Arcadia England

Written by Claire Cronin, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student who studied on the Arcadia in London Program

I’m staying in a flat called the Princess Elizabeth House –a name as equally adorable as the flat itself– in a nice, northern area of London called Highgate. It’s a cute, quaint place located on a hill with friendly locals, some of who we’ve come to get to know at the pubs in the area.

London is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been and I’ve been having a hard time trying to describe what it’s like but I’ll give it a go: this place reminds me of some fairytale city with its wide variety of old-styled architecture mixed with some of the most striking modern architecture that I’ve ever seen. It rains most days but I’ve found comfort in the usually just light drizzle and have come to appreciate the sunshine that much more when it does shine through. The incredible vastness of London is something I could have never even imagined which gave me no choice but to quickly learn how to navigate the city by the underground system and buses.

I feel like I’ve seen a lot in the few weeks that I’ve been here but am aware of much more there is to see: the museums, the distinctly different boroughs and even all the markets. I could probably live here for the rest of my life and never run out of things to do and see. I put together a video sequence documenting some of the things I’ve experienced so far so check that out for an idea of what it has been like. Cheers!