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London
Patricia Vela, Senior, Electrical Engineering
Hi! My name is Patricia Vela and
I studied in London, England for the fall semester of the 2003-2004
year. Wow! What an amazing experience. London is amazing and the university I
chose to study at made me feel right at home. I studied at The University of
London at Queen Mary, which is located in the heart of East London. The
location is ideal because it is only 20 minutes from Central London by tube (no
need to use a taxi), while still an affordable location. I took one engineering
class, a business class, and two history courses. One of the history courses I
took was Architecture in London. It was great because we took bi-weekly tours
of the city, and I was able to view and learn about amazing buildings. I highly
recommend taking a course that relates directly to the location you are staying
in. I was fortunate because I was able to stay in the flats on campus. The
great thing was that I shared my flat with British students, so I was able to
fully immerse myself into the culture. I loved that I had a kitchen because if
you are a student on a budget eating at home saves a lot of money. London is a
great city, and so are the people. English students sure know how to
party -- there were 2 bars and 1 nightclub right on campus!
I
had so much fun taking in the city, but I was also able to travel because it was
so convenient. My most favorite trip was to Ireland where I drank a pint of
Guinness at the Guinness Factory, climbed a mountain in Newry, and experienced
an Irish wedding. What a fun-filled weekend. I’ll never trade those memories
for anything. I highly recommend taking advantage of the European Rail system,
Ryan Air, and EasyJet. Cheap travel is the best!
BRITISH PHRASE
TRANSLATION
Trousers
Jeans
Trainers
Tennis shoes
Pants
Underwear
The toilet or the loo Restroom (that by far is the most important)
Chips Fries
Crisps Chips
Fit Good-looking
Bird Girl (“She’s a fit bird!”)
Geezer Young guy
Concession Discount
Cheers Thanks (and its usual meaning!)
I hope that I have helped in your future travel to London! If you have any questions, just email me at velapa@mail.utexas.edu. Cheers!
Are you an Engineering student who has studied abroad? Would you like to share your experiences here? Let us know! Contact Audra Sneed or Elizabeth Vondran in the Office of Student Affairs, ECJ 2.200, (512) 471-4321.