Fun Reading for Me!

Dear Globies,

I have very much enjoyed reading your blog posts.  Your thoughtful insights to the cultural experiences you have had are quite interesting.  Some are funny, some are touching, and they are all honest. Thank you for being willing to share your reactions here in this class forum.  

Given the unique student viewpoints you have provided here, I would love to be able to share some of these blog posts with my ninth and tenth grade classes.  As you know from having had me as a teacher, when I share student work I typically do so anonymously.  If you do not want me to share any of your work at all, please let me know and I will certainly honor this.  Some of your commentary would be perfect for the "I'm Normal, You're Weird" unit we cover with the ninth graders in the beginning of the year.

Best of luck finishing the coursework.  I look forward to seeing most of you soon, and to the graduates, best of luck this semester and let us know how you are doing :)

The Lourve, Notre Dame, and the Riverboat Tour

Blog Entry Three: The Lourve, Notre Dame, and the Riverboat Tour

                Today we visited the Lourve, which is famous for the Mona Lisa, a name I’d be surprised that someone didn’t recognize. I learned the Lourve was actually a castle at one point, but the king moved out of it because it was in the middle of Paris, which wasn’t safe for him, as there was a revolution going on. The place was gigantic. According to our tour guide, if you stopped to look at every painting for 16 seconds, it would take years to have seen every one. Now of course it didn’t seem like that on the inside, as we were rushed and were only interested in seeing some selected paintings, but that’s nonetheless impressive.

                We entered through a glass pyramid in the courtyard, which was quite cool. Inside the place was massive, with three separate wings all full of paintings and sculptures and whatnot. Some classmates and I were rushing through the place looking for the Mona Lisa and the Crowning of Napoleon, so we did not stop to thoroughly examine most of the paintings, but from what I saw, the majority of them were religious. While looking for the Crowning of Napoleon, we ended up finding the Mona Lisa. I had not known before then that it was such a small painting, but what I heard of it was true; no matter where you were, it looked like she was staring at you. That was actually quite freaky.

                In the end, we actually ended up going to find food and a place to sit, as we were all tired from walking, but nonetheless the Lourve was impressive. Which brings us to our next destination, Notre Dame. Notre Dame, in my honest opinion, wasn’t that great. We had visited a church earlier that was ten times more interesting, but Notre Dame was still pretty cool. The inside, of course, was massive, with pillars and arches and stain glass windows. Although the line to get in was a couple hundred feet long, and there were easily 500+ people in the line, we got in surprisingly fast. After only about 20 minutes, we were in the front of the line. I was honestly very surprised about that.

                Later, our half insane tour director guided us to the dock where we’d be taking our riverboat tour. The riverboat tour actually changed my entire view of Paris. There was something about it, seeing Paris at night from the boat, that just made Paris seem… Better. Before the tour, I hadn’t really liked it much. It was dirty and rather boring. Maybe I just liked London too much and that made my opinion biased. Regardless, seeing all the buildings, and the lights, and the people lined up on the river was just absolutely serene. It was on the boat where I realized how beautiful Paris was really, something that I had failed to see before. Admittedly I didn’t pay much attention to the audio part of the tour itself. I preferred sitting there, listening to music and taking in the beautiful sight of Paris at night.

               

Buckingham Palace and Jack the Ripper

Blog Entry Two: Buckingham Palace and Jack the Ripper

                Today was a great day, probably the best day on the trip, not only because of the sites we saw, but because of our tour guide. We had an amazing guide name Sean, and if this guy wasn’t a comedian, I don’t know who is. He was outrageously funny, and one of my highlights of the trip. He was literally the funniest person I’ve ever met, and I would love to go into further detail, but I can’t really remember many of his jokes very well.

                Regardless, we drove all over London, from things to Trafalgar Square, to famous St. Paul’s Cathedral, to the lavish and, quite impressive, Buckingham Palace.  A fun thing I noticed was that at St. Paul’s, all of the trees were painted blue with a bio-degradable paint or dye of some kind. I’d seen pictures of them before but I didn’t even know that they were in London, let alone right outside St. Paul’s. The cathedral itself was massive. Sean explained to us the architect made it a very easy to remember area; 300 feet by 500 feet. Unfortunately we did not get to go inside, but the exterior was quite impressive. Sean explained to us it was one of the only churches to survive the bombing by the Germans during WWII, whether it was luck or just a miracle, which I found pretty interesting.

                But even more impressive than St. Paul’s, was Buckingham Palace. I’d always wanted to see it, ever since it was part of a setting in a book I read many years back, and my wish had finally come true. The place was spectacular. The gates were black and covered with golden crests of the royal family, and in the middle of the round area was a gigantic statue plated in real gold leaf. It looked spectacular. I couldn’t help but admire how much wealth was in just one area alone. The flowers around were of all colors from red, to blue, to purple, and I wondered how many people must tend to the gardens there.

                We were left alone for around 15 to 30 minutes to look around, and then move to a meet up point. Soon after we met up, Sean took us to the best spot to witness the changing of the guards. However, an army truck was in the way at first, which kind of annoyed me because I could not get a good shot, but as soon as the actual changing of the guard began it moved out of the way. The guards were obviously professionals, moving in perfect unison. There was not a single flaw in their movements, and the band played loud and clear. What I noticed there was that there were actually children amongst the guards, probably being trained.

                Later on was the Jack the Ripper tour. It was dark and rainy, which some people might think helped the atmosphere a lot, but later on in the tour it began literally pouring and thundering, to the point where our guide kind of just brought us all inside of a gigantic market stall area to finish the tour. I learned a lot about Jack the Ripper, and we heard a lot about a theory called “the Royal theory,” which basically connects the killings to two or three people, including the royal family’s doctor, who took it on himself to kill four people who knew that one of the princes had a baby with a Catholic girl, which was not allowed at the time. If it were not for the killings, the queen would not be in place right now. In fact, it would be a man named King Joseph in charge of the royal family.

                Overall, today was a great day, and there was a lot of cool sites we visited, and a lot of very interesting things we learned. Although the Jack the Ripper tour was interesting, I thought it was rather bland, due to our guide. He was rather dull and boring, and there was so much rain it kind of ruined the whole thing.

Arrival in London

Entry One: Arrival in London

            To say the plane ride to London was uneventful would be an understatement. It was cramped, uncomfortable, and rather hot. Some of the students and teachers who were lucky managed to catch some sleep, while others like me were less fortunate. But I knew that in the end it would be worth it. I’d always dreamed about going to London and seeing all the sites. To be honest, when I took this trip, I didn’t care so much about going to Paris, as spending a few days in London. The plane ride was about 6 hours of me attempting to sleep, then giving up and watching movies. After waiting so long, we finally touched down in London, leaving me in a great mood. That is, until, we got stuck in an enormous line to check in our passports…

            If someone said that the students and teachers weren’t tired or crabby, they would be a liar. Even those who managed to fall asleep were only out for a few hours. Everyone was tired and jetlagged the whole day, and rather irritated. On that first day, it seemed all that we did was wait, wait, and wait some more. Our first subway ride into the city, as I remember, was lengthy, and uncomfortable. We were all crammed in a small space with no open windows and no air conditioning for almost an hour. Even the teachers were complaining about it.

            However, we finally arrived at our destination. We explored the city a bit and stopped to have lunch in a nice little area. I was hoping they’d give us some free time to explore on our own, but we only had an hour and we were not allowed to wander off.

            After lunch, we headed to see the London Eye. Needless to say we waited in a gigantic line, but it was entertaining due to the street performers that were interacting with the crowd. This one man had these weird things on his legs that made him jump very high, and he was throwing a beach ball into the group and jumping, and also did a backflip once or twice. The students and even the teachers were hitting it back to him, and it was pretty fun.

            Eventually, we were nearing the entrance for the London Eye. As the man working there asked us how many people we had with us, I simply said “52.” He gave me this look that sent me a message of something like, “Damn tourists…” We split up in to two groups to get on the Eye, and it was an amazing view. You could see all of London, from the Big Ben to the millions of people scampering around down below. The London Eye was the first thing I really enjoyed on the trip, as did most of the other students. Although I’ll admit at the top, looking down seemed to suddenly bring out the fear of heights that I hadn’t really known about before… But other than that it was quite enjoyable.

            Overall, I really did not like my first day in London, mostly due to the fact that I was tired, crabby, and extremely jetlagged. I’m sure if I had gotten some sleep it would have been a bit better, however, I really enjoyed the London Eye. 

The Big Guns: European Churches

The Big Guns: European Churches It wasn’t the reason I wanted to go to Europe. No, I can’t say any one thing really pulled me into coming along on this trip. But it was certainly a wonderful experience. Back at home, the churches I attend are well under a century old. The main one I go to weekly just celebrated its 50th anniversary. However, compared to the churches we saw on the trip, the ones back home are only babies. My favorite one, Rouen Cathedral, has been around for a good 200 years— at least— and it’s still standing strong. It’s built in a gothic style, with tall pointed towers and gargoyles to keep out evil spirits. Unlike Notre Dame in Paris, which was crowded and offered little peace and quiet, you could hear a pin drop in Rouen Cathedral. The stone pillars inside stood perfectly spaced like enormous cement trees, climbing over your head and melting into the ceiling. That ceiling seemed like the sky, so tall it was crazy to picture someone building it. On the outside the church was massive, but I had seen massive. I have been to big cities with skyscrapers that stretched to the sun. However, the experience of being inside something so great can only be described as powerful. Powerful enough to make you feel a part of the church, part of the ancient walls. Inside the Rouen Cathedral, I stood in the church soldiers attended during the Hundred Years War, where Joan of Arc’s executor prayed. Generation after generation, people would go to that church long before I was ever born. And they won’t stop coming. Our guide explained to us that the church still has masses every Sunday and also holds other religious celebrations as well. People will continue to include the Rouen Cathedral in their daily lives, just like they’ve been doing for hundreds of years. Though the building is aging, the locals are making an effort to preserve the church. Sections of the building, walls with intricate carvings for example, are netted to keep away birds. During the world wars, the stain glass windows were removed to prevent them from shattering. The church as a whole was very well kept for its age, so I know it was well taken care of. Something that made the Rouen Cathedral stand out from other ancient churches was the line of saint statues that went all around the back of the altar. I don’t think they were made for the church. They seemed to be created at different times, judging by the wear of each statue. Though I looked, I was disappointed to not find a Joan of Arc statue. Considering she was executed in the very same town, I thought they would’ve had something related to her in there. I suppose they saved that for the monumental Joan of Arc church a few blocks away. What spoke to me at that church? The quiet. We went into three churches over the course of the trip. I guess you could say they were all the same. But the others were much more crowded, lacking a sense of peace you can only find in silence. You could really hear your thoughts in that building. Ceilings so high made a person seem so small. I knew I could wander for hours in that building, yet still not find everything it had to hold. It’s the memories in the church that seemed to speak to me. The old voices of the wall call out to you: listen. You’ll never know what stories you’ll find.

Lost in London

Lost in London I think we’re all aware of the baby bird metaphor. When the time comes, the mama bird will push her children out of the nest so they learn to fly. It’s symbolic of learning to survive on your own, making a stake in life, growing up. The baby bird must learn to get around on its own. It’s pretty simple: fly or die. I’ll admit, I’m a sheltered child. I grew up in a small town, and I can get around only because I know where everything is. My sense of direction— well, I never knew if it was any good because I never got the chance. Any new vacation was taken with an adult, one armed with a map. Whenever there was a chance I was away from home, someone else was there who knew their way around. I needed a good, healthy push out of the tree, pronto. Thankfully, this trip was that push. It was our first full day in London, and someone decided to let these dazed, recently un-jetlagged kids loose into one of the most crowded cities in the world. I was pretty relieved at first. One of my least favorite things about the trip was marching around in a group of fifty-three. We might as well carry signs that say “Tourists crossing, pickpockets welcome!” To be out in a small group of our choice was a blessing. After about twenty minutes of hunting for food, it slowly dawned on my merry group of two that we weren’t sure which path to take. Our map didn’t have the majority of local streets we were on. Come to think of it, we didn’t know even know where we were going. We were in a foreign country, and nothing we passed seemed remotely familiar. It was just about as lost as you could get. In today’s age, anyone can whip out a phone and call someone who knows the way. But funny thing about a foreign country: no phone service. I can say from experience being lost in the city is far worse than being lost anywhere else. It's because of the people! People crossing the streets, driving cars, waiting for you to get out of the way— they were everywhere. While in America there are benches you can sit on and wonder what to do, there don’t seem to be any in London. Locals would sit on the edges of the street or on the doorstep of a shop if they had to rest, but there was no designated area. Not only were we panicking about what to do, but we were caught up in the flow of human traffic. We had to get directions, and we had to do it the old-fashioned way. Asking a local for directions was something I’ve never had to do before, but I found it didn’t take much time. The British family we pulled over was happy to help, despite their lack of street knowledge. It was interesting to see how they interacted with one another, not so different from an American family. They were down to earth and friendly, unlike the stereotype of hoity-toity Englishmen you hear about. We were directed to street maps located on the corner every few blocks or so. It was pretty smart of the English to put those maps there, or a quarter of the tourists in London would still be stumbling around today. Maybe I’d still be there. But like that baby bird, I learned how to make my own way. And I did it pretty well too.

Talk to Me

Talk to Me I had to have one. Though I was unaware of it before arriving, macaroons in France are pretty well known. Devouring the crisp, sugary shell bearing gooey sweet filling suddenly became the main goal of my existence. There, right across the cobble stone street where I stood, a shop of these lovely treats beckoned me forward. With a fresh stack of Euros in my pocket, who could resist? I went over to the counter, and then I remembered. I resist the programmed custom I’ve been raised with to say hello to the shop owner. “Hello” doesn’t cut it here. We’re in France. You speak French. Bonjour was my correct and welcomed greeting to the owner. Soon after my hello I got the expected stare down from the owner. Whatever accent Americans had in France, I certainly had it too. She knew I was a tourist. Her eyes told me right then and there any English would not be accepted at her booth. This was a test. She expected— no, wanted me to speak English, so she could go home and tell her family how rude these Americans were. I’d bet my hat she spoke English too, but she’d never admit to it. Not to me. Right now, it was all up to me. If I gave in, I’d forfeit any shot at respect and become the stereotypical American tourist. If I used my broken French, I’d sound like an uneducated bum and probably screw up my order. I didn’t have time to contemplate; the owner was waiting. I took a breath: “Je vous dre… nutella,” I managed, pointing to the one I wanted. They’re very picky about language here, the French. And who can blame them? You might as well hike up to your local McDonald’s and order in Arabic. Not only will nobody understand you, but you’re not making any effort to respect the local customs. Even a slow spoken, mispronounced grammar nightmare effort is better than no effort at all. And believe me, my French was poorly said. Though I made a mild attempt to study French before I left, all past experience went out the window as soon as I stood in front of a real Frenchman. Not only was the language spoken too quickly to comprehend, but my mind would always blank on all learned vocabulary. When you study a second language in America, it never feels like a real language. Not literally of course; I know it exists. But growing up around all English made the idea of anything else seem silly. It was mind blowing to be in a place where this mythical “French” was used frequently every day. Here was a place where English seemed distant and silly. Here, I learned something vital to understanding mankind but which can never be taught in a textbook or a classroom: being a minority. As I slowly improved, I learned to ask for crepe de nutella instead of a nutella crepe. When I bumped into something, the automatic “excuse me” became “pardon” or “excuse aye mwa.” When the sandwich shop clerk jabbered a long, incomprehensible sentence in French, my best bet was to nod, smile and say oui. To my delight, people became much more responsive to my French. I was able to order food more confidently and fluidly. Locals would make a bigger effort to step aside when I asked in French, compared to others who asked in English. I was becoming comfortable in a language I barely understood. After my experience, I know if I ever met the macaroon lady again I would order correctly and clearly. And maybe, I’d be able to ask about her day too.

The London Eye

As a child I rode many ferris wheels. I used to admire the view of the buildings below as the metal monster neared the top of the skyline. On our first day in London we went to the world famous London Eye, which essentially is an oversized ferris wheel. The walk there was a struggle due to the fact that we had gotten off the plane just hours before and immediately started touring. Also, I encountered my first experience on the metro.

 I have seen the American subways in television shows but was clueless as to what the experience was actually like. The experience was like nothing I expected. The escalators we took to reach our train moved rapidly. People were supposed to stand on the right side as a courtesy to the people that are in a hurry and run down the escalator on the left side. The car that we were in was very crowded which was uncomfortable with sweaty people and a lack of deodorant. Most people would lift their arm to hold the bar as the train excelled. This was just unpleasant to all of the other passenger due to the retched smell. In London, what we Americans would call the subway is actually called the tube. I was excited to get off the tube after our lengthy ride.

After some free time our group ventured over to the line for the London Eye. While waiting in line, a man on bouncy splints was doing tricks with a ball. Honestly it reminded me of a seal and the lack of teeth contributed to this connection. The area where the Eye was located was a very relaxed park scene with food vendors on the street. I was jealous of the beautiful area that people would leisurely hang out at because there isn’t an area like that to my knowledge in Livonia. As it was our turn to board a chamber we were separated into lines and quickly shooed into the bubble. At first I was taken back at the fact that the wheel doesn’t stop as you board your individual bubble.

The wheel was much slower than I assumed. Our tour guide told us that it is rumored that the motion of the London eye is a mimic of traffic in the city. As our bubble ascended, the view of the river and the many different bridges became more vivid. Big ben had a noticeable presence over the river. In our bubble we were able to see the famous tower from an angle that wasn’t possible from the ground which made it even more beautiful. From the top you could see a vast amount of the city including some type of field across the river. My assumption was that the field was designated for rugby. The fact I found most interesting about the London Eye is that there are thirty one chambers that represent each of the thirty one districts of London. I know I would have been more will and able to take in the beautiful view if it wasn’t for the jet lag. Overall, the London Eye was an amazing experience that also resulted in very picturesque photos.

Personal Interactions in France and London

When going to a different country it is to be expected that the people will also be slightly different. I predicted that I would fit in a lot better with the people in London because I assumed they would be similar to Americans. My expectation was due to the fact that unlike France, London and the United States do not have a language barrier. The language barrier in France was equally as irritating to the French as it was to us. Compared to Americans, the French are very proper and extremely lax on time. They take daily activities at their own pace and show no need to rush. This was common in London as well. On the contrary, in America everyone is constantly rushing and with this I speak from experience. 

In France, the combination of a language barrier and a relaxed view on time created some difficulties for us. I ventured out to a café along with a friend while in France and had a very unpleasant encounter with the French. At the café, they were rude to us soon after they found out we spoke very little French. The waiter ignored us for the longest time before giving us service and seemed to make that a pattern until we received our bill. The waiter tried to explain to us in very broken English that they don’t take credit cards on purchases smaller than fifteen euro and tried to coarse us into buying cigarettes to increase our total. Sadly, the two of us both had credit cards and after attempting to increase our total by buying water bottles, the man was very angry. He ended up forcefully taking the card, throwing it back, and then shooing us out with a very rude merci. This was my last major encounter with the French and it was by far the worst.

On the bright side, the best encounter I had with the French people was from a distance. Watching the daily actions and mannerisms was quite intriguing to me. I noted that most French women are very proper and dress very modern and sophisticated. I noticed this in both France and London. I didn’t see anyone in sweat pants or basketball shorts other than groups of tourists. Most of the people were dressed nicely and very fashionably with bright colors and patterns. The clothing in France was slightly more conservative with higher cut neck lines. In London, you occasionally ran into the person that looked like they forgot to put on the rest of their outfit in the morning.

The thing I noticed most about the people in London was that a majority of the population smokes. Most of the time when you would see a person smoking they would just be walking down the street. For me this was weird because it is rare that you see someone smoking a cigarette and walking down the street in Michigan. The people in London were very diverse and relaxed, even slightly free spirited.  

On my first day I met a man in a sandwich shop and he proceeded to teach us the currency and give us useful tips to help us navigate around the city. The man told us not to take out all of our money when we go to pay and that we can find inexpensive water bottles at the supermarket instead of the tourist shops. The information he provided turned out to be very useful.

 While walking on the streets of London I quickly noticed that when people bump into you they don’t say excuse me which us Americans are so accustomed to. This was strange to me but come to think of it I don’t deal with large crowds of people on a daily basis. People watching was very interesting and helped give me insight on the people of France and London.

Last but Certainly not Least

            It was our last day of the 12 we were spending in Europe. At this point in the trip, my feelings were as follows:

1. Frustration. Who knew it would be so difficult to just communicate while in a foreign country. My 3 years of French language didn’t really help me out as much as I hoped.

2. More Frustration. I just want to be able to drive to get to places. The over-packed, drawn out metro rides were very overrated at this point in the trip.

3. Sadness. I missed my bed, my dog, my own shower, wi-fi that didn’t stop working every 3 minutes, my phone, my family and friends.

4. Poor. With the amount of money I was spending, I was dreading coming home and seeing how empty my bank account would become. Then thinking about going back to my mediocre job as a bagger at Kroger and how many more bags I would have to stuff to build up the bank account again.

5. Tired. Every day in the summer I’m used to staying up until 3am and waking up at 1pm, not staying up until 3am and waking up at 7am. I’ve never felt more sleep-deprived and jet lagged.

6. Sick. Although eating croissants for breakfast, panini’s for lunch, and mystery meat for dinner every day does sound lovely, it didn’t sit well with my stomach after a while.

            To basically sum up everything that I listed up there, I would say the right word to describe it all is depressed. I wasn’t only feeling depressed about all of that; I was also depressed that I had to leave it all. Leave the beauty, the stress-free, memory-filled week and a half in Europe with my family.

            Our last day was spent waking up early to visit the beautiful Versailles. We had the opportunity to go to the Palace of Versailles and view the wonderful architecture and artwork inside of what seemed to be all-gold castle. The gardens were even more of a spectacular scene. Acres of green, groomed plants and flowers was the most peaceful walk I have ever taken. Listening to the trickling of the fountains and smelling the wonderful smells of every flower filled me with serenity. After Versailles, we got free time shopping around art filled streets in Paris. Vendors were selling their fine drawings and paintings of famous landmarks within Paris, so of course I had to buy one or two. During this free time, my friends and I got gelato, sat on top of a big hill with some other Globies, and looked out at the city and took it all in. This is when it hit me that it was my last day in Europe, and this is also when I became depressed for a different reason than being home sick. If there is such thing as being “vacation sick” or “Europe sick,” then I was definitely coming down with something.

            Trying not to think about leaving, I tried to make the most of little time I had left. We ended our day with a lovely dinner, and a dreary metro ride back to the hotel where we had to pack up our belongings and hundreds of dollars’ worth of souvenirs and prepare to leave one final time. As much as I miss everything and everyone from my trip to Europe, I will never forget the memories I made, the bonds and friendships that were created, and the food that was eaten. All I look foward to with my future is going back and reliving every moment like it was just yesterday.  

England transitioning to France

Following five great days in England everyone packed their bags and boarded a bus that led us to Portsmouth. While in town we visited the D-day museum and the nearby castle. On June 6, 1944 allied troops gathered in Portsmouth to storm the beaches in Normandy. The museum depicted the story of the events leading up to D-day.          

After dinner there was a two hour wait before anyone was allowed to board the cruise ship. During the wait we took a quiz on what we had learned while in England and this helped summarize our experience so far. Our teachers informed us that there would be Wi-Fi on the cruise so everyone got excited. From land the ship looked very large and luxurious, but once we got onto the ship we were let down. The Wi-Fi only worked on a deck higher than us, and even there nothing would load due to a poor satellite connection. Most students wanted to talk to their families back home.  Up to this point in our trip, Wi-Fi was not readily available, so for most of us this was the first opportunity to communicate through our electronic devices. The biggest problem on the cruise was the size of the rooms. Most rooms had four people assigned to them, and each room was about fifteen feet by ten feet. There were two bunk beds and enough space for one person to walk in and out of the room or into the bathroom. My roommates and I had to put our luggage in the bathroom so we would have enough space to get to our beds. Trying to fall asleep was worse than getting into the rooms. I had not slept on a boat before and laying down felt very unusual. The boat rocked back and forth, and every once in a while the rocking would make a car alarm go off. At first everyone in my room was confused because we did not know that on the lower decks the boat was transporting cars over to France.

The night seemed very long as the cruise ship finally arrived in France. Afterwards, a bus took us to the D-day museum in Caen which was very different from the museum in Portsmouth. Besides seeing the photos in the museum we had a chance to visit Omaha and Utah beach and frolic through the fields where holes from mortars and destroyed bunkers remained. Nearby, there was a cemetery for all of the American soldiers that died during the assault on Normandy. There were rows of white crosses and the occasional Star of David. In World War II not all Jewish soldiers listed they religion on their dog tags, which was the only way to be identified, for the fear of additional persecution if captured by the Germans.

The next day we visited a cheese factory in Normandy that smelled very atrocious. A cheese sample was given out to every student and it tasted very different than the cheese that is available in America. From the factory the bus went to the town of Rouen where the famous Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, and this was the last stop before our departure to Paris.        

English Adventures

On the first day in London we walked to the London Eye which is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe and is located along the Thames River. About 300 people were waiting in line to ride the Eye, and the waiting time was about an hour. Everyone’s feet hurt after a day of walking, and standing still made it worse. After an hour groups of twenty people hurried into the air conditioned pods of the London Eye. The wheel moved very slowly so it gave people a chance to take pictures. After the short amount of time spent on the London Eye we returned to our hotel because everyone was tired after a busy day.

            
The next morning a bus was waiting outside of the hotel for us to ride into town. There was a quick stop at St. Paul’s Cathedral where our guide explained that the Cathedral was 365 feet tall and that it was where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married. Our group did not go into the Cathedral because the price per person was equivalent to that of a museum. A short walk led us to Tower Bridge which is located over the river Thames. Tower Bridge was built over 100 years ago and the bridge was raised up to allow larger ships to cross underneath it. Currently the river is not in use for cargo transportation as much as it was before, so the bridge is rarely raised. However, while we were there we were lucky enough to witness the lifting of the bridge which was amazing.

            
Our bus crossed over Tower Bridge, made its way past Westminster Abbey, and eventually arrived at Buckingham Palace. Surrounding the palace were thousands of people. While there, the guard was scheduled to change. Our group gathered near the entrance of the barracks and waited for the red coated soldiers to come marching. The road was blocked to restrict any cars from passing through, and a band accompanied the soldiers.

            
Later that night was the Jack the Ripper tour. I was excited because I need to write a paper on Jack the Ripper for school, so I was hoping to learn more about what had happened. Unfortunately my guide was not very good at telling stories due to his lack of emotion, however our teacher Ms. Rozman came to the rescue. The locations of the murder victims were no longer darkened alleys. They were replaced by stores or apartments so the rain was the only attribute to the mysteriousness. Before the tour started it began to rain, and it did not let up until we were on our way back to the hotel. I did not know I had an umbrella on me so I was soaked by the time the tour was over.

The following day was a two hour bus ride to the Roman Baths and Stonehenge. The Baths smelled like copper and murky water but the architecture and the thought that the Romans would construct an area for people to bathe 2,000 years ago is phenomenal. Stonehenge was exactly how I expected it, and it was cool that I had got to see a monument that I had previously seen in picture and movies.  

European/American Differences

After a long eight hour plane ride the group finally arrived in London. The plane ride was terrible because it was difficult to sleep and the jet lag was exhausting. Most of the students felt the same way as I did, however we did not go to rest at the hotel. We got our bags and then we met our tour guide that would accompany us for the rest of the trip, Cornellius. He led us through England and France and would make hilarious comments on the various things we encountered, making our visit more enjoyable. After we dropped off our bags, we got onto the tube for the first time to explore the London shops and one of the local parks. The tube is an underground train system that runs throughout London that a majority of the citizens use. The line that the group used the most was the Piccadilly line that led from our hotel across London.   

            
A significant difference between Europe and the U.S. is the mode of transportation used. In the U.S. buildings and people tend to be more spaced out than in Europe, the public transportation system in most areas is not as well developed and the use of cars is more prevalent. In Europe the use of buses, bicycles, walking, and the tube are implemented into society much more. At a population of eight million people condensed into a small area the widespread use of cars would be ridiculous. London has been on a path to going green and being environmentally friendly, making the use of bicycles a common practice. There was a separate lane for bicycles on the left side of the road along with cars and buses which seemed strange to me. The steering wheels on the vehicles were on the right side and the oncoming traffic was on the left side of the road. Instead of looking left when crossing the street pedestrians would have to look right and Cornellius said if you did not look before crossing the street and just followed someone, you would be sheeping.

            
Another concept most people in our group were not used to was the portion sizes in Europe. In the U.S. restaurants tend to make portions large and throughout Europe when ordering, it is noticeable how much less is provided. This makes people living there used to eating less and moving more.  The phrase that has been associated with the U.S. is “Bigger is better” when it comes to food, while the mobility of our citizens is limited.   

Last but not least when it comes to shopping the attitude towards customers in Europe versus the U.S. is very different. From my prior visit to Romania, where my family is from, I observed that the shopkeepers are not as concerned with making the customer happy, but more with the bottom line. The English shopkeepers were no different. In the U.S. businesses and their employees have the policy of “the customer is always right” focusing more on the customer experience to draw profits, which I think is wiser.  

Lasting Impressions

            It’s now time to talk about my favorite experiences and attractions while visiting Europe for the first time. Besides the food, free time, and memories made with my fellow Globies, I did learn a lot that I didn't know before.

            Starting off the trip with riding the second largest “Ferris wheel” in the world kept my expectations high for the rest of the trip. I’m not usually one for being afraid of heights, but I was pretty nervous to ride the thing. As I soon learned, however, it was not bad as it seemed. The air conditioned pod kept me relaxed, while viewing a breath-taking view of London. Picking out famous sites like Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower of London, it made a lasting impression and the spectacular view will forever be embedded into my mind.

            We then traveled to Normandy where another one of my favorite places is located. The American Cemetery was one of the most influential places I have ever visited. The night before I left for the trip, I watched “Saving Private Ryan.” The beginning and ending scene are filmed there, and watching the movie gave me a better idea of what I was actually looking at. I was at loss of words when I walked in and saw all of the crosses. Walking up and down the aisles got me very emotional, just thinking about the copious amount of innocent men that died serving. It really put things into perspective for me as well. While I’m over here in Livonia, Michigan, freaking out because of silly friend drama, or complaining that I have to go to work or school, there are men out in no man’s land fighting for our country. It makes me believe that we shouldn't forget about those brave souls battling for us.

            Ending up in Paris, where we got the opportunity to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower was the highlight of my trip. Not only is the Eiffel Tower a gorgeous monument that models for mediocre photographers all around the world, but also creates memories that are unforgettable. Being with my closest friends at the top of the tower, looking out at the night life of Paris, was just a surreal moment and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Being able to go on this trip was an incredible opportunity, and spending it with my Global Ed family made it all the better. 

A Green England

In the United States, many citizens are trying to become greener by recycling more, using less water, and much more. I have always thought our nation has been making a lot of improvement towards a greener lifestyle, but after seeing how green England is, I realized how far behind we are from a lot of the world. England is green everywhere you turn.

            

When we first got to our hotels in England, my roommates and I were quite confused for a long time with how the electricity worked. We could not figure out how to turn on the lights. This is because there is a small keyhole for the room key where you had to put your key in to activate the electricity flow in our room. So to turn on the lights or charge our phone, we had to constantly have a room key in the wall. A small switch next to each outlet also controlled the electricity. To allow the electricity flow, you had to turn the switch on and you were to turn it off when you were not using it.

           

Outside of the hotel room, England was also very green on the streets. On every street corner there were multiple different recycling bins; one for paper, plastics, glass, etc. On many street corners, there weren’t even garbage cans, just recycling bins! It was more common to find a recycling bin than a garbage can. It was also very rare to see many cars driving. Our tour guide explained to us that in England, citizens have to pay a very expensive toll to drive into many cities for work. This toll makes citizens not drive and take the tube instead, which helps stop air pollution.

            

England was also very green in its bathrooms. In almost every bathroom that I went to in England, there were two different buttons to flush. One used less water and it was supposed to be used for when the flush doesn’t need to be heavy. Of course, the other button was to be used very rarely when you needed the heavier flush. Also in the bathrooms, there were never paper towels. I never was in one bathroom with paper towel, only ever a hand dryer. This was to reduce the amount of paper wasted.

            

Over all, seeing how green England was made me realize how much more effort the United States needs to still put in to make a more green environment. There is a constant flow of electricity through my house at all times; there are no switches on the outlets. There are not many recycling bins on the streets of public places. There is no toll to drive into the city. There are no two different buttons to flush. And there are always paper towels in public bathrooms. Even if there are hand driers, there are usually paper towels as well. I hope that one day the United States can live up to the green example that England has shown us.

A Language Barrier: Life’s Most Difficult Obstacle

The School Of Global Education spent the first week of its travel abroad in England. England felt much like the United States because despite the cute British accent, everyone spoke the language that we spoke. It was never difficult to order a meal in England. It was never difficult to ask someone where the nearest bathroom was. It was never difficult to ask an employee at a store for a certain shirt size. Of course, because everything was so easy in this different country, I became a little overconfident with the grove of traveling abroad. It felt easy to me. So when it was time to step off of our fairy into France, I was nowhere near prepared for the culture shock that awaited me.

           

When we got on our bus to the fairy, we were given pieces of papers that had common French words and sentences that would come in handy through our conversations in France. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the language barrier as serious as I should have. I expected that most people in France would speak English and I wouldn’t have to know much French to get around. I quickly learned I was wrong.

When we went to our first French village, I, along with a group of girls, went on a mission to find Panini’s for lunch. We successfully found a small restaurant just a little down the street and didn’t even question what we would do if they didn’t speak English. We just expected that everyone did. So, when we walked up to a young French woman at the counter, we thought we would speak French at first to be kind. We said “Bonjour” but quickly added “parlez-vous anglais?” asking if she spoke English. To our surprise she responded, “no.” It was as if the pour young woman just told us the end of the world was that day. Everyone panicked and stood in silence. All of us girls exchanged worried and confused looks. None of us knew what to do. Copious questions began flooding my mind. How can I order a ham and cheese Panini in French? How do you say ham? How do you say cheese? Should be just go somewhere else? Will this woman understand us if we try to communicate? Finally, one of the girls stepped up and began trying to describe that she wanted a ham and cheese Panini. Using hand motions and as much French as possible. Then little by little, we all stepped up to the counter and began describing and pointing. Luckily the girl understood what we were all trying to say. But it was not easy. Of course, I got better at communicating with the French as the trip went on, but that first day, trying to order a Panini was definitely the greatest culture shock I’ve ever had. It really made me realize that there truly is a huge world outside of the United States that speaks different languages, have different cultures, and different religions. I hope that I get the chance to explore them all one day.

            

Ascending into the Eiffel Tower

Leaving for France and England, I was looking forward to ascending into the Eiffel Tower the most. I have always been very fascinated by its unique beauty. Even before ever traveling abroad I had multiple models and pictures of the Eiffel Tower in my room. Needless to say, I had high expectations for ascending into the Eiffel Tower before even leaving the country. And after the first week of walking and touring London and Norway, I feared that my expectations were set too high, and that I was going to be disappointed in the actual size and beauty of the Eiffel Tower. Thankfully, I was wrong.

            

Our first day in Paris was filled with walking and touring. Of course, this was no different than the rest of the trip. For the past week leading up to Paris, the group walked an average of about eight miles a day with the nonstop touring. After running on little sleep all week with so much walking, I was becoming exhausted and dehydrated. So on the night of seeing the Eiffel Tower, I just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. Yes, the biggest event of the trip I wanted to skip because I was a little tired. And as unhappy as I was at the time, I am so appreciative that the teachers did not let us stop and did not let us miss out on visiting the Eiffel Tower.

            

The second that the group arrived at the bottom of Eiffel Tower, I instantly understood why so many countries across the world seem to be so drawn to and fascinated by the Eiffel Tower. Its beauty is overwhelming. It is so unique with such an elegant intricate design. It truly gives off a magical feel, even when just standing on the ground looking up at it. I was mesmerized. I could not wait to actually ascend up into the beautiful Tower.

           

 Getting to the very top of the Tower was rather tricky because you had to go through many different mazes of lines. And, of course, the lines were quite long. But, as a young tourist, I was far too engrossed in the magic of the Eiffel Tower to care. There were two different elevators we had to take to get to the very top. When the small group that I was with walked off of the first elevator, I thought we were at the very top. We were so high up, and the view was beautiful. But to my surprise, we were only half way up. So I quickly got in the rather large line for the second elevator. When we walked out of the elevator onto the very top, I could not believe how beautiful the view was. You could see all of Paris, and even farther. Everything was so beautiful. It felt like you were flying in the air over one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The view was breathtaking. That moment, standing and looking out on the top of the Eiffel Tower, was by far the highlight of the trip for me. I am not sure if anything will ever be able to top that magical feeling that I had on top of the Eiffel Tower. I cannot wait to go back in a few years and do it again.  

Edible Expectations

         When going to London I didn’t expect the food and restaurants to be too different considering the history of our nations. After Spending a few days in the country, I found out that I was mistaken. In London, I immediately noticed the lack of ice in every drink we were served. Ice would only be given on request. In the United States, if you were to order a drink at any given restaurant, it would be served with ice. The water served in London was usually room temperature and occasionally, if you were lucky, it would be served cold. This is one cultural difference that I found strange. Personally, I can’t stand water that isn’t ice cold, so I guess it’s a good thing I’m not British.

 Along with no ice, restaurants also did not have salt on the tables. This detail did not bother me. Instead the complaints from everyone at my table, due to the lack of salt were the bother. In the States, salt would be found in excess on most foods along with being on every table at a restaurant. The presence of salt was rare, and when encountered, we were greatly discouraged from using the salt for fear of offending the restaurant personnel. We were informed by our lovely tour guide, Cornelius, that using salt is considered offensive, because it means that the chef didn’t prepare the dish well.

Another unusual thing I noticed was when ordering water the question flat or bubbly was brought up every time. Sparkling water was offered at every restaurant we ventured off to on our free time. Also, if you don’t specify you want your water from the tap when ordering, you will be brought bottled water which is quite costly. A few of us were taken advantage of as tourists and ended up paying over six pounds for water, because we were unaware that you had to specify you wanted your water from the tap. Even though our experience was bad at said restaurant, I did admire the seating style. In most cafés or restaurants located along the street, the seating is set up so both people at a table are facing the street. I greatly admired the seating style, considering I love to people watch.

At home, I go to coffee houses and cafes frequently and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi. I was shocked in London to find that free Wi-Fi is rare. I found free Wi-Fi only at Starbucks and scattered restaurants. The thought of having to pay for internet in public places was shocking to a diverse group of teenagers.

 One difference I appreciated, was the higher quality and more diverse selection of food at the McDonalds. As an international chain, I knew the fast food restaurant would be located on the streets of London, but I was unaware that it would surpass the American standard. At first I criticized the people in my tour group for not venturing out and trying new foods, but ended up finding myself in the McDonalds a few days later only to be amazed. They had foods like teriyaki chicken burgers and macaroons that not only looked good but tasted good too. I was amazed by the culinary differences between London and the United States. Though some things were small, they were equally noted.

In the Louvre, the mighty Louvre

            The Louvre is a place where the mystical Holy Grail is supposed to be buried and home to many famous pieces of art that date back to centuries ago.  In addition, it holds a karma-injected curse that Austin Dwyer was the wrath of. 

            Lets start off on an interesting note; it is amazing how such a small area of Earth can be so famous.  This small area I am talking about is where a mysterious artifact that has been talked about for years and is a major religious symbol to believers in the trinity.  Surprisingly it has been the name of a Jay-z song and even in a Monty Python, but enough with the suspense, this sacred icon I am talking about is the Holy Grail.  In the Louvre under this enormous glass triangle that climaxes at a point with another triangle sprouting from the ground is where the Holy Grail is supposed to be merrily residing under.  It felt so surreal to be so close to this magnificent structure and I could not resist the urge to take a quick self-picture with it in the background.  In all seriousness it was actually really neat and all I could imagine was the scene from the Da-Vinci code when Tom Hanks was standing in the exact same spot as I was. 

            After observing the Holy Grail burial spot I ventured further into the museum where my eyes placed vision upon some of the most well known portraits in the world such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.  Although I expected the Mona Lisa to be larger, it was still extremely epic and again I envisioned myself as Tom Hanks when he was standing in the exact same spot I was.  I tested the theory of the Mona Lisa constantly being able to look at you everywhere you were and it’s actually creepily true! 

            Speaking of women looking at me I spotted many naked women….sculptures around the museum as well.  I am guessing that the reason for this is that during the age these sculptures were made, women’s beauty was quite a spectacle and embraced by many artists.  During these ages women were seen almost literally as sculptures because they were not allowed to work or do anything too exhausting besides the dirty deed.  However, the women were not alone in being naked, I saw a lot of male reproductive organs throughout the museum which surprised me how vulgar some of these artists were.  I suppose that’s how a lot of people walked around back then but there was really no filter in these pieces of art. 

            Yet the most memorable part of the museum was the karma curse of the Louvre.  While Austin Dwyer was exploring the museum he engaged in a manifold of explicit poses with some of the statues.  The karma curse of the Louvre got Austin when he was performing some museum parkour outside of the Louvre and he wiped out in front of thousands of people from all around the world.  After suffering some painful injuries Austin Dwyer then learned never to disrespect art ever again and never will in his entire life.  In spite of this, there is a good chance his wipeout might be on some sort of media in the near months because someone must have gotten it on tape.  

En Route to Paris

On August 1, 2013 we were on our seventh day of the trip and finally in France. Being in France actually felt like a different country compared to being in England which just felt like a larger city in America. I think it was just because everyone around us obviously wouldn’t speak English and there was more of a difference with food. In England the food was all a variety of things. With Indian food one night and chicken pot pie the next it wasn’t like the Brits had their own cultural food (besides fish and chips of course). But in France everything you ate was part of the French culture. For example, there really was no “regular” sandwich, but instead everything was put on foot long baguettes. Plus the majority of the pastries there would never be found in America or England; macaroons being the most obvious example.

            The entire day was mostly spent traveling besides a few stops on the way. The first stop we made was to visit a cheese factory. Right when I stepped out of the bus the smell of sour milk hit me and it was not pleasant at all. The smell inside the factory was even stronger so I was not a fan of it. The actual tour of the factory was pretty boring until we got to the cheese tasting. The first couple cheeses I tried I actually hated.  I had only taken the smallest bite I could possibly manage but the cheese was so strong one miniscule bite was enough. The cheese tasted like it was forgotten milk left out in a sun-baked car for too long; just smelling it made me gag. The only cheese I could somewhat tolerate was the last one but I still wouldn’t eat it regularly. While we were walking out I noticed one man buying six different types of cheeses! I honestly couldn’t believe someone would actually enjoy eating that cheese after I almost threw up eating it!

            The next stop was the Church of Saint Joan of Arc in the city of Rouen. It was absolutely incredible. It was the first church we actually had the opportunity to walk inside because Saint Paul’s Cathedral in England required an admission. I was actually surprised at how large the inside of the church was. I could tell from the outside that it obviously wasn’t a small church but it was still breathtaking. Once seeing the inside of the church we walked to the exact site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake after being accused of witchcraft. It was really powerful being there but there wasn’t much to see besides a garden and an extremely tall cross that was the spot-marker.

            Then we were able to have free time and it was the first time we had over an hour to explore while in France. For lunch I had a chicken, lettuce, and tomato baguette with mayo. I noticed how the mayo seemed to be drowning my sandwich but it was great none the less. After lunch my friends Kendra, Rachel, and I went to go shopping, specifically for dresses. After a great time of struggle we were all finally able to find something.

            After our shopping trip it was time to get back on the bus which then took us to our hotel in Paris. This hotel was absolutely beautiful and by far my favorite place we stayed at. By the time we all got to our rooms and settled in I was ready to sleep.

Sea Sick and Sleep Deprived

I woke up nauseous and sleep deprived after spending the night on the boat. I had never stayed on a boat overnight and before I left I was told about how on cruises it doesn’t feel like you’re even off land. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to feel the boat or the waves moving beneath us at all; boy was I wrong. To try and feel better I drank a cup of tea and then went up onto the deck to get some fresh air; thankfully I was also able to see the land so it was able to ground me and keep my mind off the movement. I don’t believe I will ever be taking a boat ride such as that ever again. The room that we stayed in was the size of a walk-in closet. With one bed, a fold out couch, and two beds that came down from the ceiling. With four girls sharing one single room it can be hectic enough! But with four girls sharing a room where you have to go up against the wall to let others pass by you, and your suitcase can barely be opened without you hitting anything can be very difficult. 

            Once our boat had finally docked in Cannes, France-- after leaving Portsmouth, England the night before-- I was so ready to get off.  We boarded a bus that would take us to Paris while taking stops to tour along the way. Our first stop was at Pegasus Bridge which was significant because it was captured by the Allies so the Germans couldn’t carry out a counter attack. But after motion sickness and four hours of sleep I was not very interested in seeing it. After the bridge we went to another D-day Museum. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that museums are important in preserving the history of humanity, but seeing three museums all centered around one day can be a tad repetitive. The only reason I enjoyed visiting the different museums was because they all offered a different viewpoint.

 The D-day Museum in Portsmouth, England featured accounts based on the point of view of the British. My friend Kendra made an observation about how the British saw the American Allies World War II. She noticed that the British gave the impression that they knew they would need the Americans help all along, that it was all part of their master plan in winning the war. While the Americans saw their involvement as saving the day-- helping the struggling Brits win the war! The French are depicted by other countries as cowardly during World War II because when Germany invaded and took over, the French didn’t do much to try and prevent it. Our tour guide Cornelius even called the French “Pushovers” during the war! However, in the D-day museum in France the French were shown as victims of the Germans; victims who gave in to the invasion of their land to preserve it and try to reduce conflict.

I just thought that was interesting how no matter where you in the world, nationalism is alive everywhere!  When you learn about the history of your country in books, yours is always shown as the best. The actions of your country are always justified; while to other nations, your actions could be shown as foolish and not necessary. I guess that goes to show that your environment really does influence your opinion and beliefs.

Shakespeare's Globe: The Experience

It was day four of the trip and my body was now accustomed to walking about eight miles a day so I was ready to get moving. Our first stop was Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. To be honest I wasn’t looking forward to seeing this at all. I would have rather been spending that time exploring the city or talking to more of the people; however the only option was to suck it up and go. Our tour guide’s name was Stephanie and thankfully she was extremely passionate about what she was talking about so her excitement transferred to me as well.

 Before we could enter the theater Stephanie gave us a brief synopsis of the construction of it. The original theatre was built in 1599 by Lord Chamberlain’s Men—the playing company for which Shakespeare wrote most of his works for—which is why the globe is associated with Shakespeare. However, the theatre was burned down due to a cannon firing mishap when the cannon set fire to the roof of the theatre. Since there were no “sprinkler systems” and the Globe Theatre was made completely of wood, the theatre was consequently destroyed. She went on to inform us about how this new theatre was made in 1997 and was modeled exactly after the original one! The only true difference was that this new theatre had a sprinkler system in case of fires-- for obvious reasons.

            After the little history lesson we were finally able to enter the theatre. Upon entering it I was actually amazed at how beautiful everything was. I didn’t picture the theatre to look the way it did at all. I pictured some dark room with a creaky old wooden stage at the front and rows of seats facing toward it, like all the other theatres I’ve been in. But to my surprise there was no ceiling, so it wasn’t a dark room at all with the natural sunlight casting over the stage and seats. Also, the theatre was arranged in a circle which I also didn’t expect as well. As you can see I didn’t really spend much time thinking about the Globe Theatre for I didn’t make any of the simple connections (like a globe being circular as well as the theatre) beforehand. The reason the theatre is arranged in a circle is because no matter where the sun is, it always shines on the audience. That way when the actors are performing they don’t have the sun in their eyes; which is quite a clever idea if you ask me. The part of the theatre that really shocked me though was the “marble” pillars. They held up the stage covering and they looked like they were completely made up of marble when in reality it was just a painting technique. Stephanie told us how the people who would visit the theatre would actually have to go up and touch the pillars to see for themselves if it was marble or not. She said how when they felt the rough wood instead of smooth cold marble they were taken aback because it just appeared so real.     

            When we were finished with the tour inside we were led outside to the pavement where people’s names are printed into the cement. This was how the Globe Theatre reconstruction was funded—when people donated at least 300 pounds their name would be printed into their own cement block. John Cleese-- who I know from the second Shrek movie-- donated 600 pounds to have his name, and the name of his friend Michael Palin engraved in the cement. The catch was for him to donate this amount of money, the engravers had to spell Palin’s name wrong. As a result one stone outside of the Globe Theatre reads “John Cleese” while the neighboring one reads “Michael Pallin.”

All in all I was pleasantly surprised with attending Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I don’t believe I would have chosen to go there on my own, but I’m glad I was able to have the experience of visiting it.

 

 

I'm Normal, You're Weird

As we made our way through the first dragged out, jet lagged day in London, frustration is the key word to describe how I was feeling. The British accent, the food, the walking, the tube, the crowds, and my tiredness were all adding to this horrible feeling. When one visits a foreign country for the first time, the first and most obvious difference that’s noticed is the accent. At first I thought it was entertaining to just listen to all of the British people talk because it’s not everyday you hear that around the United States, but then it got old very fast. My friends and I were given looks as if we didn't belong there because of our “accent” as well, but we didn't think anything of it, just like the British people.

            The transportation aspect of London was also way different than here in Livonia. I soon had realized the tube (subway) was going to become one of my best friends because of how often our group was using it. The first experience on the tube was interesting to say the least, noticing the different ways of life in London than in America. The Europeans are very quiet in social places like the tube. We quickly began to tell we were like a fish out of water because of loud and obnoxious we were acting. Throughout the 12 days we were traveling, our group attracted a countless amount of unwanted attention because of this, but we shall have no shame. Also, personal space is an unknown phrase over in Europe and we became aware of this when first riding the tube. People will try their hardest to squeeze into the already constricted, claustrophobic train car, no matter how full it already is. Nonetheless, we got used to this lifestyle promptly, due to the fact we had an hour ride every night from downtown London back to our hotel.

            The way everyone dressed was another difference that I observed while on the long, strenuous walks we took and the tube rides. Personally, I felt as if I was under dressed the whole time I was there. The European’s are the trend setters and very interested in fashion. The women would all be wearing skirts with a nice, steamed blouse or a dress with fancy pantyhose and high heels. There are also the men who wear button up dress shirts with a pair of pressed trousers and pointed dress shoes, as if they were getting ready to go to a photo shoot for Men’s Warehouse. Even walking around the streets I noticed that their casual wear is what we call “dressy.” With all of these differences, it opened my eyes up to new way of life, even if it was difficult to understand and adapt to. 

Move it move it

Moving around in England and France is far more different than what I am used to in the United States. First off, I have never seen so many people walking to their destinations. Here in Livonia the only times I ever see a person out walking is either to walk their dogs or get a workout in. In addition, I did not see one obese person in the period of time I was in Europe and this is probably because of the amount of walking they do each day. It’s very easy to maneuver your way through England and France on foot due to the fact that everything is so close together. Restaurants, stores, and souvenir shops were literally right next to each other and it made traveling so much more convenient. In Livonia, I am used to enormous shopping centers with maybe a café and some fast food restaurants, but I could not find a very fulfilling and healthy meal in a mall in Michigan. Where in London and England I found some exquisite and filling cuisine inside their malls.

Another main mode of transportation is the crotch rocket. The high purr of these small but powerful machines is as common as hearing crickets at night. After a few days in England I did not even turn my head when I heard the high revs being produced by these bikes because they were everywhere. However, since London and Paris are quite wealthy I took some great self-pictures with some of the most expensive bikes in the world like Ducatti! The streets in Europe are perfect for small transportation like these because you can weave in and out of traffic in order to get to your destinations. In addition, after seeing so many of these motorcycles I have an increased urge to purchase one.

As I mentioned before, Paris and England are very wealthy and the cars were beautiful. First of all BMWs, Mercedes, and Jaguars were scattered throughout the streets and provided much eye candy for a car fanatic like me. In addition to these fast and luxurious cars there were Porsches, Ferraris, and Aston Martins as well. The best part was that all the drivers were not prudes either and they would rev their engines and accelerate at lightening speeds. I believe that is how these cars are meant to be driven and European drivers now have a place in my heart.

However, you cannot forget the subways. The subway is probably where most of London and Paris’s population goes to reach their destinations. From experience I noticed that they were immensely crowded and quite smelly as well. Although the subways did not have a radio they did have live entertainment. This consisted of acting, instrument playing, and singing. The performers were really talented in my opinion, but unfortunately it was obvious that they were not very wealthy which is why I donated money to them a couple times. All in all, transportation in Paris and London is far more different than America's by a long shot.

Bathrooms...

When you got to go, you got to go. Unfortunately, in Europe you have to pay a toll. Here in America I am not used to having to reach into my wallet every time I visit the porcelain bowl and it caught me off guard when I noticed a toll counter outside the public bathrooms. The worst part about these obstacles is that I had to fumble though my money pouch to get the correct amount of change and dropped at least fifty pence out of it each time. Least to say, I felt like such a tourist. One time I did not have enough change on me so I made the devious choice to sneak in with one of my friends. Shortly after unzipping at a urinal I heard my friend getting yelled at by a security guard for letting me in. While my friend was standing in a stall he had to reach in his fanny pack to pull out fifty pence to pay the guard. Nevertheless, it surprised me how needy they were over their fifty pence to take the Browns to the Superbowl (If you know what I mean).

Even in the most American restaurant, McDonalds, you are not safe from Bathroom obstacles. In order to use the bowl in places like McDonalds and Starbucks you have to enter a bathroom code into the door that is listed on your receipt. Basically, you have to buy an item from the store to have access to the bathroom. Unfortunately for me I had many tourist episodes with this dilemma. For example, I would wait in the exuberant bathroom line and once I got to the door I noticed that it was password protected and I would have to perform the walk of shame all the way out of the store. However, now that I think about it, the receipt passwords are actually a superb idea. First of all, it prevents the line from getting too long due to the fact that not everyone wants to buy something to go to the bathroom. If these bathrooms were not password protected the lines would be unfathomable! Secondly, it certainly helps out the store because it gives people more of an incentive to purchase something.

On the topic of purchasing, I would love to buy a European toilet! The coolest part about their toilets is that the water and flush are two separate buttons. This is helpful because if your load is quite massive than no worries because you can add more water to the toilet to make the flush more powerful than the great flood of B.C. This also saves water too because you can estimate how much water you need for each flush without going full force every time.

The only aspect that really bothered me about the bathrooms were the urinals. There was absolutely no privacy at all everything was in plain view since there were no separators and the urinal literally looked like a bowl sticking out of the wall. I do not know the reason for this, but it was extremely uncomfortable going to the bathroom knowing that the guy next to you can clearly see your genitals. If I ever become a billionaire I would certainly go to Europe and install little walls between urinals to prevent awkward situations. In conclusion, it was quite an experience on how such a simple necessity such as a bathroom can be so different.