When a naive American is asked to picture what they believe England looks like I can bet you that nine out of ten times they will picture the little side streets and shops that make up York. I’m a major romance novel nerd and these authors love to have England as their setting; when I was allowed to venture into the actual city it felt as though I was the main character in one of these books. The universe brought us to York at probably the best time: race weekend. While our little group walked around in our jeans and tried to stay as silent as possible to hear our guide, hundreds of natives walked the streets in cocktail dresses with feathery headbands. I felt out of place but in the best way possible; I could not stop smiling at the excitement that surrounded me.
Now to get into the actual reason we went on this trip and were walking around the city of York: academics. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of churches and all of that religion stuff but the York Minster was the definition of beautiful. When walking into the building I immediately felt as if I was intruding. Being under five foot I understand that I am small, but this building made me feel small on another level. I am happy that I expressed this feeling to our wonderful professor, Dr. Gathagan, because she was able to explain to me that this was the intention of the creators of the York Minster. When looking up to the gigantic stained glass church goers are supposed to feel miniscule but in the way that these holy figures will always be above and what one wants to reach.
Moving into our second day in York, this day of learning about the Vikings and Barley Hall was far more interactive. As someone who thrives in learning environments when they can get active and move around during the learning process, this day was so much fun for me. My high school is the Valley Central Vikings, so it is obvious that I have learned about the Vikings quite a bit in my day, but I have never been more interested than while in York. Being able to take a silly little ride that really emersed me in the living situations of the Vikings made me understand what was being taught to me. Also, having someone like Dr. Huntington who is so passionate and goofy with her students made my peers and I actually want to stand at the front of the group to hear what she is saying.
I also have to give many thanks to York because it seems to be the place where our study abroad group really created a strong bond. Having the opportunity to sit in The Punch Bowl around a table and just talk and hear about each other’s lives really brought us all together. For the rest of the trip we wanted to stick together and planned events for the entire group to embark on. I am so incredibly thankful for this trip for bringing me some amazing friends and making my friendship with already established friends even stronger. Also if you go on this trip I highly recommend going to The Punch Bowl with your classmates and who knows, maybe you’ll meet some interesting characters like we did.
