American Wildcat in London

Things I've Learned While Traveling in London

2008-07-26T13:12:00.002+01:00

1) London is the coolest city on Earth.

2) You can eat cheaply and well (under 5 pounds/meal) if you walk around and find little shops, and they're usually very good.

3) Always have cash on hand for those restaurants in 2). Most places accept credit cards, but they usually have a 10 pound limit on credit card purchases.

4) Always say "tap water" when ordering, or they'll give you a bottle of water that costs money.

5) If you want to see cathedrals and chapels, find when they do Evensong, and you can go in for free and hear choirs sing really well. The only problem is that they don't want you really walking around very much. Otherwise, they charge about 10 pounds just to enter.

6) Everything closes at around 5, so if you need to shop, go early. Pubs, some restaurants, and theaters are really the only things open late.

7) For seeing plays, go the day of about an hour or so early, and you can usually get discounted prices. The only problem is that they may be sold out. If you're dead-set on seeing it, go to Piccadilly Circus and buy from the half-price stores. You can get 40 pound tickets for less than 20.

8) Museums are usually free, but they get you on special exhibitions that cost money.

9) Figure out the Underground. It's easier than it looks, and it's very helpful. Only get Zones 1 and 2 on day or week passes to save money unless your hotel is out in the other zones. Central London has everything to see and most is in Zone 1.

10) When moving your luggage around, try to find the major stations on the Underground that have multiple rail lines to transfer. It may seem like more people, but most often, they have escalators to make carrying luggage much easier.

11) London streets make no sense whatsoever. Always look down at crosswalks, and they tell you which way to look before crossing.

12) London parks are extremely pretty and well-kept. Find time to sit and down and enjoy them.

13) Pubs have good food as well as alcohol. Who knew?

14) You'll never figure out the doors. Just be careful and pull when you think to push and vice-versa. Usually, that's best. Also, note that some places have door releases for whatever reason.

15) CCTV is always watching. Wave hello.

16) Spend more time in the British Museum, less time in the Portrait Gallery and Science Museum.

17) The London Eye is cool to go on at night, but for God's sake, don't leave a bucket of Legos on there. They're extremely paranoid and think you want to blow up London.

18) I felt safe pretty much all the time, but Underground stations always tell you to watch out for your wallet when you enter certain neighborhoods (note: these are usually all big touristy areas. Hmm, a connection maybe?)

19) Trains are expensive, so buy tickets online and make sure to make the appointed time.

20) Gaymer's > Applestone's > Strongbow > Guinness >> all other beers

Middle Earth and Platform 9 and 3/4

2008-07-26T12:47:00.002+01:00

Well, as they say in Britain, everything yesterday "went to shit". It was still fun, and I'll elaborate in a minute. As for today (Saturday), I went and found Platform 9 and 3/4 (Harry Potter stuff). Right now, I'm eating lunch and waiting to meet Matt at the Houses of Parliament. Hopefully, there will be a debate we can see. Later, I'm off to the Globe to see Timon of Athens. I'll come back and pack. Tomorrow, the Underground opens at 7, so I'll get on and take it to King's Cross and then to Heathrow (I scouted it out this morning, and there are no steps!). On to yesterday:

Friday
We woke up early to go to the British Museum. The British Museum may be one the most impressive museums I've ever seen, and I only got to see about a third of it. It's incredibly huge with a lot of stuff in every room. In order to make the play at 2, we only spent about 2 and 1/2 hours there, but we saw the stuff we really wanted to see (Egyptians, Greeks, Romans). We left to go to the play, and after finding the place, they tell us the play is sold out, but it was a children's version anyway (ages 6-11). In summary, we left the coolest museum early to make a play that we couldn't see anyway. Oh well, we walked through Regent's Park and found a place to eat. For a few hours, we walked around, found a bookstore, and sat at a café before we had to meet Matt at 4:30 to go see the play at night. The theater is in Greenwich, and for those who don't know, it takes forever to get there from Central London. Second, no one had a good map of Greenwich, so we had no idea how to get there. So, we got on the Underground, rode it to the DLR (Underground trains?), and got off in North Greenwich (where the paper said to get off). When we finally arrived, someone told us we were a 10 minute bus ride from the place, which makes it a long walk. We decided to take a bus (to where we really didn't know), but we didn't know whether our Travelcards worked (they did thank God). On the bus, we had no idea where to get off. We miraculously picked the right time to get off. We walked to Greenwich Park, and found the Royal Observatory where the play was supposed to be. As the day has gone, the play was cancelled for some reason, so we couldn't see the play. Go figure. Fortunately, the Royal Observatory is also where the Prime Meridian runs through, so we were in the Middle of the World by accident, which was pretty cool. There was a really good view of London from there as well. We decided to go to Batman: the Dark Knight, but we needed dinner first. We found an Indian restaurant (okay) and headed to Central London again. When we arrived at the movie theater, the only available show was for 11:35. First, the Underground stops at 12:30. Second, most people left this morning. Therefore, it wouldn't work, so we headed to a pub across from Big Ben for a few drinks. A nice Scottish man talked to us for awhile, and we left around 10:30. In other words, nothing worked as planned, but it was still a fun day, and as the song in the bar is singing, "You can't always get what you want." Ironic.

Observations:
- A "crackin' set of pins" = nice legs (a man on the Underground said to Becky)
- No one honks. They just roll down their windows and yell obscenities.

2 More Days, 3 More Plays

2008-07-24T22:36:00.002+01:00

So, we're back at the Roebuck having a few drinks. Tomorrow, we plan to go to the British Museum, a play of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Greenwich, and a play of The Merchant of Venice. Hopefully, on Saturday, Matt and I will be able to hang out before I leave Sunday, but that night, I have a play of Timon of Athens. Anyway, on to today's adventures:

Thursday
First, we tried to go to Westminster Abbey. However, it costs 10 pounds just to go in, so we decided against that because we have already been in there and no photography is allowed. Then, we tried St. Paul's, and the same thing happened. Theeeen, we tried the Museum of London. That was pretty cool. It talks about London before the Romans, London during the Romans, London during the Middle Ages, and London during the fire of 1666 (note the three sixes). The weird thing is that it neglected London from 1667 to now. Weird. Then, we went to the Globe, and we went on a tour. The acting company was rehearsing for the play Saturday, so I go a sneak peek. Still, I have no idea what it's about. The tour was interesting, but the exhibits below the stage were better. Elizabethan costumes, tools, artifacts, and manuscripts. Then, we headed to the Southwark Playhouse to buy tickets to Romeo and Juliet for tonight. We stopped in a little pub for dinner before the show. The show was bizarre but good. The setting is a 1950's boarding school. Four guys go through their day, and at night, go to the chapel to read the play. They act out all the parts themselves without any girls. At first, they play around, but as the play becomes more serious, they become more serious. It was really good, and the actors were fantastic. We were a bit concerned at the beginning because the playhouse is in a back alley, and the theater looks like a catacomb. Yet, they used it really well. The play was very intimate as the actors literally were in our faces. It was very different but very cool.

Observations:
- British people do not give standing ovations for theater. They clap once, and that's it. No overdone clapping and cheering. Simply, they give 'em a hand.
- I really, really want some air conditioning. I'm coming home and turning the thermostat to about 60 and basking in the glory that is a/c.
- Clothes are beginning to run short (yep, time to turn things inside out -- am I kidding? Who wants to guess?). Mom, have the washer ready.
- People in England have no idea how to walk. If you drive on the left, you should walk on the left. Even if they walked on the right instead, it would be okay. However, they walk on all sides, down the middle, etc. Just choose a side. In America, we drive on the right and walk to the right. Geez. My favorite is that people walk in a group of four, take up the entire sidewalk, and refuse to move so I have to walk out in the middle of the road and get hit by a giant bus.

Who's Exhausted? I Am

2008-07-23T23:08:00.002+01:00

Well, after another day of running around museums, I am completely and utterly fatigued. Tomorrow's plan is to keep the British Museum for Friday and find some other things to do instead that require less leg work (good luck he says to himself).

Tuesday
First, we headed to the Globe to try to get tickets again. We couldn't for King Lear, but John J got one for King Lear next week and I got one for Timon of Athens for Saturday when everyone else will be gone. Supposedly, it is a Shakespeare play, but I've never heard of it (as if I've heard of everything Shakespeare). It should be interesting, and at least, it's better than watching something I've seen a thousand times. From there, we went walking on the banks of the Thames. Then, we walked through a commercial that was being filmed (maybe I'll be on TV -- they thought we were hilarious even though all we did was walk through their "stage"). Tower of London was next. It was impressive, yet some things were not as exciting as I'd hoped. White Tower and the ravens were pretty cool, but the bloody tower was disappointing (it was just a room -- no torture instruments, no blood). We walked around there for about two hours or so before we left for Piccadilly Circus. We were going to find a play to watch, but none of them were worth paying 30 lbs. to watch. We found a Chinese buffet for 4.50, and it was pretty good. Then, we headed to the National Galleries. The Portrait Gallery was nice and had quite a bit in it, but when you don't know who half the people are, it isn't very exciting. The National Gallery is more impressive and has much more to see. However, John and I were pretty tired of walking through art galleries, so we didn't pay a whole lot of attention. I did go find the Arnolfini Wedding, which is a slightly unimpressive art work (or at least odd), but it's famous. Therefore, it was cool to see. After that, we went to Westminster Abbey, but it was closed at 3:45. Yet, we could go see Evensong, so we went and saw one awesome cathedral. We may try to go back on Friday to get a tour and see Poet's Corner and so forth. Then, we didn't really know what to do, so we went walking through Green Park and Hyde Park, which are really beautiful. At the end, I was really tired though. For dinner, we found a sushi place called Little Japan. It was pretty good and cheap. Then, we came back to the Roebuck and to bed.

Wednesday
Starting off today, we went to the Natural History Museum. It really is incredible, and you could spend an entire day in there. Instead, we went around to see the dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and reptiles (among some other things). It really was awesome. We found a lot of good stuff, but after two, almost three hours, we had to leave. We are really tired of walking through museums, so we might take a break from that tomorrow. Then, we headed to the Science Museum. Although not as good as NHM, it was pretty cool, and it had a lot in it as well. Yet, most of it didn't really appeal to us, so we left after almost two hours. Kensington Gardens is really close, so we went and I took a nap. It was a perfect day for such a thing. John then had the bright idea to go get tickets to Pygmalion. We bought the tickets (20 pounds for a 50 pound ticket) and went to find a place to eat. We found another little place to eat. However, that restaurant and the one next to it are connected somehow. So, the lady from the other came over and tried to get us to go to her restaurant, which we found a bit odd. We think they are friends though because we ordered from her in his restaurant. The whole thing really makes no sense whatsoever, but it worked out in the end. After, we went to see the play, and it was absolutely fantastic. Who remembers Creedy from V for Vendetta? Well, it was him playing Dr. Higgins, and he was excellent. However, it was a bit odd seeing him in a completely different role, but he did an excellent job. There was no singing, which I think there was in My Fair Lady (the movie made from the play). It was awesome anyway. Definitely worth going to. Now, we're back at the Roebuck, which has become the easy meeting place for all of us.

Observations:
- Restaurants sometimes charge different prices for eating in versus taking away (labor -- or labour -- costs?).
- These stupid doors over here either have handles where you should push or have release buttons. At the bottom of our stairs out of the room, we have to hit the release button, so me being me, I have pretty much ran into the door a few times. I'll figure it out the morning I leave. I just know it.
- "Subway" does not mean Underground. Subway = the way to go under the street to the other side. It has nothing to do with transportation. Oddly enough, I have seen Subways around the subway.
- I'm almost surprised when people speak English. When on the Underground, it seems that everyone is speaking another language. It's pretty cool.

Pictures (Around London)

2008-07-21T22:58:00.003+01:00

St. James Park (I forgot, we went there, too. Beautiful place.)

Buckingham Palace (nothing important here).

Big Ben (really cool)

I can't stop taking pictures of it.

People playing Mozart. They were incredible.

Tates and a Midnight Bus

2008-07-21T22:20:00.002+01:00

Well, my feet are really tired and hurting, but it's a good hurt. I guess I shall not waste too much of your reading, so here's yesterday and today:

Sunday
We decided to sleep in, so we didn't leave until 11 (at least we got some sleep to get recharged). From there, we met Ashley and Matt at Westminster to go to lunch. We ate at an American-Italian restaurant called Little Frankie's. It is complete with 60's music and milkshakes in metal cups. I still find it funny to find American restaurants because I feel like we've stolen our food from other countries, but I digress. Then, we walked around and saw St. Martin's and st. Paul's. At Saint Paul's (an amazing cathedral), we saw Evensong, but when the organ played, we couldn't hear the choir (which was unfortunate). From there, we said our goodbyes to Ashley as she left this morning to go back to Australia (and we're down to three). We came back to get our jackets and rest. We headed to a little hole-in-the-wall place, and I got some lasagna. Then, we walked around Picadilly Circus, and we found a bunch of stores and places to buy tickets for performances (by the way, it seems as though they have turned every movie created into a musical -- even Tony Blair's reign as Prime Minister). We think we'll find a play for tomorrow night. Unfortunately, Picadilly Circus wasn't much other than shops, so we decided to go to the London Eye. London at night from the Eye is absolutely amazing. I took some pictures, but I'm not sure how they came out. But seriously, it was really cool (although 15 pounds was a bit expensive for it -- oh well, you only live once right?). Then, we decided to walk down the Thames. We found a group playing Mozart (3 violins and a cello) under a walkway, so we sat down for awhile to listen. Then, we walked down some more, but we realized that we should probably go back considering it was around 11. We found Vauxhall Station, but the Victoria line was shut down for the weekend. As a replacement, we rode a double-decker bus to the next station. It was pretty cool, but I almost face planted into the front window on the second tier. When we came back, we went to bed.

Monday
We woke up a little late again, but we still got quite a bit done. First, we went to the Globe to find tickets for King Lear, but they were sold-out (we'll try to get in the replacement line to see if we can't find someone who can't use theirs -- a legal form of scalping it seems). Then, we headed to the Tate Modern and walked around for a couple hours. I really don't see the point in abstract art, but I think I gained a better appreciation for it. Some things like Jackson Pollack's work was really cool and interesting, but when they just put colored blocks on canvas or paint a room white, I am not impressed. Call me traditional, but I like to know at what I'm looking. From there, we took a boat up the Thames to the Tate Britain (it wasn't as exciting as we hoped), and we found some lunch at another little café. Then, we went into the Tate Britain, which is less impressive than Tate Modern, but it still has a lot artwork from famous British artists. Best of all, both were free. Then, we met Matt for dinner. We went to a place called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It is one of the oldest pubs/restaurants in London. The "restaurant" was full, but the bar downstairs had seats. So we went downstairs, and we felt like we literally travelled all the way back to the 1700's. It was pretty cool and really dark. To top it all off, they had casks of Amontillado, which freaked us out a bit. It was still really cool, and we felt like we were in a real English pub. We ate quickly and headed over to the Jack the Ripper tour. It was pretty cool, and the guide was really interesting. Overall, he killed lots of people and ripped their guts out. I took some pictures of the places he killed people (that sounded worse than I meant it to). After walking around all day, we were pretty tired, so I'm sitting down writing this blog and having a beer. Tomorrow, we are going to head to the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, and then to a play. That is the plan at least.

Observations:
- The British Parliament and Big Ben are the coolest buildings in London. Hands down, no dispute.
- I now understand the currency and don't have to look for the numbers on the back of the coins to know what they represent. Yes, and with a couple days to spare. I'm an idiot.

Pictures (London at Night)

2008-07-20T17:43:00.003+01:00

The London Eye (and a really good picture of John J)

The Parliament Building

Parliament and Big Ben

A little bit closer and without Westminster Bridge

Tower Bridge (really cool)

American Wildcat Finally Discovers London

2008-07-20T17:20:00.002+01:00

We're taking a break at the Roebuck for a little bit, and we should be heading the Eye in a little bit. Anyway, on to yesterday's travels.

Saturday
I had to wake up around 8:30 in order to get ready to leave as we had to be out of our rooms by 9:30 for some reason. I went down and turned in my keys and card, so they won't be charging me 50 pounds. Most of the group made it down, but Matt was absent for some reason. John J and I went up to his room in order to see if he was awake. He had just got up about 10 minutes before we got to his room, so he was still packing (oops). After getting him downstairs finally, we went to the covered market and found some breakfast. Laura had a train to catch at 12:07 to Yorkshire (she was going to the Bronte house), so we had to let her go. The Porter called for a cab (we were able to leave our suitcases in the Porter's Lodge), and we hugged her goodbye. It was sad. Then, we headed to the Ashmolean (an art gallery in Oxford) for a little while before getting our own cab to the train station around 4. There were two trains at 3:55 and 4, so we had our choice. However, when we got on the first train, a man told us that the next train was the express train to London, so we got off and waited another 5 minutes. Yet, the speaker said that the train was full. Therefore, we missed both trains. Luckily, lots of people like London, so the next one came in around 20 minutes. It wasn't the express train as we ended up in London around 6. From there, John J and I went to King's College as Matt headed to West London and Ashley to her hotel outside of the Paddington Station. We were pretty tired after carrying everything, so we decided to come to the Roebuck for a drink and to check our email. Jill was already there, so she came with us. After drinking and eating (the fish and chips here are really good), we decided to go see London at night. Oh my God! What a sight to see (I'll try to put up pictures at some point, but my camera doesn't do night very well). Until now, I had almost felt like I was just in another part of the US, but after seeing the Parliament Houses and Big Ben lit up, I knew I had arrived. Tingling sensations and all. It was really cool. You hear and see these things in textbooks and on TV, but when you see it in person, it is incredible. At that point, I knew I was in London. We walked around for a little longer down toward London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. All of which are pretty cool at night (although London Bridge is rather unspectacular and the pink light illuminating it was a bit odd). Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are really cool, and we'll definitely make another trip there during the day. Around 12, we were all really tired, so we came back to the hotel. I can't wait to see the rest of London.

Observations:
- Blinking yellow lights on streetlights mean "You can go, but watch for pedestrians" apparently.
- Southwark (where the hotel is) and Central London look completely different. Like not even close.
- The three main American fast-food places are Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Burger King. I haven't seen any others (although I did see a Tumbleweed today -- who would've thought?)

I'm Here

2008-07-19T20:03:00.004+01:00

After a long, tiring journey, I am here in London. We have gotten our rooms, so everything is smooth sailing for the rest of the week. On to the last few days at Oxford (*sobs a little*):

Thursday
I had no more classes, but I still had a plenary lecture. This one was really good. He talked about Winston Churchill as soldier, politician, and writer. It was really interesting. We all know he was an influential character in history and especially to WWII. However, he actually was a bit conceited and wanted a lot of attention. He frequently used his mother's connections to go over his commanders' heads (this ticked them off a bit for sure) to get special assignments and to be a war correspondent. He was also a prolific writer, and his publications would make anyone jealous. After, we had our last lunch in the Hall, and it was pretty good. Chicken curry with rice was really good. By far, it was the best lunch of the time here. Then, I didn't have much to do because everyone else was in class, so I went looking around and shopping. For dinner, we finally had shepherd's pie, which I was told was actually cottage pie because it had beef instead of lamb (hint: SHEPHERD's pie). Anyway, the dessert was a chocolate cake that was really good except for the raspberries. Laura had a brilliant idea and decided that we should go see As You Like It, so we went to the nearby University College (really pretty). At first, I thought Laura meant that the time was 7:30, so we could go to the play. When I said that I needed to go to my room to get money, she told me to hurry, which seemed odd because I figured the play was at 8. Actually, the play was at 7:30, so that's why she gave me a funny look. In any matter, we made it to the play with a couple minutes to spare. The play was good but not my favorite. For a comedy, it didn't make me laugh as much as the others, but it wasn't a bad play and the actors were good. I just don't think it was as good as the others we've seen. I've had a lot of exposure to Shakespeare here which is good considering where I am. One thing, a lot of his plays have similar elements and confusions, but his wording is so great that it makes up for some repetition of plot. After that, we went to the Quarrell Room to watch Shakespeare in Love, but the Porters said we couldn't ask for the key after 10, so we went to the JCR instead. It is actually a pretty good movie. I was impressed.

Friday
Friday was a bit more exciting. I awoke to another alarm, but this time, I was prepared and could handle their tricks. Again, the lecture was really good. Lord Morgan (a life peer in the House of Lords -- hints his title although he isn't of a royal descent of any kind) was excellent. He talked about different Labour Prime Ministers (guess what party he is) since WWII (Atlee, Wilson, Callaghan, Blair, and Brown). It was pretty interesting because he gave a fairly succinct and thorough account of each minister (Why they arrived in power? What did they do? How did they fall out of power? How did that affect the party). He also gave a lecture at the University of Texas, so Matt had seen him before. Actually, one of his teachers and Lord Morgan are good friends. After that, we decided to forego lunch at the Hall and go to Pizza Express (still not as good as American pizza). This time, I had the Quattro Formaggio, which just has four cheeses on it. It was good but not spectacular (especially because I had to wait another ten minutes after everyone else got their food). Then, we went to University Park to play cricket with a plastic, two pound (sterling) set. It was a lot of fun. We made a fool of ourselves, but we had a really good time. Learning to hit is a bit difficult because the ball bounces, so you have to wait a little longer and adjust. Also, pitching (bowling) is a bit different because you have to keep your arms straight, which is really difficult at first. I hit a few balls hard (I also missed a bunch while taking gigantic hacks -- come on, the ball is coming pretty slowly but it bounces weird), and at one point, Ashley and I scored around 30 points in 6 swings, which is fairly impressive considering that 4 and 6 are the most you can score in one swing. Around 4:45, I had to leave for conferences with my teachers. The Verdict -- 74% and 66%. But wait (stop yelling at me for being an idiot), a 70% is a solid A in Britain, and the 66% is a A-/B+. Therefore, I am purty smart. Dr. Almond said my paper was very good, and although it could have been better, he took into account that we only had a week to work on them. He told me some things I missed and probably should have mentioned, but we actually got on a conversation comparing cricket and baseball (and how they intertwine in Latin America). Dr. Palmer was a bit more critical (which isn't necessarily worse). However, she mentioned that when she took into account that I was an undergraduate she was impressed with my paper. Needless to say, my head didn't fit into the Underground today. All in all, I had two A's on my papers. Then, we had our final dinner which lasted for about 2-3 hours including time for handing out certificates. Afterward, we went to G&D's for some ice cream, and I had an awesome Brownie Sundae (I only ate a beef medallion for dinner -- the rest was slightly disgusting).

Observations:
- You have three choices. One, make no friends/be a jerk and leave without attachments. Two, be moderate and make no attachments and no friends. Three, make friends and meet people but leave knowing you may never see them again. Saying goodbye was a hard thing this morning.
- A seven-day, Zones 1 and 2 Underground card is less expensive than two weekday passes.
- More tomorrow (hopefully).

Celebration and Depression

2008-07-17T14:26:00.002+01:00

As the time here winds down, I feel myself feeling mixed emotions. On one hand, classes and papers are over bringing happiness, but on the other hand, my time here is almost over bringing some sadness. Friends I have made will soon go back to their respective homelands and I to mine. It's a mixed bag. However, I have forced myself to let that go and just have a good time for the next few days anyway. Then, I'll go to London and have some more fun. Anyway, to catch up on days past:

Tuesday
I woke up around 9:30, and as I was about to walk out of my room, the scout (the maid) knocked on my door. Good timing I guess. The lecture was about The British Welfare State. Dr. Nock is a really funny guy, but I think he's more comfortable in "off the cuff" situations. He wasn't very organized and seemed uncomfortable giving the speech. Anyway, he's the resident socialist evidently, but he didn't really seem that way during his speech. He admired what they were trying to do, but he saw faults in some of the policies that were started. It was fairly interesting when he finally got into it. After that, we had lunch, and the English people (Ashley, Laura, John J, and Jess) had to go to class, so I went looking around for souvenirs and whatever else I could find. When their class was done, we went to the Garden of Earthly Delights (it is the University's Botanical Garden, which luckily was nothing like Bosch's). It was really pretty and a nice place to go. We walked around for awhile, and then we found a nice place to sit and talk. A fox came running past which was pretty cool, but we were so shocked that no one got a picture. Around 6, the garden closes, so we had to leave. After dinner, we went to see Mamma Mia! which is about a girl who invites the three possible men who could be her father to her wedding without telling her mother. It's kind of a chick-flick, but we had nothing else to do. The movie was actually pretty entertaining. Some of the acting is a bit weird at the beginning, and you have to get used to the random Greek people showing up during the singing and dancing portions. I have to say the best part may have been Pierce Brosnan singing. Absolutely incredible ... ly terrible. They gave him 3 songs (well, I guess the Broadway musical gave his character three songs), and I couldn't stop laughing. He is trying so hard, but it just doesn't work (kind of like when I sing). Then, it ends (I won't tell you how although it's fairly predictable), but they draw it out and out and out. Then, they have another musical performance for which is worth staying. Before the movie, we sat through almost a half hour of advertisements, and then, the lights came back on (during which we made the requisite "That was a great movie" comments before the lights went off and the movie started). The ads are quite different here as they have absolutely nothing to do with the item until a small connection is made at the end. Following the movie, we went back to John J's room at about 11, and we had the "Imperial Hour" during which John J (Humphrey), Matt (Turner), and I (Schwiebert) talk with fake British accents about things going on in the "colonies". None of it makes any sense, and the girls stopped paying attention to us after awhile (probably not a bad idea). We decided that, while the substance may not be the most intellectual, the word play is fairly brilliant. At least, we have fun with it. Before I went to bed, I tried to get on the internet, but I couldn't. I realized that the wireless internet accounts have now expired (remember that stupid 2-week rule?). Therefore, pictures may not go up until next week or until you see me next. I can't guarantee anything. John J and I remember seeing a wireless internet point at The Roebuck (a pub across the street from the King's College Apartments), so I hope to be able to get on there and update things. Otherwise, the blogs may slow down when I leave here.

Wednesday
The last day of classes for me. The Cold War class was fairly interesting as we talked about the end of the Cold War. What did Gorbachev do? Does he deserve respect or criticism? Who was the most influential in bringing down the USSR? Fittingly, our plenary lecturer talked about Russia After the Cold War, so we had a nice transition. However, he just read off his notes for the entire lecture, which makes for a long, long hour. The best part was the Q&A part when someone asked, "Will the Russians get involved between the Serbs and Kurds?". He waited for around 20 seconds before simply stating, "No." That was it. You may have had to be there, but it was pretty funny. He did go on to explain that A) Russia has more important things to deal with, B) they have no reason to get involved, C) the cost would be greater than they could handle, and D) they just said they would intervene as a publicity stunt. The lecturer was an ambassador to Russia for awhile, so I guess I can believe him. Then, lunch came, but we did something different today. I wanted to go to the Natural History Museum of Oxford, so we went to eat at the Turf Pub (where Clinton smoked but not inhaled!). I had some fish and chips which were probably the worst I have had here, but they were okay. Then, we were off to the museum. We saw a dodo bird's skeleton, dinosaur bones, and a bunch of displays which had models of mammals from around the world. Laura is evidently afraid of cockroaches, and of course, the museum has a pretty big tank of live ones. She freaked (not really, but her reaction was priceless) and refused to even look at the tank (sounds like someone I know with snakes). In the front yard of the museum, they have actual dinosaur tracks which they found in the limestone, so you can walk where the dinos walked. Then, we came back for class. The last CFB class was pretty interesting as always. Dr. Palmer talked about the Welfare State in Britain. What does the National Health Service do? What are the advantages/disadvantages to having such a system? Can Britain sustain this tpe of government? In a survey, over 80% of Britons said they would pay higher taxes to keep the system in place, but no politician wants to be the one to raise taxes even though it is necessary because they want to save their political careers (thank God for bureaucracy and politics). I am going to have conferences with each of my teachers about my papers on Friday (Dr. Almond at 5:30 and Dr. Palmer right after), so that should be fun (yay). For dinner, we had some strange tomato-pizzaish type thing (I didn't eat it), sausage and mash (good and definitely not the "wurst" -- sorry you had to see that coming), and a chocolate cake (delicious). The Shakespeare classes had a drink party in the JCR, but Matt and I snuck in anyway, and we helped our team win the quiz night (I didn't contribute much to it because I don't know random facts about Shakespeare and Chaucer, but I contributed a few answers including pulling Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from my rear -- it's the only Medieval poem I know of). Then, we watched the Much Ado About Nothing with just about every star in Hollywood (Denzel Washington, Kenneth Brannagh, Kate Beckinsale, Emma Thompson, and a bunch of other actors). It was really good. I really liked it. By the end, it was about 12, so we all went to bed.

Observations:
- This has started to annoy me. On British keyboards, the @ is not above the 2. It switches places with the ". The # is not above the 3 as it is now where the enter button usually is, so when I try to hit enter, a # comes up and I say ~%&*. A £ is above the 3, which makes writing blogs that include prices easier.
- I heard "bloody" twice today, and someone else said "bollocks". Yaaaay!
- The grammatical rule about placing a period inside of the quotation mark at the end of sentences is dumb and makes no sense. Seriously, the period is supposed to end the sentence, but the quotation mark is still hanging out there. If you're quoting a sentence, then putting it there makes sense, but something like "bollocks" doesn't need a period inside the quotation mark. I refuse to do it anymore on this blog in protest.

Man Better Than Woman?

2008-07-15T13:33:00.002+01:00

Well, I'm done with my papers. John J is done with his papers. Matt is done with his papers. Jon F is done with his papers. Laura is not done with her papers. Ashley is not done with her papers. Arlene is not done with her papers. I guess this proves that man is better than woman ( :) ).

Monday
I woke up at 8 o'clock for some reason, and I couldn't go back to sleep for the next half an hour. I got up and took a shower and had about 30 minutes before my first class with which I had no idea what to do. During the Cold War class, we talked about Western Europe and how they were struggling through the new generations in the 1960's. Kids who had been educated as Hitler Youth were now rising to power in Germany and were bringing back some (but very few) Nazi policies, and the German population and the Allies had to find a way to overturn a new rise in fascism. The younger generation also began to question the older generation about what they did during WWII (so, what were you doing Grandpa during the Holocaust? Um, uh, I, uh, drove a train). This produced an uncomfortable atmosphere between the generations as the younger generation criticized and rebelled. In the plenary lecture, Dr. Palmer talked about Religion in Britain, and it was pretty interesting. Only 8% of Britain attends a service regularly (compared with 40% in the US). This brings up several questions. Does church = religious? Can one still believe without belonging? Why is there such a substantial difference between the US and Britain? Was it the Puritans? A lot of good and very provocative questions. It was actually a fairly hot topic at lunch (which was bad by the way -- cold fish and pasta salads with a warm pasta that wasn't any good either) as Americans tried to understand how this worked. One thing I found interesting was that religion never comes up in British politics. In the US, Obama had to defend his Christianity against those who saw his name and thought he was Muslim. Some say that having a black or woman President would prove we believe in equality, but I'd be more impressed if we allowed a Muslim President. Anyway, then I took my books back to the Social Sciences library and walked around looking for souvenirs. I found a poster of the Oxford Pub Crawl (you can color in the buildings when you go to the pub), so I bought it for my apartment. It was only £5. During the CFB class, we discussed crime in Britain. Men, no surprise, commit more crime than women, especially violent crime. However, women commit almost as many thefts as men. The ages committing the most crime are 18 for boys and women (she said it may have to do with girls being more mature, thereby going through teenage angst earlier than boys). What I found interesting was some of the ways they try to curb crime. One is the Anti-Social Behavioral Order where someone can complain about someone else, and that someone else will be restricted from doing something (ie. I play loud music, you complain, I can't play music after 10). Knowing kids, when someone does that, you automatically either want to do it louder just to tick the person off or you find somewhere else to do it. The part I was surprised, well not too surprised, about was that some people are proud of this. They are proud they got in trouble. As you can see, this didn't work too well. It actually created more tension between the generations as the kids thought the older generations were just trying to ruin their fun. It has also been found to have been abused by older people when they complain about kids (for instance, when they play sports in the streets during the day, older people will call and complain). After class, we had a disappointing dinner. The appetizer was asparagus, so I didn't eat that (eeeewwww). The main course was a salmon with a tomato/onion/breading covering, so I just took off the covering and ate the salmon part. When looking at the menu, it said we were going to have pumpkin pie, so I was really excited. In the end, we had a cake of some sort. Later, John J and I went out to celebrate having finished our papers (Matt was sick -- maybe because of the fish?), so we had a pint at the White Horse. Then, we just walked around the town towards a part where we hadn't gone before, and now we know why we didn't go there (there's nothing to see). We came back, and Matt was feeling better after taking a nap. We hung out in John J's room for a little bit eating Pringles and Ritz crackers with tea. On the top of our doors, they have names (I guess of whoever lives there during the year), so we have been calling each other by those names. John J is Humphrey, Matt is Turner, and I am Schwiebert (yes, Schwiebert). We sat around talking in bad English accents for awhile until Ashley came up (she finally finished her papers, but we still haven't seen signs of Laura), so we felt we should elevate our conversation in the presence of a lady. Around 1, I went to bed.

Observations:
- Earl Grey smells like flowers (good) but tastes like them as well (bad). English Breakfast is the clubhouse leader for best hot tea.
- "Pudding" in Britain means essentially any type of dessert in a square or rectangular shape. "Pie" is mostly a dinner course. When trying to explain what "pudding" is in the US, we couldn't come up with a better explanation than "a gel-like substance that has a chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry flavor". None of us knew what was really in pudding (don't say an instant Jell-o pudding mix because we already tried).

Pictures (Warwick)

2008-07-13T21:15:00.004+01:00

The outside of the castle (I really like this picture).

The inside of the castle.

Hey, they didn't have these back then.

Downtown Warwick with a little castle on the bottom.

Trebuchet!

Another shot of the inside of the castle.

Victoria's Secret ... Rose Garden

The other side of the outside of the castle.

Peacock!

Lots and lots of weapons.

My favorite torture -- just put 'em in the pit and leave 'em. What does that say about me?

Tweed and Stone

2008-07-13T20:23:00.003+01:00

Yay! I'm done with papers! I finished yesterday, so today, I reviewed them again and printed them out. They now await the turning in stage. Right now, everyone else is freaking out and trying to finish papers as most are due tomorrow or Tuesday. Anyway, I'll tell you a story ... of a boy named Mark:

Saturday
I woke up about 9 o'clock in a very weird state (North Dakota). I thought I heard the fire alarm go off, but when I awoke and could, you know ... grasp anything at all ..., the sound stopped. So there I was ... very confused. On one hand, the fire alarm may have just gone off, but on the other, it could have been a police car. On another hand (hold on I need to find an octopus), it may have been my imagination. So I'm standing in the middle of my room, confused, and I decided to go find out what happened. First, I think if it was the fire alarm I should have heard it and it should still be going. Second, it doesn't seem as though there are any noises coming from the hall, meaning no one is moving. So then I think the alarm must have been going off for awhile, and therefore, everyone had already left. Slowly, I put on some shorts and a t-shirt to walk out into the hall. I see nothing. So what do I do? I go back to sleep. It doesn't make any sense, and when I woke up, I was even more confused because I didn't even know if any of that even happened. Maybe it was a dream. Come to find out later, they had tested the fire alarm, which only needed to find out that it worked. Therefore, I did hear it, am not crazy, and made the right decision to go back to bed. Then, I had to figure out what to do, and luckily, I found Jon F. We decided to get some lunch eventually, and on the way, we found Matt to come with us. We went to Pizza Express which was okay but not the same as American pizza (even though I had the "American Pizza" -- which was just pepperoni). Matt and I then walking through High Street, where all the shopping is. Matt was looking for a tweed blazer as it is the quintessential "Oxford thing." We walked around for about four hours, went through numerous shops, and found nothing (well, nothing under ₤100 at least). Finally, we ended up at Blackwell's looking through books and getting some hot chocolate. For dinner, Matt, John J, and I didn't really know what to do. Dinner has been a little dodgy at times, but we didn't know what they were having. Once we found out, we decided the Opium Den would be a better choice. It was. Actually, it was really good (itch, scratch, need another fix) and wasn't really expensive. I had the sweet and sour chicken to compare with Chinese food in the States, and this was better. It was actually really good. We are thinking about going again (itch, scratch, need another fix). Later, we worked on some papers and hung out in Matt's room (I know we seem to do this quite a bit, but we actually have quite a bit of fun, although explaining the conversations would be incriminating). Around 11, we decided to go to Hassan's which is this street vendor-in-a-van that sells kebobs and chips. I got the chicken and cheese chips which were really good. This isn't the first trip we've made to the man at this point, and we always get the same reaction. We order our food, he cooks it, and then he attempts to give us sauce for our food (It's free. Seriously, no charge. Don't you want some garlic mayonnaise? Ketchup? Spicy tomato sauce?). You have to be stern with him. The first time, we wavered, and he won. This time, we held our ground. You would have been proud. Then, we went back up to the room, and I went to bed shortly thereafter. Because ...

Sunday
I had to get up early for Warwick. We left about 10, and there were only 20 of us. The rest I believe were writing/sleeping/both. I hung out with Jill Abney (the teacher in the ESU program with us) and Kelvin (the student assistant), who I finally understand. Warwick is really cool (pictures should be up in a minute), but there isn't much to do. We walked on the ramparts, the mound, saw some armor, some torture instruments, and a trebuchet. All of which were really neat. I was slightly disappointed with the torture instruments because there were only three, and I hoped there would be a few more (I wonder how many scientific discoveries have been made because people tried to find the most effective torture technique). There was also a ghost tour, which was only about 10 minutes long. The entire time before, I was thinking back to Disney World when I was younger. It has a haunted house attraction. At first, I was excited, but then after the first room, I went in to panic mode. I remember a train ride through some area with mirrors, and I just completely freaked. This time was much better. Except, there was a group of 13 year old Spanish girls that shrieked during the entire thing, and I have no idea what the story was. There were some really good wax sculptures throughout the castle, and so we were supposed to think the figures were wax (some were). At the opportune time, they jumped out to scare everyone. There was always one in the corner hiding. Kelvin and I always seemed to be the last ones out of the room, and they always breathed "You're next" onto Kelvin's neck. By the end, Kelvin just said, "Thanks mate" and left. After walking around for a few hours and walking up many, many steps and most of them were in a cramped, spiral staircase, we were fairly tired. The bus left at 4, and I took a nap. When we got back, I printed out my papers and went to dinner. We had a tomato soup (which tasted like Chef Boyardee sauce that is on the ravioli), roast with Yorkshire pudding and broccoli (very good), and then a terribly unappetizing-looking dessert that was pretty good (it was an apple crumble we come to find out, but it looked more like an octopus). Now, I sit here typing this, and I think we are going to possibly try going to a pub if people finish papers. Otherwise, we will probably have some tea in Matt's room. The plan for this upcoming week is to be a bit more adventurous.

Observations:
- The money (as in paper money) is not the same size through the denominations. Twenties are bigger than tens, and tens are bigger than fives. They aren't uniform like American money, and I find that strange. No one can explain that to me.
- Bus drivers really do drive like the one in Harry Potter on the Knight Bus. In and out, over and under. We almost hit a cyclist and a pole, but fortunately, the driver seemed to have everything under control.
- The porters are our friend. They will do anything for you. They have sent my mail, helped me find my keys (they were on his desk ... long story), gave me laundry tokens, and, today, let me use the stapler. They are very helpful.
- British people think we're funny, but we're not allowed to think they're funny.
- The British are not Europeans (little did I know, but they don't want to be associated with Europe).

Pictures (Around Oxford with a Guide)

2008-07-12T21:04:00.005+01:00

In the presence of brilliance -- where Tolkien and Lewis hung out and wrote some inconsequential stuff.

Oh the humanity!

Now, we know where Coleridge hung out.

Where Bill Clinton smoked but not inhaled.

I swear I'm standing in the sunshine, but it appears that armageddon is on its way.

What does this fortress protect? Books. Lots of books. Close to ten million different books to be more exact. This is the Bodleian Library, and it receives every new book published in the British Isles (even pornography).

... or in case of curiosity.

The secret passageway!

Hogwarts ... I mean the Hall.

St. Mary the Virgin Church (the official Oxford church)

Oriel College's dining hall. Cecil Rhodes, of the Rhodes Scholarship, is in the middle. University College didn't want him, so Oriel College accepted him and is now benefiting from his immense fortune.

Mr. Bodley (the man who donated the money for the Bodleian Library)

James I's queen lived here during her time. They cut a hole in the wall in order to allow her to walk directly to the high table in the Hall in Merton (I think) College.

So That's What I Took a Picture Of

2008-07-12T11:18:00.003+01:00

It's about 11:30 here on Saturday morning, and I'm goofing off before Jon F and I go to find lunch somewhere. Hopefully, I'll finish my last paper this afternoon as I only have about a paragraph and half left (including the conclusion). I never know how my papers will turn out. It all makes sense in my head, but I worry that it won't make sense to other people. When we have our conferences next Friday, I half expect the teacher to say, "This is probably the worst paper I have ever seen!" I doubt that will happen, but you get my point. I went through and found the information, wrote the paper, and edited it, so it should be okay. However, I like to worry (well, not "like" but "have to") about just about everything. All in all, I only need a decent grade for the credit, but I'm a perfectionist and won't be happy unless I get an A, a pat on the back, and an award of some kind.

Friday
I woke up about 9:30 in order to shave. Then, I meandered downstairs to the lecture room for the lecture. This time, Dr. Almond, my Cold War teacher, gave the lecture on Regime Change in Europe. I finally figured out what the problem has been. He really is boring. Not really boring, but he doesn't speak very loudly or forcefully at any point. He is incredibly intelligent with a lot of good stories about being in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, but his voice will just put you to sleep. Matt and a few others made the same comment, so I guess that might be the problem. Anyway, the lecture was pretty good, but it was essentially the same thing we heard in our first class. Governments taking over needed to keep some of their enemy's officials in power in order to make a smooth transition. The best part may have been his comparison with the War in Iraq. After going through several successful revolutions and regime changes (the Glorious Revolution bringing William and Mary to England, the return of Louis XVIII to France after Napoleon and after him again, and post-WWII in Western Germany), he mentioned several problems with how the US has handled Iraq. The US completely dismantled the police, army, and government leaving only the US in charge of affairs. The previous regime changes were also mainly a by-product of invitations or acceptances to rule (England likes to say they have never been invaded, but technically, William of Orange brought a Dutch army to depose James II. Being a complete coward, James ran away -- that's not really true as his army essentially deserted him), but the people of Iraq didn't exactly ask for us to come. It was a pretty interesting comparison. After that, we had fish and chips for lunch. At 2 o'clock, Matt, Ashley, and I went on the Oxford history tour. It took for-ev-er. She took almost two hours to walk around the block. However, it was actually pretty interesting, but because Ashley came on this tour twice last year (why I have no idea), she essentially knew all of it. Therefore, Matt and I decided we should have just asked her to give us a tour for free because she predicted exactly what the guide was going to say. At least now I know what are in all the pictures I have taken. Then, we came back and worked for a couple hours until dinner. For dinner, we had a roasted vegetable tart (not great but okay), duck with sweet and sour sauce (good) and rice (not so much), and a brownie for dessert (by the size of it, we decided it must have been a French brownie). We decided to work for an hour and then go out for tea or beer. We left around 9 not knowing where we were going, but we ended up at the Eagle and Child where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis hung out. I guess we were there for about two hours, but no one drank much (I had a Strongbow -- I was hoping they had this Strawberry Cider they were supposed to have last time but to no avail -- and a cup of tea -- not at the same time). When we came back, it was about 12, so we decided to go and hang out in Ashley's room until about 2.

Observations:
- I don't know why I haven't written anything about this yet, but it really annoys me. The sinks have two faucets, one for hot and one for cold. The problem is that I want warm water, not the two extremes. They are everywhere. Someone explain this to me.
- Edinburgh is pronounced "Ed-in-burr-uh" instead of "Ed-in-burg." I was severely rebuked for my mistake.
- You cannot wear hoodies in some malls in England because kids with hoodies used to steal things from stores, and the hoods would obscure the camera views.

Crunch Time

2008-07-11T17:02:00.004+01:00

Well, I just got back from an Oxford History tour, and it was really interesting. I'm sitting here talking to a Mets fan (BOO!), but I'm so happy to find someone else to talk sports with that I'll take a Mets fan. Shakespeare, literature, and history are wonderful, but sometimes, you just need a break from the academics. Anyway, upwards and forwards to yesterday:

Thursday
I finally rolled out of bed at 10:15 to go to lecture. The lecture was fairly interesting. It was on whether or not "evidence-based" government is possible in today's society. Evidence-based government is using research and other methods to make policy decisions. Of course because the lecturer was an academic, he thought it was definitely possible, but he did a good job of showing both sides. What is evidence? How do you value different types of evidence? Which evidence should you use when? Does it always point in the right direction? However, he feels that academics and politicians can be smart enough to decide which to use and when and that making decisions based on evidence is better than just winging it (did you hear that GW?). I had an interesting lunch essentially made up of fruit and meat. The lunch line is really weird, and most of the stuff doesn't look too appetizing. So, I had these sausage rolls that look like Hot Pockets, a banana, and cantelope. After lunch, I went to finish researching and writing papers. I finished the one for my CFB class, and I have reached the conclusion that ethnic clustering is due to both choice and constraint (he triumphantly says before he has the grade for it). I even started on the other paper and got a whole paragraph into it. Then, I went to dinner where we had an appetizer of honeydew melon (I think) with ham and a dill-type sauce (I seriously think the British just wonder what strange combination can I come up with today), a dinner of lamb stew and mash(ed potatoes), and a dessert of pecan pie with ice cream. It might have been the best dinner so far. Then, one of the English professors who used to be in the Royal Shakespeare Company as an actor brought his wife in to talk about Shakespearean costume. It was actually really interesting. Green costumes can mean youth, energy, and prostitution. Characters will always tell you when they are going to change clothes or else that actor is playing a different part in the play. Even though some directors try for historical accuracy, they very rarely achieve it. She did a really good job. Afterward, we went to Matt's room to have another group writing session, and this time, we actually worked for about an hour and a half. We drank some tea and talked some more until approximately 1:30. I left at that point, but evidently, Matt found a secret passage way from his cabinet to John J's (they live next to each other) closet after I left. Sorry, yesterday wasn't too interesting, but everyone is starting to feel the papers coming down on them like lava from a volcano. Therefore, everyone is kind of refusing to leave their rooms (it's safe in there -- the cobblestones are hot lava). I guess you know that most of them aren't undergraduates when they are afraid to stay up in to the wee hours of the morning to finish a paper (no Mom, I wouldn't do such a thing).

Observations:
- Australians and the British think we are absolutely nuts for drinking iced tea. Well, you know what, I think you all are either British criminals or have bad teeth. So there.
- When you are inside, it is sunny. When you try to walk to Sainsbury's for a snack, it pours.
- I have no secret passage ways in my room (depression).

Thinking About Revoking My American Citizenship

2008-07-10T14:03:00.002+01:00

The weather is much better today, but it can change in the matter of about half an hour. I went in to eat lunch while the sun was out with no clouds in sight, and now, it is cloudy and looking to rain. Anyway, on to the fun proceedings that make me want to not be associated with other Americans:

Wednesday
So, I slept through my alarm a little yesterday. I am supposed to get up at 8:30 when my alarm goes off, but when it went off, I turned it off and rolled back over. Luckily, I woke up about 10 minutes later when I realized that I should not have turned over. I ran upstairs to the shower, got ready, and was just on time (you know, I should probably not get away with this once because all this teaches me is that I can get away with it). During the Cold War class, we learned about the Berlin Airlift and other confrontations that almost brought the US and USSR to a Warm War. It was a bit more interesting than past classes, and I had no problems staying awake. So, either I am completely adjusted now (well, I'm not really well-adjusted anyway) or the subject was more interesting. Who knows. During the plenary lecture, the professor talked about Chongching (Chong King back during WWII) and how it played a part in World War II. The thing is that he really talked more about the Chinese and Japanese War instead of WWII. However, they did happen concurrently, so they could be seen as helping. Anyway, he showed us pictures of the bombings of Chongching (the wartime capital of China), and they were the hardest-hit city during the entire war. He was pretty interesting, but he was trying to make a point that can be difficult to prove. During the CFB class, we talked about ethnic minorities in Great Britain and the problems they face (which aren't any different from what they face in the US). But she brought up some interesting points about education that I found interesting. Why are Afro-caribbeans the worst in school? Class, laziness, language? How do you counteract the problem? It seemed as though Dr. Palmer took the social class route with which I happen to agree. If they grow up in a poor neighborhood, chances are they don't have good schools, so then they have a hard time of going on to universities. That's not mentioning crime, peer pressure, and prejudice (intentional or unintentional) that can be associated with class instead of just races. Actually, poor white boys specifically are the worst students in Great Britain, but Afro-caribbeans are the worst group (by worst I mean judging on standardized test scores, which is a whole other debate because how can one test really indicate intelligence -- I'll stop there before I rant farther). However, studies have shown that everyone seems to be fairly equal in primary school, and secondary schools tend to be the difference-maker (we tried to come up with answers to this but no real satisfactory ones, so if you can think of one, put it in the comments). I still really like that class a lot. For dinner, we had another interesting but more traditional meal. First, we had Caesar salad, which was okay, but I mainly ate the croutons (one of the worst smelling foods has to be a deviled egg -- just horrible). For the main course, we had teriyaki pork belly, which was really like a spare rib in the US, that was good, rice which was good, and then this bread (someone said it might have been fried stomach lining, which wouldn't surprise me) that was extremely tough and fairly gross. For dessert, we had a chocolate tart which was, well, delicious. Simply put. What occurred later is what makes me want to revoke my own citizenship. We had another debate, this time on the War on Terror. The four panelists were all Americans. The first guy from Maryland was one of those "I'm going to say this as ridiculously as possible so people will laugh at me" guys, and I wanted to hit him (I refrained -- we're in polite society remember). He just ... urgh. Next, a "historian" gave his spiel, but it didn't make any sense whatsoever. He rambled on about Lincoln, Jackson, and FDR and how they took away civil liberties, which I guess was to say that it happened before in US history so it is okay now (as if bringing back things is always a good idea because we used it in the past; on second thought, can we bring back the guillotine for guys like the one from Maryland -- he has more good stuff, just wait). The next guy did exactly the same, and essentially came to the same conclusion (if they really came to a conclusion) even though they were on opposite sides. The moderator was pretty hilarious during the entire thing, making these "I can't believe I'm doing this" faces. Then, Matt at least was good. He talked about the "we've done more good than harm" argument, which makes sense on a certain level. We take away some civil liberties now in favor of freeing other people, and in the end, we all get them. At least, he had a point. Then came the debate. The Maryland guy went on to say things such as "3/4 of the world's population live in the Middle East", "40% of the world is the Middle East" (I think he meant that the Middle East makes up 40% of the entire Earth), and a few other things which I can't remember now. Then, a few Americans made some interesting comments about how all of this isn't our fault, the radical Muslims made us do it, etc. I honestly had a headache by the end. One guy said that he was on "the racial profiling thing before the ethnic minorities were on it" which I thought was priceless considering he is 40 years old, white, and an electrical engineer (not a political scientist, sociologist, historian, etc.). It was not a bright, shining moment for Americans. After that disaster, a few of us went and watched Richard III with Ian McKellen as Richard. He is pretty good in the movie, and the movie overall was pretty good (I thought better than Hamlet). Then, it was about 12, so we went to bed.

Observations:
- Ian McKellen looks no different in that movie than he did in X-Men. Just color his hair grey and shave the mustache, and he looks exactly the same.
- Americans can be complete morons.
- "Rubbish" is another good word that I should start using.
- The next few days look good for desserts (pecan pie with ice cream, brownie, and apple dumpling), but not so good for appetizers (the word onion appears a few times).
- They use onions (maybe leeks but most things I have seen say onion) on a lot of things and in sauces, most of which just taste funny.

Laughing at Hamlet

2008-07-09T14:06:00.002+01:00

As for breaking news, it's raining again. It's raining a bit harder today than it has in the past few days. Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that I have two classes today, and therefore, I really don't have to go outside much.

Tuesday
I woke up about 9:30 in order to shave and take a shower. For the lecture, Dr. Kewley talked about globalization ("globalisation" depending on where you are), but he focused mainly on economics and trade organizations. It seems as though globalization has become a hot word these days, especially in academia. The thing that gets me is that it's not new. Dr. Kewley made the statement that it began in the 1930's, but by the definition of globalization, we have been globalizing for about 5,000 years or so. First, we started off in our little clans rummaging around for food. Then, we learned how to farm. Then, we learned that other people had cool stuff that we didn't have in the village over, so we traded what we had for what they had. Then, we invented the wheel, domesticated animals to pull the wheels, invented boats, invented trains, invented cars, and now we have the internet. I think you see my point. The only reason we can freak out about it now is that we are possibly becoming more integrated faster. Honestly, globalization really takes the form of a cooperative empire. For example, the British had a worldwide empire before the 1930's where they spread their beliefs, sports, customs, religions, and economics to all sorts of places. Now, we don't take over territories, but as a result of globalization, we are still spreading all of those things, but peacefully (well ... not necessarily, but at least, we are less overt about it). Anyway, that was a rant, and I apologize. He actually gave a lot of good information on GATT, ITO, WTO, and the IMF, but I still think it's wrong to say we started globalization in the 1930's. After that, I went to lunch where I am increasingly realizing that getting things from the cold line that probably should be cooked is not a good idea. It was probably cooked the night before for dinner (the same food from dinner turns into tomorrow's lunch), but maybe they should reheat it. Soon thereafter, I went to the Social Sciences library to research my perestroika and glasnost paper. Glasnost seems to be easier to understand. Gorbachev allowed criticism and clarity in government decisions, and that allowed newspapers, books, art, and the media to disseminate information without repercussions. The main problem comes with that Gorbachev was not for freedom of speech, per se. He would not allow news on the space program or the environment, among others. So it wasn't a complete break. About perestroika, it is an economic restructuring supposedly combining socialism and capitalism, but I'm confused about what exactly changed. Actually, it seems as though that was the main problem with it and why it failed, so maybe, I should be confused. So, I was at the library for about 3 and half hours, and I brought two more books back to my room which I will probably read tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I can finish the paper by the end of Saturday. After dinner, a few of us went to the Quarrell Room to watch Hamlet because Laura, Ashley, and John J needed to for their class. Matt and I went along because we had nothing better to do. We watched the Lawrence Olivier version. I thought I wasn't going to make it. Hamlet isn't my favorite Shakespeare play, but the movie really dragged on and on and on. Anyway, we had fun making fun of it. Hamlet's father talked like Darth Vader, Polonius was hilarious (which is his purpose anyway), Ophelia had a really weird cry (a little overacting perhaps?), and Laertes' henchman was odd (fabulous was the more appropriate term we decided) and he fell down the stairs towards the end in a terribly acted fashion (we wonder if he didn't mean to fall, but the directors decided it was good comic relief and decided to keep it). Honestly, it wasn't terrible, but I'll never watch it again. Afterward, we sat around and talked until about 12:30 about random things and me wearing glod, knee-high boots with stars on them (you probably don't want to ask).

Observations:
- "Dodgy" is a popular word here, and I think I am going to start using it.
- Australians find Crocodile Dundee good but painful because it's a bit too close to the truth.
- Texas is the only state with the ability to succeed from the Union and could split into 5 countries thereafter.

Being Pro-duck-tive

2008-07-07T22:29:00.003+01:00

I'm writing now so that I can go to the libraries tomorrow to research for my other paper. I think I am going to write about how far glasnost and perestroika broke from Soviet communism. It should be interesting. Anyway, off ... off.. and today.

Monday
As I said earlier, I woke up earlier to go to breakfast in order to try the mysterious vegemite. Again, it was bad but not as gross as I previously thought. However, during CFB, Damon (an Australian) said that what I probably actually ate was marmite, which is a cousin of vegemite that the British eat. Whatever, it still wasn't good (really salty). Then, my Cold War class began, and again, I had a hard time getting through it. It has to be a combination of his voice (monotone), the time of the class (9 AM), and the duration (2 hours). He's a really nice guy who is actually funny, but I just have a hard time getting through that class. I don't think I've ever had that much trouble. Oh well, we learned about how history often was re-written in the Soviet Union. Originally, they had "Uncle Joe." Then, they hated Stalin, so his supporters had to do a 180 in order to save themselves. This continued until the end of the USSR. In the ensuing plenary lecture, we learned that there are new perspectives to the Cold War. However, she never really stated what those new perspectives were. She never really got to the point, but I did learn a lot about Ernest Bevin (Britain's Foreign Minister until 1951), Robert Schuman (France's Finance Minister during the same time), and Dean Acheson (our Secretary of State at the time). Again, she never really got to the point. We never found out what the new perspectives were. Later, during CFB, we learned about the occupational structure of Britain, mainly focusing on the difference in gender. Is the glass ceiling real? How much does pregnancy affect job acquisition? Does technology take away skills or give new ones? This class has really been interesting. I guess I'm a closet sociologist, but I guess that a social historian would be close enough. Dinner was interesting. We had mango chutney, naan bread, banana curry, and some sort of fish cole slaw. All of it was pretty good, but the fish cole slaw thingamajig (is that right? I'm sure there's a hyphen or something there) had a bad aftertaste. Since then, I went to work on my CFB paper, and I am essentially finished. I need to edit it and maybe add on some more, but all that is fairly nominal (well... editing isn't nominal, but it is easier than actually writing everything). As for the weather today, it rained. It was windy. It was cloudy. It was stereotypical English weather. However, the cool thing was when I went to get tea, I saw a duck walking on the quad's grass. Right now, I am sitting around for a little bit. I may wonder around to find people to talk to for a little bit, but who knows.

Observations:
- My beard trimmer died this morning. Honestly, I am kind of glad as it was never a very good one. I had to charge it up every time. Anyone have any suggestions? The bad thing is that I have to make a decision. Do I buy a new one here that has a British plug or just wait until I get back? I guess I'll see if Jon F (I have been spelling it "John", but I just realized his name is "Jonathan" ... oops) has one.
- I am drinking a lot of hot tea these days. No milk, but I am adding sugar (who would've guessed?). The main reason may be that tea is free and accessible in the JCR, but I like it anyway.
- No matter how much I talk to Kelvin (student assistant from Exeter University), I still can't understand him.
- Falling down rock stairs leaves one heck of a bruise.

There's the Good Ole' English Whether

2008-07-07T14:08:00.004+01:00

For the first week, we had almost perfect weather. No rain, decent temperatures. Well, I guess that's over now as it has rained for the past two days (including today).

Sunday
I did not do any excursions yesterday, luckily for me because it was raining a good bit. I woke up around 9:30 and stayed in bed for about an hour. Then, I took a shower and went walking around for a bit. I needed to get some more money (£53 for Stratford took a toll on the ole' wallet) and some other things, so I headed out to Broad Street, which runs along one side of Exeter and is the main drag of Oxford. I found most of what I was looking for, so I bought a panini from a local coffee shop (the Hall doesn't serve lunch on the weekends). For the rest of the afternoon, I researched and started writing my paper, so I felt as though I actually accomplished something for once. About 6:30, I went down towards the quad just to stretch my legs and get out of the room for a bit, and I passed a few disgruntled people. At first, I thought it was the weather, but I found Matt, who had heard a rumor that dinner was at 6:30 (obviously it wasn't). I'm going to go off a little bit of a tangent here. In our packets, it says that dinner is always at 19:00 (or 7:00), but it seems as tough each night a rumor is started that makes everyone think dinner is at 6:30 or 6:45. Now, the packet does give some nights that dinner will be served early, but this wasn't one of them (actually none have been). I honestly don't know how that happens, but people were peeved that they came out into the pouring rain for nothing. I never hear these until I walk down for dinner at 6:45 or so, so it hasn't affected me. Oh well. We finally walked up at 7, and there are a few tents outside, and evidently, we were supposed to have a picnic, but because of the weather (or as the sign said, "Due to the good ole' English Whether"), they had to move dinner inside. As it turns out, dinner was going to be at 6:45 until the rain delayed plans. The dinner was pretty good (hamburgers, chicken kabobs, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and strawberries and cream -- I didn't have any strawberries -- eeeeewwwww). Afterward, Matt, John J, and I decided to have a writing session in someone's room while John J and I also did our laundry. Actually, we ended up just talking. I fell down the stairs once because my shoes were wet and the stones were rock. It was fun just talking and making up really random scenarios (you don't want to ask because then you would think less of me), and we stayed up until about 12:30. Around 2 o'clock, I heard a random shouting match between two guys (remember I have to keep my window open, and I face out toward Broad Street) who were calling each other " you pansy" or "you panties". I have no idea.

Observations:
- English streets have a lot of cobblestones to trip, slide, and fall on when it's wet.
- I have the magic touch with the drying machine token taker (yes, I bet there is a better word for it, but bear with me) as I was the only one to get it to take the tokens (you just have to treat it right).
- I tried vegemite because I heard that it was really gross. It wasn't that bad, but I don't think I'll eat it again.
- For UK friends, I have now heard the phrase "paradigm shift" twice. For those of you who don't understand, my friends (I guess I use the term loosely here) created a game at 4:00 one morning freshman year when I wasn't awake, and then proceeded to make a game of telling me the name of them game but never telling me the rules of the game. They named the game "Paradigm Shift".

Pictures (Oxford and Stratford)

2008-07-06T12:28:00.004+01:00

Cricket in the park.

Christ Church (by far the best chapel in Oxford, which is seriously saying something).

The Hall's Croft (Shakespeare's daughter's husband's house ... maybe)

Shakespeare's grammar school

One side of the table at the Garrick Pub, which is the oldest in Stratford (from left: Ashley, John J, and Laura -- and Matt's hand)

The coolest, most awesomest side of the table (Matt and I)

Shakespeare's grave (as well as most of his family's -- he had to pay for it; it was not a tribute)

Shakespeare's house.

Wine in Oxford, Tea in Stratford

2008-07-06T11:26:00.004+01:00

Hello. I'm back from Stratford and yesterday's journey. It was a lot of fun, but today is all about work. So far, I have been able to neglect working, reading, keeping the nose to the grindstone (which sounds painful anyway), etc., but today, I must work. I plan on reading and doing research for my CFB class paper. I have a few of them read, but I need to read the rest and, if possible, start writing. Luckily, it is raining today, so there aren't too many excuses to do anything else. So as I continue to procrastinate on doing what I should, here is what I could:

Friday
It was nice waking up around 10 again. I feel like I have finally caught up on sleep, so I won't be sleeping that late anymore (until today where I stayed in bed until 10:30 although I woke up at 9:30-- I told you I am procrastinating ... la da da de da ... anyway). I went right to my plenary lecture for the day which was on "The War on Terror" (we seem to be having some really depressing lectures), and it was pretty interesting. Dr. Andrew Stewart talked mainly about how the "terrorists" can be viewed in many ways. George Washington, Nelson Mandela, and several others could have been viewed as terrorists by today's definitions. It all depends on one's point of view. He went on to talk about the specific events in the past that show that terrorism didn't begin on 9/11/01 (or 11/9/01 here ... weird British). After lecture, I went to lunch with the people with whom I was going to the cricket match. Immediately after lunch, a group of about 7 of us sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" to anyone who could stand it in the quad. Many people actually did stop to listen, and some tourists took pictures of us. Then, we went to a cricket match between Oxford and Cambridge at a really pretty park called University Park (we had some wine as well -- still don't like it that much). Luckily, we had an Australian with us to explain the rules because it is a little confusing. Some people say cricket is like baseball, but despite a few common movements and vocabulary, there really isn't a whole lot the two have in common. I think I started picking it up by the end (I still like baseball better). After that, we were supposed to have a debate on American Independence, but almost no one showed up (it was Friday, and I'm sure other people had other things to do). Oh well, we still talked for awhile. Then, we headed to dinner, but restaurants in England generally don't open for dinner before 6 and don't serve after about 9. Therefore, we couldn't find anywhere to eat, so we settled for baguettes (subs essentially) from a French shop. At 6, we went to Evensong, which was cool but I heard that a boys' choir is better (we had an adult choir). Then, John J and I went to see Twelfth Night at one of the college's theaters (which was outside), and because it was cloudy, Ashley, Laura, and Matt decided to go to a Tudor Concert back at our chapel. Twelfth Night was excellent. It was a more modern view of the play, but it was still really good. The acting was really good, and the interpretation was definitely of a British comedy. As I said, it was really good, especially because I have never seen or read the play. Afterward, we went to a dance club with a group mainly from Marshall University. Dance clubs are really not my thing, but I had a lot more fun than I expected. As I have stated previously, I am trying new things while I am here, but I think I might just stick to pubs from here on out (Can you end a sentence with three prepositions? I'm a geek, but I believe we have established that already).

Saturday
This was the day for Stratford-upon-Avon, where William Shakespeare was born. Stratford is a small town that is about a whole three or four streets wide by three or four streets deep. I expected there would be more to see and do, but honestly, there wasn't much. However, I still had a great time. I think people are starting to form little friendship groups (Ashley, Laura, John J, Matt, and I seemed to have found ours) while still being friends with others. It is kinda nice. Anyway, we walked around the city for awhile. We saw Shakespeare's house, grammar school, church (which he may or may not have gone to, but he is buried there), and daughter's house. I took a few pictures of everything. The most fun came when we tried to row down the River Avon (remember, I said "trying"). Now, we were in a group of six and only four are allowed on each boat, and we had three girls and three boys. I happened to be on a boat with the two girls, and guess who didn't row ( :) #; get it? It's me with my goatee). Before anyone yells at me, I have a story. The man in charge of the boats got the first three on there boats and jokingly suggested Laura row the other (our) boat. Well, it turned out to not be so jokingly. He told her to get in the rower's seat, the other girl to get in the back seat, and me to sit back there as well. I immediately said that I would row (the two girls were pretty small and the oars were heavy), but they insisted it was okay. Then, when we tried to switch, the boat almost capsized. Therefore, I was told not to move. It ended up with each girl rowing one oar with me sitting idly (well not exactly idly as I was laughing as we almost hit about four boats and numerous geese/swans/ducks) in the back seat. I really wasn't that mean as we were all laughing, and I have a feeling I wouldn't have been any better (considering my lack of coordination). We continued to walk around Stratford because we had quite some time to kill before the 7:15 play. Eventually, we found a restaurant called the Dirty Duck, but they tried to get us to leave by saying that they were full. As it turned out, they weren't, and they gave us a seat but told us that we might have to leave quickly after ordering and eating (we didn't have to). I had an apple pie for dessert (most of the others had the tiramisu, but I had to compare apple pies). It was pretty good, and it was made with Kenting Cider. You could definitely taste the cider in it. Still, I would say I prefer Marie Callender's Dutch Apple Pie. Following dinner, we went to the theater to see A Midsummer Night's Dream by the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was pretty amazing, but I am glad I didn't sit in the front row (I sat in the third, which was awesome) because the actors (especially Oberon) spat everywhere while they talked, which evidently is normal for Shakespeare. Anyway, the acting was fantastic and was not much ado about nothing (sorry, I couldn't resist). After the play, we came back on the bus and went to bed.

Observations:
- You are not expected to tip in England, and I was told it was actually frowned upon in some places.
- The British countryside is absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures because I just sat there looking at it (maybe I'll take some on the way to Warwick or back to London).
- Fish and chips are everywhere, but I have yet to see Shepherd's Pie.
- Still haven't heard "bloody" or "bollocks" but did hear "cheeky" yesterday.

Eagle and Child

2008-07-04T10:37:00.003+01:00

Well, I am sitting here before lecture. It seems like I have a full day of activities ahead of me. After lecture, I think we are going to go watch some cricket, have a debate (spoof on "Should the American colonies get independence from Britain?"), go to an Evensong, and finally go to see Twelfth Night. Afterwards, we're not sure. This is actually the most planned anything has been. I have to say spontaneity is one thing I have learned and become more comfortable with. I haven't had too many plans here, and it's been fun. Usually, at home, I like things to be planned out, so this has been new for me. Anyway, here's yesterday:

Thursday
So, I had planned to sleep in and catch up on sleep, but luckily for me, a fire drill started at 8. Therefore, I had to get up and go to the chapel where a fire marshal told us to get out of the building when the fire alarm went off (I don't know if I would have known to do that; thank God we had him to tell us and wake us up early out of our somewhat comfortable beds). I went back to bed for a little bit, so I guess it wasn't all bad. For lecture, Dr. Jahanpour gave a lecture on Radical Islam, and although he spoke more on the past and present than the future the title says, it was still very interesting. I learned quite a bit about Islam and that part of the world (not that I thought all Muslims were radical anyway). After that, we had lunch, and I had a really cool conversation with a girl from Switzerland (Did you know that Switzerland has three official languages- French, German, and Italian- and each has their own part of the country?), two men from Spain, and one woman from Denmark about languages, the EU, and how the US is seen in the different countries (I apologized for my countrymen when the Swiss girl told me a story about an American who asked her why they built a castle next to the airport). Afterwards, I went to the Social Science library (didn't get lost luckily because it is right down Broad Street with only one turn) to borrow four books for my CFB class paper. The librarians were really nice and helped me with my library card. They also taught me how to use the catalog to find the books I needed. I came back and read a couple of the books (Dr. Palmer told me which chapters were the most important). Then, we had drinks with the director (I think I like red wine better than white, but I don't really like either) where he talked to each of us for a bit. Dinner was another interesting one but much better than I anticipated. First, I ate chicken wings (with a knife and fork -- we were in polite society). Next, I think we had what I thought was quail, but some thought it might have been turkey, with red cabbage (really sweet and not bad) and small potatoes. For dessert, it was some sort of apple tart with nuts and raisins, so I, of course, thought it was good. After dinner, we had a guest lecture on the History of Oxford, so now I know of what some of the pictures are actually. Then, we went to the Eagle and Child, where Tolkien and Lewis wrote their books and drank fairly heavily. Of course, this was the night that I forgot to bring my camera, so I guess we'll just have to go back (which is good because they have a Strawberry Cider I've heard is good). Later, we came back and drank English (snobbish accent included) tea in another girl's room. Then, I called my parents and went to bed.

Observations:
- They are obsessed with the movie Wanted. I guess because of James McAvoy, but I have seeen ads for it everywhere.
- Mom was right. I have to push down really hard on the minute button to get it to work. How do you get the light to work?
- Tourists come in here all the time between 2-5 to see Exeter College, so while I was reading, they took a picture of me because I looked like an Oxford student at work (little did they know that I was just passing time).

Well, I'm off to lecture. I should have a busy day today and tomorrow (Sratford-upon-Avon), but I will probably write around 6 or 7 o'clock EST tomorrow ecause I need to say up and do laundry.

Pictures (Around Oxford)

2008-07-03T15:47:00.005+01:00

This is the alley way into Exeter College (left).

Radcliffe Camera (a library).

Oh, so that's where it is. I thought it was in Africa.

???

One side of the quad area. This is just inside the door. If you step on the perfectly mowed grass, you will be shot (I'm only half-kidding).

Doesn't the chapel look so picturesque? Don't look left (or below).

I told you not to. Actually, they are cleaning and renovating the chapel. The cleaning started last year, and it continues to this day.

The strip of Oxford (it has the most pubs per square mile in England).

Another view of the quad. The building is the Hall where we eat. Inside, it is a bit Harry Potter-ish, and hopefully, I'll remember to take a picture of it at some point.

Cool people (from left: Pren, John J, Jess, Arlene, Preeti)

Well, that's about it for now, but I hope to get a lot of pictures at Stratford on Saturday.

Communists, James Bond, and Education

2008-07-03T15:13:00.003+01:00

Welcome back. I just returned from the Social Sciences library where I borrowed four books for my paper for the Changing Face of Britain class. My topic question is "Why do ethnic minorities cluster: choice or force?". I think it is an interesting topic, so it should be fun to write about it. Hopefully, I will be able to read them today, tomorrow, and Sunday to be able to write the paper Monday and Tuesday (that's the plan, but who knows what will happen). Anyway, here's yesterday's episode:

Wednesday
Again, I woke up at 8:30 for my 9 o'clock class to run upstairs to the shower. Again, I made it on time. In the Cold War class, we talked about the rebuilding process and the division of Europe after WWII. Dr. Almond explained how both sides caused the division with their mistrust of each other's motives (warranted or not) in most scenarios. He explained how the Marshall Plan ended up being such a great idea, not only because it rebuilt Western Europe, because the USSR did not have the economic strength to do the same for Eastern Europe, but at the same time, the USSR and its satellite states could not accept American help because then they would become dependent on it. During the plenary lecture, Dr. Jeremy Black talked about the politics of James Bond, which predictably was very interesting. He didn't talk too much about politics per se, but he explained how the books became such a hit with England. Also, he talked about the differences between the books and movies (which is evidently quite extensive because the film makers had to change past British fears into present American ones in order to appeal to a mass audience). After that, we had lunch (which we now know is essentially last night's dinner plus some more hot items). During the Changing Face of Britain, we discussed education in Britain. First, we talked about how education should be presented and taught, should we put people into classes of students (Honors, Normal, Special Ed.), and who does the system support/suppress. It was interesting because it forced us to see into what would happen when we advocated certain types of education. If you classify students, then there are status issues, but if you treat everyone equally, then you ignore that everyone has different talents and hold up talented (academically) students while possibly pushing other students too hard. As for dinner, it was well ... interesting. First, we had an onion-type thing (maybe leaks, but no one knew for sure) for an appetizer, and it was bitter and salty. For the main course, there were chicken and olives and cucumber salad with a weird sauce that was part mustard, part mayonnaise, and part horseradish (we had a discussion and these were the three most popular observations). For desert, we had a berry cake with a cream cheese icing (I don't like cream cheese, but the cake was okay, although very tart). Then came the fun part. A seemingly benign topic, debaters debated the issue "Should school be primarily used for preparing people for work?". Well, this caused massive chaos. People argued over the definitions of work (life's work versus a career) and education (formal school or informal lessons). Then, we got off-topic somehow, and when a lady tried to point this out, the moderator dismissed her like Dikembe Mutumbo. We then continued to stay off-topic (but at least more on topic), and when the moderator said that he hated pushy parents, an obviously pushy parent was offended and stood up and argued with the moderator about the merits of being pushy (at least I care vs. you're ruining other kids' chances). I thought the whole thing was very entertaining, but some people were very serious and came out of it with a bad attitude (I'm all for arguing, but it should stay civil, which it didn't; however, no one did directly insult anyone, but it was surely implied). I guess I should clarify a bit. No one stormed the stage. No one was killed. However, voices were stressed and hightened, and the debate was far more controversial than I originally believed. Next week is on the War on Terror, so I can't wait.

Observations:
- "College" in England most directly correlates to "dorm" in the states, not universities at large.
- The British system of schooling is much more restrictive than the US (standardized tests actually limit the number of entrants to universities, and some kids start jobs at 16).
- People here are as obsessed about Facebook as people in the states.
- Apparently, in Manchester and Liverpool, the sound /th/ can become /f/ (it happens in the United States -- ie. Lebron James saying his teammates need to get him to the "fourf").