England: Yingying Xie (Daily Life in London)

I would wake up around 8 in the morning and get ready for school. My classes usually start around 9 or 10 a.m. For breakfast, I usually eat the bread I bought from the market, which is usually Sainsbury’s or Mark & Spencer in London.

Our campus is in the center of London, which is about a 30-minute walk from my residence hall – kind of far away, but already closer than many other halls. I would take the bus when I am in a rush. The campus is very small compared to Madison, since London is so crowded already, so moving between classes does not take a lot of time.

There are many cafés on campus so I can easily find food when I’m hungry. There are also lots of options on the streets of London that are very close to campus. I have tried Thai and Vietnamese restaurants that are very authentic. More affordably, I would go to a big Sainsbury’s around campus and get their Meal Deal – which includes a main, such as a sandwich or burrito, a drink, and a snack – that only costs 3.5 pounds.

I tend to stay on campus to finish my work before coming back to my hall. I would go to the library or stay in the buildings where they have study spaces. The library is usually very packed.

My residence hall provides a dinner every day except for brunch every Saturday, so I would have dinner in my hall. The dining hall is a great place for socializing when people can simply join each table for a conversation. People in my hall are very close to each other and I made many good friends at dinner time.

 

Yingying Xie

Hometown: Beijing, China

Major: Sociology; Statistics

Program: London School of Economics