This past Wednesday, September 21, my friends Kaylee, Dwayne, and Ashley headed to Scotland for a weekend trip! Day 1: We left campus around 7:15am, headed to King's Cross train station and departed for Edinburgh. As soon as we arrived, we went to Sainsbury's (grocery store) to get some food for us to eat for the next 2 days. TIP: If you plan on traveling and need to save your money, I highly recommending getting some food at a local grocery store so that you're less tempted to eat out. After we did some grocery shopping, we checked into our AirBnb, dropped off our belongings, and walked to Edinburgh Castle. On our way to the castle, we saw some men playing the bagpipes along the street. The castle was huge and beautiful and unlike anything I've ever seen before. In fact, the castle was so large that a town was built within the castle walls for those who lived in it. After and hour or two at the castle, we headed into Old Town to walk around and get dinner. Day 2: Our second day in Edinburgh was quite eventful. We started off the morning with a walk along Portobello Beach. Unfortunately, it was gloomy and a little rainy, but it was a beautiful beach nonetheless. Afterward, we hit the National Museum of Scotland. This museum was huge! I enjoyed reading about Scotland's history and particularly enjoyed seeing what their fashion was like from the 1700s - 1800s. After a couple hours at the museum, Kaylee, Ashley, and I went back into Old Town to do a self-Harry Potter location tour. We drank some Butterbeer and headed to Victoria Street which people say Diagon Alley was inspired by. We did some shopping along the street, then took a quick break to get some ice cream at local favorite, Mary's Milk Bar. Once we finished our ice cream, we walked over to Greyfriars Kirkyard which is where the Potters', Tom Riddel, Professor McGonagall, and Mad Eye Moody's character was inspired by. Day 3:
Our last day in Scotland was definitely my favorite. We booked a day tour with GetYourGuide to Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands. The tour began at 8am and went until 6pm. The first stop of the tour was the Highlands where we saw a number of gorgeous mountains, lakes (lochs), and grasslands. We then went to Loch Ness Fort Augustus; the same Loch Ness behind the mythical Loch Ness Monster. Of course, we took plenty of photos and ate our sandwiches with the ducks. After Loch Ness, we ended the tour in a town called Pitlochry where we had some of its famous Whisky ice cream!
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On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Although I was not in London at the time of her passing, I knew that I would be there for her funeral.
Today, Queen Elizabeth II's procession took place. I intended on going into Central London to watch her hearse pass through Kensington on Cromwell Road. The funeral took place at Westminster Abbey. The late queen, the Queen's Company, and the Royal Family made their way from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in Hyde Park, then to Windsor. Today was the first time I took the tube, so I was glad to have gone with my friend Makana. We left campus around 5am so that we could be in Kensington before the crowd arrived. Although we got there a little too early (3 hours too early), we ended up securing a great spot along the road and were able to clearly see the Queen drive by. This was truly a surreal and once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'll never forget. I am thrilled to be in London and am so excited to share my experiences and adventures with you! Although I spoke to several friends who have studied abroad, there were quite a few I wish I knew before studying abroad. This video covers some very basic pieces of information you’ll need to know before embarking on your study abroad journey to the UK. 1. Write out your packing list at least 1 month in advance: Several people told me to just bring 1 check-in suitcase, 1 carry on, and 1 personal item. However, I knew that if I was packing my life into just 1 carry-on and 1 check-in bag, it wouldn’t be enough, especially if I wanted to bring back omiyage for friends and family. After careful consideration, I decided to bring 2 check-in bags, 1 carry-on bag, and 1 personal item (backpack). I packed 1 check-in bag and 1 carry-on bag with my clothes, toiletries, and other necessities. After packing both suitcases, I packed my carry-on in my second check-in bag so that I wouldn’t be carrying 3 bags all by myself. When packing, I placed all of my clothes in vacuum-sealed bags and packing cubes to save as much space as possible Tip: You can purchase affordable vacuum-sealed bags from DAISO I have included my packing list below for reference. Link to my international adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078S3M2NX/ref=twister_B078S54S8Z?_encoding=UTF8&th=1 Note: This adapter is perfect if you plan on travelling to other countries. 2. Get a credit card with NO international fees and exchange your money before leaving the US: If you are a student with little to no credit yet, I recommend checking out a student credit card (preferably a Visa or Mastercard as these are widely accepted here in the UK) or a travel credit card. Most student and travel credit cards don’t have international fees! 3. Don’t pack too many clothing items! There will be plenty of opportunities to shop in the UK and in other countries. If you plan on studying abroad during the late Fall, Winter, or early Spring, definitely buy your coats and heavy jackets in the UK. Not only will it be cheaper than in Hawaii/the US, they will also have a wider selection of clothing that’s made specifically for the weather here. 4. Plan your trips ahead of time: If you plan on travelling to the surrounding countries during your study abroad period, be sure to plan out/have an idea of where you’d like to visit before departing the US. Keep in mind that the earlier you plan out your trips/purchase your tickets, the cheaper it will be. I recommend planning out:
Tip: Save money by purchasing groceries when you arrive in the city you’re visiting so that you can prepare your own breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you plan on eating out, eat out during dinner! 5. Unlock your phone before your arrive in the UK: Be sure to meet with your phone provider to unlock your phone at least 2 weeks before your departure. Don’t wait until the last minute! From what I remember: In order for AT&T to unlock my phone, my phone had to be paid off. If you pay off your phone right away, it will take 24 hours after payment to unlock your phone. Once I arrived in the UK, Roehampton University provided me with a SIM card called Giffgaff with 5G of data on it. Each month, you will need to pay for a new plan to add more data onto the SIM card. I used the SIM card Roehampton provided me for a few days but ended up using the SIM card I originally had and worked out a plan with my phone provider. If you are not satisfied with the SIM card the university provides you, you can always check out other SIM cards from places like O2 in the UK. 6. Bring all the medication you think you’ll need while you’re abroad: Even if you don’t think you’ll need a certain type of medication or product, bring it anyway! If you’re like me and have sensitive skin, take the weather into account. I usually use Cereve’s lotion because I know my skin won’t react poorly to it no matter what type of weather I’m in. I originally had it packed in my suitcase but decided not to bring it (among other things) because I needed to lighten my suitcase. Once I arrived in the UK, my skin started to get dry. I didn’t have my trusty Cereve lotion, so I used a different brand that resulted in a horrible and unbearable rash that I had to go to the hospital for. 7. Get used to drinking tap water! Do you drink filtered water at home? Here at Roehampton University, all you’ll have access to in your flat is tap water. Warm tap water. People in the UK aren’t big on having ice in their drinks. If you prefer filtered and ice water, consider purchasing a Brita as well as an ice tray upon arrival. You can purchase a Brita from stores such as Robert Dyas. Tip: If you want cold filtered water on campus, head to Roehampton University’s library. Go to the elevators (near the bathrooms) and you will see a water dispenser
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AuthorHi, I'm Kaycee Nakashima. Follow my blogs as I share my journeys across Europe! Archives
December 2022
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