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This semester, I have been lucky enough to attend University College London as an affiliate student in political science. Full integration into the British university system in a bustling capital city has given me a chance to become immersed in the culture and develop a different appreciation for poli-tics.

One of the best parts of life in Lon-don has definitely been the unique and often hands-on experiences with the British politi-cal system. Just last week, I had the privilege of going with my “Britain‟s Constitutional Revolution” class to visit Parliament to ex-perience the scrutiny and debate that forms an essential part of the legislative process. First, we attended a meeting of the Commit-tee on Political and Constitutional Reform in an office building adjacent to the Houses of Parliament. We heard testimony from Sir Gus O‟Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, re-garding the constitutional implications of the creation of a Cabinet manual that would be a point of reference for questions about the unwritten constitution. Due to Parliamen-tary supremacy in government, Britain is one of only a few modern democracies that still relies on an unwritten constitution. Many questions from Members of Parliament serv-ing on this committee thus centered on the possibility of the guide leading to the later creation of a written constitution.

Following that, we entered the Halls of Parliament to witness live debates. I found the dichotomy between the House of Lords and the House of Commons to be particularly striking. The Commons, being directly elected by the public, is dominated by party politics. This makes for lively dis-cussions which are certainly not lacking in sarcastic insults and classic British humor. The Lords, on the other hand, are com-posed of hereditary peers and life appoint-ments, and therefore tend to be more re-nowned for their expertise and examination of Commons legislation. Directed to the “Strangers Gallery,” we watched from above as a few members of the House politely chatted about the uses of new technology while the more aged members seemed more content to indulge in a nap. In Parliament, as with most things in London, it seems that the traditional is balanced with the modern. Thus, even though there are huge differ-ences between the Lords and the Commons, they manage to complement each other to form an effective government. Despite extensive reforms to the British political system in recent decades, a number of tradi-tional institutions and conventions remain in place that, for me, makes London a fascinat-ing and remarkable city.

Since I only have a few months left abroad, I certainly plan to make the most of my time. The wealth of culture and history that London and the United King-dom have to offer is incredible, and I can‟t w a i t t o e x p e r i e n c e m o r e .

Freiburg European Union Program, Fa l l 2010 Wa r r e n B i a n c h i „ 1 2

My arrival in Freiburg, Germany in late August of 2010 was characterized by an array of conflicting, and, often, volatile emotions. Homesickness was counterbal-anced by excitement; culture shock by curi-osity; and estrangement by a vehement

enthusiasm to learn within a new cultural, historical, and political context. While these sentiments stayed with me through the en-tire semester, they never once evoked a sense of regret, and the values and inten-tions of my decision to go abroad prevailed.

Freiburg is a relatively small city, about 230,000 citizens, tucked nicely within the Black Forest in Germany‟s sunniest and warmest region. With summer‟s warmth still lingering amongst the black pines and winding cobblestone streets, I was immedi-ately enchanted by the city‟s aura and its juxtaposition of bustling city streets with quaint alleyways and sprawling views of vineyards amidst rolling hills. At the same time, the threat of claustrophobia became imminent, and I feared that I would soon long for a taste of metropolitan life.

Fortunately, the IES European Union Program balanced perfectly my ex-perience living with other university stu-dents in a small city with frequent trips to the great cities of Europe: Berlin, Paris, and Madrid, to name a few. Every two weeks, we set off, adorned in our business best, for meetings with think tanks, politicians, EU representatives, and locals in some of Europe‟s most renowned cities and institu-tions. This was, in fact, the aim of the pro-gram: to subordinate students‟ classroom experience with real-world discussions and experiences.

The looming question seemed to be whether our extensive field-studies away from Freiburg detracted from the academic quality of our classes, but I quickly learned the folly of travel would not undermine the mission of our professors in Freiburg. My