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They will attend a class during the eight weeks of the Summer in London program and they will work every day as interns at area media organizations. They will have some free time to explore Great Britain on their own and will travel as a group for a bit of sight-seeing and to media outlets for tours and workshops.
Here, the students write about their cultural experiences.
More:
- Read their reflections on their internships.
- Read reports of their visits to media organizations.
- Read about the 2010 trip.
Cultural exploration:
Shopping for ‘cute’ and gadgets
By Thomas Miller
If I have a weakness, and if you ask my girlfriend I do, it is gadgets. I love them. It’s a bad habit, both costly and humiliating. But I literally cannot survive without access to an electronic store or a music store or some other haven of technological goodness. I need gadgets, if only to look at them.
This insatiable desire to ogle at things I shouldn’t buy is what led me to discover some strange facts about U.K. shopping. Instead of evenly dispersing the electronic stores throughout the U.K., they clump them all together. Yes, 90 percent of London’s electronics stores are located on Tottenham Court Road. My first response to this was ecstasy, a literal road full of SLR cameras, computers, iPads and anything else awesome. It wasn’t until my girlfriend came to visit that I realized how serious a flaw it is to have such a high concentration of electronics stores in one place.
Weekly, I am subjected to the agonizing process of going shopping with my girlfriend, and my only solace is the few gadget related stores that exist inside American shopping centers. For every 15 stores selling “cute tops” and “cute shoes” and anything else with the “cute” designator, there is one store that sells video games. If I’m lucky, I’ll spot a used DVD store. But in the U.K., there is no oasis in the desert of cute. There is only more cute, that is until you finally make it to Tottenham Court Road. And then, sadly, you can really only check out one or two stores because of all of the cute you’re carrying around. You can’t seriously go into a camera store hauling 15 pounds of H&M.
Thankfully, I haven’t been forced to suffer through the multi-hour “cute crawl” because none of the girls on this trip have desire to drag me along, but for the two days my girl friend spent in London, U.K. zoning laws crushed my soul.
Weekly, I am subjected to the agonizing process of going shopping with my girlfriend, and my only solace is the few gadget related stores that exist inside American shopping centers. For every 15 stores selling “cute tops” and “cute shoes” and anything else with the “cute” designator, there is one store that sells video games. If I’m lucky, I’ll spot a used DVD store. But in the U.K., there is no oasis in the desert of cute. There is only more cute, that is until you finally make it to Tottenham Court Road. And then, sadly, you can really only check out one or two stores because of all of the cute you’re carrying around. You can’t seriously go into a camera store hauling 15 pounds of H&M.
Thankfully, I haven’t been forced to suffer through the multi-hour “cute crawl” because none of the girls on this trip have desire to drag me along, but for the two days my girl friend spent in London, U.K. zoning laws crushed my soul.
A day at Wimbledon
By MJ Slaby
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| Courtesy photo |
| From left, MJ Slaby and Biz Carson took in a day at the Wimbledon tennis championships. |
And although I wasn’t playing tennis, I was at Wimbledon for just as long. Biz Carson and I left our flats at around 4:40 a.m. and didn’t get back until after 10 p.m., but what we saw was worth it.
We arrived in the queue for Day 3 of the Wimbledon Championships and got our cards that said we were numbers 1366 and 1367 for the day. This meant we were in the third group and could buy tickets for Court No. 2 – a show court!
When the grounds opened, we wandered through the open courts to where a few players were warming up. And who was there warming up? Andy Roddick, who was first on center court that day.
I was so excited to see him. But the day just got better as we found our seats in the eighth row of court No. 2 and watched Justine Henin, Gael Monfils and Jelena Jankovic play their matches. We even got to centre court and court No. 1 for quick pictures.
But possibly the best part was just the culture of Wimbledon itself. For every match, there were line judges dressed in cream-colored pants (or long skirts for women) and blue button down shirts with cream hats, who as each point started, put their hands on their thighs and bent to watch the lines.
And then there were the ball boys and girls who stood in the corners of the courts and at the net and raced across the court to retrieve balls. During the changeovers, the ball boys and girls held umbrellas over the players’ heads to shade them as they drank water and ate bananas.
During the matches, the stands were quiet, but every once and a while you could hear the cheering from another court and, as the day went on, the fans started to yell and cheer for their favorite players.
Wimbledon was exactly how I pictured summer in England with the tennis players dressed in all white and the fans applauding for the points while eating strawberries and cream and drinking champagne. And being able to go was a dream come true, something I would have never been able to do or afford. With just one ticket, I watch four professional tennis matches at one of the best-known tournaments.
I was so excited to see him. But the day just got better as we found our seats in the eighth row of court No. 2 and watched Justine Henin, Gael Monfils and Jelena Jankovic play their matches. We even got to centre court and court No. 1 for quick pictures.
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| Photo by MJ Slaby |
| Slaby and Carson witnessed most of the longest match in Wimbledon history as well as scoped out some of the sports’ top players. |
And then there were the ball boys and girls who stood in the corners of the courts and at the net and raced across the court to retrieve balls. During the changeovers, the ball boys and girls held umbrellas over the players’ heads to shade them as they drank water and ate bananas.
During the matches, the stands were quiet, but every once and a while you could hear the cheering from another court and, as the day went on, the fans started to yell and cheer for their favorite players.
Wimbledon was exactly how I pictured summer in England with the tennis players dressed in all white and the fans applauding for the points while eating strawberries and cream and drinking champagne. And being able to go was a dream come true, something I would have never been able to do or afford. With just one ticket, I watch four professional tennis matches at one of the best-known tournaments.
World Cup, travel
By Sean Moore
Pulling into our flats, jet lagged and cranky, was not the best way to endure my first exposure to London. We got set up over the next couple days, having our orientation meetings and establishing our phone and Internet capabilities. After getting my feet wet, however, I felt ready to take on this then-foreign city and culture.
We lucked out greatly that the World Cup has been on while we are here. Indeed, the media’s response to the goal Robert Green gave up to one Clint Dempsey (a “howler,” as they called it) was priceless. As it stands, both the U.S. and English teams have been knocked out, so I’m quite curious to see if the locals feel as bad as I do (I’m sure they will) and how the media will portray their performance.
Architecturally, London is as diverse as its people. From Parliament and Buckingham Palace to anonymous street corners and footbridges, this city was unlike any place I had seen (until I went to Paris and Amsterdam, that is). As for museums and the like, I haven’t actually seen that much, but the British Museum is one of the coolest places I’ve ever visited. (The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was absolutely stunning.)
On the downside, London is too much of a concrete jungle for my taste. There are very few places to exercise or play sports. This fact probably should have led me to see more sights, but work and class have left me rather tired much of the time, and the flats are not the most resting facilities. In fact, it seems London road crews work their hardest between the hours of 3 and 9 a.m. (only a slight exaggeration), and the flats have felt like a sauna of late.
On the downside, London is too much of a concrete jungle for my taste. There are very few places to exercise or play sports. This fact probably should have led me to see more sights, but work and class have left me rather tired much of the time, and the flats are not the most resting facilities. In fact, it seems London road crews work their hardest between the hours of 3 and 9 a.m. (only a slight exaggeration), and the flats have felt like a sauna of late.
In love with London
By Elizabeth Fernandez
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| Courtesy photo |
| Students made time to visit Paris for a weekend. |
On the last day of our weekend trip to Paris, 10 of us visited the Louvre (or Loov-ra, as our tour guide insisted on pronouncing it).
It was the third day of waking up way too early after a night of way too little sleep, so naturally I was extremely groggy and a little irritated after our unnecessarily long bus ride to the museum.
I was the last to pass through security, and as I was waiting to pick up my bag and get going, the security guard called me over.
He started rattling off in French – a language I know not a single word of.
I stared back blankly.
“Parlez-vous français?”
I shook my head no.
He shot me a death glare and said one word: “Knife.”
He put my bag back on the conveyer and stopped to point out what I am pretty sure was a pen.
I looked back confused and, disgruntled, he handed me my bag and shooed me away.
I never thought I was a troublemaker, but this wasn’t the first time I stirred up trouble in France.
On the first day, as we were re-loading the bus after the ferry ride across the English channel, we were informed that what we thought was a trash can was in fact a refrigerator. We had started the trend of putting our empty coffee cups (which we later found out were not even allowed on the bus) in the receptacle, and nearly half the bus proceeded to stuff their trash in the hole. Steve the bus driver wasn’t too pleased when he discovered his water bottles were covered in coffee.
Oops.
Later that night, four of us stopped at a cute French restaurant by the Eiffel Tower for dinner. After staring at the overpriced menu for 15 minutes, we knew we didn’t want to eat there but didn’t know how to escape. When the waiter came to take our order, which consisted of two coffees, he promptly turned up his nose, kicked us out and stormed off.
Double oops.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I didn’t have an absolutely amazing time in Paris. I climbed the Eiffel Tower and experienced the breathtaking view of Paris at night. I visited the Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge and Notre Dame. I stood five feet away from the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I enjoyed more croissants, crepes and Nutella than I thought humanly possible.
And in the end it made me realize one very important thing: I am absolutely, positively in love with London.
He started rattling off in French – a language I know not a single word of.
I stared back blankly.
“Parlez-vous français?”
I shook my head no.
He shot me a death glare and said one word: “Knife.”
He put my bag back on the conveyer and stopped to point out what I am pretty sure was a pen.
I looked back confused and, disgruntled, he handed me my bag and shooed me away.
I never thought I was a troublemaker, but this wasn’t the first time I stirred up trouble in France.
On the first day, as we were re-loading the bus after the ferry ride across the English channel, we were informed that what we thought was a trash can was in fact a refrigerator. We had started the trend of putting our empty coffee cups (which we later found out were not even allowed on the bus) in the receptacle, and nearly half the bus proceeded to stuff their trash in the hole. Steve the bus driver wasn’t too pleased when he discovered his water bottles were covered in coffee.
Oops.
Later that night, four of us stopped at a cute French restaurant by the Eiffel Tower for dinner. After staring at the overpriced menu for 15 minutes, we knew we didn’t want to eat there but didn’t know how to escape. When the waiter came to take our order, which consisted of two coffees, he promptly turned up his nose, kicked us out and stormed off.
Double oops.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I didn’t have an absolutely amazing time in Paris. I climbed the Eiffel Tower and experienced the breathtaking view of Paris at night. I visited the Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge and Notre Dame. I stood five feet away from the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I enjoyed more croissants, crepes and Nutella than I thought humanly possible.
And in the end it made me realize one very important thing: I am absolutely, positively in love with London.
A little culture shock
By Kyle Dugger
There is really no such thing as avoiding culture shock.
Even as an American student coming to the United Kingdom, two locations which overlap in language, mannerisms, etiquette and culture, I’m still subject to the stresses of unfamiliarity. For example, besides the fact that we’re all speaking English, I’ve still been caught looking foolish, forced to utter “what?” and attempting to understand the British employees preparing my fish and chips.
During my first week in the U.K., I ventured out to Tottenham Court Road, an area famous for music shops and guitar stores, in hopes of scooping out a souvenir British instrument. Used to the U.S., where an avid player can come into a guitar store solely to play and sample different makes and brands of instruments, I settled down with an attractive little acoustic Fender and strummed a few chords. After playing for a bit and getting a feel for the sound of the instrument, I felt compelled to purchase it, but wanted to walk through the other stores first. When I approached the storefront, the man working sneered and said, “What, you’re not going to play me another song?”
I was appalled for two reasons. First, I couldn’t believe this salesman would be so rude to a total stranger, and second, I had no idea how I’d even offended him. A friend pointed out that even an act like playing a guitar might have different cultural ramifications here, and I was given a strong reminder of the subtleties inherent in every unique culture. I didn’t buy the guitar.
I’ve been in London for nearly three weeks now, and I’m finally starting to feel less like I’m walking on eggshells. The nervous sensation of otherness and not belonging has given way to a comfortable routine as I work and go to class. With time, the subtle nuances of culture are seeping in, but there are still things to learn.
I was appalled for two reasons. First, I couldn’t believe this salesman would be so rude to a total stranger, and second, I had no idea how I’d even offended him. A friend pointed out that even an act like playing a guitar might have different cultural ramifications here, and I was given a strong reminder of the subtleties inherent in every unique culture. I didn’t buy the guitar.
I’ve been in London for nearly three weeks now, and I’m finally starting to feel less like I’m walking on eggshells. The nervous sensation of otherness and not belonging has given way to a comfortable routine as I work and go to class. With time, the subtle nuances of culture are seeping in, but there are still things to learn.
Enjoying the theater
By Stephanie Doctrow
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| Courtesy photo |
| In addition to taking in plays and musicals, students are visiting cultural sites such as the Tower of London. From left are Stephanie Doctrow, Amanda Day, Christine Ashack and Melissa Orizondo. |
As part of our trip, the journalism school treats us to various theatrical productions each Monday night. London’s shows are second only to Broadway, so I know we will be seeing so many amazing shows over the course of this trip.
On our first Monday night in London, our group saw The Phantom of the Opera at a theater on Trafalgar Square. The costumes and sets were spectacular, and a few of us screamed when the phantom caused the chandelier to fall from the ceiling and crash onto the stage. Even those of us who are not musical fans could appreciate the 80’s guitar in the play.
The next week, we saw Oliver at a theater in Covent Gardens. Oliver is one of my favorite childhood musicals, so I looked forward to the show for the whole week. It certainly did not disappoint. There were at least 20 British children in the play, most of whom were spectacular dancers. Many of us wanted to take the Artful Dodger home with us.
The shows bring our group together after busy weeks of internships, travel and classes to catch up and to enjoy some culture. We also saw Wicked last week, and I know our group is looking forward to the rest of the shows we are seeing during our time here.
The shows bring our group together after busy weeks of internships, travel and classes to catch up and to enjoy some culture. We also saw Wicked last week, and I know our group is looking forward to the rest of the shows we are seeing during our time here.
On the red carpet
By Amanda Day
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| Photo by Amanda Day |
| Chris Noth, who plays Mr. Big, was one of the celebs the students spotted on the red carpet before the premiere of Sex and the City 2. |
When my flatmates and I heard Sex and the City 2 was premiering in London, we decided we had to go. We found out the celebrities were arriving at 5:45. Seeing as I get out of work at 5:30, I was going to have to sprint there to make it in time.
I told my coworkers about my plans and they helped me map the fastest route to get there. According to walkit.com, it was going to take me 16 minutes to get there if I was walking fast and I would burn 113 calories in the process (another handy function of walkit.com).
As soon as the clock hit 5:30, I popped up and rushed out the door. My coworkers were going out for drinks, but I told them I would meet them later. My work was close enough to walk to Leicester Square, where I was meeting my flatmates, Maggie and MJ.
As I weaved through the crowd near the tube station, I found Maggie and, within a matter of seconds, MJ appeared out of the tube station exit. We began to hear screams and decided that was the direction we needed to head.
We approached the crowd and pushed our way through to get a close view. Before I knew it, Sarah Jessica Parker was right before my eyes – well she was probably 100 meters away from me, but it was close enough.
Over the next couple minutes, the other stars of the movie paraded around Leicester Square. Sex and the City characters Charlotte, Samantha, Miranda and Mr. Big were literally less than five feet away from me!
After taking tons of pictures and getting our fill of celebrities, Maggie, MJ and I were satisfied.
Maggie and MJ headed back on the tube and I went to meet my coworkers for drinks. After detailing the experience to my coworkers and our fellow students the next day, we definitely felt that we were part of something exciting.
It’s not every day we get to be in London, see famous celebs and have the time of our lives – or maybe it will be.
As I weaved through the crowd near the tube station, I found Maggie and, within a matter of seconds, MJ appeared out of the tube station exit. We began to hear screams and decided that was the direction we needed to head.
We approached the crowd and pushed our way through to get a close view. Before I knew it, Sarah Jessica Parker was right before my eyes – well she was probably 100 meters away from me, but it was close enough.
Over the next couple minutes, the other stars of the movie paraded around Leicester Square. Sex and the City characters Charlotte, Samantha, Miranda and Mr. Big were literally less than five feet away from me!
After taking tons of pictures and getting our fill of celebrities, Maggie, MJ and I were satisfied.
Maggie and MJ headed back on the tube and I went to meet my coworkers for drinks. After detailing the experience to my coworkers and our fellow students the next day, we definitely felt that we were part of something exciting.
It’s not every day we get to be in London, see famous celebs and have the time of our lives – or maybe it will be.
A visit to a British home
By Amy Bishop
It was time for me to seek out a church to attend for the next seven weeks. While it’s not the same as my church back home, I believe being involved in a church family while I’m here is one way to make London feel more like home.
Sunday I attended a lovely Church of England just a few blocks from my flat. The members of St. James Clerkenwell instantly noticed I was a new visitor and welcomed me to their church. After church, the vicar and his wife invited me to a lunch for new members at their parsonage down the road.
They cooked lunch for the U.S. and British college students new to the church. After a delicious British lunch, the Vicar took us on a tour of his five-floor home. A very narrow home, each of the five floors was limited to only one or two rooms. On the rooftop, their patio provided a great view of eastern and downtown London.
After the tour, we all enjoyed traditional British pudding and tea. I had a great Sunday joining some friendly Brits in their home for fellowship and a great British lunch.
After the tour, we all enjoyed traditional British pudding and tea. I had a great Sunday joining some friendly Brits in their home for fellowship and a great British lunch.
Loving London
By Christine Ashack
I know this may seem sudden and it has been only two weeks, but I feel confident in saying that I am in love… with London.
These past two weeks have been absolutely amazing. There is something about London that changes a person.
I’m not going to say it’s the air or the energy, because, well, that’s too cheesy even for me. I am just going to say there is something.
Walking around, seeing all the pubs, stores and, well, more pubs, has been great. Just walking around and taking the tube everywhere has been fun (I’m a fan of public transportation—most of the time). It makes things so much easier when you don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot. Plus, since we walk everywhere, I don’t feel as bad when I eat fish and chips multiple times a week.
We have been to some pretty amazing places these two weeks. This weekend was the first real touristy thing I did. A group of us went to the Tower of London. Our tour guide was so funny and it was obvious that he loves what he does. It was spectacular. The history. The architecture. It was a gorgeous day also, so that made it even better.
We also went to Stonehenge and Bath. I have already decided that I am going to live in Bath one of these days.
These past two weeks have gone by pretty quickly and I hope that the next six slow down a bit. I’m not ready to start thinking about going home yet (sorry Mom and Dad, but I still love you!).
We have been to some pretty amazing places these two weeks. This weekend was the first real touristy thing I did. A group of us went to the Tower of London. Our tour guide was so funny and it was obvious that he loves what he does. It was spectacular. The history. The architecture. It was a gorgeous day also, so that made it even better.
We also went to Stonehenge and Bath. I have already decided that I am going to live in Bath one of these days.
These past two weeks have gone by pretty quickly and I hope that the next six slow down a bit. I’m not ready to start thinking about going home yet (sorry Mom and Dad, but I still love you!).
London (phone) calling
By Kamilla Benko
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| Photo by Maggie Dunphy |
| In between adventures with her "mobile" phone, Kamilla Benko takes time to sample the English tradition of high tea. |
“A cell phone.”
“Do you call it anything else?”
Blank look.
“Something that begins with an ‘M,’” she prompted.
I slowly replied, “A mobile phone?”
She starts laughing hysterically and between her laughter I can hear her mimic me, “Moe-bull.”
That’s when I learned a cell should be referred to as a “Moe-by-ell” phone.
There is hardly a person these days who does not feel naked without a moe-by-ell phone. With in an hour of moving in our London flats, 20 of us marched to a phone shop.
The sales transaction went something like this:
“What’s the cheapest phone with Skype that you sell?”
The sales lady shows us 20 moe-by-ells.
“Great, can we have 20 of them?”
It’s incredible. Using the Internet-based Skype, I can call my family, thousands of miles away, for free. I can call all the journalism students for free. I can text them for free.
It’s wonderful.
Then Skype goes scatty (1) and I’m stuck without a means of communication. It might be time to use a red telephone booth…(2)
1:British/Irish term for crazy.
2: Old means of communication before the moe-by-ell
That’s when I learned a cell should be referred to as a “Moe-by-ell” phone.
There is hardly a person these days who does not feel naked without a moe-by-ell phone. With in an hour of moving in our London flats, 20 of us marched to a phone shop.
The sales transaction went something like this:
“What’s the cheapest phone with Skype that you sell?”
The sales lady shows us 20 moe-by-ells.
“Great, can we have 20 of them?”
It’s incredible. Using the Internet-based Skype, I can call my family, thousands of miles away, for free. I can call all the journalism students for free. I can text them for free.
It’s wonderful.
Then Skype goes scatty (1) and I’m stuck without a means of communication. It might be time to use a red telephone booth…(2)
1:British/Irish term for crazy.
2: Old means of communication before the moe-by-ell
Platform 9 ¾ and other magical moments
By Biz Carson
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| Courtesy photo |
| Students Biz Carson, Danielle Rindler, Caitlin Peterkin, MJ Slaby and Kamilla Benko pose at Platform 9 3/4. |
Life goal complete.
For a moment in time, I could’ve been a witch heading to Hogwarts. But alas, I was minus a trunk, broom, robes and an owl. I had to settle with just pretending to push a trolley through the platform and wishing I were magical instead.
Thankfully, London delivers magical moments and experiences to us every day.
Earlier this week, Caitlin Peterkin discovered Penny Lane original sheet music at the Portobello Market. Kamilla Benko addressed a letter the Duchess of York at her internship.
A group of us took the tube to Charing Cross station and emerged in the middle of Trafalgar Square, looking at Big Ben and Parliament just down the road.
The double-decker bus I see with a sign saying “Kings Cross” is real and not the Knight Bus from Harry Potter.
I even had my first byline in the British media.
There are moments every day where I have to pinch myself and realize that this life does exist and its here in London. Now I just have to find Abbey Road.
For more of Carson’s experiences, follow her blog.
Editor’s note: For you Muggles out there, Platform 9 3/4 is the fictional gate one would use to catch the Hogwart’s Express. After filming of several Harry Potter films, the National Railway Museum left the signage and the luggage cart, which is stuck halfway through the wall, as a tribute to J.K. Rowling’s series. For the significance of all that, you’ll just have to read the books.
The double-decker bus I see with a sign saying “Kings Cross” is real and not the Knight Bus from Harry Potter.
I even had my first byline in the British media.
There are moments every day where I have to pinch myself and realize that this life does exist and its here in London. Now I just have to find Abbey Road.
For more of Carson’s experiences, follow her blog.
Editor’s note: For you Muggles out there, Platform 9 3/4 is the fictional gate one would use to catch the Hogwart’s Express. After filming of several Harry Potter films, the National Railway Museum left the signage and the luggage cart, which is stuck halfway through the wall, as a tribute to J.K. Rowling’s series. For the significance of all that, you’ll just have to read the books.
Day Trippers
By Caitlin Peterkin
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| Photo by Kamilla Benko |
| Biz Carson, left, and MJ Slaby enjoy a punt ride on the River Cam. Their guide, Kyle, showed them sights around Cambridge. |
When Biz announced she wanted to take a day trip to Cambridge, we were all along for the ride. Not knowing what to expect, our flat (Biz, Kamilla, Danielle and me) plus MJ left for the tube to King’s Cross, eager for another adventure.
The first sign of the day we were about to have was the fantastic deal we got on our train tickets. By the time our train was taking us through England’s picturesque countryside, we knew we were in for a magical excursion.
We got to Cambridge midday, and ate packed lunches in a quaint churchyard before walking to the city centre. Along the way, we passed another church – one of the most architecturally breathtaking sights I have ever seen. Little did I know that we were about to encounter even more aesthetically astounding buildings.
Meandering through the town, we stumbled upon many of the 50 universities Cambridge holds, as well as several more churches (many photo shoots commenced). We then went punting (think the English version of gondolas), where we were taken along the River Cam to see the “backs” of the major colleges. Our punter, Kyle, pointed out a bridge Sir Isaac Newton built and the school that inspired the Hogwarts School from the Harry Potter movies, and we had fun hearing his punting anecdotes.
After the boat ride, we continued exploring the town. We ate traditional Cornish pasties for dinner and just let our feet wander. We ended up stumbling upon this gorgeous park, where people were playing football (remember, soccer to us!), cricket and tennis, or just lying around enjoying the weather. After a while, we headed to a local pub Kyle recommended. In the middle of our conversation, I looked up and saw cows walking past the window outside (the highlight of Biz’s evening).
We walked back to the train station at dusk, our cameras’ memory cards full and batteries drained, all musing over the fantastic day we just experienced. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take a day to relax with friends in a new town. Cambridge was more than what any of us could have expected. We went into the journey not having an itinerary and just let the day take us where it wanted to go, allowing us to have one of the best experiences of this trip so far.
We ended up back in London around 10 p.m. Hopping off the train, we were eager to get back to our flat to get some rest. But then we spotted Platform 9 3/4…
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| Photo by Caitlin Peterkin |
| Students admired the more than 50 schools around Cambridge. |
We walked back to the train station at dusk, our cameras’ memory cards full and batteries drained, all musing over the fantastic day we just experienced. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take a day to relax with friends in a new town. Cambridge was more than what any of us could have expected. We went into the journey not having an itinerary and just let the day take us where it wanted to go, allowing us to have one of the best experiences of this trip so far.
We ended up back in London around 10 p.m. Hopping off the train, we were eager to get back to our flat to get some rest. But then we spotted Platform 9 3/4…
Challenges of shopping
Danielle Rindler
Our first day off. Naturally, we shop.
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| Courtesy photo |
| Scholars (from left) Biz Carson, Danielle Rindler and MJ Slaby squeezed into one of London’s iconic phone booths. |
One thing that I failed to think about, though, was the sizing. I understand that there are certain things that define and separate cultures: food, language, attitudes, and – if you’re in the UK – the side of the road you drive on (even for pedestrians that’s important – try crossing the street when you think the cars are coming from the opposite direction than they really are). Then there are also certain things like street signs, stop lights or bathroom signs that are generally universal.
My question: Are clothing sizes really that culturally definitive that they need to be different across political and geographical boundaries? When shopping today, most clothes were marked with a U.K. size and a European size. Some (thankfully) had U.S. sizes as well. Confusing? Yep.
This, of course led more questions, like where do they get these numbers, anyway? In the States when you buy a size nine shoe or a size six pair of pants, what do the sizes really tell you? Nothing. That’s why in the U.K., those suddenly become 6.5 shoes and 12 pants. A quick scan of Google didn’t give me any answers, so I suppose it will remain one of life’s unanswered questions.
For now, I’m off to tackle Abbey Road and Platform 9 3/4. Cheers!
(Follow more of Rindler’s experiences at her blog.)
For now, I’m off to tackle Abbey Road and Platform 9 3/4. Cheers!
(Follow more of Rindler’s experiences at her blog.)
Tutorial for the tube
Stephanie Doctrow
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| Photo by Biz Carson |
| One of the students, Stephen Hicks, navigates the crowd and traffic. |
I am from Louisville, Ky., a city where it is pretty much necessary to have a car to get around town. In Bloomington, there are only five campus buses to choose from and most of them drive around the same loop of streets. I look both ways multiple times before I cross the street, and I use the same familiar streets every day. I have been to New York and Washington, D.C., on vacations, but nothing could have prepared me for the madness that is the afternoon commute in London.
As I leave the office of the magazine where I am interning each afternoon, I am swept into a bustling crowd of people on Oxford Street. The entrance to the tube station is swelling with people, and I have to force my way into the crowd to make it onto the escalator underground.
I navigate my way through the station to find the Victoria Line to take me home and wait at the crowded platform. When the train speeds up to the stop, I fight my way on and grab for a pole to hold on to. I grip my purse tightly to ward off pickpockets, and the rest of the trip is easy from there.
The very first day I had to make this journey I was terrified. I said “excuse me” every time I bumped into someone, I tried to make awkward small talk on the train, and I was nervous when crossing the streets. By the end of the week though, I was able to navigate my route with confidence and to cross the busy streets without fear.
My main goal during this trip is to blend in as a regular Londoner, and I think that slowly but surely I am getting closer. Today, I was walking with some friends to visit the Tate Modern, and some Brits pulled us over and asked us for directions. It felt even cooler to be able to answer their questions and to really know the answer. By the end of this trip, I will be able to get around the tube with no problem and to navigate the city like a true Londoner.
The very first day I had to make this journey I was terrified. I said “excuse me” every time I bumped into someone, I tried to make awkward small talk on the train, and I was nervous when crossing the streets. By the end of the week though, I was able to navigate my route with confidence and to cross the busy streets without fear.
My main goal during this trip is to blend in as a regular Londoner, and I think that slowly but surely I am getting closer. Today, I was walking with some friends to visit the Tate Modern, and some Brits pulled us over and asked us for directions. It felt even cooler to be able to answer their questions and to really know the answer. By the end of this trip, I will be able to get around the tube with no problem and to navigate the city like a true Londoner.