- Week Three - As a part of our Social Programme, all the Hawaii students had the experience to take a boat cruise to Greenwich. Starting at Westminster Pier, we headed east toward Greenwich Pier while listening to tales of London's maritime past along the way. When we finally arrived at Greenwich, we got to enjoy a walking tour of the Royal Naval Hospital and College, visit the Royal Observatory and wander around the vintage stalls at Greenwich Market. OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE The Old Royal Naval College is an 18th-century landmark from Maritime Greenwich. Interestingly, this college was also one of the filming location for the popular film, Les Miserables! ROYAL OBSERVATORY This observatory is located on a hill in Greenwich Park, overlooking the River Thames. It is also the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and contains the Prime Meridian, a line where east meets west. As cool as it was to be able to stand in the middle of east and west, it was a bit sad to see "Honolulu" spelled incorrectly. GREENWICH MARKET Open seven days a week, this market showcases a variety of street food, antiques, fashion and boutique stores. We had a wonderful time browsing the stalls and eating delicious foods from all over the world! Although a bit short, our time in Greenwich was truly a fun and memorable one! It was interesting to hear more about London's maritime history, while walking around classical architectures on the banks of the River Thames. I would highly suggest visiting Greenwich sometime during your stay in London!
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- Week Two - During our time in Dublin, we booked a tour with Galway Tour Company to view one the most stunning landmarks of Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher. Leaving early in the morning, the bus ride from Dublin to Galway took around 2.5 hours. Starting the tour at Galway Coach Station, we got to explore numerous ancient monuments and appreciate the beautiful country-side landscape. Here are some of my favorite stops during the tour: 1. DUNGUAIRE CASTLE This castle is a 16th-century tower house located on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay. Surrounded by water and greenery, this may be the most picturesque castle in all of Ireland! 2. CLIFFS OF MOHER Located in the Burren region, the Cliffs of Moher have become one of the most visited sights in all of Ireland. The sea cliffs run around 14 kilometers long and give spectacular views of the ocean. This landmark is so magical that it was even featured in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! 3. POULNABRONE DOLMEN Located on one of the highest points in the Burren region, this portal tomb dates back to the Neolithic period between 4200BC to 2900BC. When this site was excavated in the 1980s, around 33 human remains were found buried underneath. Now, it serves as a popular tourist attraction for those who want a glimpse of this ancient artifact. 4. CAHERMORE RINGFORT Also known as Ballyallaban stone fort, this landmark lies between Ballyvaughan village and Leamaneh Castle. Once walking toward the edge of the fort, you can see spectacular views of the vast, long fields that surround the region. 5. QUAY STREET Ending our tour back at Galway Coach Station, we decided to eat dinner at a small Italian restaurant on Quay Street. This street is a bustling area filled with pubs, restaurants, cafes and boutiques. After dinner, we grabbed some ice cream before heading back to Dublin. In all, our trip to Ireland was definitely one for the books. With only two full days of traveling, we felt that we really made the most of our short stay in Dublin and Galway!
- Week Two - With only a week left before school starts, Kelly and I decided to book a (very) last-minute trip to Dublin, Ireland for three nights. Our spontaneous getaway gifted us with stunning city architectures, an adorable fishing village and a beautiful quaint countryside. THE FLIGHT Being college students, our goal for this trip was to find a cheap (but safe) flight. There are a few budget airlines that operate in Europe, with the most popular being easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 to name a few. We decided to book with Ryanair because they offered the cheapest tickets flying out of Gatwick Airport. Something to keep in mind for Ryanair: it is required to check-in online and print out your boarding pass prior to arriving to the airport, or access it through your mobile device. If you do not check-in beforehand, Ryanair will charge you a check-in fee of £55. In addition, be mindful of the bag policies since budget airlines tend to have smaller cabin bag allowances. The flight itself only took around 2.5 hours, so the compact seats and mediocre service did not really bother us. **Remember to purchase a Leap Card at the airport to use for transportation across Ireland (good for train, tram and bus). You can grab one at the convenience store in the airport before you leave. THE ACCOMMODATION Located around a 15 minutes walk away from Temple Bar, we decided to stay in a hostel called Generator. Dublin is one of many branches Generator has across various European countries. In particular, they pride themselves on creating an aesthetic, hip and social environment for travelers to enjoy. Although they have some private rooms, we unfortunately had to share a mixed dorm with four strangers due to our last-minute booking. Hostels are great for saving money, but also take out the comfort of having a private bathroom and independent living. If a dormitory-like accommodation is not your style, I would suggest booking an Airbnb or hotel in advance! **Tip: Exchange some euros prior to leaving Hawaii so you have some on hand for traveling around the rest of Europe THE ITINERARY Dublin is a bustling city filled with a ton of pubs, quirky boutiques and is home to one of the most famous beer companies, Guinness. Here are some fantastic places to visit while on a trip to Dublin: 1. TEMPLE BAR This busy area is located on the riverside and is crowded with pubs, restaurants and cafes. Being a popular tourist spot, you'll always find something to do at any time of day. We enjoyed a delicious scoop of ice cream at a shop called Cloud Nine. 2. ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL Founded in 1191, this cathedral is the tallest and largest church in Ireland. The entrance fee is €7.00 for students and €8.00 for adults. Enjoy views of the beautiful stained-glass windows, while learning more about artifacts used two centuries ago. 3. CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Being a close walk from Temple Bar, this church is perfect to visit on your way t0 St. Patrick's Cathedral. The entrance fee is €5.50 for students and €7.00 for adults. Although we didn't go inside, the building architecture was truly something to admire. 4. DUBLIN CASTLE This castle is a major government complex and tourist attraction. The entrance fee is €10 for students and €12 for adults. Rather than going inside, we looked around the courtyard and explored City Hall across the street. 5. NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS This botanic garden is located north-west from city center and has free admission! Their plant collection holds over 15,000 plant species from around the world. Along with their amazing planted glasshouses, they also have features such as the rose garden, alpine yard, rock garden and arboretum to enjoy. 6. TRINITY COLLEGE Founded in 1592, this college holds a lot of history and extremely prevalent libraries. In particular, Trinity College is well-known for holding the Book of Kells, a rare manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. In order to tour the Hogwarts-like Old Library, you would need to pay an entrance fee of around €11 - 14. 7. HOWTH Howth is a small fishing village located east of central Dublin. It's a great escape from the busy city and only takes around 40 minutes via train. There, you can have some of the best seafood in Ireland (I'd recommend the seafood chowder). If you have more time to roam, Howth Pier has wonderful views of the coastline while Howth Cliff Walk will give you panoramic views of the village. While Dublin has a ton of fun things to do and see, we also took a day-trip to a rural city on the west coast called Galway. You can read more about our experiences in Galway here.
- Week One - During the weekend following our orientation, the University of Hawaii students decided to participate in the self-delegated Photo Frenzy challenge around central London. The ride to the center of the city took around an hour, with us struggling to navigate the public transportation system. These are the landmarks we had the opportunity to stop at: 1. BIG BEN The original name for Big Ben was the "Clock Tower". It is one of the most notable symbols of the United Kingdom and was mentioned in one of my favorite childhood movies: Mary Poppins. As we exited the station, we found ourselves looking at (the unfortunately under construction) Big Ben. Although we couldn't get to experience the true marvel of Big Ben, some of us were satisfied with just buying souvenirs at one of the nearby carts. 2. TOWER OF LONDON This beautiful castle is officially known as "Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London". It's a historic castle that is home to the Crown Jewels of England. The entrance fee to tour the inside of the castle was a bit out of our budget range, so we settled for taking a picture outside the castle grounds. 3. TRAFALGAR SQUARE This public square is a short walk away from Buckingham Palace and features four lion statues at the center. Its been a significant landmark since the 13th century and has been used for many community gatherings and political demonstrations. Being a beautiful and bright afternoon, a lot of people were relaxing on the stairs and taking pictures with the large lion statues. 4. CHINATOWN Although it wasn't a part of our photo frenzy challenge, we decided to make a trip to Chinatown since it's near Covent Garden and Leicester Square. Many of us missed the taste of asian cuisine, so we stopped by a Japanese restaurant for lunch and got some milk tea for dessert! 5. KENSINGTON PALACE This palace is located in Kensington Gardens and has been a residence to the Royal Family since the 17th century. Similar to the Tower of London, the entrance fee to tour around the State Room was quite expensive so we ended up just roaming around the gardens. 6. SHAFTESBURY MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN and COVENT GARDEN The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain is located near Piccadilly Circus and is (mistakenly) known for featuring Eros, the god of love, at the tip of the fountain. In comparison, Covent Garden is located in the West End of London and is an extremely popular shopping site. The two landmarks are surprisingly only a 10 minute walk from one another, making it really easy for us to explore both areas. 7. RED TELEPHONE BOX Although this was also not part of our photo challenge, can we really say we've been to London without having taken a photo with the iconic red telephone box? We all had a super fun experience adventuring around the city for the first time. Although it was a lot of walking, we made a ton of great memories and have (nearly) mastered the public transportation system!
It's been around one week since I have arrived in London, England and finally settled down in my new home for the next four months!
REGISTRATION PROCESS
Once you are accepted for studying abroad, you will receive instructions to register directly with the University of Roehampton as a study abroad student. Through this application process, you will be able to select your preferred modules (courses) to take. An offer letter will be disbursed in the following weeks, which you will need to show the immigration officer in order to get a short-term study visa. Approximately two weeks before you arrive in London, Roehampton will send a username and password which will allow you to log into the Student Portal and see a timetable of the modules you have been assigned. Don't worry if these courses need to be changed, since there will be a period for you to add or drop classes during orientation week. The overall process to register was fairly simple, with the most difficult part being understanding which classes transfer over as UH credits. Be sure to check the course equivalencies on the Study Abroad Center's website, along with verifying that the courses you want to take are actually offered at the University of Roehampton. If you need assistance with selecting classes or have any questions about credit transfers, I suggest to make an appointment with Rikki Mitsunaga (Shidler) or Vanessa Chong (Study Abroad) for guidance. HOUSING On-campus housing should be guaranteed for all University of Hawaii students. Your specific house will be assigned to you through email around two weeks before you arrive in London. Something to take note is that the University of Roehampton is split into four colleges - Digby Stuart, Southlands, Froebel, and Whitelands. Whichever housing you are placed in also determines the college you belong to. Digby Stuart and Southlands are closest to the library and the campus main entrance. Although the location is convenient, there is also more noise and traffic in these areas. Froebel is in a quieter block and closer to the Union Bar and Richmond Park. If you're taking business classes, however, be prepared to walk around 15 minutes to your classes since it will most likely be in Digby or Southlands. Whitelands is probably the college located farthest away as it separated from the rest of the University. I was placed in Froebel - Willow House, which has an ensuite (private) bathroom. You can request for an ensuite through the Study Abroad Center, as well as ask to live in a quieter block through the University of Roehampton emails. Although it's a bit of a walk from my classes, I enjoy living in Willow since it's in a quieter neighborhood and has cleaner facilities. You can view a campus map below (excludes Whitelands). |
AKI'm truly grateful for this opportunity to study abroad and would like to share my experiences with all of you! Ranging from pre-departure tips to recommended travel destinations, I hope this blog will serve as a inspiration and reminder to always explore. Archives
December 2019
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