I figured for my second entry I'd discuss what this trip is actually costing me. Obviously, the price of a study abroad program will vary depending greatly on the actual place. I chose London, aka one of the greatest cities in the world. In addition, its also one of the priciest places I could have chosen. 

London is amazing- it rivals New York City in pure volume of things to do and it may actually win in quality. You can go on the London Eye, take a look in St. Paul's Cathedral, see a show or go to one of the endless pubs and bars filling each and every street of the city. You can do this, as long as you have the money for it.  The London Eye and St. Paul's both cost 10 pounds each, a cheap price for a show won't be less than £15 and the average price for a beer is £2.75  (and a Guinness is £3).  

Thats not so bad, you say? Well, it really wouldn't be, if it weren't for the awful state of the American dollar. To get a single pound, an American would need about $1.65. The exchange rate varies, and I'm praying to whatever higher power is listening that HSBC gives me a better rate at some point, but as of now, this is about what I'm getting. That means that I'm paying over 1 1/2 times the amount in American dollars.So that means that the London Eye just went to about $16 and that Guinness just turned into $4.80. Normally I just make it simpler and double the price of everything in my mind, so that in the end it may feel a little better when I'm broke.

When I travel outside of the city, it does get a little better. The prices in Bath and Edinburgh were significantly less. Also, there are ways in London to get around the prices, if you have some help. Thankfully, I've met some very kind Brits who are showing me the ropes on how to have a night out at the bars and not spend my entire life savings.  

While I'm on a similar subject, I also want to bring up one more point. While I absolutely love it here and can certainly see myself living in London (or at least England) at some point in my life, I can't help but think about how much better our food tastes. One of the reasons for this stark difference in culinary attributes is the fact that the British put little to no preservatives in their food. This changes a number of things for the food entrepreneur. First, it means instead of buying groceries for the week, you only  buy for 2-3 days, unless you want to eat moldy bread. Second, it means that, while drinks like Coca Cola still have an inordinate amount of sugar, they are free from the clutches of the evil high-fructose corn syrup. This is significantly healthier and tastes just as good. Finally, it means that a lot of the food you do buy, either at the grocery store or order in a restaurant, will not taste as good. So I am paying more for less taste. Its just something to consider.  The beer is great though.