Highlights: I am a nursing major and it has always been a dream of mine to work in London. By doing an internship with Care UK I was able to get an idea of how the healthcare system works in the United Kingdom. A particular surprise to me was to discover how much I enjoyed working with the elderly. It came as a shock to me as I had always pictured myself working in pediatrics. Had it not been for my internship with Care UK, and the opportunity to interact with patients offered to me by the amazing staff I worked with, I would have never discovered how much passion I have for work in the field of geriatrics.
The social highlight of my trip would have to be split between being in London for the Olympic Games and the amazing relationships I built with the people I met. I was able to see the Olympic torch pass through Clapham and the River Thames and it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience to be in heart of the Olympic Games. I built a strong bond with my flatmates and others that I met from all around the world. The beautiful part about spending time in London is that you are able to meet people from every corner in the world. I made friends with not only the local English, but with amazing people from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, and Ireland. I spent a lot of memorable night outs with them and hope to maintain friendships with them now that I am back home. Also, can’t forget to mention, the amazing English food!
Morning: On the days that I worked, I would wake up around 8 a.m., get ready, have breakfast and usually run out of my flat and speed walk to the Underground to catch the tube to work. I always made sure to grab a copy of the newspaper Metro as I loved to read on my way to work, especially the section “Rush Hour Crush” as I always found it hilarious and great start to my day. I would travel to Hammersmith, where I would work at a residential home for Care UK. The tube lines that I took to work were usually the busiest during rush hour, so they were always cramped, on a hot summer day … the tube would be scorching, but I enjoyed every second of it. London’s amazing transport system is one of my favorite things of London!
Afternoon: I would leave work at around 4:00 p.m. and I usually took advantage of being in the city to explore London (there’s so much to see!). Some days, however, I would go home and enjoy the amazing area that I lived in. I was lucky to live in Clapham and my flat was only a few blocks away from the beautiful park in Clapham Common. I particularly enjoyed going out for a run after a busy day, or just grabbing a book and going to read at the park. It was always so relaxing to just spend an afternoon outside watching locals play football or rugby, and enjoying the exquisite green scenery.
Evening: During the evening, my flatmates and I would cook dinner at home. London transport is really expensive, so we would try and save money by eating in rather than eating out all the time, we usually splurged on weekends. On weekday nights, we would usually go out to the pub for a drink just to talk about our day at work and plan our weekend activities. Thursday nights were always amazing nights to go out, my flatmates and I would usually go out in Clapham Common where there were an array of lively bars. The area is also known for being inhabited by young professionals, so we were able to meet a lot of locals our age and I was able to build friendships with not only my flatmates but with locals as well. On the weekends, we usually liked to go out to well-known London nightclubs, like the Ministry of Sound.