By Taylor Corrigan*

Wow, I can’t believe it’s really been two weeks already. When I was sitting in the airport writing the first blog I honestly had no idea how this trip would go. I didn’t know any of the 50 people going (except for one boy from a previous class), and my nervousness was at an extreme high. Once the jetlag disappeared after a few days, I felt very comfortable in this foreign town.

The underground is a very easy transit system to figure out, but I’ve also always been directionally gifted, so unless others feel very confident about travelling alone I suggest future students travel with at least one or two other people. But if people are like me, and enjoy exploring on their own, London is a great town to do that in.

Just being in London automatically made me want to dress a little nicer and be more fashionable. British men, I’ve observed, have an impeccable fashion sense. Although, we were staying in some of the nicer and more business savvy parts of London, which could lend to the high fashion, I do think American men have some catching up to do.

 I’m very grateful to have experienced London through this Tippie program. We did so many cool tours and visited a ton of places that I otherwise might not have visited or been able to afford on my own. Some of my favorites were the Parliament Tour, Churchill War Rooms, and Stonehenge. I have an interest in government so Parliament was pretty fascinating, especially in terms of its differences from American government. The War Rooms basically transported us back in time 70 years to one of the most important times in history, for both the UK and the US.

I’m also very grateful to my parents for funding and allowing this trip to happen. They’ve always been nothing but supportive with all of my endeavors, and they believe in me even when I sometimes don’t believe in myself. So on the chance they read this blog, I’d like to say thank you for giving me this crazy opportunity.

This trip not only gave me some awesome experiences, but I also got to fulfill a childhood dream (aka Harry Potter tour)! And I got to meet up with a friend from London who spent a year at Iowa two years ago. We had dinner and a good time catching up so I was happy to see him, because who knows when we’ll be able to see each other again.

When this opportunity came up three months ago, I decided that as a senior in college I have no idea when I’ll be able to travel like this again. It was a scary shot in the dark but I have never been happier about an impulse decision. And I believe two weeks was a good length of time to soak in the culture and atmosphere. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.  

*Taylor Corrigan is a senior from Iowa City, IA majoring in marketing at the University of Iowa. She is currently studying abroad on the winterim International Business Abroad program in London, England.