Gwenice W. Wen, Torch 4, Accounting and Finance Major
Over the summer, I studied abroad in the London School of Economics (LSE) for two months. It was an eye-opening experience because it was the first time that I have ever traveled to another country without my family. While it was Northeastern, there was no faculty or staff with us; the students traveled to London, went to classes and explored London and Europe on their own. I learned to be independent on this trip, trying to get around in the new environment. I met people from all over the world, including Russia, Netherlands, China, Singapore and made friends from different areas of the United States. I liked learning about the level of diversity through our differences in cultures, backgrounds and career interests. Many of us have become close friends after exploring the city together and taking classes together. We still remain friends after we’ve returned to our countries.
From this experience, I learned that traveling to another country can make such a big impact on my life. The time that I spent exploring and adapting to it definitely made me a more independent person. One thing that I found to be very important is how to budget my spending. I realized that U.S. dollar has low value in London, and the market rate during the summer was horrible. To budget my spending, I cooked in my dorm instead of going out to eat most of the time. A lot of things in London cost more, especially with the conversion rate, so I had to search for places that have good food and fashionable clothes at a good value. Happily, money did not have a major effect on the trip; I still explored to many tourist spots in London. Some of my favorite places were the House of Parliament, Southbank, Soho and Camden Market. I was able to go to places outside of the London as well, such as Stonehenge and Bath. These places are very beautiful and filled with unique history.
After the classes were over in London, a few of my friends decided to travel to Spain and France because it is so much cheaper to travel within the European countries. We went to Barcelona, Ibiza and Paris. I had a great time traveling back and forth and did not want to stop! I realized how much I love to travel to different places and experience their cultures. I am so glad that I chose to go to London for the summer and I want to thank the Torch Program for making this trip possible for me!!
