livin in the city

friends and lovers,

I have been in london now for two weeks, and it has gone by too fast already.

I spent the first week getting settled and figuring things out. I live on the university's campus in a student flat (similar to a dorm, but I have my own room and bathroom and share a kitchen with 8 flatmates, 3 of which are american, 1 chinese, and the others british freshmen). the campus is self-contained, which is nice i guess, it's very safe and has way too much CCTV surveillance. there's a canal that runs along the side of the campus and people often eat outside or sit by the canal or in the park to read.

in order to enter any campus building whose door is not already open, one must scan student ID card.
in order to exit any campus building, one must press a button (which can be a variety of shapes and colors and locations) and push hard to toggle the door open (many times one push will not suffice).

hence, it is easy to get locked inside a building here. the first day i tried exiting my flat building, i stood pressing the button and pushing the door for 5 minutes before giving up, walking out an open back door into an alley and walking around the outside of the entire building. my flatmate steven and I also got locked in the laundry room and had to have someone walking by let us out, because we couldn't find the button. i find all this odd.

the campus is on the East End of London, known historically as a place where slums existed, where hundreds of immigrant groups have gathered and shifted, and a place of huge ethnic diversity. Currently, the area is occupied by a vast amount of Indian and Bangladeshi people, and a large islamic population as well. i have never been in a place where so many people from so many different places all live in close proximity, it is truly amazing.

I've also heard of the East End's growing art scene, and I'm slowly discovering it within the winding streets, the markets and the shops.

I started my classes this past week and I'm pretty excited for all of them. I'm taking two English courses, one on British lit from 8th to 16th century, the other on 18th century writers in London and how London has changed over time and through writing. I'm also taking an intro-level linguistics class about how world languages connect and a drama course on how public art/activism can be performance, and why they are important, especially in the context of the city and london.

i might also try and join a club or student group just for fun and to meet other british folks. i went to the film society's first screening, woody allen's Shadows and Fog, which was excellent.

As far as the sightseeing, I'm not too keen on doing all the touristy things, but I have been seeing a lot of theatre already, and I am impressed. Last week I saw Mousetrap, based on Agatha Christie's novel, and the longest running show in the world, on its 58th year i believe. I've also seen two shows at Shakespeare's Globe theatre now, standing before the stage as the groundlings did in Shakespeare's day. I saw Part II of Henry IV and a modern show called Bedlam, the first Globe production by a female playwright. Both fantastic, and worth standing in the rain for a few hours.

I can't think of what else I have done in the past two weeks, other than walk around the neighborhood, chat with flatmates, and enjoy myself at pubs with friends.

i will post again soon, as i have more to say, but i'm off to read beowulf for now!

cheers,

xx
emily