It is so hard for me to believe that I have been living in
London for an entire month and that I only have two months left in this great
city. There are moments when it hits me that I am having a once in a lifetime
experience and that I may never get to live in Europe or in such a cosmopolitan
city ever again. London is so different from the cities in the United States
because it combines politics, history, the arts and culture into one
concentrated place. Although most cities in the US have a mix of these aspects,
some, like DC, are known mostly for politics and others are known for the arts,
like LA. I really love having the mix, because it provides a wider range of activities
and experiences. I am so glad to be living here.
The excitement
of this week began with the prospects of seeing famous faces around town
because of the Brit Awards. This is the English equivalent to the Grammy
Awards. Wednesday was music’s biggest night in London and a few of our friends
had tickets to the show, one of them being my roommate,Vanessa.
She told me about her experience, which included some time with the stars on
the red carpet and a seat on the balcony where she watched celebrities like
Taylor Swift, Mumford and Sons, and Emeli Sande perform. There were also a few
people from our consortium who won tickets to Justin Timberlake’s after- show
concert and Jay-Z’s after party. It was a star- studded few days in London and
we all kept our eyes peeled in case there were more stars around.
On Friday,
we took a day trip with our school group to Stratford- Upon- Avon, which was
William Shakespeare’s birthplace. I like to think of myself as a bit of a
scholar when it comes to Shakespeare, because I took a class last
year, am in 'Shakespeare in London' class right now and have had to memorize soliloquies
since high school. Shakespeare has the best quotes for almost every life
situation.
We began our chilly morning off
with visiting Anne Hathaway’s cottage, which was just outside of town. Will
married Anne when he was very young and they had three children. The cottage itself
was adorable, but the little working garden that was just outside was what
stole my heart. It would be my dream come true to own a house with enough room
for a garden so that I could grow my own produce. Next, we went into town where
we had a little over an hour and a half to explore on our own. My friends and I
walked through the cobblestone streets and found our way to Holy Trinity Church
to see Shakespeare’s grave. His epitaph reads: “blest be the man that spares
these stones and curst be he who moves my bones.” He is buried where saints and
kings are normally buried; he was that good.
After
eating at the oldest pub in town, we joined the rest of the group at Shakespeare’s
family house, where he grew up and where his children were born. There were
guides in every room who were dressed up in the garb of the period, that spoke
to us about Will’s life and how there are lines in his works that allude to
glove-making and tanning which was his father’s profession. It is still
incredible to think that a man who was only educated until he was fourteen
years old was capable of writing such works of art. His works are timeless and
it takes a real genius to keep things relevant for over four hundred years.
We had
another exciting adventure on Saturday, which was a Fulham v. Stoke City
football game. We were warned not to call it a “soccer” game, because the
locals would get upset. I was surprised by the crowds of people who turned out
for the game. The tube ride to Putney Bridge was quite cramped, but all we had
to do to get to the stadium was follow the throngs of fans. Our seats were
right behind the goal net, so we had a great view of the players trying to
score. The game was intense and there was such pride and passion coming from
the fans all around us; we knew how the Romans felt while watching gladiators
fight in the Colosseum. Fulham won, in the end, and we had a very exciting
experience watching the game.
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