show, and can see why Londoners love it so much. My favorite part was getting up and dancing at the end, and of course, listening to the music.
Finally, last weekend was truly wonderful as I went to see a friend's family in Deal. Just a two hour train ride away, Jenni and I went to Deal where we were picked up at the train station by Jean and Vaughn, my friend's family members who are living in England. They were so incredibly nice, and spoiled Jenni and I while they took us around their town of Deal and over to Canterbury and Dover. Deal is a beautiful sea side town in England, and we could see France from the beach that was two blocks away from their house! Their house was also amazing since it was a renovated church. On Saturday, along with seeing Deal, Jean and Vaughn took us to Canterbury were we saw Evensong as the cathedral and the Canterbury Tales exhibit. They also took us to dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. It was also so nice going back to their house and studying while drinking tea. We accomplished a lot at their house (surprisingly), and it was so nice to get a break from London. On Sunday, along with studying, they took us up to Dover Castle. While I had already been there, I hadn't seen the wartime tunnels. We also had a fun time in the main castle, especially since I got chosen to try on some mail and a steal helmet! Jenni and I also had a mock battle with real swords and definitely caused a crowd to gather. We had a great time, and I was so happy to get a little taste of a real home before I headed into finals.
These next few weeks are going to be filled with lots of studying, but I still have a lot to look forward to. I will be sad to leave June 4th, but at the same time, I can't wait to be home with my friends and family. Miss you all and sending lots of love!
While I have kept busy studying, I have had time for a little bit of fun since my finals are so spread out over the next few weeks. Two Wednesdays ago, I tried to go dancing at Fabric for student night with Jenni, Anna, Mitch, and Mitch's friend (Anna is in my Practice of Medicine Class and Mitch is her friend). While the club that we wanted to go to wasn't open, we had a fun night at Metra in Leichester Square. Hopefully I will have the chance to go to Fabric and the Ministry of Sound before I leave London since I hear they are memorable. Nevertheless, if I don't have the chance I won't be too heartbroken as I have had the chance to see so many other amazing things.
I have spent of time in Camden these past few weeks. Two weekends ago, I met up with Jason, Joelle, and Rich and enjoyed a great dinner at a Thai place in Camden. Camden by far is one of my favorite places in London due to its eclectic mix of restaurants and shops. Another recent Camden experience involved Bogo, where after studying all day last Monday with Jason, we went to Bogo for dinner and had the most amazing mussels. Bogo has a beat the clock menu from 5-7 during the week, making dinner at 5 only 5 pounds instead of 12 (which is the price after 7)! I definitely plan on going back before I leave, and I am so happy one of my med school friends told me about the restaurant.
Last Wednesday was also another exciting day, since immediately after class Anna and I headed to the Absolute Ice Bar where we met up with Jenni, Romy, Danielle, and Danielle's friend. Since all of us heard that it was a must see experience, we decided to check the restaurant out. While I forgot my camera in my flat, we all looked ridiculous due to the "designer ponchos" that kept us warm in the -5 degree room. Everything, from the bar, to the walls, to the glasses, was completely made out of ice. It was truly a "cool" experience and I am glad we succumbed to the tourist ideals. After the Ice Bar, Jenni and I headed over to Piccadilly to see Mamma Mia! Since I have been wanting to see Mamma Mia! since I came to London, I was incredibly happy that our student tickets got us the first row dress circle. I absolutely loved the show, and can see why Londoners love it so much. My favorite part was getting up and dancing at the end, and of course, listening to the music.
Finally, last weekend was truly wonderful as I went to see a friend's family in Deal. Just a two hour train ride away, Jenni and I went to Deal where we were picked up at the train station by Jean and Vaughn, my friend's family members who are living in England. They were so incredibly nice, and spoiled Jenni and I while they took us around their town of Deal and over to Canterbury and Dover. Deal is a beautiful sea side town in England, and we could see France from the beach that was two blocks away from their house! Their house was also amazing since it was a renovated church. On Saturday, along with seeing Deal, Jean and Vaughn took us to Canterbury were we saw Evensong as the cathedral and the Canterbury Tales exhibit. They also took us to dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. It was also so nice going back to their house and studying while drinking tea. We accomplished a lot at their house (surprisingly), and it was so nice to get a break from London. On Sunday, along with studying, they took us up to Dover Castle. While I had already been there, I hadn't seen the wartime tunnels. We also had a fun time in the main castle, especially since I got chosen to try on some mail and a steal helmet! Jenni and I also had a mock battle with real swords and definitely caused a crowd to gather. We had a great time, and I was so happy to get a little taste of a real home before I headed into finals.
These next few weeks are going to be filled with lots of studying, but I still have a lot to look forward to. I will be sad to leave June 4th, but at the same time, I can't wait to be home with my friends and family. Miss you all and sending lots of love!
Monday, 26 April 2010
An Amazing Eurotrip
I can honestly say I just went on a life changing adventure. After seeing 11 cities in three and a half weeks, I can't imagine how I could write everything that occurred on the trip in this blog. While I kept a diary while traveling, I would spend the next year typing up everything that has happened over the course of the past month. So, instead, I am going to advise my readers to look through my facebook photos, because pictures do speak a thousand words.
I will give the quick highlights of each city below, but I promise it will take at least one dinner or coffee date to begin explaining everything that happened :).
Tarragona, Spain: March 30~Seeing gorgeous roman ruins, sunlight, and palm trees for the first time since arriving in Europe
Barcelona, Spain: March 31-April 4~ Seeing all of Gaudis work, walking along La Ramblas, meeting up with old friends, and speaking the only English at the Sagrada Familia's Easter Mass
Zurich, Switzerland: April 5~ Going on a boat ride to see the Swiss Alps and having the most incredible Swiss cheese fondue for dinner
Florence, Italy: April 6-7~ Seeing Michelangelo's David, bargaining for leather goods in San Lorenzo, eating Gelato, and watching the sunset over the city
Rome, Italy: April 8-9~ Viewing the Roman Ruins and the Vatican...I have never been so proud to be Catholic :)
Naples, Italy: April 10~ Singing Italian songs, enjoying free pasta made by our lovely hostel owner, and enjoying pizza at the restaurant that invented the Calzone...the two hour wait was worth it!
Capri, Italy: April 11~ Taking a ferry, a boat, and a row boat into the Grotto Azzurra to see the bluest waters in the world, enjoying beautiful gardens, and walking along pebble beaches
Venice, Italy: April 12-13~ Walking along all the canals, enjoying more gelato, and shopping for glass on Murano Island
Vienna, Austria: April 14-15~ Visiting cafes where Mozart, Beethoven, and Freud used to sip coffees, eating lovely pastries, seeing beautiful churches and palaces, and enjoying a wonderful opera, orchestra, and ballet concert
Prague, Czech Republic: April 16-17~ enjoying the beautiful buildings, the sun, going on free tours, and swing dancing the night away in one of the worlds biggest clubs
Berlin, Germany: April 18-22~ getting stuck in the city due to the Icelandic Volcano, climbing the Reichstag, meeting Canadians, visiting Potsdam, seeing the Opera Tosca, visiting Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, going on an Alternative Tour, and walking along the Eastside Gallery
Once again, these are just some of the highlights of each city, and I could honestly talk for hours about each one. The trip was incredible, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to learn and explore the world.
A quick final note: After I got back in London, my friend Megan S. who is studying in Copenhagan, Denmark, came to visit me with one of her other friends. I had a great time showing them around this past weekend, and along with showing them a ton of sites that I had already visited, I got to see the Changing of the Guards, St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the Millennium Bridge, and Tate Modern for the first time. As always, I miss everyone and am looking forward to coming home in the beginning of June. I'm sending lots of love!
I will give the quick highlights of each city below, but I promise it will take at least one dinner or coffee date to begin explaining everything that happened :).
Tarragona, Spain: March 30~Seeing gorgeous roman ruins, sunlight, and palm trees for the first time since arriving in Europe
Barcelona, Spain: March 31-April 4~ Seeing all of Gaudis work, walking along La Ramblas, meeting up with old friends, and speaking the only English at the Sagrada Familia's Easter Mass
Zurich, Switzerland: April 5~ Going on a boat ride to see the Swiss Alps and having the most incredible Swiss cheese fondue for dinner
Florence, Italy: April 6-7~ Seeing Michelangelo's David, bargaining for leather goods in San Lorenzo, eating Gelato, and watching the sunset over the city
Rome, Italy: April 8-9~ Viewing the Roman Ruins and the Vatican...I have never been so proud to be Catholic :)
Naples, Italy: April 10~ Singing Italian songs, enjoying free pasta made by our lovely hostel owner, and enjoying pizza at the restaurant that invented the Calzone...the two hour wait was worth it!
Capri, Italy: April 11~ Taking a ferry, a boat, and a row boat into the Grotto Azzurra to see the bluest waters in the world, enjoying beautiful gardens, and walking along pebble beaches
Venice, Italy: April 12-13~ Walking along all the canals, enjoying more gelato, and shopping for glass on Murano Island
Vienna, Austria: April 14-15~ Visiting cafes where Mozart, Beethoven, and Freud used to sip coffees, eating lovely pastries, seeing beautiful churches and palaces, and enjoying a wonderful opera, orchestra, and ballet concert
Prague, Czech Republic: April 16-17~ enjoying the beautiful buildings, the sun, going on free tours, and swing dancing the night away in one of the worlds biggest clubs
Berlin, Germany: April 18-22~ getting stuck in the city due to the Icelandic Volcano, climbing the Reichstag, meeting Canadians, visiting Potsdam, seeing the Opera Tosca, visiting Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, going on an Alternative Tour, and walking along the Eastside Gallery
Once again, these are just some of the highlights of each city, and I could honestly talk for hours about each one. The trip was incredible, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to learn and explore the world.
A quick final note: After I got back in London, my friend Megan S. who is studying in Copenhagan, Denmark, came to visit me with one of her other friends. I had a great time showing them around this past weekend, and along with showing them a ton of sites that I had already visited, I got to see the Changing of the Guards, St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the Millennium Bridge, and Tate Modern for the first time. As always, I miss everyone and am looking forward to coming home in the beginning of June. I'm sending lots of love!
Monday, 29 March 2010
Rainbows in London
The last few weeks have been packed. While I feel like I haven't stopped, I'm leaving for Continental Europe tomorrow afternoon and wanted to update this before I left. I am so excited about my three week eurorail trip, and I can't wait to see so many different cities and countries. I'm going to keep my own travel journal while I'm gone, but I'll be sure to post the highlights and tons of pictures when I return :). I know I will be thinking about all of my friends and family while I am gone and wishing you were all here with me. I'm also sure I will be thinking about my finals that begin in six weeks, but since I've been keeping up with the work I'm sure those will go well.
Anyways, I will start where I left off on my last entry from Monday March 15th. Monday night I went out dancing at tigertiger with my friend Jenni and her boyfriend who was on spring break. Monday is tigertiger's student night, so cover was inexpensive and there were a ton of London students. I had a great time dancing and meeting people, and I know it is something I will want to do again before I leave this amazing city. While Tuesday was a quiet day, Wednesday was quite an interesting St. Patrick's Day. Along with having the Practice of Medicine class as normal, our class spent St. Patrick's Day at the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret where we got to see what surgery was like before the use of anaesthetics and antiseptics. It was an amazing museum, and I'd recommend it to any medical student who happens to come to London. Friday I had my lab practical in my physiology class, which was an interesting experience due to the fact that one of us had to preform an exercise test in order for the rest of us to determine their VO2max. My friend Danielle volunteered, and while I kept trying to cheer her on, I was only making her laugh...I'm just glad I didn't have to do the experiment! After class, Danielle and I met up with Danielle's friend on spring break and Danielle's boyfriend to have dinner at Bella Italia, an amazing London Italian chain restaurant. While the week was nice, the week to follow would be one of my favorites in London.
Filled with Brits and a phi mu, this past week was absolutely brilliant. Two Sundays ago, my friend Sulin invited me over to her London School of Economics Flat building where her British friends hosted a tea society. It was so cool getting to talk and play games with the English students, especially since my flat is not very conducive to meeting people. While I loved the tea and cakes, I loved the company more. I spent the rest of the day studying at Sulin's flat along with our friends Rich and Joelle, and went to dinner at Nando's for a tasty chicken dinner. Since last week was my last full week of classes, Monday and Tuesday were spent writing essays. Wednesday however, was absolutely amazing since along with shadowing in the minor injuries unit, I also got to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform Stravinsky's The Firebird. Joelle found cheap student tickets and I loved listening to the orchestra preform. After the concert, our group grabbed brownies with one of Jason's female friends from back home. She is actually going into the air force and I was impressed by her stories. Nevertheless, my favorite part of last week was the last few days when Alex A. came to visit.
Alex is another one of my sorority sisters from Case, and after she graduated from undergrad she decided to spend a year teaching English to French students in Paris. I loved having her visit, and right after class on Friday we began our adventure. On Friday, we roamed through Kensington gardens, saw beautiful rainbows, went to the Peter Pan Statue from Hook, ate cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery in Notting Hill, went window shopping on Oxford Street and Regent Street, had dinner in China Town with her French friend, and saw Chicago for half price. Our seats for Chicago were amazing, and while I'd seen the show in Cleveland, it didn't compare to the London performance. I also blew up an air mattress that I borrowed from Jenni by myself, and was quite proud of my accomplishment :). Saturday, we woke up early and went to platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station from Harry Potter and then made our way to Camden town where I got an amazing summer dress for just a few pounds. I then went back with her to Piccadilly Circus, stopping in Traflagar square to show her the lions and quatrefoils. While Alex spent the night with other friends, I did meet back up with her in the morning when we saw Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Both absolutely amazing sights, I loved learning about all of the history of the British royalty. My favorite part though was seeing a 530 karate white diamond, which is the biggest diamond with perfect clarity in the world. I was sad to leave Alex at the end of the day, but I know she had an amazing time in London.
Finally, last but definitely not least, today I accomplished one of my dreams in coming to London. I spent the entire day shadowing on Labor and Delivery at St. Thomas' Hospital. In total, I saw five healthy baby boys come into the world, three via cesarean and two using forceps. One of the forcep deliveries was meant to be a natural birth, and therefore the woman did not have an epidural...when I have babies I will definitely want an epidural haha. Also, it was really interesting to see the forcep deliveries because they are not typically used in America. Another interesting note was that they actually used heroine to give one of the women a spinal tap before the cesarean, which they would never do in the United States. I loved talking with all the doctors, junior doctors (residents), and the patients about the differences between the United States and the United Kingdom in regards to the birthing process. While I was tired and hungry after standing and not eating from 8:30-5:00 today, watching the beautiful babies being born was definitely worth it.
I'm going to miss London in these next few weeks, but I cannot wait to explore other parts of Europe. I'm sending lots of love across the ocean :) xx
Anyways, I will start where I left off on my last entry from Monday March 15th. Monday night I went out dancing at tigertiger with my friend Jenni and her boyfriend who was on spring break. Monday is tigertiger's student night, so cover was inexpensive and there were a ton of London students. I had a great time dancing and meeting people, and I know it is something I will want to do again before I leave this amazing city. While Tuesday was a quiet day, Wednesday was quite an interesting St. Patrick's Day. Along with having the Practice of Medicine class as normal, our class spent St. Patrick's Day at the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret where we got to see what surgery was like before the use of anaesthetics and antiseptics. It was an amazing museum, and I'd recommend it to any medical student who happens to come to London. Friday I had my lab practical in my physiology class, which was an interesting experience due to the fact that one of us had to preform an exercise test in order for the rest of us to determine their VO2max. My friend Danielle volunteered, and while I kept trying to cheer her on, I was only making her laugh...I'm just glad I didn't have to do the experiment! After class, Danielle and I met up with Danielle's friend on spring break and Danielle's boyfriend to have dinner at Bella Italia, an amazing London Italian chain restaurant. While the week was nice, the week to follow would be one of my favorites in London.
Filled with Brits and a phi mu, this past week was absolutely brilliant. Two Sundays ago, my friend Sulin invited me over to her London School of Economics Flat building where her British friends hosted a tea society. It was so cool getting to talk and play games with the English students, especially since my flat is not very conducive to meeting people. While I loved the tea and cakes, I loved the company more. I spent the rest of the day studying at Sulin's flat along with our friends Rich and Joelle, and went to dinner at Nando's for a tasty chicken dinner. Since last week was my last full week of classes, Monday and Tuesday were spent writing essays. Wednesday however, was absolutely amazing since along with shadowing in the minor injuries unit, I also got to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform Stravinsky's The Firebird. Joelle found cheap student tickets and I loved listening to the orchestra preform. After the concert, our group grabbed brownies with one of Jason's female friends from back home. She is actually going into the air force and I was impressed by her stories. Nevertheless, my favorite part of last week was the last few days when Alex A. came to visit.
Alex is another one of my sorority sisters from Case, and after she graduated from undergrad she decided to spend a year teaching English to French students in Paris. I loved having her visit, and right after class on Friday we began our adventure. On Friday, we roamed through Kensington gardens, saw beautiful rainbows, went to the Peter Pan Statue from Hook, ate cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery in Notting Hill, went window shopping on Oxford Street and Regent Street, had dinner in China Town with her French friend, and saw Chicago for half price. Our seats for Chicago were amazing, and while I'd seen the show in Cleveland, it didn't compare to the London performance. I also blew up an air mattress that I borrowed from Jenni by myself, and was quite proud of my accomplishment :). Saturday, we woke up early and went to platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station from Harry Potter and then made our way to Camden town where I got an amazing summer dress for just a few pounds. I then went back with her to Piccadilly Circus, stopping in Traflagar square to show her the lions and quatrefoils. While Alex spent the night with other friends, I did meet back up with her in the morning when we saw Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Both absolutely amazing sights, I loved learning about all of the history of the British royalty. My favorite part though was seeing a 530 karate white diamond, which is the biggest diamond with perfect clarity in the world. I was sad to leave Alex at the end of the day, but I know she had an amazing time in London.
Finally, last but definitely not least, today I accomplished one of my dreams in coming to London. I spent the entire day shadowing on Labor and Delivery at St. Thomas' Hospital. In total, I saw five healthy baby boys come into the world, three via cesarean and two using forceps. One of the forcep deliveries was meant to be a natural birth, and therefore the woman did not have an epidural...when I have babies I will definitely want an epidural haha. Also, it was really interesting to see the forcep deliveries because they are not typically used in America. Another interesting note was that they actually used heroine to give one of the women a spinal tap before the cesarean, which they would never do in the United States. I loved talking with all the doctors, junior doctors (residents), and the patients about the differences between the United States and the United Kingdom in regards to the birthing process. While I was tired and hungry after standing and not eating from 8:30-5:00 today, watching the beautiful babies being born was definitely worth it.
I'm going to miss London in these next few weeks, but I cannot wait to explore other parts of Europe. I'm sending lots of love across the ocean :) xx
Monday, 15 March 2010
Old Friends and New Places
No two weeks are ever the same in London. Last week was wonderful and busy, mostly as a result of shadowing physicians. As I posted in my last blog entry, I shadowed three doctors on Monday. However, in regards to unwritten experiences, last Wednesday I started the day shadowing in Neonatology in St. Thomas' Hospital with Anna C. It was really interesting to have the opportunity to explore the NICU and learn about some of the patients. Some of the most memorable parts for me included seeing notes from their parents posted on the walls. One of the dads even rewrote the song "Staying Alive" from his premature son's perspective. I also liked seeing some of the parents practicing Kangaroo Care, which is something I did research on at University Hospitals my freshman and sophomore years at Case.
After shadowing, Anna and I grabbed a quick bite before heading over to the Practice of Medicine Class. Immediately after class, I grabbed a tube to Victoria Station, where I was excited to see one of my sorority sisters Shauna G. Shauna was staying in South Hampton for spring break, and decided to see a concert in London with one of her friends last Wednesday night. Since I was seeing Wicked near the Victoria Station and she was arriving in London from the Victoria Station, we figured it would be the perfect place to meet up. I loved hearing stories from back home and talking to her English friend. We also had a pretty good dinner at Garfunkel's, which is a chain restaurant, before taking typical phi mu pictures and parting ways. I'm excited because I know I will be seeing at least one more phi mu sister in a few weeks when she comes to visit in London. Its so nice seeing faces from back home, and I love planning for visitors.
Once dinner was over, I rushed to the Apollo Theatre where I saw Wicked for the third time. (I'd already seen it in New York and Cleveland). Since its my favorite show, I, of course, thought it was wonderful, but the British accents definitely threw me off a bit. It was also really nice because since Butler organized it, the tickets were only 14 pounds which is significantly cheaper than anything I could have got on my own.
The rest of the week was pretty typical in that I had lots of classes and went to Borough Market for lunch on Friday. Saturday however, was our last pre-paid Butler trip, and we spent the day at Shepherd Neame Brewery and Dover Castle. While I was able to appreciate the history behind the oldest brewery in England, I'm not a beer drinker so the tasting aspect of the experience was not incredibly exciting. Dover Castle was beautiful though, and I wish we had more time to explore the grounds. Saturday was also Jason's 20th birthday, so Jason, Sulin, and I went to China Town in London to celebrate. I had a lot of different foods, including a preserved duck egg that Sulin told me was a century old. The day was also really nice because when I got home, I had a beautiful and tasty box of chocolates waiting for me from Jacob. I know I'm a lucky girl :).
Finally, Sunday (yesterday), I woke up early to grab brunch with Michele, Annie, Rebecca, and a few of Rebecca's friends. We went to this wonderful place on Bermondsey Street where I had fresh squeezed orange juice and eggs hollandaise. It was a very quaint restaurant, and I loved the huge windows. After brunch, Michele and I headed to the St. Patrick's Day festival and Parade in Trafalgar Square. While the parade was not exactly what I was expecting (I was thinking more along the lines of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade), we had a lot fun seeing the Irish dancers and eating tiny freshly made doughnuts. There were hundreds of thousands of people there, and it was incredible to be a part of something so big.
Since I only have two weeks left of classes before break begins, I know I will be spending a lot of time reading and writing. Nevertheless, I know I will continue exploring London and loving being abroad.
After shadowing, Anna and I grabbed a quick bite before heading over to the Practice of Medicine Class. Immediately after class, I grabbed a tube to Victoria Station, where I was excited to see one of my sorority sisters Shauna G. Shauna was staying in South Hampton for spring break, and decided to see a concert in London with one of her friends last Wednesday night. Since I was seeing Wicked near the Victoria Station and she was arriving in London from the Victoria Station, we figured it would be the perfect place to meet up. I loved hearing stories from back home and talking to her English friend. We also had a pretty good dinner at Garfunkel's, which is a chain restaurant, before taking typical phi mu pictures and parting ways. I'm excited because I know I will be seeing at least one more phi mu sister in a few weeks when she comes to visit in London. Its so nice seeing faces from back home, and I love planning for visitors.
Once dinner was over, I rushed to the Apollo Theatre where I saw Wicked for the third time. (I'd already seen it in New York and Cleveland). Since its my favorite show, I, of course, thought it was wonderful, but the British accents definitely threw me off a bit. It was also really nice because since Butler organized it, the tickets were only 14 pounds which is significantly cheaper than anything I could have got on my own.
The rest of the week was pretty typical in that I had lots of classes and went to Borough Market for lunch on Friday. Saturday however, was our last pre-paid Butler trip, and we spent the day at Shepherd Neame Brewery and Dover Castle. While I was able to appreciate the history behind the oldest brewery in England, I'm not a beer drinker so the tasting aspect of the experience was not incredibly exciting. Dover Castle was beautiful though, and I wish we had more time to explore the grounds. Saturday was also Jason's 20th birthday, so Jason, Sulin, and I went to China Town in London to celebrate. I had a lot of different foods, including a preserved duck egg that Sulin told me was a century old. The day was also really nice because when I got home, I had a beautiful and tasty box of chocolates waiting for me from Jacob. I know I'm a lucky girl :).
Finally, Sunday (yesterday), I woke up early to grab brunch with Michele, Annie, Rebecca, and a few of Rebecca's friends. We went to this wonderful place on Bermondsey Street where I had fresh squeezed orange juice and eggs hollandaise. It was a very quaint restaurant, and I loved the huge windows. After brunch, Michele and I headed to the St. Patrick's Day festival and Parade in Trafalgar Square. While the parade was not exactly what I was expecting (I was thinking more along the lines of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade), we had a lot fun seeing the Irish dancers and eating tiny freshly made doughnuts. There were hundreds of thousands of people there, and it was incredible to be a part of something so big.
Since I only have two weeks left of classes before break begins, I know I will be spending a lot of time reading and writing. Nevertheless, I know I will continue exploring London and loving being abroad.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Studying Medicine and Adventure Weekend in Wales
Once again, all I can say is wow :). These last two weeks have been incredibly packed, but I have been loving every minute of it. The main reason I didn't write last week is because I had my first paper due (yes I am working over here, haha), and had to devote a lot of time to researching and narrowing down a very broad topic for my sociological and psychological studies module. Along with writing the paper, the week after I got back from Dublin I had one of the most interesting Practice of Medicine classes so far. Paid, professional actors came in and gave the class different scenarios to work out in order to give us practice talking to patients. I'm happy to say I didn't have any problems with the task of dealing with a talkative patient, but it was interesting to watch a lot of my classmates go through the process and see how they dealt with different problems. I also had a lot of other good news last week, mainly in that I got accepted into the masters program in Bioethics at Case and that I am a grandbig in my sorority Phi Mu. In regards to the masters program, as a result of getting accepted into the Integrated Graduate Studies Program at CWRU, I will graduate with a B.A. in Psychology, two minors in chemistry and biology, and a M.A. in Bioethics all in four years. I am really excited about the masters since I have taken a few bioethics courses before and have absolutely loved them. I am also really excited to be a grandbig to Mara G., (Mara is my little's (Alexa F.'s) little) and am so happy that my sorority family is growing.
Last weekend, along with writing my paper, I spent Saturday exploring Portobello market in Notting Hill with a few friends. I didn't buy too much for myself, but I did manage to get another amazing cupcake from the Hummingbird bakery. The market was amazing and was filled with everything from vintage jewelery to freshly made crepes. There is still so much of London that I need to see, and I can't wait to spend a few weekends exploring. I also went on a hunt to watch the Canada vs. U.S. Gold metal hockey game on Sunday night which ended up turning into a night walk around London with another group of friends. We did eventually find a bar that was showing the game, but due to the building being filled to capacity and the fact that there was no places to sit, I ended up ducking out early. It was definitely an experience though, mainly because most people were rooting for Canada.
With paper writing and classes, this past week was mostly devoted to studying and writing. One of the coolest parts of the week was again the Practice of Medicine class where we learned how to take medical histories. The class was made even more exciting because the guest lecturer went to Case for his residency. I love how well known my undergrad institution is in the medical field and I hope it will assist me on my path to medical school.
All in all, my favorite parts in the past two weeks definitely occurred during the past few days. This past weekend I went to Wales for the IFSA Butler Adventure Weekend. Since the trip was originally included in our tuition fees, over 200 students studying abroad in London left Friday morning for a five hour coach ride to northern Wales. After arriving at the Queen Victoria Hotel in Llanberis, we had a buffet dinner and then had a pub quiz with various categories. While the hotel reminded me a little bit of the hotel from "The Shinning," I had a great time Friday night exploring the building and talking to one of my roommates for the weekend.
Saturday morning we had to be up bright and early for our two adventures. Since I registered early, I got my first choices and was able to go on the half day hike and go repelling. When I signed up for the half day hike, I was definitely thinking more along the lines of nature walk, but while my heart was racing, I made it to the top of one of the mountains in Snowdonia. I felt fantastic after the hike, and am hoping I get to do a little more hiking when I get back to the states. I also did repelling in the afternoon, which was a blast, even though I was admittedly a little scared. Since I've done repelling before in tenth grade, I knew what to expect. Nevertheless, standing on the side of a cliff made me over think my fear of heights. It was definitely worth it though, and I am so glad that Butler put this trip together for us since I would never have organized something like that on my own. Saturday night we had a wonderful dinner at the hotel and had a pretty amusing dance party afterwards. While the music was not exactly what the majority of us wanted to hear, we all had a good time dancing and meeting new people.
Sunday morning we woke up early for breakfast and headed to the seaside town of Llandudno before heading back to London. The town and the weather was beautiful, and I'm glad I got to walk along the pier and have inexpensive fish and chips. We then got back on the bus and went home, all while singing songs and catching up with people from the first orientation.
Finally, even though I was exhausted from the weekend, yesterday was absolutely incredible. I began my day at 6:30 in the morning, and saw two abdominal myomectomys (the removal of fibroids) for three hours, one cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with six bypass grafts for four and a half hours, and nine general practice consolations for three hours. While the abdominal myomectomys and gp consultations were incredibly interesting, my favorite part was definitely the cardiopumonary bypass surgery. Don't read the rest of this paragraph if you get squimish!!!! Anyways, Josh, another one of my classmates from the Practice of Medicine Class, and I were always positioned perfectly so that we could have easily reached out and touched everything during the surgeries. While I have seen a a ton of different Ob/Gyn surgeries, the bypass was so different than anything I had ever seen before. This was mainly because we saw them use a surgical saw to cut open the patent's sternum and then saw the lungs working and the heart pumping. Due to the surgery being a bypass, we also saw them shut the lungs and heart off while the cardiac surgeon placed grafts from the I.M.A.s, a radial artery, and a long saphgnous vein around the blockage in one of the arteries. Finally, it was incredible to see the surgeons tie the chest back together with surgical steel. It was so interesting, and all of the doctors were wonderful in that they answered all of my questions. I also liked how the doctors were listening to Led Zeppelin and ACDC while they were preforming the surgery since it reminded me of surgical experiences I have had while shadowing in the U.S.A. While the bypass surgery was a lot bloodier than I thought it would be, Josh and I learned so much that could not have been possibly taught in a classroom.
I am really excited about the rest of this week as well since I will be doing a lot more shadowing, seeing the musical Wicked again, and going on another day trip with Butler. I am definitely expecting the next few months to be even busier than then the first two, and I am so happy to have this opportunity to study abroad. Keep sending emails and I miss everyone back home in the U.S. :).
Last weekend, along with writing my paper, I spent Saturday exploring Portobello market in Notting Hill with a few friends. I didn't buy too much for myself, but I did manage to get another amazing cupcake from the Hummingbird bakery. The market was amazing and was filled with everything from vintage jewelery to freshly made crepes. There is still so much of London that I need to see, and I can't wait to spend a few weekends exploring. I also went on a hunt to watch the Canada vs. U.S. Gold metal hockey game on Sunday night which ended up turning into a night walk around London with another group of friends. We did eventually find a bar that was showing the game, but due to the building being filled to capacity and the fact that there was no places to sit, I ended up ducking out early. It was definitely an experience though, mainly because most people were rooting for Canada.
With paper writing and classes, this past week was mostly devoted to studying and writing. One of the coolest parts of the week was again the Practice of Medicine class where we learned how to take medical histories. The class was made even more exciting because the guest lecturer went to Case for his residency. I love how well known my undergrad institution is in the medical field and I hope it will assist me on my path to medical school.
All in all, my favorite parts in the past two weeks definitely occurred during the past few days. This past weekend I went to Wales for the IFSA Butler Adventure Weekend. Since the trip was originally included in our tuition fees, over 200 students studying abroad in London left Friday morning for a five hour coach ride to northern Wales. After arriving at the Queen Victoria Hotel in Llanberis, we had a buffet dinner and then had a pub quiz with various categories. While the hotel reminded me a little bit of the hotel from "The Shinning," I had a great time Friday night exploring the building and talking to one of my roommates for the weekend.
Saturday morning we had to be up bright and early for our two adventures. Since I registered early, I got my first choices and was able to go on the half day hike and go repelling. When I signed up for the half day hike, I was definitely thinking more along the lines of nature walk, but while my heart was racing, I made it to the top of one of the mountains in Snowdonia. I felt fantastic after the hike, and am hoping I get to do a little more hiking when I get back to the states. I also did repelling in the afternoon, which was a blast, even though I was admittedly a little scared. Since I've done repelling before in tenth grade, I knew what to expect. Nevertheless, standing on the side of a cliff made me over think my fear of heights. It was definitely worth it though, and I am so glad that Butler put this trip together for us since I would never have organized something like that on my own. Saturday night we had a wonderful dinner at the hotel and had a pretty amusing dance party afterwards. While the music was not exactly what the majority of us wanted to hear, we all had a good time dancing and meeting new people.
Sunday morning we woke up early for breakfast and headed to the seaside town of Llandudno before heading back to London. The town and the weather was beautiful, and I'm glad I got to walk along the pier and have inexpensive fish and chips. We then got back on the bus and went home, all while singing songs and catching up with people from the first orientation.
Finally, even though I was exhausted from the weekend, yesterday was absolutely incredible. I began my day at 6:30 in the morning, and saw two abdominal myomectomys (the removal of fibroids) for three hours, one cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with six bypass grafts for four and a half hours, and nine general practice consolations for three hours. While the abdominal myomectomys and gp consultations were incredibly interesting, my favorite part was definitely the cardiopumonary bypass surgery. Don't read the rest of this paragraph if you get squimish!!!! Anyways, Josh, another one of my classmates from the Practice of Medicine Class, and I were always positioned perfectly so that we could have easily reached out and touched everything during the surgeries. While I have seen a a ton of different Ob/Gyn surgeries, the bypass was so different than anything I had ever seen before. This was mainly because we saw them use a surgical saw to cut open the patent's sternum and then saw the lungs working and the heart pumping. Due to the surgery being a bypass, we also saw them shut the lungs and heart off while the cardiac surgeon placed grafts from the I.M.A.s, a radial artery, and a long saphgnous vein around the blockage in one of the arteries. Finally, it was incredible to see the surgeons tie the chest back together with surgical steel. It was so interesting, and all of the doctors were wonderful in that they answered all of my questions. I also liked how the doctors were listening to Led Zeppelin and ACDC while they were preforming the surgery since it reminded me of surgical experiences I have had while shadowing in the U.S.A. While the bypass surgery was a lot bloodier than I thought it would be, Josh and I learned so much that could not have been possibly taught in a classroom.
I am really excited about the rest of this week as well since I will be doing a lot more shadowing, seeing the musical Wicked again, and going on another day trip with Butler. I am definitely expecting the next few months to be even busier than then the first two, and I am so happy to have this opportunity to study abroad. Keep sending emails and I miss everyone back home in the U.S. :).
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Dancing around Dublin
I love studying abroad! This week was quite brilliant and was complete with cool classes, shadowing English doctors, and going to Ireland. Every Wednesday is my Practice of Medicine Class, and last week, as apart of the class, we went to the Tate Britain to go look at a painting of "The Doctor" by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes. It was an cool class because along with learning about the painting, we also learned about observation techniques and getting accurate data. I also thought our guest lecturer was quite fascinating because along with being a doctor, she had an impressive amount of knowledge regarding a lot of the paintings in the famous museum. I even got to see and explain "Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais to the rest the class. I am really excited about tomorrow's lecture though because professional actors are coming in to teach us how to communicate with patients. The class type seems to be similar to when I participated in "Behind Closed Doors" as an RA, and I am sure we will all get a few laughs out of pretending to be doctors with difficult patients.
Immediately after class on Friday, Jason and I headed off to Dublin, Ireland. It was quite an adventure to get there, because in order to get to the city, I had to take the tube to the bus station, a bus to the airport, a plane to Ireland, and another bus to Dublin. Once we got into the city, we went to a traditional Irish pub called the Blarney Inn. At the pub, I order the best fish and chips I have had so far. We then went to the Porterhouse where we met quite a few interesting people. My favorite encounter from the night had to be meeting a couple from Dublin. The man told me that along with looking like I was 12 that I also looked like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. His date disagreed with him on both accounts, but nevertheless the experience was quite amusing. We then made our way to the Four Courts Hostel, which was a very clean and friendly place. It was nice staying there for a few nights in a row, purely because we could safely leave our backpacks in secure areas.
Saturday morning we explored the city. Sadly, we could not a find information about the free tour, so instead we walked around and saw the city on our own in the morning. It was such a beautiful sunny day, and it was one of the first sunny days I have seen since I arrived in Europe. As always, I took a ton of pictures that I posted on facebook. We saw beautiful churches, gorgeous shopping streets, green parks, and various monuments. We also saw Trinity College, which was a fascinating campus. After we were done exploring, Jason and I made our way over to the Guinness Storehouse. While I am not a beer drinker, the place was amazing and had 7 stories of interactive exhibits. My favorite part was learning how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. The secret is waiting two minutes in between pours to provide the thick creamy layer at the top of the pint. I didn't drink much of my complementary pint because I was not a big fan of the taste, but I did give it away to a girl who was more than happy to drink it. After we were done at the museum, we went to an Italian restaurant where I ordered Irish Salmon that also incredibly fresh. However, one of the my favorite experiences was when we decided to go to the International Comedy Club. The place was packed with Dubliners, and we quickly learned that we were the only Americans in the place. Of course, we did not identify ourselves in fear of getting ridiculed, but many American jokes were made, mostly about how we didn't drink nearly enough :-P.
Since we had seen the majority of Dublin on Saturday, Jason and I decided to participate in a day trip to Wicklow and Glendalough to see mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and greenery. Since there was only room for 14 people in the van, all of us got really close and I made a few friends. I even met few other American girls, Annie and Michele. It was really cool meeting them because they were also studying in London. Annie even lives in the building next to my building! The all day trip was so nice because we were able to get out of cities for a day, and all the views were breathtaking. Our driver/tour guide was such an incredibly nice old Irish man, and he reminded me a lot of my Grandpa Ray. He was always giving us wisdom, and told us that just by going on the trip we added 3 months to our lives (since we breathed such pure air).
That night after we got back, Jason, Annie, Michele, and I went to the Arlington Hotel for Live Irish music and dancing. I was so excited to see Irish dancing because I have always loved watching Riverdance. The show was everything I hoped it would be, and all in all, the weekend was truly a success. We had an amazing time, but I am looking forward to spending next weekend at home in London.
Finally, my other last bit of exciting news is that yesterday I shadowed an English doctor for the first time with Cliff (Cliff goes to school with me at CWRU too). We saw a variety of patients, with some being very serious and others being quite jovial. I can't wait to do more shadowing, and I am so excited to be learning so many wonderful things. I love this experience, and everyday I am thankful that I have this opportunity to study abroad.
Immediately after class on Friday, Jason and I headed off to Dublin, Ireland. It was quite an adventure to get there, because in order to get to the city, I had to take the tube to the bus station, a bus to the airport, a plane to Ireland, and another bus to Dublin. Once we got into the city, we went to a traditional Irish pub called the Blarney Inn. At the pub, I order the best fish and chips I have had so far. We then went to the Porterhouse where we met quite a few interesting people. My favorite encounter from the night had to be meeting a couple from Dublin. The man told me that along with looking like I was 12 that I also looked like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. His date disagreed with him on both accounts, but nevertheless the experience was quite amusing. We then made our way to the Four Courts Hostel, which was a very clean and friendly place. It was nice staying there for a few nights in a row, purely because we could safely leave our backpacks in secure areas.
Saturday morning we explored the city. Sadly, we could not a find information about the free tour, so instead we walked around and saw the city on our own in the morning. It was such a beautiful sunny day, and it was one of the first sunny days I have seen since I arrived in Europe. As always, I took a ton of pictures that I posted on facebook. We saw beautiful churches, gorgeous shopping streets, green parks, and various monuments. We also saw Trinity College, which was a fascinating campus. After we were done exploring, Jason and I made our way over to the Guinness Storehouse. While I am not a beer drinker, the place was amazing and had 7 stories of interactive exhibits. My favorite part was learning how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. The secret is waiting two minutes in between pours to provide the thick creamy layer at the top of the pint. I didn't drink much of my complementary pint because I was not a big fan of the taste, but I did give it away to a girl who was more than happy to drink it. After we were done at the museum, we went to an Italian restaurant where I ordered Irish Salmon that also incredibly fresh. However, one of the my favorite experiences was when we decided to go to the International Comedy Club. The place was packed with Dubliners, and we quickly learned that we were the only Americans in the place. Of course, we did not identify ourselves in fear of getting ridiculed, but many American jokes were made, mostly about how we didn't drink nearly enough :-P.
Since we had seen the majority of Dublin on Saturday, Jason and I decided to participate in a day trip to Wicklow and Glendalough to see mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and greenery. Since there was only room for 14 people in the van, all of us got really close and I made a few friends. I even met few other American girls, Annie and Michele. It was really cool meeting them because they were also studying in London. Annie even lives in the building next to my building! The all day trip was so nice because we were able to get out of cities for a day, and all the views were breathtaking. Our driver/tour guide was such an incredibly nice old Irish man, and he reminded me a lot of my Grandpa Ray. He was always giving us wisdom, and told us that just by going on the trip we added 3 months to our lives (since we breathed such pure air).
That night after we got back, Jason, Annie, Michele, and I went to the Arlington Hotel for Live Irish music and dancing. I was so excited to see Irish dancing because I have always loved watching Riverdance. The show was everything I hoped it would be, and all in all, the weekend was truly a success. We had an amazing time, but I am looking forward to spending next weekend at home in London.
Finally, my other last bit of exciting news is that yesterday I shadowed an English doctor for the first time with Cliff (Cliff goes to school with me at CWRU too). We saw a variety of patients, with some being very serious and others being quite jovial. I can't wait to do more shadowing, and I am so excited to be learning so many wonderful things. I love this experience, and everyday I am thankful that I have this opportunity to study abroad.
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