Students @ Schreyer Honors College, Penn State

Apologies for the long delay in posting! It has been a wonderful and fascinating time here at the University of Kent. Here are all the details about what I have been up to so far:

I arrived here in the UK on January 9. It was almost like starting college all over again, except I was in a foreign country. I didn’t know anyone except for a few other Penn Staters, and of course, I didn’t know my way around at all. I am living in a house on campus this semester, and I live with four other people. Two are Americans, one is French, and the fourth is Italian. This means that on a day-to-day basis, I get exposed to other language, foods, and recently, heated political points of view.

The town of Canterbury is simply incredible. The famous cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England, and it is the site where St. Thomas Becket was murdered centuries ago. The cathedral is the largest building in town by far; at night, it is lit up and looks absolutely stunning. The university sits on a hill that looks directly into the town, providing an excellent view of the cathedral at any time of day. The town itself is small but lively. Of course, there are many pubs that range from the traditional (Simple Simon’s) to the punk and alternative (The Hobgoblin). On High Street (the English term for the main street), there are many shops. This street is always bustling with people during the day. Unfortunately, things close pretty early here. After 6, usually only pubs and restaurants will be open.

So far, I have traveled to Whitstable, which is a small, charming town on the North Sea. I sampled fresh oyster at the fish market that had literally been caught and brought to the market that day. I traveled to Dover to see the famed White Cliffs. It was a clear day, and so Calais, France was clearly visible across the water from Dover. I have been to London and have seen the Tower of London, the National Gallery, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, and the House of Parliament. Most recently, I traveled to Ireland, which was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

The plane ticket to Ireland cost only about 36 pounds ($72) due to Europe’s budget airlines. A friend and I traveled to Dublin, where we proceeded to experience traditional Irish music in the pubs, and see Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Guinness Storehouse. From Dublin, we took a bus to Galway on the West Coast of Ireland. Galway was a very nice town, but we took a ferry to the Aran Islands directly off of the coast, so we didn’t actually spend much time there. The Aran Islands were simply incredible. Prior to the Potato Famine, the main island, Inis Mor, had been inhabited by around 3,000 people. After the Famine, most people left and never returned. The island is now covered in literally thousands of miles of stone walls that used to separate houses and farms. There are many ancient, abandoned churches. The people who are on the island now speak Gaelic as their first language. Most signs were only in Gaelic. We had found true, wild Ireland, and it was gorgeous.

I am back at Kent now, trying to catch up with reading. I am only in class for 7 hours a week, because here, learning is much more independent. So now, I have many books and articles to read. If you think Penn State reading is hard, come to Kent, where one class will give you literally several packets that list book after book to read. As my one lecturer put it, you would do yourself in if you tried to read it all.

Thanks for reading. I’ll update you soon on other travel stories or bits of interesting British culture insights. I hope you’re doing well back home in the States!