My Time In London...

The past two weeks have been quite interesting. I have learned a lot both from my journey in London and around Europe, and I have also learned so much from my internship. Two weekends ago my roommate and I ventured off to Prague. This is probably the most beautiful place that I have ever been. We only went for two days, but we walked pretty much nonstop, except for the short amount of time that we took to sleep and nap. It was truly amazing, and I was so glad we went; every building was so majestic and magnificent. When we got back we were in awe of everything we saw. I was so glad that we went on the trip because I had had a very tiring week at work and a very tiring Thursday before we left.

The day before I left I had gone to the Sports Program of the school and witnessed the children that were around age 13. This was quite a day as the kids were very rambunctious and by the end of the day they were basically in charge and running the school. I sat in a chair in the corner in complete awe of what was going on. The children were given zero discipline and there was no authority. It was crazy, and after this day I could not wait to get away. It only got worse when I arrived at the train station and saw what looked like the after math of a stabbing. There was a man lying on the floor covered in blood. I got scared and could not wait to get home.

I have learned a lot, especially from the children in the program about the ongoing problem with stabbing in the area. Teenagers and young adults all over London have a huge problem with knives; they are probably equivalent to the guns that we have in the states. I spoke with one of the teachers about this, and I talked to my director about it. My director decided to put me on a project while I am here that I am very excited about. I, along with a few other teachers have been given a project of teaching the kids in the program about knife violence and about how it is an ongoing problem. I am truly excited to start this project, and hopefully affect and help as many kids as I can. This will also help me get a grasp on London society and how it has changed.

This internship has definitely been an eye-opening experience for me. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I came over here, but I am having a great time working with the kids, and could possibly see myself as doing this job in New York or San Francisco. I love helping people, especially kids, and working with them through this program is making me want to work with children with disabilities. I am trying to learn all that I can while I am over in London, and I am taking full advantage of everything offered to me while I am here. I am voicing my opinions at my job when I have concerns, and I was encouraged to write a report about what I witnessed at the sports center; I was told by two of my coworkers that I did a great job. I hope to continue learning from this internship and I know that will.