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ESU Luard Morse Scholarship recipient for the 2023-2024 academic year, Michayla George, catches up with the Arcadia Abroad team following her semester abroad in London. We talk about finals, cramming in as many experiences in the last couple weeks as possible, and how she views her entire experience abroad. 

Arcadia Abroad: Welcome back, Michayla! How was the end of the semester? Smooth? Crazy? How were finals? 

Michayla George: Yeah, it was kind of crazy, honestly! I remember the last two weeks of me being there I felt like I was just going and going and going. I had so much to study for with exams. I only had one in-person exam that I had to take in a proper 2 hour sitting. And then for Spanish I had a conversation exam, so it was a little different. But just preparing for those exams, and then immediately having to pack up my entire room and clean and get rid of things… It was kind of hectic.

AA:  Did you cross anything off your bucket list in your last month in London? 

MG: As far as a bucket list, I haven’t really even made one honestly so I wouldn’t necessarily say that. But my entire time, when I was in London I was looking up things that are on TikTok, like the best places and sites to go in London. So I did cross a few things off of that list in the last day – and I mean I went to like 7 or 8 different places in one day. I was just going going. I was able to do the London cable car, and it takes you from Royal Victoria Docks all the way to Greenwich Peninsula, which is like where the O2 music center music venue is. It’s a huge music venue, and it has shopping there. So I did that, and I went to Westfield Mall, which is a really big mall. I went to Harrod’s again, the big department store. I was getting it all done, while also just trying to take care of errands. I had to drop off some things I was going to donate that I wasn’t going to take back with me. So yes, I did a lot in just a few hours.

AA: What are some of your new favorite photos on your camera roll? 

MG: I took a lot of photos! Especially of the theaters I went to and food. I have a lot of photos of food. Here is a photo of outside the theater for Moulin Rouge. And here is a photo of a Nashville-themed event! The NFL team in my hometown Nashville is the Tennessee Titans, and they played in London this fall. My mom and some family members came to London to visit for a little bit and to see the Titans game. To bring some more hype around it, London had Nashville-themed events. So we got to go to a Nashville party in London – that was a really fun experience. 

AA: As the ESU Luard Morse Scholarship recipient this year, did you have any activities with the English Speaking Union while you were abroad? 

MG: Yes, I had the wonderful privilege to go to a Thanksgiving dinner that they hosted. It was at the Dartmouth house, which is their location in London. We had a turkey and vegetables, and they had a pumpkin pie for dessert. While there, I also got to meet some other scholarship recipients who were doing a different program for recent high school graduates. It was interesting to get to know them and see how their experience was, and we had a lovely dinner. 

AA: Did you attend the Arcadia in London semester farewell event? 

MG: Yes! They had a goodbye party at a bowling alley venue which also had a karaoke room, pool table, things like that. And we had pizza. The event was for everyone on an Arcadia program, so the people I had met at orientation, we were all back together again. It was great. 

AA: Are you still staying in touch with those you met on your study abroad? 

MG: Yes! Most people came back in mid-December like me, but there were few people who waited a little closer to the New Year. So we’ve been talking about all the travel and fun things they’ve done after the semester was over. 

AA: Thinking about your experience, what activities were most valuable to you and why? 

MG: I got to go to a Chelsea game and that was really fun! I’m not a big sports person but I know football culture in England is really big. So it was really cool to get to see that, and how into it all the fans were. I also enjoyed the many times I went to Borough Market because I love trying different foods from different cultures. And there were so many people there, so seeing other people who were excited to try new foods and buy different things was really cool.

AA: If you could change one thing about your study abroad experience, is there anything that comes to mind? 

MG: It was still really fun, but I do kind of wish I had the opportunity to travel a little bit more. Not that I didn’t have the opportunity, but I think it was just a risk that I didn’t want to take, because my schedule. My classes would end on Friday around 1pm, and then I had a class on Monday at 9am. So I knew that it will be a really short window for me to travel, and when I go on vacation, I like to relax a little bit and take my time, and I just didn’t have the time to do that. So I made the decision just to do more local events and familiarize myself with London a bit more.

AA: Have you developed any new insights thinking about your place in today’s global community? Has that perspective changed for you at all? 

MG: I would say changed in a better way. Before I came to London, I thought I would stick out a little bit more. I thought I would have a lot more issues adjusting to the differences and getting around. But I’m proud of how quickly I adapted and how open minded I was to change. I knew that things would be different, and I didn’t let that get to me. I was able to navigate and get around this new area. I was invested in becoming a healthier version of myself, meeting new friends. So I definitely believe that now I fit into a more global way of thinking and living, because I was very motivated to learn more about the new cultures I was surrounded in, instead of just wanting things to be a hundred percent the way they were at home.

AA: What skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes did you gain while you were abroad? How do you think you’ll make use of these changes in yourself now that you’re back home? 

MG: A skill would definitely be cooking for myself. I had to learn how to make meals that I wanted to eat, but also making sure that I wasn’t cooking a whole lot of food, at the same time. Just learning how to balance making food for myself that was also healthy while not spending a whole bunch of money, because that was my goal as well. 

Another skill would be learning how to navigate an area. Back at home I don’t really walk as much, especially not walking from my house to a different place. But of course, when I was in London, that’s most of what I did. So learning how to walk around a neighborhood and be able to walk to the grocery store or walk different places that were around me. 

And I think I’ll be able to integrate those skills back into my life here because I’m making intentional efforts to stay active and keep exercising, even though it’s a little bit more difficult. And same with food, trying to cook some of the same recipes I made in London that were healthy, quick, and easy, to make my life a little simpler and less complicated.

AA: Where did your motivation come from to focus and improve healthy habits while you were abroad? 

MG: I believe it was being able to start fresh and set new standards and rules of how I wanted to live my life while on my own. I think that made it easier to make changes and add things to my diet that I wanted to, like more salads and vegetables. 

AA: Thinking about being back on campus at Tennessee State this semester, is there anything you will do differently this semester compared to others? 

MG: Definitely. More than ever, I understand the importance of having the opportunity to study abroad, and I recognize that not many people from my school get to have that, especially a semester long exchange. But I know how important it is and how life changing it is. So I want to work with The Office of International Affairs at my school to get the word out and encourage people to keep applying for scholarships and maybe take the chance to go on exchanges like I did because it’s so valuable.

AA: Do you feel like this experience abroad has influenced your post-graduation plans? 

MG: Yes. For many years I couldn’t imagine myself living in a different environment. So that’s why for college I chose a school that was only 10 minutes away. I chose to do things to make things easier on myself and everybody around me. But this experience showed me that I can move halfway across the world. And so I’m starting to consider, could I do it again? Could I go somewhere else? I think I can, and I think I want to! 

AA: How have you been sharing with your friends and family about your study abroad experience? 

MG: The main things that I’ve been telling them about are the independence I gained, how I learned to make my way around these big areas without having to use a map. All the different musicals I got to go see, the food I cooked for myself. And how I made it through like the last week or so of my time there! 

AA: How would you describe your study abroad in five words? 

MG: Eye opening, Fun, New, Dedicated, Challenge 

AA: Do you have any other reflections you’d like to share? 

MG: I guess I just want to say again how grateful I am for this experience.  How eye opening it has been for me in ways that I didn’t expect. I can tell people are really proud that I got to have this experience when I tell them about what I went through. And I want to be able to ensure that more people, who look like me especially, and who come from HBCUs, have opportunities like this. So I just hope that in the future, in whatever way I can, I’m able to help more people and see more people getting to experience the world. Because not only is it educational, like related to your college experience, but you can learn so much more about yourself this way. I was alone. I had to start from scratch. I didn’t have a mom to call on all the time. I couldn’t just go back home and get in my bed. It was difficult at times, but it taught me so much about myself and what I can do, and I think that is such an important experience for young people to get to have. And I want to do anything I can to make sure that others especially, in the coming generations, get to have an opportunity like mine.

AA: Thank you so much. We appreciate you sharing your voice and experience with us.