London, England: It Has So Much To Offer!

Submitted by Emily Toal on the 2018 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theater…

It’s been less than a week since our group arrived in London and it somehow feels like it has been much longer – it’s hard to believe I’m going to get to be in this beautiful place until February. We are staying right in Bloomsbury, only a short walk to many theaters and historical sites of the city. For this specific theater program, half of our class is spent reading famous plays and works of writing for discussion and analyzation, while the other portion is spent discussing elements of theater. A bonus is that as a class, we go to about two different shows a week, letting us experience various types of theater in the one and only “Theatre Capital of the World”. On our second night, we saw Kinky Boots (a well known show in the U.S. as well), and it was interesting to see all the work put into the show- the stage, costumes and characters were brought to life in such an incredible way. After we see a show, we spend the next day of class discussing our thoughts, and it is exciting to see how elements of these shows relate to the material we cover in class. I am looking forward to comparing this show to others we see throughout the month!

Kinky Boots ticket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m starting to get familiar with the area – before getting here I was nervous about getting lost in a new country, especially because I can only use my GPS in locations that have WiFi. However, so far I am glad this allows me to open my eyes and really focus on my surroundings, such as street signs, familiar buildings or other specifics, which I think will help me more in the long run. Being here has already truly let me step out of my comfort zone and I hope to become more independent and confident after being here for a month. Not only did I have to step out of my comfort zone by being in an unfamiliar area, but this program has also introduced me to a whole different group of people from various backgrounds. Luckily, we have gotten along great so far and I think there is something special about exploring a new place together – it sets a strong foundation for a friendship. One of the first things I noticed right away about this city was that while we seem to be right in the middle of the action, life does not seem to be as fast-paced as a big U.S. city like NYC or Philadelphia. On one of our first days here, we walked over to Leicester Square, which we could immediately tell was a major tourist attraction (once we spotted a TGI Friday’s, McDonald’s, and a giant M&Ms store all in one square, along with several theaters lining the street, it reminded me of a less hectic Times Square). A few of us spent the past few days as tourists, walking across the London Bridge, taking a picture on Abbey Road and passing through Kensington Gardens to see the palace.

Tower Bridge
Abbey Road
Kensington Palace
London Eye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t experienced any major culture shocks at this point, but a few differences between here and home have stood out to me after being here for a few days. At first, I was completely unaware that many establishments didn’t expect us to tip our servers (it is actually considered offensive to do so in many places!) – one of my friends gave our server a few pounds after ordering a drink, and after we realized this my friend recalled getting a confused look in return. Another small difference is that asking directions to a “bathroom” is actually not appropriate (the correct term is “toilets”, which is something we need to get used to). I also noticed that a surprising amount of people working at some of the establishments we visited spoke little to no English, which was interesting to see, but would not go as far as to say that there is a major language barrier. Another general thought I have had the past few days is that the architecture of the buildings around me is incredible and extremely detailed – Bloomsbury is a highly historic area, but has a modern look to it all at once. I can’t wait to see what the next month holds!”

Leicester Square