What Living in London Taught Me
My name is Rebecca Cheshire. I spent my last semester in London, England with Living & Learning International before graduating from Southeastern University this spring! This time abroad taught me so many different lessons. Here are some, and the stories behind them!
Lidl is the superior grocery store
One thing I loved was having a kitchen and learning to cook for myself! Lidl was a great affordable option for grocery shopping. I also enjoyed baking cookies to share, which proved to be a great way to connect with people in my cohort.
Grocery shopping and jet lag do not mix
One of the first things I did upon arrival to London was join a scheduled trip to Asda, a local grocery store, led by one of the Resident Coordinators. I did not have a list and ended up buying the wrong size sheets! I was able to return them—thankfully—but jet lagged shopping is something else.
Reading on the tube = unmatched
I loved to bring my Kindle on public transport, especially the Tube! It helped long journeys go by faster. Plus, locals did it too!
Adventure is good, but so is rest and routine
There is so much to explore during a semester abroad! As much fun as the whirlwind weekend trips were, I found a lot of value in finding a church and having space to make London feel like home.
Florida girl + snow + cobblestone = a cry for help
While seeing snow in Brussels was beautiful, I quickly found walking on the cobblestone streets difficult as the snow started to stick and became slush. Thankfully, I did not have any Bambi moments! Semi-pro tip: bring shoes with good tread, or travel with friends who will support you every step of the way (literally).
Church bells = endless joy
With so many churches to see, hearing bells ring is inevitable. What I did not expect was to love the sound as much as I did. I think the Lord knew, because I heard them at almost every major cathedral I visited!
Paris probably should not be done in a day
This trip ended up being one of my favorites. However, that was wholly because of the company and not the 36,000 steps we took to see as much as we could before we had to leave.
The Lord is always present, and will speak in amazing ways
Whether you are homesick and find yourself having very honest words with the Lord, or amazed by a city you did not think you would visit, or attending class, or having a slow Tuesday: God is in it ALL. Something He kept bringing me back to was the idea of dwelling in Him. He usually did this with Psalm 84.
Sometimes you have to continue on the muddy path
About those honest words … our excursion to Seven Sisters was wonderful, but the path up the cliff was steep and extremely muddy. See again: Florida girl. Yet, I finished it. If I had turned around, I would not have brought my homesickness to Jesus. Then, I would not have heard His perfect reply the next morning through a friend on the other side of the world.
Throwing a coin in a fountain does not do anything (shocker)
I ended up missing the cohort trip to Rome due to an unexpected medical emergency. I think the Lord needed to disprove the whole Trevi Fountain superstition, but I digress. In all of it, I felt nothing but supported and COVERED in prayer by L&LI staff and friends in the cohort, as well as friends and family back home.
I still love Living & Learning International 🫶🏻
This semester was not my first experience with L&LI! I have gone on two mission trips through L&LI and Southeastern University, one of which was in Rome in 2024. (Yes, I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain.) I also have friends who are alumni from other semester programs. These things all made my decision to study abroad easy!
I would absolutely do it all over again.
Every single challenge pushed me closer to Christ and taught me new things about his character. Yet, challenges were not my entire experience. I made new friends, explored so many new places, had game nights, and saw Jesus in it all. He was so kind in leading me to London and I wouldn’t change a thing. Cheers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca Cheshire is an alumna from the Spring 2026 London program. She also graduated from Southeastern University with a degree in Multimedia Journalism. She has been to 15 countries— 9 during her semester abroad— and loves a good story!