Balancing Act: Academics, Internship, Impending Exams
11/12/16
I knew that splitting my time between an internship and academics would be difficult when coming to London, and boy was I correct! That being said, I would not change my experience for anything.
It is going to be so strange returning to Messiah College and simply being a student. In London, I am constantly flipping between academics and work, and every day feels different to me. I love that. Three days out of the week, I get to immerse myself in the professional world. For the other two, I heave my backpack over my shoulders and spend the entire day in a classroom. It’s kept me on my toes, and the variance in my days makes the weeks fly by.
Most students would love my situation: I only have class 2 days per week! However, each class is 3 ½ hours long, which means that on Wednesdays in particular, I’m sitting in a classroom from 9:00am-5:30pm. It can get pretty difficult to focus towards the end of the day!
I also failed to realize how difficult it would be constantly switching between academic and professional mindsets. With classes occurring only 2 days out of the week, it can be challenging to remember exactly what I need to do and work on it throughout the week after my work hours. Of course, it’s also difficult to focus when you get to live in the heart of London and there’s so much to see!
It has also been particularly interesting to be having my first experience in a secular learning environment. I’ve attended private, Christian schools for the entirety of my life, and being in a secular environment certainly comes with its challenges--especially in a Sex, Gender, and the City course where my views tend to deviate from the norm. In the midst of this chaotic time for both Britain (Brexit) and the USA (Trump), it’s been difficult voicing my opinion from a Christian standpoint during some class discussions. However, this class has become one of my favorites as we consistently get into riveting, thought-provoking discussions about the crazy world in which we live.
Another class that I am simultaneously enjoying and being challenged by is Journalism. While I’ve gained experience with this style through participation in both high school and college newspapers, it’s been so interesting receiving guidance from our skilled instructor. She’s a french journalist who has seen so many places and worked in various parts of the world. She is particularly interested in investigative journalism and many of her articles highlight social issues around the globe.
Our final exam in this class involves a feature article that raises a question about a certain cultural difference between the US and UK. I have chosen to investigate the differences in alcohol culture and whether or not the differing legal drinking ages in the US (21) and UK (18; 16 if bought by a parent with a meal) impact how young people view and consume alcohol. In order to complete this article, I will be interviewing people of different ages and backgrounds on their opinions about a legal drinking age. I will also reach out to educational organizations around the US and UK about benefits and downfalls of their country’s law.
Finally, I have a class called Work in Thought and Action that gives us students a chance to discuss the workplace and how we will apply our real-world experience in the future. I am also required to formulate a research project and paper in this class, focusing on something specific to my internship placement. Since I work in the distribution and sales department of Simon & Schuster, I’ve chosen to explore the ways in which sales and marketing techniques can be used as a lens to view unique elements of culture.
For example, different genres and styles do not sell well everywhere. The types of subject matter and genre sold by different countries can reflect the values and interests of that country’s population.
Cover art is another interesting cultural difference. I sat in on a meeting between the UK and US branches of the company, and a book was rejected by the UK simply because of the cover design. Different types of artwork sell better here and there, and I want to explore why that seems to be the case. If you compare the books that are published by Simon & Schuster in both the US and UK, you’ll often see that the book is the same, but the covers are different. Maybe it’s true--books are judged by their covers after all.
As my time in London is winding down, the academics and research are speeding up. Prayers are always appreciated as I enter into this hectic time of exam preparation!
London as Our Classroom
10/13/16
Today I enjoyed every minute of my three hour class, because we had the opportunity to explore some incredible places around London. We were able to see physical places that matched the subjects of our studies.
We just finished reading High Rise by J. G. Ballard. Written in 1975, the story explores the lives of various residents in a high rise building and how their utopian lifestyles quickly turn dystopian. The novel was based on The Barbican—a community comprised of tall, residential concrete buildings in London. (Today, the Barbican flats are worth about three quarters of a million pounds each.) This high rise community was built with the intentions of providing everything a human would need, without them ever having to leave the premises. There are gyms, restaurants, markets, and more. People hardly ever have to walk outside to get anything.
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As you can see from the picture to the right, the architecture features mainly straight, clean, lines, and limited amounts of color. It's intended to be a very masculine design that reflected power, wealth, and success.
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If you look at the picture below, be sure to take notice of the way the building sits up on concrete stilts. Even the taller buildings were constructed on foundations that sit above the level of the road. This design was purposeful in that the buildings were intended to be placed above nature, demonstrating man's dominance over it and the way we can rule and manipulate it.
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Far more recently, elements of nature have been added to the grounds in order to both feminize it and correct the ideology that we don't need to appreciate or be among nature. However, the Barbican community still maintains some of the ideals it was originally built with. It features a central garden or conservatory filled with plants and greenery, but it's only open on Sundays and holidays. There is still this feeling that the nature is kept separate from daily life in the building. Our professor described much of the building as actually being created for the absence of man.
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The novel was simultaneously intriguing and disturbing, as it explored how human life can so quickly disintegrate when people rely only on themselves and their own accomplishments.
It was so interesting being able to see the exact location J.G Wells based his novel off of.
We've also been spending a significant amount of time looking at the waves of feminism over the course of history, and after visiting The Barbican, we headed to the Museum of London to look at their exhibits on the suffragettes. Below is a picture of some of the medals that were given to women who survived hunger strikes in prison while fighting for the right to vote. Each silver strip on the medal represents a different period of time spent in prison.
This exhibit was of particular interest to me, because at that very moment, I was carrying my first ballot to vote in the presidential election in my backpack. I planned to drop it off at the post office on my way home from the museum.
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Historical artifacts of women who fought so hard for the right to vote were right before me only moments before I cast my very first ballot—an act that I probably would have taken for granted otherwise.
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I'd been so frustrated with the upcoming election and its less-than-desirable candidates that I'd completely forgotten about the simple blessing it was to be able to vote at all. I was thankful for that positive realization amidst all of the other chaos of the election process.
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The rest of the outing featured some random historic sites and interesting facts, but I'll include them as well because I found them extremely interesting! Right between the 70s architecture of the Barbican, the London Museum, and the modern glass business buildings were ruins of the Wall of London from the Romans. The walkway we were standing on was the actual height the wall once stood at, so it gave us a look at what a Roman centurian's view of the city might be (with different architecture of course). The picture on the right, a bit harder to see since it was further away, shows a section of the wall that was actually only discovered in the 1940s by accident. When the Germans dropped a bomb on this part of London, it revealed more ruins of the wall. I can't believe I got to see something like that!
The picture in the middle is of the olympic torch from the 2012 London Olympics. The museum did an excellent job of displaying this. My apologies for the picture quality. It's just something that's far more stunning in person. Each little piece of the torch represents one country, and every country got to create theirs in a unique way, so every piece is slightly different. I just never imagined I would be able to see things like this. It was one of the best days I've had in London thus far.
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Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
10/3/16
A group of my fellow students and I recently embarked on an evening adventure to "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese" pub. A pub has stood in its place in a cobblestone alley off Fleet Street since 1538. The pub that currently stands there was rebuilt shortly after the fire in 1666. Why include this excursion in the academic section of my blog? The trip was arranged by a history professor at Arcadia who helped explain the pub's historical significance.
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Infamous literary figures such as Twain, Tennyson, and Dickens frequented this pub. In fact, Dickens made mention of the pub in his Tale of Two Cities. It's believed that the pub's defining gloomy atmosphere inspired many of the dark, complex characters Dickens includes in his works.
The dim lighting and dark wood inside the pub combine to form a striking first impression. When standing outside in the alley, the establishment appears to be quite small; however, upon entrance it is an incredible experience winding through the many rooms and caverns. The building covers far more space than it appears to from the outside. Tables and benches are wedged into every corner and crevice. There's so much character!
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As students, we were encouraged to wander the maze of this pub, keeping in mind the renowned figures that once stood in our places. As a history-loving English major, this is the part I most enjoyed.
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It wasn't all heavy information that we learned that evening. On a far lighter note, we also learned of the famous parrot, Polly, that took up residence in the pub for 40 years. The parrot was so well-known and loved, that when it died in 1926, 200 newspapers included an obituary.
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"Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese" was full of character and history. The historical elements and significance were so evident in the building itself, and it was a privilege to supplement my learning in this way! I've stood where Charles Dickens and Mark Twain have stood, and that's a pretty amazing claim to have.
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The pub sign, featuring the cobblestone alley leading to Fleet Street, and of course, some great looking friends.
U.K. Academics
9/7/16
This morning I made my first journey to the London Arcadia Center on my own. I attended an orientation session on academics in the U.K. and what I can expect in terms of a work load.
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Academics within the United Kingdom are very different from the United States. Studies are far more specific and self-relient. A lecture is considered a class session in which little to no student participation is involved or expected. A professor simply speaks on a subject, and students take notes. A seminar is slightly more interactive. Students are typically split into discussion groups and asked specific questions about thoughts on suggested readings or course work. (I won't be experiencing any tutorials through Arcadia, but these involve 1:1 class sessions with the professor.)
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Back at Messiah College, we have suggested readings for class, but most of those readings include specific passages and page limits set by the professor so we know what material to focus on. In London, this will not be outlined for us. It's crucial that we read what we think is important--or the entire text--in order to participate in class.
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We also have an amazing privilege as students here, because we're considered members of the University of London. (I'll try to explain this as simply as possible.)
The University of London is somewhat of an umbrella term. It includes all colleges and universities that are located within London's central zone. All students at any of these universities can participate in a number of clubs, and we also receive free access to the Senate House Library--an impressive building with 9 floors of information and literary material! I'm particularly excited about this perk.
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We had the opportunity to tour the library and receive cards this morning. Fun facts about the library? The outside of it is extremely unique and fairly intimidating. It was the building off of which George Orwell based the Ministry of Truth in his novel, 1984. (His wife worked in the building.) Adolf Hitler also selected the building as the one he'd like to use as his base in England if he ever conquered it. Sorry, Hitler.
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Needless to say, this building is rich in history, and I cannot wait to begin using it throughout the course of the semester. My classes begin on Monday, September 12.
The front of the Arcadia London Center where I'll be taking classes 2 days per week.
The building is very centrally located, conveniently close to a park, library, and coffee shops.
The Senate House Library that I have access to as a student in London. Another fun fact? I got lost on my way out the first time. Not such a fun fact fact at the time.
