Cinema, Sickness, and a Loquacious Trip to the Coast (if a trip is capable of being so)
Hey Everyone,
Well it's been quite a weekend! And quite a range of good and bad as well.
To begin with, Friday was meant to be a boring sort of day, filled with Kev's laundry and some lounging around before a trip to the cinema to see Saw III. It all began that way, but as the day went on, I started to feel more and more ill. We ended up going to see Saw III at the cinema at Surrey Quays, an area quite close to New Cross that is home to the closest thing to an American mall that I've yet to come across. It has a gigantic ASDA (the UK's branch of the lovely Wal-Mart Corp.) and several other shops and restaurants, many of them with American themes. Also included are a giant bowling alley and, of course, the cinema, which was massive! Along the walf from the tube station to the cinema, though, I really started to feel fluish, but decided that it would be alright once I sat down. Boy was that a mistake.
See, if the film that we were seeing was something like, say, Bambi, I may have been alright. But Saw III is essentially a 2 hour gore fest with no plot or continuity. Basically, it was just one disgusting human dismemberment after another. This theme, combined with my condition, made me feel physically ill about half-way through a scene in which a woman had to reach into a cup of flesh-eating acid to get the key to unlock the harness that was holding her in a contraption that, if she didn't release herself within one minute, would rip out her ribcage. I just had to leave, and I feel really bad for Kevin missing the film, but he left with me and all but carried me to my room. After taking some ibuprofen and a long, hot shower, I felt a bit better, so Kevin went out and got some take-away food and we hung out in the kitchen watching game 5 of the World Series. Apparently, one of the five channels I get plays American sports late at night. Nice.
After the trauma of Friday, Saturday was much more low-key. Kev and I just hung out for most of the day, then we went to Blockbuster and rented "The Matador" with Pierce Brosnan. It was okay, but not great.
Sunday, however, was much more exciting. Kevin, John and I planned a day trip to the seacoast town of Brighton, about 50 miles south of London. Brighton is home to some of England's nicer shoreline, and also about the gayest town in the UK. John had been there before, and was meant to be our guide, but he missed the bus there, so Kev and I just went by ourselves. We arrived a bit before noon and wandered to the nearest attraction to the coach station, the Brighton Peer. Basically, the BP was just a carnival tacked on to the end of a pier, with crappy food and annoying tourists abound. We left shortly after not being able to eat the chicken and chips we ordered due to fear of severe illness and walked about a comercial district in the towne centre for a while, which was nice. It's a quaint little town really, a lot like Gloucester, MA but busier. We then took a local bus to the Brighton Marina, a ritzy area like Marina Bay in Quincy but with more shopping. We wandered about there for a bit before returning to the centre of towne. Our bus back didn't leave until 9, and it was about 5 at this point, so we got some food, went to see a movie (A Good Year with Russel Crowe, veeeery good movie, you all should see it), walked along the beach a bit sipping coffee and admiring the beautiful sunset, and eventually found an American sports bar that was playing NFL games. We stayed there watching the Ravens destroy the Saints before getting back on the bus and going home. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't sick still, but it was a lot of fun anyway. The town was so nice and cozy I thought, and supposedly it's the most gay populous in the UK, though there were so many random tourists there that it was tough to tell for me.
Oh, and the highlight of the day, really, was the giant flock of seagulls that kept flying in circles around a giant rig of some sort just off the shore. Soooo random, literally, they just flew in circles above it, all in unison like birds do. Fun times!
Karaoke, Club Sandwich, some boring classes
Hey all,
So it's been a bit more of a colorful week than usual, as I decided to spend some more time out with my flatmates.
Monday, the Student Union was holding it's weekly Karaoke/Disco night, so I went to that with most of my flat and John from Peckham. It was actually quite a good time, and John and my flatmates connected famously. Kerry, the girl from New York, performed two Madonna songs. She actually has quite a nice voice, and did well (despite the fact that noone was paying attention to the stage). John, Justin, Tom and I tried to sign up to sing "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, but they didn't get to us before the night switched over to the disco component at midnight. It was a fun night by and large, and I might go back again. Hopefully Kevin will be able to come this time.
Tuesday was a pretty uneventful day, more like my typical weekday, but Wednesday I went back to the Union for Club Sandwich, an open-to-the-public club dance night held every Wednesday. This was a bit less exciting, so I left a few hours into the evening.
Tonight, Kevin, John and I are probably just going to cruise some of the bars around New Cross. It should be a good time, as I havn't really had such a night in the area since I've been here.
Oh, and the weather's finally started to resemble the British weather that I was warned about. It's been a bit cold, a bit damp, and mostly overcast for much of the week. Not unbearable, mind you, but not a lot of fun either. This weekend promises to be one filled with cinema, as three good films are scheduled to come out: A Good Year, Saw III, and All the King's Men. And we'll get to see at least one of them for free, as a local newspaper--The Evening Standard--was giving away free tickets as part of a promotion. Free stuff is always good!
Life in England is slowly but surely becoming more normal to me, and London is really starting to become much more familiar than strange. Aside from the constant fear of running out of money that seems to have taken up a permanent residence in my active subconscious, life here is really quite enjoyable. There are busy days and slow days, and days with busy and slow bits. And I've really started to grasp the local terminologies and slang terms. Makes me quite glad to be living with mostly local kids, as I fear Kevin isn't getting access to the same cultural exposure living with all Americans. But he does get to work with British people, and he's been telling me loads about all of the cool, progressive people that work alongside him. Seems as though his internship is turning out to be exactly what he was hoping for, which is great!
Til next time!
Someone's Stolen a Train Near Aldgate...No Wait, There's Just Someone Wandering the Tracks
Hey Everyone,
Even low-key weekends end up with stories to tell.
This weekend, Kevin and I were content to just find somewhere to rent some movies, watch them, and do not much else, so Friday, we did just that. We signed up for memberships at the UK Blockbuster (somehow not directly connected to the US one) and rented a French film called Grande Ecolle. We watched it that night over fries and Danish beer, and developed a new appreciation for the complexities of sexuality (but isn't that what most French films are about?).
Saturday, we decided to check out a street market called Portobello Market. Apparently, it's one of the biggest in the world. When we got there, we found out why. Basically, the market consumed the entire length of Portobello Street in North Kensington, near Notting Hill. There you could buy just about anything, it seemed, from fresh produce to fish to flowers to antiques to rugs to clothes to (you get the idea). We spent a few hours just wandering about looking at all the things for sale and all the people gathered there. Eventually, we did end up buying some generic England National Team soccer jerseys for 30 pounds each (a bargain). Trying to get back proved interesting though.
Basically, to make a long story short, we changed buses about a dozen times and eventually ended up somewhere called Queens Park in the borough of Brent, NW of the city. Tired and frusterated, we got some food and just hung out the rest of the night. But we couldn't have imagined that the next day we'd have an even more frusterating transportation experience.
Today we decided would be dedicated to blogging, e-mailing, calling, and paper writing. But first, our movies had to be returned. So we made our way to High Street Kensington to return them. After successfully doing so, we got some coffee and headed back. On the tube ride home, however, we suddenly stopped in the middle of a tunnel.
After waiting several minutes, the conductor came over the intercom and said that a train had been stolen near Aldgate! Naturally, we were all a bit worried. That didn't sound good. A few minutes later, however, the conductor came back on the intercom and told us that it wasn't a stolen train, but rather a man had been seen wandering the tracks near Aldgate, and all power had been cut from the tracks while they went to find him. About 30 minutes later, the train crawled into the next station, and we left immediately to walk the rest of the way home.
But all is well, because the Pats are killing the Bills, and I have Mondays off :)
Till we meet again!
Parliament!
Hey All,
Well every day here seems full of suprises, every day brings new opportunities. Well, I guess I should start on Tuesday.
I was sitting in my Music Aesthetics class and Kevin sent me a text message that said, "would you like to go to a session of parliament?" I said yes of course, and I met him after my class at the Westminster tube station, right across the street from Westminster palace, aka the Houses of Parliament. Apparently, Paul Holmes, the MP Kev works for, had written two tickets for his constituents to sit in on a session of the House of Commons. But because no constituents came forward to claim the seats, he gave them to Kevin. So I went to meet him at Westminster, dressed in a shirt and tie, and we walked towards Parliament. Because we had MP-signed passes, we were able to bypass the long line to get in and go straight through security. And then, there we were, standing in the main lobby of Parliament. Being inside reminded me of being inside some parts of Westminster Abbey. Ornate statues and wall paintings decorated the room, and the architecture made it seem like I was waiting for an audience with some ancient King. Combined with CCTV cameras and futuristic message boards displaying that day's scheduled committee meetings and what not, the scene was oddly juxtapositional. As we waited, I noticed that a lot of the other people who had come to sit in on the same session were not nearly as well-dressed as we were. Some teens were wearing ripped jeans and t-shirts, and most were wearing sneakers. In effect, this made Kevin and I seem more like we belonged.
As the session's beginning drew nearer, I got to bear witness to an old British political custom. Before any session of Parliament begins, the Speaker of the House and his court enter the chamber. Everyone waiting was forced to stand to one side, and all of the security forces took off their hats. Then, someone shouted "Speaker!" from one of the side hallways, and a few seconds later several men in official dress came walking out. Following them was the Speaker himself, equipped with his wig and flowing robes. Behind him, a man carried the end of the Speaker's cape and two more brought up the rear. It's astounding that a country so involved in the modern world can have so many antique customs still in use.
Following this procession, we were allowed to line up to enter the public spectator's booths. Several minutes later, we were seated and watching the British political process unfold before our eyes. It was like watching a meeting of the U.S. Senate, but with more discussion! On this day, the Minister of Transportation was present and was to take questions from various MP's concerning transportation situations in their various constituencies (e.g., "why hasn't [this road] in my town been fixed?", "why has [this train service] been cut back?", etc.) In each case, the MP has to address the Speaker with the question, and the Minister of Transportation has to do the same. For example:
MP: Thank you Mr. Speaker! The town of Aldwych in my constituency has a population of 25,000 residents, yet only 7 trains run to Aldwych station each day. Neighbouring Dulwich has less than half the population, but 20 trains run there. Would the right honourable gentleman agree with me that something should be done to rectify this situation?"
Minister: Mr. Speaker allow me to assure my honourable friend that train service levels in her constituency are being looked into and I would be happy to arrange a meeting with her to discuss the matter further.
Crazy no? After the session Kevin and I got some lunch in the Portcullis building, a building just for MP's and staff (very cheap and very good), then he had to go back to work. While I waited for him, I decided to explore an area near Kensington called Sloane Square. It was a nice little shopping area with a bunch of little shops and major stores all mixed together. It was a bit like Newbury Street I guess, but a bit more wide open. After Kev got out of work, we met up and had some food then called it a night.
Wednesday was a bit more boring I suppose. I just did some errands and went to class.
Tonight, Kevin and I are going to meet up with our friend John and check out some establishments in the Holborn area of London, near LSE where Kevin takes his classes. Who knows what the weekend will hold.
The Internet Cometh!
Hello All,
Well it has been another exciting weekend. I find that simply walking around London is so much fun, and such a rush really. This is such a cool place!
Anyway, we did quite a bit this weekend. Saturday night, Kevin and I and another Hansard Scholar named Shaun, who is also from Northeastern, went downtown to a place called the Sports Cafe. We were told that this was the best (and possibly the only) place in London to watch American sports, and we were all eager to watch some of the baseball playoffs. Because of the time difference, the only game that we could watch was the Detroit/Oakland game 4. It started at 4:30 EST, so that meant that it started at 9:30 here. We got there (after a bit of searching) and sat down at the bar in the rear of the establishment, with a tv showing the game right in front of us. But the place showed so much more, with monitors all over the place. And this place was fairly large too! Anyway, the tv's were fine, the drinks weren't tooooo expensive, and the atmosphere was okay. That is, until we had been there a while and realized that the music that they were playing made the place seem more like a night club than a sports bar. It got me to thinking that what we Americans consider a sports bar to be is a unique concept. Here, everywhere plays club music, which probably contributes to the stereotypes of Europeans that they go out and party all the time.
Sunday, Kevin and I set out to find the house that his paternal grandmother used to live in. Kevin's dad Keith was actually born here in England, and at his request, we were off to find his mother's old house. We were able to take the Tube there, at the northern extreme of the Victoria line, an area called Tottenham. As it turned out, the house was within walking distance of the Tube stop there. The street was fairly typical of an outlying community in London, fairly run-down, but not slummish per say. When we found the house, it appeared to have been converted into some sort of small religious establishment, although the signs that adorned the building did not look recently posted, and the condition of the small lawn in front of the house didn't suggest that whoever lives there now maintains the place. After taking a few pictures, we returned to New Cross to relax for a bit before heading into South Kensington. There, Kevin and I started watching this programme on the 100 greatest albums of all time, and despite my intent to leave earlier, we ended up watching the whole thing, and I had to take a night bus back to New Cross.
Actually, I rather like taking night buses. I get to see all kinds of areas of the city, and just experiencing traveling inside a motor vehicle in England is a kind of unique experience for me, even after having been here nearly a month. Driving on the other side of the road just doesn't get old! I ended up taking a bus from Piccadilly Circus via Victoria and Vauxhall, a different route than I normally would have taken, but it let me see a few new parts of the city, which was really cool. I think I'll experiment with a few more routes (there are SOOO many of them!) before I leave.
And, to explain this post's title, the people from NTL are supposed to come this afternoon, meaning I'll finally have internet in my room! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
~Zack
Into the Swing of Things
It's now been two weeks of classes, and things are starting to become more and more routine. I'm still spending money at a ridiculous rate, but I'm getting better at buying food from the supermarket as opposed to eating at restaurants, which is certainly a good thing. Still, I have an awful lot of free time, which has let me spend more time exploring and experiencing the area around me.
New Cross, despite my initial impression, is actually not such a bad area. While it is true that there are an awful lot of fried chicken and kabab houses (as well as a fair number of hair stylists), I've yet to feel unsafe here. I think that because it's a lot cheaper to live here than in central London, a lot of people who may not have the most lucrative jobs simply live here and commute in every day. The bus stops are always packed with people, and the train station is always very busy. But because a lot of these people are immigrants, many from the Caribbean or Africa, it somehow seems foreign to me, which might explain my initial feelings for the place. But having been in central London visiting Kevin a lot, I certainly appreciate the cost-of-living change.
Anyway, this week has been mostly laid back and not too terribly exciting. Kevin started his internship, and so far he's loved it! The MP he's working for is named Paul Holmes (I think that's how it's spelled), a Liberal Democrat and a gentleman who is quite involved in a lot of social action committees. Kevin will mainly be doing research for him, as well as answering letters from his constituents, answering phones, and doing various other things that need doing. Unlike a Senator's office, though, MP's do not have huge staffs. In fact, Kevin will join Mr. Holmes' research assistant as the only other member of the staff! Basically, it means that Kevin will be doing real work that really matters, which is great for him!
Last night, which is the start of the weekend for both Kevin and I, we went along with our friend Matt to the Charing Cross area of London to see a comedy show. The entry was only 3 pounds, which wasn't bad at all, so we figured we'd give it a go. It was actually quite a good time, as the venue was the basement of a local bar. The space was small, but not cramped, which made it so the comic was standing right next to all of us. There were three comics total, along with the MC. Personally, I thought that the MC was funnier than any of the comics, one of whom used too much local humour, which was totally lost on me. Either way, the evening was a lot of fun, and I look forward to another weekend
Another Weekend (plus one boring Monday)
Hey All,
Well another weekend has passed (which is Friday thru Monday for me, by the way), and I think that I’m starting to feel both more at home here in London and more longing for home in the States. It’s a strange feeling living in another country, even one in which English is the spoken language. But London is so much more than that. London is perhaps the busiest city in the Western world, certainly one of the biggest too. Moreover, New Cross, where I’m staying in London, is a bit of a low-income area, so to speak, which presents its own difficulties in regards to feeling at home. I’m definitely making a lot of friends, and I feel comfortable navigating my new surroundings, but at the same time, I don’t have that safety net to run to if I need it. Not that I anticipate needing to run away, but it’s a feeling a bit like not having health insurance for a few months while your company switches providers. You don’t expect to need it in the near future, but it invades the back of your mind anyway and sets up shop, keeping you always on your toes.
So how bout them Sox? (Did I really just hear that Manny wants to be traded again, and this time to an NL team?????)
Anyway, back to this weekend. This go around, Kevin and I took it easy. Friday night we saw “The Depahted,” the new Scorsese film starring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and (of course, it’s a Scorsese film) Leo DiCaprio. V6 pery well done, I’d recommend it to you all (but be warned, it is about the Irish mob in Boston, and very violent, but it’s worth it to hear Jack Nicholson speak in a Boston accent ;)). Saturday, we decided to hit some of the more touristy things, visiting Westminster Abbey first. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed inside (and they charged 6 pounds), but what an experience! The structure itself is nearly 1000 years old, and has been home to coronations, funerals, and other historic events in British history. The architecture defies belief, with arcane spires and clerical imagery and art galore. It made me wonder, looking upward at the high ceiling and geometric perfection just how they did it all without modern building technology. Amazing.
Next, we took a peek at Downing Street (the British equivalent to the White House), ate at a local pub, and then relaxed a bit before heading out again after dark to see some sites by moonlight. We first went to the London Bridge area, only to realize that the famous bridge that we had in our heads was in fact Tower Bridge (London Bridge is nothing special, it’s just in a nursery rhyme). So we went to Tower Hill, the home of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and walked from there along the River Thames, just taking in the sights. The weather here makes for wonderful night walking, and sticking to the lit areas it even feels safe! We left the Thames path at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a towering edifice fit to be a royal palace! Seriously, the thing is enormous, with more beautiful architecture and an aura of importance emanating from it. It’s really just too bad that the most ornate and beautiful buildings in the world are houses of religion. Why can’t mankind create such beautiful things in dedication to realistic world peace?
Anyway, we ended up finishing the evening with coffee and bread at a lovely little French café near St. Paul’s. It was a bit pricey (then again, everything here is), but lovely none-the-less, with a very charming décor and friendly staff, even late at night.
Sunday was a bit more relaxed. We took a trip to the legendary department mega-store Harrods located at Knightsbridge, only to find that we were about 37 tax brackets away from being able to buy anything there. We moved on to an area called Notting Hill, just north of Kev’s place in South Kensington. There we found a nice (but expensive, again) little pizza place for lunch, and a few more reasonably priced shops.
That pretty much concluded Sunday, and Monday was unremarkable for the most part. The only real action was a failed attempt to watch the controversial “Death of a President” program. Unfortunately, it aired on a pay channel, so we’ll have to wait until it breaks onto the free networks in a week or so. OH, and Kev found out which Member of Parliament he’ll be working for. I forget his name at the moment (apologies), but he’s a front-bencher in the Liberal Democratic party and the chair of many important committees, with a strong record for civil rights for all citizens and ecological issues. Kevin’s dream MP, basically. I’m so happy for him! He starts his internship today, so I’ll let you all know how it goes when I hear from him. Till then, thanks again for your eyes!
~Zack
P.S. I can’t figure out how to get the pictures to post to this blog, so I’ll find another way and include a link when I do! Thanks for your patience!
At Last, Classes!
Greetings Everyone!
Well, finally, after almost two weeks here in London, I've had some classes. Truth be told, I've felt a bit useless at times since coming here. I hadn't been in classes now since the middle of June, so it was nice to finally start in on them.
The first class I had was Wednesday night from 7 to 9. The class is called "Hands-on Journalism," and it is part of the Professional and Community Education (PACE) department here at Goldsmiths. Essentially, this means that the class is open to members of the community, and therefore the range of ages, professions, and walks of life in the class is quite diverse. There are three students in the class who are clearly over the age of 30, two of which do not speak English as their primary language, and at lease three others are post-graduates already in the working world. There are also, however, a lot of undergraduate students, and a lot of them are (ironically) from Boston. And, also, most of the American students in the class are Journalism majors in some fashion. This came as quite a shock to the professor, who believed that she was to teach an introductory class to older students who knew little to nothing about journalism. She vowed to give those of us who are quite beyond that level something more advanced to do, but time will tell whether or not this class is going to essentially be an academic waste of time. Hopefully it will be at least a refreshing change of perspective.
The other class that I've had, which I just had this afternoon, is called "Latin American Cinema." Funny that I've crossed the Atlantic to learn about our neighbors to the south, but it should be a very interesting class. While it is conducted in English by a woman who does not speak much Spanish herself (a bit of a disappointment, really), the class culture seems to be very conducive to good discussion. Contrary to most of the classes that I've taken in the States, this class seems full of students who really want to discuss, want to participate, and want to learn, and that makes for a very good class, generally. Also, I like that we are required to view the films outside of class and then spend the class time purely on discussion. I was a bit afraid that it would be a bit of a "blow-off" course in which we basically just watch movies the whole time. And the professor, despite not being a native Spanish speaker or natively from a Latin American country, does seem to be very knowledgable in her field, so that should be good as well.
Outside of the classroom, it's been a bit of a slow week, with a lot of nights in reading
Angels and Demons or just chatting with my flatmates. When Kevin gets back this weekend, I'm sure we'll do a bit more. Till then!
Weekend Madness
Oy!
So it’s been an interesting weekend so far, as for the first time Kevin and I decided to go out and experience gay life in London. Friday night, we met up with two guys called Lee and Mathieu whom Kevin had been talking to via MSN Messenger before we left the States. We met up around 8:30 pm by the High Street Kensington tube stop near the hotel that they were staying at. From there, we took a taxi to Soho.
From what I had heard, Soho is supposed to be London’s equivalent to the South End, but we discovered that there really wasn’t a lot there. Despite having been in London since April, Matt (who’s from Canada) didn’t really know a lot about London or where to go. Lee, despite being British had only recently moved into London, so he didn’t really know much either. We were then joined by another guy from Goldsmiths’, who was also new to London, and together the five of us wandered around Soho looking for something to do. Eventually, we ended up at an Indian restaurant that had a bar. After spending a few awkward minutes drinking there, we decided to just hail a taxi to take us to Club Heaven, a famous gay club somewhere in London. But when no taxi immediately presented itself, we decided to take a rickshaw instead. For those of you who may not know what a rickshaw is, like me before I boarded one, it’s basically a bicycle-drawn, open-air taxi. And let me tell you, riding a rickshaw at night through the streets of Central London is an experience not quite like anything else. Half amusement park ride and half death trap, that sort of thing.
Anyway, we made it to the club after a bit of searching and nearly hitting a bus, but not long after we went inside we realized that all the trouble was worth it. Club Heaven is a massive venue, with a sizeable dance floor and several lounge areas with ample seating. The bar is situated away from the dance floor and was quite long as to accommodate many customers at once. The music selection was good as well, with a good mix of house, techno, and some R & B.
At first, Matt wouldn’t dance (he has a bit of a patronizing attitude toward a lot of things), but Kevin, Lee, Justin and I all had quite a bit of fun dancing (and drinking) the night away. At about 3:00 am, after quite a fun evening, we all left and went back to Matt and Lee’s hotel room, where we all shortly fell asleep. Unfortunately, the room had to be vacated by noon the next day, but c’est la vies.
Saturday night was a bit more toned down, as Kevin and I went to see the film “Children of Men,” starring Clive Owen, with Lee. Matt didn’t come, but we met him afterward when we all went back to their new abode to watch the first half of the movie “Eurotrip”. At that, Kevin and I were tired so we went back to South Kensington and retired for the evening.
Sunday provided a bit of a reprieve from extreme action, so to speak, as I pretty much spent the whole day doing laundry or shopping for next week’s food. Also included below are some photos that I’ve accumulated so far, despite having little to do with this post in particular.
After now having spent a little over a week here in London, I think I’m finally starting to feel a bit at home here. I’m now quite good at navigating the Underground and I know my way pretty well around New Cross and the area near Kevin’s place. But this next week is going to present some interesting challenges for me. Kevin and the rest of the Hansard Scholars are going to be taking a trip to Scotland this coming Tuesday through Friday, so for the first time I’ll be almost totally on my own. While I do have quite a lot of friends here now, nobody can bring me more emotional and psychological comfort than Kevin can, and with him being so far away it’ll be interesting to see how I react. I’m sure I’ll be fine.
This coming week is also the first week of classes for me, so I also have a bit of a mixed bag of excitement and anxiety to deal with on that front. One of my classes doesn’t meet the first week, so it’ll only be the two, but I’m very eager to find out first hand what the differences are between British university classes and American ones. I guess only time will tell!
