Over the course of my 10-day experience in England, each place we explored gave me a new take on the world we live in. It was crazy to take in that I was across an ocean from the only place I’ve ever known, and that there is so much of this world to take in. I look back on this trip and the pictures I took and I think, did I really do that? Yes, I did do that, and I am a new person because of it! So much history taken in, in just 10 days. One of my favorite experiences to look back on from the trip was the two days we spent in the magical city of York. When I think about York I literally feel at home, it was so beautiful and some of the best memories of our trip came from there. From walking the ancient walls, to drinking tea at Betty’s, to walking down Shambles, and to the downright awful realistic smell of the Viking Center, it was all around memorable. We also got to meet and learn from Dr. Joanna Huntington who was a blast to listen to and take in her knowledge from her home. I do not think I could pick a favorite thing we did in York, I just loved being there. York also made me realize how much I enjoyed taking in and touring the gothic cathedrals we saw in every city. The York Minster was breath taking and I realized how much we learn from those ancient buildings. I would post pictures of everything we did in York, and a lot of my friends and family made a point of saying York is now on their bucket list to visit and that’s when I knew how special it really was. The rich history, and the beauty of England was memorizing and this trip gave me a whole new take on experiential learning. As a future teacher, I can look back on this trip as a whole to remind myself how much more special learning can be by physically seeing the things we talk about and how much more you can learn that way. I know not everyone is as fortunate as I was to be able to take on this journey and learn in a whole new way, but I definitely will be encouraging my friends, family, and even future students that there is a big world out there that we need to explore.

-Lauren Peters