My London Escapade: January 2015

Monday: I watched an Indian film, somewhat in a Bollywood style, called Queen (2014). It had a Westernized theme of someone escaping their personal troubles by going on a European vacation. This film did however convince me that I have to stay in Amsterdam at least a week during one of my trips. I've also wanted to visit there but now I'm convinced I may want to move there.

Tuesday: It was quite boring considering that all I did was do laundry and homework. Also got to sneak in some episodes of Legend of Korra :) Hard not to binge watch everything on British Netflix.

Wednesday: I viewed several interesting films regarding experimental Audio-Visual Criticism. My favorite was by far Fast Film (2003). It was an animation and editing spectacle embodying the essence of cinematic language as well as themes. I would highly recommend watching it via this following link:
Fast Film (2003)

I also had the pleasure to see the musical, The Phantom of the Opera, at Her Majesty's Theatre that night. My seats were great and I hate myself for not seeing this musical until now. For having only seen the silent film from 1925, I thought this show was magnificent! Although I was surprised that the Phantom did not die in the end unlike the original tale haha. I'm quite sure that I will have the songs stuck in my head until next week.

Stage right before the show began

Intermission after the Phantom drops the Chandelier

Minji, Paula, Madelyn, Meghan, Abby, and I

Thursday: I read John Polidori's The Vampire (1819), which is the first romantic vampire novel influenced by the gothic style of The Castle of Otranto. I also enjoyed reading Carmilla, written by J. Sheridan LeFanu in 1872. In class I viewed Byzantium (2012), a British-Irish film regarding a female vampire. I enjoyed this film because, unlike most movies, it gave substance to the female vampire. Most female vampires are strictly displayed as fatal women who have a predatory sexual appetite. Byzantium, however, provided a sufficient back story that explains how Clara, the first female vampire created in this narrative, was driven to vampirism through the demeaning patriarchal society. Her daughter, Eleanor, sees her vampirism as a burden and only kills the elderly whom consent to death. I would say Polidori's The Vampire was a great influence for this movie.

Friday: Had a bit of a lazy day. Some flatmates and I planned a community homemade dinner night with some friends so we all enjoyed some salad, pasta, and 3 tasty chocolates desserts. Of course a great meal cannot be completed without some booze. We played Kings and joined the locals upstairs before they headed off to BOP. They were very nice and good fun. We later started a game of Blackjack with Truth or Dare thrown into the mix and to my misfortune I drank my first dirty pint. I still feel sick to the stomach every time I think about it since it consisted of chocolate pudding, caesar dressing, milk, soy sauce, and crumbled goldfish…. XP Cannot say I will ever take on a dirty pint ever again. Let's just say the next morning was not the least bit pleasant haha

Saturday: After a traumatic awakening and much needed rest, I went into central London for the Jack the Ripper Tour in which some friends and I got tickets for the night. We attempted to eat at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and, not to my surprise, it was extremely busy (I should know better than to go around 5:30 on a Saturday). However, it was still great to see the pub! It felt like I traveled back in time by being in there. I will go back Wednesday for their steak and ale pie and without a doubt a couple pints :) Since time was cutting short we had to grab a quick bit a McDonald's…

The Jack the Ripper tour was phenomenal! Our guide, Lindsey, is a Ripperologist and has written several notable works and has conducted interesting research on the case, particularly regarding the suspect Sir William Gull (a royal physician and surgeon). We walked around the Whitechapel area and visited the murder sites for each of the Ripper's victims as well as the 10 Bells and Christ Church Spitalfields. Lindsey concluded our tour at Catherine Eddowes' murder site at Mitre Square and spoke of the recent DNA research done on a shawl she wore as she was murdered. Her friend and fellow Ripperologist purchased the shawl and tested it in hopes of proving it was the butcher, Aaron Kosminski. At first it was concluded that the DNA matched using living relatives to both Eddowes and Kosminski. Now it is proven that there was a substantial error in the DNA test and the identity of Jack the Ripper is again a mystery.

Horrible photo of the 10 Bells where Jack the Ripper's victims regularly drank. I need to have a drink there myself soon, especially since Johnny Depp has been there for From Hell (2001) :)

Christ Church Spitalfields across from the 10 Bells

Now the takeaway area for the Happy Days Fish and Chips Shop, this area was the archway the held one of the most vital clues in the Jack the Ripper case. It was here where the famous chalk sentence "The Juwes Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing" was written along with a bloody piece of apron in which the Ripper cleaned his knife after murdering Elizabeth Stride.

Catherine Eddowes' murder site at Mitre Square

Sunday: Yet again another lazy day but I will begin to research for my World Cinemas and Modern Vampire essays today. Hate that these assignments are already due in three weeks :/ but this whole trip was to study abroad, not a vacation.

So I first want to apologize writing so much for this post but (lucky for me) I was able to partake in several trips and experiences these past two weeks. Although I am having such a fun time, I do miss you all so if you want to text or call me for free via Wifi please download the WhatsApp and Viber :) You can also email me at gjc9536@yahoo.com or message me on good ole Facebook.

I will first start with some pictures from my dorm and campus. Four colleges (Froebel, Whitelands, Digby Stuart, and Southlands) joined together to form Roehampton University. Since the school is set up this way, I was happy to find out the school host a University Games similar to the House Cup in the Harry Potter series. Each college earns points via student activity and is represented by a mascot. Froebel College, which I reside in, has a zebra as a mascot (a bit weird) BUT in Hogwarts terms we are known as Slytherin. My dorm isn't the most pleasant but it's not unbearable.

My 'lovely' dorm room

Froebel College

The bar on campus, which I have become quite familiar with.. :)

The popular drink is a Snakebite which is equal parts lager and cider with some blackcurrant syrup. I honestly find it too sweet so it's a little gross.

These two photos are right outside of my dorm, New Court.

This is Roehampton's campus chapel. Thought it looked pretty.

On Friday, January 9th, as part of the Study Abroad orientation I went on a photo scavenger hunt around London. Exhausting, but it was a blast and I met some great people!

Big Ben

The London Eye

Lions at Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square

Blue Chicken at the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square

Statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus

Met the Goliath of Yodas while I was there :)

This was also my first day learning to navigate through the Underground.

At 221b Baker Street, sadly there was no Sherlock Holmes.

King's Cross Station. Unfortunately I still need to take a photo at Platform 9 3/4.

Lover's Embrace Statue at King's Cross Station

Exploring along Thames River

I began my classes Monday, January 12th. My first course was World Cinemas which in itself is self-explanatory. We viewed a Turkish German film titles Head-On (2004). It was a tragic romance sprinkled with emotional mental illness and substance abuse in the hopes to discover happiness. I would recommend it.

Tuesday was my day off from classes. My housing college, Froebel, however, did organizing something called the Froebel Strip in which male students did a 'Magic Mike' like dance show to raise money. Not the least bit entertaining but I did get to enjoy a nice duet of the Frozen song, "Love is an Open Door". One of the dudes did gather an acceptable Anna costume haha.

Wednesday, I had my Audio-Visual Criticism course. At first I was very hesitant in taking the class, but the professor was great and enthusiastic! He also pushes students to think freely and to speak their opinions which I unnervingly did. We viewed several short audio-visual critical films but the one that impress me the most was Human Remains (1998). It edited together domestic footage of Adolf Hitler with a fictionalized narration provided by an actor portraying Hitler. The film had an eerie audio construction but the homely visuals made the whole film unsettling. It was a great example of how skillful editing can transform any previous films into its own.

On Thursday, I had my Modern Vampire class and of course I felt right at home. Unfortunately we did not view a film this week but we had plenty of discussion about the development/history of vampires. I did however read a very interesting article relating Forensic Pathology and the Myths of Vampires that I throughly enjoyed :)

I do not have classes on Friday either so I gathered a group to go to the British Museum. I acted like a little kid going to Disney World for the first time and my true anthropologic nerdy-ness was exposed. I viewed the Ancient Lives: New Discoveries exhibit which presented new Egyptian mummies and allowed you to interactively zoom in and out of actual CT scans of the recovered remains. It was so cool! The most interesting of the mummies in this collection was one of a 7 year old temple singer and man buried during the Roman Period. The man's mummification was quite different as you can imagine with the culture assimilation occurring. His linens where wrapped so accurately to the figure of his body as well as facial representation on the facial linens that the man still appeared alive.

Male, 3500 BC

Interactive CT scans

Male, Roman Period after 30 BC

Female, 7 years old. Temple singer of the Interior of Amun. 800 BC

After that I also browsed around the permanent exhibit but sadly not in as full detail as I wanted. I will return on my own time at a later date :) Here is what I was able to browse through at the Egypt, Greek, Roman, and historic England. I will post more detailed captions after my next visit. Later that night I went to the school event called BOP, which is every Friday night. Some friends and I pre-gamed and hung over with some of our flatmates before heading to BOP. Funny enough the theme this week was American High School. I wasn't really sure how to dress for it so I threw on a Harry Potter shirt and my glasses to try to pass as a 'nerd' (as if I'm not already one haha). Reminded me a lot of a homecoming dance so not much of a fan but it is a nice excuse to drink…

Rosetta Stone

Statue of Venus

Royal Greek Lion Hunt

Meroe Head of Augustus

Gladiator Helmet

Roman Mosaic

The Lewis Chessmen (or Wizard's Chess Pieces for you fellow Harry Potter fans)

Shield of Parade

The famous mummy named 'Ginger' who was buried in a shallow grave in the Egyptian desert, 3400 BC

Becky, Abby, and I at the entrance

Easter Island figure

Saturday I went on the Social Programme trip to Greenwich which was a blast! I will have to return to explore the Royal Observatory more as well as the rest of the town. I got to explore the Cutty Sark (a British clipper ship), the Royal Observatory, Clocktower Market, Greenwich Market, the Chapel of St. Peter at the Old Royal Naval College, the Painted Hall and the area in which the Palace of Placentia (where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were born) but it is now where the University of Greenwich is located.

Gherkin

The Globe Theater

The Shard

Tower of London

Cutty Sark

Entrance to University of Greenwich

Chapel of St. Peter at Old Royal Naval College

Area of where Palace of Placentia was originally

The Queen's House in the center

Chapel of St. Peter

Panoramic of the Chapel of St. Peter

The Painted Hall

The Royal Observatory

Best view of London from the Royal Observatory

Prime Meridian Line

River view of Big Ben

Traditional Fish and Chips with the Kings Arms house Ale. Yum!

Panoramic view of London from the Royal Observatory

Clocktower Market

Greenwich Market

Brazilian Churro filled with Dulce Leche and Chocolate

And finally today, I went to the British Museum to view the Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination exhibit. It was an amazing collection of Gothic literature, art, and film and how the theme of art evolved. It began with the development of The Castle of Otranto, a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole, to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Robert Lewis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sweeney Todd's first appearance in The String of Pearls, the newspaper's fascination with Jack the Ripper, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and even films such as The Shining, Hellraiser, and Coraline. There were several original copies of many of the books as well as the author's manuscripts in which they developed ideas for their novels. There were also original notes from Stanley Kubrick on the screenplay for The Shining and notes from Clive Barker on the screenplay for Hellraiser. Of course photography was not permitted but I was able to sneak a few pictures. My friends Abby, Paula, and I then went to Yo! Sushi for lunch which was delicious especially with some hot sake!