Friday, April 20th
Waking up to a blue sky this morning was a glorious surprise. I could not wait for my landlord to arrive at 8:30 to close out the electric bill ($21 for 10 days use in this little flat!).
Here is the backyard at the end of my stay.
Then, I set out for Greenwich.
It was too windy for the boat ride, so I took the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) from Bank/Monument Station to Greenwich-Cutty Sark. What a different London.
As you can see, it is modern high rise structures from Tower East. Here are some photos of the views from the train as we traveled through the quays towards Canary Wharf. Canary Wharf is the location of the finance center—Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland, etc. have 30 story new buildings of glass that rise out of the water, surrounded by modernist sculptures and walkways.
Once in Greenwich, it is a short walk to the Market and the Royal Naval College. In passing, one walks right past the restored Cutty Sark which opens next week as part of the Queen’s Jubilee Celebration. It is beyond impressive ship and I wish it was open today. Alas.
The Greenwich Market, like all of London’s open marketplaces, is filled with food booths offering international cuisine.
The requirement for vendors at this market is goods must be handmade or antique. It was a very interesting assortment of wares. Some tempting jewelry at a good value—but I am out of room and cash—I am trying to get out of town with no leftover coins or British Pounds Sterling—and I think I am down to less than £2.21.
Geek Alert: I HAD to see the Prime Meridian before I left London.
Luckily, I decided to leave Greenwich and take the jubilee line from Bank to capture some photos of things I have been meaning to get. No sooner was I in the DLR station than all hell broke loose. Thunder, lightning and torrents of rain. It was serious. The entire trainload was gasping at the light show and the hail. And, then, 10 minutes later, it has slowed to a drizzle.
Baker Street, for Conan Doyle fans like me, is an imaginary place where Sherlock Holmes lived: 221B Baker Street. As an eleven year old, I found Sherlock and Dr. Watson to be the most intriguing characters fiction had created—that was until I started reading Henry James (Portrait of a Lady), Thackeray (Vanity Fair), and Bronte (Wuthering Heights). So much of my adolescent imagination was occupied creating images of London that I suppose I never realized how places—real places—had a magical quality when I finally saw them in person. My entire notion of London, its landmarks like Victoria Station, was based on etchings in novels from the library.
In the tube tiles, he shines, as well as the statue at the entrance.
As my students have all noted in their diaries, the British read much more than Americans do and are proud of their literacy.
My journey took a detour to Hampstead which inadvertently become the destination. As I exited the tube, all the passengers were met with the sound of an explosion. Turned out to be thunder, but the rain was so severe that nobody left the station. The whole trainload of us stood with jaws dropped watching buckets of rain come pelleting down. Some were laughing, some were stunned and some of us were taking out coats and umbrellas looking for the right moment to escape. It was wild.
So, I spent the afternoon grading papers, listening to the storm, and watching the rain. I got some great giggles from student diaries again. Some are so funny—especially now that I know the students.
I can say with certainty that this experience was epic for the students. Considering that many of these students live at home, have never left the bubble of their family and school, this study abroad was life-altering. Again and again I read—especially from the girls—how this gave them a sense of independence and self-sufficiency that they had never had. Remember these are 19 and 20 year olds, for the most part. Some of the Latinas had never slept overnight away from their mothers and fathers. For the young men, it was likewise a transforming experience, in different ways.
Let me share some of my favorite quotes from their journals (anonymously, of course, except for Jeff who should be given credit for his description of eating haggis).
I should mention that I have not figured out HOW or WHY Scotland was such a favorite for stdents. Whether there was something about the chemistry of sharing the train and coach or the beauty of nature, I could not determine. I didn't join that trip. To a one, every student who went to Scotland mentioned it as a highlight of the whole study abroad experience.
Last week in Inequality class I asked each student to bring the 5 photos that best showed the highlight of their experience and to discuss the study abroad for 5-8 minutes. Scotland was far and away the quintessential weekend for the group.
Excerpts from student journals
Food
Male Student
That is one nice thing about moving to London is that all your food is fresh and not tainted with antibiotics or steroids. There is much less discrimination in the UK’s quality of food than there is in the Americas. The real cheap and fast foods are easier to produce and can be produced in the masses, and that is why they are so cheap. Here everything is fresh and it is against the law for any unhealthy tampering.
Male Student
To start off I ordered a starter called Salmon Ceviche, which consisted of thinly sliced smoked salmon, lime, green onions, coriander and the turning point ingredient: grape fruit. The grape fruit gave it such a unique flavor that I have never tasted before. It was sweet, sour, fishy, and all at the same time refreshing. By far the best-flavored smoked salmon I have ever had. My friend Jeff ordered an artichoke soup as a starter, and the best way to describe the taste would be that it was like eating the heart of the artichoke every spoonful of soup you indulged yourself in. The texture was extremely smooth as your lips touched the surface of a creamy and thick layer of soup with whole hazelnuts engulfed within the delicious artichoke concoction.
Male Student
I recently heard about a great restaurant from some of my roommates. Jeff and Raymond ventured off to this fabulous restaurant near St. Paul’s Cathedral named Bread Street Kitchen, and told me that I had to go before I left London. Due to the fact that I am such a foodie, I made reservations the very next week. This restaurant is very famous because the owner is Gordon Ramsey, famous in America for his t.v. show, Hell’s Kitchen, and even more famous in his home country of England. I decided that no matter what the price was on the menu that I had to get what I wanted because I wasn’t sure if I’d ever eat at this place again. I went with Eric, Melissa, and Amanda. We were sat down early and promptly waited on and delivered delicious artisan style bread.
We ordered really fancy drinks to start the night off right. I got their signature Bread Street Kitchen Martini, and it was wonderful. The drink contained a cinnamon infused vodka, fresh grapes, hazelnuts, apple, and lime. This was probably the best beverage I have tasted since being in this great country. Everyone was enjoying their drinks and we were all enjoying the basket of bread. As soon as we ran out of bread the waiter promptly brought us more. These people were definitely trained to make the guests feel extra special. We then decided to order appetizers. Eric got the chicken wings and said they were really amazing. I, on the other hand, decide to order the stone bass filet with avocado, horseradish and ginger. The sea bass was served raw in a sashimi style cut, the avocado was made into a paste and piped over the sea bass, the ginger and horseradish were sprinkled over the top, and the whole thing was sitting in a dressing of simple, fresh, lime juice. The taste was almost unlike anything I have ever tasted before. This was a truly amazing dish that I have been craving ever since.
I ordered the main course which consisted of braised Creedy Carver duck leg, hispi cabbage, and beetroot chutney. The duck was very delicious. It was served with a red wine sauce and laid across a beautifully cooked bed of cabbage. I enjoyed every last bite and if we weren’t at a fancy restaurant I might have even licked the plate. This was one of the best plates of food I have ever tasted. As we moved onto the desert course a couple of us in the group were no longer hungry, but I knew I had to at least try something. I ordered a chocolate desert drink which was infused with chocolate vodka, and Belgium Chocolate. This was the perfect way to end my meal. I ended up spending almost 50 pounds, but the meal really was worth it. I will definitely be back to Bread Street Kitchen before I go home. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves great food, and is in the London area.
Everyday things
Male StudentSome of the girls won’t go out with guys anymore because they are only interested in meeting British guys and feel like we will scare them away or something. I feel like there is more meaning in life than trying to score the next chick or hitting on girls.
Female Student
Rain boots are called “wellies” and its popular to have Hunter rain boots. If you ever bring up Hunter rain boots, pretty much everyone says something about the Queen owning a pair, or how she just loves the pair that she has.
Male Student
I was also able to go to get my first haircut this week. It was a new experience and one of the best I have had so far. I ventured to the same place my friend Jeff went to as well. The place is called Alexander’s and it just appears to be a regular barber shop from the outside, but on the inside it was a totally awesome experience. This shop is a man’s shop. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but it is a place to come, get a haircut, and talk about manly things. The barbers really know how to take care of you. I simply asked for a buzz cut, and he proceeded to give me a fabulous haircut. He paid attention to how my hair actually grows and he knew exactly how to cut it so it would stay looking great for a while to come. I must say that I have never received a haircut so detailed in all my years in the States. These guys are masters and I will be returning for another haircut before I return home.
Male Student
We met a lot of people from Estonia and Germany that were really excited to hear we were from California. We have begun to understand that they might not like us as much if we were not from California. Good thing for us.
Female Student
Brits really love their house music and there are quite a few world renowned House Music clubs in London.
Female Student
I’ve never shared a room in my life or a bathroom in the last 6 years so I just hope having a roommate doesn’t ruin this experience for me. So far though, she’s very nice. She is VERY quiet and reserved a lot more than I am at the beginning so I just hope she’ll open up as the semester goes on. She’s doing this program basically for the same reasons I am, mostly to make our friends jealous. (LOL JK). We’re doing it because we still live at home and want to experience something new so it’ll be interesting to see how we both cope with our new independence.
Female Student
Back in LA, and in general, I’m very into street art, modern art and basically just the whole underground stuff. Although Banksy isn’t very underground now, I have actually been a very devoted follower for years before. When I first got here, I was stoked because I was in Banksy art territory meaning I could go on a search for his art and see his paintings for myself instead of street art blogs. I asked a few people on the program if they knew who was Banksy and seriously almost no one did at this point but I’m sure it was going to change, I don’t see how you could possibly be in London and not catch on to the Banksy movement.
Male Student
Five thousand miles away from home and I’m still able to make a fool of myself, and to that, I raise my glass.
Male Student
The tube seems to be a place to keep to yourself even though you are all packed in there like sardines. No one really talks to one another besides our group. The night bus is the complete opposite from the tube. On the night bus it seems everyone wants to talk to everyone else and get to know their whole live story. This is almost certainly due to the fact of alcohol consumption, but nonetheless it is interesting to see the contrasting behavior based on means of transportation.
Male Student
The children are able to take the tube and busses all by themselves or with a group their friends. This is something you would not see so much in the Fullerton area. One of the main reasons why I say this is because I’ve seen six, seven, and eight year-olds by themselves on the bus, while I’m on my way to school. This shows the trust that the London people have in their public transportation system. They feel safe enough to let their kids go out on their own. In the states, I do not think this would be the case, and parents would probably be questioned by other parents if their seven-year-old went up the street to take the public bus alone two miles to get to school.
Female Student
“Good Job” is an American phrase and gets mocked quite often. Brits say “Well done!”
Male Student
Before arriving in London, I had planned to make a video of myself dancing throughout the city of London with the main sites in the background. Having a rough outline of what I wanted to video to look like, I was able to complete the outline when I met a fellow Bboy at the London Trocadero.
His name is Mariusz Semik and his land of origination is Poland. This man was not only a humble and friendly person, but also an extremely refined and talented dancer. After conversing as best as I could (due to his broken English) and dancing with him, I figured that my video idea would be a lot more interesting and entertaining if there was someone else besides just me. Also, it would be much easier (and less awkward in public areas) to shoot a video with two people rather than one. So, I decided to invite him along with the expectation that he would decline, considering it would take a whole day. However, to my surprise, he accepted happily. So, on a fine Saturday in London, Mariusz and I took to the city and shot our video.
It was the perfect combination of sightseeing and getting in our daily exercise (actually, it was more like two days of exercise…). We stopped and danced in front of sights such as Big Ben/Parliament, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Covent Garden and Oxford Circus. Not only was I able to fulfill my video idea, but I was able to fulfill my state of frustration of being in an uncomfortable flat and constantly being around the same people everyday. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the company of most of the students, but it’s nice to just get out and do your own thing once and a while.
POLITICS
Female Student
The British system allows the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposing party to argue issues each Wednesday and broadcast it on television. The amount of wit used by the politicians makes watching the question section more entertaining than scripted television. The issues are discussed openly without personal attacks. Our professor pointed out that both party leaders were friends and came to each others aids in family emergencies. The open way British politicians discuss politics is perhaps why so many Brits are comfortable discussing politics over a pint of beer or walking down the street. It is not a untouchable issue as it is in the U.S.
On PARIS
Male student
Paris is the same as I remembered. Still smells like a public restroom everywhere, because it pretty much is. I got my credit card stolen while I was in the bathroom at the hostel. There is so much crime here and I hate how there are so many nasty homeless people sleeping in the tube. I don’t like how people are so rude to me and just nasty. I completely understand why it is called the rudest town for tourist.
Female student
Paris didn’t meet my expectations. It was rather dirty, unpleasant and hard to navigate. What really upset me was how rude people were to us for being American. It left a bitter taste in my mouth about French people which is quite devastating since French men have to be the best looking men I’ve ever seen.
SCOTLAND
Male studentI just got back from perhaps the best trip I’ve taken in my life! Scotland was AMAZING! If there’s such thing as heaven on earth, I truly believe it is Scotland. The people are beyond friendly and helpful. They do have a funny accent that only gets worse the later it gets at the bar but it is okay because their huge smiles and positive energy is all you really need to get from them, the rest can go misunderstood, as long as everyone is happy who cares that you cannot understand each other?
Female student
Drinks everywhere in Scotland were reasonably priced but these were delicious!! And they had cool names to go with the theme like: Blood Clot, June bug, Dr. Frankenstein, etc. The music they played was also great! It wasn’t the typical Top 40 playlist, the DJ did a good job in picking great, old music that just made you want to dance.
Female Student
Great, fun guide + cheap alcohol + great views for facebook pictures = what else can a college student wish for?
Male student—the infamous Jeff--on Haggis
This haggard concoction of sheep stomach and lungs for my cherry-popping experience had me on a roller coaster of emotions. Dinner was to be served at 630 post meridiem. I was on edge to appear at my seat in the dining room. Reluctantly, I made my reservation by man-ing up, belting out a loud ‘woo’, and jogging down the short flight of stairs. I had high energy and was filled with notions that the worst that could happen is that I would chum it up. I need to lose weight anyway. I am also almost certain that it would keep its same physical description as when it first went down. I would give it 2:1 if I was a betting man. Moving on...
I snatched up my pre-made plate and scurried off to a dark corner of the bar as to hide in case of nausea. The plate was arranged actually quite beautifully. It was tidy, clean and homie, resembling the hostel itself. The sight of the plating alone put me at a little ease. Now armed with machismo energy and a warmed heart to a Sunday style home cooked meal, I dug in.
The dinner itself included a healthy portion of steamed green beans, sliced carrots, and perfectly buttered mashed potatoes. A wave of calm flooded over me, as the size of these portions alone would fill me after a potential round of texture induced vomiting subsided. Then there it was, the dreaded haggis. Luckily, the chef knows of American unease to unexplored frontiers in the culinary realm. The haggis was stuffed inside of a boneless, skinless chicken breast, and then covered with a whisky cream sauce. Hiding the haggis and dressing it up with a sauce kept it out of sight and out of mind. Well, not out of mind, but you get the point. I went directly for the haggis as to get it over with. I had one bite of simply haggis and sauce. The second bite with haggis, chicken, and sauce. I was completely stumped in thought. Did I actually like it? No, I actually, truly, undeniably, loved it! In fact, the chicken itself died in vain! First off, it was overcooked like mad, and secondly, it was my least favorite ingredient on the plate! I broke that butterflied chicken wide open and scraped out the delectable center. It was my haggis and nothing was keeping me from it. It was simply delicious. I ate all of it, without washing it down between bites, or quite frankly, without breathing.
I calmed down a bit and had my daily servings of vegetables. All they needed was a good ration of salt, as all vegetables do. I was a little bummed that I had ravenously worked through my portion of haggis, but it was what it was. I figured that I could return to Scotland, if not for the haggis alone. There I was, in the dark corner by myself. I was content with my satiated hunger, as I had plenty of room left for a dessert or aperitif. I was in no danger of an upheaval, and I was actually grateful for my meal and experience. A feeling of happy warmth soothed my soul. I had endured a timeless and traditional feast of the Celtic Scots, and not only survived, but I yearned for more. It was literally at this moment when I had my head in my hands, elbows on the table and staring at my plate, that I saw it. There it was. I had a nugget of surprise hiding under the leathery chicken. I was blessed with one last fork full of that oh so tasty and beautiful sheep. I was sure to savor this bite, for it was a flavor I had never experienced prior, and cannot wait to have again.
Male student
This weekend was also probably the best time of my life. I was able to venture to a magical country called Scotland. This place was so amazing! I have never met so many friendly people in my life, and the scenery matched their attitudes. The history and traditions of this wonderful place will change my outlook on all other places I will visit. The best part of Scotland was my tour guide, Stevie. This guy helped me learn so much about Scotland. He taught me about my clan, because I recently learned I am of Scottish decent. He will definitely live in my memories for a long time because he helped me fall in love with this place. I enjoyed my bus buddy too, Jeff, he always has me laughing and having a good time. I think I realized that he has definitely been the best friend I have made on this trip because he knows where I come from on a lot of things. My personality type that I learned in class, INTP, makes it hard for some people to understand what I’m trying to say, and they think I just love to argue. I just love facts and Jeff is one of the only people here that gets it. I am lucky to have such a great guy who keeps me going in the right direction. He tells me to learn from all his mistakes and really gave me such great insight throughout this weekend trip.
Switzerland
Female Student
Third, the night life sucked! It’s almost like if they just want old, rich people who go to sleep early to vacation there! Everything in the city center was closed by 7pm, I don’t understand why. Last, it has a very distinct smell, not necessarily pleasant smell. We did, however, have a great hotel, it had a view of the Lake Geneva and the fountain in it, which was pretty nice and it was huge with very comfortable beds! One night we were walking by the Lake and we hear someone singing to Vicente Fernandez and we were just shocked, like seriously, Vicente Fernandez being sung next to Lake Geneva in Switzerland? How random is that?! But that totally made our night!
Amsterdam
Female StudentI was overwhelmed by how beautiful Amsterdam was! I for some reason didn’t expect it to be pretty, just fun because of its reputation. I was surprised to see how it is also a great city to visit even if you’re not a pothead because there is so much to do! My favourite activity was the Anne Frank House Museum. Ever since I was in fifth grade I have been fascinated by her story so it was surreal to be standing where she once stood. And food wise, I had Burger Bar twice! Due to its very high recommendations I had high expectations which it definitely met! So sad I will not have it again for years! I had the Kobe beef which made it just so much better. Burger Bar should go down as a tourist attraction for Amsterdam as well!!
Male Student
Amsterdam. Enough said.
Berlin
Ari, Evelyn and I just got back from a twenty four hour trip to Berlin. Berlin is my new favorite city, right after London of course!The last three months have been a blur. I cannot believe all that has happened, all I have done, all I’ve grown as a person and all I’ve learned. I’m sad to say goodbye to this city that has been so great to me. I’m devastated to say, “bye “ to my internship people because I know I most likely will never see them again and that saddens me beyond words, especially since I’ll miss seeing the super attractive French doctor that works at the clinic... sigh... London is home, or was home, and the fact that I had an internship made it feel more like real life than a vacation like most
