Week 1 Impressions by Shaun Goodman

In the first two weeks in London every part of the day has been in some way new and different. Simple acts such as walking down the street or going on a run have given me a new experience and impression of the London life. My senses have seen, smelled, tasted, heard, and felt an eclectic group of British qualities. The most visual difference to me is the accessibility to historical artifacts. Within a square mile from our house we have an old palace, T.S. Elliot’s old residence, a huge King Albert monument, a Princess Diana monument and more. Beyond the shallow aesthetic differences, this access creates a different feeling of historical relevance to your location at any time. While wearing my modern running clothes in Hyde Park, as soon as I see King Albert’s lavish twenty or so yard high golden monument I am reminded of the country’s history, feel like I am in the presence of that time period for a brief moment and get reminded of the country’s long legacy and history. Even walking down our block with the classic Georgian architecture, black cabs and double Decker busses make me feel like I am in the Sean Connery 007 days (the 10 Mercedes and 15 BMWs on our block do not hurt this fantasy either). While to some being stuck in the past might be considered one of Britain’s faults, I love having the historical presence around us and how highly the British value those before them. These feelings of experiencing and being part of a country’s past certainly occurred when we went to Stonehenge, Bath, and the Freud museum. Additionally, I have noticed these values have rubbed off on some local Brits with one of our teachers (Mr. David Edye) seeming to know the year-by-hear history of all of Europe; as well as hearing some local Jewish students I ate with at their Hillel successfully try to name off the past few hundred years’ royalty.

My other sensual observances include the smell of a more urban life and everything it has to offer—i.e. different foods, more pollution in the air and the distinct smell of the lower underground lines. I have gotten to taste real food with zero pesticides in it. Although the food we buy does not last as long on your shelf, it is refreshing to know your food is organic and it seems to me some of their produce really does taste richer. I have felt the cold. I would say it is colder here than in Portland but less wet. Besides our first day we have not gotten much rain. Hearing differences include ambulances every 20 minutes and many different accents. English accents might just barely be the most common one I have heard here. I often hear Chinese, French, Eastern European, and Indian accents. This is supported by a statistic we learned in class: one out of every three people in London is an immigrant. So far I have no complaints from the changes and impressions I am getting from the city and am excited to explore other parts of the city, go on more trips, and create new impressions of the city as I get to know it better.