Lindsay in London

Summer 2007

Study Abroad at University of Westminster COL/LBREF

Selected Journal Entries and Reflection

July 12, 2007

What happens my first day? I find £5. I love London.

During the ten hour flight we were educated about the simplest vocabulary and transportation tips from a Brit sitting next to us. It's pretty obvious that the four other Arizona students and myself are classically American. No one expects that we can walk anywhere further than two minutes away, thus we are always instructed to use the Underground. At the pub last night we had to ask for explanations of the ingredients in our Coronation Chicken and other dishes. Looking left and then right before crossing the street will take some getting used to. I haven't been hit by a speeding Maserati yet!  Walking around with maps, staring wide-eyed at everything around only adds to the tourist vibe.

Some things never change, however. Everyone speaks English. The Starbucks count is up to six. There have been sightings of at least one Subway, Pizza Hut, and Burger King all within a few mile radius of the Wigram House where we are staying. Tomorrow Leah, Rebecca, and I plan to see all the tourist attractions aboard an open double-decker bus.

July 13, 2007

Food is so very expensive in London that it’s necessary to substitute eating out with cooking at the dorm. I am now the proud owner of 3kg of Fusili authentic Italian pasta, tangerines, and choc ices. Tonight we made pasta with tomato sauce for dinner after a long day of touring the city.

As planned we hopped off and on The Big Bus Company’s tour buses for six hours. The open double-decker buses make thirty different stops at all the historical/of interest sites. Traveling with Rebecca and Leah we made the decision to stop at the National Gallery and walk around. No sooner had we stepped into the gallery but were delighted to see Pissarro, Van Gogh, Rousseau, and Degas.

The temperate weather and cloud cover (but no rain!) made for a more than pleasant trip around the city. In the beginning we hopped off at every other stop, however as the day wore on it was much easier to sit on the top of the bus, wind blowing through our hair. Our list of sightings includes but is hardly limited to: Green Park, the Ritz Hotel, Hard Rock Café, Marble Arch, Speaker’s Corner, London Bridge, Tower of London, Nelson’s Column, Soho, Chinatown, Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, London Aquarium, Piccadilly Circus (where we experienced a true traffic jam lasting almost 30 minutes), New Scotland Yard, and Westminster Abbey. In all we circled the city 1.5 times. Whew!

Too tired and cash-less to go out for dinner we made pasta and watched one of the three channels on the 12-inch “tele” in the kitchen. Leah and I ended up watching channel FIVE's Nigel Marven’s Piranha Adventure. Apparently if you jump in a river full of piranhas they won’t eat you alive. They only want fish guts thrown in the river by locals, or anything uncomplicated to eat. Good to know.

After that, I feel like I was a piranha all day. Not actually eating any live pray, only nibbling on the easy catches. The bus tour was perfect for getting a sense of opportunity, history, and location, however only glancing at these famous places isn't enough. On the menu for next week—total immersion.

July 16, 2007

Did you know that Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England for only seven days and then had her head chopped off at age seventeen? Neither did I. I learned this little known fact on my tour of The Tower. On Sunday, the five of us spent a good four hours walking around the most important historical structure in England. It was truly fascinating, and intimidating at the same time. I will note that there was heavy rain and thunder while we looked around. Talk about special effects!

We learned that there are a total of twenty towers at The Tower (confusing I know). We toured Bloody Tower, The White Tower, and others. Apparently some notable person once proclaimed that the little church inside The Tower was the saddest place in the world because so many unknown people had been buried under the floor.

The English weren't really sweet hearted people in the past. One of the towers housed the torture room, Rack included. And, if one were going to have their head chopped off they paid the executioner. If one didn't pay...well, it may take up to seven blows before their head actually came off.

Torture, cruelty, and death aside, it was a beautiful several buildings. The most beautiful of all was of course The Jewel House, which houses the Crown Jewels. Upon entering the building you walk through several rooms with screens showing Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and an explanation of the crowns and scepters. And then we saw the Cullinan I diamond, also known as the Star of Africa. That viewing in and of itself was an experience. Breathtaking. Surreal. Priceless (quite literally). This diamond is the largest in the world...530 carats! You really have to see it to believe it. The worst part is that in order to see it you must step onto a moving walkway that moves slowly. But not slow enough! I could have gazed longingly at that diamond all day. I will even admit there was a brief moment in time when I truly wanted to have a little diamond encrusted tiara;I wanted to be a queen. It was all just so marvelous.

The other crowns and jewels worth millions and millions of dollars were alright.

I jest.

July 17, 2007

The Queen is having a garden party at Buckingham Palace today. It begins in ten minutes. Then in forty minutes The Queen will start to mingle with a select few of the one thousand guests. In order to be invited to this party you have to have been a member of the military, government, or done some spectacular good deed. Ladies are required to wear hats. Feathers optional.

My route back to the dorms after class cuts through Green Park and the outer rim of St. James' Park which is located right in front of Buckingham Palace. The Queen calls Buckingham Palace "The Office."

The closer I got to the Palace the more elderly couples I saw wearing "smashing" attire. One lady was wearing a particularly bright lime green and turquoise dress with a gigantic hat to match. I stopped her and asked what was going on. I could tell she thought I was cute and she asked me where I was from. Then she explained how she and her husband had just "popped down" to London for the weekend, but they live in North Wales. As she explained the exact location of their house I was distracted by the amount of fuchsia lipstick she had managed to get on her teeth. Distracted by her teeth and the idea of attending the Queen's garden party, I didn't have the frame of mind to introduce myself further and suggest that I stop by to see her house when I plan to go to Wales in two weeks. She seemed like the kind of person who would have loved to show you around.

I stopped for a while and just watched all of the couples slowly making their way towards the black and gold tipped gates. All of the men wore either black or dark navy suits, some with longer coattails. Some of the women were dressed more conservatively in cream, black, or white dresses. Most wore hats the size of a tea cup saucer, mainly made of delicate feathers that pinned onto their heads without disturbing their hair. Others looked like walking color wheels with bold patterned dresses with ribbons, feathers, and sequins on their hats.

My inner Lucy (from I Love Lucy) kicked in and I wondered if there was a way to sneak in. That only lasted about five minutes. With no hat, no dress, and no ticket or passport (both were required to enter, I checked) I walked away with a new life goal: Attend The Queen's garden party.

August 5, 2007

This past Thursday marked the end of our three week courses at the University of Westminster. The only requirements of the course were attending class four days a week, a final presentation, and a six page paper.

The course was titled Contemporary British Art and was somewhat of a history course of the past twenty years of art in London. This so-called movement is termed "Brit Art" and contains unrelated work done by 17 unrelated artists. The only thing connecting these artists is that they were all part of Damien Hirst's Freeze exhibition while a student at Goldsmith's College. These artists have been titled YBA's or Young British Artists.

In class we discussed many of the most famous works and artists such as Damien Hirst, the Chapman brothers, and Tracy Emin. The recurring themes of these artists and others include shock for the sake of shock, pop culture, emotional exposure, consumerism, and my personal favorite "It's art because I said so." I can appreciate the creativity behind many of the works, but do not consider them art. This idea of creative expression versus art will be the basis of my paper. My presentation focused on the life and work of Dutch artist Michael Raedecker. Mr. Raedecker earned his degree in fashion design and then studied at Goldsmiths College in London. He used his training in embroidery and applique` to create intruiquing and mystifying works. I believe that Michael Raedecker's work contains some element of artistry and modernism. During this Brit Art era he stands out as my favorite artist.

The course really opened my eyes.  I had no idea about art movements outside of the United States.  It also helped to give a modern history of London is a less traditional way.  I certainly learned a lot about the creative heritage of England and even where it’s going in the future.

Return to Arizona

My experience in London this summer was thrilling, educational, and refreshing.  It’s extremely difficult to summarize an experience so multi-faceted.  At times being away from home was stressful, and yet the friendships, food, and culture changed my life.  I know that I now have an altered perception of the world, of the United States, and most importantly of myself.  I know that I needed this experience.  I learned more about myself than anything.  I learned that I can take care of myself in any situation, but that there are always good people in the world willing to give a helping hand.  Being able to travel to not only London, but also Brighton, Edinburgh, Stonehenge, and Bath taught me so much.  Travel taught me that there is a much bigger world out there—bigger than college, bigger than Arizona.  It also helped me to understand my place in that world.  I am so grateful for this opportunity.  The memories will last a lifetime.