After a gap year due to uncertainty of the global COVID-19 pandemic, eleven students - nine juniors in addition to two seniors who were supposed to go for the 2020-2021 trip - have returned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of Luther College’s flagship international offerings: the Nottingham Program. Founded in the early 1970s, this program has allowed Luther students the unique chance to study as part-time students at various “schools” the University of Nottingham while also attending courses provided by our accompanying Luther professors, focusing on life in England and our own connections to a country with such close ties to our respective homelands. Living in a “flat” provided by Luther (and graciously renovated by our guiding professors, Ben Moore and Sarah Frydenland), we students are given the unique chance of freedom to live and explore in a somewhat-unguided fashion, providing the chance to immerse ourselves in the United Kingdom as citizens rather than tourists on a “greatest hits of England” trip. Traditionally, group travel and individual travel is encouraged by the program, and while travel may still be limited by the pandemic, that won’t stop us from exploring this new world around us in any way available to us. Not only will this blog follow the lives of its two primary writers, but it will also feature stories from flatmates, guest speakers, or our new friends who’ve called the United Kingdom home much longer than us! 

About the bloggers:

Greetings from England! I’m Maxwell Hetzel, a junior at Luther College majoring in International Studies alongside a minor in English. Funnily enough, the Nottingham Program was one of the deciding factors when I chose Luther, so I am incredibly thankful for the chance to be here in such uncertain times. I’m excited to deep-dive into British popular culture and history. From the comedic antics of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise (check them out!) to the poetry of laureates like Andrew Motion, England has always produced some of the most captivating entertainment; now, it’s my chance to live it rather than viewing it! Cheers!

I am Tala Nengola and I’m the other half of the 2021-2022 Nottingham blog coordinator duo. I call Windhoek, Namibia home and I’m a Visual Communication major with a minor in Data Science. Outside of school, I spend my time starting arts and crafts projects, completing them is a different hobby that I haven’t mastered. While the program started on the 7th of September, I was a couple of weeks late. This is due to the new challenges posed by traveling during a pandemic. Prior to my arrival in Nottingham, I was mandatorily quarantining in London and counting down the days until I was finally able to join my flatmates for this exciting new adventure. I look forward to keeping you all posted on this journey as we explore the United Kingdom!