I am halfway through my month abroad and it is flying by!! I am having an amazing time meeting new people and trying new things. As I mentioned, I am taking a British History course and whatever we learn about is dependent on where we venture off to in London. Our lectures are on the streets of London or in front of historic churches and monuments. My professor is an excellent lecturer and makes it easy to follow along and still absorb all of the information we’re learning in such a short amount of time. The coolest thing about studying history in London is that everything here is so much older than anything historic in America and makes you realize just how young our country is in the span of the world’s history. Walking out of the tube station to a view of the Tower of London and a Roman Wall built in 200 AD that’s still standing is an experience you can’t get in many other places. So far, my favorite days abroad have been touring the many towers and castles sprawled across London such as the Tower of London and Portchester Castle. Being able to walk the same corridors and narrow stairways as historical figures like the Tudors in these magnificent buildings with views of the River Thames or the English Channel is one of the most exciting things to do as a history major. We have learned a lot about the period of Roman rule in England and how we know so much about their reign because of how much they left behind in buildings and how much writing they did. Portchester Castle was originally a Roman fortitude that was found and added onto by the Normans in 1066, but today it is still evident that the Roman parts of it are stronger and less damaged than the Normans parts that are greatly damaged, which a testament to the Romans success in architecture and military during their reign. I knew so little about Porchester when we arrived, but it easily became one of my favorite places we went because of the view from the top and getting to walk around the remains while learning about the history behind it. I can’t wait for more adventures in castles and palaces during these last two weeks!