London Calling (May 13, 2013)

We went to AIFS orientation this morning. AIFS is an amazingly well structured program – the best I’ve ever traveled with. Orientation consisted of laws and cultural differences – American’s are typically louder than Europeans, open containers and general drunkenness is not tolerated, and traffic flows on the other side of the street than we’re used to. It was helpful but I think it was more structured for students staying longer than 20 days. After orientation, we had a couple hours off for lunch and my group ate Indian food by our flats. I had the lamb korma and I will never need anything else for the rest of my life. It was that good.

After lunch we went to Kensington Palace for afternoon tea. Surrounding Kensington Palace are acres of park grounds and gardens. We didn’t actually go inside Kensington Palace. Instead, we went to the Orangery – a greenhouse which was used in the past to grow citrus trees (hence the name) but has now been renovated into a teahouse for tourists. The majority of the tables were set for four people each. I sat at a table with Marek, Ben, and Adam. Each person had a fork, a knife, a napkin, a plate, a tea spoon, a tea cup and saucer. We drank English breakfast tea. The reading for the day discussed a debate among tea drinkers: whether it was correct/proper to put the tea in first (TIF) or the milk in first (MIF). I tried both ways but I think I like it better to put the tea in first. That way I can control how much the milk dilutes the natural taste of the tea. The sugar made the biggest difference, though. We were also treated to teatime snacks: finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts. I tried cucumber sandwiches for the first time and they were pretty good. While I tried everything, I liked the desserts the best. The food was served in a three tiered serviette. The sandwiches were on the bottom, scones in the middle, and the desserts were on the top. All of the china we used was really beautiful and really expensive. If the weather were nicer I would’ve liked to take my tea outside.

Once everyone was done with their tea, we explored the grounds together. Professor Lutze led us to the famous Peter Pan statue so we could take pictures. By this time Stan and I were getting antsy about sticking with the group since we were supposed to have the rest of the afternoon off. After looking at the map, I noticed the Museum of Natural History was close by so Kevin, Stan and I went off on our own. By the time we found the museum, though, it was closed. The plan at that point was to go back to the flats and change out of our nice teatime clothes but Kevin had forgotten his Oyster card so we wouldn’t take the Tube or a bus to get back. Luckily South Kensington isn’t that far from our flats. The problem was navigating our way home. We walked until we found an Irish pub called O’Neil’s and had dinner. I ate a hamburger on soda bread and it was pretty good. After we ate and set out on our trek again, we got lost. Kevin, our navigator, had no freaking idea where he was leading us. Turns out we missed our turn back to Earl’s Court at the very same pub we ate dinner. We back tracked and eventually made it home. I went straight to bed because we leave for the continent tomorrow and I needed rest.

Tales from London (May 12, 2013)

We arrived in London the morning of May 12 - it was a Sunday and everyone was pumped up with adrenalin. Unfortunately, Professor Lutze's bag never made it on the plane and was stuck in Chicago. Once he submitted his contact information, we boarded a charter bus that drove us to the flats. We're staying in an apartment complex that AIFS owns and operates like a dorm building. We are scattered around the building in various partnerships of roommates. I am rooming with Malika - not the ideal situation because I wanted the opportunity to meet new people but it's still nice. The flats are very comfortable - they have personal bathroom and kitchenettes for us to use. I could see myself living in a small space like that easily - which is good because I anticipate a similar set up in China. After arriving we were allotted a short break for us to shower and prep for our afternoon activity. Lutze and the AIFS people don't want us sleeping today because it would make the time adjustment more difficult, and I'm inclined to agree. By the time we were set to depart for Hampton Court Palace, everyone was still buzzing with excitement. One of our RA's (Shawn) escorted us to the Tube (London's Subway) and gave us our Oyster Cards. With these cards we can go anywhere within zones one and two of the city via bus or subway for free - the world is our oyster! Shawn didn't travel with us to the Waterloo train station, though, that part of the navigation was left up to us. Not wanting to appear like a controlling know-it-all, I let some of the other members of the group take the lead. I only had to step in once we got turned around and couldn't find our meeting location (platform 11 at Waterloo). We arrived a good 20 minutes before Professor Lutze, which caused some people to be extremely anxious. He showed up just in time for us to hop on the train - his taxi driver had gotten lost on the way to the station which is why he was late. On the train he handed out our meal stipends (60 pounds for five days worth of meals). Everything seems much more expensive here in London, but since I'm on vacation I'm trying not to dwell on how much I'm actually spending. Instead, I'm going to be conscious of how many pounds I use and how much I can save.

Hampton Court Palace (HCP) was a pretty cool place. As the name might imply, it's an old palace that has been turned into a museum. We were lucky because the day we went actors were performing "live history." Meaning, they acted out historical situations as historical figures. In the show we saw, King Henry VIII was tired of his wife and wanted to marry Ann Bolin (sp?) instead. Furthermore, he was prepared to break away from the Catholic church so he could divorce his previous wife. The actors were stationed throughout the palace for visitors to interact with and ask questions. Professor Lutze was one of the most prominent participants. He told us that, on a previous visit, he was dubbed the Duke of Illinois and he took his responsibilities as diplomat very seriously. He was concerned with the goings-on of the English court. Periodically, the actors would meet at a rendezvous point to perform a scene that furthers the plot. At one point the men and women were split into separate groups where the actors consulted the visitors for their opinions on the events unfolding. Ann Bolin wanted to leave the castle (without the king's permission) because she didn't think the king actually loved her. Additionally, she feared she would become a spinster if she waited around much longer. A funny dialog occurred between her and me that went like this:

Ann: Now I know you ladies will all step back and gasp when I say this, but I think you ought to know that I am thirty years old.
(I stepped back and gasped on cue. I was the only one to do so)
Ann: I know it's shocking but don't worry young lady (me) becoming a spinster is not contagious. You are still young and pretty and may God bless you with a good husband.

Ann Bolin thinks I'm pretty.

It was a fun trip and kept the jet lag at bay. Professor Lutze, Duke of Illinois, sent us on a scavenger hunt to find evidence that there was trade between England and Asia - I found multiple porcelain vases and figures from Ming Dynasty, China. By the time we finished and headed over to dinner, everyone was very very very tired. We were provided dinner by AIFS at a British pizza chain restaurant. Each of us got a personal appetizer, pizza, and dessert. After that we returned back to the flats and went to bed for a much needed rest.