During my trip to London, I experienced what many museums had to offer. Perhaps the most impressive museum for me was the science museum, where each floor takes you to a different time period. I enjoyed seeing the many MANY, exibits on display. With the occasional interactive display to keep your eyes from glazing over, this museum was one of my favorites for sure. I enjoy seeing what tools were used and how the intricate art of science is capable of progression and evolvolution over time.

Well this is my last day in this wonderful city. The past three weeks have been amazing. The classes I have been taking went very well. I was in the Psychology and History of Healthcare classes. We learned a lot about the history of this city. It was interesting to see England’s perspective on things like WWII and the Holocaust. I also learned a lot about the Blitz. Being thrown into a new culture was like a whirlwind. It took me a bit to get use to the hustle and bustle of London. Its so easy around Maryville. I have my car, I”m farther away from the inner city, and it is way way way more quiet. Here is totally opposite. You have to pack yourself into an underground system to get anywhere, there are always sirens going off, and we are definitely within the city of London. Its crazy!

Over the weeks I have visited many different places. My favorite though was Brighton. Its along the coast of the English Chanel and it is magnificently beautiful. I spent a whole day just laying out in the sun listening to the ocean in the background. It was quite relaxing. I’ve also done a lot of shopping Of course right I am a girl…haha. Over here the fashion is so up to date. Its great walking into a store and seeing something that America is yet to come out with. However, things are quite expensive. I know there is always a downside to the good things.

Anyway my time here has been great. Now I must go and try to fit everything into my suitcase without it going over 50 lbs. Wish me luck!!!

Well it is about time for our trip to London to come to an end.  During the History of Health Care class we went and visited several museums and other attractions.  The class was a lot of fun but one of my favorite places that we visited was the Old Operating Theater.  At the theater you get to see the herb Garrett which is located in the rooftop of a church.  It was really interesting to see what they used to use for medications.  It was also really fun learn what herbs helped with aches, pains, and a variety of other things.  At the Old Operating Theater they have one of the very first operating tables which was made out of wood and would never be seen in a hospital today.  You can also view the actual Operating Theater which was used to perform surgeries for medical students.  While at the museum you get to learn how some operations, like an amputation, were performed.  During that time they had no means  of putting the patient to sleep so they had to hold the patient down.  Surgeons were also very quick in their operations, some amputations only took a few minutes!  The History of Health Care class was very interesting and it was awesome to learn about the innovations in the medical world.

It has been quite a while since I lasted posted, and I am realizing with much dismay that I only have two full days remaining in my London trip. Nevertheless, here are some highlights of what I have been writing while abroad. Enjoy! Continue reading →

It has been quite a while since I lasted posted, and I am realizing with much dismay that I only have two full days remaining in my London trip. Nevertheless, here are some highlights of what I have been writing while abroad. Enjoy!

When It’s More than a Walk in the Park- June 20

Most people who  up in a good family are taught from infancy that all humans are created equal. This is then accepted with little thought to the actual context of the lesson. I’ve heard that traveling gives one an insight into humanity…it’s true. Just by taking a walk through Hyde Park, I learned more about the human condition than 21 years of social acceptance has taught me.

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm (mid-60s, but that’s sooo nice compared to the most of the past week) day. The kind of day that sends people flocking to green space. Hyde Park was teeming with activity and provided us with the perfect classroom. We were greeted with the sights of horseback riders, picnickers, couples, families, football matches, volleyball games, skaters of all types (Brits are INSANELY good skaters), cyclists, runners, amateur & professional photographers, boaters, and all sorts of general public enjoying the sun. It was in those simple sights that I truly realized that despite language, race, religion, culture, etc. humans truly are all, essentially, the same.

It’s in the moments of the father photographing his toddling daughter exploring the tall, wild grass, who then turns and joins her young brother in tackling their father to the ground, his laughter and joy permeating the air as he holds his camera high off the ground, away from damage, in one hand and his children in the other.

It’s in the moments of the little boys and girls squealing and splashing in the bubbling water of the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, their legs bare and coated in water since their pants have been removed so that only their diapers cover their bottoms.

It’s in the moments of the two young girls desperately chasing after us so that they can thoughtfully offer us one of their chocolates.

It’s in the moments of a toddler boy asking his mum to hold his football because she clearly doesn’t already have her hands full pushing a stroller.

It’s in the moments of young adults gathering in large groups around some good food and beer as the enjoy the company and a summer sunday.

It is then that you see that humans as a species thrive on the need of others, on love, on joy, and on the small details that define our character. It’s a lesson I’ve known for decades, but I suppose I haven’t thoroughly understood it until now. I needed the venue, the rest of the world provided the experience.

Living London- June 25

I realize that I have been absent from my posting the past few days- for that I am sorry, and do not worry, I’m alive and well in one piece. My reasoning is that I’m at a loss for things to write. Honestly! I’m trying to figure out this phenomenon, because it’s not like I haven’t visited anywhere amazing or had great experiences. Just today I stood before the great masterpieces of artists such as Duccio, Titan, Van Eyck, Fra Angelico, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Monet at theNational Gallery and Tate Modern. (Yes, I admit that I am not a fan of abstract art, but the fact that I actually got to see these original pieces is pretty awesome.) However, after much consideration, and a good long stop to think at Trafalger Square, I’ve settled on a reason to my “writer’s block”…

I have now “lived” in London for two weeks. Some of the initial shock and awe have worn off. It’s not that I now take the city for granted, far from it! I am still amazed by so many aspects of this place, but I am becoming acclimated “living” here. I suppose these spectacular things I’m seeing and experiences I’m having are now becoming more common place for me. I can jump on and off the tube without problem. I’m awed by fantastic, old architecture, but no longer as shocked when I see it contrasted with modern society. I know that I’m only a 15 minute run across the Thames if I’m in desperate need of green space (Battersea Park). I’ve come to terms with the fact that even though I chose an English speaking country for my first trip abroad, I rarely hear English as the most commonly spoken language. The rumble of the tube beneath our flat is almost soothing as I fall asleep. And despite constantly hearing that the food in London is not that great, I know that I will seriously miss not having Sainsbury as my everyday grocery store.

Also, apparently it doesn’t take long for your wording to change.Today, as we waited to go up to the 7th level of the Tate Modern (GORGEOUS view), we realized that we were calling it a “lift” instead of an “elevator.” You “let” a “flat” in London rather than “rent” an “apartment.” You get your food/drinks to “take away”, not “to go”. They are not “buses”, they are “coaches”. Really, Americans should stop saying “bathroom” since there is not a bath in the rooms, but there are “toliets.” And yes, I definitely caught myself, completely unintentional, say “dodgy.” Now if only I could work out “cheers”…

As I write this, I realize those are very trivial details in understanding and adapting to London. I have no idea what it is like to work in the city, what it is like to go to school here or what it is like to raise a family in this giant town. Those types of things force you to truly take on a culture. (I wouldn’t mind trying.) But I feel that for only having three weeks here, I am able to catch on. And I like it; I really like it. I like the fast-pace. I like the lifestyle. I like the anonymity. I like this city.

Today I went to the Wimbledon tennis matches! I can’t even find the words to how amazing this was! We had to stay in line for about an hour and a half and then only paid about $20 to get in! We were expecting to only be able to stand at the top of the bleachers and watch from far away. However, that was not the case at all! We got front row seats to what became the biggest upset so far in the Wimbledon tournament! It was crazy, we were inches away from the players and a “freshmeat” beat a returning champion. The court next to us was where Serena Williams was playing and her fans even turned around and watched our game. The hype and excitement and disappointment was outrageous. We saw so many celebrities it was awesome. We also experienced all the traditions so go along with Wimbledon. We had to queue( stand in a long line), wear white, drink Pimms, and eat strawberries and cream.It was so much fun!

This weekend I am going to Stratford and Warwick castle. It should be really fun! Don’t worry I will definitely be blogging about it!

Cristen

Hi! Just wanted to fill you in on some things I have been doing the past few days. Sunday I went to Heyde Park. This park is located right next to the queen’s palace. It takes 2 hours to walk in a straight line from one end to the other end of this park. Inside it is so beautiful and there is horse-back riding, paddle boating, and lots of famous monuments. Monday I has class and we went to the Florence Nightingale museum. We learned how nursing has evolved since then. The museum was very nice and we had a lot of fun.

Tuesday me and my 2 friends Kelly and Lexi went to Paris!! I had the time of my life! We went up to the very top of the Eiffel Tower. The view is amazing. I honestly didn’t realize how big and detailed the tower was until I experienced in person. We also went to the Notre Dame Church which was beyond beautiful. We got to see parts of Louve where parts of the Davinci Code was filmed. I loved it!

Still more to come!!

Cristen

London has been amazing so far! I have done a lot and learned a lot along the way too. I’ve been taking two classes while I’ve been here: psychology of London and History of Healthcare. These classes have definitely entertwined well for me. In psychology we are disscussing a lot of cultural and historical events and places that have had an impact psychologically on the people of London.  ONe of these events that’s we have been talking about is the differnt wars that england has been involved with. The wars help to connect psychology to healthcare in the treatment of the soldiers. If a soldier gets hurt then they will need treatment to help them get better but as we have learned the treatment wasn’t always successful and was more often than not just a more painful way to die due to lack of anestisia. These operations tended to cause even more trauma for the individual than they’d already gone through.

Steve getting his leg "chopped off"

I’ve really learned a lot this past week and it definitely makes me want to continue studying aspects of the healthcare system that was in place during the war times. My favorite part so far was definitely the amputation demonstration at the old operating theater.It’s just amazing to see how far we have come with technology in the health field.

Being in the healthcare field, I was very interested in coming to London to find out where my profession came from.  It s amazing to see all the herbs and be able to relate them to medications that we still use today.  Another awesome thing we have seen so far has been the anestesia museum and all the other miedical museums.  One of the Physical Therapy majors got to demonstrate having a below the knee amputation in an authentic old operating room.  His face got real pale when he was shown the Lister Knife.  Ive only been here a week and seen so much.  Ive got two more weeks to go and cant wait to see the Hunterian Museum Royal College of Surgeons.

I have been in London over one week now and I am still having the time of my life, but it’s not coompletel all fun and games. I am also enrolled in a couple three week courses.   One being The History of Healthcare.  So far my experiences in this course have been a blast.  We have already visited many museums, but a fovorite of mine has deffinitley been the Old Operating Theatre.  Our guide within the theatre knew her stuff which made the tour that more enjoyable.  She very happily demonstrated for our group how they performed a leg amputation before anesthesia!  It was a blast.  

I have seen, walked, and toured so many places already I cannot believe it.  The city of London is always alive!