ANCIENT RUINS: Natalie Stuart ’14 strolls down Hadrian’s Wall taking in the history of the Romans’ effect on Britain.
Photo Courtesy of Katie O’Reilly ’14

When we got on the plane to London on a January evening, as a group we had nothing in common, it was even too awkward to try and sleep on the person sitting next to you. However, after walking around London, traveling around the underground, and sharing a classic British meal of fish and chips, we naturally became a family. Studying both traditional British history and the connection to the Roman occupation allowed us to view the city through the most unique perspective. We took a river cruise along the Thames, experienced evening song at Westminster Abbey, and toured around the famous tower of London. Venturing outside to the English countryside proved to be a true global educational environment. Visiting the mysterious Stonehenge, the Roman Baths, and walking along Hadrian’s Wall forced us to learn through experience, which ultimately created a truly irreplaceable memory. -Katie O’Reilly ’14

As we learned about about the Romans expansion in Britain, we all bonded and an unlikely group of people all became friends. I would have never expected that in two weeks I could come to know a group of seemingly random people so well. The best part of the entire trip was going to Hadrians wall to see the final frontier of the Roman Empire. Just the fact that this great empire had lain a massive boundary that separated them from the Scots was really mind blowing. It was well engineered, on the thinnest part of Britain, and still intact today. It was just so surreal. -Declan Meaney ’15