Walking through parts of England's medical history

EDITOR'S NOTE: Throughout the summer, ASU students studying abroad will be writing back to the states about their overseas adventures. Fostering international student experiences is just one part of ASU's commitment to making a global impact.

Marie's blog:
So, guess where I am now?

London.

I know, I am insanely lucky.

I have been here two nights now, and have already done so much! Our group has braved the tube (subway) system, the train and walked a couple of miles. We have also hopped on the London Eye and seen one of the most amazing sights of my life. It was surreal to be looking out over London – the Palace, Big Ben and Parliament (among many other spectacular buildings) – all right there, right below you. Incredible is not strong enough of a word.

But not all of our time has been spent in London. As we are here to study health and disease (among other similar topics), we traveled out to Chichester, a city about two hours by train outside of London that has a rich, long history and was once the site of multiple hospitals, including the infamous "leper hospitals."

So far, this journey has been the highlight of the trip. Unlike London, which has many of the same features as other cities in developed countries, Chichester had an amazing, unique feel to it. As we walked through the cobbled streets, our guide pointed out buildings and casually stated that, why, yes, that was probably constructed in the 1400s. I loved every minute of our day there.

On the school front, things are going great. We had a few hours of lecture yesterday, and I am not lying when I say they were fabulous. As I have mentioned, our current module of study is focusing on the history of disease in London (think the Black Plague), and Dr. Stojanowski did a truly incredible job making our introduction lecture fun, memorable and jam-packed with information.

In conclusion: So far, so great.

Marie Manning, a global health major, will be a senior this fall. She is studying abroad in New Zealand, Fiji and London this summer.