Dina Asabea Williams X Lang Study Abroad Program: King’s College London

Kew Gardens

On January 5, 2018 I got the opportunity of a lifetime to travel 3,666 miles to London, England for the Lang Study Abroad Program at King’s College London. I would never have been able to take this opportunity had it not been for the Eugene Lang Opportunity Award. Because of their generosity I was able to study abroad in London and experience an entire new way of life and culture. I was also able to view amazing artwork and receive inspiration for future projects.

Buckingham Palace

During my time in England I was able to meet so many new people for all over the world. It allowed me to learn and understand from new perspectives. It heightened my global sense.

One of my favorite things about my study abroad was all the amazing art and cultures I was able to experience. I went to so many museums and exhibits. I went to the British Museum and the Tate Modern. In the Tate Modern I was able to in person see an artist’s work (Carrie Mae Weems) which I had study in a class my sophomore year called ‘The Concept of Blackness in Art’. To see it in person was unlike anything else. I was able to gain a new understanding of her as an artist and the message she is trying to convey.

 

During my time at King’s I was able to study with professors who experts in their fields. Reading novels like Ulysses and Sign of the Four I was able to truly grasp them in an entirely new way because I could go and have gone to the places they discuss in the novel. In regard to James Joyce’s Ulysses specifically, I was able to really understand the history between Ireland and England that was presented in the book because the effects of that history are still manifesting today in the modern day U.K.

 

 

Carrie Mae Weems

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrie Mae Weems

 

Andy Warhol, “Self Portrait”

 

Click here to see a few more of the artworks I viewed:

IMG_4490-1x7bt40

 

I also had the opportunity to travel outside of England. I went to Amsterdam with my older sister. The trip was so enlightening. We were able to see Van Gogh paintings up close and hear his story. I was also able to experience a different side of Europe and eat at the most amazing brunch spots. It was such a magical city for my sister and I.

 

Boat Amsterdam Tour

‘Bakers and Roasters’ Brunch Spot

 

 

Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh Museum

 

I ended my trip in London with visiting the Kensington area and going to see Lion King at Lyceum Theatre with my sister. The show was spectacular and life changing. I got experience so much on this study abroad. I feel everyone should study abroad or travel at least once in their life. It changes and challenges you in new and amazing ways. It’s scary and overwhelming but the pay off is unlike anything else. Because of the Lang Opportunity Award I was granted so many epic moments, and that is a debt I can never repay.

 

 

Skip to toolbar