Living at the UEL (University of East London) (Posted by Scott)

Arriving into my assigned room at the UEL, I was instantly pleased with what I saw. It was, as expected, small, but also exceptionally clean and already prepared with bed linen, toilet paper, and a towel. There was plenty of shelving and storing space and the bathroom was crispy and fresh. Later on in my stay it became known that a cleaning personnel attended the room once a week to do a basic tidy up; a convenient bonus indeed! The communal kitchen was also a pleasant surprise. It was very spacious and came equipped with a large dining table, two refrigerators, two freezers, an oven, microwave, a massive sink and a spacious countertop.  The communal kitchen also had these wonderful panoramic windows which allowed one to see the canal and the airport planes taking off and landing.

Our organized daily breakfasts at the UEL were...meh. Other than a few rare occasions where sausage, bacon, and egg were provided, there was no solid protein; just bread, cereal, and fruit. We were also seated in a cafeteria overcrowded with pre-pubescent teens, which later became known to have been a mistake. We were actually supposed to have been seated in the much calmer, upper level floor of the student social building which was set aside for adults...and where they actually served coffee! In our other breakfast area for kids, coffee was forbidden; hot chocolate only.

I was expecting the UEL campus to be composed predominantly of college students, but instead it was filled with hoards of rambunctious high-schoolers from every corner of the globe, taking part in some sort of high-school summer programme provided by the UEL. I have no clue what the reasoning is, or whether it is some sort of cultural practise, but many of the Italian and Spanish boys, when they became enthusiastic or frustrated, would screech the most obnoxious and disturbing noises I have ever heard come from another human beings mouth that is not in some sort of physical pain. Luckily I’m a deep sleeper so these cries of madness did not put my night-rest in jeopardy.

The area surrounding the campus was unquestionably dull and boring, and from the vibes I got, pretty hooded-out too. This, however, provided in some ways a nice contrast from the glitzy and glamorous tourist spots we would spend most of our days at. The only area of interest walking distance from the campus was a little convenient store called “The Shop”, which offered well-priced snacks and drinks. The young men who worked there were also nice personalities, which would often stir up a fun chat. When I told them I was visiting for a few weeks and staying at the UEL, they jokingly told me, “its dead over here, take my advice, leave as soon as you can and never look back!”

Day Trip to Oxford (posted by Scott)

Arriving at Oxford, we were soon greeted by our “Harry Potter Walk” tour guide...Mrs. WhosnameIcantpronounceorspell. She was a thin, older lady, with curly, but more so messy hair, with a very charismatically aged face. Coincidentally, she looked as though she could have been casted as a school teacher in the Harry Potter films, and her out-dated dialect helped her fit the part even more. At the beginning of the tour she started off as a rather intriguing, quirky personality. For example, a member of our group voiced that they needed to use the washroom and inquired where they could find one. Mrs. WhosnameIcantpronounceorspell replied, “hmmm yes, that is interesting, very interesting.” However, as the tour progressed, I soon found her manner of guiding grow dull and misleading. It became dull in the sense that she became less animated and engaging, and misleading in the sense that the walk had very little to do with Harry Potter; only two of our stops were directly related to the films. The majority of the tour was dedicated to Oxford University and the history of the school itself.

The history of Oxford University was undoubtedly remarkable and fascinating. However, my appreciation for the educational value of the tour kept getting clouded with a feeling of awkwardness, and even a bit of jealousy. It felt slightly strange being a university class, touring and learning about the greatness and magnificence of another university. Standing behind “do not cross” lines taking photos while there were students on the other side was even more unsettling...almost as if we were tourists at a zoo for brain-masters. I’ve always been a fan of old schools; I find it motivating to study in an environment where great minds have been before you. My tour of Oxford University, taking in its incredibly rich history, reassured my plan to pursue a historically rooted grad-school after obtaining my BA at HPU.

After the tour concluded, we were given free time to explore the Oxford town on our own. I was starving, so I went to a meat-pastry shop and purchased a piping hot miniature meat pie. Being in England, I really developed a taste for the country's abundant selection of meat-filled pastries. They are affordable, almost always delicious, and easy to eat and walk with, making them the perfect meal for my budgeted, constantly on the go, England trip.

After the meat pastry, I went and sat along the town canal and enjoyed a pint of a pub's house brew. The atmosphere was very charming and pleasurable. More than I enjoy experiencing the sights and artifacts of a culture, I tend to more so enjoy experiencing the people. Even if I am not necessarily engaged in a deep conversation, I still like being in a social atmosphere and “taking it all in”. One occurrence which caught my attention at the canal was that there appeared to be some sort of brides-maid party going on. There were about a dozen young women dressed in the most ridiculously coloured and outrageously fashioned dresses I have ever seen, getting completely inebriated; I will admit though, I still thought they looked pretty good.

Platform 9-3/4 and The British Museum

(Written by Jenny, though posted by Professor Cassity due to technical glitches) 

One of the places Davinia and I were dying to go to was King’s Cross Station.  Why?  We wanted to visit platform 9 ¾ and take a picture “disappearing” through the wall.  All the girls traveled together to King’s Cross.  When we arrived, we headed straight to platform 9.  After walking the length of the platform and not seeing the sign for 9 ¾, we started looking for a friendly face to ask.  Luckily someone knew why we were wondering around and pointed us in the right direction.  As it turns out, Platform 9 ¾ is not in King’s Cross Station.  It is a photo opportunity outside of the station.  Though slightly bummed at how little effort the English put into this photo op, we nonetheless stood in line and waited for our chance to take pictures with the disappearing cart. 

Afterwards, we headed to the British Museum for the second time on our trip.  During our first visit we only had a short time to look around before the museum closed.  This time, we had hours to wander around and look at the exhibits.  Our first stop was the Egyptian artifacts room to view the Rosetta Stone.  We were able to view many statues, as well as, part of the Sphinx’s broken beard.  We moved on to the rooms with Ancient Greek statues, dishes, and tools.  This was my favorite area.  We were told the Greece wants many, if not all, of their artifacts back, but the British Museum is refusing.  One of our final stops in the museum, before the gift shop, was the library donated by King George III.  This was a huge room of books, statues, and artifacts.  It was breathtaking and overwhelming.  I was able to find the complete works of William Shakespeare (not abridged) in this library.  Though we spent several hours here, it is not a museum that can be conquered in one day.  However, it is worth a try.

Fish + Chips and Homesickness

I finally had some good fish and chips, except they weren't mine, they were Jenny's. We ate a nice place called the Prince of Wales.

Jenny and I went to Hampton Court, which I have no pictures of. Sorry guys! I think I was too busy trying to figure out the audio set/listening to the audio set to take any (or maybe I was camera-d out...?). Hampton Court is beautiful, however. The home of the famous king Henry the VII. You know the one who created the Protestant Church, married Anne Boleyn...that guy.

My favorite part of the whole thing was getting lost in the maze, near closing time. Haha, what an adventure! Jenny and I nearly freaked out, not to mention you could hear this creepy music playing as you walked further and further into the maze, thinking you were close to getting out, when really you were just headed to the middle of the maze. We were bummed to say the least, but laughed about it. No point having a panic attack in the middle of an old maze, screaming out for help...right? That's what we thought.

I'd love to tell you about the history and story of Hampton Court, but I would say it's something to be experienced yourself (with a confusing audio set).

~~~~~

I think I got homesick the second day we were in London. I soldiered on however, and tried to experience everything and keep my mind off of my family (and my phone!).

All in all I had a great time in London despite the many slip-ups of UEL, our host university. Next time I will know to bring my laptop and more shirts.

Now I know where to go to get good fish and chips, right Jenny?

Thanks for sharing yours. I'm still trying to forget the nastiness of the fish and chips I had at Garfunkels, a local British chain.

The picture I have up here is of Millenium Bridge, a completely pedestrian bridge. You can see St. Pauls in the background.

The Church's Way or the Highway: Censorship in 2011

*The shortest prologue in the world*
I am aware of the Great London Riots of 2011 that have been going on since this past Saturday. However, since I’m assigned to blog about this past Monday, August 8th, please know that my lack of commenting on the matter doesn’t imply anything. This is just me, assigned to blog about my experience at Westminster Abbey and the Garrick Theatre (which I will not discuss in length). Although, I should probably note (for my non-British public) that the riots are a bunch of youth of ALL different ethnicities who seem to be finding joy in the smaller things in life. And by “smaller things,” I mean Plasma TVs and running shoes, of course.

*The actual blog post*
Although watching Rupert Everett on stage in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre was a treat, I’d like to focus mainly on our trip to Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey is a huge church where a) Will and Katie were married on April 29th of this year, b) lots of people are commemorated and/or buried, and c) conspiratorial hypocrisy takes place on a daily basis. I will now provide proof of the previous points I just made:

a) Prince William and Catherine were married on April 29th, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. In case you were living under a coconut tree during late springtime of this year, type “William Katie Wedding” into a Google search box. There’s your proof.

b) Many people are commemorated and/or buried under the vast catacombs of Westminster Abbey. Because of the NO CAMERAS rule inside the abbey, you’ll just have to take my word (or Google search) for it. For those of you who do believe me, walking into Westminster was a surreal experience. There’s nothing like a large cathedral filled with dead people to make a girl in a foreign land realize just how finite life really is. Even though I could hear the voices of many tour guides and visitors scurrying about, it almost felt as if I was in a vacuum of solemnity and tranquility as I walked by the tombs of hundreds of people including kings, queens, knights, and poets.
But the one that hit me the most was the tomb of the Unknown Warrior – a soldier who fought and died in World War II, and whom no one could identify when his body was brought back to England. Having many friends as well as a brother in the military, I couldn’t help but feel an extreme sadness as I looked on at this Unknown Warrior’s memorial. I guess there will never be a generation that doesn’t know war. I’ll still keep hoping for one, though.

c) Westminster Abbey is run by many so-called “holy” men who make us pay an arm and a leg to enter, and who love to yell at us only to then ORDER us (though they’ll probably say they asked us) to “pray together in loving kindness” moments after. Remember that feeling of solemnity I was talking about? Well, it left the moment two church workers came up to my very small group of six and told us that we couldn’t talk about the abbey with each other because “guiding is not allowed unless you’re a registered Blue Badge guide.”
Sure, it doesn’t matter if Stephen Hart is a history professor from England who has taught both Prince William and Prince Harry; or, that he wanted to show us around his hometown as a favor to his friend – our professor, Kathy Cassity – whom he hasn’t seen in years. If the Church of England (which is just a fancy name for Catholicism, if you ask me) hasn’t pre-screened the historical information you’ve received, they want absolutely nothing to do with it. And they will prevent you from telling other people too. Sound familiar, Reformation buffs?

Needless to say that from here on out, the famous wedding of 2011 will not be the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Westminster Abbey.

The Play's the Thing

(By Jenny via Davinia's account)

Our Wednesday started off with a guest lecture from Andrew Blake. While it did focus on the characters from the Harry Potter series, Blake brought in an interesting aspect of true life to the concepts J.K. Rowling introduced, such as the “downfall” of the English educational system. It’s sad to think that I read these books for fun. Apparently, there was a lot of underlying social commentary that I missed because I was purely enjoying it. He did ask if we would consider Harry Potter to be a part of literature, or just bestselling books, so I ask those of you who couldn’t come, “Would you consider the HP books to be literature?” And, “Why or why not?”

After the lecture, and a brief stint in the library, we headed into town. Cara, Davinia, and I were almost hit by a speeding car near the Southwark Station, but we avoided disaster and began looking for a delicious dinner. If it had been left up to me and my lack of adventure, we would have eaten at Pizza Express, but Cara shoed interest in a Turkish restaurant called TAS Pide (pee-day). Nervously, I ordered a minced lamb pide, but it turned out to be the most delicious meal. I advise you all to try Turkish food once in your life. With dinner finished, we headed to the Globe theatre to watch Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

Walking into the Globe was breathtaking. I was supper excited to watch a play in this venue. For the evening, we were considered “Groundlings”. I thought this meant that we would be sitting on the ground to watch the play; however, it meant that we would be standing for the duration of the play. At first, that was okay, but three hours later, we were exhausted and aching. Despite the torture of standing for so long, the play was fantastic. The actors were skilled enough to play three separate parts throughout and their facial expressions and actions added a lot to the text. It was more fun to watch the play than read it. I truly enjoyed the experience of the Globe theatre, but next time, I’m paying for a seat.

Don't forget your brolly...

I’ve had my share of travels and sights from around the world, London being one of them. Unfortunately I was only five when I last visited so I have virtually no memories of Big Ben or the red double-decker buses. In a way though, I’m glad I have no previous memories because now I can make my own, away from my parents (being the youngest of the group at 19). Alas, freedom!

Thus far we haven’t had that much trouble with the Tube, i.e. London’s underground Subway system, so travelling around the city has been fairly easy. The Tube system is much simpler and faster than Hawai’i’s bus system. I don’t think you can be an American and speak about London’s Tube without making a comment on Londoners. Given cultural differences and ideas about etiquette I’ll excuse them (no doubt Americans shock our overseas visitors too).
Londoners don’t give up their seats to the elderly whereas in Hawai’i it’s automatic to do so. Correction: Londoners don’t give up their seats at

all. A seat on the Tube might as well be as precious as the Queen’s jewels. Another thing I’ve noticed is that Londoners actually read. I’ve found Americans usually haul out ye Olde paperback when they’re travelling. I was on the Tube the other day and almost everyone sitting down not playing with their Blackberry or Itouchpadwhatever was reading the newspaper or some book. I’ve also seen them reading ridiculous tabloids. I guess the love of juicy gossip exists in every culture. I’ve seen advertisements for books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a new Stephen King book. I personally can excuse Londoners horrible manners (which deserves it’s own paragraph) just for having an ad for a Stephen King book. Good job, London. Nice taste.

I don’t want to offend or disrespect any Brit folks, but they can be unnecessarily rude and mean. For one, they all walk as if they’re in a rush and have no time to spare. I’m just not used to that in Hawai’i where everyone is pretty laidback and on Hawaiian time. They are also stingy about food, but I’ll let the other members of my group elaborate on that part. I could go on about how rude they are, but I don’t want to seem like a *insert bad word here that rhymes with witch*.
I have met some really cool people but I haven’t gotten to know any Londoners personally, so I can only remark upon first impressions of them as a whole. My apologies if I’ve gotten them completely wrong.

I can’t say that I don’t miss my family, friends, and my phone (I think I’m going through texting withdrawals) but I’m having a really great time exploring and seeing everything. We’ve been to Oxford, the Tate Modern Museum, the British Museum, the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, and even saw the famous Changing of the Guard. There’s so much to see and do. It’s a little overwhelming and tiring, but fun and exciting at the same time. A great place to vacation, that’s for sure.

It’s strange though, having lived in England before I had this idea that coming to London would make me want to move here, but I’ve decided that it wouldn’t work. I couldn’t handle the weather (which was beautiful most of the first week) because I love not having to carry around a brolly (just had to use that word at least once!) and I love to wear shorts and slippers at home. I had to buy a coat just for London.
Yes, I’ve decided that England is not for me. It’s sandy beaches and shaved ice for this girl. There’s not a lot of aloha here.
I love London though, I really do. Now I can now truly cross London off my bucket list. Next stop…Bhutan!

Just my imagination...or not.

*Disclaimer*
I have been told that accounts of our own memories change over time. Seeing as I’ve been unable to blog about Monday, August 1st, 2011 for two days now, I’d like to begin by adding this disclaimer: BELIEVE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Personally, I do remember being greeted by William and Katie (yes, she lets me call her that) upon our arrival at Heathrow on Saturday, July 31st. Whether or not it was in Dreamland or on this spherical planet we call Earth is up to you to decide.

Thank you for reading. You may now proceed.

Interweb! How I have missed you so! As Kathy posted a few days ago, we had a slight problem with gaining internet access in our dorms. The reason given for not being able to access the wireless network here at the University of East London was that “immature male” college students like to search for “naughty” things over the internet, and the only way to add a sort of parental control, we would need to be issued internet cords…which didn’t arrive in our rooms until yesterday afternoon…exactly THREE days after arriving in London. Apparently people aren’t as addicted to Facebook here in the U.K. as we are, because being unable to update my status for over four days (yes, I’m including flight times) has been a nightmare for this here American girl. But I guess constantly hearing sexy European accents makes up for that (insert playful wink here).

Alright so here goes a brief (and hopefully sweet?) summary of the day’s events:

After breakfast on Monday, the girls and I had some free time. We decided to navigate ourselves through London’s light rails and underground tunnels and head out to do a bit of shopping at the centers at Canary Wharf. The only interesting things I’d like to add about our experience in London’s malls are this: the locals walk faster here than they do in New York City, and all the locals can either be classified into two groups – friendly or non-friendly. Oh one more thing! We all met R.Patz (that’s Robert Pattinson for all you non-Twilight fans) chilling at one of the coffee shops, puffing on a fag (that’s cigarette for all us Yanks). He was really great! I must’ve accidentally deleted the many pictures we took with him, and I guess I accidentally threw away the autograph he signed because I can’t seem to find these things anywhere….

Later on, the girls and I split up into two packs. To avoid the fast-paced friendlies that were our tour guides, Cara and Aldis went exploring London on their own. Jenny and I met up with Kathy at Green Park (lovely place!) and began our “Royal Wedding Walk” with London Tours. Surprisingly, the two-and-a-half hour walking tour not only included quips about Will and Katie, but also about Queen Victoria, Prince Charles, and the many other men who married for necessity but slept around for “love.” Katy, our jolly tour guide made up for the tremendously hot sun that gave me a lovely headache and farmer’s tan, and I’d definitely recommend booking with London Tours to all of you who are considering visiting London.

Fortunately for my disinterest in the history of drinking places, but unfortunately for all of you, I did not go on the Thames River Pub Walk with the rest of the class. However, the ladies informed me that it wasn’t the best thing since sliced bread (particularly, sliced Jewish Rye bread which you get at Sam’s club for half off/two-for-the-price-of-one). But if pubs are your sort of thing, friendly Londoners who own giant dogs are more than happy to point you in the direction of the next nearest pub with a great history behind it too.

Picture 1: Jenny, Aldis, Cara and I outside of Jubilee Place Shopping Mall at Canary Wharf
Picture 2: Spencer House (Princess Diana was from this line of aristocrats)
Picture 3: Jenny and I in front of St. James Cathedral

Off and walking...

Our trip went smoothly and we enjoyed an entertaining ride into London by the University of East London's friendly driver, Steve.  We encountered just a few minor check-in glitches--one of which is a problem getting internet connections in the students' dorm rooms--so I'm kicking off this blog, and the students will be joining me in sharing their impressions as soon as we can get the access issues "sorted," as they say here.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed an excellent first day out, complete with good weather!  Daytime highs are in the mid 70s, perfect for sightseeing. We began with breakfast in the UEL cafeteria, where to my surprise their continental buffet includes quite genuinely Parisian pain au chocolat.  (Not all the students are convinced that chocolate for breakfast is a good idea, but I'm working on them.)  We then made what will be our typical journey into London--Docklands Light Rail from UEL to Canning Town, Jubilee line on the Underground into the West End. 

Our headquarters is a ways "out there," but we made it to Westminster in less than a half hour.  There we joined a tour offered by London Walks (a great resource for all visitors to know about). The guide, a terrific storyteller, relished in the grisly details of famous executions (William Wallace, Charles I).  From Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, we strolled through Queen Anne's Gate and St. James Park (always gorgeous) to The Mall for an excellent view of the parades held in conjunction with the Changing of the Guard. I hadn't visited this since our first day in London in 1984, and I have to say I rather enjoyed it, despite the crush of the crowds.  Viewing the parades is far easier than trying to peek through the palace gate, where it's hard to get much of a view anyway.  The tour finished with palaces connected with various members of the Royal Family, along with the recently unveiled statue of the Queen Mother that stands in front of her husband George VI (portrayed in The King's Speech). 

The tour ended near Trafalgar Square, where we grabbed lunch and took the weight off our extremely well-used feet. Between jet lag and the rather fast pace of the tour, the students agreed that the planned afternoon Harry Potter walk might be pushing our limits.  So instead we hung out in Trafalgar Square (some of the world's best people-watching) and viewed the art on display in the nearby National Gallery.  Though I've been there before, it's been years and I particularly enjoyed the rooms containing paintings by Van Gogh (Sunflowers and Van Gogh's Chair are among those here), Renoir (The Umbrellas is a favorite), and Monet (a couple of the Water Lilies are housed here).

By 4:00 p.m., everybody was beyond fatigued--probably because by our body clocks, we it was 5:00 a.m. We called it an early evening, took the trek back out to our "home" in The Docklands, and figured out for ourselves what to eat for supper.  We hope to get internet access sorted out in the morning so that you can start hearing from the students and not just me.  I also expect we'll gradually regain our energy and perhaps even be able to enjoy some evening activities within the next few days.

London Bound!

Welcome, HPU students, faculty, administrators, friends and family!  I'm Kathleen Cassity, Associate Professor in HPU's English Department (everyone calls me Kathy).  My Summer 2011 students in English 3206 (British Comic Literature) will be joining my family and me this Friday, July 29th, for a course-related study tour experience at the University of East London.  To keep our friends, family and university community informed about what we're learning and experiencing, we'll be maintaining this blog, with multiple authors. Sometimes I'll be posting, and sometimes you'll be hearing from one or more of our intrepid travelers--Davinia, Scott, Jenny, Cara and Aldis.  Feel free to sign up to follow our blog with email alerts.  With less than 40 hours to go before departure, we're all getting excited (and a little overwhelmed at the thought of how much we have to do!).  We look forward to sharing our adventure with you!