Editor Kara McIntyre and Design Editor Justin Marquart got the experience of a lifetime — they studied abroad at Queen Mary University of London. From July 6 to Aug. 7, they learned the ins and outs of photography and graphic design in England, but in reality, they experienced so much more than that.

Kara’s highlights

• Getting “lost” at the London Pride Parade and a random guy smacking me on the you-know-what. Definitely the last place I thought I would get groped.
• Going into the world’s largest Lush store on Oxford Street, meeting a drag king and getting two free bath bombs. Yes, that all happened in that one store.
• Spending 11 hours on a coach bus to get to Amsterdam, sitting next to the potent urine-smelling bathroom and near three screaming children, only to spend less than 48 hours there before traveling another 11 hours back to England.
• Watching a live sex show. Don’t ask, just go see for yourself someday.
• Visiting more museums and design studios than I ever wanted to in my life — but totally worth it.
• Traveling to Italy with almost zero plans of what we actually wanted to do (just kidding, this was horrible and I strongly suggest planning ahead).
• Seeing Pompeii, the Colosseum and the Vatican. Oh, and I got to hear the Pope speak.
• Meeting the most famous graphic designer in the United Kingdom: Peter Saville.
• Realizing that our American bubble is not even remotely close to how the rest of the world works.
• How much Brits laugh at American politics — and how obsessed they are with reporting about Trump in their newspapers.
• Spending way too much money because “it’s London.”
• Committing myself to going back to the U.K. and Europe someday.

Justin’s highlights

• Being able to geek/nerd out at the Making of Harry Potter World Tour in London.
• Visiting four Italian cities — Ercolano, Pompeii, Rome and Venice — within a five-day period.
• Visiting the wonderful city of Amersterdam.
• Getting separated from people an having to find your way back to campus when you’re on the other side of town.
• Learning and riding the London tube system.
• Being able to travel around London for class instead of being in a classroom.
• Immersing myself into their culture.
• Getting to drink legally there since I can’t here (I’ll be 21 soon…ish).
• Learning that I’m a person that enjoys air conditioning.
• Learning that there are some people you just don’t travel with.
• finding out that jet lag is a nuisance.
• Being able to travel to places I never thought I would go to.
• Able to cross riding on a ferry off my bucket list.
• Learning that I have no control when it comes to shopping (R.I.P. to my bank account).
• Visiting Pentagram, a big graphic design company.
• Visiting a lot of museums.
• Not having to worry about how much exercise I did because we would walk a minimum of two miles a day.