#deacsabroad

London has a number of markets throughout the city that each have a unique atmosphere and feature specialty items. One of my favorite markets is Camden Market, which is located in Camden Town on Regent’s Canal. This market has a “hipster” vibe with over 200 stalls along narrow alleyways that are always flooded with tourists and locals. To get to the market, you can take the Northern line to Chalk Farm Road or Camden Town or hop on the bus toward Chalk Farm or Hampstead Heath. There are free walking tours available, though exploring on your own is a great way to get a feel for the market. In addition to the handmade jewelry, vintage clothing, and record vendors, Camden Market is also famous for its delicious food stalls; one of my favorites is The Mac Factory, which offers mac and cheese made inside an actual cheese wheel. After exploring the market, a walk to Primrose Hill is a great way to burn off your lunch and see spectacular views of London.

Mollie Rouan

by Gavin Bonas (WFU Barcelona)

              You’ve now officially survived a week in a foreign country. Congratulations. You may have run into some trouble, gotten lost a few times, or failed to have a productive conversation in another language. Don’t worry if that hasn’t happened yet, you still have a few more months to find yourself in some sort of conflict.

By now you might realize that there are serious differences in lifestyle and culture between where you’re from and where you are now. Although this shouldn’t really surprise you, there are bound to be some things that you never would’ve expected. I certainly didn’t realize that people in Spain literally take three hours to eat a meal. Take some time and reflect on these differences. Do you like them or dislike them? If you don’t like them, make sure that you at least give it some time or effort before completely rejecting the idea.

              Hopefully during this first week you’ve had time to explore and maybe set up a routine: going to a coffee shop in the morning, grabbing a sandwich in between classes, etc. If you haven’t mapped out places to go to and gotten the things you need for the next few months, I suggest you do so now. Now would be a good time to remind you that you are also in foreign country for the purpose of studying and learning. Don’t forget about your classes. But don’t forget to have some fun and explore as well.

Below I’ve listed a few things I did my first week that I feel helped set me up for a good semester abroad.

1.      Walked all around the city and surrounding area: It’s good to know where you can get a quick bite to eat or get some groceries for the week. The more you walk around, the more you will become familiar and the more comfortable you will feel.

2.      Bought a sim card for my phone: One of my friends went the entire semester on airplane mode and only used his phone on WIFI. I knew that I needed to have the comfort of data just in case I got lost and needed directions. I ended up using a decent amount of data but not a ton.

By Steffi Cobb

Many students go abroad with the intent of gaining a sense of independence while navigating a new culture or country. Certainly, independence is a valuable experience to gain while abroad, learning to take that first-solo trip, adventuring off to explore the world from a new perspective, maybe even perhaps traveling abroad for the first time. During my undergraduate experience, I went abroad for the first time with this exact intent.

On my first program, I spent six months in Argentina and Chile through Wake Forest’s Southern Cone program. I loved every minute I spent with my fellow Wake Forest Students. It has been two years since the program and still today when I walk by a friend from the “SoCo” program, we immediately reminisce, sharing memories of the moments we spent together both in and out of class. However, the program afforded me an incredible amount of independence. Long weekends meant an ample amount of time to travel the countries, and homestays spread across the city meant I didn’t see the other students from my program every day. In fact, sometimes I would go up to four days a week not seeing anyone from the program except for my homestay partner. I had endless freedom over deciding what to do with free time, and I loved every moment of it!

When I decided I would spend a second semester abroad, I knew I wanted to switch things up and try a new type of program. Originally, I thought this meant even more freedom than my previous program. I imagined directly enrolling in a university abroad for a semester, integrating myself entirely into college life abroad. When I found the International Honors Program’s (IHP) Climate Change program, I fell in love with the theme and knew it would fit perfectly with my Global Environmental Studies major. But, the style of the program was entirely the opposite of what I had imagined for my semester. I was torn about traveling on a program that took me throughout three different countries on three different continents, Vietnam, Morocco, and Bolivia and didn’t seem to promise many days off. Eventually, I would commit anyways knowing the experience was too wonderful to pass up, but I remained nervous about a heavily structured program that would have me constantly traveling with the same 25 other individuals.

Let me reiterate how much I love my independence. I’m an outgoing individual and love socializing when the moment is right, but truly, I am an introvert at heart and depend on my alone time/free time to rejuvenate. Needless to say I was entirely overwhelmed the first two weeks I spent in our launch city, San Francisco. We hadn’t even started traveling yet and already I was spending every waking minute with the same 25 people. Apart from the class time, we were attending community development sessions, organizing random dinners of groups of four to get to know each other better, and living in bunk beds with 4-5 people per room. We literally couldn’t get away from each other. On top of the time spent together, we were forced to actually be vulnerable with each other, unpacking privilege, discussing our positionalities, talking climate change; small talk was immediately dropped and every conversation seemed heavy.

Many abroad programs offer the opportunity to live with a host family. I know a lot of students are nervous about or intimidated by the idea of living with foreign strangers for four months, so I’ve built this little site to showcase how amazing the experience can really be.

While living in the Worrell house, my housemates and I frequented the Camden Market for lunch, dinner, and occasionally dessert. Though it is a few Tube stops outside the main city, the Market is a must for any foodie or connoisseur of interesting wares.  

Camden Market typifies all other markets I have visited across Europe. From Portugal to Berlin to Amsterdam, Camden Market is the true fusion of cultures from around the world. One of its greatest attributes is its proximity to the Worrell House, a short 10 minute walk from the front door. However, this proximity should not be mistaken for similarity, or even familiarity. Camden Market is one of the most strange, exciting, and interesting markets because of its unparalleled diversity.

Upon entering the Market, one is confronted with sights and smells of an old horse barn and stables, the current home of Proud Camden, one of the boroughs’ staple nightclubs. Continue walking, and you pass Cyberdog, which accounts for 99% of Camden’s weirdness. This subterranean 4-level store begins as eclectic athletic clothing and descends into adult novelties. Successfully escaping Cyberdog yields a long corridor with faux-Indian food and other ethnic dishes. Resist these knockoffs and trudge onto the real deal, Camden’s food stands. The UK, and London in particular, get a bad rap for food. I am here to refute those claims and stereotypes, with Camden’s food stands serving as exhibit A. Everything from “shrimpburgers” to falafels to dutch pancakes, these food stands represent the best of what every nation has to offer. Incredibly, all of this can be had very reasonably, on average for $10 or less. After one has broken free from the warm caress of the food stands, the broad range of shops line the way back to the street. From imported leather goods, consignment items, home decorations, there is something for everyone. Whether you spend an hour or an afternoon, Camden market is an experience everyone must have.