Submitted by Emily Toal on the 2018 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theater…
Crazy that we’ve already been in London for three weeks now! When we first arrived, our professors told us that it’s impossible to be bored in London- after spending this much time here and still having so much more I want to see before the end of the month, I completely agree. This week, some friends and I checked out the Tower of London, which was incredible (I expected to be walking around it for about an hour- it ended up taking us almost three hours to get through all of it!). Our hotel is located right next to the British Museum, so later in the week, a few of us decided to explore that as well. It would take days to get through the entire museum so I will definitely be going back before we leave. London is full of so much amazing history and culture- being here has really opened my eyes and helps me appreciate historical sites even more than I did before. For class, we saw two different shows- Mary Stuart and Cinderella. I think it was so interesting to see those shows in particular in the same week. While Mary Stuart consisted of intense dialogue and acting without music, the twist on the idea of Cinderella was actually a ballet which used expressive body movements and background music to tell the story. Being able to see such a wide variety of shows is crucial to our program. It’s been helping us learn a lot about different theater techniques and is aiding in making us more well-rounded overall when it comes to the arts.
This weekend, a group of us took a trip to Paris, which was only a short train ride away. It was not a major culture shock compared to London (after being in Amsterdam last weekend, the transportation systems and general directions in each country have been easier to learn). I think the most interesting concept was that we stayed in an Airbnb that was not too close to the heart of the city, so many of our surroundings were not “touristy” and lacked English-speaking locals. While at first this was intimidating, it forced us to adapt to the environment and to explore the area, which I think helped us become immersed in the culture which I believe is extremely important and realistic when it comes to traveling to a new place. During our stay, we took the metro to the center of the city for some sightseeing. We saw the Arc de Triumph, Jardin du Luxembourg, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower (lit up at 10pm-beautiful!), the Catacombs and Notre Dame. On our last day, we explored parts of the city without a specific plan, which was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. After spending time in London, Amsterdam and now Paris, I realized that sometimes you can learn the most about a city when you can wander around at your own pace and take in the sights. You may make mistakes when someone isn’t directing you on where to go, but I find that to be the most educational experience.”
