Well folks, we have lived in London for exactly one week, and it has already been a whirlwind of new sights, sounds, adventures, struggles, and surprises so we have lots to tell you about!  It has been quite the culture shock for two southerners who are used to the slower pace of life in the Palmetto state! Dr. Aiesi told us that coming to London would be like leaving England, and now I understand what he meant- London is a world all its own. And by world, I mean the WHOLE WORLD. People of all shapes and sizes and ethnicities and languages call this city home, and sometimes I think I could spend an entire semester just sitting on a bench in Hyde Park doing some good ol’ fashioned people-watching.  This racial and religious diversity is actually a fairly well studied problem in London. Assimilation is difficult for a lot of groups. The great racial diversity also raises an interesting question of what it means to be English. Our hotel is like a microcosm of London with its great size and diversity; it is called the Royal National, but do not be deceived- it is neither royal nor national. Some have affectionately called our hotel the Royal Nasty… I think maybe 25% of the guests in this hotel speak English, and everyone else speaks a random mixture of every other language you can imagine.  The breakfast room is somewhat like the Tower of Babel, as Dr. Aiesi describes it, and it’s rather difficult to find a table because it is SO crowded.  For you Furman folks, image the DH at 12:30 lunch except that everyone uses trays (not just clueless prospective students) and everyone is speaking a different language.  Breakfast can also be a stressful experience because the hotel workers circle around the tables like vultures waiting to clear the dishes; as soon as you take your last bite of cereal and put down your spoon, one of them is sure to swoop over and snatch your bowl out from under you.  Too bad if you wanted to get some more cereal, because by then it’s just too late.  You’ve got to be quick on your feet here at the Royal National. 

Now on to more important things….I will let Thomas tell you a little bit about our first week in London and what daily life is like for us here!

As Julie mentioned, our day starts with the world class, Royal National breakfast. To be honest, I often skip the Tower of Babel and opt for a Nutri-Grain bar instead. After breakfast, we have class at the University of London. The University of London is an interesting place. One of its main halls is designed to look like a university in Moscow and the good ole UoL is supposedly rather Marxist. Fortunately for the fans of Adam Smith in the group, Furman professors lead our classes. Contrary to popular belief in South Carolina, all Furman professors are not avowed communists. Our classes usually consist of a class discussion of the previous night’s play and a lecture from Dr. Aiesi. We saw some fascinating plays last week. We were fortunate enough to see the last performance of Doctor Faustus at The Globe. Lifelong dream of going to the Globe Theater=CHECK. I also have a new appreciation for the “groundlings” who had to stand around the stage and watch the play from the ground because it is fun to be that close to the action but it can also get pretty tiring after a while! 

We also saw The Kitchen and Grief. Of the three, I think I enjoyed The Kitchen the most. It was an interesting exploration of the individual’s role in a capitalist economic system. I also was fortunate enough to be sitting in front of the famous American critic, Martin Gottfried, during the performance. A few members of our group were sitting next to him, and they struck up a conversation with him and his lovely wife! In addition to the plays, we spent a large part of our first week just trying to get acclimated to life in a new city. We have been able to buy groceries-YAY!- and finally unpack our suitcases! (This was a tremendous relief to many individuals in our group!) We went to a few museums, and before we knew it, the week was over!

After a busy week of adjustment, we had a wonderful weekend. We went to King Henry VIII’s palace at Hampton Court (it was also home to King William III). Throughout this trip we have become pros at visiting important historical sites, which means we have also become pros at listening to handheld audio guides while touring these sites.  Out of all the audio guides we have experienced thus far, Thomas and I found the Hampton Court audio guides to be the most entertaining because they played wonderful, majestic music as we entered Henry VIII’s Kitchen to set the atmosphere of what it felt like to be the King walking in to his royal feasts.  In fact, we enjoyed the music so much that we played that one part of the audio guide over and over and over and over, marching around the palace like royalty and waving to our imaginary guests…it really is the little things in life. 

The beautiful staircase leading to King William's apartment.  (insert majestic audio guide music here)

On Saturday, we went to the Portobello Road antique market. I can honestly say that it was an incredibly overwhelming excursion. There were so many antique stores filled with curious tourists! I made a few good finds though. I bought my first real fancy British hat, and I’m really excited about it!  Perhaps I will wear it next weekend when I go to High Tea! (Laura, I finally figured out the secret to how those ladies at the Royal Wedding got their hats to stay perfectly perched on the side of their heads…can’t wait to show you!)  

Saturday night, Julie, Olivia, Brian, and I went to see the Gershwin brothers’ musical Crazy for You. It was a great show, and the music was so enjoyable! Dazzling costumes, classic Gershwin music, and lots of time steps and shuffles…needless to say, I was in tap dance heaven. I LOVED IT! And it also reinvigorated my lifelong dream that maybe, just maybe, I will be a Broadway tap dancer one day.

Today, we went to church at All Souls, a “low” Anglican church. It has an evangelical feel to it, and it almost feels as though you are a Baptist church back home! I think it is safe to say I have found my church home for the next few weeks! Oh how I loved church this morning!!! I feel like “All Souls” is a very fitting name for this church, because the pews were filled with people of all ages, races, and ethnicities, and it was wonderful! Singing familiar songs like “Crown Him with Many Crowns” and “You Alone Can Rescue” with a body of Christian believers halfway around the world is such a refresher for the soul and a reminder that no matter how far from home you may go, there are people who worship the same God, and He hears the voices of ALL his children singing his praises around the world! That was definitely one of the highlights of my week, and I can’t wait to go back next Sunday!

We still have so much of the city to explore, and I can’t wait to keep y’all updated!

Yours Truly,

Thomas and Julie


PS- Check the pictures page for some other highlights of our first week!