Jubilee with the Masses

Well I lied a bit this morning. We did have plans for today - the Diamond Jubilee flotilla! While we didn't actually see a single boat (the Brits really love their Royals), we had a blast walking through the crowds and trying to see the river.

Snap-happy Morgan...

We still want our own Royal masks. I called dibs on Kate Middleton.

India, Gage, and me

We weren't quite that dedicated. Actually we just didn't think of it first.

I also got a legit Diamond-Jubilee scarf with the Queen's face on it. I have to say, I rather think I appreciate the British expression of patriotism. Because they're so generally understated, their love for their country and its symbols and traditions seems all the more sincere.

Weekend Update

Sorry for the teaser - Oxford didn't happen after all. I'm still planning on going, but probably on the Monday that Dr. Coleman is canceling class. Instead we just stayed around the apartment most of the day, and then we celebrated one girl's 21st birthday last night.

Her mom and several friends flew in from Texas and took all 25 of us out for dinner, dessert, and drinks. (I know.) Everyone else was going out for the night from there, but I wanted to head back to the apartment, so I caught a taxi. Well, I attempted to catch a taxi, and fortunately a nice man also waiting outside the pub hailed one for me.

It's been an interesting trip so far, I must admit. I've really had to evaluate my comfort zone and examine everything I say and do. And though there are several people in the group that I enjoy hanging out with, I feel very alone most of the time.

On the bright side - and I know this will thrill my mom - I feel a very new sense of independence. The fear that I had going into this trip of traveling alone, the what-ifs, etc. have vastly diminished. One of the blessings of that flight delay in Philly, I think. Once the fear became reality, it became manageable.

Anyways, all that to say it's been a pretty uneventful weekend, so I'm looking forward to all of the remaining weekends. Today will probably consist of a lot of studying for our first test and hanging around the apartment and the surrounding neighborhood. Cheers!

The Changing of the Guard

Today we witnessed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace! Above all, the music (particularly the bagpipes) was incredible. As were the crowds. Happy Jubilee weekend!

In addition, we are making a day trip to Oxford tomorrow, which I am very excited about!

Far yi fae?

As of this afternoon, my flatmates and I are headed to Scotland next weekend! We bought our round-trip train tickets to Edinburgh from Kings Cross (and yes, we will be taking pictures at Platform 9 and 3/4). We found a hostel, and we found a tour!

As for this weekend, it's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so we'll be stickin' hereabouts for the processions and parades and such. It'll also be our weekend for typical London sight-seeing, including the changing of the guard, Windsor Palace, Westminster Abbey, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Oh yes, and a tour of the Chelsea FC stadium.

Pictures will soon follow, I'm sure! In the meantime, we have a test Tuesday, so we're trying to get a bit of studying in.

Cheerio!

Tour of the Olympic Village

While the pictures may not seem like all that much, we toured the Olympic Village today in East London!

After exiting the Tube and seeing the buildings surrounding the station, my first thought was why on Earth would they choose to situate the Olympic Village here? The array of abandoned warehouses were complete with graffiti and broken windows, and old parking lots were filled with rusting, broken down cars and machinery.

I found the strategy behind the village's construction most fascinating. Our wonderful tour guide explained to us that the government wanted to avoid sinking money into the vast development and construction of the Olympic settings, for all to go to waste after 5 short weeks of use. Instead, the investment stemmed from a desire to improve the previous wasteland East London had once been. As a result, in just two years, the face of East London has begun to completely transform. New, modern housing developments have replaced acres and acres of rust and debris and empty buildings, and plans have already come to fruition to alter all of these buildings - the housing for the athletes - into residential areas, complete with schools, medical offices, and a new Tube stop. The area is now also home to Europe's largest shopping mall.

I don't have any photos of the apartments, only the various Olympic stadiums and arenas, but I appreciate the foresight the English applied in planning their reception of the Olympics.

The Brits

In addition to postings of my own design, I'll be including my daily blog posts written for one of my classes. The overall intention of those specific posts is just to think about observations, ask questions, etc., specifically with relation to the culture of London and of England. These posts may at times may not seem to make much sense, as some will be related to course concepts and terminology, but you'll have an idea the kind of work we're doing! Below is the first of these "daily journal entries."

One of the first aspects of London life that I noticed upon arriving is the prevalence of parks, and with that, the large numbers of people who spend time sitting in those parks. Truly, on their days off, people go to the park. They simply sit, rest, read, eat lunch, visit with others. The parks are also close to full during lunch hour. This park culture is fascinating, as Americans rarely take the time to slow down long enough to enjoy a break or pleasant conversation.

Walking back to the flat from the grocery store, my flatmates and I talked about if we think Americans, specifically Texans, would take the time to sit outside in a park if the weather were more like London's. We still didn't think Texans would, which leads me to wonder if this disinterest stems from a subtler factor than the hot weather. Perhaps this difference is yet another indicator of America's often cited stress and inability to rest. 

Later in the afternoon, when on our bus tour of London (tourist-y, but so worth it), I took the second photo. While characteristic of most urban areas, the diversity of those around me continues to surprise me. I wonder if perhaps this is because I've seen many diverse people groups, but rarely totally mixed as they are in London. In many urban areas it seems like the multiple nationalities still tend to remain in their own neighborhoods, while this seems to be less the case here. Or I could just be imagining things in some sort of researcher bias. 

I took the above picture while on the Tube to Bond Street. These two people are representative of about two-thirds of those around us on the train. Many appeared to be headed home from work, yet so many chose to read the news. This dedication to news reminded me very much of our readings for Media in Britain, particularly the discourse about the Brits' superior appetite for the news. I admire such commitment. To attempt to avoid the possibility of proving the "stupid American" stereotype, I made sure to catch up on The economist. Even this publication makes it clear that unlike American news, the British have a desire to remain informed about the global community, not just the United Kingdom. 

My New Spot

And yes, the chairs are as ridiculously comfortable as they look.

P.S. Best Caffé Mocha I've ever had.