When in Europe the UK and Beyond: First Day of Classes

1/18/2016

Hard to believe that today was the first day of classes… Where did winter break go??? It seems just like yesterday that I left Curry eager in anticipation for this very day, and it did not disappoint.

The morning started off with Politics with Professor Keating, he was bright and lively considering that it was 9:00 am. He was very energetic and passionate about Politics and I have a feeling he is going to be a really good Professor. 

He started off the class by going over the syllabus in great length. He made it clear that this class wasn’t about political ideology or theory. Instead it is about applying these theories to real government systems. He explained how he quote “wears a different hat when he is teaching the different styles of government.” Take for example we are learning about say a communist regime, he will teach in such a way that reflect that of a communist point of view. It sounds very interesting and I am looking forward to getting started.

He also told us a few stories.  My favorite was the one about him being a hippy in Australia. He told us this story about how he and other hippies were trying to prevent a logging company from cutting down a particular type of tree. The hippies would either chain themselves to a tree or climb up it to prevent the logging company from cutting the trees down. However, this was not very effective. Then someone suggested that they get a celebrity to climb a tree. As it turns out one of the hippies knew a famous football player. She called him up and lo behold he climbed up the tree. Media coverage of this event was wide spread and soon everyone wanted to save these trees. The coach of this football player even did a 30 minute documentary; about how passionate he was about saving the trees, and how he admired what his player did. Sure enough no more trees got cut down. Thus the day was saved This just goes to show you the power of publicity!

I then made my way to the Kensington Campus for my next class.  However, before class I met up with Professor Goldsworthy the head of the MA Public Relations program here at Richmond. He and I had an interesting discussion about the story above. He asked me whether or not I thought it was ethical for the hippies to chain themselves to the tree, because technically they were breaking the law. The hippies did not own the land, someone else did and they were trespassing. This changed my perception of this whole ordeal and made me think more critically about the ethics that are raised. None the less it was still, a very interesting conversation!

I made my way to grab a bite to eat and then headed off to my next class which was Travel Writing. Oh wait a minute… Travel Writing????!! Must be some coincidence or something, surely I must not have planned this all along… Or did I??? But I digress; our Professor Marcus Slease was an interesting guy. He told us about his passion for travel and all the places he had been to. He then opened the floor up to the students to ask us what interests’ people in traveling. Most people gave the same response that they wanted to experience a new culture and go outside their comfort zones.  

He then told us about the different assignments we will have throughout the semester. One of the final projects is to write our own guide book to where ever we want, whether it is our hometown, London or beyond, the skies  arethe limit! I am really pumped for this assignment and will surely share the completed version on my blog when it is finished!!!

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: Winston Chruchill War Rooms

1/17/2016

My roommate and I went into Central today to tour the Winston Churchill War Rooms. The first stop on the tour was the Cabinet Room. It was in this room that Winston met with important cabinet members to talk about important war time strategy. It was a fairly small room with a bunch of tables and chairs. The walls were all made of concrete.

We then saw various rooms around the bunker.  We saw different rooms including the rooms of Winston Churchill, his wife’s room and other prominent cabinet members.  All of the hallways were very narrow, and most of the bed rooms were exactly the same. The only exception from this was Winston Churchill’s bedroom. In the center of the room there was a desk were he could sit and do work. From this desk he would record his speeches. These speeches would then be transmitted from a BBC Radio halfway point in the bunker.

Other places in the bunker we saw included the kitchen, the dining room and the central communications HQ. The best room had to be the Map Room, there were massive maps laying out all of Europe. It was very impressive to see and I do not know how one could make sense of such a large map.

What astounded me was that Winston Churchill alongside those who worked in the war rooms lived there for 6 years. I could not imagine living there. It was far too cramped and narrow. It also smelt really old and moldy, but granted that could be expected considering how old it is.

My roommate and I then made our way to Hyde Park to take a short stroll around. However, by the time we got there it was pitch black so you couldn’t see anything. We went to go and hop on the tube, but the line we tried getting on was shut down for some reason. As a result we had to walk a mile or so to the next closest station.

Tomorrow is the first day of classes. I have Politics first thing and then Travel Writing later in the day at the Kensington campus. I look forward to getting started!!  

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: BBC Studio Tour

1/16/2016

This afternoon, I made my way to the BBC studios to tour the premises. The tour started off just outside of the newsroom from atop of a balcony. From this balcony we could see the different news studios, control rooms and the newsroom itself. The tour guide explained how the newsroom worked. It is split into two sections. The left side of the room focuses on all the World News that takes place. The right side focuses on the UK News. The center of the room is where all the news comes together. It is at this halfway point that the head producer decides whether or not to put a story on air. What was astounding to hear is that the journalist usually works 12 hour days! I could not imagine what that would be like!

We then made our way to a mock TV studio were a girl and I were news anchors.  In the first story we talked about was about King Charles visiting the London Underground for the 1^st time in 50 years. Then we talked about a flood that occurred a few months ago. We wrapped the show off by sending it to our weather girl. Overall it was a fun experience.

Next we went into a radio theater. What is special about the building that we were in was that it was one of the original BBC buildings that got bombed during WWII. Within the theater if you listen closely enough you can hear the Underground. A neat part about this theater is that various artist come and perform here. Admission is free, but based off a lottery system. Perhaps someday I will be lucky enough to be chosen, however, the odds of winning are very low.

To wrap up the tour we produced our own radio drama. In the center of the room there were four student actors standing around  microphones reading a script. Two other students were in the corner of the room making sound effects with various objects such as paper, coca nuts and rubber gloves. The story itself was about a group of friends’ car breaking down in the middle of nowhere. They find a house nearby to seek refuge. However, soon they come to realize that this was a horrible mistake!

Overall I’d say that the tour was okay. The best part was the radio drama, but other than that it wasn’t really anything all that special.

When the tour was over we had that option to either to stay in Central or go back to the uni. Most people decided to stay in Central. I decided to make my way back to uni. As it turned out I got on the wrong train. I eventually did make my way back to campus; it just took a lot longer than it should have. I took the long way back, when in fact there was a more direct shorter route I could’ve taken.

My roommate arrived today from Germany. After he settled in we went out to dinner and a pub. We discussed the possibility of visiting Berlin in a few weeks! Hopefully we will be able to go!

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: River Boat Cruise

1/15/2016

Well folks, it is official, I’ve been in the UK for a week now. It is hard to believe that a week has passed, seems just like yesterday that I landed. I did not do much during the day itself, it wasn’t till the night that I went into Central for a River Boat Cruise. It was by far one of the most memorable nights that I have ever had. We made our way down the Thames towards the Tower Bridge and Tower of London. This was the first time that I saw them lit up and they were truly magnificent.

The next location we passed by was the Shard, which is a large building shaped like a glass shard. Then we made our way past the O2 center which is a concert hall. It is a large dome like building; it reminds me a lot of a circus tent.  To finish the night off we passed Big Ben, Parliament and the London Eye.

On the boat itself we were all drinking beers and wines. There was a big dance floor in the center of the boat were we danced the night away.  This was by far the best event I have gone to for orientation, and it is one that I will remember for years to come.

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: "Wicked"

1/14/16

Today I took a stroll into town and familiarized myself with Richmond center. It is a quiet little area with very nice people. Strangers go up to one another and have conversations; it is very delightful of sorts. There are many little bakeries and cafes, as well as small stores. There are 55 pubs in the Richmond area alone and many other small little cultural restaurants. The area feels very safe and I am looking forward to spending the next four months here.

I had lunch with JR and Gonzalo. Then after JR met with his academic advisor we made our way down the Thames. There is a nice little walk way along the Thames, much like the one in Central but much more peaceful and relaxing.  We then made our way into town and walked around for a bit, until we eventually made our way back to the uni.

I then went into the west end to go and see the musical “Wicked”, it was very well done. I was really happy with our seats; we were 6 or 7 rows away from the front. The best part was we only paid 10 pounds for 70 pound seats; the uni covered most of the cost. All of the singers were very talented and it felt like I was back at Broadway in the states. What impressed me the most was the scene changes, there were massive set pieces and everything was very efficiently done. I would highly recommend seeing this production if you happen to be in London soon. After seeing the musical last night, I plan to go and see another sometime soon!   

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: The British Museum

1/13

After a quick library orientation this morning, I made my way into Central London to go and see the British Museum. I was delighted that there were signs everywhere to direct you to the museum, as once I got off from Russell Square Station; I wasn’t exactly sure how to get to the museum.

I made my way into the museum from a back entrance. I was eager to go and see the Egyptian Exhibit with all the mummies. However, I was somewhat disappointed that there weren’t any mummies on display. The mummies that they had were all wrapped in linen and you could see the outline of the figure ,but not the actual corpse like I had wanted to see. None the less the coffins for the mummies had very elaborate art work on them. It was also interesting to learn about how different object were placed with mummies, and how each object had its own meaning.

One of the more interesting exhibit halls I made my way through was the Ancient Roman and Greek exhibit. I have always been fascinated with the Roman empire. It was really cool to see gladiator helmets and swords. The most impressive works were the Roman sculptures. There was one head sculpture of a peasant that looked extremely realistic. Even the head sculptures of the different Roman Emperors were immensely detailed. Many of the head sculptures of the Roman Emperors were used as a forum of propaganda/ marketing, for the Emperors to garner support from the locals.

My favorite room that I saw was the Enlightenment room. As far as the eye could see there were books and various relics and sculptures. The ambiance of the room was very exciting and I spent a good part of my time in there.

I then made my way to go and see the Rosetta Stone and then the Elgin Marbles. I do not know exactly why but it was extremely cold I the Eglin Marbles room. My assumption is that it somehow helps preserve the marbles.

To finish off the night we had a drink reception hosted by the schools president. A few of the deans were there as well as some of the Professors.        

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: Exploring Richmond

1/12/16

Today there was not much going on around campus so I decided to go an explore Richmond. I walked through the town center and in around the different neighborhoods. Richmond is a really nice area with very friendly individuals.

After walking around for a while I made my way to Richmond Park. I was surprised by the park. There wasn’t any cement walk ways as I thought there would be. Instead it was open grass lands with dirt trails. I did not go in to far into the park as I did not want to get lost because it is ginormous and because it was very muddy. The rest of the day I hung out until my advising appointment. Once that was done I went and grabbed some dinner.

A bunch of students guided by the RA’s and RD’s took us on a Pub Crawl. We went to 4 bars all around Richmond. My favorite was the “Old Ship” it had a nice sitting area upstairs, and the ambiance of the place was consuming.