CAPA WORLD

The beauty of studying abroad can be described in many ways. For Christopher, it's understanding the way studying and interning in a diverse city has been pivotal for him. In his final post, he outlines the changes he's noticed in himself, the increase in his creativity, and how he views his identity and level of cultural awareness.

Time certainly flies when you're having fun and studying abroad in a new country. In this week's post, Christopher checks off several activities on his bucket list during his last week in London. As he completes his final coursework requirements, he ventures off with his friends to celebrate their time abroad with roller coaster rides and traditional food!

I absolutely cannot believe that my semester abroad in London has come to an end! I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by. In this week’s edition of my blog I am going to recount my experiences of my final week in London and how I effectively wrapped things up with my mates and everyone I shared time with over the course of the semester.

Did you know that classes at CAPA involve both learning inside and outside the classroom? In this week's post, Christopher goes through why he enjoys this style of learning and his overall highlights of the semester. Take a look at what else CAPA London has to offer!

Over the course of this semester I (as part of the CAPA program) would meet for classroom sections in the CAPA building which was located in Kensington off of Cromwell Road. Luckily, this semester I was one of the students who lived in the Longridge apartments so fortunately I had the privilege of walking to class from my flat every morning. Ranging on where CAPA places you in your living situation, a student’s commute will range from 10 minutes to 30 minutes. My housing accommodation allowed me to get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning since I had the opportunity to leave my building 10 minutes before class and still make it on time.

Located in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the CAPA building is located in one of the more posh areas in London, and the architectural style of the building dons a Georgian style—which is very uniformed for all the buildings in this area.

Feeling a sense of community is one way to make the holidays special abroad. Christopher talks about making memories with friends as he celebrates his birthday at the top of the Shard in London and Thanksgiving with his flatmates this holiday season. 

In this week’s post I am going to be discussing how I have continued following certain holiday traditions over the past couple weeks and how my experiences of celebrating them in a different environment has created lasting memories. They will be some of the best experiences of my semester.

The first tradition I continued with celebrating was American Thanksgiving. In America, I typically celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, friends, and relatives. We watch football, each delicious food, and reconnect through conversations. However, since Thanksgiving is an American holiday I spent the day by working at my internship site for the full day, which was something I had never experienced before and was very interesting. After 5:30 came around I returned back to my flat where I then celebrated “Flatsgiving” with roughly 20 other of the people living in our building.

With an abundance of things to do in London, Christopher suggests a highly affordable activity for students: visiting museums! In this week's post, he lays out why you should stop by several museums in London (with FREE entry!), what his favorites have been so far, and how CAPA field trips have been enriching for his courses abroad.

During my semester in London, I found that one of my favorite hobbies has been touring the many different museums located here in the city. Growing up, I was always a fan of educating myself through the stimulating visual and sensory learning experience in a museum. Living 30 minutes from New York City by train, I spent much of my childhood inside some form of a museum, and the same can be said for my time spent here in London.

In this week's post, Christopher reflects on what it means to be an American abroad and navigate questions about his country and culture. He also sheds light on the benefits of getting to know locals, along with their perceptions and cultural background.

Over the course of this semester, I’ve had a first-hand account of what other Europeans think and assume about Americans. Throughout the semester every day has been a learning experience for me in that regard.

In this week's post, Christopher makes a strong case about visiting Ireland after spending a weekend discovering the locale and cuisine. He also completes a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and experiences the tremendous beauty in the area. 

Last weekend, three of my flatmates and I took a trip to Ireland, more specifically, Dublin. Our trip started on the budget airline, Ryanair, which is known for its low fares. I was actually very pleased with the flight as the entire duration of the flight was a little over an hour and 15 minutes. This enabled me to take 20-minute power naps each way, when the plane would reach its cruising altitude.

In this week's post, Christopher talks about why London is unlike any city in the world and how you can observe and experience the city with all of your senses. He also details what it's like to orient yourself in London and pay attention to the daily sights, smells, sounds, and more!

During my time living abroad, I have been situated in one of the most global, bustling, hyperactive cities in the world—London. It is evident through my plethora of different experiences that the time spent in London is unlike any other and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. As humans we find that we learn and pick up on traits very quickly if we are attentive and are using our senses to help us get accustomed to our surroundings. In this post, I am going to give you on a first-hand account of my experience of what life is typically like in London.

In this week's post, Christopher recounts his whirlwind Fall break where he traveled to and experienced the cultures of not one, not two, but FIVE different cities in TEN Days!

As my schedule requires me to be busy roughly five days a week, I have found that it has been rather challenging to take off from work to go about and travel for the whole weekend in Europe. Having to average twenty hours a week over the course of the semester has made me focus on honing my time management and planning skills to be able to juggle work, school, and traveling. However, this past week we were off from classes for a mid-semester break and I took full advantage of the opportunity to travel abroad throughout Europe.

In this week's post, Christopher tells us about his internship in London at the London Edition Hotel and what a day in the life looks like balancing his commute, internship, and classes.