The people have asked for it (certain villages have even threatened revolt...j/k), so here it is...another post!!! Sorry I haven't been keeping this blog current over the past few weeks. The two weeks before break really weren't that exciting and were filled with mostly work, and then I was in Rome for a week (we'll get to that in a bit). So, here's a post covering the start of the second half of the semester and a little bit of what you missed from the first half.
I definitely feel refreshed coming off of an excellent week in Rome, and it was great to see my parents! A lot of the kids on the program have agreed that the first half was kinda tumultuous due to the fact that we were getting acclimated with: A) life in a new country...figuring out the neighborhoods, food, public transport, where to go, what to do, etc.; B) getting used to some new roommates in an apartment environment (and the resulting questions such as "Who didn't do dishes?", "Do you think Fanta orange soda would make a good marinade for orange chicken?", and "Are eggs that are a week past the expiration date still good to eat?"). So now that we're comfortable in our environments, we know what we really want to do and how we can do it. I personally have stepped up the number of shows I'm seeing and am making a list of the museums I need to see before leaving. Well, right now, I'm focusing on internship searching, but after that's done, then I'm getting back to the culture again.
Alright, so what have you missed since I last wrote. Well, first I'll give you a little summary of the shows I've gone to see and some brief reactions about them:
-_The Merchant of Venice_: We saw this with class at the Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre!! Joy!!! It was incredible to walk into that building for the first time...everything about the building is amazing. We've recently learned in class that it's not an authentic reproduction, because with regards to many things, they honestly don't know what "authentic" is. But what they do know, they've reproduced to the best of their ability (including a thatch roof, the only one in London...they had to go through quite a bit to get that b/c they're illegal now). I'm sure I'll mention more of this later as my Shakespeare class progresses. Anyway, the play was good and very enjoyable, although as we discussed in class, they did tend to focus on the comedy at the expense of some of the more serious elements (like Antisemitism). It is a comedy though, and we were laughing pretty well at some points. I only wish I could've seen a show before the Globe season ended from the groundlings perspective (standing on the floor right in front of the stage, for those not familiar with Shakespeare). Our seats were the top-price seats, first level stalls, but the yard (where the groundlings stand) is often the best (and cheapest) place to be, because the actors play to the audience on multiple occasions, either verbally or physically (the intro before the show was "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, lords and ladies,....and the poor [motions to groundlings]). ...Ok, that summary wasn't brief, but oh well. :-)
-Candoco Dance Company: A modern dance troupe made up of both abled and disabled dancers. The person who started the troupe was a former dancer who injured herself and became a paraplegic. She wanted to change people's perception of dance to show that anyone can participate, and wants her dancers to be held to normal standards, not a lowered standard b/c they're disabled. Among the dancers was a lady with a crutch and a man in a wheelchair. It was very neat to see, and in fact, some elements wouldn't have been as effective without a disabled person.
-_Avenue Q_, the musical: For those who haven't heard of this, let me give you a brief intro. One way to summarize it would be "Sesame Street rated R". It's about life on Avenue Q in New York, and the tenants' struggles to make it in life and find their way (especially Princeton, a recent college graduate trying to make it with a B.A. in English). Some of the characters are humans, but most are puppets controlled by puppeteers on stage. Such notable songs include, "What do you do with a B.A. in English?", "The Internet is for Porn", and "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist". If you're offended by any of these songs, well...yeah, they are a little mature, but they're also pretty funny too. I've known about this musical for a while, so it was a fun time to finally see it on stage.
-_Les Miserables_, the musical: Yes, yes, the famous Les Mis, hailed by many. I figured since I'm a thespian, the fact that I still hadn't seen this show was close to blasphemy. At least I could avoid awkward moments such as ..."Hey guys, what's this song from?" [everyone stops, stares at me incredulously] "Um...it's from Les Mis". Yes, that has happened to me. Anyway, my first impression? Honestly, it didn't appeal to me that much. I left thinking, "Yeah, the acting was stellar and I can see why people enjoy the music so much, but it honestly didn't grab me from the beginning". Yet, as I listen to the soundtrack more and more, it's growing on me. I honestly think because of the sheer complexity of the show's music and storyline that, like RENT, you need to be acquainted with it before seeing it on stage, in order to truly appreciate it. I found myself struggling to keep up with the story at times, but now the soundtrack has cleared up my confusion.
-The Globe Theatre: Well, this wasn't a show, but this is what my header refers to...our first class/tour in the Globe Theatre. I'd already seen _The Merchant of Venice_, so I was acquainted with the space, but the tour of the whole theatre completely revamped my impression of it. First off, you get such a different feel of the space/stage/atmosphere, depending on where you are. For instance, while standing in the yard (groundlings spot), the rest of the building seems to rise up magnificently all around you, and the stage is this huge, elevated space that's right in front of you. From the 2nd floor seats, you get the sense of looking down on the scene, but the theatre itself feels smaller in a way. Even though you're farther away from the stage than the groundlings, it still doesn't feel that distant...it's still right there. [I'm finding that it really is difficult to fully convey the atmosphere of the theatre through words]. Finally (and this is the best one), the view from the stage. The first time stepping foot on the stage (we entered from the side stairs) was pretty much a religious experience. I think my mouth was agape for the entire time. We got to see backstage with the ladder to the balcony and the trap door entrance (stages entrances from the trap door = "Hell"; those from the ceiling = "Heaven"). Then, we made our entrance, via the main stage doors, onto the stage. This cannot be described truly in words. The stage was huge, yet small and cozy; the seats were all around you, yet felt so near. We were there...on the Globe stage! It really is true how you can see everybody's reaction though... Oh, I could gush about the Globe stage for paragraphs upon end, but I'll truncate this here. If you want to know anything more about Shakespeare/The Globe, let me know, and I'd be happy to tell more.
Well, another lengthy post to read. I think I'll save my tales of Fall Break in Rome until after I visit Switzerland this weekend, and then lump them together. Here's a preview of next post to keep you intrigued while I'm finding time to write it :-P... Halloween Boat Cruise on the Thames (a.k.a. "Booze Cruise"), Guy Fawkes Night (now known as Fireworks Night or Bonfire Night), Greenwich and how I stood in two hemispheres at once, Ale Fest (oh sweet wonderful ales...), and Speaker's Corner (unless I've already talked about this...hmm).
Have a wonderful day everyone! New pictures should be up soon, and I'll try to write that next post as soon as I can. Cheers!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Cornelius O'Boyle and his Troope of Intelligent Ducklings...
...Or so we started to call ourselves as we marched through the rain on a day trip at Cambridge.
So, I recently got invited to participate in an extra one credit class for only ten kids. This "Honours Seminar" is intended "to encourage appreciation of the part that intellectuals play in shaping cultural values. Using lectures, exhibitions, recitals and other events taking place inLondon
The day started off with us walking through part of the city to a pub along the river Cam. The river Cam is what gives Cambridge its name, as it was a good place to ford the river (Cam bridge). We got to see some punts, the watercraft involved in the traditional Oxford and Cambridge recreational activity of "punting". If you're unfamiliar with this, think Venetian gondolas, only they're flat like barges and you don't have a rudder...you only have the pole with which to push yourself along. Prof. O'Boyle told us that it's a common and fun thing to strap a few punts together, get a bunch of friends, and go punting up the river while drinking wine or champagne. Anyway, upon hitting our first pub, we had a late pub lunch and a pint or two. I had Cumberland sausages and mash, which was absolutely delicious and quite hearty. It had sausages, mashed potatoes, peas, & gravy, all on top of a quite large Yorkshire pudding (kinda like a dense bread...hard to describe...see my Webshots pictures). After lunch, we made our way through the rest of the town, visiting various colleges at Cambridge (and getting in for free b/c O'Boyle was a Cambridge alum). We concluded the evening at another pub, but there's quite a bit of background in between.
Cambridge is most definitely quite a different educational set-up than American universities (or those I'm knowledgeable of). Within Cambridge University, there are 32 colleges. Each college has most of the majors, it's own dormitories, chapel, dining hall, and classrooms. While each college offers most majors, each is well-known for a few specialties (for instance, St. John's, Prof. O'Boyle's college, is well known for history). When applying to Cambridge, you not only have to get accepted to the university, but also to a specific college. Once in though, you are considered part of that college for life. Another interesting point about the colleges is that you're organized according to stairway, not corridor. For instance, instead of being St. Edward's Hall, section 4B, I might be Churchill College, Court 3, Stairway B, Room 2. This makes it a pretty interesting communal environment, even more so by the fact that you can have undergrads, grad students, and single professors living together on the same staircase. You could in fact be living a few doors away from some of the greatest minds in the world.
An interesting aside...I was probably about 100 yards away from where Oliver Cromwell's head is buried. With the reinstatement of the monarch following the English Civil War, the king had Cromwell's body unearthed and beheaded, and the head was placed on the Tower of London as a warning to all those who favored republicanism against rising up again. However, the members of the college that Cromwell attended got quite upset about this, and managed to steal the head back and bury it somewhere in their courtyard. To date, only two people know where it's buried at all times: the headmaster and the chief porter (head of security). How neat is that!
The end of our night brought us to The Eagle pub (I believe). This was the pub that Prof. O'Boyle went to for 11 years while at Cambridge in various faculties. After the day was over, his department would gather as many as it could and go to the pub. Sometimes the conversation was gossipy, but other times they had legitimate discourses on the history of science, etc. Here, he said, was where Prof. O'Boyle learned to argue properly, drink socially, and learned more from his peers and colleagues than he said he ever did in the classroom. Thus, following, he likes to conclude his tours/discussions with a trip to the pub. Thus, at the Eagle, while kicking back a few pints, we managed to get in some excellent conversation and debate about life at Notre Dame, politics, religion, & gender issues. It was a nice informal, yet intellectual environment.
A bit about the pub itself...two very important things bear mentioning. 1) The pub was a popular hangout for the US Air Force troops stationed in Britain during WWII. One common thing for them to do was to write their name or messages to loved ones on the ceiling by burning it into the ceiling with a candle. Some of these writings are the last things these boys ever wrote, if they went off on a mission and didn't come back. Prof. O'Boyle said he's seen older gentlemen come in at times, look at the ceiling, and just break down in tears. 2) The labs where the atom was first split and the structure of DNA was determined were just a couple hundred of yards down the street. When Watson and Crick made their breakthrough discovery, they ran into The Eagle and screamed "We've discovered the structure of DNA!!!". How awesome!!
Well, I'd love to write more, but I have a philosophy paper due in a few days, so in the spirit of great intellectual achievements occurring in pubs, I think I might just go have a pint while I write. Cheers everyone!
So, I recently got invited to participate in an extra one credit class for only ten kids. This "Honours Seminar" is intended "to encourage appreciation of the part that intellectuals play in shaping cultural values. Using lectures, exhibitions, recitals and other events taking place in
The day started off with us walking through part of the city to a pub along the river Cam. The river Cam is what gives Cambridge its name, as it was a good place to ford the river (Cam bridge). We got to see some punts, the watercraft involved in the traditional Oxford and Cambridge recreational activity of "punting". If you're unfamiliar with this, think Venetian gondolas, only they're flat like barges and you don't have a rudder...you only have the pole with which to push yourself along. Prof. O'Boyle told us that it's a common and fun thing to strap a few punts together, get a bunch of friends, and go punting up the river while drinking wine or champagne. Anyway, upon hitting our first pub, we had a late pub lunch and a pint or two. I had Cumberland sausages and mash, which was absolutely delicious and quite hearty. It had sausages, mashed potatoes, peas, & gravy, all on top of a quite large Yorkshire pudding (kinda like a dense bread...hard to describe...see my Webshots pictures). After lunch, we made our way through the rest of the town, visiting various colleges at Cambridge (and getting in for free b/c O'Boyle was a Cambridge alum). We concluded the evening at another pub, but there's quite a bit of background in between.
Cambridge is most definitely quite a different educational set-up than American universities (or those I'm knowledgeable of). Within Cambridge University, there are 32 colleges. Each college has most of the majors, it's own dormitories, chapel, dining hall, and classrooms. While each college offers most majors, each is well-known for a few specialties (for instance, St. John's, Prof. O'Boyle's college, is well known for history). When applying to Cambridge, you not only have to get accepted to the university, but also to a specific college. Once in though, you are considered part of that college for life. Another interesting point about the colleges is that you're organized according to stairway, not corridor. For instance, instead of being St. Edward's Hall, section 4B, I might be Churchill College, Court 3, Stairway B, Room 2. This makes it a pretty interesting communal environment, even more so by the fact that you can have undergrads, grad students, and single professors living together on the same staircase. You could in fact be living a few doors away from some of the greatest minds in the world.
An interesting aside...I was probably about 100 yards away from where Oliver Cromwell's head is buried. With the reinstatement of the monarch following the English Civil War, the king had Cromwell's body unearthed and beheaded, and the head was placed on the Tower of London as a warning to all those who favored republicanism against rising up again. However, the members of the college that Cromwell attended got quite upset about this, and managed to steal the head back and bury it somewhere in their courtyard. To date, only two people know where it's buried at all times: the headmaster and the chief porter (head of security). How neat is that!
The end of our night brought us to The Eagle pub (I believe). This was the pub that Prof. O'Boyle went to for 11 years while at Cambridge in various faculties. After the day was over, his department would gather as many as it could and go to the pub. Sometimes the conversation was gossipy, but other times they had legitimate discourses on the history of science, etc. Here, he said, was where Prof. O'Boyle learned to argue properly, drink socially, and learned more from his peers and colleagues than he said he ever did in the classroom. Thus, following, he likes to conclude his tours/discussions with a trip to the pub. Thus, at the Eagle, while kicking back a few pints, we managed to get in some excellent conversation and debate about life at Notre Dame, politics, religion, & gender issues. It was a nice informal, yet intellectual environment.
A bit about the pub itself...two very important things bear mentioning. 1) The pub was a popular hangout for the US Air Force troops stationed in Britain during WWII. One common thing for them to do was to write their name or messages to loved ones on the ceiling by burning it into the ceiling with a candle. Some of these writings are the last things these boys ever wrote, if they went off on a mission and didn't come back. Prof. O'Boyle said he's seen older gentlemen come in at times, look at the ceiling, and just break down in tears. 2) The labs where the atom was first split and the structure of DNA was determined were just a couple hundred of yards down the street. When Watson and Crick made their breakthrough discovery, they ran into The Eagle and screamed "We've discovered the structure of DNA!!!". How awesome!!
Well, I'd love to write more, but I have a philosophy paper due in a few days, so in the spirit of great intellectual achievements occurring in pubs, I think I might just go have a pint while I write. Cheers everyone!
Food porn
Yes yes, I know...that title sounds quite strange and perverse. Allow me to explain.
So, according to our rector, over the past year or two, a new style of food advertising has come about which can best be described as "food porn" (the industry uses this word too...they know it's food porn). Basically, food porn involves making commercials that have artsy shots of really delicious looking food, having someone with a seductive voice describe the food, and playing smooth jazz guitar riffs in the background. It's really quite hilarious if you don't take the commercial seriously. So, at the risk of sounding weird, I've decided to share this cultural oddity so that you may all get a good laugh about it. Here's a clip of one of Marks & Spencers' Christmas ads...watch it and tell me if you don't see what I mean or if you don't laugh. We all think it's pretty humorous over here, but maybe not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHFKE6PD_6U
Hope you enjoy (fingers crossed)
So, according to our rector, over the past year or two, a new style of food advertising has come about which can best be described as "food porn" (the industry uses this word too...they know it's food porn). Basically, food porn involves making commercials that have artsy shots of really delicious looking food, having someone with a seductive voice describe the food, and playing smooth jazz guitar riffs in the background. It's really quite hilarious if you don't take the commercial seriously. So, at the risk of sounding weird, I've decided to share this cultural oddity so that you may all get a good laugh about it. Here's a clip of one of Marks & Spencers' Christmas ads...watch it and tell me if you don't see what I mean or if you don't laugh. We all think it's pretty humorous over here, but maybe not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHFKE6PD_6U
Hope you enjoy (fingers crossed)
Checking more off the list...
Wow, what an eventful past couple of weeks! Sorry I haven't had the chance to update sooner, but as I've been going along I'm keeping tabs on what I want to write about. It's quite the list after these three weeks. I'll start off with a bit about some classic London/England experiences, and maybe move on to the myriad other topics in subsequent posts.
So, a couple of weeks ago as a weekend day trip, a couple of friends and I went to Windsor, home of Windsor Castle and Eton College (famous as where Princes William and Harry went to college). Unfortunately, by the time we got around to visiting Eton College it was already closed, so I can't tell you much about it aside from "It looks interesting from the outside." (shrugs)
What did occupy most of our day however was Windsor Castle, which is one of the royal residences (sadly, the Queen was not in residence when we were there...). Among other things, Windsor Castle is the site of some important state ceremonies and home of the Knights of the Order of the Garter (more on them later). First off, this place is a legit castle...ramparts, towers, moat (no longer filled in, but a garden), etc. It's situated up on a steep hill and about 900 feet above sea level, so you could see any approaching armies a long way off. I asked a tour guide and apparently it was attacked once in the 1200s, but because it was so defensible, no one ever bothered again. The state rooms were absolutely magnificent though. I truly can't fathom the amount of work that must go into the ornamentations for each of those rooms. While the state rooms were wonderful (they didn't allow photography...sorry), the part I enjoyed most about Windsor Castle was learning about the Order of the Knights of the Garter.
A bit of backstory for you...the idea for the order arose from an awkward social situation. At some royal shindig, the Countess of Salisbury happened to lose her garter. Lest she be embarrassed, King Edward III picked it up and tied it around his own leg, which some people tried to poke fun at. He replied, "Shame on him who thinks evil of it" and vowed that he would make the garter the symbol of the highest honour in the land. Thus, the Order of the Garter was established in 1348. There are only 24 knights at a time, and they are selected by the Queen alone to serve for life. In order to be chosen as a knight, you must have done some great service to the State. The knights have regalia that they wear to all State functions, including a garter belt which bears the inscription above in Latin. Ok, two coolest things about the knights: 1) Upon becoming a knight, they are installed (literary, given a stall) in St. George's Chapel. Above each stall is the knight's coat of arms, their symbol, and a sword half-drawn (symbolizing that they're always ready to serve the Queen). Furthermore, within the stall is a plaque containing their coat of arms. When a knight dies, all of the above regalia is removed except the plaque...as such, there are 998 plaques still nailed to the various stalls in St. George's Chapel. 2) In St. George's Hall, in the castle proper, all along the walls and ceiling are the coat of arms of the 998 knights that there have been since the order's inception (we found Winston Churchill's!). Many of them have the same insignia (which we learned were honorary knights from outside the country, i.e. all the Japanese knights had the same coat of arms), but the best part is that some are purely white. This is to signify knights who committed some grave act of dishonour and were removed from knighthood. Rather than take their coat of arms down, they leave it up there blank as a reminder to everyone else of the wrong they've done.
Our night concluded by eating some cheese, crackers, and scones along the bank of the Thames as the sun set...picturesque :-).
My next major British attraction was Westminster Palace / Houses of Parliament. Again, no photography :-(, but it was really neat to see. If you've ever been to the Senate or House of Reps, it's very similar in that it looks much bigger on TV. Still, it was cool to be in the chambers that you only see on CSPAN and the like. The tour route followed the path that the Queen takes when opening Parliament for the year, and then through the rest of the important political spaces, with commentary on the political process and proceedings. In many ways, it was quite similar to our Congress set-up, minus a few details. What really struck me is that although many of the rooms were sooo ornately decorated, it was the first set of rooms decorated such that didn't seem a bit over-the-top. All of the decoration, paintings, etc. flowed so well together that the room felt like a proper whole.
Finally, this week's excursions into the various neighborhoods of London took me to Brick Lane, now one of my favorite places in all of London (because of the food...if you haven't figured this out yet, food is a major player in what I enjoy :-D ). Brick Lane is a Bangladeshi neighborhood, and as such is well known for it's curry. Curry is absolutely delightful. There are no better words to describe it, and I could sit here typing for many paragraphs and still not convey its deliciousness, suffice to say that I will be eating much more of it. My friends and I all enjoyed some pampardam (think like a tortilla chip, but about the size of a tortilla, and spicy...with chutneys), various curries (I had chicken damsak, which was spicy, sweet & sour, with lentils), rice, and nan bread (like a flatbread...good for sopping up extra curry ;-) ). It was absolutely wonderful! I recommend you all at least try curry someday. If you're really interested, I'll make some for you, because I'm probably going to learn some curry recipes on my return.
With your mouths watering, I leave you thus. Cheers everyone!
So, a couple of weeks ago as a weekend day trip, a couple of friends and I went to Windsor, home of Windsor Castle and Eton College (famous as where Princes William and Harry went to college). Unfortunately, by the time we got around to visiting Eton College it was already closed, so I can't tell you much about it aside from "It looks interesting from the outside." (shrugs)
What did occupy most of our day however was Windsor Castle, which is one of the royal residences (sadly, the Queen was not in residence when we were there...). Among other things, Windsor Castle is the site of some important state ceremonies and home of the Knights of the Order of the Garter (more on them later). First off, this place is a legit castle...ramparts, towers, moat (no longer filled in, but a garden), etc. It's situated up on a steep hill and about 900 feet above sea level, so you could see any approaching armies a long way off. I asked a tour guide and apparently it was attacked once in the 1200s, but because it was so defensible, no one ever bothered again. The state rooms were absolutely magnificent though. I truly can't fathom the amount of work that must go into the ornamentations for each of those rooms. While the state rooms were wonderful (they didn't allow photography...sorry), the part I enjoyed most about Windsor Castle was learning about the Order of the Knights of the Garter.
A bit of backstory for you...the idea for the order arose from an awkward social situation. At some royal shindig, the Countess of Salisbury happened to lose her garter. Lest she be embarrassed, King Edward III picked it up and tied it around his own leg, which some people tried to poke fun at. He replied, "Shame on him who thinks evil of it" and vowed that he would make the garter the symbol of the highest honour in the land. Thus, the Order of the Garter was established in 1348. There are only 24 knights at a time, and they are selected by the Queen alone to serve for life. In order to be chosen as a knight, you must have done some great service to the State. The knights have regalia that they wear to all State functions, including a garter belt which bears the inscription above in Latin. Ok, two coolest things about the knights: 1) Upon becoming a knight, they are installed (literary, given a stall) in St. George's Chapel. Above each stall is the knight's coat of arms, their symbol, and a sword half-drawn (symbolizing that they're always ready to serve the Queen). Furthermore, within the stall is a plaque containing their coat of arms. When a knight dies, all of the above regalia is removed except the plaque...as such, there are 998 plaques still nailed to the various stalls in St. George's Chapel. 2) In St. George's Hall, in the castle proper, all along the walls and ceiling are the coat of arms of the 998 knights that there have been since the order's inception (we found Winston Churchill's!). Many of them have the same insignia (which we learned were honorary knights from outside the country, i.e. all the Japanese knights had the same coat of arms), but the best part is that some are purely white. This is to signify knights who committed some grave act of dishonour and were removed from knighthood. Rather than take their coat of arms down, they leave it up there blank as a reminder to everyone else of the wrong they've done.
Our night concluded by eating some cheese, crackers, and scones along the bank of the Thames as the sun set...picturesque :-).
My next major British attraction was Westminster Palace / Houses of Parliament. Again, no photography :-(, but it was really neat to see. If you've ever been to the Senate or House of Reps, it's very similar in that it looks much bigger on TV. Still, it was cool to be in the chambers that you only see on CSPAN and the like. The tour route followed the path that the Queen takes when opening Parliament for the year, and then through the rest of the important political spaces, with commentary on the political process and proceedings. In many ways, it was quite similar to our Congress set-up, minus a few details. What really struck me is that although many of the rooms were sooo ornately decorated, it was the first set of rooms decorated such that didn't seem a bit over-the-top. All of the decoration, paintings, etc. flowed so well together that the room felt like a proper whole.
Finally, this week's excursions into the various neighborhoods of London took me to Brick Lane, now one of my favorite places in all of London (because of the food...if you haven't figured this out yet, food is a major player in what I enjoy :-D ). Brick Lane is a Bangladeshi neighborhood, and as such is well known for it's curry. Curry is absolutely delightful. There are no better words to describe it, and I could sit here typing for many paragraphs and still not convey its deliciousness, suffice to say that I will be eating much more of it. My friends and I all enjoyed some pampardam (think like a tortilla chip, but about the size of a tortilla, and spicy...with chutneys), various curries (I had chicken damsak, which was spicy, sweet & sour, with lentils), rice, and nan bread (like a flatbread...good for sopping up extra curry ;-) ). It was absolutely wonderful! I recommend you all at least try curry someday. If you're really interested, I'll make some for you, because I'm probably going to learn some curry recipes on my return.
With your mouths watering, I leave you thus. Cheers everyone!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Beer, chocolate, and mussels...oh my!
This past weekend, a couple of friends and I took advantage of the three day weekend and went to Brussels. Well, actually, we almost didn't go...we were standing at what we thought was the bus stop (It was an actual bus stop and listed our route number, but apparently the wrong stop) until about an hour after the bus was supposed to arrive before we finally found our way. Luckily, another coach bus passed by, we flagged it down, and he took us to the correct stop. So, we ended up making it to the terminal just in time. Once in Brussels, we had to walk to our hostel, with only a general sense of directions (the printer in the flats was broken), but eventually we found it. From there on, things were excellent!
First off, our hostel was amazing! I'm still amazed that we found it...listen to this. The hostel, which was someone's house, had only a 4-person and 2-person room, so it wasn't really crowded or hectic like hostels could be. Furthermore, we had our own bathroom, a little balcony, and a kitchenette complete with a fridge from which we could take one beer or glass of wine per person per night. We also had a welcome basket waiting for us with chocolates and mini Belgium waffles, which we promptly devoured on our balcony while overlooking this little square. Plus, we got breakfast every morning which consisted of fresh baked mini-baguettes, fresh squeezed OJ, coffee, jams, meats and cheeses, and cereal. Francois and Jean-Marie, who owned the house, were really nice and we got to get to know them a little bit every morning at breakfast. And all of this for only 57 Euro per person for two nights.
Our first venture into the city took us to Grand Place, which is this beautiful square in the middle of Brussels. The buildings surrounding the square all have such elegant, ornate architecture and it was such a sight to soak in. I hope some of the pictures I took can capture it. On the suggestion of this guide book I printed off, we went to a place called Chez Leon, which had mussels and french fries (I guess this is a common Belgian dish, because it was everywhere) for a good price. The restaurant was in the middle of this neat little section of streets, which were no wider than an alleyway, but packed wall to wall with restaurants, each with their own distinctive ambiance and selection of seafood. The mussels were very good, considering I've never tried them before, and so were the french fries. So this was a good start...
Next, we found this chocolate shop nearby and picked up a few bars as well as some individual chocolates. The ladies behind the counter kept giving me a piece and made me guess the flavor, which I was more than happy to do :-P. We then found this beer store with a pretty wide selection, picked up a few bottles each and decided to go back to our room to sit on the terrace and enjoy our purchases. I must say that both the beer and the chocolate were among the best, if not the best, I have ever tasted. I realized that you pretty much have to eat only one or two of those individual pieces of chocolate an hour, because otherwise the tastes blend together and you don't appreciate each as much. The beer was very smooth and had its own distinct flavor, which I wish I could describe...the fruit beers were especially tasty (we tried apple and cherry).
The next day, we went back out into the city and, starting from Grand Place, branched out to explore the rest of the city. The two major attractions of that day were the cathedral and the Royal Palace. I can't remember the name of the cathedral, but there's a picture of it on my Webshots. It was beautiful inside, but in a calm, not overwhelming way. I was happy to see a church for once that didn't have so much ornamentation and gold leaf that you had sensory overload. It was simple and elegant. On the other side of the spectrum was the Royal Palace. They were having an art exhibit there, but unfortunately we arrived in the last 30 minutes, so they were hurrying us through. While we didn't get to ponder most of the art, we did marvel at the rooms, both their size and decoration. One room, probably the ballroom, had these beautiful chandeliers and gold leaf everywhere. It really was beautiful, and I could picture an elegant ball occurring there (although I couldn't picture myself ever living in a house with rooms that big). Another room looked like it had emeralds adorning the ceiling, which was stunning. We found out that they were actually the shells of this certain beetle, and it took over 1 million shells to produce. I don't know how you get 1 million beetles, but it was impressive.
Along the way, while we traveled through the city, we kept stumbling upon these small parades. They had people dressed in costume, usually no more than 20, walking or dancing through the streets with a mini band in tow. I guess we were there for some sort of festival weekend, but I never figured out what. Also, every so often you'd find these comic book style murals along the sides of a building. Apparently, Brussels (or Belgium) is well-known for its comics, with such known creations as Tintin and The Smurfs. We also discovered this random street vendor selling silhouettes for 3 Euro. He made them in under a minute and it was incredible to watch his hands move with such speed and confidence. Both myself and a friend had one made of ourselves and they look pretty good.
I almost forgot two more important things: Belgian waffles and Mannekin Pis. I had a Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce on top...it was so good, it should've been sinful. The waffles have little crystals of sugar inside them that make them oh so much tastier. Mannekin Pis (on a completely different topic) is this well-known statue of a boy peeing. Honest to God, it's actually a pretty popular sight. Check out my pictures...it's amusing to see.
Unfortunately, I have to cut this short because I'm off to class, but I hope I was able to give you at least a glimpse of my weekend in Brussels. Let me know how you like the Blog so far, or send me any questions/concerns/expressions of outrage. Take care!
First off, our hostel was amazing! I'm still amazed that we found it...listen to this. The hostel, which was someone's house, had only a 4-person and 2-person room, so it wasn't really crowded or hectic like hostels could be. Furthermore, we had our own bathroom, a little balcony, and a kitchenette complete with a fridge from which we could take one beer or glass of wine per person per night. We also had a welcome basket waiting for us with chocolates and mini Belgium waffles, which we promptly devoured on our balcony while overlooking this little square. Plus, we got breakfast every morning which consisted of fresh baked mini-baguettes, fresh squeezed OJ, coffee, jams, meats and cheeses, and cereal. Francois and Jean-Marie, who owned the house, were really nice and we got to get to know them a little bit every morning at breakfast. And all of this for only 57 Euro per person for two nights.
Our first venture into the city took us to Grand Place, which is this beautiful square in the middle of Brussels. The buildings surrounding the square all have such elegant, ornate architecture and it was such a sight to soak in. I hope some of the pictures I took can capture it. On the suggestion of this guide book I printed off, we went to a place called Chez Leon, which had mussels and french fries (I guess this is a common Belgian dish, because it was everywhere) for a good price. The restaurant was in the middle of this neat little section of streets, which were no wider than an alleyway, but packed wall to wall with restaurants, each with their own distinctive ambiance and selection of seafood. The mussels were very good, considering I've never tried them before, and so were the french fries. So this was a good start...
Next, we found this chocolate shop nearby and picked up a few bars as well as some individual chocolates. The ladies behind the counter kept giving me a piece and made me guess the flavor, which I was more than happy to do :-P. We then found this beer store with a pretty wide selection, picked up a few bottles each and decided to go back to our room to sit on the terrace and enjoy our purchases. I must say that both the beer and the chocolate were among the best, if not the best, I have ever tasted. I realized that you pretty much have to eat only one or two of those individual pieces of chocolate an hour, because otherwise the tastes blend together and you don't appreciate each as much. The beer was very smooth and had its own distinct flavor, which I wish I could describe...the fruit beers were especially tasty (we tried apple and cherry).
The next day, we went back out into the city and, starting from Grand Place, branched out to explore the rest of the city. The two major attractions of that day were the cathedral and the Royal Palace. I can't remember the name of the cathedral, but there's a picture of it on my Webshots. It was beautiful inside, but in a calm, not overwhelming way. I was happy to see a church for once that didn't have so much ornamentation and gold leaf that you had sensory overload. It was simple and elegant. On the other side of the spectrum was the Royal Palace. They were having an art exhibit there, but unfortunately we arrived in the last 30 minutes, so they were hurrying us through. While we didn't get to ponder most of the art, we did marvel at the rooms, both their size and decoration. One room, probably the ballroom, had these beautiful chandeliers and gold leaf everywhere. It really was beautiful, and I could picture an elegant ball occurring there (although I couldn't picture myself ever living in a house with rooms that big). Another room looked like it had emeralds adorning the ceiling, which was stunning. We found out that they were actually the shells of this certain beetle, and it took over 1 million shells to produce. I don't know how you get 1 million beetles, but it was impressive.
Along the way, while we traveled through the city, we kept stumbling upon these small parades. They had people dressed in costume, usually no more than 20, walking or dancing through the streets with a mini band in tow. I guess we were there for some sort of festival weekend, but I never figured out what. Also, every so often you'd find these comic book style murals along the sides of a building. Apparently, Brussels (or Belgium) is well-known for its comics, with such known creations as Tintin and The Smurfs. We also discovered this random street vendor selling silhouettes for 3 Euro. He made them in under a minute and it was incredible to watch his hands move with such speed and confidence. Both myself and a friend had one made of ourselves and they look pretty good.
I almost forgot two more important things: Belgian waffles and Mannekin Pis. I had a Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce on top...it was so good, it should've been sinful. The waffles have little crystals of sugar inside them that make them oh so much tastier. Mannekin Pis (on a completely different topic) is this well-known statue of a boy peeing. Honest to God, it's actually a pretty popular sight. Check out my pictures...it's amusing to see.
Unfortunately, I have to cut this short because I'm off to class, but I hope I was able to give you at least a glimpse of my weekend in Brussels. Let me know how you like the Blog so far, or send me any questions/concerns/expressions of outrage. Take care!
STRIKE!!!
Well, you can't say that we didn't start our first day of classes without a bang...
So, the Monday of the first day of classes, one of the Tube (London's subway system) unions went on strike, closing down most of the system except for a few lines near the heart of the city that were controlled by another union. I could go into details, but suffice it to say that this was a very major disruption for all of London. It was no hindrance to us, since mostly all of us walk to class. The buses were packed, the pavement (sidewalk) was much more crowded, and people's opinions as seen in the newspaper were not supportive. For those who live farther out from the heart of the city and rely on the Tube, I can understand how this is frustrating (some people reported leaving for work at 4:30am). Thankfully, the strike only lasted one day...
This would be a good point to throw some commentary about public transportation. I have thus far rode both the buses and the Tube (mostly the bus, because the Tube is more expensive and there's a bus line from our flat to near the classroom building), and they're great! You can really get anywhere you need to with relative ease. We have these things called Oyster Cards which work just like a debit card and give us reduced fares. The Tube is a really neat system, especially when you imagine how much of it there is under the streets of London. I've yet to hear the famous "Mind the gap" yet...my friends think I'm just deaf. Traffic definitely moves around here and people get quite perturbed if you're in the crosswalk just a hair after the light turns green. I've sustained no injuries crossing the street though, b/c I'm used to the concept of driving on the left now. But you can definitely feel the wind of a double-decker bus or Tube train whizzing by if you're a bit too close to the edge. I've mostly been walking to class, because it's my main source of exercise for the day. I try to change the route occasionally, to see new parts of London, but I think I like my current route through Hyde Park and Green Park. Very scenic, and it takes me out of the hustle and bustle of the city for at least 1.5 hours everyday.
Here's an interesting thing that sounds like it'd be a big deal, but really isn't: CCTV. There are closed-circuit TV cameras monitoring almost every street (at least where we are), as well as on public transportation. Our rector Ric told us how he took a group of students to the CCTV hub, and his friend helped them track one man for about 30 minutes on the cameras. One might think that this is a bit too Big Brother, 1984, etc. but honestly, it's not that big of a deal. I don't even think about it anymore while walking around, and it does give you a sense of security.
Alright, what's next? How about my favorite subject...food! I've discovered two wonderful things since we've arrived. The first is a little outdoor market on Berwick Street, where you can get fresh fruit and vegetables for a good price. Luckily, it only adds about 5 minutes to the commute home, and thus I've been there quite a few times, usually for the delicious peaches (although one day I did get two containers of strawberries for 1pound, when they normally go for 1.50 a piece). The second culinary delight is curry. In my mind, curry is Indian for happiness because....well, it just is. Granted, we haven't really tried some fine curry yet, but we've had curry four times for dinner already. We normally just do the standard chicken, rice, and a jar of curry sauce. I definitely plan on going to Bricklane (a Bangledeshi neighborhood) to enjoy some authentic curry.
Aside from soaking in the culture in food form, I've also been taking advantage of the music and theatre scene, as well as learning more about the various popular sports. Two Thursdays ago, we went to the PROMS, which is this concert series that the BBC runs throughout the summer. The concert hall was beautiful, but interesting because of the fact that it was circular. As such, there was no proscenium or stand-apart stage for the orchestra, but rather they occupied a pie section of the circle near the ground level. So, in a sense it was like orchestra in the round. They sell tickets for 5 pounds the day of the concert for standing room, either in the upper upper balcony or in the center of the hall (think "groundlings" in the Globe Theatre). I actually preferred this to sitting in the seats, because it was a more live environment standing next to various people and it made you feel more active in the performance. For my Alternative Theatre show, we've seen two performances so far: STOMP and stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store. STOMP was excellent...I recommend it to anyone if you can see it. The stand-up comedy was hilarious...I had a headache by the end from laughing. Surprisingly, I understood most of the jokes. There were some Britain specific topics, but most jokes involved the standard comedy topics today. What was interesting however was to hear how the Brits perceive America. They found some of our friends in the front row and were poking fun at them, but there was also some jokes centering around President Bush, the war in Iraq, and "Did you know? 1 in every 3 Americans weighs as much as the other two."
We've been following the various popular British sports also, such as football (soccer), rugby, and cricket. Rugby and cricket are both very neat, and I think I'm slowly understanding all the aspects of the game. I might still be able to catch a game of either, but maybe not, because it's nearing the end of the season. Anyway, I kinda wish that we'd get those games in the US, because they really are entertaining to watch.
Well, that was a big post, but there's definitely a lot to take in here in London so I'm not surprised. Look for the next post about my weekend in Brussels, Belgium. Cheers everyone!
So, the Monday of the first day of classes, one of the Tube (London's subway system) unions went on strike, closing down most of the system except for a few lines near the heart of the city that were controlled by another union. I could go into details, but suffice it to say that this was a very major disruption for all of London. It was no hindrance to us, since mostly all of us walk to class. The buses were packed, the pavement (sidewalk) was much more crowded, and people's opinions as seen in the newspaper were not supportive. For those who live farther out from the heart of the city and rely on the Tube, I can understand how this is frustrating (some people reported leaving for work at 4:30am). Thankfully, the strike only lasted one day...
This would be a good point to throw some commentary about public transportation. I have thus far rode both the buses and the Tube (mostly the bus, because the Tube is more expensive and there's a bus line from our flat to near the classroom building), and they're great! You can really get anywhere you need to with relative ease. We have these things called Oyster Cards which work just like a debit card and give us reduced fares. The Tube is a really neat system, especially when you imagine how much of it there is under the streets of London. I've yet to hear the famous "Mind the gap" yet...my friends think I'm just deaf. Traffic definitely moves around here and people get quite perturbed if you're in the crosswalk just a hair after the light turns green. I've sustained no injuries crossing the street though, b/c I'm used to the concept of driving on the left now. But you can definitely feel the wind of a double-decker bus or Tube train whizzing by if you're a bit too close to the edge. I've mostly been walking to class, because it's my main source of exercise for the day. I try to change the route occasionally, to see new parts of London, but I think I like my current route through Hyde Park and Green Park. Very scenic, and it takes me out of the hustle and bustle of the city for at least 1.5 hours everyday.
Here's an interesting thing that sounds like it'd be a big deal, but really isn't: CCTV. There are closed-circuit TV cameras monitoring almost every street (at least where we are), as well as on public transportation. Our rector Ric told us how he took a group of students to the CCTV hub, and his friend helped them track one man for about 30 minutes on the cameras. One might think that this is a bit too Big Brother, 1984, etc. but honestly, it's not that big of a deal. I don't even think about it anymore while walking around, and it does give you a sense of security.
Alright, what's next? How about my favorite subject...food! I've discovered two wonderful things since we've arrived. The first is a little outdoor market on Berwick Street, where you can get fresh fruit and vegetables for a good price. Luckily, it only adds about 5 minutes to the commute home, and thus I've been there quite a few times, usually for the delicious peaches (although one day I did get two containers of strawberries for 1pound, when they normally go for 1.50 a piece). The second culinary delight is curry. In my mind, curry is Indian for happiness because....well, it just is. Granted, we haven't really tried some fine curry yet, but we've had curry four times for dinner already. We normally just do the standard chicken, rice, and a jar of curry sauce. I definitely plan on going to Bricklane (a Bangledeshi neighborhood) to enjoy some authentic curry.
Aside from soaking in the culture in food form, I've also been taking advantage of the music and theatre scene, as well as learning more about the various popular sports. Two Thursdays ago, we went to the PROMS, which is this concert series that the BBC runs throughout the summer. The concert hall was beautiful, but interesting because of the fact that it was circular. As such, there was no proscenium or stand-apart stage for the orchestra, but rather they occupied a pie section of the circle near the ground level. So, in a sense it was like orchestra in the round. They sell tickets for 5 pounds the day of the concert for standing room, either in the upper upper balcony or in the center of the hall (think "groundlings" in the Globe Theatre). I actually preferred this to sitting in the seats, because it was a more live environment standing next to various people and it made you feel more active in the performance. For my Alternative Theatre show, we've seen two performances so far: STOMP and stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store. STOMP was excellent...I recommend it to anyone if you can see it. The stand-up comedy was hilarious...I had a headache by the end from laughing. Surprisingly, I understood most of the jokes. There were some Britain specific topics, but most jokes involved the standard comedy topics today. What was interesting however was to hear how the Brits perceive America. They found some of our friends in the front row and were poking fun at them, but there was also some jokes centering around President Bush, the war in Iraq, and "Did you know? 1 in every 3 Americans weighs as much as the other two."
We've been following the various popular British sports also, such as football (soccer), rugby, and cricket. Rugby and cricket are both very neat, and I think I'm slowly understanding all the aspects of the game. I might still be able to catch a game of either, but maybe not, because it's nearing the end of the season. Anyway, I kinda wish that we'd get those games in the US, because they really are entertaining to watch.
Well, that was a big post, but there's definitely a lot to take in here in London so I'm not surprised. Look for the next post about my weekend in Brussels, Belgium. Cheers everyone!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
So much to do...
Hey everybody,
Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while...things have been busy around here. I'll try to get a post up this weekend about the past few weeks including my weekend in Brussels. If you have a free sec, shoot me an email and let me know how things are going back home. I'd love to hear from you. Take care!
Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while...things have been busy around here. I'll try to get a post up this weekend about the past few weeks including my weekend in Brussels. If you have a free sec, shoot me an email and let me know how things are going back home. I'd love to hear from you. Take care!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Fun around Every Corner
Well, in just the short span of 4 days, I've already explored or learned of the location of a good list of cultural events. Hmm, where shall we start...
Well, immediately in the vicinity of the classroom building (or even a short walk away), there are a number of museums and popular attractions, including the National Museum (most of the museums are free too, and have excellent galleries), Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben / Houses of Parliament, Covent Garden Markets, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church. So far, I've explored Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden Markets. Covent Garden Markets is a outdoor covered market with a variety of clothing and other trinket stalls. There are a few other covered markets located throughout London, as well as some open-air ones that I plan to check out over the course of the semester (preferably the ones relating to food, but there's one pertaining to antiques which I've heard is also interesting). Today, on one of our walking tours, we visited Camden Market, which tailors to more of the Indie / Punk culture. Nevertheless, it was a pretty cool area that I might have to return to later in the semester and haggle with the vendors. for a T-shirt or something Better yet, I'll be returning for the delicious smelling food vendors they had. Within this little square, there was everything from crepes to curry to Chinese to what looked like Creole food....mmm, delight!!
Another thing we've been encouraged to explore are the large parks distributed throughout London. Hyde Park is only about a 5 minute walk from our flats. A few students have already been running through the park, and I know a few, including myself, plan on having a picnic in one of the parks one day. Today, we walked through two more of the park areas, Regents Park and Primrose Hill, on a walking tour. Primrose Hill has an excellent view of the city, although it's quite an incline to climb. Definitely an excellent place to fly a kite though. Regents Park was hosting a practice session of the English rugby team which was open to the public, but unfortunately we arrived after they had finished.
I've already started to explore the theatre opportunities that I know I'll be very acquainted with during the semester. Friday night my friends Mary and Matt came with to see _Mary Poppins_, the musical. I thought it was a very good production. Granted, it's Mary Poppins, so because it's well known you can't do too much past the story, but they did everything related to the story very well. Excellent chorus, as well as a great dance number for Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious. The acting was also great, and it added a nice little touch that we were seeing "Mary Poppins" where the actors actually had a British accent :-).
Alright, last thing, I swear...the pubs. So far I've been to 2 pubs, and I'm already a fan of the British pub atmosphere. Someone likened pubs to the "living room of Britain", because a lot of people go there to socialize and catch up with friends. Much better than the "let's go to the bar / out partying to get schwasted" mentality that I've seen some people subscribe to back home. Rather, like at the traditional English lunch we had today after Mass at Westminster Cathedral (which is beautiful), it's an opportunity to relax, have some conversation, and enjoy a pint of ale (not beer...apparently ales are as complex and diverse as wines, so I've taken to exploring their many varieties. Guinness is also better over here ;-) ). It's a really laid back environment. Plus, we found a pub near our flats that does trivia night, among other things, and the owner is a big fan of ND kids (for good reason, since his pub is ~100m away from our building).
Well, it's time to get to bed for the first day of classes, but I hope you've enjoyed the updates so far. Let me know if they get too dry, or if there's anything in specific that I don't mention or glaze over that you'd like to hear about. Cheers!
Well, immediately in the vicinity of the classroom building (or even a short walk away), there are a number of museums and popular attractions, including the National Museum (most of the museums are free too, and have excellent galleries), Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben / Houses of Parliament, Covent Garden Markets, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church. So far, I've explored Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden Markets. Covent Garden Markets is a outdoor covered market with a variety of clothing and other trinket stalls. There are a few other covered markets located throughout London, as well as some open-air ones that I plan to check out over the course of the semester (preferably the ones relating to food, but there's one pertaining to antiques which I've heard is also interesting). Today, on one of our walking tours, we visited Camden Market, which tailors to more of the Indie / Punk culture. Nevertheless, it was a pretty cool area that I might have to return to later in the semester and haggle with the vendors. for a T-shirt or something Better yet, I'll be returning for the delicious smelling food vendors they had. Within this little square, there was everything from crepes to curry to Chinese to what looked like Creole food....mmm, delight!!
Another thing we've been encouraged to explore are the large parks distributed throughout London. Hyde Park is only about a 5 minute walk from our flats. A few students have already been running through the park, and I know a few, including myself, plan on having a picnic in one of the parks one day. Today, we walked through two more of the park areas, Regents Park and Primrose Hill, on a walking tour. Primrose Hill has an excellent view of the city, although it's quite an incline to climb. Definitely an excellent place to fly a kite though. Regents Park was hosting a practice session of the English rugby team which was open to the public, but unfortunately we arrived after they had finished.
I've already started to explore the theatre opportunities that I know I'll be very acquainted with during the semester. Friday night my friends Mary and Matt came with to see _Mary Poppins_, the musical. I thought it was a very good production. Granted, it's Mary Poppins, so because it's well known you can't do too much past the story, but they did everything related to the story very well. Excellent chorus, as well as a great dance number for Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious. The acting was also great, and it added a nice little touch that we were seeing "Mary Poppins" where the actors actually had a British accent :-).
Alright, last thing, I swear...the pubs. So far I've been to 2 pubs, and I'm already a fan of the British pub atmosphere. Someone likened pubs to the "living room of Britain", because a lot of people go there to socialize and catch up with friends. Much better than the "let's go to the bar / out partying to get schwasted" mentality that I've seen some people subscribe to back home. Rather, like at the traditional English lunch we had today after Mass at Westminster Cathedral (which is beautiful), it's an opportunity to relax, have some conversation, and enjoy a pint of ale (not beer...apparently ales are as complex and diverse as wines, so I've taken to exploring their many varieties. Guinness is also better over here ;-) ). It's a really laid back environment. Plus, we found a pub near our flats that does trivia night, among other things, and the owner is a big fan of ND kids (for good reason, since his pub is ~100m away from our building).
Well, it's time to get to bed for the first day of classes, but I hope you've enjoyed the updates so far. Let me know if they get too dry, or if there's anything in specific that I don't mention or glaze over that you'd like to hear about. Cheers!
A Microcosm of the Entire World
Hello everyone and welcome from London! I have arrived safely and just finished up orientation weekend. Classes start tomorrow, but I'm quite excited about them, but I'll leave that for below. Sooo much has happened since we arrived, through random explorations, tours, and meetings, so I'll try to give you the whole scope of these past few days without writing a really lengthy, dense post:
Upon arriving to the airport terminal, I was greeted by a large contingent of other ND London students and we chilled in the terminal for a few hours. The flight went well, with only minor delays before liftoff and a pretty good pasta meal. Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep, a common event among most of the other kids, so after the first day I had been "awake" for around 30 hours. Arrival and customs aside, the weather was slightly cool (probably around the 60s, which is perfect given that I'm wearing long pants everyday b/c Europeans consider shorts "beach wear") and we boarded a bus for our first trip through London. My first impression was amazement at the size of the city and style of all the buildings. When you're in the city, most of the buildings are 3-5 stories high and the streets / pavements ("sidewalks") are much smaller, giving you the impression that you're in a labyrinth. The buildings have a mix of modern to historic architecture, but you definitely get the feeling that this city has been around for quite a while. I've yet to try some different routes through the city, but within central London anywhere you go the walk is interesting (and usually filled with businesses packed tight).
Here's some fun things we learned. London is the most diverse city in the world, as decided by number of discreet, identifiable language communities. New York is second with 300, but they stopped counting in London at 600...hence, you do get the feeling while walking the streets that London is a microcosm of the entire world. It's very interesting because you see varities of people of African, Caribbean, Indian, Asian, and European descent, scattering the scene like pieces in a huge cultural mosaic. Our neighborhood near the Landward (our flats) has a large Persian influence, so there is a fair degree of Arabic script, a plethora of Middle Eastern restaurants (some with hookah bars), and many vegetable / fruit stalls. Look for more stories later about various different food excursions, like trying curry (which is the most eaten food in London, although it applies to a whole class of foods...the most eaten specific dish is still "fish and chips")
As for why I'm excited for classes tomorrow, it's because I found out what books we are reading (and will hopefully study). For _Playing Shakespeare_, we're reading "Othello", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Titus Andronicus". For _Seeing Britain on Screen_, we're reading "A Clockwork Orange", "From Russia with Love", "Pride and Prejudice", another I don't recognize ("The Remains of the Day"). Woot!
I think I'll cut this one off here, and give you a completely separate post for the various excursions I've been on so far, because they'll take a bit of space.
Upon arriving to the airport terminal, I was greeted by a large contingent of other ND London students and we chilled in the terminal for a few hours. The flight went well, with only minor delays before liftoff and a pretty good pasta meal. Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep, a common event among most of the other kids, so after the first day I had been "awake" for around 30 hours. Arrival and customs aside, the weather was slightly cool (probably around the 60s, which is perfect given that I'm wearing long pants everyday b/c Europeans consider shorts "beach wear") and we boarded a bus for our first trip through London. My first impression was amazement at the size of the city and style of all the buildings. When you're in the city, most of the buildings are 3-5 stories high and the streets / pavements ("sidewalks") are much smaller, giving you the impression that you're in a labyrinth. The buildings have a mix of modern to historic architecture, but you definitely get the feeling that this city has been around for quite a while. I've yet to try some different routes through the city, but within central London anywhere you go the walk is interesting (and usually filled with businesses packed tight).
Here's some fun things we learned. London is the most diverse city in the world, as decided by number of discreet, identifiable language communities. New York is second with 300, but they stopped counting in London at 600...hence, you do get the feeling while walking the streets that London is a microcosm of the entire world. It's very interesting because you see varities of people of African, Caribbean, Indian, Asian, and European descent, scattering the scene like pieces in a huge cultural mosaic. Our neighborhood near the Landward (our flats) has a large Persian influence, so there is a fair degree of Arabic script, a plethora of Middle Eastern restaurants (some with hookah bars), and many vegetable / fruit stalls. Look for more stories later about various different food excursions, like trying curry (which is the most eaten food in London, although it applies to a whole class of foods...the most eaten specific dish is still "fish and chips")
As for why I'm excited for classes tomorrow, it's because I found out what books we are reading (and will hopefully study). For _Playing Shakespeare_, we're reading "Othello", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Titus Andronicus". For _Seeing Britain on Screen_, we're reading "A Clockwork Orange", "From Russia with Love", "Pride and Prejudice", another I don't recognize ("The Remains of the Day"). Woot!
I think I'll cut this one off here, and give you a completely separate post for the various excursions I've been on so far, because they'll take a bit of space.
Monday, August 27, 2007
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon...
Hmm, very appropriate lyric, seeing as I'll initiate radio silence until Tuesday starting tomorrow...
Well, the list of things left to be done before I leave is complete...no more buffer days in between my departure, no more things to stall my time. In describing how I feel to my friends, I've likened this moment to being on the lift hill of a roller coaster; you can't get off...the ride is imminent. You're filled with excitement and nervous uncertainty at the same time, but you know that once you finally get over that hill and start moving that it'll all be OK. I'm waiting to crest the hill...that should occur when I get off the plane Thursday morning.
I'm very excited to be going over there though, to start exploring and yes, to start classes too. The Shakespeare, film, and alternative theatre (change from Intro to London Theatre) classes are what I'm most excited for. I really enjoy math and science, which is why I'm an engineer, but the thespian/musician within me is equally strong. I think that if I wasn't geared toward engineering, that I would've been a Theatre major instead. So, this semester will give me a break and allow me to explore one of my other true loves.
I must cut this short for now, because there's a few final preparations, but I'll post again once I'm in London with first impressions. If you're interested, here's the contact info for my other study abroad related stuff:
Photo album: http://community.webshots.com/album/560230499oWUbwk
Address: Timothy Politano
University of Notre Dame
Flat 31, The Landward
Harrowby Street
London W1H 5HB
England
Take care until I'm across the pond!
Well, the list of things left to be done before I leave is complete...no more buffer days in between my departure, no more things to stall my time. In describing how I feel to my friends, I've likened this moment to being on the lift hill of a roller coaster; you can't get off...the ride is imminent. You're filled with excitement and nervous uncertainty at the same time, but you know that once you finally get over that hill and start moving that it'll all be OK. I'm waiting to crest the hill...that should occur when I get off the plane Thursday morning.
I'm very excited to be going over there though, to start exploring and yes, to start classes too. The Shakespeare, film, and alternative theatre (change from Intro to London Theatre) classes are what I'm most excited for. I really enjoy math and science, which is why I'm an engineer, but the thespian/musician within me is equally strong. I think that if I wasn't geared toward engineering, that I would've been a Theatre major instead. So, this semester will give me a break and allow me to explore one of my other true loves.
I must cut this short for now, because there's a few final preparations, but I'll post again once I'm in London with first impressions. If you're interested, here's the contact info for my other study abroad related stuff:
Photo album: http://community.webshots.com/album/560230499oWUbwk
Address: Timothy Politano
University of Notre Dame
Flat 31, The Landward
Harrowby Street
London W1H 5HB
England
Take care until I'm across the pond!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Journey Approacheth...
"...for lo, the time was drawing near when this wandering musician and scholar would journey many miles to begin a great adventure. But that time was not yet..."
Hello everybody and welcome to my blog! I figured since I started this thing up a week ago that I should probably write something. So here we go...I hope you enjoy the adventure with me.
Well, it's already August 14th...two weeks from tomorrow I get on a plane and leave this country for a whole semester. Despite that rapidly approaching date, I still don't feel like I'm going abroad. Right now, I'm just going through life like it's a traditional summer, filled with random escapades with friends, work, and vacation. It hasn't sunk in that I'm going to be having some amazing opportunities and adventures very soon. I don't think it'll really even set in until I get off the plane. It did set in for a while when I was planning my tentative schedule, probably because I was finally doing something pertinent to the program, but now I'm back to normal. I think it's also because I've had a few things between the end of my internship and my departure. I just spent an amazing weekend with my girlfriend and her family up in the Green Bay area and now I'm spending a few days with my family in Door County. Next week, I'm going back to ND for a few days to visit friends, watch band camp, and see everyone one last time. So there's still stuff to do...
While we won't know our schedules until we get there (we register for classes the first few days), I do have a tentative list:
-Playing Shakespeare (already registered)
-Fluid Mechanics
-Philosophy of Religion
-Seeing Britain on Screen
-Images of Britain through the Arts (required)
subelectives: "London Theatre" and "Art and Society in Victorian London"
I'm incredibly excited for the "Playing Shakespeare" course. The first half of the semester we'll be studying in depth Shakespeare's plays to understand the issues addressed within them and his use of language, as well as the nature of the Elizabethan stage and Shakespeare's modern day context. We'll get to deepen our study by seeing a few plays and writing reviews and analysis on them. But by far the coolest part comes in the second half of the semester, when we get to rehearse scenes in the Globe Theatre under the direction of a professional director to gain a firsthand knowledge and understanding of the plays. We even get to perform them on the Globe stage at the end of the program! Woot!! Overall though, I'm excited to have a more Arts and Letters based semester, especially one that's focused toward my loves of theatre, art, and music and located in such an international city. I could've tried to get another science requirement fulfilled, but I figured "When am I going to be in another country able to take classes pertinent to their culture again?". Thus, the film class and the various subelectives. Hopefully, my knowledge and appreciation of the arts will be even greater after this experience.
There's also plenty of opportunities in the city to complement my arts education aspirations. For one, there's an abundance of theatre opportunities. A few of my friends and I plan on seeing a good amount of musicals, such as "Lion King" & "Avenue Q". Plus, there are a bunch of museums within the city that are free to students. Ahh! The possibilities are endless! I could go on forever.
I also plan on traveling across Europe whenever I have the chance, which you all will certainly hear about. Right now, the only definite plans are to spend Fall Break in Rome with my parents, and to make it out to Oktoberfest with a few friends. But I'd like to go to Switzerland, Paris, Ireland, Prague, maybe Normandy or Lourdes, and around England. So it should be a very full semester.
Well, I hope you're all looking forward to further tales. Have a wonderful day!!
Hello everybody and welcome to my blog! I figured since I started this thing up a week ago that I should probably write something. So here we go...I hope you enjoy the adventure with me.
Well, it's already August 14th...two weeks from tomorrow I get on a plane and leave this country for a whole semester. Despite that rapidly approaching date, I still don't feel like I'm going abroad. Right now, I'm just going through life like it's a traditional summer, filled with random escapades with friends, work, and vacation. It hasn't sunk in that I'm going to be having some amazing opportunities and adventures very soon. I don't think it'll really even set in until I get off the plane. It did set in for a while when I was planning my tentative schedule, probably because I was finally doing something pertinent to the program, but now I'm back to normal. I think it's also because I've had a few things between the end of my internship and my departure. I just spent an amazing weekend with my girlfriend and her family up in the Green Bay area and now I'm spending a few days with my family in Door County. Next week, I'm going back to ND for a few days to visit friends, watch band camp, and see everyone one last time. So there's still stuff to do...
While we won't know our schedules until we get there (we register for classes the first few days), I do have a tentative list:
-Playing Shakespeare (already registered)
-Fluid Mechanics
-Philosophy of Religion
-Seeing Britain on Screen
-Images of Britain through the Arts (required)
subelectives: "London Theatre" and "Art and Society in Victorian London"
I'm incredibly excited for the "Playing Shakespeare" course. The first half of the semester we'll be studying in depth Shakespeare's plays to understand the issues addressed within them and his use of language, as well as the nature of the Elizabethan stage and Shakespeare's modern day context. We'll get to deepen our study by seeing a few plays and writing reviews and analysis on them. But by far the coolest part comes in the second half of the semester, when we get to rehearse scenes in the Globe Theatre under the direction of a professional director to gain a firsthand knowledge and understanding of the plays. We even get to perform them on the Globe stage at the end of the program! Woot!! Overall though, I'm excited to have a more Arts and Letters based semester, especially one that's focused toward my loves of theatre, art, and music and located in such an international city. I could've tried to get another science requirement fulfilled, but I figured "When am I going to be in another country able to take classes pertinent to their culture again?". Thus, the film class and the various subelectives. Hopefully, my knowledge and appreciation of the arts will be even greater after this experience.
There's also plenty of opportunities in the city to complement my arts education aspirations. For one, there's an abundance of theatre opportunities. A few of my friends and I plan on seeing a good amount of musicals, such as "Lion King" & "Avenue Q". Plus, there are a bunch of museums within the city that are free to students. Ahh! The possibilities are endless! I could go on forever.
I also plan on traveling across Europe whenever I have the chance, which you all will certainly hear about. Right now, the only definite plans are to spend Fall Break in Rome with my parents, and to make it out to Oktoberfest with a few friends. But I'd like to go to Switzerland, Paris, Ireland, Prague, maybe Normandy or Lourdes, and around England. So it should be a very full semester.
Well, I hope you're all looking forward to further tales. Have a wonderful day!!
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