I decided to interview Kim, my boss at Demarquette for my assignment because he isn't a British citizen, but he's lived here long enough to fool someone who wouldn't know otherwise! He was born in Germany and served in the German Army as a compulsory deed for young men. I asked him a few questions to see what it would help me learn about British culture.
I asked Kim what his attitudes were on marriage and divorce. He said: "I am a firm believer in marriage but think nowadays for many it is a decision taken too lightly in the fleet of the moment. It is after all a commitment for life, however with divorce no longer being taboo and in some instances seen as ‘cool’ or ‘normal’ (celebrities, royals etc.), I think a lot of people just get married without the thought of ‘growing old together’. With divorce also being a process that seems to be quite easy, marital problems often do not get worked through in order to save a marriage, with divorce being seen as the simplest option. And don’t get me started on marriages of convenience (work visas, tax reasons, etc.). Marriage should be for only one reason: love." I definitely agreed with this statement, but was a bit surprised just because most Brits seem extremely lax about marriage, so I wasn't expecting that response.
After discussing the riots and the public's opinion on thinking it is parents' fault, I was interested to see what he would have to say about the pressures placed on parents and kids in the UK. He said: "I believe in Britain we live in a ‘class’ society with each having differing pressures, however some that all have in common would be the pressure to outperform each other not in terms of education, but in having the best clothes, coolest gadgets, etc. And more scarily, a pressure to be a celebrity or live a celebrity lifestyle all because of, I think, ‘Fly on the wall’ and Talent competition programmes like Big Brother, Popstars, I’m a Celebrity get me out of here…. Etc. Children strive for it and I believe are spoilt and parents play a big role in spoiling them to out-do each other." This is something else that I would totally agree with, and think it is the same thing happening in the US. Children in school are always trying to impress each other, and parents don't want their kids to feel left out. It seems they end up being torn between trying to decide what "good parenting" is and when they're actually just trying to keep their kids happy.
From what I've observed as far as religion in the UK, it seems to be an afterthought most of the time. I've been to Hillsong a few times and all the people there are amazing, but that's the only place that I've seen people in London that are overly religious and share it publicly. Kim's response surprised me when he said that he thinks Britain is such a multi-cultural and therefore multi-denominational nation, and religion plays a big role in British life. "Above all tolerance and acceptance of different religions that ‘live and work’ alongside each other is one that Britain does well,"he said. Sometimes I would argue, though, people are almost too lax about religion and they end up sacrificing their beliefs to keep others happy or to stay out of an argument. I may be wrong, but I know I've felt that way more than once since I've been here. Even having to do with political beliefs of Londoners, I try to stay out of things because most of the time I don't agree with what they're saying.
These are just a few of the responses he gave, but I felt they both affirmed and contrasted my beliefs about the UK. It also made me realize that there are a lot of things that the US has in common with people here that you may not realize if you don't get to know someone that lives here.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Assignment 9: Reflection on time in the UK
As I sit here writing this, I honestly can't believe this time is here already. I go home in two weeks, which is extremely bittersweet. As much as I absolutely LOVE this place, there really is no place like home. This experience has transformed me and caused me to get a little taste of what the rest of the world has to offer and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
I feel like my time here has taught me countless things that I'll probably never be able to articulate onto paper, but I'll do my best.
- There is nothing like having great friends to support you during such a crazy time.
- ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK THE TIMES ON YOUR TRAIN TICKETS.
- Have an open mind in new situations, because those are times when you grow the most.
- Keep your mouth shut on the tube if you don't want to be hated by all your fellow passengers.
I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to work in another country (even though it's not completely different from the US). It's so helpful to have the perspectives of your bosses who have lived and worked internationally, and learn from their mistakes. My internship was some of the best work experience I've had thus far, and it is all material that I can transfer to my career.
I wish I would have had time to blog more regularly to share specific stories, but unfortunately that's not the case. I think one of the things I will miss most about London is the business of everything - ALL the time. No matter what time of day or night it is, there is always something to do. That isn't always the case in Pella... ;) It's also amazing to me that I am within walking distance from countless landmarks that are known around the world. I wish that I could have had my entire group of friends and family here for the whole experience so they would understand completely what's happened while I've been here. It's never the same trying to articulate a situation over Skype!
I've been thinking over the last week of all the things I'm going to miss most. Just to name a few...
- The tube - you can get anywhere in the city in under a half hour.
- Outdoor markets - food doesn't get fresher than this, and there's nothing like a good bargain after haggling for a while. :)
- Ordering a beer at a pub and not getting carded.
- Strongbow on tap.
- Random people playing music around town.
- Reading in the parks on nice days.
- Expecting to walk everywhere instead of driving a block to the cafeteria.
- Living in a space with 30 other college students that understand the experience you're going through.
- Traveling anywhere in Europe for ridiculously cheap.
I know that I'm going to be excited to be back in the states for about a week... then I think I'm going to miss this place like crazy. I don't know if it's a place that I could see myself living in long term, but I think this has been a priceless experience that has grown me as a person in ways I never could have imagined.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Assignment 8: Hampstead Village
Originally, Mallory, Nic and I had made a trip to Hampstead to watch Ryan play rugby before we knew it was an assignment. That didn't exactly work out as planned. After being given few to no directions, we decided to ask a woman where the nearest rugby pitch was to the tube station. She was extremely friendly, and seemed much more willing to chat and help than someone in the center of London. She informed us that she was waiting for the same bus that would take us to where we were going, so she would just direct us from there. She started asking us why we were in London and we explained we were studying from the US and she just began raving about it! This was the first time that I had experienced that reaction when we've brought up The States, so it was pretty refreshing. She told us that she visits Arizona every year, and she is always depressed to come back to the cold, dreariness of London. We told her that we went to Iowa, and she proceeded to tell us she thought she'd been there. "That's close to Arizona, right?" We just smiled and nodded...
After following her directions, we made our way to Parliament Hill, where she said that would be our best guess. After walking up the whole hill, we had just about gotten our exercise when we realized there was no rugby match happening anywhere close. As we got to the top of the hill, the view was absolutely amazing. From the park, you can see just about all of the city, even though it didn't seem like we were very close. We decided to just spend the afternoon laying in the park, because the weather was extremely nice. We did a bit of reading, napping, and watching fellow Londoners fail at kite flying. It was nice to see the amount of families there. It seemed to be the perfect place to escape from the city, while still being in London.
As we made our way back to the tube station, we bought our groceries for dinner at a local street stand close to the park, and took our time on the walk. I absolutely loved the area. It seems so quaint, but still has a bit of the hustle and bustle that the city area has. There were a lot of shops that looked to be individually or family owned small businesses that specialized in one area. It reminded me a lot of the other parts of England that we've visited, like Bath and York, and was a nice escape from the chaos that comes with living in the center of London. We ended up going out to the park again the next day to read and relax, and it was a good way to see what many of the business people and families do to spend their weekends.
After following her directions, we made our way to Parliament Hill, where she said that would be our best guess. After walking up the whole hill, we had just about gotten our exercise when we realized there was no rugby match happening anywhere close. As we got to the top of the hill, the view was absolutely amazing. From the park, you can see just about all of the city, even though it didn't seem like we were very close. We decided to just spend the afternoon laying in the park, because the weather was extremely nice. We did a bit of reading, napping, and watching fellow Londoners fail at kite flying. It was nice to see the amount of families there. It seemed to be the perfect place to escape from the city, while still being in London.
As we made our way back to the tube station, we bought our groceries for dinner at a local street stand close to the park, and took our time on the walk. I absolutely loved the area. It seems so quaint, but still has a bit of the hustle and bustle that the city area has. There were a lot of shops that looked to be individually or family owned small businesses that specialized in one area. It reminded me a lot of the other parts of England that we've visited, like Bath and York, and was a nice escape from the chaos that comes with living in the center of London. We ended up going out to the park again the next day to read and relax, and it was a good way to see what many of the business people and families do to spend their weekends.
Assignment 4: Joining an Organisation
When we arrived in London and were told we had to join an organization, I was kind of caught off guard. Even though I obviously wanted to meet new people, it seemed a bit intimidating to just join a club. There's always that fear that people won't include you because you're new, or even AMERICAN.. Ha! Luckily, that was not the case when I decided to join the volleyball club through the University of London Union.
I emailed a few people from their website, and it was extremely tough to get ahold of people to begin with. Finally, the coach of the women's team emailed me back and said we were welcome to join any of the practices they hold once or twice a week. Tess and I went to the first one and were kind of nervous. When we arrived, some of the girls look at you like you don't belong on their territory, but most of them ended up being extremely personable. I was amazed at the multiculturalism of the team. Only one of the girls on the entire squad was from England (not even London) and the rest were from a variety of countries ranging from Mexico, to Italy, to Portugal, and a couple from the US.
I was also extremely interested at the differing skill levels in the girls. Some of them looked like they had never played before, others would have easily played division one volleyball back in the states. The coach seemed extremely laid back at times during the practice, but then during other parts he became very stern. It made it hard for me to adapt to his coaching style because I was never sure when to take him seriously. The practices varied a lot from what we would do at home. Normally, we would probably do about 10-15 different drills during one practice at home, and these practices were extremely concentrated. We normally focused on about four drills during each practice, so they all lasted for about a half hour each, which got extremely tiring at times. As a player that focuses on defense in the back row, the coach had me hitting in the front row for about half the time during practices, which I was not used to at all.
Overall, the girls were pretty welcoming at the beginning and became more and more encouraging as our time went on. By the time we were done practicing with them, I felt like a part of the team even though we weren't at games or even every practice. It was refreshing to be able to play volleyball away from home and work on my skills for next season at school!
I emailed a few people from their website, and it was extremely tough to get ahold of people to begin with. Finally, the coach of the women's team emailed me back and said we were welcome to join any of the practices they hold once or twice a week. Tess and I went to the first one and were kind of nervous. When we arrived, some of the girls look at you like you don't belong on their territory, but most of them ended up being extremely personable. I was amazed at the multiculturalism of the team. Only one of the girls on the entire squad was from England (not even London) and the rest were from a variety of countries ranging from Mexico, to Italy, to Portugal, and a couple from the US.
I was also extremely interested at the differing skill levels in the girls. Some of them looked like they had never played before, others would have easily played division one volleyball back in the states. The coach seemed extremely laid back at times during the practice, but then during other parts he became very stern. It made it hard for me to adapt to his coaching style because I was never sure when to take him seriously. The practices varied a lot from what we would do at home. Normally, we would probably do about 10-15 different drills during one practice at home, and these practices were extremely concentrated. We normally focused on about four drills during each practice, so they all lasted for about a half hour each, which got extremely tiring at times. As a player that focuses on defense in the back row, the coach had me hitting in the front row for about half the time during practices, which I was not used to at all.
Overall, the girls were pretty welcoming at the beginning and became more and more encouraging as our time went on. By the time we were done practicing with them, I felt like a part of the team even though we weren't at games or even every practice. It was refreshing to be able to play volleyball away from home and work on my skills for next season at school!
Assignment 7: Imperial War Museum
Mallory and I visited the Imperial War Museum planning to spend probably an hour to go throughout the whole thing - we ended up being there for three. Two of those three were spent in the Holocaust exhibit, and the rest was spent wandering around the rest of the museum.
As soon as we walked in, there is a huge display with a bunch of faces of military personnel against a white background. Next to their pictures were various items, ranging from letters home to pieces of body protection with bullet holes through them. I read further and realized the soldiers were those who had fought in the Afghanistan War. This hit extremely close to home considering my brother is currently deployed there with the US Marines. I'm always wary about looking into information regarding the war, because I'd rather know less than more about what's going on unless it's absolutely necessary. We traveled up to the first floor and looked at the pictures close-up. To see individual soldiers photographed so plainly made the war seem more personal, even though I'm already semi-involved in it. It's so intriguing to see their faces without sunglasses, helmets, or some type of protective covering in the way. That also makes it easier to relate - they're not photographed as a mass of people carrying huge weapons; it gives them a story. Needless to say, that display was kind of tough to see and there were a few times I got choked up reading about stories that happened to different people.
Then began our trek through the Holocaust Exhibit. I walked into it thinking that it was only one floor, then found out about 1/3 of the way through that it continued on downstairs. I felt like we were involved in the Holocaust itself - it was chilling to say the least. We saw everything from the reason the movement was started, to how they distinguished the Aryan race, to their actual extermination methods. I felt myself getting a headache looking at everything because of how hard I was focusing. My mind couldn't even wrap around the things that I was seeing. There was a part towards the end that had a display of just shoes of people who had been gassed or burned to death in concentration camps. They told about how they appointed certain Jews to sift through the crematoriums following burning and find anything that could be considered of value - shoes, hidden jewelry, and gold teeth were among the most common. Nazis literally took the gold from people's teeth and deposited it directly into the German Bank.
One of the things I found the most odd was looking at the entire war from the perspective of the UK. All we hear about in school at home is how we were helping the fight, but it amazes me how directly involved the UK and London itself were bombed and destroyed. It still fascinates me how you can look at the landscape along the Thames and see so many modern and ancient buildings juxtaposed as a result of rebuilding after the war. Overall, the day gave me a better understanding of London's firsthand experience in the war and how it personally affected people here.
As soon as we walked in, there is a huge display with a bunch of faces of military personnel against a white background. Next to their pictures were various items, ranging from letters home to pieces of body protection with bullet holes through them. I read further and realized the soldiers were those who had fought in the Afghanistan War. This hit extremely close to home considering my brother is currently deployed there with the US Marines. I'm always wary about looking into information regarding the war, because I'd rather know less than more about what's going on unless it's absolutely necessary. We traveled up to the first floor and looked at the pictures close-up. To see individual soldiers photographed so plainly made the war seem more personal, even though I'm already semi-involved in it. It's so intriguing to see their faces without sunglasses, helmets, or some type of protective covering in the way. That also makes it easier to relate - they're not photographed as a mass of people carrying huge weapons; it gives them a story. Needless to say, that display was kind of tough to see and there were a few times I got choked up reading about stories that happened to different people.
Then began our trek through the Holocaust Exhibit. I walked into it thinking that it was only one floor, then found out about 1/3 of the way through that it continued on downstairs. I felt like we were involved in the Holocaust itself - it was chilling to say the least. We saw everything from the reason the movement was started, to how they distinguished the Aryan race, to their actual extermination methods. I felt myself getting a headache looking at everything because of how hard I was focusing. My mind couldn't even wrap around the things that I was seeing. There was a part towards the end that had a display of just shoes of people who had been gassed or burned to death in concentration camps. They told about how they appointed certain Jews to sift through the crematoriums following burning and find anything that could be considered of value - shoes, hidden jewelry, and gold teeth were among the most common. Nazis literally took the gold from people's teeth and deposited it directly into the German Bank.
One of the things I found the most odd was looking at the entire war from the perspective of the UK. All we hear about in school at home is how we were helping the fight, but it amazes me how directly involved the UK and London itself were bombed and destroyed. It still fascinates me how you can look at the landscape along the Thames and see so many modern and ancient buildings juxtaposed as a result of rebuilding after the war. Overall, the day gave me a better understanding of London's firsthand experience in the war and how it personally affected people here.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Assignment 6: Greenwich & Docklands
Greenwich was a nice change of pace from everyday London life. I loved taking the riverboat there - even though the weather wasn't particularly nice! On our way there, the boat captain gave us a few tidbits about the places we were passing (apparently if you aren't a registered "tour guide" then you can't say you're giving a "tour"... it's known as information... ha) which helped to give significance to a lot of the things we've seen from land but not necessarily known about. He touched on the fact that the river used to be the main hub of trading in the city, and was the most important way of transporting goods to be consumed. He also informed us that all the tap water in London comes from the Thames: "It's the only water on Earth that you can drink and chew at the same time!"..... too much information.
Once we arrived, we went straight to the Royal Observatory, which was quite a hike uphill. The whole way up I couldn't help but wonder how elderly people get there, considering I had to take a few breaks myself! At the top of the hill was an amazing view of London, including the Olympic Stadium. Mark told us that the park below is going to be the site for the Equestrian competitions during the Olympics, so we made it just in time before the park was closed down for preparation!
At the Royal Observatory, we got a picture standing in both hemispheres which was pretty cool. I felt like I was Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember (apologies to Mark if you don't understand the reference.. great film if you have time) but it was definitely a good tourist attraction! The Observatory itself I found pretty boring.... sorry to disappoint, but I wasn't particularly interested in all the clocks and "timekeepers" they had on display.
After leaving the Observatory, we had lunch at Cafe Sol, which was pretty decent Mexican food! It was the first time we'd had it since I've been here, so it was a nice change of pace. Following that, we stopped through Greenwich Market. It wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but it had some pretty nice things. There were a few food shops inside, as well as some vintage clothing and little knick-knacks. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to browse!
After that, we visited the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's Gallery. I liked the interactive parts of the Maritime Museum. A lot of them were made for children, which I think is why I found it fun :) It was also interesting to see all of the different things they imported and their worth at different points in history. The Queen's Gallery definitely wasn't as interactive... it was more portraits, but we did get to see the official portrait of Queen Victoria which is pretty famous and I've seen it before in history and art books.
We finished up by stopping through Canary Wharf - it definitely seemed like a little piece of America. We spent a good bit of time just walking through the tube station and looking at the shops there... by the way, who has a Tiffany's inside a tube stop? I thought that was a little different. The day was pretty relaxing overall, and it was nice to get out of the business of the city for a bit.
Once we arrived, we went straight to the Royal Observatory, which was quite a hike uphill. The whole way up I couldn't help but wonder how elderly people get there, considering I had to take a few breaks myself! At the top of the hill was an amazing view of London, including the Olympic Stadium. Mark told us that the park below is going to be the site for the Equestrian competitions during the Olympics, so we made it just in time before the park was closed down for preparation!
At the Royal Observatory, we got a picture standing in both hemispheres which was pretty cool. I felt like I was Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember (apologies to Mark if you don't understand the reference.. great film if you have time) but it was definitely a good tourist attraction! The Observatory itself I found pretty boring.... sorry to disappoint, but I wasn't particularly interested in all the clocks and "timekeepers" they had on display.
After leaving the Observatory, we had lunch at Cafe Sol, which was pretty decent Mexican food! It was the first time we'd had it since I've been here, so it was a nice change of pace. Following that, we stopped through Greenwich Market. It wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but it had some pretty nice things. There were a few food shops inside, as well as some vintage clothing and little knick-knacks. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to browse!
After that, we visited the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's Gallery. I liked the interactive parts of the Maritime Museum. A lot of them were made for children, which I think is why I found it fun :) It was also interesting to see all of the different things they imported and their worth at different points in history. The Queen's Gallery definitely wasn't as interactive... it was more portraits, but we did get to see the official portrait of Queen Victoria which is pretty famous and I've seen it before in history and art books.
We finished up by stopping through Canary Wharf - it definitely seemed like a little piece of America. We spent a good bit of time just walking through the tube station and looking at the shops there... by the way, who has a Tiffany's inside a tube stop? I thought that was a little different. The day was pretty relaxing overall, and it was nice to get out of the business of the city for a bit.
Assignment 5: London's East End
After visiting Brick Lane during our scavenger hunt at the very beginning of the semester, I decided the East End was somewhere I wanted to visit in daylight and definitely not by myself. The environment is extremely diverse and can be a bit intimidating if you don't know where you're going. As a major Bengali community, it was notable that most of the street and shop signs were written in both English and Bengali.
Though my first impression wasn't completely accurate, I'm still glad that I chose to go at the time we did! We ran into a drunken homeless man who was yelling at us as we passed him and followed us for a bit while we power-walked away from him... weird. A lot of the shop owners also stand outside of their stores and tried to talk to us as we walked by. The first part of the walk was much prettier than I expected it to be after having seen Brick Lane. A lot of the Georgian houses were refurbished and turned into shops on the ground floors, while the tops were left as flats. We were told the houses were built in the 18th century, which shows just how long the area has been around.
As we continued our walk, we ran into Commercial Street where Spitalfield Market is, but we unfortunately chose to go on a Saturday when the shops weren't open. We did end up walking past a few more hidden vintage markets that we explored a little bit. They definitely had their own feel to them, with most of the merchandise being second-hand and mostly outdated. Mallory and I found a stand that was entirely jorts (long jean shorts) and couldn't help but take a picture of it!!
There was also a street that had a row of tiny shops that were very commercial brands, but discretely adorned on the outside. They were all little cubes that were exactly the same size and had their own merchandise on the inside, but you could easily walk past them if you weren't paying attention. Along this street and a few others, we found a bunch of graffiti that was pretty amazing. We've recently developed an interest in Bansky's art throughout London, so it was cool to see knock-offs of his work along with a variety of other art along different buildings.
Our last stop was the Whitechapel Art Gallery. It was extremely small in comparison to a lot of the museums we've visited for our art class, and housed mostly contemporary art. There was a room with only projector screens and mirrors in it that were placed symmetrically to mirror the images from the projectors. There was another room on the upper level with videos of two men dressed in black that created "Human Art" which was absolutely hilarious. One man would manipulate something in a white room that would cause the other man to move in a certain way so that they would both end up supporting the other and stay in that stance. There was one part where the man kicks out the leg of a coffee table that the second man is standing on, and he slides forward towards the first man, where he is caught. It's the little things in life....
Overall, the visit both reinforced and challenged my first ideas of the area. I'm glad that we got to look into it a bit more and see all the parts that the East End has to offer in a somewhat neglected area of London!
Though my first impression wasn't completely accurate, I'm still glad that I chose to go at the time we did! We ran into a drunken homeless man who was yelling at us as we passed him and followed us for a bit while we power-walked away from him... weird. A lot of the shop owners also stand outside of their stores and tried to talk to us as we walked by. The first part of the walk was much prettier than I expected it to be after having seen Brick Lane. A lot of the Georgian houses were refurbished and turned into shops on the ground floors, while the tops were left as flats. We were told the houses were built in the 18th century, which shows just how long the area has been around.
As we continued our walk, we ran into Commercial Street where Spitalfield Market is, but we unfortunately chose to go on a Saturday when the shops weren't open. We did end up walking past a few more hidden vintage markets that we explored a little bit. They definitely had their own feel to them, with most of the merchandise being second-hand and mostly outdated. Mallory and I found a stand that was entirely jorts (long jean shorts) and couldn't help but take a picture of it!!
There was also a street that had a row of tiny shops that were very commercial brands, but discretely adorned on the outside. They were all little cubes that were exactly the same size and had their own merchandise on the inside, but you could easily walk past them if you weren't paying attention. Along this street and a few others, we found a bunch of graffiti that was pretty amazing. We've recently developed an interest in Bansky's art throughout London, so it was cool to see knock-offs of his work along with a variety of other art along different buildings.
Our last stop was the Whitechapel Art Gallery. It was extremely small in comparison to a lot of the museums we've visited for our art class, and housed mostly contemporary art. There was a room with only projector screens and mirrors in it that were placed symmetrically to mirror the images from the projectors. There was another room on the upper level with videos of two men dressed in black that created "Human Art" which was absolutely hilarious. One man would manipulate something in a white room that would cause the other man to move in a certain way so that they would both end up supporting the other and stay in that stance. There was one part where the man kicks out the leg of a coffee table that the second man is standing on, and he slides forward towards the first man, where he is caught. It's the little things in life....
Overall, the visit both reinforced and challenged my first ideas of the area. I'm glad that we got to look into it a bit more and see all the parts that the East End has to offer in a somewhat neglected area of London!
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