Aloha from England

Piotr Walczuk
University of Essex, England

England, land of the tea, the sheep, and the overtly polite… or at least that’s how we perceive them to be from the American point of view!

For my year abroad I decided to venture off to England, and I was the first student to do so from the University of Hawaii. Here at the University of Essex you are about one hour away by train from London, Oxford, Cambridge or Norwich. Travel by train is key to seeing the British sites, unless of course you have a snotty rich friend who likes to drive around in a fancy Rolls Royce! If you do, than you are lucky, but I’m sure you’ll make friends who have modest cars.

After studying for two semesters (there are 3 here: Autumn, Winter, Spring) I decided to see if I could grab some sunshine on the Southwest area of England. You will find that it gets very cold here, mostly due to the wind, so have a scarf and mitten set ready! I’ve visited many places during my year but for the break I went to the area known as Cornwall. I took a train from Colchester to London to Plymouth to St. Austell. The journey takes a few hours, but it is quite enjoyable, I went alone, but with a friend time can zip by quickly I’m sure.

I stayed at a charming bed and breakfast right next to the train station in the small town of St. Austell. I couldn’t make up my mind as to where I wanted to go for Spring Break, there were so many choices! I decided to just go with the flow and chose St. Austell with no real itinerary in mind. My big draw to the town was the Eden Project, dubbed the world’s largest greenhouse. It’s a beautiful facility nicknamed by some as the “bubble building,” it is mostly selfsufficient and constructed from natural materials to set an example for a greener environment.

Within these “bubbles” are different types of world climates and visitors get a chance to experience the heat, plants, smells, fruits and lifestyle of the areas. When I went to the rainforest section I was immediately brought back home! Hawaii in a bubble, in England, who’d a thunk it?

Another part of my visit was to St. Ives, a town northwest to St. Austell. Here I wanted to see the British coasts. It was another short train ride up, and soon I was surrounded by a gorgeous seaside village. It was very picturesque and calm. I decided to venture away from tourists and I walked for 5 hours up and down the coast. It was a gorgeous and beautiful way to separate myself from the pressures of studying. I recommend it to help center yourself.

My year here has come to an end and I can say that it has been a wonderful experience. If you are looking forward to a safe environment, friendly international crowds, British culture and hundreds of places to visit, get over here across the pond!