That was a lie. Pictures aren't coming.
Turns out that my India power adapter doesn't work in the UK, which shouldn't have been a surprise. But regardless, I have a dead camera and two totally empty SIM cards. My bad. For compensation, I can paint you a word picture, and if you somehow can close you're eyes and read it at the same time, it'll be just like you're here too.
1. People actually say "Right-o" and "Bonkers." Whenever I speak, I still sound American. But when I think, it's really hard not to mentally impersonate every accent you hear.
Example: "Mum, come heah." It's priceless.
2. Everyone jogs and bikes kind of like how everyone in the States eats McDonald's and watches television. As much as they fit their stereotype, they make me really feel like I'm fitting mine too.
Also, bikers have to act like cars, with hand signals, red lights, the whole shebang.
3. "Mash" is really just mashed potatoes. It's not a trick.
But as a whole, London has been fantastic. My roommate, Brian, was the first person I met on the trip, and as soon as he got in, he wanted to go out again. So £7.70 and a transit day pass later, we were off for Olympic Park. But apparently a ticket to the opening ceremony was £300, and no job in college pays that well. So instead, we went all along the Thames, went to Tate Museum to see some epic modern art, and to East London to check out Little Bangladesh and some awesome graffiti.
I'm not a big art kinda guy, but there was an incredible exhibition at the Tate that attempted to bring elements of motion and movement into art. Is art simply caught on a canvas, or can it be expressed, recorded, and exhibited? Can it take on a life of its own? It was theatrical, dramatic, and powerful... and it worked.
There are 36 of us on the program, and the first night, about half of us went to a restaurant around the block called Night and Day. After, we went to Trafalgar Square to watch the Opening Ceremonies projected in the park. But after we listened to all the countries starting with "C," we bailed and went to the Thames to see the Eye of London and all that stuff around there. On our way back to Russell Square, we saw a giant escort driving by...and the Queen was in the car in the middle. Yeah, the Queen! So Day 2 was exciting.
Day 3, we had some orientation and then went to the British Museum in Bloomsbury (a four-minute walk from the hotel). Outside of all the Hindu and Buddhist exhibitions, which I will probably talk about more in depth later, I got to see the Rosetta Stone and some Olympic medals, which was incredible. For dinner, we went to Vegetarian's Paradise for some India prep. That night, four of us (Ben, Will, Tamara, and I) went to Westminster, and as soon as we got off the Tube, Big Ben was towering over us. I swear, it's so surreal that the picture looks like we got the backdrop from Walmart. It's absolutely beautiful. Then we walked to Garden Square to check out Buckingham Palace. A small part of me was hoping for a chance to see the Queen again, but oh well.
Today, these were my thoughts:
"Up until this point, London has been an idea, and abstraction as intangible as Narnia, and to see it become embodied by specific people, places, and the memories I'm walking away with has been an incredible opportunity. When I got here, I was alone and lost, but happy. I was given the ability to find my own way around, a place for myself in a city of thousands. But when orientation began, things opened up even more. I've met new people, and together, we got to go through London in every sense that matters. It took only took a few days to discover a whole new world, a lifestyle and culture that up till now was theoretical. No, I'm not alone or lost, but I'm definitely happy.
I know that India is going to be a whole new place with different customs and expectations, and it's full of people and places I don't know yet. But I will. Bodh Gaya is just waiting to become embodied and explored, to be brought into my experience- and thus, my reality."
Tonight, New Delhi!
Turns out that my India power adapter doesn't work in the UK, which shouldn't have been a surprise. But regardless, I have a dead camera and two totally empty SIM cards. My bad. For compensation, I can paint you a word picture, and if you somehow can close you're eyes and read it at the same time, it'll be just like you're here too.
1. People actually say "Right-o" and "Bonkers." Whenever I speak, I still sound American. But when I think, it's really hard not to mentally impersonate every accent you hear.
Example: "Mum, come heah." It's priceless.
2. Everyone jogs and bikes kind of like how everyone in the States eats McDonald's and watches television. As much as they fit their stereotype, they make me really feel like I'm fitting mine too.
Also, bikers have to act like cars, with hand signals, red lights, the whole shebang.
3. "Mash" is really just mashed potatoes. It's not a trick.
But as a whole, London has been fantastic. My roommate, Brian, was the first person I met on the trip, and as soon as he got in, he wanted to go out again. So £7.70 and a transit day pass later, we were off for Olympic Park. But apparently a ticket to the opening ceremony was £300, and no job in college pays that well. So instead, we went all along the Thames, went to Tate Museum to see some epic modern art, and to East London to check out Little Bangladesh and some awesome graffiti.
I'm not a big art kinda guy, but there was an incredible exhibition at the Tate that attempted to bring elements of motion and movement into art. Is art simply caught on a canvas, or can it be expressed, recorded, and exhibited? Can it take on a life of its own? It was theatrical, dramatic, and powerful... and it worked.
There are 36 of us on the program, and the first night, about half of us went to a restaurant around the block called Night and Day. After, we went to Trafalgar Square to watch the Opening Ceremonies projected in the park. But after we listened to all the countries starting with "C," we bailed and went to the Thames to see the Eye of London and all that stuff around there. On our way back to Russell Square, we saw a giant escort driving by...and the Queen was in the car in the middle. Yeah, the Queen! So Day 2 was exciting.
Day 3, we had some orientation and then went to the British Museum in Bloomsbury (a four-minute walk from the hotel). Outside of all the Hindu and Buddhist exhibitions, which I will probably talk about more in depth later, I got to see the Rosetta Stone and some Olympic medals, which was incredible. For dinner, we went to Vegetarian's Paradise for some India prep. That night, four of us (Ben, Will, Tamara, and I) went to Westminster, and as soon as we got off the Tube, Big Ben was towering over us. I swear, it's so surreal that the picture looks like we got the backdrop from Walmart. It's absolutely beautiful. Then we walked to Garden Square to check out Buckingham Palace. A small part of me was hoping for a chance to see the Queen again, but oh well.
Today, these were my thoughts:
"Up until this point, London has been an idea, and abstraction as intangible as Narnia, and to see it become embodied by specific people, places, and the memories I'm walking away with has been an incredible opportunity. When I got here, I was alone and lost, but happy. I was given the ability to find my own way around, a place for myself in a city of thousands. But when orientation began, things opened up even more. I've met new people, and together, we got to go through London in every sense that matters. It took only took a few days to discover a whole new world, a lifestyle and culture that up till now was theoretical. No, I'm not alone or lost, but I'm definitely happy.
I know that India is going to be a whole new place with different customs and expectations, and it's full of people and places I don't know yet. But I will. Bodh Gaya is just waiting to become embodied and explored, to be brought into my experience- and thus, my reality."
Tonight, New Delhi!
Joe! Your blog is wonderful! I am so jealous of everything you're doing! And your writing is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWhat hotel did you stay at in London? I'll be living in a hostel in Bloomsbury a block away from the British museum, definitely near wherever you were staying.
Good luck with everything! Stay safe!