1. Blackfriar Pub Independent Study – Experiencing Britain

                My anticipation was at all time high, to find and explore this Blackfriar Pub.  I was convinced that there must be something very special about this pub that had warranted a spot on our list for school.  I was also shocked to find how many students had not chosen it for one of their excursions.  Being a pub and a college trip I figured it would be a natural pairing. 

                What I did find was the best food at a London pub.  I have to admit I was sorely disappointed at the food in the pubs.  I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, flavor possibly, but no one included me on the fact that the British really are not know for their food.  However upon entering the Blackfriar Pub, dimly lit by mostly candles which accented the dark wood tables and chairs, I was determined to have the full experience.  I ordered a pint to start and settled in a corner booth/table with my companion for the day, Stephanie.  After combing through the menu I settled on “Braised Pork Confit” and while I had no clue what “confit” was I noticed that the meat was marinated and was sold.  Out came my dish, beautiful presentation, so beautiful in fact I had to take a picture.  Upon my first bite, second bite and every bite after I moaned, “Oh wow”.  I cleaned my plate, something I had yet to accomplish since arriving.  The pork just melted in my mouth. 

                I realize the food was probably not the purpose of coming, but I felt it was worth mentioning.  The rest of the experience was equally satisfying.  The bartenders were chatty, and humorous. The mosaics, stained glass and building itself, breathtaking.  I have to admit I learned on this trip, that I am not an art lover.  While I can look at it and recognize its beauty or curiosity, I don’t know that I can really understand it.  I will say that the room off to the left of the bar is probably the most stunning pubs/bars I have even been in.  The words of wisdom written in the border, the chandeliers and sconces, even the tables were appealing to the eye.  I felt like I could be there with family and friends or huddled in the corner with a friend; it was very warm and inviting. 

                I enjoyed this pub so much that even though I had gone once my first week, I made sure to go again my last week for a pint, a good chat and the braised pork!

  

British Culture & Social Media: Assignment 2

What London did to me...

To try and put into words what 21 days in another country, another city which was unlike anything I had ever experienced before is near impossible.  In the following I will do my best.

Upon arrival and perhaps within the first few days I wouldn't say I was unimpressed, but rather indifferent.  At first examination, it did not appear to be much different than a big city in the USA.  Now I have never been to NYC and my other experiences with big cities happened either at a young age, or for a short period of time.  This however seemed similar in the shopping mall a few blocks away, the sight of McDonald's at every corner, along with the Pizza Hut and Dominos.  However once I ignored the similar and took a closer look at the differences I was amazed at all this city had to offer.

During our walks whether with Dr. Hertz or on my own the age of this part of the world was overwhelming.  There was no place you could turn and see that didn't have some sort of historical significance.  It was amazing to see one city that had a story at  nearly every corner, or every stone.  It humbles me to think how this much history must change someones perspective.  To Americans every corner is a place to make history or become famous rather instead of embracing what was once here.

London gave me a different view of culture, race, and prejudices.  This is something I didn't expect, nor did I think needed an adjustment. I always thought to myself to be a diverse individual.  I will admit that I am not without my stereotypes, which unfortunately seems to be a part of human nature.  However living 3 weeks in London, what I would say is one of the most culturally diverse areas in the world, I learned to see beyond those stereotypes.  In fact looking back at them, it makes me sick to think I used to have those thoughts about a group of people as a whole.  Racism and stereotypes seem to be nonexistent in London.  I'm quite sure this is not an accurate statement, but perhaps it is, on such a smaller scale compared to the US that it seemed nonexistent to me. I loved their uniqueness. I loved that no one seemed to care about others differences.  Whether it was the way they dressed or the way they spoke it didn't seem to matter.  It was such an inconsequential thing to them. I'm sure in certain areas they have their own stereotypes, but the ones that are so prevalent here seem to meaningless to them.

Another thing that London gave me a new perspective on, was myself.  I'm sure everyone goes through the early stages in life wondering who they are, what their purpose is, why they do things they do.  And I am one of those individuals.  Of course, I thought I knew, or at least had a pretty good idea. But going to a foreign country practically on my own, at 28, for three weeks and venturing into the unknown, taught me a lot.  I have a new perspective on relationships, the value of alone time and the beauty of friends, old and new.  I wouldn't pretend to say that I have it all figured out, but I have a firm grasp on what I had been looking for, for a long time.

As for London itself that is 20 page paper on its own.  People say you actually fall in love with Paris, but I fell in love with London.  Their way of life (minus the underground), their views of politics, drinking, and tradition. The way they build and move forward but still maintain more greenery, than I've even seen in my life.

The Kinks have a song Sunny Afternoon and I listened to them a lot on my walks around London and the parks.  This particular song's meaning came to mean so much more to me while strolling around :

"...Cause I love to live so pleasantly, live this life of luxury, lazing on a sunny afternoon. In the summertime..."

I realize that they don't get sunny days too often but taking time to appreciate it, and the beauty of it was something I enjoyed watching.  We complain, no matter what the weather.  A month and half ago everyone complained it was too wet, no sunshine, and now they complain there's too much.  How about, enjoy what you have while you have it, because you never know when it will change.

That was what London did to me.

British Culture & Social Media: Assignment 1

Review Report:

Social-Networking Sites

Social media as a whole has emerged, changed and reinvented itself in the last decade, much more so even in the past five years. Boyd and Ellison offers a chart illustrating launch dates of social-networking sites (SNSs) and even though SNSs had started as early as 1996, since 2006 they have been rapidly changing and growing in numbers. This is similar to how the internet or World Wide Web itself changed and morphed so quickly in a short period of time decades ago.   When I was in primary school the internet was unknown to us, by middle school it had become a reality and to search the web or connect, you had to wait 10-15 minutes in order to connect.  Now if your computer does not connect in mere seconds, something is wrong. Whether it is the computer or the components required, our patience for this technology has become almost zero.  Similarly upon meeting people who don’t belong to popular SNSs, like Facebook or even twitter, they are met with shock and awe. Even my father has a Facebook page.

Advertising

SNSs are also changing commerce and advertising in a way that is hard to keep up with.  No longer do individuals become engaged in a colorful ad or catchy jingle, in fact most people especially my generation, tune them out as if they don’t exist.  Instead of wondering what sort of car to buy, seeing an eye-catching ad and then going to make a purchase, perspective consumers are going out and looking for other’s personal experiences. Whether it is their experience with the vehicle, dealership or even the service maintenance, the information truly needed when making a purchase is at their fingertips.  Same goes for Amazon and other shopping websites. Anderson makes a valid point that just simply clicking or buying one thing whether popular or not can open the door to so many other options. Thus giving the up and coming writer, musician or artist a chance they may not have had years ago.

Citizen Journalism

What I find particularly interesting is the ability for citizen journalism.  News organizations such as the BBC and others are able to obtain real time videos and pictures of news while they are in process of arriving at the scene.  There are some issues with this type of journalism, but again it is a different perspective.  You can argue with an article or editorial, but to argue a video or picture posted mere seconds after something has happened is not an easy thing to do.  Greg Downey offers some quality tips, a checklist to go through to decipher what you find on the internet and the best ways to find out for yourself what is going on.  This is perhaps the best part of SNSs. Gone are the days of “old media” where you would get your news from only a handful of sources. No longer do you only listen to Tom Brokaw at 5:30pm to find out what is going on in the world, and then wait for your local news at 6pm.  News is happening all the time, and we have access to that information.  Instead of 1-4 perspectives on the news (NBC, CBS, ABC, & Fox) you have millions of perspectives.  I believe this allows the viewer to make their own conclusions on the world around them instead of regurgitated information by a small handful of people.  

SNSs and the Past

This also makes me look at our past.  In present times the world is in turmoil. This is nothing new to the history of the planet, but for my generation it is living through what will eventually be in our children’s history books. Wars, protests and revolutions are not new, but our access to finding out about them is.  It is hard to even imagine but what would our world look like had SNSs or even the internet been around and readily available in the 60s.  Looking back we find so much information and misinformation about what was going on.  It was a time of unrest and social outcry in our country and hundreds of rallies, protests and general distaste for our countries political and social climate still occurred.  Whether thinking of the Vietnam War or Civil Rights movement, how much larger would they have been if protesters could have gotten their voice and opinions to even more people? How would they have been different or how would their impact have been different? Not only to rally more supporters but to merely spread their “news” or information to a much broader group of people.

Day8 Stonehenge and Bath

So I won't say too much this blog, I'll just post the photos.  They speak for themselves.  I will say this. I was planning on loving Stonehenge more than Bath.  Completely the opposite.  Bath was like walking through a city in Italia.  La Dolce Vita!

Trevor and Joe

Stephanie and I

felt like I was in  a Jane Austen novel

healing stone

the drive to Bath

Beautiful scenery

The Bath Abbey

Humbling to walk through something soooo old!

Look hard and you can see the boiling water and steam

No good way to take this pic.  the steam distorted it every time

A Bath for the Gods!  Now filled with money!

Street performers in Bath

Friends

Friends and I

Tina and Vitina
(Yes I'm going by Vitina here ;)

this is their public toilet.  Notice the sign on the bottom right. (20 min maximum) I thought this was hilarious!!

Day 6*7

So my days are beginning to run together, so my timeline may be a little off.

On Thursday morning we had class, which was a visit to the BBC World Service. Which is their public radio (NPR).  We sat with a few members of their social media department and learned a lot.  They gave us a presentation and tips on how to get our careers started.  It was extremely educational and made a big impression.  Very wowed by this visit. Our professor had connections with someone their and that is how we got to go.

BBC

After our visit, my neighbor Stephanie and I went to eat with a group of people to a local Irish pub, and had a really tasty chicken sandwich.  After we stayed there for a bit and then met more of our fellow classmates at a pub around the corner from our dorm.

Crazy Italian Marco wearing my hat!

This door guy is probably just sick of all of us Americans.  He's mans the door at The Rocket, where we end up almost every night!

Crazy American we met.  He's living here for work.

The Italians.  Febo & Antonio

Day 7

Friday was another free day, so of course I slept in.  As you can see I had an excellent time the night before and I needed a rest.  I went with my neighbor, her traveling partner and one other student, Tina to Piccadilly Circus.  We walked around did some souvenir shopping AND THEN went to the M&M store.  The fourth one in the world and the largest.  4 Levels!!!  enjoy the pics.... We had fun taking them!

eeny meeny miny mo..... Which color to choose!?!

Out for a drive!

OMG Look at all these M&Ms.  Smells soooo good!

After M&M world, we went for dinner at TGIFridays and had the best mozzarella sticks I've eaten in my life! Then back to the pub where we danced and had drank pints.  Getting to know some more of my classmates and really enjoying some of the people on this trip!