Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens is a huge botanical garden in London that is one of the Royal Botanical Gardens. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning that it is culturally significant and protected by international treaties. Kew Gardens has over 50,000 plants. Kew Gardens began in the 1700s when August, the Princess of Wales and the …

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II became Queen upon the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952.  She was not expected to be Queen, but when her uncle abdicated the throne to her father, she was suddenly next in line. At age 92, she is still Queen today. She is the longest reigning monarch in the …

Cosmopolitanism

Appiah's writings on cosmopolitanism give an interesting insight to the way we interact with the world. As we interact with other people, we should not have an attitude of globalism or nationalism, but of cosmopolitanism. Viewing the world as a nationalist restricts us and keeps us from learning and understanding the human race as a …

Travel as a Political Act

Rick Steves' article How to Travel as a Political Act gave an interesting perspective on the best way to travel. According to Rick, his "best vacations have been both fun and intensely educational." In order to make my study abroad experience fun and educational, my three goals reflect some of Rick's main points in the article. Meet …

Culturegram Reading

Although there are a lot of traditional views in the UK that are different from traditional views here, younger generations are less likely to follow traditions strictly. However, it is still important to learn about the traditions that influence British culture.      One interesting cultural difference between the UK and the US is that …