London’s East End

The East End of London is getting a lot of attention with the start of the 2012 Olympic Games.  Famous soccer player (ehem, footballer) and East London native, David Beckham, made a grand entrance during the opening ceremonies showing his pride for the neighborhood he grew up in.  As you probably have heard, in the not so recent past, the area was still in need of some “polishing”.  Even before the arrival of the Olympics, the East End started to get a facelift, and locals would tell you the neighborhood is well past the “up and coming” phase. Parks, arenas, and new roadways transformed London‘s East End in preparation for the Games. To top it off, a new Eurorail station brings visitors in and out of the East End to and from Paris and Brussels.

In the heart of these exciting changes is Interstudy‘s partner university, Queen Mary, University of London. Queen Mary is housing athletes on their campus during the Games, and students even have the opportunity to volunteer at the event. Queen Mary offers easy access to the heart of London, but also offers the opportunity for students to live where local students live, shop, and dine. Just a short distance from campus is the area known as Shoreditch with markets worth visiting (check out Spitalfields in particular) and tons of fun restaurants (check out The Breakfast Club for a surprising taste of home and journey back to the 1980’s).

For more information on our program at Queen Mary, University of London, or any of Interstudy‘s other program locations in London or beyond, visit www.interstudy.org.