Lauren in London

Home!

2008-05-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have been home a total of two weeks now and the wierdest thing for me is how normal it feels. I thought it would be more of an adjustment. I went out to run errands a few days after I arrived home and was a bit surprised how NICE and FRIENDLY people are. It made me realize that though Londoners aren't rude, they aren't particularly friendly. Customer service in the U.S.A is also such a convenience that for which now I have more of an appreciation. I also enjoy not having to convert things from pounds to dollars in my head. It's a nice treat not to worry so much about sticking to a budget. Over all I am very happy to be home and spend time with the people I care so much about.

Last Post from London

2008-05-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

How can my life from the past 3 months fit in 2 suitcases? I had a fantastic last day. My friend Susan and I visited Abbey Road and St. Paul's Cathedral where we climbed 470 stairs to the top where the view was amazing and the breeze even better. Now everything is packed and I am preparing to depart tomorrow morning. Two friends came over tonight and we talked about all of our favorite memories. It was a great ending to a remarkable experience.

I'm going home

2008-05-05T04:54:00.001-07:00

This week is rough because it is finals week but also because it's also really emotional to leave. I have been looking forward to returning home, though today we discussed the re-adjustment process and I think it will be more difficult than I initially thought it would be. I have become a lot more independent and confident since I've been over here. I have had a few unfortunate things happen but resolved them myself. Not only have I changed, things have changed since I have left. I have had a couple of friends get engaged, friends are graduating, my sorority has 15 new girls I have never met. All in all, things as I left them will be different. I will be returning to the real world: a summer filled with working, my senior year with 2 theses, applying to law school, figuring out what I am doing with my life and perhaps more importantly how I am going to finance it. I will miss having Europe at my back door and being able to go interesting places like Paris, Oxford, Stratford, Wales for a weekend. I will not miss London's bland food. I will have to find good Indian food in Seattle though, because chicken masala is delicious. I will miss being able to go to tons of interesting plays and museums on a whim. I will miss being able to take the tube into the city and see tons of historical and interesting things. That being said, I will miss the tube. It is so convenient, why does Seattle not have this (besides the fact that it would cost billions)?. I will miss talking to Katie about funny phrases like "having a fag" (smoking a cigarette) and not "saying boo to a goose" (being very mild mannered) or "apples and pears" (stairs) or "having a giraffe" (having a laugh). I will not miss the expense, which I eventually ignored, realizing that obsessing about money could ruin my experience. I will miss Big Ben and the Thames. It's funny that some of the time I was here I was not entirely happy, either missing home, upset with the people I am studying with, or worried about a grade. But when I look back on it, I know it will be with fond memories. Honestly, I don't think I could stay here much longer because the constant activity has taken a toll and I am ready to finally relax. I was going through my guide book the other day and marking all the things I have done and realizing that while I have seen so many wonderful things, I could fill up another three months just traipsing around London seeing sites. It seems like everything has been and will be a little bittersweet. I can't help but wonder how my friends and family have changed and how the me that has changed will fit in...

Wales

2008-04-28T05:43:00.001-07:00

It is very difficult to blog because I have limited internet access, so this entry will be brief. I visited Cardiff for the weekend with 7 friends. It was a very nice trip. We saw the bay, which reminded me of the water at home. It was very beautiful and sunny for once! Seeing a lot of the scenery here makes me realize how privileged I am to live in such a beautiful part of the world. The only place thus far that has compared with Seattle's beauty was Paris, which is a much different kind of beauty. At home we have tons of sparkling water and gorgeous mountains. We have sandy beaches and all sorts of green forests. Here, beaches are rocky and there are no mountains. Katie, who is the English woman I live with told me it was uphill to the underground station and honestly I didn't even notice! There is a slight slope but compared to the hills of Seattle, it was nothing.

We saw Cardiff castle,which was very interesting. The outer part was built by a wealthy man in the early 19th century and lavishly decorated. Honestly, this place is what too much money looked like. Our tour guide was entertaining and sarcastic. I liked listening to him speak. He could speak fluent Welsh and said several phrases and then translated them for us. The inner part of the castle was an old Norman castle from the 11th century. That night we went to a local pub near our hostel, choosing to forgo the louder, trendier, and more expensive pubs in the center of the city. There was karaoke and an older Welsh man bought us a round of drinks. It was very fun and entertaining. I liked the welsh accent. They roll their R's and say mosaic as mo-sake. The Welsh we met are very friendly, more warm than your typical Londoner. Though to be honest, considering the size of London people are fairly polite and always willing to help you if you need directions or a hand with your luggage. I love getting asked for directions because it makes me feel like a native. One time I helped a woman carry her luggage up the steps of the tube station because I know how it feels to lug your luggage around.

The link to the castle is www.cardiffcastle.com if you want to see pictures or learn more.

Paris!

2008-04-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend in Paris with my friend Susan and it was fantastic. We took the chunnel and it was very convenient, about two hours and security/customs was much easier. I was a little nervous about this trip because it was the first I had planned outside AHA and I reserved the hostel online without really knowing what it would be like. When we got off the train, our hotel was a quick metro ride away and it was really nice, best hostel I have stayed in. It was clean and the staff was very friendly as well as English speaking. They cleaned our room and changed our towels everyday, which is not typical for a hostel. That evening we went to Notre Dame, which was beautiful. Afterwards we went to a café and had crepes and café au lait. We then walked along the Seine, toward the Eiffel Tower as the sun set.

On Friday, we went to a bakery for breakfast and I had an almond croissant. After all, you must try pastries in Paris. It was a beautiful spring day, about 60 degrees. We went to the Arc d’ Triumph, the Bastille, the Luxembourg gardens, and Louvre. The street leading up to the Arc had very trendy and expensive shopping – Louis Vuitton, Cartier and the works. We then visited the Bastille, which is a monument in the middle of a busy street. It is copper turned green, with the names of those who died on the column. Many of them are buried under there. From there we went to the gardens with all kinds of flowers and fountains. It was a great day to visit. We ended the day at the Louvre, which is free to anyone under 25 after 6 p.m. It was very impressive and they allow you to take photos of all of the art as long as you turn off the flash. I saw the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Psyche and Cupid by Canova, Venus de Milo, and Dying Slave by Michaelangelo. We didn’t leave the museum until around 8 because it was so big it took a long time to get from one piece of art to the next.

Saturday we began the day by visiting the Moulin rouge. It’s a nice area with a few cute shops nearby. From there we went to the Musee d’ Orsay, which has all kinds of impressionist artwork. It is an interesting space that was at one time a train station. I saw Monet, Renoir, Cassat, Cezanne, Whistler, Matisse, Manet, Degas, Gaughin, and Van Gough. I really liked all of the art. After that we went to the Grande arch. On the journey from the journey from the museum to the arch it began to rain, a big change from the previous day. It’s at the very edge of the city and very modern, built in the 80’s. Honestly, I’m not really sure why it was #3 on our guidebook’s list of things to see. The view from the top was nice, you can see the Arc de Triumph and Eiffel tower, but overall not worth it. After that, we went back to the Eiffel tower and went to the top. We got to see in the daylight as the sunset and in the dark, all lit up. The next morning we left to go back to London an on the journey home it snowed. All in all it was a great trip.

Update

2008-04-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in awhile because things have been busy! I moved into my host sister's apartment which is a nice change of pace. I have had the experience of living in a house with a family and having a roommate and also the experience of living with a 28 year old in an apartment. My host sister's name is Katie and she is so fun and funny. She is also very kind, generous and considerate. She has a rabbit and a lizard that keep me company while she is working long hours for the ambulance service (which is a free public service here...I have some stories about that so let me know if you want to hear about that!). Overall I like having time and space to myself. I also think Rodney the rabbit is really funny and cute. The only drawbacks of living with Katie are that I don't have internet and the apartment, which isn't too bad since I can walk a few blocks to my old house and use the internet, but it is inconvenient. There is also no dishwasher and no dryer.

Spring break was nice, my sister visited and we went to Oxford to visit my sister's friends Mikki and Brian. They went to college with Bretta (my sister) and Brian is now getting his MBA at Oxford. We went on a photo scavenger hunt with students in Brian's college at Oxford and played trivial pursuit with them. Playing trivial pursuit with Oxford graduate students is TRICKY! I was out of my element and afraid to say a wrong answer. I got a small tour of the city which is very old and picturesque. I was amazed to see Mikki and Brian's cottage that is about a twenty minute walk from the city center. It is only accessable by highway so Mikki and Brian ride their bikes on the paths and roads to the city. I loved the house with its old fireplace and thatched roof! The main part was built in the 1700's with the add ons from the 1800's and 1900s. I had a lot of fun over break with my sister and in Oxford.

The week before break I saw Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw. You might want to do a google search of the plot of the play, but here are my reactions: I hated the first half and how they portrayed the Salvation Army as individuals idealistically focused on saving souls rather than a pragmatic solution to poverty and hunger. I also thought it was too polarized, Major Barbara (who is a woman, by the way) was virtuous and her father, a weapons manufacturer as evil. The second act was far more interesting and I began to understand why Shaw set up the first act in the way he did. I liked how it explored morality, money, family, religion and ethics. I left feeling a little unsettled about how Major Barbara's character evolved. It's helpful to understand that Shaw is a radical socialist who velieved in fabianism, the redistribution of wealth and property, namely the abolition of property and redistribution of resources. He called for radical change in how individuals are voted into parliament and how the people are represented. He believed that the rich should be taxed more in order to redistribute money and support social programs, which in all honesty is something I disagree with. He supported women's rights and wrote plays that reflected this. Shaw wanted theater that wrote about what mattered with social problems carefully constructed. He liked plays that get people to think and leave the audience feeling unsettled. Major Barbara is Shaw's most controversial play, arguing that violent revolution is the only solution. The actress who played Barbara seemed melodramatic and was upstaged by the man who played Undershaft, which caused the audience to root for him.

I also saw Days of Significance about the Iraq war and questions the definition of a war hero and the responsibility of a soldier. It was very sad and vulgar but also thought provoking. It was put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company so the acting was very strong.

Much Ado About Nothing

2008-03-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theater. If you ever go to London I think the National Theater is a place you must visit. Anything you see will be good, plus it's an interesting atmosphere. It is made entirely out of concrete that has been embossed with a wood grain in the interior. Seems cost effective and more interesting than plain concrete. The theaters (of which there are three in the building) are designed perfectly. You will have a good view from any seat, there is no way the person in front of you can block your view. The seats are very comfortable and there is decent leg room, which in my book is a must or else I really won't enjoy the performance. This production was done perfectly, there really isn't anything I would change. Beatrice was played by Zoe Wanamaker, who played Madame Hooch in Harry Potter, among her other remarkable roles. The costume designer won an Emmy, and it seems every person involved in the production had a long list of accomplishments and awards. Here is the link of the cast and info about this production: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/muchado

Today I had 6 hours of class, which is actually a typical Wednesday. In the morning I have three hours of a class called Theater, Audience, and Society. This is one of my favorite classes because I feel like I learn the most. We studied The Duchess of Malfi which is a play by Webster. He wrote around the same time as Shakespeare and his plays were performed at the Blackfriars theater, which is down the river from the Thames. It was the indoor counterpart to the outdoor Globe Theater. Webster was educated as a barrister and wrote few plays, so he probably wrote on the side just for kicks. He studied at the The Inns of Court which patronized theater in London. The Inns of Court is a Inn association that is similar to a bar association: a society that all Barristers must be a member of. There are only 4 of these Inns left in London. They were initially residential where three people would stay or study: students, barristers, and Masters of Bench (the barristers who appoint important positions, essentially the highest position for a barrister). The fact that Webster was a member of this Inn indicates that he wrote for a different audience that Shakespeare, whose work had more sophomoric humor and was written for a larger variety of audience (from the poor to the rich). Anyway, his work is quite interesting. The Duchess of Malfi is very dark and based on a true historical story. The Duchess marries a man of a lower social status against her family's will and eventually pays the ultimate price of death because she broke the rules. He plays on a popular literary tradition, using rhyming couplets to illustrate a moral, something done on stained glass windows and in emblem books for people who couldn't read. This drama plays on the roles of personal responsibility, asserting "the self" in life, and the failure of societal and law systems. It also introduces a the malecontent, or revenger, who takes law into his own hands. In The Duchess of Malfi, the malecontent is named Bosola. Webster is known for his different use of blank verse and dense, rich, compressed and ornamental writing full of images of death and decay.

Les Miserables

2008-03-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

I saw Les Mis tonight and it was great! The girl that played Eponine had a beautiful voice. I think she stole the show. Her voice was much better that Cosette's though lower. I liked the fact that Eponine was probably an alto because it made her words easier to understand. It also sounded much stronger than Cosette's sporano voice. My friends thought that you could tell she was a young singer and that she had a mannerism that was distracting, but I didn't notice. I was generally disappointed by Cosette's character. Not a great voice and didn't look how I imagine Cosette would look. Another disappointing aspect was how much synthesizer was used in the music. I realize it's difficult to change an original score of one of the longest running musicals, but some things from the 80's were meant to be left there. One interesting scene was when Jean Valjean carries Marius through the Sewer. When I saw it at the 5th Avenue in Seattle, Marius was a very small guy and Jean Valjean was a bigger guy so he carried him over his shoulder the entire time. This production would put the two in the spotlight having Valjean carry Marius over his shoulder, then it would go dark (to show the passing of time) and reilluminate them on another part of the stage with Valjean carrying Marius like a baby and so on. Very well done. It's interesting to see different productions of the same play because you get to see how different directors set up scenes. Another interesting thing is there were a few slow motion scenes. Very brief and well acted, but kind of weird. We got seats for $20 pounds that were in the very back row of the highest balcony. Not a bad view, though. At intermission, we got to move to the second row, can't beat that!

The Mikado

2008-03-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

The Mikado is an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan that I saw tonight at the Colesium. It tells the tale of a society in which flirting is outlawed on pain of death, and reveals that execution is the consequence for its ridiculously frivolous inhabitants. This version relocates the story from Japan to 1920s Britain. Kind of a difficult transition. The singers say "I am Japanese" and pull at their eyelids. Pretty offensive, but at the same time poking fun at the ignorant brits.

Not going to lie, I didn't like it. The orchestra was too loud, so I couldn't hear the singers, the set was entirely black and white (boring), I didn't think it was funny, the seats were painfully uncomfortable with zero leg room (my knees were touching the seat in front of me), and the Italian kids in front of me were talking, leaning forward (blocking my view), and pointing at various things around the theater.

Overall, not a great experience. But as you can tell, I don't really like opera or operettas. Or Gilbert and Sullivan. Or british humor.

The Middle Ground

2008-03-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Reading over my blog, I realize I have painted somewhat of a happy-go-lucky picture of my travels thus far. This blog dances the line between an account of my semester abroad and a personal journal, but because it's mine, I will make it whatever I want it to be, some of both. This weekend my friend from school visited me and it was so good to see a familiar face. It made me realize how much I miss my friends back home and the familiarity of people with whom I have so much in common. I plan to visit her in Ireland in two weeks, but when I saw her off I still teared up. I bought a card for my host mum on the way home, because it is mum's day today in England. I had some difficulty hearing what the cashier was saying to me because his accent was a combination of Indian and British, there was a great deal of background noise, and I have hearing loss which makes it difficult for me to discriminate. He treated me as if I was an idiot. There is an italian coffee place on the corner by school and a similar thing happens because they have Italian accents and I have hearing problems etc. etc. The baristas there just smile at me and sometimes I laugh at myself because they use terms like "take away" and I consistently forget my punch card, so I have about three going right now. These interactions are consistently pleasant, however, whereas I came away from the card place wishing I had spent my money elsewhere. Yes they speak English but there is certainly a language barrier.

The Vertical Hour

2008-02-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight I saw The Vertical Hour, a Broadway play written in 2005. Which, by the way, is where I saw Kim Cattrall! Anyway, the main character is a politics professor at Yale University, Nadia. She goes on a vacation to Wales with her boyfriend Phillip to meet his father Oliver, at Oliver's home. Aside from two of Nadia's students who play minor roles, these are the only characters in the play. Also, Phillip and Nadia are a very young and good looking couple. Almost too young and good looking to be believable in their roles, though the acting was very strong. The set is amazing and very high tech. The stage is entirely flat but the center of it is able to rotate 360 degrees. The lighting was amazing, using many jewel colors to indicate the setting and time of day as well as very clear lighting to indicate a sunrise or sunset. The entire play consists of conversations between various characters. This, in my opinion, is one of the play's flaws, there is very little action. Essentially, Nadia is a former international journalist and humanitarian who supported the Iraq war because she believed in liberating the Iraqis from a dictator. Her boyfriend is a physical therapist/personal trainer who is British, but lives in the United States. The two met at a gym and she appreciates him because he is nothing like her.

Nadia meets Phillip's father, a general practitioner who is quite liberal. He seems to be fairly conservative in dress and manor, but the audience learns was part of the free love movement and is a big philanderer, though Phillip's mother is no longer alive. Clearly, Nadia and Oliver disagree on the Iraq War. Phillip does not have a good relationship with his father, mainly because his father's free love and philandering caused Phillip's mother great pain. Additionally, Oliver was at one time sleeping with an acquaintance and when driving her home one afternoon, signaled left when he meant to signal right, crashing into an 80 year old man who was driving on the wrong side of the road. The man died, but so did Oliver's fling who had been sitting in the front seat of Oiver's car. Because of his father's history with women, might try to seduce Nadia.

Nadia describes her political expereinces, including being called to the Whitehouse as one of Bush's advisors on Iraq, being sneered at by snotty students at Yale who say she was wrong about the Iraq war, and working as a journalist in various areas of political turmoil when to her dismay, her stories seem to have little affect those who read them. The trip is not going well until Nadia and Oliver have a discussion in the early morning while Phillip is still asleep. They discuss politics and personal stories, including the story of Oliver's accident that killed two people. Oliver tells Nadia she seems like a person who has been in love, but has been hurt by love very badly. Nadia changes the subject, but later reveals that she fell in love with a journalist who had been killed when she was abroad. That's when Oliver describes the verticle hour: "In combat medicine, there's this moment...after a disaster, after a shooting-there's this moment, the vertical hour, when you can actually be of some use". This is the theme of the play: of what use are different people to you? The play closes with Nadia and Phillip getting into an argument over Nadia's conversation with Oliver, though the couple reconciles and agrees to leave later that day. The next scene reveals that Nadia has broken up with Phillip and is leaving her position at Yale to return to journalism, starting with coverage of Iraq.

Scotland in a Nutshell

2008-02-24T04:03:00.000-08:00

Spent the weekend in Scotland and it was beautiful! It seems like Scottish culture is a hybrid of the Irish and British cultures. I saw a lot of plaid, a bagpiper, and a few kilts. I like their accents, the pronounce "if" as "ef" and the "d" in "Wednesday". We saw Edinburgh Castle, the National Gallery (where I saw a number of Degas, Monet, and Van Gough paintings), St Giles Cathedral, the Writers' Museum (focusing on Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson - author of Treasure Island), Museum of Scotland - focusing on Scotland's history, the Royal Palace of Holyroodhouse (where Mary Queen of Scots lived and the official estate of the Queen in Scotland, as well as Scottish Parliament. Scottish Parliament was very interesting. It was built in 1998 by Enric Miralles, a Spanish architect. It is a very modern building that is created to look like it comes out of the earth. It uses a lot of organic shapes as well as woods and stones native to Scotland. I really like the committee rooms because each one is unique. One had the table in an egg-shape rather than a traditional circle or rectangle. It was slightly sunken in the ground and had a grass roof, so there were great views of the landscape. Each of the MSPs has an office with a "contemplative space", which is a uniquely shaped window seat for the MSP to reflect on the big decisions they make. The Debating Chamber has seating in a semi-circle. There is an upper area with seats for the public to come and watch the debates. British Parliament is situated so that the Presiding Officer is two sword-lengths away from the MSPs because of the verbal duels that takes place in the space. Scottish Parliament's seats are situated farther than two sword-lengths to emphasize a less confrontational approach. It seems like Scottish Parliament is very focused on involvement from the people and encouraging young people to visit and learn, as they are the future of the country. Another interesting fact is that the Queensberry House, home of the second Duke of Queensberry has been refurbished and built into the parliament. It is an interesting combination of the old and new, traditional and modern. One night we went to a pub called Jekyll and Hyde. It had curio cabinets and a the bathroom had a secret door built into a bookshelf. The cocktails were named after the seven deadly sins (I had gluttony which had lemonade and something else delicious in it). The shooters were named after the virtues. They also had shots that were in vials. Apparently they tasted like candy. It was a very cool atmosphere. It was a very busy trip. Four friends and I went straight to Pizza Hut right after the four-hour train ride. In the UK, Pizza Hut is classy. It's a sit down place with a hostess, menus, silverware and delicious desserts. There was about a fifteen minute wait and the place was crowded, so we waited outside. A man outside the restaurant saw that we had luggage and struck up a conversation with us about studying abroad and traveling. It sounded like he had studied abroad and loved traveling, especially in Rome. When our table was ready, we went inside and had pizza, drinks, and dessert. When we went to pay the bill, the waitress told us our tab had been taken care of (we then realized why she had kept asking if we wanted anything else). When we asked who had paid, the waitress said the buyer wanted to remain anonymous, so we wrote a note thanking them. As it turns out, the guy who we met outside was in the corner of the restaurant with his family and had paid for our dinner. When we realized this, we thanked him profusely. It was such a nice treat and really made my day. When I have enough money, I intend to pay it forward. Just when I thought people in Scotland seemed more friendly, a Brit proved me wrong.

The Merchant of Venice

2008-02-20T10:08:00.001-08:00

Last night I saw a pub theatre production of The Merchant of Venice. To get to the theatre, you must walk through a door located at the back of the pub. Directly through the door is a hostel but up the stairs is the theatre. It's basically a black room with seats on three sides and the scenery painted on one wall. My Shakespeare professor Jean, who by the way is quite a character, claims that it is some of the best theatre in London. Much of it is undiscovered so it is quite affordable. The production left something to be desired. I liked it mainly because I like to see the words I've read spoken aloud and acted out. There are many homosexual and antisemitic undertones that can be played up in this play. My professor once saw a production that was set in Germany under Nazi rule. That would be very dark, but interesting. There is also a scene where Portia is choosing a suitor. There are three: the Prince of Morocco (which Portia makes a racist comment about, which of course was cut from this production), the Prince of Aaragon, and Bassanio (the merchant's friend). There are three caskets: one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. Each suitor must choose a casket and the one who selects the correct casket gets to marry Portia. The Moroccan selects the gold casket, which is wrong and the Prince of Aaragon selects the silver casket, which is also wrong. At this point Portia knows which casket is correct and truly wants to marry Bassanio. She then gives a short speech hinting that Bassanio should choose the lead casket (the line endings rhyme with lead and she ends talking about bells, which at that time were made of lead). She delivered these lines straight forward and standing still, rather than standing by the correct casket or having much body movement. Jessica's character was a weak actress and there was little chemistry between any of the characters. Also, their costumes looked more 19th century than anything else and the men's boots reminded me of the gardening boots my dad wears in the yard.

Visiting British Churches

2008-02-17T02:12:00.001-08:00

I visited two churches that were part of the Reformation. The first, St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate is an Anglican church built in 1450 but largely destroyed in a fire in 1666, so it was rebuilt in 1670 and remodeled in both 1875 and 1932. It is still amazing to me that so many things here are older than my country! Today it is the largest parish in London. There were so many things to see in this church that it seemed more like a museum than a church. There is the grave of Captain John Smith next to the altar, an elaborate organ on the other side of the altar, a musicians chapel, execution bell (a reminder of feuds between Anglicans and Catholics), British flags, as well as stained glass windows with ships and figures such as Shakespeare and John Smith. The main difference that resonated with me is that there were chairs rather than pews, which are there to simplify and break away from the Catholic tradition. It also struck me as very odd to have British flags, because my country has no national religion as England does. In the United States, it seems like people have formed many new churches because they are constantly trying to find a faith that encapsulates everything that they believe. Here, it seems like people are either Catholic of Anglican. It is interesting that the United States was built on the principle of freedom of religion with no national religion and it seems it is more of a religious country than England. Another interesting tidbit is that Tony Blair converted to Catholicism after he stepped down from Prime Minister because it would appear weak to convert to a religion that is not the country's official religion as that country's leader.

The second church I visited was St. Etheldreda. It is sandwiched between two office buildings and largely redecorated in the Victorian era though it was built in 1250. This church is mentioned in Shakespeare's Richard II and III. The upper part of the church as a chapel that is very dark but has beautiful stained glass windows that illuminate the area and rows of pews. It reminds me of the Catholic churches that I grew up in. Underneath is a crypt with the original Stations of the Cross embedded in the walls. Interestingly during the reformation, Queen Elizabeth still allowed Catholic services as long as they kept quiet and didn't cause any uprisings, respecting that The Church of England was the official religion. Supposedly one of the bishops used the crypt as a tavern when he was in charge, something I am sure the Catholic Church would never have allowed had they truly been in charge. This visit made me appreciate my religious freedom and made me realize how much my religion has been persecuted. I realize, however, it is two sided. Queen Mary persecuted Anglicans (hence receiving the title Bloody Mary) as much as other rulers persecuted Catholics.

Theater

2008-02-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

In the past two days I have seen some of the oddest plays. One Tuesday night I saw A Midsummer Night's Dream with my Shakespeare class. It was in an abandoned office. The building was by Oxford Circus which is a huge busy street with a lot of trendy stores. This was a nice office building, but this particular office looked like it was under construction with loose wires, half hammered drywall that was partly painted, unfinished floors and painted windows. The office was separated into two sections by a sheet and the first section was set up like a bistro with mismatched furniture and tables with coffee for purchase. There were not enough seats so the section was crowded with many people standing. The actors came out and roamed around for awhile, interacting with the audience until all of a sudden, Theseus enters yelling and the play begins. As I began to think there is no way this play is going to be able to go on in this manner for over an hour, the first act concluded and the audience moved into the other half of the office where the chairs were arranged in a circle around the "stage". The costumes were shabby and urban; how modern-day RENT costumes would look. Many safety pins and rolls of duct tape were used. The fairies would creep around the floor and hide behind the audience chairs making funny noises. Though it was odd, it was a very dynamic and well-done production.

Today I saw The Homecoming. So strange. Set in the 60's, a white man brings his black wife home to meet his British family. They have three kids and have been married 9 years. Turns out his brother is a pimp, his dad is an old angry man, and his other brother is an amateur boxer. The family meets the man's wife and it doesn't go too smoothly. The husband and wife get ready to leave and the pimp brother asks for a dance with his sister-in-law before they go. The wife and brother in law begin kissing. Then the amateur boxer brother steps in and they start kissing. He pushes her onto the couch and they then move to the floor. All the while the wife is obliging and the husband stands there frozen. The next scene opens and the amateur boxer brother comes down saying she won't go all the way with him. The wife comes down and they decide that she will stay with the brothers and father while her husband returns home. In order to earn her keep, she will be a prostitute, but will make food and clean the house while they are away. She negotiates with them and seems to take pride in her sexual power. It seems to be a commentary on gender and power. I will have to read more and get back to you but is the link if you want to read more about this play.

Pub Culture

2008-02-10T04:09:00.001-08:00

I just finished a conversation with my host mom about pub and alcohol culture. It's pretty interesting how British and American alcohol culture are quite similar. I expected they would be much more different. The main difference between the two is that in the United States, more people drive cars, so drinking and driving is a huge problem. Also, the United States has more restrictions against drinking i.e. no public intoxication, strict laws about being 21 to drink, .08 alcohol limit, an open container law etc. Here, many 15 year olds will not be carded in a pub (though this is changing) and if a bartender serves someone under age, he or she is the one who is penalized 1000 pounds, not the pub. The other main difference is that people here tend to let their kids drink at home when they are around 15 whereas in the United States, that is very uncommon. Much like the United States though, people here often go out to pubs to get drunk, not just to have a drink or two. I think this is probably different from Italian or French culture. Those Irish are troublemakers though ;)

2008-02-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

This is my buddy Chaz. He likes to lick my plate and eat my left overs.
I feel like I am starting to settle into London. It's a really good feeling. I have navigated the underground system even when extremely busy, so that's a good feeling. We have visited the British Museum (which luckily is right by school so I can pop in when I have a free hour), Hamstead Heath and the Kenwood House where a scene from Notting Hill was filmed, and the London Tower. I am taking courses on the British Empire, British Masters (art history), Shakespeare and Britain Today. All of them sound very interesting and I am excited for excursions. It's interesting how much of American culture is here...ads for Juno, tabloids with Paris and Britney, a close following of the primaries, McDonalds (though a quarter pounder alone costs $4) and KFC, Starbucks, The Gap, Cry Me a River playing in an Italian sandwich bar, as well as M&Ms and Pringles. Some people find it irritating but in some ways I find it comforting. I was invited to go to a club, but they are staying out all night or smoke Hookah, but I am going to take it easy tonight because it takes a day for every hour or your time change, in my case 8. It's nice to have some alone relaxing time. After a few weeks though I am sure weekend nights will be spent in pubs.

First Night

2008-02-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have arrived! What a jumble of emotions. First of all Heathrow is incredibly busy! Even at 6 and 7 a.m. there were so many people. I struggled to haul my luggage and asked somebody where I could get a luggage cart. He responded "you mean a trolly"? I was surprised that there was no charge for the cart. Makes sense seeing the vast number that are used. I arrived before my cab driver was scheduled to meet me, so I watched all the people coming away from baggage claim and meeting their parties. Where I am from there might on occasion be two or four drivers waiting outside baggage claim with their party's name written on a sign, but in London there were probably about 30, most of which were hard to see because of the crowd. I met my cab driver whose sign read "miss lauron" after quite a search which involved wheeling a luggage cart around. We went to the parking lot where he loaded up the car. I was amazed how he navigated those roundabouts, they seem very complex to me. We had a traditional English dinner - turkey, veggies, fried potatoes and yorkshire pudding. Yorkshire pudding is a small (about 1.5" in diameter) hollowed out kind of bread that is fried. At least that's my understanding of what it is. It is very thin and crisp though, not very bread-like. We filled it with gravy but it can be filled with other kinds of things. The meal was fine, but seems like a bit of an acquired taste. My host family is excited for me to try porridge and marmalade claiming I will either love it or hate it. They have a 21 year old son who lives here but is no around much of the time because he is out with his "mates" or at work in a department store. They told me he left school when he was 16, which they say is pretty typical. All of their four children did so. My host dad is a former professional boxer, a small but well built man. Now he is a sports trainer so he trains professional boxers. In addition he teaches medical aid and similar types of classes. My host mom does not work, it seems she has rather problematic arthritis. They say that I have less of an American accent than my roommate Margaret who is from Boise. Margaret is nice, easygoing, and outgoing. I think we will get along well. The house is nice and I am told that there are sometimes foxes in the back yard at night. At times they even have little ones following them or howl. When my housing coordinator called to make sure Margaret and I arrived okay, Eric, my host dad, told them that we were out to the pub because I was excited to be able to drink legally. She asked if we got the envelopes with directions to the tube and school and he said we weren't sure we'd make it because we'd be hung over. Quite a character and a likable person. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Before I Leave

2008-01-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

Though I board the plane in a week, I can feel the anticipation of the journey before me builing. There is the typical list of things to accomplish before departing to London(i.e. buy a three month supply of toothpaste). Even though I am not traveling to a remote location by an means, British life will inevitably be different. For starters, a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream costs 5GBP, approximately 10 dollars. Though this is a western english-speaking country, there are a variety of social, political and cultural differences. The task of preparing for what lies before me is daunting to say the least. Mainly because I am expecting the unexpected. My study abroad advisor told all students going abroad to prepare without expectations, saying that once abroad we would understand exactly what she meant. Despite this advice, it's nearly impossible to depart without any expectations. One of the things I anticipate liking the most about London is the tube. I think it's a great public transportation system and though I'm sure I will be irritated when a line shuts down or when I feel cramped for space, overall I think it will be something I miss when I return to the U.S. Another thing I will enjoy about Lonon are all the opportunities to do interesting things - excursions, art museums, plays and the other millions of things to do. I anticipate missing my friends and family the most. The sense that I am missing important events going on at home and at school will most likely make me miss home at times, but hopefully I will easily distract myself with new and exciting things in London. I guess we will see what happens!