University of Wisconsin–Madison

England: Thompson Blade (An Impactful Moment)

A painting of olive trees underneath the sun, surrounded by mountains. The picture is in a gold frame on a gray wall.
Vincent van Gogh, ‘Olive Trees’, 1889

My most challenging moment studying abroad thus far has been being away from the United States during the election. I follow politics very closely, so for several months, I have consumed as much information about the election as possible. Once I arrived in London and started talking to people, I was often asked about it.  This, in combination with my distance from home, was very stressful. Luckily, I found a group of Americans who shared my feelings, so we were able to support each other. These feelings came to a head during election night. Due to the time difference, I watched election coverage until 3 am. As I watched, I felt so helpless. I had voted, but still, being so far away from the United States, I felt like it was completely out of my control.

To overcome these feelings, I looked for something I could do in London to get out of my head. I had been eyeing the van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery, but every time I tried to get a ticket, there were no bookings available. As fate would have it, there was an opening on the day after the election. The exhibition was incredible. Van Gogh’s paintings from museums around the world were presented together in a stunning collection. It was exactly what I needed. Surprisingly, the painting that I enjoyed the most was one I had seen before. The Minneapolis Institute of Art lent the painting “Olive Trees” from their collection for this exhibit. It reminded me of the times I visited the museum with my girlfriend (a Minneapolis native). This was the perfect cure for the anxiety that I had been feeling.

Thompson stands on rocks in front of a small waterfall and many tall trees.

Thompson Blade

Hometown: Wyoming, Ohio

Major: Economics, Mathematics

Program: London School of Economics

I chose this program because the London School of Economics is one of the preeminent institutions for the studying economics in the world. One personal goal that I have is to get comfortable in a rigorous academic environment in a place that I do not have previous ties to. This is a challenge that I think will help me grow as a person.