This week began with a pop cultural experience in watching the finale of the famous UK summer reality TV show called Love Island. This program airs every night at 9 PM during the summer months, and thus the finale had long been anticipated! My flatmates and I had watched a couple episodes and decided to enjoy the fun. It was a nice break from writing the two papers that were due that week. We had one final class relating to our internship experiences Wednesday night after work. It was a long day, but beneficial to reflect and share in a group setting on our varied experiences.
Thursday after work, I walked through Regents Park and Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens. This beautiful area had been on my list for awhile. The blossoms scattered throughout the park had whimsical names like “You’re Beautiful” and “Free Spirit.” The natural beauty of the roses, river, and trees blended with man-made elements like a sculpture garden, fountains, and an open air theatre. Walking around this large green space almost made me forget that I was in the city. It was refreshing.
The next morning, at 2:30 AM to be exact, my final weekend trip of the summer began. A group of 10 went to Amsterdam, Netherlands! Here, we stayed in a village called Santpoort-Noord about 30 minutes outside of the city. The village was having an annual celebration week with daily and nightly festivities. Upon arrival, we were able to walk through that day’s farmer’s market and interact with locals, who expressed that they did not often meet many tourists. I was surprised at how perfectly they spoke English. In the city, we walked along the canals and surveyed the huge population of bikes. This weekend, there was also a huge Pride celebration and the decorations filled the streets. Amsterdam was the most “European” city to me as there we not too many cars, there was lots of color, and we baked in the hot sun. That night, we enjoyed multiple performances of live music back in Santpoort-Noord and dined on Dutch stroop-waffles for dessert. Per our Airbnb host’s recommendation, we ventured to the North Sea the next morning for a beach day. My summers are typically spent by the shore, and as such, this day felt close to home. We headed back into the city Saturday night for a canal boat tour, famous Amsterdam pancakes, and photos of the “I Amsterdam” sign. Flying out the next morning was a struggle, as we were all sad to leave this stunning place.
Thankfully, coming home meant another day in London! After napping, a group went to Brick Lane Market in Shoreditch where we stopped for famous salt beef brick lane bagels. Next stop was Camden Market for souvenirs for ourselves, our families, and our friends back home. Finally, we visited Abbey Road Recording Studios and took the corresponding photo on Abbey Road. It surprised me that this road was so populated, as it presented a hazard to both the people taking pictures crossing the street and the drivers trying to get by! Returning to my flat Sunday night, I was struck by a mix of emotions. Going into the last week was sure to be bittersweet.
Grace Guertin ’19
Student, UConn School of Business
Grace Guertin is a rising senior majoring in Management and minoring in Digital Marketing and Analytics. She is currently enrolled in the UConn Business in London, England Summer Classes/Internship hybrid program until mid-August. Grace is taking classes in Business Law and Human Rights as well as completing an academic internship for Elizabeth Arden’s fragrance marketing department while there. She is excited to meet new people, live in a big city, work for a beauty company, and travel around Europe. A fun fact about Grace is that her first time out of the country is for this trip! On campus, she is involved in her sorority Gamma Phi Beta as the Community Service Chairwoman and is active in the Honors Program. View Posts