Today was one of my favorite days of the trip so far because it combined nursing history, amazing food, sightseeing, and one of the best performances I have ever seen. We started the day by visiting the Florence Nightingale Museum, and as someone interested in nursing, this experience felt really inspiring and meaningful to me.
Before visiting the museum, I obviously knew Florence Nightingale was important in nursing, but I did not fully understand just how much she changed healthcare forever. Walking through the museum helped me realize that modern nursing would probably look completely different without her contributions. One of the biggest things I learned was how Florence Nightingale completely transformed the importance of sanitation and cleanliness in hospitals. During the Crimean War, hospitals were overcrowded, unsanitary, and filled with disease. Instead of accepting those conditions, Florence focused on improving hygiene, ventilation, and patient care, which drastically lowered death rates. It amazed me that something as simple as cleanliness and handwashing could save so many lives, especially during a time when people did not fully understand infection the way we do today.
Another thing I found really interesting was learning about how determined and independent Florence Nightingale was. During her time, women were not expected to pursue careers, especially difficult careers like nursing. Nursing was not respected the way it is today, but Florence fought against those expectations because she truly cared about helping people. I admired how she refused to let society stop her from doing what she believed was important. It honestly reminded me that passion and determination can completely change an entire profession.
One of my favorite parts of the museum was seeing some of the artifacts and personal items connected to her life. Seeing her letters, medical tools, and even recreations of hospital settings made everything feel much more real. It was interesting to imagine what healthcare looked like during that time compared to today. The museum also talked about how Florence used statistics and data to prove her ideas, which I thought was really impressive because she was not only compassionate, but also intelligent and strategic. She understood that in order to improve healthcare, she needed evidence to convince people to make changes.
As someone who wants to go into healthcare, visiting the museum made me appreciate nursing even more. Florence Nightingale’s story showed me how nurses are not just caregivers, but also advocates, leaders, and educators. Her work helped shape the nursing profession into what it is today, and it made me proud and excited to continue pursuing this path in the future.
After the museum, we headed to Borough Market, which was honestly one of the best food experiences ever. I got strawberries there, and I am not even exaggerating when I say they were the best strawberries I have ever tasted in my life. They were so sweet, juicy, and fresh that they almost did not taste real. I also got egg noodles with beef brisket, which was absolutely amazing. The beef was so tender and flavorful, and the noodles were perfectly cooked. The entire market had such a lively atmosphere, and everywhere you looked there was incredible food.
After eating, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around London and seeing some of the most famous landmarks. We walked past the London Eye, saw Big Ben, and even visited Buckingham Palace where we got to see the guards come out. Seeing all of these places in person felt surreal because they are landmarks you always see in movies and pictures.
To end the night, we watched Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and it honestly turned out so much better than I expected. The music, costumes, choreography, and stage effects were incredible, and the performers were unbelievably talented. I was completely entertained the entire time, and it ended up being one of my favorite experiences of the trip so far.
Today felt like the perfect mix of learning, exploring, and having fun, and it is definitely a day I will never forget