Abbey and Kim go to Europe

Elon University, Gutenberg to web study abroad trip 2015

[elonabroad-blog]

You Learn Something New Everyday

When I signed up for the Gutenberg to the Web course back in the early spring of my freshman year, I truly had no idea what I was in for. I knew I would learn about communications and the history of the areas we were visiting, but I had no idea what I would learn about myself and those around me. 

This trip sparked within me my love for travel and journalism. Before this trip, I wrote for The Pendulum and I'll be honest, I thought I hated it. But throughout this experience we learned so much about journalism and the different outlets that are used such as television, radio, and print. We also learned extensively about the impact that journalism had on the history of the time period. Whether is was used for propaganda or for free speech, journalism had a humongous impact of the day to day lives of civilians in every corner of the globe. After talking to the correspondent at Sky News, I knew journalism was something that had affected and would continue to affect my life and my studies.

Journalism is not something I originally thought would have a huge influence on this trip or my life, but boy was I wrong. It's amazing how a study abroad experience can impact your life far beyond the actual travel.

Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

Questions: answered.

1.    What does modern German film look like?

Many modern German films, such as Downfall, Good Bye Lenin!, and The Lives of Others, reflect upon the totalitarian and communist regimes of 20th century Germany. These modern films, as explained by the film museum in Berlin, focus on the reflecting on historical themes from Germany’s past so as not to repeat them. The Berlin film museum answered this question more so than the Frankfurt film museum since it focused more on movie content rather than the technology and visual techniques associated with movie making. The museum in Berlin also focused heavily on German cinema and German actors, whereas in Frankfurt we noticed the displays concentrated on American movies. From both of these museums, we understood that modern German cinema is very similar to US cinema in its style and content. Stylistically, filmmakers aim for the same goal — to produce meaning beyond what is being said on screen through various camera, lighting and sound techniques. Content is based around entertaining audiences, however there are often greater themes based around world and/or interpersonal conflicts.

2. How did German film develop from expressionism to what it is now? Both museums did a good job of explaining what German cinema is now, however I think the question of how it developed is still somewhat a mystery. The museum in Berlin guided us through a chronological timeline of German cinema, with some actor highlights, but rather than explaining how each era of film developed into the next, it was focused on explaining each era of film as its own entity. The Frankfurt museum was much more technology-oriented, and what we took from that was that German film techniques evolved with the developing technologies—as all film in any country has. As a whole, we understand the different eras of German film and how they reflect the history of the time period, but we are left to wonder what truly sparked the changes in these different film themes and techniques.

3. How did Americans view German Expressionist film during that time period? This question was better answered in our original research than in anything we learned in the two museums we visited. I think this question is of more interest to Americans rather than the broad spectrum of nationalities that visit these German museums daily. From our research, we know that Americans (especially American filmmakers) really took a liking to the works of German filmmaker F. W. Murnau. His films grew in popularity in the states, so much so that Fox Films offered him a job. We also knew that many filmmakers immigrated to the United States during the rise of Hitler and propaganda films to pursue their own film ideals. From this, we can infer that Americans really appreciated German expressionist film both stylistically and content-wise. Beyond this, the museums did not offer much more information on the subject.

-Abbey and Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

What Abbey wants to look further into

I would love to further explore and hear personal accounts of people who lived in Eastern Europe during the Soviet communist regime, andof people who are holocaust survivors. There are so many facts and statistics that I have learned throughout the years, and sometimes those just don’t hit home. I was intrigued by the emotion and realness that I felt when Peter Keup recanted his story to our class. I would love to hear more personal accounts of what it was like and how people really felt during the Soviet regime, and even extend it into other courses of history that we studied, such as the holocaust. In history textbooks, I think it is hard to tell how the people felt because they weren’t allowed to speak their minds during the regime.

 I think it is so important to seek personal accounts of these events, because sooner than later, most people who experienced these travesties will no longer be around to tell the tale of how they really felt and experienced life during those times. Personal accounts delve so much deeper than history books. I will definitely seek these accounts by reading books on the subject, written by those who experienced the times. I also will always be on the lookout for talks and lectures (Elon has so many events, maybe one day it will be a lecture by a holocaust survivor or someone who lived in western Germany).

-Abbey

[elonabroad-blog]

2 film museums, 2 different perspectives

After visiting the Frankfurt film museum, it was very interesting to be able to compare it to the Berlin film museum. Kim and I’s main focus in the fall prep class was film—more specifically German expressionist film. The two museums were very different in their own respects, and I enjoyed each one in different ways. Being a Cinema and Television Arts major, it would be hard not to have interest in such well constructed film museums.

  Both museums looked at the history of film in a chronological order, though their focuses were very different. While in Berlin, the museum really focused on the films themselves, in Frankfurt the museum focused on the techniques and processes that go into making a film. Berlin centered in on whole movies, their content, and characters—the museum moved us along by creating a path of famous and well-made movies from earliest to most recent. In Frankfurt, the two levels were separated into the earliest forms of motion picture and how it was created and viewed, versus more modern films and the technology and technique associated with creating such films.

  Within the Cinema and Television Arts major, there are so many different aspects to focus on and be more interested in than others. I love the technology associated with making cinema and television—I love to work cameras, being in the control room, and editing. So naturally, my personal interests geared me to really enjoy the Frankfurt film museum. It was so cool to see how the technology has developed and to look at different famous movies and see how they created the content and what techniques they used to give meaning to the stories. Where many people are very interested in films as a whole, the end result, I really love the process and analyzing the separate pieces that make a whole. The Frankfurt film museum gave me an incredible look into what I am interested in.

  (Some Gutenbergers having fun with the green screen exhibit in the Frankurt film museum)

I also quite enjoyed the Berlin museum, since after all of our research in the fall, I felt quite knowledgeable about German expressionist cinema and it was so interesting to see the films explained and analyzed by the professionals who put this museum together. However, early 1920’s expressionism in cinema was only a small part of the museum. The rest of the museum was very interesting, however I didn’t feel I knew as much about German cinema since expressionism and therefore felt way more interested in the beginning of the museum in the expressionist section.

  Going to two film museums did not feel like we were repeating anything, because they were so different in what they displayed and taught their audiences. 

-Abbey 

(I've had wifi troubles since landing, since I have not yet gotten home, I'm finally able to post this!!) 

[elonabroad-blog]

Elaborate Books and Where to Find Them

As I was meandering through the Gutenberg Museum, I began to notice how intricate and elaborate books were back when it was extremely hard to print books. I found this to be odd. Why are books so much more beautiful from a time when is was painstakingly hard to print books? Nowadays, books are relatively plain despite the ease with which they are printed. Why are books from the 1400s more beautiful and elaborate than my favorite series today?

I chalk it up to the sheer ease of mass production. Back when books had to be bound by hand, they had intricate pages and breathtaking covers. The tiles for the text had to be laid out one by one (for Gutenberg) or handwritten in beautiful script. I find that to be so incredible. When the press was developed, tiles of letters were created in a plethora of shapes and sizes to accommodate the size of the page. Small tiles, large tiles, miniature tiles, these were all carved individually to then be laid out by hand to then be covered in ink and manually printed. Nowadays we click a button and change the amount of copies we want and it’s printed. Just like that. Yet the pages are plain and devoid of any artwork that could have been easily cut and pasted on a page to beautify it.

I also found the development of images drastically changed the way books were printed and viewed. As I was walking around, I saw these beautifully hand drawn and colored maps. They were so intricate and unique depending on who was the artist. Then, I found my way into a section about newspapers and as I was looking at the papers I had no idea what they were about until I saw the images (again, I cannot read German, sadly). I saw an old black and white newspaper with Hitler on the front page. It surprised me how much an image could change my understanding. While I love how images help in cross-cultural understanding, I also wish we still had the freedoms of free-handing illustrations to make unique pieces. I am one of those people who loves the past. 

Advancements are great once I'm used to them, but I have to adjust. While I embrace the ease of technology and mass production, I still wish we had unique books and creative covers and hand drawn illustrations. The easier it is to produce something, the less meaning it has to the future and the past. 

See you soon, 

Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

Dachau after some reflection

After touring Dachau on Tuesday, I needed a few days to reflect and think about it. In all honesty, I think it was too shocking for me to process right away. Sitting back and shifting through my memories of it, as well as talking to classmates about it in small groups and in our larger class discussion, really helped me form my final thoughts on visiting Dachau.

  I had thought that I might get very emotional during the tour; I was expecting to maybe cry or be on the verge of tears. I was a little scared to visit it and walk through the place where such atrocities happened. But while the tour was actually happening, I just felt empty. All happy emotions were gone, but there were no other emotions to replace them—I just felt void of anything. Touring the camp was very solemn and sobering, but I did not have the reaction I thought I was going to.

  After thinking about it for a few days, I have come to the conclusion that during the tour, it was just to mortifying to accept that I was standing in the place where so many were tortured and killed. As I was walking through, I really avoided picturing what Dachau was actually like while it was in use. I think if I had really pictured in my head what happened right on the very same floor while we were in the gas chamber or the rooms where bodies were kept before they were burned, I might have gotten sick. I wasn’t able to visualize these things until after; if I had been there and visualized these atrocities, I would not have been able to handle it.

  However I felt during the tour, I came out of it realizing that everyone must visit one of these sites in their lifetime. You can know all of the facts of what happened at these concentration camps, but to walk through it is an entirely different experience. I think that it is important to go so that the holocaust is never forgotten. Every time a person is free to walk in and out of a concentration camp, it shows that Hitler did not win. But most of all, I think it is important to go and pay respects to the people who were brutally murdered at the hands of the Nazis, just because of who they were. These sites have museums on them, but are first and foremost memorials and graveyards. I think it is so important to go to pay respect to all those who have died there, as if to say they are not forgotten. 

(Unlike many, I decided not to take any pictures at Dachau. I personally felt that it was not a place to do so.)

-Abbey 

[elonabroad-blog]

Dachau with a Guide

Four years ago, I saw Dachau for the first time. On January 20, 2015, I experienced Dachau again. Both circumstances were completely different experiences for two completely different individuals.

The first time I viewed Dachau I had just turned 16, and I was on a school trip for one week in Europe. I meandered through the museum located in the old office space reading every bit of information I could get my eyes on. I made my way slowly to the religious memorials, though I didn’t know what they were at the time, and experienced the crematorium and “funeral grounds” at my own, slow pace. I was one of the last people to leave the Dachau grounds on that visit and one of the few people that didn’t shed a tear.

On my second visit, I was accompanied by 25 other students, two professors, and one tour guide. I have to say, it was a completely different experience than the one I had four years ago, which is to be expected since I am four years wiser and about 20 degrees colder.

Although today was different, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Today was extremely informative. I learned a lot about the camp that I didn’t know on my journey four years ago, such that it was all male and many of the other camps were modeled after Dachau. I also learned about the importance of propaganda during the war and the roles that concentration camps played in promoting the Nazi agenda.

Four years ago I didn’t think this information was important for my experience, and today, I still don’t think the information is necessary to truly understand a concentration camp. I almost feel like the amount of information that was thrown at me today, while informative and important for me to know, was nonessential in understanding the human struggle that occurred everyday at the camp. I felt it almost dehumanized the experience. By making it all about the information, by making it into a history lesson, it took away the emotion and hardships that occurred at the camp that any common visitor could have understood.

Four years ago I experienced a different camp than I did today. I experienced a camp without knowledge but with heart. Today I experienced a camp with knowledge and little heart. It still felt extremely powerful, and I still connected with the history of the camp and the struggle of the people that went through the area, but I felt like I had less time to cope with what I was experiencing.

I think a lot of experiences are individualistic; people need to experience things in their own way and I firmly believe a concentration camp is one of those things. I know everyone I went with back in 2011 experienced the camp in their own unique way by taking however much or little time they needed. I think a guide adds a lot to the experience, but also detracts from essential reflection time.

My last parting words are these: Even though I was freezing today, I am extremely thankful for the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet that I, unlike concentration camp prisoners, am lucky to have.

-Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

Abbey's disappointment in the Radio Free Europe tour

I was incredibly excited to tour Radio Free Europe during our first full day in Prague, and I have to say I came out utterly disappointed in what we got to see and learn. Perhaps it was the hype that had surrounded the operation that built it up in my mind and made way for such a let down. From what I gathered, our main reason for visiting Prague was to tour Radio Free Europe—naturally I thought it was going to be an extensive tour full of new information. Along with that, I assumed with all the security hype we were going to be able to go into all sorts of rooms in the building to learn about the operation.

  From all our previous lessons on Radio Free Europe, I knew a lot about it and I think that it is a brave communicative outlet doing amazing things for citizens of countries where not-so-amazing things are happening. The visit did not change my mind about Radio Free Europe as a whole, and I am not criticizing the work it does, but I am thoroughly disappointed in the ‘tour.’ It was very lacking, in my opinion. We looked at a map in a hallway, sat in a corner of the main newsroom, briefly saw one of the radio stations, and then sat in a conference room. As for the information we received during the main tour, it was mostly repetitive of what we had previously learned in class. I can honestly say the only new information I really got out of it were the specific countries they broadcast into now, not all of which I knew previously.

  I was really hoping that there would be some discussion of the recent Charlie Hebdo incidents in Paris while we were there, and was let down when there was no thorough and intellectual talk about it. While we were in the conference room with Sergey, I thought that would be a main point of conversation (especially because a few people mentioned they wanted to discuss it), yet I felt the topic was somewhat avoided. This makes me very curious as to how nervous the employees at Radio Free Europe are about these attacks—are they trying to avoid the topic because it scares them? Is there a policy where they aren’t allowed to address it so people keep calm?

  Because of the nature of the operation, I would have thought that they would be used to open discussion on attacks and threats; assuming that over the 60+ years they have been broadcasting they have received plenty. If events such as the current ones in Paris are not addressed internally within a communications operation, I find it concerning.

  Of course, I am saying all of this not really knowing how Radio Free Europe operates when it comes to these sorts of sensitive issues. These are just my observations and loose assumptions, yet I wish we had received more information during the tour so my observations and assumptions could be a little more educated and solid. It really comes around full circle for me. 

-Abbey 

(unfortunately no photos can be taken at RFE)

[elonabroad-blog]

Wittenberg stole Abbey's heart

The hour train ride from Berlin to Wittenberg brought us into an entirely different Germany than we had been experiencing. To be honest, it was the Germany that I had expected—old architecture, stone streets, and in-your-face history. To me, Berlin was gray and modern with history that had either been bombed away or history that most Germans do not want to think about anymore—so hidden that they seem ashamed. I really appreciated the change of pace that we experienced when entering what a German on the train called “the boonies.”

  I could tell that Wittenberg citizens take a lot of pride in their town’s history—which is fascinating thanks to none other than Martin Luther. I was very impressed with the preservation and renovations of not only his monastery/home, but also with the various churches and other sites throughout the town. For example, we first stopped at a little square with a large oak tree where Luther had publicly burned a letter he received from the pope—during Napoleon’s reign, this tree was cut down for fire wood, but the town made sure to plant a new one in its place to commemorate Luther’s brave act and keep the memory vividly alive. Though the current renovations going on may have been annoying for us, it just shows how hard the town is working to please the 1,000 visitors a day for the 800th anniversary of the reformation.

  After the guided walking tour, we were pointed in the direction of the printers shop in the old courtyard of Lucas Cranach. The man who ran the shop using an old-style printing press that Cranach used to print the bible in German really exemplified how people in the town of Wittenberg care about keeping the history alive and educating people on how Protestantism came to fruition. The print-shop man was so enthusiastic and funny and really cared to show us everything the printer did in history, as well as the things he was able to replicate and produce on his printing press. I was so into his presentation and I thought all his prints were so cool (I even bought some), it just goes to show that if the presenter really cares about the history, those listening will be interested as well.

  I loved experiencing Wittenberg after many days in Berlin. The small, quaint town is more my scene rather than the big modern city. The contrast between the two made Wittenberg very easy to appreciate for me. 

-Abbey 

[elonabroad-blog]

German Life Affects German Film

The German Film Museum in Berlin held a lot of treasures for someone relatively disinterested in film.

I was pleasantly surprised when the first exhibit was none other than “Das Cabinet des Dr. Calligari,” a film Abbey and I had focused on a lot during our research prior to the trip. There was an extensive exhibit featuring excerpts from the script, playbills, and a recreation of the set. This recreation modeled the warehouse they filmed in and portrayed the exaggerated shadows Robert Wiene used to symbolize madness in the film.

Other expressionistic films were on display as well, such as “M” and “Metropolis,” both directed by Fritz Lang, but the museum went on to feature films from other eras such as WWII, when films were used as propaganda for the Nazi party.

I found the direct contrast between these two eras of film to be almost ironic. One era, that of expressionism, was used to symbolically portray emotions and ideas that may have shown dissatisfaction with the state, among many other themes such as madness and modernism. In direct contrast, propaganda films portrayed a falsehood of what the state would look like under Nazi control. One era of film was used for pure expression of emotions and another era was used for pure promotion of twisted ideals.

I found this to be an interesting development in German film since these two eras seem to be direct contrasts to one another, and I had not researched other eras of German film before the museum. I felt this reflected the changes in German history at the time very accurately, and I wonder if these patterns can be found when looking back at the development of film in other countries that have experienced similar changes in their political environment. This development was an interesting concept to me more so than how the films were produced.

See you soon, 

 Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

An Afternoon Surrounded by Propaganda

If you didn’t already know it, people in East Germany used to go to the beach naked to express their freedom.

These are the actions we, as Americans, cannot understand because we have always lived in a free, democratic society. When we think of expressing our freedom and ideas, we can do it in any manner we like, whether that be through nudity is our own personal choice.

Walking through the DDR (Deutsch Democratic Republic) Museum, I saw many images and pieces from the time of the Berlin Wall that I never knew had existed, such as nudity at beaches and travel to other countries. (The fact that people residing in East Berlin could travel to other communist countries absolutely floored me. It was a freedom I never expected the people to have; I truly thought they were trapped within the confines of the wall forever.)

The pieces that truly intrigued me, however, involved none other than books and newspapers. (If you couldn't already tell, I really love books and newspapers.)

Due to a shortage of paper in the DDR, many books were banned. Therefore, there was a very high demand of these supposedly inappropriate books. I found that this theme transcended time due to the many books that are still banned in today’s culture such as Harry Potter, The Color Purple and Catcher in the Rye. These books are banned for very different reasons, such as conflict with religion and race, but I still found the similarity between different time periods startling. It fascinates me how history can, and will, repeat itself and represent similarities in different times. As Winston Churchill said, study history because then you will learn all it's secrets.

There was also an astonishing display about propaganda that involved newspapers. Ten newspapers showed all the same photographs with likely the same text (sadly, I cannot speak or read German) telling the same story. You may ask, why so many newspapers if the story is always the same? I speculated that it was to show the people in East Germany that they had a choice; they had freedom in what they read with their morning coffee or afternoon tea despite having no real freedom. This was a very powerful form of propaganda in the communist state because it wasn’t as “in-your-face” as some of the other more prevalent pieces of propaganda in the state. I also found it interesting that something that is well known for its expression of freedom in our country was used for spreading propaganda during the Nazi regime.

After visiting the museum, we had the opportunity to talk to a man who had lived in East and West Berlin during the time of the wall. It was absolutely amazing to hear how he came to understand his unusual predicament. It was unreal to hear him explain how he came to understand East Berlin and plot his escape from the communist area. It really is impossible for me or you, as free Americans with a plethora of rights allowing us to do what we want within reason, to understand what he or any other East Berliner went through during this time. To have our freedom, specifically our right to free speech, taken away from us, is probably one of my worst nightmares. To not be able to read a newspaper with a different viewpoint, would kill me. The freedom I am used to, is the freedom I would crave.

Overall, the lack of freedom and the extent to which propaganda was promoted in these communist areas was completely unreal to me before I stepped into this museum. I had obviously studied World War II, the Cold War, and the Berlin Wall in school, but it was never as real to me as when I was walking around Berlin and in that museum. I had never understood the extent to which this repression reached, and the "hands-on" experience brought the tragic time to life.

I have a completely new understanding of what everyone in East Berlin went through due to this experience, but I still believe I will never fully grasp the destruction that the wall brought to the people of the nation.

See you soon,  Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

Abbey's short take on a short but powerful visit

Down the road from our Berlin hotel is the Kaiser Wilhelm Church ruin, which we visited the first night here. Though it is not a full church, the importance of it really stuck out at me. Coming to Berlin, I did not really expect it to be how it is. Everything is very modern and a lot of the buildings are drearier than I had imagined—and this is all due to the devastating destruction of the WW2 bombings. The Kaiser Wilhelm Church stuck out so much as a reminder of the awful things war can do and as a reminder that at one time, Berlin was a beautiful hub of old architecture and German history through buildings and churches etc.

(the patched up cracked ceiling of the remaining part of the church)  

From what I have observed going to countries and cities that have been devastated by war, most tend to rebuild and restore destroyed buildings. I really appreciated that Berlin decided to keep the half-destroyed church. Even though it was half destroyed, the remaining ruin was so beautiful. It represented how much the ugliness of war can destroy so much beauty.

  Not restoring the church to its original stature really sends out a message that I believe Berlin was desperate to relay to everyone. After so much devastation and cruelty that the city faced (from both its own government and foreign governments), it is important to always remember what war will do. It is important to not forget, but to remember in the solemnest way in hopes that it will not happen again. 

- Abbey 

[elonabroad-blog]

Abbey's Amazement at the British Library

Though the display room in the British Library wasn’t particularly large, its contents really resonated with me (even though the Magna Carta was on a roadtrip). I found it fascinating to be able to view original documents written by famous people in history that I have studied and admired throughout my life and education. It was so cool to see what sorts of parchment people wrote on, as well as what their actual handwriting looks like and even what kind of writing instrument they used.

  The British Library is home to so many documents and books that are hundreds of years old, yet my favorites had to be in one of the most recent (in the span of history) displays. The Beatles have always been one of my favorite bands; I love their style of music (my heart has a soft spot for classic rock) and I grew up listening to them. Their messages of peace and love during a tumultuous time in history have always been influential in the way I view modern day crises.

  Being able to view the original lyrics scratched out by John, Paul, George and Ringo sent shivers up my spine. I loved that by looking at the different colored pens the band members used, and the kinds of paper (one song was even scribbled on a birthday card John had given his son Jude), you could tell they didn’t wait once inspiration struck—they got it all out onto paper. My favorite moment of all was using the headphones next to the display and listening to Yesterday while reading the original lyrics, it is such a beautiful song and doing this was so moving.

  The British Library didn’t fail to deliver on other incredibly interesting things as well. When I saw the flirty letter Anne Boleyn wrote to Henry VIII just as he was divorcing Catherine, it was history I have always learned from a mundane textbook coming alive. I am also a huge Pride and Prejudice fan, so seeing Jane Austen’s writing desk was a huge surprise. It was such a small, simple thing—yet some of the greatest works in literary history were written there.

  The British Library exemplified the importance of the preservation of historical documents. Not only can they be incredibly interesting to look at and bring history alive, but they are how historians figure out what really happened in history.

-Abbey 

(This exhibit unfortunately did not allow pictures, though I would have loved to take some) 

[elonabroad-blog]

Kim's Take on The British Library

The British Library is home to modern books, academic books, new books, and old books — very, very old books.  While I freaked out about the original books donated to the library (now held in the "King's Library"), I freaked out even more about what other treasures the library had in store. 

There was an exhibit that featured sacred texts and original pieces of work involved with literature, science, music and more. I personally was so intrigued by the original correspondence pieces that were on display, such as a letter from Winston Churchill about the League of Nations. 

It was absolutely shocking to be able to read the original words that Churchill wrote himself to discuss the formation of what was to be a failed form of the current United Nations. I felt like I was transported back in time looking at the letters from a time in history I was so familiar with and had studied extensively in high school. I wanted to email my AP American History teacher about what amazing things I saw and how it helped me connect with history on an even deeper level.

Other pieces influenced me similarly, such as the original translation of “Beowulf,” which I also read and worked with extensively in high school. It was stunning to be able to connect with pieces so deeply, such as Jane Austen’s writing desk. As Abbey and I discussed after the visit, it was breathtaking to be able to see where Austen had written some of her most famous pieces like “Pride and Prejudice.”

Seeing these relics of literary history made everything seem more achievable. By seeing the actual desk Austen wrote at and the original lyrics of the Beatles scribbled on scraps of paper, it made every dream I've ever had seem more achievable. Knowing that the greats all started somewhere, even Gutenberg with his preliminary printing press, imparts the motivational ideals that anything truly is possible. 

Although we hadn’t discussed books very heavily in class, they were such an important part of the development of media in Europe. From the Magna Carta (which was sadly not on display at the time of our visit) to Beatles lyrics, this exhibit clearly portrayed the influence that various media forms (including the Gutenberg Bible) had on each other. Each new development in media influenced more and more change, which has led us to where we are today — a modern world of media and communication that is ever-changing.

See you soon,  Kim

(Sadly, we were not allowed to take any photos at this exhibit. I guess that just means you'll have to go yourself!)

[elonabroad-blog]

Sky News - Jan. 9

We had the amazing opportunity to tour Sky News and Sky Sports on January 9.  Typically, college students do not tour these studios, but due to some lucky circumstances, we were afforded this unique opportunity.

We had toured BBC the previous day, and honestly, I wasn’t very impressed. I thought it was interesting to see everything that BBC produces, such as radio programs, TV news, and print journalism, as well as hear about the history of the corporation, but in general, I thought the tour was very gimmicky.  I was expecting something similar from Sky News and was completely surprised with what we got.

(Sky News office from above: Journalists researching stories about Paris, France seen on the left with anchors preparing for the next show seen on the right.)

(Sky News: Anchors and newsroom with Shoebox on the right— where the morning show is filmed.)

Rather than look from afar, we were able to get on ground level with the newsroom, walk into control rooms (known as galleries), and look at real sports news casting studios. We walked around the entire newsroom, above it and on the ground. We got to see what the sets looked like, where the anchors sat, and how they filmed various aspects of the show. It was truly amazing. 

As we were leaving that part of the tour, we ran into a correspondent for the show. I was almost star struck talking to someone who does journalism for living. Afua Hirsch is the social affairs and education correspondent for Sky News. She also does investigative journalism on the side and is currently looking into child trafficking by gangs in Europe.

As a quasi-journalist, it was amazing to get the chance to hear first hand how someone handles the job. It was eye-opening to me, and it always is, when I learn about journalists that can’t do everything they want because I always think they can. Journalists are superheroes in my eyes due to the variety of skills they need to possess to be good at their jobs. 

It was also refreshing to see a modern form of journalism after visiting the formerly lively print journalism world of Fleet Street. I wish there were more remnants from what used to be the hub of print media, since that is what I am primarily interested in. (I know I should pick a new interest, but I just love holding a book in my hands!)

Along with getting to hear from a successful journalist about her career, she also felt it was important to leave us with some important advice: Do what you love, and you will be successful.  I hear this from people on a semi-regular basis, but when she took the time to really talk to us and impart some of her wisdom onto us, it really meant a lot. She seemed genuinely happy to be talking about her job, and that was incredibly inspiring.

We went on to tour Sky Sports, which was equally as awe-inspiring.

It was a long day of touring, but I will not soon forget the eye-opening experience I had at Sky News.

  See you soon, 

Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

Our first stop in London was to the British Museum. With its plethora of exhibits exploring all areas and aspects of the world, I was drawn to the pieces from Southeast Asia.

Pictured above is a sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha who is known as "The Remover of Obstacles." He is sculpted with a goddess on his lap, four heads to represent his all-seeing power, an elaborate headdress, a tree growing from out of his head, and many more extravagant accessories.  

I was drawn to this piece originally due to my interest in Hinduism, which was sparked in my high school freshman AP Human Geography class when we studied world religions. When I took a closer look, however, I realized how intricate and detailed the piece truly was. 

I really appreciated the goddess on Ganesha's lap because, to me, it represents that he can not do his job alone. He needs the help and guidance of a woman or a companion. This is important for everyone to understand: even gods need help sometimes, so it's okay for you to need help, too. 

I also found it interesting that there were two smaller figures in the corner of the sculpture. These reminded me of cherubs in Christian paintings, which traditionally represent innocence and higher order angels with the gift of knowledge. I thought this was an odd similarity and reminded me of how connected different religions can be. 

All in all, I found this piece to be extremely interesting and captured my eye. It's extremely intricate and reignited my interest in the Hindu culture.

See you next time,

Kim

[elonabroad-blog]

What moved Abbey at the British Museum

We went to the British Museum our first day in London, with an assignment to find one piece of art/history that moved us or spoke to us in some way. Once we found this, we had to observe it for at least 15 minutes. When I found the piece that moved me, it wasn’t hard at all to look at it for 15 minutes.

  I observed a statue of Shiva Nataraja carved of bronze in South India in 1100AD. The steadiness and subtle strength of this God really moved me. Shiva Nataraja is seen as the God of Dance, who also embodies 5 aspects of eternal energy—creation, preservation, destruction, concealment, and favor. In his dance pose in the statue, I felt the energy he embodies.

  My favorite part of this statue is that the position he is standing in (pointing to his raised left foot) means to have no fear. Shiva Nataraja truly has no fear in this position—he has a cobra wrapped around his arm and is standing in a ring of fire, yet his face is peaceful and he is not worried. He is also standing on a “dwarf of ignorance”—something I really appreciate, modern day ignorance often makes me quite angry.

  I truly appreciated what Shiva Nataraja embraced and represented. Peacefulness in the face of peril, enlightenment from ignorance, as well as ongoing energy.

Peace and love, 

Abbey