London Study Tour: Day Four

Day Four: Tuesday, March 26

Scene from the park (I will describe this later) 

8-9am: Breakfast at the hotel
9:10am: Leave for morning visit
10am-12:30pm: Group Visit-- Positive Psychology Coach 
At this visit, we met with a coach who talked about relationships and positive psychology. We developed interventions to help struggling couples that focused on identifying strengths and a bunch of other principles we've learned about over the course of the semester.
The second part of the lecture was devoted to a talk about sex and positive psychology. There were several hilarious moments (that I need not go into on this blog). I was impressed by our class' overall level of maturity though. ;-)

12:30pm: Lunch on own to discuss Random Acts of Kindness Activity
Lunch ended up being incredibly stressful. The idea was that we would discuss the way to spend the 10 pounds that each group had been given to do random acts of kindness. I ate with enough people to form three groups, and though we had started already divided, over the course of the lunch hour, the groups were changed several times as everyone shouted out different ideas and disagreed about what we should do and who we should do it with. By the time we split off about 45 minutes later, I was not feeling very randomly kind.

12:30-4:30pm: Random Acts of Kindness Activity 
However, despite the sour taste left in my mouth after our frustrating lunch, my group (Evan, Helen, and I) managed to rally and came up with a bunch of ideas of ways to be randomly kind.
With our 10 pounds we purchased pads of colorful stickynotes and several candy bars. We thought we had an excellent plan, but unfortunately things didn't work out exactly as we had hoped.

We wanted to give candy bars to public officials doing jobs for which they are rarely thanked (i.e. the man we saw sweeping trash on the street). However, by the time we bought candy bars and ran outside to find him, he had disappeared. We then found two police officers who looked very unsure (and rather ungrateful) to receive our thank you treat. I tried not to get discouraged and decided to take a break with something else. We went off in search of a bookstore to carry out part 2 of our plan, but on the way came across a figure of great inspiration: the father of random acts of kindness, Ghandi!

Evan and I are reflecting

One of the most relaxing and centering moments of the trip: Sitting at Ghandi's feet, talking about giving back and reaching out 

We found our bookstore, which happened to be one that was having a closeout sale to prepare for renovation (perfect for our plan). We looked around, were inspired by themes, and then went on to a cafe. We ordered hot drinks and got to work!

Helen and me writing notes

Our plan was to write inspirational quotes and encouraging notes to be left inside books for future readers to find.

Our notes read things like, "Keep pursuing your passions," which we placed inside a cooking book. "You are a remarkable parent," inside a baby book. "Never never never give up," inside a self-help book. You get the idea. We also wrote a note that we left on the mailbox door of the ambulance house/station thanking the ambulance drivers for helping to keep the city safe. 

Leaving the notes was a lot of fun. We were especially happy knowing that the bookstore was getting rid of all its contents relatively quickly because that meant that the notes would be found equally quickly. Sadly, we had several frustrating experiences trying to give away our final candy bars on the way to tea. Evan went to purchase a candy bar from a story and tried to give an extra one back to the cashier (as had been our idea) who blatantly refused and looked very uncomfortable. A mother hurried her two daughters away from me when I gently asked whether she thought her daughters would like the candy bars (note that they were clearly unopened) that were left over from our school project. By the time that we arrived at tea, I was exhausted and very upset: what kind of world do we live in where people feel threatened and like something must be wrong when someone tries to do a selfless deed?

Our server explaining the various cakes and sandwiches

4:30-6:00pm: Afternoon Tea and Chesterfield Mayfair 
Tea was delicious and warmed me right up. Unfortunately, tea time conversation (when combined with my frustration/exhaustion) left me in tears. I felt ridiculous and quietly excused myself from the table. Mads (who had been at my table) followed me to chat for a bit, and I left tea arm and arm with Becca feeling a lot better.

Rest of evening on own
The end of my evening was one that I will probably always remember. Becca had arranged for those of us who were Jewish and/or interested in attending a Seder to go to the Rabi's house for the second night seder! Rest be assured I'd never been to a Seder at a Rabi's house and certainly not one in London. The whole thing could deserve its own post, but I'll just say that my overall experience was a positive one. I did not agree with some of the very defined gender roles/discrimination that I witnessed (i.e. where the father and sons were seated at the table in comparison to where the mother and daughters sat; the "role" of the woman in the exodus from Egypt as described by the Rabi; etc), but I was very impressed by the loving nature of the family, both parents' clear investment in their children's understanding of their faith and traditions, and the instant community that was offered to us (and to a Singaporean family who was also in attendance). We didn't eat until after midnight so the three glasses of wine during the pre-meal part of the Seder left me a little loopy. The whole thing was very cool and I thank Becca greatly for arranging it all for us.

Needless to say, I fell happily into bed and fell soundly asleep once we arrived home just around 1am.

London Study Tour: Day Three

Day Three: Monday, March 25

6:30-7:30am: Breakfast at the hotel
7:45am: Depart for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 
We got to the theatre relatively early. While we waited, we decided to take some pictures.

Becca and me 

L-R: Me, Sharon, Cara, Becca
Photo caption: Cara: "Wait, can we have a countdown because I get a headache if I keep my eyes crossed too long."

On the rocks underneath the millennium bridge 

The Globe Theatre today (though this is a replica. the
original theatre burned down with the city long ago)

9:00-10:30am: Guided Tour of the Globe Theatre
The tour was really, really cool. We learned about the history of both the theatre itself and the controversy of dramatic productions at the time. The most interesting thing for me was that the creators of the theatre wanted anyone and everyone to be able to see performances so the price of tickets was always very cheap (one pence when it was first opened). There was an area in front of the stage where people packed in and stood during the performance (those were the one pence tickets), but for slightly higher fee you could have a seat in one of the balconies.

The stage: There have never been microphones; the acoustics were (and remain) so good that they aren't necessary

Our tour guide describes the stench that would waft up from the area where the peasants stood. Not only did people take 1 or 2 baths a YEAR, but they had taken to eating raw garlic to help fight off the plague. Yuck.

L-R: Hannah, Sharon, Becca, Helen, Christie, Cara, Me

10:30am-12:45pm: Lunch and time on own
After the tour was over, we were given some free time. I went off with Sharon, Becca, and Helen, and we had an absolute great afternoon/late morning. Looking back, our little excursion could probably be considered one of the day's highlights. It was really nice to get time with them in a more intimate setting at which we could move at our own pace and explore freely.

Our first stop was a market. There was a store nearby that was going out of business. They literally were selling the arms, busts, and legs of mannequins (in addition all sorts of other oddities). Becca and I had set up a photo of me with 6 arms, but unfortunately the store owner was NOT amused and asked us to put the camera away. Given that none of us wanted to pay 18 pounds for a limb, we decided to leave... empty-handed (hahaha... I couldn't help myself)

We stopped at a Crepe place for lunch! SO GOOD!

Sharon's crepe: the "I'll Have What She's Having"

On our way back from the market to meet the class

12:45pm: Meet at Tate Modern museum entrance for guided tour. 
1:00-2:30pm: Guided tour of Tate Modern Museum. 
The tour was certainly interesting and was very different from what I am used to. We learned that there is a difference between Modern Art (which is art created between the 1860s and 1970s) and Contemporary Art (which is art created from the 1970s to today), which were both displayed at the Tate Modern. I have to say that the guide definitely helped me to be able to focus on what we were seeing (and to look past the often bizzarre sculpture/painting/object that we were staring at), but it was still all just a little too abstract for me.
The attention of my classmates was also waning, so I tried my hardest to remain engaged. I definitely admit that there is a lot more to (most) modern art than meets the eye, but I wouldn't say it is my artistic calling.

My classmates' facial expressions in this photo are the result of our guide's question:
"Now why do you think that the artist painted a giant pile of bananas in front of the woman?" No answer. He continued, "Do you think that people during this time would have come to a gallery to stare at a pile of penises?" [Look at Cara/Becca/Helen/Ilana's face for the answer]

My group at St. Paul's Cathedral (Stop #1)

2:30-7pm: London Urban Exercise
We were put into groups, armed with a map, and sent to find 13 buildings/locations all over London while taking down notes and answering a packet of questions. Tension and drama were present from the get-go because certain members of my group were not at all interested in doing the activity while others of us were very excited. It didn't help that it was SO SO SO cold (and windy) and that we had started the day at 6am. We struggled to balance the cold, everyone's extreme fatigue, the desire to see the city, and the differences in personality style between our group members. In the end, I think we did a mostly great job!

Stop 1: Back of St. Paul's Cathedral 

 Stop 6: At the base of The Monument (marking the 1666 Fire) 

Stop 3: The Jamaica Wine House (London's first coffee house)

Stop 9: Leadenhall Market 

 At some point we lost all energy (or rather, we lost the feeling in our fingers and toes). We decided to take a break in a department store to warm up and rest. Becca and I looked around together. She started snickering at something and then pointed. I looked up:

Paige looking quite sophisticated in her new hat. She literally just appeared from behind a rack of jewelry with the hat and the PERFECT matching expression. 

Eventually it was time to meet up with our class for dinner (we were very, very hungry and desperate to meet up to eat).
7-9:30pm: Dinner at Bangalore
Dinner was once again delicious. DIS really spoils us with our meals. We were quite hungry by the time that we were served (it took about an hour and a half before we actually got our meals), but the wait was worth it.

Talking while waiting for our appetizers  

Though we'd been having fun before the food came, we were even happier  once we were eating

Delicious and worth the wait

Dinner was followed by many more conversations with friends. We wanted to make it an early night, but in the end, we didn't get to bed until close to 2:30am! :-)

London Study Tour: Day Two

Day Two: Sunday, March 24

A scene of Trafalgar Square from my evening stroll with friends

8am-9am: Breakfast at the hotel 
Breakfast was actually delicious. Like it seriously was one of my trip highlights. Every day there was a HUGE buffet with muffins, chocolate croissants, breads, toast, bacon, eggs, cereals, fruits, teas, coffees, hot cocoa, etc. Even though it became harder and harder to get up early, we all made it to breakfast every day (none of us wanted to miss out on an awesome free meal).

9:15am: Depart for Museum Visit 

10am-12pm: Group Visit: Fashion and the Expression of Personality 
Our first visit of the trip was at a museum where we examined how fashion has been a mode of self-expression and a reflection of changing societal values/norms. It was very interesting to consider the concept of beauty and the ideal body, and the way that people used (and continue to use) clothes to reflect status, values, identity, etc. One of the main themes that we talked about was the need to carefully balance being part of a group while also being an individual.

After the tour was over, we had about 40 minutes to explore the museum on our own. Our guide had mentioned that there was a part of the museum where we could try on clothes from different time periods. Christie, Hannah and I went on a mission to find it! And...

...WE DID!

And so did the boys

I think this is what I want to wear to my wedding

12pm: Depart for Lunch

12:30-1:30pm: Fish and chips for lunch at Rock and Sole Plaice

1:30pm: Depart for afternoon lecture 

2pm-4pm: Group Visit: Psychologist, Founder, and Director of Practically Positive 

We met with a positive psychologist who works with businesses to help increase wellbeing and productivity in the workplace. We did a series of interactive activities that were meant to get us talking and thinking about our strengths in school, the things that we feel are most important to us to feel good and get things done, and how we relate to others. 

4pm: Rest of evening on own. 

I went off with Ilana, Helen, and Evan in search of some excitement, glad to have some time to ourselves. Ilana was planning to surprise her younger brother who was in London on a school trip and had no idea that Ilana was also there. We took her to a meeting place (designated by her brother's teacher) and watched them being reunited! It was quite adorable. 

While we waited, we explored a market 

Then, Evan, Helen and I continued on our way. I managed to get us to Trafalgar Square and from there to St. James' Park.

With a GIANT lion

From Trafalgar Square down to Big Ben in the distance

We walked past the Cavalry Museum and some national building where the funkiest looking gaurds were walking around. I wish I had taken a video because it was hilarious. Their outfits were the most impractical guarding attire (primarily because of their weird boots that came halfway up their thighs, which made walking normally impossible).

The picture above (on the right) is of Evan "photo-bombing" the guard. What makes it even more hilarious is that Evan is being "photo-bombed" by some random lady. 

 We then walked in the direction of the park. Several things happened along the way that left us in hysterics.

For starters, Evan wanted to take a picture where it looked like he was "holding" the London Eye (which is the giant Ferris Wheel in the background). This was the result of his attempt.  

The park was really beautiful and FULL of birds. We had fun trying to communicate with them.

Yeah... I don't really know

Here, Evan is reading the descriptions of all of the water fowl. He is also attempting to impersonate one of them.

View when I turned around 

We had a very nice conversation

We walked up to Buckingham Palace, looked around a bit, and then Helen went off to meet up with some friends from her home university. Evan and I decided to go to the bank of the Thames to find somewhere to eat.

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben by night

We ate at an awesome restaurant that I had gone to with Emily this summer. Here is Evan with our delicious food 

After dinner we slowly started making our way back to a Tube station to find our way home. As we crossed the bridge, there was a street musician playing quite beautifully. We stopped to listen, look out over the water, and reflect on just how lucky we are to have these experiences. There we were, another wonderful evening in another beautiful city with its own culture, own opportunities, and many things to discover.

More walking and another view of the river at night

On the millennium bridge