In one of our last trips together, student ambassadors for the London Universities International Partnership (LUIP) Visit The Shard!
Sunday Roast and River Thames Cruise
I’m going to miss London!
Although I have a few months left here, the thought of leaving brings about mixed feelings. I certainly miss my friends and family back home, but London has won my heart. What’s a girl to do? Perhaps I may start a series of videos. Maybe this is the first of many.
How You Say It Matters!
Just thought I would share a quick experience :
I had to go through an automated answering service to contact my ophthalmologist. I was prompted to say the name of the department I wanted.
The conversations goes as follows:
Me : “Ophthalmology”
Automated service: “Ok, Dermatology”
Me : “Cancel. Ophthalmology”
Automated service: “Ok, Dermatology”
Me : “Cancel.” ( Shouting) “Ophthalmology”
Automated service: “Ok, X-rays”
A million years later, it finally clicked …
Me: “Cancel. Ophthalmology” (In my Pseudo British Accent)
Automated service : “Ok, Ophthalmology ”
Moral of the story: It’s easy to get comfortable knowing that both the US and UK share the same language. However, the inevitable is that you will have to change your accent ( at least a little) if you want clear communication. I was “lucky” that the automated serviced “corrected” me. However, I wonder how many other Brits think I was speaking “rubbish”.
Rubbish = Common British Slang for nonsense
A “Selfie” Tour Guide of My Time in London
Recently, I was asked to give a short poster presentation of my time in London thus far. I decided that this would be the right opportunity to do something constructive with the endless selfies I have. Come on, admit it! Your phone is full with selfies, right?
I have embeded it as a picture below. However, if you click the link below you’ll have a better version.
Enjoy and feel free to ask any questions.
Fulbright Presentation In Ireland
An Underground Experience – Traveling in London
History
Opened in 1863, London has the oldest underground transportation systems in the world. It currently has 270 stations, 250 miles of track (source) , 11 lines , completes 3.5 million “passenger journeys a day” , with 540 trains carry passengers throughout central London during peak travel (source). As you might guess, when I first moved to London, I was overwhelmed by the complexity of the Tube Map. I bought a London A-Z ( Z said as Zed) pocket map to get around; however, I still got lost more than I liked. But thank God for technology! With my handy dandy IPhone, I had an array of map apps at my disposal of which I chose to use Citymapper.
Below are maps from 1927 & 2014
1927 Map Photo Source Photo Source
My Daily Commute
By now, the red, white and blue circle symbol for the Underground has become just as iconic as the Big Ben. Phrases like, “Mind the Gap” and “Stand clear of the closing doors” are all now etched into my mind. Traveling by the tube station has become the new way of life for me while here in London. It has been a significant change in my mode of transportation because I used to drive everywhere in the United States. In fact, for a few years, I drove 500+ miles a week commuting between my job and my church which were both in opposite directions from my house. The great part of traveling by tube is that I can actually capitalize on my time spent commuting. Since I don’t live near my university, I spend about 90 minutes a day on public transportation. This easily equates to reading a new journal article a day. However, on the days I didn’t bring an article, the overall underground environment can be entertaining. The following are corny yet funny ads that are posted throughout the underground system by the Transportation for London ( TFL).
The cost of commuting ( Underground or Overground train etc)
Transportation by tube can add up very quickly! The price of your journey will depend on the distance you are traveling. Travel destinations are broken down into zones (Range 1-6). Higher zone numbers reflect longer distances at a greater cost. Fortunately, students can get 1/3 off of their travel expenses which has been very helpful. For me, that means I spend around £97/ month versus around £120. However, if you travel through less zones than myself, it will probably cost you even less. Most commuters use an “Oyster Card” which you can use to load money or a travel card on. Each time you enter and exit the tube, you are expected to tap in and tap out so the correct funds will be deducted. See picture below ( although I did not tap in correctly here) :
A Few facts & An Exclusive Tour
Given its recent 150 year celebration of existence, I am enamored knowing that I am journeying through years of history that reflect cutting edge innovation and the spirit of pioneers. Luckily, as a student ambassador for my university and London Universities International Partnership ( LUIP ) , I received the rare opportunity to get an exclusive look at the London Underground. David Leboff, an author on several books concerning the Underground gave my group a revealing history lesson on the Underground. Then he took us to a “top secret” location to explore a disused underground station since the 1930’s.
Here are a few facts we received from David’s talk :
– During the 1920’s there were no platforms!
– Smoking only stopped in the underground in 1985
– In 1987, there was a major fire at King’s Cross underground. Since then, sensors and fire control panels were put in place.
– During the 1800’s, it cost 2 pennies to use the underground. However, like today, this was still more expensive than the bus!
– In the 1920’s, escalators were put into the tube stations. When an escalator was placed in the Angel tube station, it held the record for the world’s longest escalator. Now it’s just the longest in the Western Hemisphere. These escalators are so deep as some reach over 200 feet below sea-level.
Below is a picture of the London Bridge tube escalator:
Exploring a Disused Underground Station
Of the 200+ tube stations across the underground system, there are a small few that have been closed to the public for decades. The particular tube station I visited had been closed since the 1930’s. So, needless to say, it wasn’t the cleanest place in the world! However, given the history lesson we acquired, it was worth every dingy, grimy, dusty, musty moment. For security purposes, we could only take limited pictures and we were not given the name of the actual tube station. In fact, it is hidden in the public eye behind an inconspicuous door in the city.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with several flights of stairs following a circular pattern. In the middle of this circle was the former “lift” elevator. However, there was no escalator in sight as it had not been established at this station at the time. As we made our way down to the bottom of the steps, it became colder and darker. However, a twist was added to the story of this old tube station. Not only was it a former tube station, but it later became a safe haven for Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II. Therefore, as we proceeded, we not only saw signs saying ” To The Train” but signs giving direction towards meeting rooms for the prime minister and his cabinet members.
In many ways, this station was like traveling through a time warp. We came across an old telephone operator pull and plug work station, the kitchen and bathrooms (in disrepair) used by Churchill and his colleagues and architecture that was clearly dated. In all, I appreciated the experience as it was an opportunity to gain an “ground up” experience of London.
To close the day off with a little fun, our tour guide David attempted to spook us all while we were in the dark.
If you are or intend on studying in London, check out the London Universities International Partnerships program.
The Fortnum and Mason Experience : You’ve never had tea like this!
So, I’ve been on yet another adventure. I would say it was a tea adventure but that’s not the whole story. My colleagues and I were invited to have the Fortnum and Mason experience through London Universities International Partnership. Prior to coming to the UK, I had never heard of Fortnum and Mason’s (F&M). However, knowing this day was coming up, I asked friends and family in the UK about F&M and the first thing they usually associated it with was their tea. So, off I went to have a dandy time drinking tea. However, I’d just come from the lovely Betty’s of York and had fabulous tea there, so I didn’t think there could be too much more to having a cup of tea.
Well, as you can tell from my title, having tea at F&M was just on a whole new level. Like, they seriously took it there!!! Ambiance, elegance and great quality is what I experienced during my “afternoon tea” at F&M. So, I still haven’t said much. By now you may be thinking, seriously! Hot water and crushed herbs provide ambiance and elegance? Well, let me take you through my Fortnum and Mason’s experience. Afternoon tea was my highlight, but the whole experience is one I wouldn’t have otherwise fathomed.
Well, I was concerned that I missed the tour because I went to the wrong F&M location (huge indicator I’m not British). Luckily, the second tour group didn’t start so I hadn’t missed a thing. Upon arrival, this is what is saw:
And this! And this! And this!
So , my first thought to myself was , “I thought I was just coming for some tea! “As I looked around, I recognized that Fortnum and Mason’s was not just about tea, but it was also about an experience.
I think the best word I can use to describe my initial experience is, fairytale.
To get a feel for what I saw, check out this quick panoramic video clip below, however, this is only ¼ of the ground floor. There is just so much to see.
Once I snapped out of fairytale mode, I found my way to the “Drawing Room” on the fourth floor. But before I tell you about that, check out these beautiful spiral stairs, with a beautiful view from each floor!
So, i made my way to the drawing room. Again, I was taken by surprise. Like I mentioned earlier, this was tea at a whole new level! Upon entering I encountered what looked like a beautiful restaurant. But simply stating restaurant won’t do any justice. The initial space I walked into was called The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. Just a little FYI, Queen Elizabeth II recently celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 marking her 60th anniversary as Queen over 16 sovereign nations.
So it’s clear F&M must have named the tea salon to commemorate the Queen. Apparently, the royal family also receives various “supplies” from Fortnum and Mason’s. I’m not surprised by this at all. If I were the Queen, my midnight snack would definitely consist of one of the chocolate wonders I found on the first floor.
My midnight snack face:
Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
Yes, there is such a thing as a tea bar!
The Drawing Room
This room had two beautifully set tables for myself and other LUIP student ambassadors. I understood that the room was filled earlier, but we were lucky enough to have our own private session. So by now, you must realize that this is more than just tea. This is tea at Fortnum and Mason ! To be more specific, we had afternoon tea. In the 1800’s, afternoon tea was a typical light meal (before dinner) among the wealthy class served between 4:00-6:00 pm. Now, it’s customary for just about anyone.
Afternoon tea usually consists of a variety of baked goods. Of course, my new found favorite baked good is clotted cream and jam on a scone. Having a cup of tea accompanied by a scone, jam and clotted cream is called “cream tea”. We were told to simply enjoy it and not worry about the calories. Best advice I’ve ever heard!
Here are the pictures that capture it all!
To learn more about what we ate, check out this video that better describes the goodies on our table. The speaker is Dr. Andrea Tanner who is the F&M internal archivist.
We were a happy and content group
Here are some pictures I took on each floor
After our presentation by Dr. Tanner on 300+ years of F&M history, we were led on a tour by staff to view the rest of Fortnum and Mason.
Fortnum and Mason prides itself on providing quality products and we were invited to taste the Fortnum and Mason difference. The lower ground floor had a delicatessen, savoury groceries, meat and fish, fruits & vegetables and much more:
Ground Floor : Biscuits, Chocolates, Hampers, Coffee, Confectionery, Tea and tea accessories etc..
First Floor: Candle room, China, Teaware and dining, Cookshop, Crystal & Glassware, Silver & Antiques and more..
Second Floor : Bath and body, handbags, beauty rooms, cosmetics, perfumery, jewelry room etc.
So, this was my Fortnum and Mason experience. It was more than tea! It was quality, history, great service and ambiance rolled into one evening.
My Viking Valentine’s Day
A Trip to York, England,
Here is the cheesiest Viking smile that i could possibly ever give!
On the Valentine’s day weekend, I went to York with my fellow Fulbright Colleagues. It was certainly a memorable occasion. We celebrated together at a restaurant that looked rather haunted ( There were spider webs on the chandelier ) . It was called the Golden Fleece. However, the food was great and the portions were surprising larger than life!
Afternoon tea at Betty’s tea rooms. It was probably the best tea I’ve ever had ( China rose petal tea) .The rose taste was very rich and went well with my fruit tart dessert.
Betty’s was an extremely popular location for Afternoon tea. We waited 45 minutes in a queue ( a line) and it began to rain during the last 10 minutes of our wait! But it was certainly worth it.
We also explored York traveling along its historic walls…
Our day at the Jorvick Viking Centre was filled with fun information about the Viking way of life. Specifically, customs , trade, food, and battle!
We attempted to uphold the famously fierce Viking spirit by wearing armor. We looked great, but weren’t convincing Vikings at all ! I think we ought to stick to our role as Fulbrighters instead.
Here are some interesting artifacts archaeologists discovered:
The arrow on this skull reflects an injury to the head. The centre had many skulls and full skeletons that reflected gruesome injuries. No wonder they developed such fierce armor!
The Vikings were described as very creative people. They used animal bones to make goods for everyday needs. Below are combs made from animal bone. I even came across an ice skate also made from animal bone.
On our visit to the Jorvick Viking Museum, the archaeologists showed us an “interesting artifact” . They were able to explore much about the Viking way of life through this artifact. Can you guess what it is? Leave a message below.
Finally, we also paid a visit to the beautiful York Minster. Of course the sight was breathtaking. Ok, well it was nice and all but the 275 stairs I climbed to get to the top is what really took my breath. However, it was the best sight to see as the sun started to set.
It felt like the stairs would never end!
Midway, we were able to step outside and get a great view of the great detailed architecture on the Minster.
Finally, we arrived ! The view was gorgeous and I declared that I achieved my workout for the week!!!
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Happy New Year in Mandarin
As a part of our venture to learn about and celebrate the Chinese New Year, one of the LUIP student ambassadors tried to teach us to say Happy New Year. I’m so grateful that she was so patient with us! It’s certainly not easy learning to speak sounds you’re not accustomed to hearing. I can’t say we all got it right, but the effort was a great reminder of the challenges others may face when learning a new language in a new country.
The video above was taken at Er Mei, a Chinese Restaurant in China Town, London. However, before reaching the restaurant , we were welcomed with an atmosphere ripe with celebration. The streets were crowded with people, vendors and performers. The lines for some restaurants weaved around the building’s corner and children ran around throwing “snappers”.
As I traveled through the street, I was given a red envelope. I usually wouldn’t take random envelopes from random people, but given the environment, I was certain that it was associated with the New Year Celebration. The only problem was that I had no idea how to read it ( see below). However, I later found that it meant something similar to, “ Welcome to the New Year, get ready for good luck”.
This of course fits perfectly with the New Year theme which is a time for ,”good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity” (read more). In fact, the red envelopes traditionally are given with money included. However, that was not my luck. My envelope had a coupon to save money on kikkoman soy sauce!
We then went on to enjoy lunch at Er Mei and later explored the various performances throughout China Town.
Street performance from children from a local school that instructs in Mandarin
Finally, if one happened to forget that 2014 was the Year of the Horse, there were many people dressed to remind us of this!
So with that said, Xin Nian Kuai-Le !!!!
Learning About the Chinese New Year
Learning About the Chinese New Year
Aka “ Lunar New Year”
Here are a few preliminary facts:
Dates : January 31, 2014 – February 6, 2014
Called : Year of the Horse
Celebrated : Anywhere there are significant Chinese populations. Ex. Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand,Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines It is also celebrated in various parts of London, but particularly in Chinatown, London. ( More to come on this in another post). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year).
Purpose: Is a time for good fortune and wealth for an individual and their family. This New Year celebration was traditionally done in to “honor deities as well as ancestors” . Some express that it is also a time to enjoy a time festivities with family . (The following come from Wikipedia as well as conversations I had with others at the festivities.)
My Chinese New Year Celebrations at the “China Dream” Chinese New Year Gala CSSA UK
Located at my University, Institute of Education
I felt lucky to be invited to an exclusive event from London Universities International Partnership in celebration of the Chinese New Year. I’ve always heard of the Chinese New Year celebration but didn’t really know what it was. As such, I did not know what to expect at this celebration. All I knew was that most of the program would be in Mandarin.
Upon arrival , I listened to two men do “crosstalk” comedy. Though the act was done in Mandarin, it was clear that the comedy was similar to slapstick comedy. Here is a similar link from youtube that depicts this.
Example : Two young boys do Crosstalk
The night followed an assortment of performances. Here are a few highlights:
1: I Listened to an rearrangement of the song “Dear friend” and a composed song called “ Goddess”. This performance was done using an instrument called an Er Hu.
To hear what an Er Hu sounds like
Other Performance Pictures :
2. During the intermission, there were three women wearing a dress in a design and pattern that I was very familiar with. However, while there, it dawned on me that I did not know the name of this dress. Given that this dress has become popular fashion in the United States even among non-Chinese populations, I thought I would ask what the name of this dress was. I was told it is called a Cree Qipao. It is also called a Cheongsam.
According to a Wikipedia article, this dress originally become popular in the 1920’s by “socialites and upper class women”. Read more here
3. During the intermission, I also met another woman adorned in traditional dress. I was informed she was dressed in preparation for a “Pecking Opera” performance. It appears that I missed this part of the performance, so here is a short description I found online.
“Peking opera or Beijing opera is a form traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics”( read more here).
Below is the woman I met:
4. The rest of the evening was filled with an assortment of acts. There were breakdancers from Oxford University, dancers from Cambridge University , a pianist from the Royal Observatory of Scotland performing a type of tango, the Manchester Chinese Society performing an Eastern and Western influenced dance called “ Falling Petals” , a vocalist singing Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” and a variety of other traditional Mandarin vocalists.
University of Cambridge Performers
Some Thoughts
The various performances allowed me to “open” my ears to different types of tones and sounds in speech and song. Given that I did not understand the language, I relied heavily on following body language. I found that I was able to find “meaning” in some of the expressive body language when the performers were singing or joking. In a room filled with at least 500 people who understood Mandarin, it was interesting to see the crowds’ excitement and appreciation of the festivities. Though I could not share in the meaning of the jokes, the pride in the air was unmistakable. This has been yet another experience in London that has opened my understanding about the complexity and beauty of human diversity.
More to come soon….
Learning English : My Fulbright year in England 