Tellus

This photo was taken in Oxford on a day trip I took with the friends I made while abroad in England. We climbed up a ton of stairs to get to the top of University Church of St. Mary the Virgin and was amazed by this view. It was great to share one of those […]

This photo was taken during my first week in London, I was still in the honeymoon phase of my abroad experience, very bright-eyed and excited for what was to come. About halfway through my time, I looked back at this photo and I suddenly felt nostalgic for the moment. I thought it was strange that […]

This photo was taken the week that our London abroad program went to Edinburgh, Scotland for a few days. A few friends and I stayed in Scotland a few extra days, and I ended up with an afternoon alone in Scotland, unsure of what to do. So, I looked up scenic areas in Edinburgh and […]

Otium cum dignitate. Leisure with dignity. This was the very first phrase I learned in Latin my first day of college. It describes a way of life for the ancient Roman elite: one should always work hard, and if one takes leisure, it should be a dignified activity, something that improves the mind such as […]

Three horses later, after two hours in the saddle in a freezing cold arena, I was tired and sore, but so happy! True, I definitely wasn’t the best rider of the bunch, especially since I wasn’t British (they’re the best *of course*) however it was still an awesome, unexpected experience to join in on a […]

At the end of last month, my friend Mariah and I flew off to London for nine days of seriously, SERIOUSLY jam-packed exploring. We saw Buckingham Palace, celebrated the arrival of a very royal baby (free flags! old men dancing!), ate fish and chips, crossed Abbey Road, investigated (har, har) Baker Street, and did the […]

Very, very early on a January morning, all the international students and I took a bus to Lincoln for a day trip. Lincoln itself is a very small town, only known for it’s massive cathedral, which happens to be the third largest in all of the United Kingdom. After learning that the cathedral was built in […]

I have wanted to study abroad in London for what feels like forever. People kept telling not to get my hopes up, but the experience met and exceeded my expectations. And it wasn’t even the big things that were the most memorable or the most rewarding, it was sitting on the tube for 3 hours […]

When you study abroad in the spring at University of Leicester, you are fortunate enough to get a full 5 weeks off for Easter break. I didn’t know what to do with myself besides travel! I was able to connect with my Willamette friends and traveled to France, Italy, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, England, […]

This picture was taken from my first day in Central London and about a week into my study abroad trip. The American students of Roehampton University broke into groups to run around Central as part of a scavenger hunt to get to know London. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this picture perfectly […]

Last weekend, I left the Midlands. Weeeeee. It was through a uni organized trip so we got to tour around more Western-Southern England. We traveled in a group of about 20 other international students and had a professional tour guide who was an absolute riot. Our first stop was the shining city of Bath. The […]

This is a photo of the Thanksgiving dinner that I prepared for myself while studying abroad in England. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because I love spending a cozy and relaxing day at home with my family. It was difficult to have my first Thanksgiving away from home in a different country, and without my […]

When I was abroad in London during the fall I went to an intensive drama school. I am a shy, reserved guy so the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)tested my comfort zone and brought me out of my shell more. One of the big challenges of theatre is learning to trust your […]

This was a spot I found to study when it was warm in England (a total of about 3 days) and it was fantastic. It represented everything that I found peaceful about England. The agriculture and old buildings over looking rolling hills of green farms and grazing land. This space was my step into a life that didn’t function by the amount of time saved in the coffee line. Don’t get me wrong, that life was in England too, but it was wonderfully mixed together in a complex attitude on how to value life and time. This space was my England.

Now I know it is completely nerdy, but I love Harry Potter. So when the opportunity to go to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 arose, I jumped at it. And while a movie premiere does seem a likely place to have a significant international experience, it was absolutely amazing! […]