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Students tour the remains of Kenilworth Castle in the Countryside.

London Brought to Life

Photos taken by Makenzie Goldstein '16

After spending a little more than two weeks in London, students spent the remaining days in the English countryside at Stratford-Upon-Avon, with stops at Stonehenge and Avebury.

"I liked the spiritual feeling it gave me. When we arrived at Avebury, Robin gave us the assignment to touch a rock and write free verse for 20 minutes straight. This was the most thinking I had done since my time in London, and it really solidified the calmness of the countryside compared to the hustle and bustle of the city," reflected Guzman.

In Stratford, students explored a variety of famous landmarks such as Shakespeare's birthplace and Kenilworth Castle.

When students arrived back on campus after break, they presented a project to the class that was influenced by their time abroad. Some students wrote plays, while others created magazines or set pieces.

Murphy's project took the entire duration of her time in London. " I recorded (more than 100) sounds of London and put them together to create a 6 1/2 minute sound clip of the trip. I used my iPod voice memos app to record almost three hours of sound while we were walking around, on tours, riding the tube, or even eating. I was able to create a project that brought many memories back to the class through only the use of sound, which was my goal."

Metz finds that students often begin the course with impressions about England that are based on popular culture or because they are entranced by the royals. "I think that is a distorted view," said Metz. "I hope they get a penetrating insight into the true nature of British culture."