London: The Global City

On Sunday the group went to Anchor & Hope in South London to enjoy our last delicious meal together.  There were a variety of items to choose from for the meal including pork, roast beef, lamb, and even fish and chips.  I’d say it was the best meal I had in London, and I think most others would agree.  It was so good that most of us were in a food-coma afterwards and then there was dessert: creme-brulee, champagne jelly, and chocolate pots, yum!

After the roast, the rest of the day was free.  Lacresia, Chris, and I went to Oxford Street to do some shopping.  We all found some great stuff.  We then continued our Skins, a British television show, marathon back at Nido.  Erin, Britt, Skyler, Amanda and Bao went to Spitalfields Market near Brick Lane to do some souvenir shopping and browse around.  After that, Skyler, Amanda, and Bao went to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park to listen and participate in some debate and discussion.  Brita, Andrew, and Sammy went to Greenwich to see the play Proof, which was at a theatre located behind a bar.  Greenwich is also the precise location of the prime meridian.

That night everyone played games together in the kitchen and a few groups of students went out on the town.  Only 3 more days left in London!

Today was a free day! We did not have class today and could choose whatever we wanted to do in the city of London. Naturally, most of us slept in because we stay out too late and don’t get enough sleep. Many of us were awake or at least in a zombie-like state by noon and out the door by 1. Progress.

Sammy, Britta, Bao, and I had quite the mission; we needed to get tickets for Wicked, get tickets at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, go to Greenwich, and be back in time for the show at 7:30. SPOILER ALERT: we did it.

Getting tickets for Wicked was pretty easy. We went there a couple of weeks ago only to find out to our disappointment that getting tickets the day of the show was next to impossible. We landed ourselves some pretty decent seats for Tuesday’s performance at 7:30 p.m. (I can’t wait!). Then we headed to the Globe; for only £5 we were able to get tickets!  More on that in a minute.

Next we took the tube to Greenwich, which was roughly 30 minutes away or 7 tiny naps amongst strangers linked together by tube stops. We walked around the city for a while before finally discovering a park. In case you were not aware, the pigeons are awful in the UK. By awful I mean everywhere. Everywhere we have been has been overrun by pigeons; Greenwich was no exception. I don’t mind them in the states but they are so comfortable with humans here that they aren’t afraid to get really close (which I hate). So, I thought it would be a good idea to throw a rock at a pigeon. I spotted a rock and then bent down to pick it up. Rather than picking up a rock, I picked up wet bird poop. How’s that for karma? No rock was thrown and hands were washed…several times. Brilliant.

Sammy and Britta ate at the Greenwich food market; I had a Coke. We tried getting into the Maritime Museum, which looked really interesting, but to our dismay it closed at 5 p.m. Womp womp. After that disappointment, we made it down to the beach and skipped rocks for a while admiring the pretty scenery, even though it was rather cloudy. For whatever reason, it’s always been a goal of mine to pick seashells off of a beach. I vacationed in San Francisco last summer and even though I was able to get to a beach, I couldn’t find any nice seashells. They were either broken or really hard to find. Low and behold, Greenwich (of all places) had seashells! Needless to say, I picked up a few for safekeeping and went on my merry way. I wish we would’ve had more time in Greenwich; but due to our busy schedule, we had to get going.

We hurried back to the Globe Theater in order to get in line for All’s Well That Ends Well! The theater is extraordinary. It was built in 1997 with the intent to be an exact replica of the same theater from 1599. Yes, the same theater that William Shakespeare helped found! They offer standing tickets for £5. Standing for the entirety of a 2 hour show sounds like torture, right? Wrong. Well, having done it, it still sounds like torture but I can assure you that it’s totally worth it! You get to lean against the stage and be inches away from the actors. Several times I thought I was going to be hit by the swords attached to the actors’ sides. The theater doesn’t have a roof on it so you’re pretty much outside during the performance (talk about authenticity!); while I did get chilled by the end of the show, the experience was amazing.

The play was marvelous. The title of this post refers to a line spoken by a male character who, rather than openly cry in public and degrade his masculinity, says, “Mine eyes smell onions!”–very funny. This show received good reviews from everywhere in London. I tend to be pretty picky about Shakespeare, or any theatre for that matter. That being said, I agree with the critics–a fabulous night of theatre indeed. Even though the tall man standing behind me with bad breath annoyed me from time to time, the outstanding performances by many of the actors and the atmosphere of the Globe made this evening out extra enjoyable.

Continuing with the onion theme, mine eyes are also starting to smell onions. Many of us are getting rather glum because our time in London is coming to an end. This month has been one I will never forget. London is an amazing city that offers the world so much. While I don’t think living here, although very tempting, suits my life’s ambitions, I do plan on returning one day to the city that changed my life. If you have never been, I strongly suggest you make it a part of your bucket list.

Thanks to all those that made this trip possible!

–Andrew

We met this morning to discuss a short reading about the nocturnal self and how people present themselves when they participate in various forms of nightlife.  After a short meeting in class we dismissed and had free time until we met for class later that night to apply what we had learned.

Sammy and I went off to the Natural History Museum, we saw beautiful stones and gems, old dinosaur bones, an exhibit with hundreds of hummingbirds and lots of butterflies.  Right as we were preparing to leave the museum a huge rainstorm hit and we even had a little hail. After the Natural History Museum we met up with some friends for the Theater May Seminar for dinner at Pret-A-Manger.  After we had dinner, our theater friends went off to see Wicked, I’m very envious of them because I would love to see Wicked before we go home in less than a week.

Erin went to Westminster Abbey and she says it was awesome because it was filled with great history. Maren dyed her hair from some box dye from a pharmacy called Boots and it turned out great.  Britt went to Spitalfield’s market and saw a lot of antique vendors and also bought a new dress.  A lot of the other students took a much needed day of rest and relaxation from our early mornings and late nights experiencing all London has to offer.

We met again at 9:30 in an area called Soho, it is filled with lots of clubs and bars that accommodate all walks of life.  Soho was formerly the Red Light District of London, there was a crack down some years ago, but there is still remnants of its existence.  One of the interesting sights we found was a Christian singing group right in the center of the Red Light District.  I stopped to ask them a few questions and found out they had been there every week for the last 5 years.

We have less than one week left in London and here are some things on people’s yet to do list:

London Eye

Return to Camden Market and Borough Market

Acquire some more pint glasses from pubs

See Wicked and Phantom of the Opera

See a show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater

Read a book in the sun at Regent’s Park

Go shopping more (yeah this one is from Maren)

Watch Champion’s League on Saturday – Man U against Barcelona – Thomas predicts the score to be 3-2

Go back to 93 Feet East, a club on Brick Lane

Meet the Queen or Prince Harry and try to get a proposal in less thank a week!

This morning we caught a train and ventured to Oxford for a walking tour. Our tour guide walked us through the Oxford University campus and pointed out all the different colleges. For those of you who don’t know, Oxford is both an undergraduate and graduate school which is divided into different colleges. In a sense Oxford University is like a country that is made up of multiple, independent states. We walked past Pembroke, Christ Church, the Oxford library, and much more. The campus and all the buildings were very beautiful. For Harry Potter fans of the world, the Great Hall in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a studio replica of the hall inside Christ Church. We also saw the garden where Lewis Carroll met the daughter of the Dean of Oxford, Alice. Alice was the inspiration for the character in his book Alice in Wonderland. He didn’t write too shabby of a book for a mathematician.

We completed our tour and were given the entire afternoon to roam around Oxford and do as we pleased before heading back to London. Seven of us (Bao, Thomas, Chris, Drew, LaCresia, Britt, and I) decided to try our hand at punting which is basically sticking a long metal pole into the bottom of the river and pushing a wood boat forward. Well that’s how it is supposed to happen. We had two boats and well it turned into bumper cars a few times but all in all it was a fun time and an entertaining experience. It was a sunny, fairly windy but beautiful afternoon and I think everyone found something they enjoyed; Brita and Andrew even got to listen to some live performances by the Oxford a cappella group.

Well we have just over a week left before it’s time for us to pack up our bags and leave but there is still much to do.

Hello!

Today we began the day with a 9am class session in the Nido classroom.  We discussed an article that was about the differences between American and English schools as well as the role social elites play in the world.  We also discussed the differences between what it means to be economically and culturally elite.

After class, we were off to witness some of London’s own elite.  We walked past Westminster Abbey and into the area where Westminster School is located.  This is a very prestigious boarding school which often leads students on a direct path to studying at Oxford and Cambridge.  We were even able to see some of the students walking around in their full uniforms on their way to and from class.  We also attempted to enter the school’s private courtyard but our attempts were foiled when we were told to leave by security after getting only about a three steps into the entrance.

We then walked to a very posh neighborhood full of very old homes that is located near Westminster Abbey.  It is called Barton Street and homes in this area have sold for over 9 million pounds.  We were very surprised at how modest the homes looked and that they were actually quite small.

After visiting the neighborhood, we made our way to another elite school, King’s College School of Law.  We walked through many beautiful gardens and courtyards and we loved how quiet these areas were even though they are right in the middle of this very busy city. Unfortunately, we never got to see an English lawyer  in their full dress of a wig and robe.

We then broke up into our groups to attend afternoon tea.  This is a common practice of many of England’s upper class and it was a new experience for most members of the group. We were divided into three groups and each group attended a different tea room at various locations around London.

I was in a group with Maren, Drew, Chris, and Britt and we visited the The Garden Room at the Athenaeum Hotel.  We all drank our tea, ate some delicious sandwiches and crumpets, and were treated to the best desserts we have ever had.  It was a great time and we had a lot of fun.  I believe most of the class really enjoyed this activity, as it is something we may never have the chance to do again!

For dinner, the entire class decided to take Lindner’s advice and eat at Nando’s, a South African restaurant located a couple blocks from Nido.  He has been raving about this place for days and we all finally had the chance to check it out as a group.  Lindner was right, this place was awesome and they serve the most amazing chicken dishes.  I cannot wait to go back again!

We finished the evening with another game of Backpacker and just hanging out.  As I write this Amanda, Sammy, and Maren are on a mission to find the hotel of some fellow Cobbers who arrived in London today.  Hopefully they are successful and they get the chance to see some familiar faces!

On our first free day in Paris half the group went to Disneyland, while the other half spent the day on Champs-Élysées, a prestigious avenue in Paris with many luxury shops, cafés, and landmarks, including the the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Skyler and Amanda spent the entire day walking around Paris seeing the sites between our hotel in Le Marais and the Arc de Triomphe. They ate lunch at a local bistro where they had a very charming waiter that served them chicken and frites. Afterwards they attended a movie at the cinema that they expected to be in French, but ended up being in English, where they both fell asleep. Erin, Brit, Brita, Sammy, Bao, Andrew, and I visited the Louvre and saw many famous works of art including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. One of the highlights for us was the works from Ancient Egypt.

Chris, Drew, Thomas and Lacresia went to Disneyland Paris where they rode lots of rides and saw Mickey Mouse!

For dinner we went to the Indiana Café, which was pretty interesting to say the least. They served Tex-Mex, but the theme of the restaurant was Native American? Amanda had the smallest quesadilla I’ve ever seen but everyone else’s food was pretty good!

That night we packed a little picnic and went down to the to the Seine where we ate baguettes and drank wine. Definitely the highlight of Paris for me! We met some locals that tried to convince us that it was it was tradition to throw your empty wine bottles in the river, but we were good Cobbers and recycled them.

We returned to the hotel and met up with the Disneyland crew, and went out to a discotheque where everyone had a great time and said Bonsoir way too many times! Bonsoir!!

After getting back from Paris last night around 10pm, and being convinced to go to a pub until 3am, being able to sleep in this morning was quite a treat. We met as a class at 1pm under the Marble Arch near Hyde Park. There we had a short discussion about democracy and the importance of a devoted public space for conversation and political dialogue. Then we headed over to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park where we were able to take 45 minutes to listen and engage with speakers on various topics. Early on, there were mostly speakers preaching religious beliefs but as the day went on, the topics of discussion greatly diversified.

After our class session was dismissed, Skyler, Thomas and I decided to stay at Speaker’s Corner longer to hear more of what people had to say. We listened to a man discuss politics, Barack Obama, Osama Bin Laden, Libya, Egypt and Iraq for nearly an hour. He really pushed the need for people to question and challenge the narrative we receive from western media instead of just taking it in and believing everything we are told. He was really great to listen to and definitely seemed to be the most credible speaker there. After, we talked to him a bit more one-on-one and found out that he is actually a journalist for several large organizations and made the original Blood Diamonds documentary. To see more about his work, you can check out his website- www.ricenpeas.com

After our lengthy stay at Speaker’s Corner, we decided to head to Nando’s for lunch. Lindner had been raving about their food, so we gave it shot, and it was amazing. I hope that we can find it in the states because it was probably the best chicken I ever had. After we got back to Nido, the majority of the group was hard at work on our journals (seeing as three more are due tomorrow) and we were treated to a delicious dinner by Chris and LaCresia who made us Fajitas! We have some excellent cooks on this trip. Next, some intense rounds of Backpacker were played. I won the first one that I played, but Skyler demolished us all in the final round. Britt, Chris, Drew, Thomas, Maren, and Bao headed out for a fun night at a club called Fabric. Hopefully they found a good time! Tomorrow, I am looking forward to our traditional British afternoon tea and potentially another fun night at G-A-Y.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last few days:

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