Harlow diaries, pt. 1
Student Morgan Chafe is completing the winter 2015 semester at Memorial’s Harlow campus in Harlow, England. Ms. Chafe will be providing regular insight to the sights and sounds of a semester abroad.
Believe it or not, being a tourist isn’t as picture perfect as they make it out to be on the front of postcards. Mother Nature is real, and she is anything but predictable. In the past three weeks I have visited London, Stonehenge, Bath, Edinburgh and Barcelona -- all with very different climates.
During our trip to London we decided to spend a day taking in some of the major attractions, including the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye. After walking a half hour through Hyde Park, we finally made it to the palace and found a spot with a good view of the ceremony. Within minutes it began to pour from the heavens. When the rain finally subsided, the ceremony was cancelled. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking the Westminster area wet and cold. Mother Nature took no mercy.
Days later, my class headed out on a trip to Stonehenge, to be followed by an afternoon in Bath. The rain began as soon as we got off the bus, which then escalated to a hailstorm. Luckily Bath was dry, and absolutely beautiful.
The following weekend a few friends and I decided to visit Edinburgh, Scotland. Heading north in the middle of winter was our first mistake. Booking a 2.5-hour walking tour for when we arrived was the second. Between the wind, rain and snow I don’t think I warmed up till I got back to Harlow.
In hopes of some warmer weather, a few friends and I packed light and headed to Barcelona for a few days. We were unfortunately greeted by chilly winds, but managed to suffer through – after a quick shopping stop at H&M – and see all that the beautiful city had to offer.
Despite the unpredictable weather, the beauty of each city and sight did not change. Each brought different history, architecture and culture, which helped open my mind to some of the topics taught in our lectures here in Harlow. Each course incorporates the notion of being global, what that really means for organizations and individuals and how it is accomplished. Visiting different cities and seeing how culture has influenced the way of life there put the educational lessons into perspective. I look forward to seeing more of what Europe has to offer, and learning more about what it truly means to be global. But next time I’ll bring a jacket!
Morgan Chafe is a fourth-year commerce student at Memorial. She can be reached at mec850@mun.ca.