High Gate Cemetery: A Peaceful and Sentimental Park

High Gate Cemetery is very green, majestic, and peaceful. Many historic individuals are buried in the cemetery, such as George Eliot, Karl Marx, and Douglas Adams. For this reason, the cemetery is on the National Register of Parks and Gardens. Touring High Gate with my class allowed me to learn a few facts from the tour guide about the surrounding grounds. For example, I learned that many Londoners came with their families during the 1800s to escape the pungent smell of the Thames, which spread throughout London, and to teach their children about morals.

As a class we learned that the symbols etched on gravestones usually give the viewer hints as to what the person buried did during his or her waking life. Some of the most expensive and elaborate above ground graves were constructed out of stone and marble. High Gate cemetery remains to be England’s most expensive graveyard. A grave starts upwards 3,000 pounds. There was so much history present in the cemetery, which made the cemetery feel eccentric for many reasons.

As I walked about High Gate on a rainy Thursday afternoon and glanced about the gravestones, I wondered about the people buried there and how short their life was. Eventually, I started thinking about how short life truly is. Surrounded by death, I felt like holding on to my life very dearly. At that moment, it became pretty evident how precious life is, and how lucky I was to be alive. Sometimes, we as humans rarely appreciate the simple fact that we are still alive because our minds are preoccupied with other things, like work, school, or family. I quickly started to think about my future. Will I accomplish all that I have set out to do? Will I be a lawyer? Will I have children? How long will I live? Even though I do not have the answers to such questions, all I can do is continue to live my life in the present moment and appreciate all the ups and downs that come with life, while never taking it for granted.

A Sticky and Warm Afternoon in Syon Park

Syon Park ruined my expectations. The mansion and the park turned out to be a lot smaller and plain-looking than I imagined. But, once I entered the mansion, I was surprised to find that it was filled with many details, colors, and architectural designs. One of the rooms I was most captivated by was the dining room. The light peach walls against the light wood floor and the gold trimmed columns and ceiling made the room appear very stately. Also, six human sized marble statues, which represent the mythological gods and goddesses of food and wine, are placed on the side of the wall where the fireplace is located. The number of statues, gold trimmings, and mahogany wood furniture the mansion contained depended upon how wealthy and powerful the family wanted to appear. As I entered the mansion, I yearned to be a member of such a family. However, once I was finished with the tour, I changed my mind.

While in the dining room, I could not help but wonder what it would be like to live in this mansion and to be a part of this powerful family. As a woman, I wondered what my role would be in the family: what was expected of a daughter, what kind of ensemble I would wear, and with whom I would socialize. I would probably be expected to marry a young man of great prestige by my early 20s. I would be expected to socialize only with people from my class rank and to entertain the guests with lighthearted stories about any fascinating encounters I may have had or about my children and the schemes they may be involved in. For a good portion of the fifteen minutes the class was in the dining room, I started imagining a made up scenario of how a stately dinner would be carried out. However, my daydream came to a smashing halt as the tour guide shouted, “On to the next room.” I realized at that moment that it probably would have been wonderful to be a part of a wealthy and powerful family. However, realizing the social limitations the women of such a rank had made me appreciate my freedom and my current class rank.

The British Library: A Cruise Liner

When you enter the British library you do not know what you should look at first: the items in the gift shop, the busts of individuals who contributed in helping creating the library or the architecture. I felt as if I had a short attention span. I wanted to study every detail that comprised the library. I did not want any detail of the library to escape my eyesight because every detail of this national research library would reveal an element of British culture. I wanted to look at what books comprised the library and what designs filled the front covers. I wanted to speak to the employees and learn about their background and the history of this library. I felt overwhelmed. I did not know where to begin. But luckily, we had a wonderful, knowledgeable, and cheery tour guide, named Mr. Luiggi, who shepherded the class around the library.

As he brought us around the library, he gave us brief facts about the library and it’s architecture. The British library was created as a result of the British Library Act on July 1^st 1973. Prior to the national library, the library was a part of the British Museum. In 1998, the British Library was no longer a part of the British Museum. It had it’s own building on Euston Road in King’s Cross. At the King’s Cross location, the library houses some of the most historic documents, like the Magna Carta, the Lindisfarne Gospels, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebook, and the Beatle’s manuscripts. Mr. Luiggi was fascinated with the many historic books and manuscripts the library possesses. However, he was most passionate about the library’s architecture. According to Mr. Luiggi, Colin St. John Wilson was the library’s architect. Wilson designed the building like a cruise liner, since he always wanted to be a captain of ships but he never became one.

Mr. Luiggi went into further detail about the library’s architecture by informing us that the library has almost the same shade of brick as the Midland Grand hotel and St. Pancras so it blends in with the surrounding area. However, he informed us that there is a great distinction between the northern and the southern side of the building. The southern side of the building is where the main entrance is. The southern half of the building is surrounded by a low brick wall, which is topped with circular lanterns and a black metal gate. The northern side of the building on the other hand is protected with high sloping wire fences, which are topped with three rows of barbed wires because the pubic housing projects are located in this area. Lastly, Mr. Luiggi informed us that designing the British library was Wilson’s most memorable project. Wilson died on May 14, 2007.

London: A Busy Beehive

The Museum of London is an oddly shaped building that is located in an industrial part of London. The museum’s exterior, comprised of dark gray stones, makes the museum appear dreary and unwelcoming. On the inside, however, the museum is like a busy beehive. It is filled with cafés, a souvenir-filled gift shop, and many exhibitions that range from the time of the cave man to modern day London. The museum brings the history, the many types of people that have populated London, and the many dilemmas and the crises of the English people.

The Romans, the Protestants, and eventually the Chinese and Muslims, and many other people from other nations all came to live in London. There were a few exhibits I truly found very entertaining and interesting. The exhibition on the Romans showed how they contributed to British culture by developing stone paved roads, aqueducts, and currency. The exhibition on the Reformation showed how the Church of England was developed and how the church united the British people under one religion. The Exhibition on London’s Great fire showed how fires were pretty common in London. London experienced fires frequently through out the past two thousand years, starting in 60 AD and continuing through 1666 when the Great Fire occurred and lasting till present day. One of London’s greatest threat still remains to be fire. The Victorian exhibit showed the many innovations created during the reign of Queen Victoria in the 1800s such as stagecoaches, railways, a sewage system, and electricity. Lastly, the modern day exhibit ended with a collection of clothing demonstrating the “London Look” through the years, ranging from the 1950s till present day. I was interested in learning about what the “London Look” consisted of. According to the inscription, the “London Look” is “is a melting pot with a rebellious edge. It brought street style to the catwalk, mixed British traditions with ethnic sensibilities and valued irreverence, innovation, and wit. The “London Look” expresses the broader spirit of London, an idiosyncratic, post-colonial world-city, mixing old and new.”

After finishing my tour at the Museum of London, I realized how diverse London truly is. A quote I stumbled upon in the museum does a wonderful job in accurately describing the city of London as the following: “London is the great beehive of Christendom…she swarms with people of all ages, natures, sexes, callings…she seems to be a glutton, for she desires to always to be full.”

The Immortality of Emotions

Shakespeare’s Globe theater contains an elaborately designed stage filled with color: blue, green, and red, gold trimmings, and ornate columns. On stage, both actors and actresses created a context mimicking that of the 1600s with their Old English jargon and their flashy clothing. Even though the actors and actresses were trying to act out a story that takes place during the 1600s, the emotions that each character experienced is similar to those all humans through out the world experience. In the play, “All’s Well That Ends Well shown in the Globe Theater, the viewer can especially not only relate to Helena ‘s emotions but can also consider Helena as a role model for her strength and courage.

In Shakespeare’s “All’s Well that Ends Well,“ Helena is a young petite blonde woman who recently lost her father. As a result, she is placed under the Countess’ supervision. Helena demonstrates her courage while living with the Countess by voicing her feelings for Bertram to his mother, the Countess. Another instance Helena demonstrates strength and courage is when she travels to Paris to help cure the King of France of a fistula. As a result, the King grants her the opportunity to choose a husband from the king’s court where Bertram was residing. Of course, she chooses Bertram, much to his dismay. For this reason, Bertram states that he will never love Helena, unless she is capable of getting his family ring from his finger and becoming pregnant with his child. Of course, Helena becomes very anxious and distraught which is to be expected especially when the person you love rejects you and gives you an ultimatum. She does not know how she can get the ring from his hand or even become pregnant with his child without him noticing. She even becomes hopeless. However, with the support of the Countess, Helena is able to turn an impossible situation into a possibility.

The Countess informs Helena that Bertram has become a general in the Duke’s army in Florence. As a result, Helena leaves France and travel to Florence. Once in Florence, Helena discovers that Bertram is trying to seduce Diana, the virginal daughter of a widow, who is not interested in Bertram. So, Helena cleverly devises a plan where Diana has to request Bertram to give Diana his family ring and to have him sleep with her. When Bertram gives Diana his ring, Diana runs back and gives Helena the ring. And then, when Bertram goes to sleep he thinks Diana will come to his bed, but instead Helena comes, whom he does not notice. Eventually, Helena confronts Bertram and shows him that she was able to overcome the obstacles Bertram placed in front of Her. By overcoming these obstacles, Helena proved not only her strength and courage but also her love for Bertram.

Not only does the viewer sympathize with Helena when Bertram rejects her, but also the viewer looks up to her as a role model for her clever ability and her strength. Even though this play took place in the 1600s, the emotions involved in this play such as, rejections, frustration, and hopeless, are emotions humanity daily. It does not matter whether it is the 1600s, 2011, or 3000 because everyone experiences the same feelings with certain emotions; Thus, making emotions immortal.

Looks Always Deceive The Eye

Cinderella Banzon and I met the first day we arrived in London. While waiting for the bus at Heathrow Airport, I learned she was going to be my roommate during our stay in London. We were both in the same London Study Abroad program that would be taken through Heythrop College. However, we were both registered for different classes. She was registered for the Hitchcock class while I was registered for the creative writing class. My first impression of Cinderella was vey different from the Cinderella I came to know. At first, she seemed very sweet, quiet, and shy. However, after spending a few weeks with her, she proved to be very comical and adventurous.

Cinderella resides in New York City with her family. She is the only child. She is bilingual. Her first language was Tagalog. She is currently a rising junior at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus. She is majoring in communications with a concentration in film studies. Two of her favorite places to visit are Lincoln Square and Covent Gardens. She hopes to someday live in Covent Gardens. She loves to journal and listen to the Queen, the Who, Cold Play, Elvis, and Florence and the Machine. Her favorite movie is An Education because the main character, Jenny, experiences a personal growth within the movie. This movie is one of her favorites because Jenny, who comes from a middle class family, gets briefly exposed in living a glamorous life. Her second favorite movie is Sabrina, which stars Audrey Hepburn. Audrey is Cinderella’s favorite actress and her role model. She looks up to Audrey for being the “epitome of goodness,” caring, sincere, graceful, and a fashion icon.

At first glance, Cinderella seems to be a sophisticated and demure young lady. However, by chatting with her one late night I discovered that she is very adventurous. She told me that she recently went bus hopping throughout London by herself . She loved the experience especially since she went by herself. Besides going bus hopping, Cinderella has done other adventurous stuff. She went to a shooting range with her dad and uncle in the Philippines. She has traveled throughout the Philippines and Europe. What’s next on her agenda? She will be traveling to Egypt for a week after she finishes her study abroad program here in London. Cinderella has proved to me that she is not as shy and quiet as she seems. She enjoys going on adventures and living life to the fullest.

Visiting Westminster as a Tourist

Edward the Confessor began the building of the gothic church of Westminster Abbey in 1042. It was not completed until 1090, long after his death. Since then, Westminster became a coronation church and the resting place for seventeen monarchs, such as Anne of Cleves – the wife of King Henry VIII, Mary - Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I. The church is an artifact of British royal wealth. More importantly, Westminster is a physical representation of the hierarchal social structure that surrounds and comprises British culture.

Once I entered Westminster, I was awe-struck by the visual representation of wealth within the church. Marble, granite, stone, mahogany wood, and gold fill the church. The church is filled with national flags, tombstones, sculptures, and busts of important musicians, scientists, writers, armed leaders, and past ruling monarchs, like Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Sir Isaac Newton, John Andre, Henry Purcell, and King Edward the Confessor. The vast number of all these revered objects and the impressive style of architecture can make Westminster claustrophobic and overwhelming to the viewer. It made me feel very tense and uneasy. The stark plainness of the surrounding stone walls, the gold etchings on the ceilings, and the stern-faced security officials, all of whom wore red robes made me feel out of place.

I felt confined within Westminster. I could not be myself. I could not speak in a normal tone. I had to whisper. I could not take any pictures within the church. And if you ventured to take a picture, the security guards rebuked you. Moreover, you will have to delete the photo or photos taken all while they watch you carry out their orders. Also, there were no pews in the center of the church that visitors could sit and relax in. Standing was the ideal position. Besides having to stand throughout the tour, I also had to experience being squished between other tourists as other tour groups tried to squeeze through the small hallways of Westminster. Although I appreciated the history, the art, and the architecture that surrounded Westminster, I did not appreciate how I was treated as a tourist.