Back in October, I learned about a study abroad program that my school MSU Denver would be offering during the summer, which allowed students to learn about healthcare in London and Dublin. At first, I wasn’t sure about going. I had never been to a foreign country, didn’t have a passport and the trip was a lot of money. I brought it up to my parents, who thought it would be a great opportunity. The more I thought about it the more I realized it was a great opportunity to learn more about healthcare and experience a culture outside my own. So in January, I registered for the trip and applied for a passport. By April my passport had arrived and my trip was paid for. Thanks to a generous donation from Eaton Senior Living Community and Kris Gerken. Some financial responsibility was alleviated, which allowed me to have extra spending money for food and souvenirs.
Day 0
We departed on May 27th and it was a long travel day. I woke up at 3 am and by 4 am I was making my way to the airport. At 7:40 am we left for Toronto. Where we had a 5-hour layover. I grabbed food and found a place to Facetime my mom to let her know I was safe. Once we started boarding the flight from Toronto to London. I felt so grateful for the opportunity to be able to leave the country and broaden my education. The flight from Toronto and London was a long one, and I couldn’t get comfortable enough to fall asleep. I was so relieved when we finally touched down.
After recollecting as a group, we meet up with our tour guide Tony. Then made our way to the hotel to store our luggage before setting out on the first day of activities.
Day 1
Since we had been traveling most of the day we went on a light walk around the river Thames and Tony our guide pointed out things to do in the area. Our walk ended in Borough Market and we were given some free time to explore the area and grab lunch. I stopped at a stand called Pochii and grabbed a Japanese rice bowl and for dessert, I got strawberries and chocolate. Then walked around the area and took pictures. We ended the day with a lovely roast dinner before making our way back to the hotel for some much-needed rest.
Day 2
The next day we meet up with our guide Keith for a guided bus tour. On the tour, we saw the iconic London bell tower at the Palace of Westminster. Houses of Parliament, home to England’s governing body. We also saw St. Pual’s Cathedral a domed church that hosted many royal events. As well as the changing of the guards.
For lunch, we went to Winsor to see Windsor Castle, where we saw the state apartments and objects like paintings by Ruben and Holbein. We also saw St. George’s Chapel, the final resting place of many monarchs.
Day 3
We started the day with a walking lecture about the history of London’s healthcare system. During the lecture, we visited the Royal College of Physicians. A governing body of the British medical profession since 1518. We walked through London’s medical district taking in renowned institutions such as the University College Hospital, The General Medical Council, And the now-defunct London Foot Hospital.
To end the day we visited the Florence Nightingale Museum and learned about Florence and her legacy.
Day 4
The following day we meet our guide for The Tower of London. We then toured the Tower of London, viewed the Crown Jewels, and the spot where Henery the VIII banished two of his wife. After taking in the sights of the Tower of London we then made our way to the British Museum.
We only scratched the surface of the British Museum. Our guide highlighted certain parts of the collection and after our tour, we were given free time to explore on our own. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because I got to see things that I’d only ever seen in a textbook in person.
Day 5
We met up with our guide who then took us on a walking tour through the making of modern medicine. We started at the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians and ended at Welcome Centre. After a break at the Welcome Centre. We then went to the British Science Museum with our guide who walked us through some of the collection.
Day 6
Day 6 of our trip marked our last day in London. We started the day with a talk 
with a Nurse Practitioner and had a discussion about healthcare in the United Kingdom and compared it to healthcare in the United States. My biggest takeaway was that healthcare in the places like London is underfunded which results in longer wait times for care. After our panel, we then had the rest of the day free to explore on our own.
You can listen to our talk with nurse practitioners here.
I decided to check out the restaurants my pen pal suggested that I try. I started with Byron for a burger then went to Ben’s Cookies for something sweet, and ended with the Duck & Waffle. At Byron, I had a vegan cheeseburger which was good. It had a smoked flavor which I love in burgers and their vegan sauce paired perfectly with the burger and toppings. The cookies at Ben’s Cookies were delicious. They were light and weren’t overly rich or sweet. To end the day I had dinner at the Duck and Waffle. I had their corn ribs which were sweet and smoky. I also had their puy lentil & sweet onion ragout which was really good and packed full of flavor.
After dinner, I made my way back to the hotel to pack for the new leg of our trip. We would be traveling early in the morning to make our way to Dublin. So I wanted to give myself time to pack and get enough sleep. Overall, I enjoyed my time in London. I learned about healthcare and how it differs from the healthcare system of the united states. Had lots of yummy food and experienced a culture different from my own. Next up is Dublin for a couple of days, then back to Denver.
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