So not too much has happened since I last posted. Nothing except the actual reason why I'm here:
Classes.
On Monday I had a very long day. Modules (what the English call classes) are set up in the block format where you have a module once a week for 2-3 hours. So at noon I had my Shakespeare class where we discussed the origin of the theatre and what Shakespearean drama was like. People often forget that Shakespeare's plays are meant to be acted out on the stage and not merely read on a page. (I'm quite pleased with my little rhyme there) We discussed the history of the theatre and how it was a frowned upon occupation because people were not being themselves, therefore insulting God's creation. Really interesting to think about. Also, the theatres were very different than how they are set up today.
Here is one of the only original pictures we have of what the actual Globe theatre looked like. "Groundlings" or "pennylings" paid one pence to enter the theatre and stood on the ground to watch the show. Often times there would be fights and riots on the ground and most people in this section were illiterate bums. The theatre was not just for the uneducated though. Elizabeth I herself loved the theatre, and the aristocracy and nobility would often attend these performances and sat on one of the upper levels because they paid more money. The view was definitely not as good of the show, but people more came to be seen then see the show. London used to be a walled city and the Theatre district was outside the wall on the opposite side of the river, the "seedy area". The east end was also known for being one of the bad parts of London where Jack the Ripper operated. I will talk more about this in detail later!
After that we discussed the play Henry V which we had read for this class. Long story short, The Lancastarian King led his troops to battle at Agincourt in one of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years War. To see the most famous speech of the play click here:
You'll notice Henry V is played by our very own Gilderoy Lockhart! Quite a riveting speech, I would certainly want to go to fight with him! The English are outnumbered 1:5 against the French but despite this they win huge and only lose 30 men to France's 10,000. Seems highly unlikely but I guess Henry V was a phenomenal ruler and having the longbow on their side certainly helped.
So for next time I have to read "As You Like It" and "Taming of the Shrew". After that I had to wait an hour then I had my The Great Wen: Victorian London class.
We learned a lot about the history of London up to the Victorian era and how it was a city built by the Romans on the Thames River. The picked this spot because it was on higher ground for good defense, but with an excellent proximity to a relatively large flow of water. I'll save you all the history, but it was later occupied by the Vikings until Alfred the Great chased them out and contained them to the North. In 1066 everything changed when William the Conqueror and his Normans invaded from France and won the Battle of Hastings. He was crowned King in the same year in Westminster Abbey built by the previous king, Edward the Confessor. Here's a wonderful depiction of what happened based on the Bayeux Tapestry, a hand-stitched 70 meter long cloth that depicts and explains what happened in the battle. No one really knows who made it or its real origin. I'd really like to see this in person in France!
Okay so again sorry for all the history but I really love it, London in the Middle Ages continued to expand into the walled city with twists and turns for lanes and the poor living among the rich. The Lord Mayor acted as governor, and the King lived primarily in the Tower of London among other castles. The plague struck the city hard in 1348 and again in 1665. I've already discussed a little about Elizabethan London, but later in the 1600s London was torn apart by Civil War and then by the Great Fire of London in 1666. After all the rebuilding mostly by Sir Christopher Wren (designer of St. Paul's), London grew rapidly to the other side of the river, and into two separate cities, The City of London and The City of Westminster. The reason the class is called the Great Wen, is because a wen is a boil that is continuously growing and swelling. Although a gross metaphor, its pretty accurate in terms of how London grew in terms of people, buildings, and power.
After we sat in lecture for an hour we departed for our seminar. In the UK system, Lecture is just as it sounds with the professor talking and students taking notes, but Seminar is where the class breaks into smaller groups and has discussion. So our seminar group went and had a walking tour of London outside! We examined different architecture styles and compared how they were similar and different. This is what really makes London cool because you have old Tudor buildings next to Georgian style, Victorian style, and even super new buildings constructed in the last 10 years. Everything has a story behind it and a history.
That's enough history for now, hopefully this hasn't bored you! So anyway, on Tuesday I did not have any class, so I did a couple of things. The first thing I'm going to tell you about is English groceries. So it seems like a very simple thing, going grocery shopping, but it is not. First of all, the food here has no preservatives. So unlike our wonderfully chemical filled foods at home, stuff here has a pretty strict expiration date that only lasts about a week. Grocery shops here are much smaller, so no Walmart type establishments. You have to go grocery shopping much more frequently because of the expiration dates. But stuff is pretty reasonable. A loaf of bread is only 60 pence! The exchange rate is about $1.55 buys you a pound. I can't do the pound symbol on here but it looks like an L with a slash through it. So even with the exchange rate stuff is still reasonably priced. There are always sales on things that close to expiration, so that's the way to get the best prices. Our kitchen isn't too exciting, so its been a lot of sandwiches and apples for me. So anyway, Tuesday I ordered some groceries from Sainsbury's online and had them delivered! Now I have enough food for a month yay! I got pretty standard American things like soup, ham, cheese, apples, vegetables, pasta, chicken. But the most exciting is NUTELLA! Its wonderful on toast. And English candy is awesome. Home of Cadbury?? Pretty tempting. I'll be sure to bring lots back home with me.
So after I packed my groceries away, I went for a walk/jog/run through Regent's Park. There are 2 major parks in London, Hyde Park (where Buckingham Palace is next to) and Regent's Park home to some of London's prettiest gardens.
I also ran by the London Zoo and saw some little boys practicing rugby. The park is so beautiful and full of gorgeous English gardens, fountains, and lots of different birds. It was awesome!
That night we went on a Jack the Ripper tour of the East End where he actually killed the 5 prostitutes. He is the world's first serial killer, but people still do not know who he was! The summer of 1888 was when he operated and did all sorts of gruesome things to 5 women. The mystery fascinates people and it was quite something to be exactly where the murders took place. I could go into detail, but let's just say it was really nasty what he did to the women.
So today I had my Public History class. I'm minoring in Public History with my conjunction with my History major, so I'm really excited about it. We are going to go to different museums each week and do exhibit reviews. Basically its going to be awesome.
After that I headed back to good old Marylebone and made a nice lunch of ham and cheese and an apple then it was time to SHOP!!
This my friends is Primark. Its the best thing ever, just like Forever 21 but cheaper and better quality and wayyyy nicer clothes that aren't crazy urban looking. So I bought a sweater, a tunic, and some socks. I will definitely go back when I get my debit card ;) The whole big top with leggings tucked into boots is very in here too! That's what I see all the students wearing. i also got myself a British flag yay! If you skype me you'll see it in the background. Shopping was great and I will def be doing some more in the near future. Next time it will be on to Harrod's for me!
Cheers!
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