Studying Abroad in London: Day Trip to Paris, Digital Conference at UR & Last Week in London!

This is my last blog post about London, I'm so sad to have left but so grateful to experience this beautiful city with so much history! I think my last week in London was my best week there. I did so many things that I couldn't even imagine doing.

Day Trip To Paris

One of my goals when I finally decided to study in London was the chance to travel to at least one other country in Europe. My first choice was Paris because I've heard a lot of easy ways to get there. My friend and I decided to fly to Paris, another great way to get there was to take the Eurostar train. Unfortunately it got too expensive as the dates got closer which would've been around almost $400. We were recommended a site called easyJet.com for easy and cheaper plane tickets for travel throughout Europe. We paid around $280 for round trip tickets to Paris for the day so we quickly hopped one the opportunity. 

And we finally got there! We bought a 17 euro ($20) unlimited day ticket to travel on any bus or train  throughout Paris. We first saw the Notre Dame and walked along the Seine River, walked to Le Musee de Louvre and took a bus to the Eiffel Tower.

During our walk, we stopped by this cute little restaurant called L'Annexe. They had everything you could think of, breakfast, lunch and dinner options. I ended up getting a penne vodka with white sauce and salmon. It was sooooo delicious. I couldn't go to Paris without getting a crepe and croissant. So good!

Digital Conference at the University of Roehampton

 My teacher told my class about a digital conference they were having at the school I was studying in London, the University of Roehampton. They were looking for an international student with a blog to explain their skills, tips and tricks for online writing. I quickly jumped on the opportunity to show her colleagues The Feast of Fashion and my process for producing blog posts. 

The presentation went super well! I explained what a blog is, the importance of blogging and maintaining a positive digital identity. I also show them sample posts from The Feast of Fashion. It was around 30 people in attendance. I also ended up having a Q&A at the end. While I was here in Europe, I wanted to explore the city and do well in my class, but I didn't expect to be presenting my blogging and what I love to do the most with the school. It was the greatest experience. 

More Touristy Things!

 My friend Liala and I wanted to experience London nightlife one last time before we went back to NYC. We ended up finding this club called Cargo in the Shoreditch section of London. They played a lot of music of today, hip hop, rap etc. I was tired of hearing the dance and electronic techno music out there. Of course we found a great club right when we have to leave Europe. :( 

 We also found a great Mexican spot (way better than Chipotle!) in the Oxford Circus section of London called Benito's Hat. All of the authentic Mexican places I've been to out here have been sooo good! It just shows how theres more to the world than just Chipotle and McDonalds. I highly recommend this place if you're out in the UK.

I couldn't imagine being able to go to Europe for three weeks. Just a special thank you to my family and friends who have supported me on this journey abroad. To everyone that has donated money and their time into helping me experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. To the Gilman Scholarship, the York College Study Abroad Scholarship, thank you for giving me the opportunity to study in this richly cultured city.

I hope you guys enjoyed as much as I did!

xo, Ash