London Summer '13

This summer, I am planning to study abroad in London, United Kingdom for six weeks. My trip will begin in the middle of May and last throughout June. I visited London for the first time last summer and was instantly drawn by the culture. I found the slower-paced lifestyle quite enjoyable. My mom told me that Europeans truly know how to live, repeating my grandfathers favorite line: "They do everything in moderation." They don't drink too much, eat too much, work too much, sleep too much, but rather stick to a balance. I found that moderation suited me.

My family at Big Ben, Summer 2012.

While studying abroad in London, my goal is to live like the locals, expanding beyond the tourist destinations that made up my trip the first time around. London offers a special mix of culture: it is a blooming metropolis that has thousands of years of history behind it. I appreciate both the modern and historical sides of London, but I am especially intrigued to learn more about how society operates today differently than it does in America.

My siblings and I on the London Eye, Summer 2012

If you are interested in going abroad, there are many great, easy ways to take advantage of the opportunity. I have also found many great websites that suggest markets, neighborhoods, restaurants, and parks to spend time in that will help foreigners get a taste of what it is truly like to be a Londoner. Beyond that, I can't wait to travel to see other parts of the world for the first time! More to come on my trip to London....stay tuned!

Notre Dame Students Lead Washington D.C. March for Life

The Washington D.C. March for Life left Notre Dame students with a renewed urgency for the pro-life movement, Sophomore Mary Olivia Balmert told The Observer.

More 600 members of the Notre Dame Right to Life club, including both students and faculty members, traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the national march last Saturday. Notre Dame were given the opportunity to lead the march, which sophomore Susanna Floyd called "an incredibly cool experience."

Notre Dame students show off their pro-life signs at the March for Life in Washington D.C.

The participants from Notre Dame converged on the National Mall with more than 650,000 people from across the country to march in protest of the 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in America. This years march held special significance because 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling. 

Standing up for their beliefs in solidarity was very memorable, Sophomore Lexi Stroud said. "It was amazing to see how many people showed up for the cause. I especially loved marching along side my friends and participating together to demonstrate our beliefs."

Mary Olivia Balmert, who serves as a comissioner in Notre Dame's Right to Life club, saw the event as a wake up call for the nation, she told The Observer.

"This trip [was] especially serious because it encouraged us to look back over the past four decades and remember how many lives have been lost in that time framed: over 55 million," Balmert said to The Observer. "Roe v. Wade occurred before I was born, meaning that when I was in utero it was considered legal for my mother to terminate her pregnancy and end my life if she had wanted. As my poster at the march said, I'm a survivor."

Notre Dame sophomores Susanna Floyd and Lexi Stroud at the march in Washington D.C.

Sophomore Right to Life club media commissioner Andrew Weiner was one of 50 students who got to carry the official March for Life banner at the front of the crowd. 

"It was great being with a group of young people leading the march, leading the way and showing people that we are a generation that really cares about this issue," Weiner said. 

Notre Dame students commuted to the march via two overnight bus trips, each lasting upwards of nine hours. The travel was definitely worth it, Susanna Floyd said. 

"It was just a really fun experience to attend the march and to be able to see Washington D.C." Floyd said. "I am so happy to attend a university that makes it possible to attend events like this and I am so happy I took advantage of the opportunity to come."