The World is My Oyster Card

Lindsay Herz, an NYU Junior in London, writes about her study abroad experience in Fall 2013.

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I'M DONE!

OH MY GOODNESS.  I FEEL SO RELIEVED.  I have made it through the toughest finals season I have ever experienced.  NYULondon does not slack on the academics just because it is a study abroad site.  This program has been extremely challenging, and I feel that I am all the better for it.  I CANNOT wait to relax in sunny Florida with my family and share with them my experiences and lessons learned.

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Part of the magic of the theatre lies in its ability to explore a story, an event, or an idea from multiple perspectives and at many different levels simultaneously. Arguably, every play we have seen this semester operates on many different levels of understanding, but Matilda, Chimerica, and The Island play with 'the meta' in especially diverse and effective ways. The more the world is driven by virtual realities, like Facebook, Tumblr, and Skype, the more necessary it is for humans to explore how these filters affect the ways we interact, communicate, and present ourselves. Sure, these tools allow humans to connect with more people and more diversity, but I think the quality of relationships is decreasing as the quantity increases. The theatre, a sacred place in which to explore the nature of humanity, now has the added challenge of constructing plays that capture the complex interconnectivity of modern-day life in increasingly global and technological societies, while continuing to create rounded characters and deeply intricate relationships on stage.

The conclusion of my Modern Drama and Performance in London term paper

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I think I can... I think I can...

Finals season is in full force, and it very well may be my toughest one yet! Due this week: 1000-word essay, 2500-word research report, 2500-word architectural paper and design report, a finished sketchbook, and a 30-minute group presentation. Next week: two final exams, a 30-minute individual presentation, and a 3000-word essay. Ya know... Sometimes I think it would help if I were more stressed because I'd probably work more efficiently, but alas, I will probably just end up pulling a couple of all-nighters. NYU London is definitely one of the most academically challenging study abroad sites. The classes have been pretty amazing, but don't expect to slack off while you are here!

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Giant gorgeous buns are trending in London, and I finally figured out how to do it!

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Doors at the Bahia Palace in Marrakech

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Patterns seen around Marrakech (mostly ceilings)

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I'm currently listening to "Modern Vampires of the City" while pumping out a psychology essay due tomorrow, since I won't have time to do it tonight.  I'll be leaving for Recycling Architecture class soon—We are exploring King's Cross & St. Pancras station today!  Then, tonight I'll be seeing Punchdrunk's "The Drowned Man" with my Modern Drama and Performance class tonight!!!  This is the group that created the absolutely stunning "Sleep No More!"  I AM SO EXCITED.

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Casual Royal

As I visited Westminster Abbey, the audio guide said that the Coronation Chair characterizes Britain as a country that "preserves continuity, while embracing change."  I believe this juxtaposition of tradition and progress is exactly what makes Britain, and particularly London, so very extraordinary.

My class 'Recycling Architecture: New Life for Older Buildings' is a testimony to this bidirectional outlook.  It's a class about how conservationist architects (like my professor) have fought to preserve historical buildings, while "reusing" them and bringing them into a modern context.  Take, for example, the British Museum.  Robert Smirke's original early 19th-century design was only recently updated by Foster and Partners (some of the best known in the world for their re-use of old buildings) in the late 1990s.  They opened up the courtyard and covered it with a gorgeous torus-shaped glass roof.  The integrity of the original building remains intact, yet the whole space has become more usable—and sustainable.  Before I even began taking this class, I could see the unity of old and new just by looking at London's skyline: St. Paul's Cathedral lies opposite the Tate Modern, which is Herzog and de Meuron's re-use of the old industrial Bankside Power Station; the Monument and the infamous Tower of London sit next to the Shard, the Gherkin, and the other architecturally state-of-the-art buildings of the City of London.

The British Museum highlights another of its country's unique characteristics, not through its architecture, but through its collections.  Walking through the museum is like traveling back in time and across the globe.  Arguably, most of the items housed there are stolen goods from Great Britain's history of imperialism.  For example, Egypt's Rosetta Stone (confiscated in 1801) and one of the six caryatids from the Erechtheion in Athens (removed from the Acropolis, 1801-1803) were simply taken by the British.  A sense of entitlement marked much of Britain's global involvement up through the World Wars of the 20th century.

However, now it seems that the British are less concerned with pride and power and have fallen somewhat among the global powers, resulting in newfound humility, as evidenced by their sense of humor: the Brits love to laugh at themselves.  British comedic television shows are usually centered on self-deprecating characters, according to Joe Tucker, a young British comedy writer who spoke in my British Culture class.  This love for self-critical humor exemplifies the shift in what it means to be British; they recognize their flaws as people and as a nation and are able to move past their imperial history and into the 21st century.

But still, preservation of tradition remains: the Commonwealth of Nations symbolizes this emphasis on continuity.  Sure, imperialism is outlawed and the British Empire is dead, but the Commonwealth remains under the monarchy, which is the heart of British tradition.  Elizabeth II has been queen for over sixty years, and in that time, twelve Prime Ministers have had audience with her.  The world keeps spinning, politics keep changing, but the Queen remains a symbol of British legacy and tradition.  Recently, at the multicultural Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, I saw Handbagged, a play which explores the relationship between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher—two women representing two Britains, that of extreme continuity and that of extreme change. 

As a visitor to Great Britain, I am a witness to this cultural theme of embracing change, while preserving continuity; as far as I have seen, it permeates nearly every realm of British culture.  In a lecture, I learned that the class structure is fairly rigid, yet upward mobility is made possible through higher education.  Whether I heard it played in a pub on Gray's Inn Road, by a street performer on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, or by the firemen on strike marching towards Trafalgar Square, traditional Scottish bagpipe music seems to remain important to the British; yet, some of the most innovative and famous rockers, including The Beatles, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones, were born out of the dynamic music scene of Britain in the 1960s.  I volunteer at a Church of England primary school where the students start and end class with prayers and sometimes spend entire days learning about saints; yet, this past summer Britain legalized gay marriage, a law which the Church of England had been fighting until this past July.  Most Brits only speak English and they refused to adopt the euro as their official currency, yet they have a relatively open immigration policy and are rather welcoming to foreigners.  According to my professor Clive Bloom, London is "possibly the most forward-looking, dynamic, and multicultural city in the world."  I see the persistent movement forward with perpetuation of tradition as a testament to the ability of Great Britain's citizens to adapt; they are enterprising and proactive, unlike other nations that are too proud and stubborn to keep up with the rest of the world.

Despite this traditional, yet dynamic approach, which tends to govern most British cultural institutions, "Britishness" is not well defined.  This article suggests that even with her long history as an island, Britain does not have a moment in time that marks the beginning of her nationhood, like America and France do.  Therefore, a changing national identity has arisen more out of folk tradition than out of organized nationalism.  Some might argue that Britain does not have a national identity or that only in the past few years has a cohesive culture emerged.   My professor even suggested that you'd be hard-pressed to find a Brit who can clearly articulate what "being British" means to them and that young people are becoming less and less interested in calling themselves "British."  Therefore, the perception of Britishness varies greatly on an individual level.  A few weeks ago, when asked to describe the atmosphere of my favorite London pub, I responded that it was "casual-royal," a characteristic that I think sums up the Brits: casual and comfortable with change, progress, diversity, modernism, globalism, and their own faults, yet royal, noble, and proud of their rich traditions.  To me, Britishness is a marriage of old and new, of tradition and progress, an ability to laugh at oneself, and a comfort with diversity and change.

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The Tyranny of the Remembering Self

Yesterday in my Cognition class, my professor shared with us this TED Talk.  I find it extremely fascinating and relevant to my life as a study abroad student and a student of positive psychology.  As soon as class ended, I hopped on a bus to go to the primary school where I volunteer, and I reflected on what Danny Kahneman said in the talk and wrote the following:

Do I care about experience or memory?  Honestly, I think I might care more about memory—because it is something that defines me.  But then I question: Is that definition for me or for others?  Do I care more about how I see know myself or how others see know me?  Or do I care about who I am?  How do I even define such an abstract thing?  I love taking pictures—why?  I think I like to share my experiences with others, for sure.  Maybe it's about showing them who I am through the photos—to an extent, at least, but that doesn't bother me.  Sharing myself and my experiences, no... my memories, is something that I love, something that characterizes me, something that is essentially "Lindsay."

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When I went to see Handbagged for my Modern Drama and Performance class at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn on Wednesday, I stopped at a cheap produce stand at 11pm and bought ALL THE PLANTAINS. Tonight, I am enjoying them and reminiscing of Ghana, where I ate plantains with every meal for the entire week. This is bliss.

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A peaceful day in beautiful Scotland

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Keeping up

Keeping up with school is hard work, even when studying abroad.  Midterm season just plowed through London, and I am still reeling from all the papers, presentations, late night studying, and cups of PG Tips.  I think NYU in London is known for being an especially rigorous study abroad program, at least throughout the NYU Global Network, and I saw the full realization of that these past two weeks.

Keeping in touch is hard work.  I want to live in the present and maintain my relationships back home.  Balancing that can be difficult, especially with time differences and without a smart phone.  Recently, I feel I've been neglecting a few friends who have reached out for support.  Being there for them is hard when I'm here—ya know?

Keeping a blog is hard work.  From the outset, I intended to post frequently about things that had just happened.  But the reality is that I'm exploring, studying, or sleeping at any given moment and that I must make time to write.   In fact, I'd say an absence of posts is more indicative of having too much to share than of not having enough to share.  With all that in mind, I plan on writing a lot this week and next before I leave for my fall break travels.

The key to all of this: time.  When I was in elementary school, I never got in trouble.  Yet nearly every time I received a report card, the teacher marked the box next to "Manages time wisely," as an area in need of improvement.  I guess I'm still working on that.

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Olivia got to Oxford a week ago, and she's already come to visit us!  Spending time with her feels like home.  <3  Missing all my New York friends!

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Shine On

Today marks the start of my volunteering for the SHINE Project.  Every Tuesday I will be helping out in a Year 4 classroom in Northern London.  I met Mrs. Tengra and her 30 students today, and I even stayed a couple extra hours to help them practice for a class assembly.  Unfortunately, I cannot take photographs of the absolutely adorable students, but I did take these:

I seemed to get on pretty well with the kids.  They call me "Miss Lindsay" (or sometimes just "Miss" when they can't remember my name)!  Imagine it... Okay, cue the warm fuzzies.  Fortunately, I will be there during their music lessons.  This year they will be learning either the cello or the violin!  Just imagine a classroom of nine-year-olds playing on miniature instruments...  I think I'm in heaven.

One of the girls in the class is autistic, and at times when she does not have an adult aid, one of her classmates sits with her.  Apparently, they became friends last year, and he has been by her side ever since.  Not only is this young boy the sweetest friend; he also does all his work, holds the doors for everyone, and helps out whenever possible.  Now I know you aren't supposed to pick favorite students, but he definitely has a golden star in my book!

These little ones all wear matching bright blue sweaters, collared white shirts, and black dress pants or pleated skirts.  They ask me all sorts of questions about New York.  They sing songs in British accents. And they make me smile uncontrollably.  I am unbelievably grateful to have the privilege of spending my Tuesdays with them.

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TEDxAlbertopolis: A Tale of Two Cultures

YOU GUYS.  I got to go to my first TEDx event today in Royal Albert Hall!  The event had twelve speakers and several exhibits/performances/experiments throughout the building over the course of five hours.  We were asked to move seats during each interval to meet new people, and I made a new friend who just began studying dance in Greenwich!  The event centered around the intersections of the arts and sciences and was split into three sections: Seeing things differently, Making things happen, and Shaking things up.  Speakers included Sally Davies (the current and first-ever female Chief Medical Officer of Britain), John Halpern (a cryptic crossword puzzle creator), Jess Thom (a woman who creatively embraces her severe Tourette's Syndrome), and Ryan Francois (a choreographer on Strictly Come Dancing), among many other scientists, musicians, historians, and designers.  HOW FREAKING COOL?!

Some of the exhibits during the interval:

Musical Jello

"Race for the Higgs-Boson"

Entomological exhibit from the Natural History Museum collection

I won't try to share with you secondhand the ideas I heard earlier today because (1) I could not do them justice, (2) they will all be on TED.com shortly, and (3) I am too darn slow to type all of it up and still get sleep before an early day tomorrow.  However, I will give you a preview of Roland Lamb's talk: This man created an instrument called the Seaboard, which is like a sexy piano.  Roland studied piano and wished that it could have more variety in its sound quality, so he designed a board that looks like a flat piano and has a pliable surface, whose keys respond to the quality, not just the force, of the movement of the player's fingers.  First, someone played the giant, gorgeous organ of the Royal Albert Hall.  Then, someone played the piano.  And finally, at the end of the talk, someone played the Seaboard, and it put me in a blissful trance—What a beautiful sound!  Roland describes the instrument as allowing people to "sensually express what is within and sensually experience what is without" and explains that he created it because he wanted to "infuse humanity into the digital."  Wow.

Roland Lamb and three musicians (back: organ player, left: pianist, right: Seaboard player)

I could really connect to these Renaissance Men and Women, who refuse to dichotomize two very intertwined areas of study and exploration, who love creating and examining, who communicate across disciplines and look at the big picture and the meta-pictures.  I'm not going to lie... I definitely pictured myself up there giving a talk someday.

I encourage everyone reading this to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check out TED.com if you have not already.  There is something inspiring for everyone!

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PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY ...work... PLAY PLAY

It's easy to forget that I'm going to school here.  I have been super "busy" having fun and experiencing London.  But yesterday was a wake up call.  I had spent the weekend going on a day trip to Brighton, visiting the Natural History Museum, sharing homemade schnitzel dinner with new friends, hiking over six miles to to the Temple of the Winds in Fernhurst, and having my first traditional high tea, so when the school week arrived, I had to hunker down and prepare for class.  Yesterday I went to my favorite cafe Coffee and Candy, ordered a flat white and a turkey and brie sandwich, and reveled in learning about the brain and making my very first Prezi!  A few hours ago I presented on The Mozart Effect in my Cognition class, and now I'm renewed and feeling like a good student once more.  The rest of my day will be filled with walking around and sketching a neighborhood in London for my Recycling Architecture class and seeing War Horse tonight for my Modern Drama class.  Clearly, the lines between work and play are blurred when you are studying things you love!

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Past Forward

I love London more than I could have imagined.  I always thought my heart belonged to New York and Paris, but I'm not so sure now...

New York is a city all about the here and now.  Of course, it has it's history, but overall, it's a place constantly changing and growing, and New Yorkers are always in a rush to do more and be the best. Time Magazine recently published this article about the American pursuit of happiness. 

Parisians, however, are a bit more laissez-faire in their everyday lives; the phrase "daily grind" would better describe their espresso addiction than their travails.  Their history is completely integral to the French national identity, and they spend a great deal of effort preserving and showcasing their triumphs.  (Although they are not as tied to the past as, say, Florence, an unchanging city that feels more like a museum, inhabited mostly by historians and people working in the tourist industry.  Florence's entire historic city centre is actually a UNESCO world heritage site.)   In some cases France's focus on the past hinders their ability to keep up with the progress of the rest of the world (example: the popularity of the clearly racist and backwards-thinking Front Nationale led by Le Pen).

Two Saturdays ago, I went on a three-hour guided bus tour of London and was completely amazed by the juxtaposition of old and new.  These are a few photos I took that only minimally capture the "wow" factor of seeing London in person.  Also, I was on a bus, so the quality is not that great.

  Apparently, much of London had to be rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and after WWII, and through those tragedies, progress and innovation prevailed.  It seems that the British are able to balance their past with the present demands and opportunities of a very globalized and technological world.

If it were only sunny...