Love food, love London

London is an amazing city to study abroad in because it exposes you not only to a local culture, but an international culture. As one of the international capitals of the world, London is absolutely massive and is home to an ethnically diverse population. This dynamism is part of the reason I fell in love with the city. You could walk from the Tower of London, an iconic British and ominously medieval emblem of dark ages, across the Thames to the colorful Borough market, which overflows with food stalls from all corners of the world.

IES and the IES staff did a really excellent job of making sure that we didn’t leave London without having explored all rich deposits of culture that the city had to offer. The program often offered free trips to different neighborhoods in London. One of my favorite day trips was to Camden Market, in Camden Town. The streets leading to the market are lined with brightly-colored store fronts housing eclectic vendors. The market itself is home to some of the best food I have ever tasted. Literally I don’t think I could even name every country represented by the all the different culinary options there. At one stand you get can get traditional paella, at another they have Jamaican jerk chicken, or you can go to the curry cart and enjoy some of the best Indian food you will ever eat in your life. The food in London is amazing and I don’t think I will ever again have the chance to try Mesir Wot from Ethiopia and Thai green curry in the same place again (just one of the many reasons I love London). If you love food, trust me, you will love London too.

These outings were led by student assistants, whom are British university students working with IES. I really liked having these trips because it gave you an opportunity to talk with the student assistants in a more relaxed setting and ask about things like nightlife or their favorite restaurants.