Students Experience London with Scavenger Hunts and Tours

July 18, 2023

Our group waited at the train station to catch a train that arrived in London. It was around dusk that we got back to our flat. On the night of the arrival, we were handed our keys to the apartment and started exploring around the block. Not too long after the start, we found Sainsbury’s, one of the ubiquitous grocery chains here in London. After the grocery run, we returned to make our food and celebrated successfully making our way to London. On the night of the arrival, I thought London wasn’t that humid after all, and I was pleasantly surprised to see double-deckers and colorful cabs.

We got up relatively early to start our orientation with Muhammad the following day. Muhammad went through his presentation of what to do and what not to do, along with some suggestions for food and transportation. Then we went a little farther to see things, and we noted that there were a few good restaurants and a museum to try out later in the day. We then had a different orientation with the English literature study abroad group also in London, leading to the long-awaited scavenger hunt. The two study-abroad groups merged and were divided into four groups to start hunting around for items and places. Our objectives were as follows: find two grocery store chains, two of the three closest underground stations, one of London’s major parks, one library or bookstore, a site mentioned in Harry Potter, one building related to the central government, one grave or residence of a famous person, a theatre or cinema, and two restaurants serving food that is not traditional British food. Our group started from the Winston House to find and complete the hunt. Sainsbury’s and Tesco were our two grocery chains, and Tottenham Court and Russel Square were the two closest underground stations. To digress a bit, while walking towards Regents Park, we saw exotic supercars, including some Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsche, and Aston Martin. It was a sight to behold. Then we stumbled upon the JFK memorial, which we took a neat picture of. We walked around a bit more, traveling deep into Marylebone and circling back to Soho, where the Winston House is located. Our group was the second to finish the hunt! After the search, Muhammad ordered a bunch of Domino’s Pizza which was entirely satisfactory. Both study-abroad groups gathered at the nearby park to enjoy the scenery and the pizza until close to sunset. I was glad to see some familiar faces and get to know new people.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the scavenger hunt and had a newfound appreciation for greater London. As someone who doesn’t necessarily enjoy walking too far for too long, I loved the idea of quickly visiting different places and absorbing as much information as possible. I quickly familiarized myself with the surroundings through the scavenger hunt. My favorite place was in front of Regent’s Park towards the Soho area, primarily because of the inclusion of greeneries on the buildings from the past.

About the Author

This blog was written by Jeehong Jung, Class of 2025.