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I wander thro’ each charter’d street, Near where the charter’d Thames does flow And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe
What’s a
Londoner?
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But most thro’ midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlots curse Blasts the new-born Infants tear And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse
[Contents] Hello there! My name is Chika Matsumoto and I am a third-year neuroscience major. I attended the English: Romanticism and Age of Revolution program in London through UCLA’s International Education Office. I absolutely loved every minute of it!! I created this magazine with hopes of highlighting do’s and don’t-do’s, for future students just like you. Adventure is definitely out there!
4-5 Overview of the Program
8-9 Food Hotspots
6-7 Academics & Dormitory Life
12-13 Weekend Trip Ideas
10-11 Top 20 Weekday Adventures
LONDON TRAVEL STUDY English: Romanticism and the Age of Revolution
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It’s a once-in-alifetime experience
Student Demographics (from 2015): TL;DR=the 5W’s and H
Majors Include:
Who: Any student What: Studying abroad and earning 10 units of upper division English units under the guidance of a UCLA Professor, Dr. Makdisi When: 3 weeks in July (this year was 7/5 to 7/25) Where: University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus Why: Because why not? If you need some convincing, visit my travel-photo blog at http://londoneyeseeyou.wordpress.com How: Visit http://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/English-London for more information
What exactly do you do on the program? During the 21 days that I was abroad, we had 4 classroom sessions (about 3 hours each) and 11 walking tours (about 2-3 hours each). Once the class or walking tour is done, the day is yours to explore the limitless wonders of the UK. The weekends are free (many of us visited Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin)! You not only read works by William Blake, Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and Mary Wollstonecraft (and more), but also first handedly experience the city of London. This provides a truly unique perspective and understanding of how the literary works directly correlate to social, geographical, and cultural features. It is unlike any other experience!
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Immerse yourself in the material because it’s interesting, and it’s great to be able to connect literature with history and see it all right before your eyes!
Appreciate your time on this trip! It is over in the blink of an eye!
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It’s really fun getting the full experience of both 18th-19th century London literature compared to modern London today and seeing how the issues it dealt with were similar in lots of ways.
Best experience ever. It’s the coolest, do it.
Having less lecture time and being able to walk the city made me retain significantly more information and appreciate what we were learning
-English -Political Science -Psychology -Neuroscience
Years Include: -2nd year -3rd year -4th year -Post-undergrad
Biggest Mistakes: -Not packing enough clothes -Didn’t pack multi-occasional clothes -Got too excited with my credit card...do NOT forget that pounds are expensive! -My suitcase was really big and difficult to handle when traveling on the tube with it. It’s better to pack efficiently and to just do laundry. -London can be expensive and I feel there is more money I could have saved, especially because we were provided a kitchen. -A good chunk of money is spent on transportation alone, so I definitely wish I would have been more careful about how to spend my money. -I did not plan my trip early, so most of my decisions were made on a daily basis. I think if I had planned ahead of time I would have enjoyed more.
Most Memorable: -Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio. Hands down, the most magical place!!! -William Blake’s printmaking session -Telling stories at Scoop -Literally I just loved being in London using my Oyster card looking like a regular and listening to my iPod in the tube. -Getting to the London Eye and Big Ben and suddenly realizing I was really in London! That shock was surreal! -The city life was the most memorable thing, it was exciting. -The Underground. I think we spent more time down there then above ground.
Advice Column: -Always ask for a student discount -Pack enough clothes for a week and a half because laundry is expensive -Budget money for eating out and attractions you want to enter -Make a wish list of things to see -Schedule free time in advance -Don’t be too afraid to compromise your budget for once-in-lifetime experiences -Pack a raincoat AND umbrella -Exchange enough money beforehand -Always be willing to go out and make use of your free time -Keep up with the reading. It isn’t much and it makes the walking tours even more fun. -You have lots of free time available to you: use it to explore the city and do some research to spots that might interest you. You don’t have to always go to the tourist spots and get that ideal insta picture! -Explore all the different restaurants available to you. Even if you consider yourself a picky eater, try some new things, especially Indian food! -Do not overpack! You will want to bring back souveniers. -Take advantage of the kitchen! Seriously, if you want to save money, do it! -Give yourself time to explore London on your own! Along that note, walk more! I was so disoriented when I was taking the tube everywhere! -Wear comfortable shoes because there is lot of walking. -Learning how to get around makes all the difference.
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3 Components:
A c a d e m i c s
Walking Tours During our 3-week stay, there were 11 walking tours (about 2-3 hours each). The tours are all lead by Professor Makdisi and they not only covered the city-center of London, but also the Eastend and less urban areas. The class usually takes public transportation together to each meeting spot.
Welcome to... University of Westminster: Marylebone
University & Dormitory LIFE
Classroom Sessions There were 4 classroom sessions (about 3 hours each). At this time, Professor Makdisi discussed the readings from the course reader in relation to the first-handed experiences we were having in London.
Final Assignment There is one cumulative final assignment due in September (about 2 months after your return date).
-Single rooms with own private shower & bathroom -Daily housekeeping -1 kitchen for every 5 singles -10 single rooms per floor -Towels, blankets, hair driers, & bed linens provided
Required Textbooks: 1. Course Reader “London Radicalism and Romanticism” (recommend getting a hard-copy and not the E-version, because there is no WiFi in the classroom) 2. William Blake “Songs of Innocence and Experience”
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“CHEERS!” Camden Town: “The Chip Guy”
Picadilly Circus: “Scoop”
Oxford Circus: “Smoothie Stand”
Great Portland Street: “Bang Bang”
White Chapel: “Tayyabs”
Victoria: “Regency Cafe”
Holborn: “Kingsway Hall Hotel” Farringdon: “Crown Tavern”
Baker Street: “Gourmet Burger Kitchen”
Camden Town: “Thai Express”
Covent Garden: “Sagar”
Baker Street: “Wafflemeister”
Leicester Square: “ChinaTown”
Camden Town: “Cereal Killer Cafe” Queensway: “Ice Cream Stand”
Queensway: “Orangery”
Baker Street: “The Volunteer”
Watford Junction: “Butterbeer”
Underground Station: “Restaurant Name” 9
Top Five... #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
W E E K D ADVENTURES “ Y
Camden Town Regent’s Park London Eye Warner Brothers Studio: Harry Potter Tour Plays/Theatre Districts
...and some others
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So much to do! You will never get bored here.
#6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15
Kensington Palace High Tea Houses of Parliament Tower of London Greenwich Observatory Big Ben Shoreditch Burrough Market British Library St. Paul’s Cathedral Abbey Road and Beatles Store
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ne he ng e
“Historical place to visit”
“Baguettes, cafes, crepes... Delicious food everywhere.”
“Go to Anne Frank House for sure. It is worth the 2 hour wait to get inside!”
Windsor
“Fresh stroopwaffles...mmm” “The Van Gogh Museum exhibit tells a powerful story.”
Ba th
“Napping on the canal cruise was so relaxing.”
“The fudge store by the castle gives out free fudge!” “The yellow flag indicates that the Queen is in the castle grounds. She was there when we visited!”
ton
igh
Br
ste Am “We spent about 2 hours inside the Roman Baths, but we could have spent a lot more time if it weren’t for the time crunch. There is so much to see!”
“It is such a beautiful place, with so many things to see and eat.”
“I could have spent a week at the Louvre.” That’s how vast it is.”
rd
“Go for it!! No regrets.”
“2 days was not enough!”
“Go on the boat ride!”
am
Weekend Trips
Sto
“Definitely well worth the trip to Salisbury.”
Paris
“This town is beautiful! Just beware of getting sunburt.”
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[off you go.] The UCLA Travel Study Scholarship Program sponsors one recipient from each program each year. The scholarship covers the entire tuition of the program and the recipient is only responsible for extra traveling or shopping expenses. There are two scholarship positions: Program Correspondent and Outreach Coordinator. As a Program Correspondent, the recipient is responsible for creating projects that highlights and provides information of the program. As an Outreach Coordinator, the recipient works for the International Education Office and supports future students. As a Program Correspondent, I created this magazine and a daily blog with hopes of providing ideas and advice to future students based off of my own experiences, as well as that of my fellow classmates. Participating in a travel study has always been a dream of mine and I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to do so!