markets, malls and masterpieces- london, week #2

It's been 9 days since my arrival in London, which is almost unbelievable to me; our days are so packed now that they seem to drag out and pass by incredibly quickly, simultaneously.

Since my last post, I have taken tons of photos, ones that I intend to share here with you. I'll break this post up into three separate categories: markets (Mile End, my community), malls (social scene, etc.), and masterpieces (typical sightseeing around London!).




Markets: I've been to Mile End nearly every day, with a few breaks here and there, alternating times and shops to visit.

To elaborate a bit, the purpose in these visits to our assigned communities is to establish relationships and engage in conversations with members of the community to gain a better understanding of the people and the cultures present there.
I'm one of 6 that has been assigned to work in Mile End, but we usually spilt into groups of two to roam around and take photographs. My partner and flatmate, Vanessa, and I met a Bangladeshi man who owns a burka shop on our first day there. His name is Abdulah and he seems like a wonderful man. We've gone back to visit once, but plan on returning a few more times.



I also went to the market on Saturday and met some wonderful individuals who were happy to engage in conversation with me.


One of these individuals was Michael, the vendor of Mickey's Sweets. He brought up a rather intriguing question: why aren't "sweet shops" commonplace in the States?



The marketplace is like an outdoor flea market that runs for blocks and blocks. London is known for them, all over the city. There you can find fashionable clothing, accessories, music, house goods, and food for really reasonable prices.

It was bitter outside, so I didn't stay long before I had to grab a latte and catch a bus home. But I'm certainly going back again.



Here are a few other photos from Mile End:

Regent's Canal






Old Ford (renovated for a catering service)










Malls: It happened. I had my first big London splurge a few days ago. It was terrible. I try not to think about the conversion rate for fear of wincing.

It all went down on Oxford Street, one of the grandest shopping streets in London: French Connection, TopShop, Primark, Urban Outfitters, H&M, American Apparel, UniQlo, Marks and Spencer, to name a few.



I'm including in "malls" the social scene.

As a group, we've done quite a few things together: we've gone to see a contemporary dance show and a chamber orchestra together, and have shared a large group dinner as well.

TAS is one of my professor's favorite Turkish restaurants in London and it marked the first evening social event that we had a class. The food was really light on flavor- not overpowering at all. It was nice; I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know my classmates.



While I'm on the subject of food: after attending the orchestral performance, our professors invited Vanessa, Kelly, Hillary and I out to gelato and tea. I cannot explain to you in words, or even through images, how incredible this food was. I had a slice of apple pie with amaretto gelato. There were many spoons being shoved across the table and into one another's food. Divine.




Finally, but certainly not least: masterpieces.

I'll merely label these rather than bulk them down with lengthy stories.

The masterpieces of London:

Tower Bridge- daytime






Tower of London


Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace


St. James's Park, walking along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk outside of Buckingham Palace














View of the city from a bridge above the River Thames (the lighting was delicious!)


Tower Bridge, at night




Isn't it obvious?


Big Ben


I will openly admit: I teared up when I saw Big Ben for the first time.
You walk out of the Tube station and you practically run into the thing at eye level.
Then your eyes trail up...and up...and up, following the symmetrically ornate carvings on the exterior. Your head is almost at a 90 degree angle when you realize the monstrosity of the thing. And then, its beauty overwhelms you.
Honestly, it is one of the most breathtaking sights I've seen in my travels.
And it's really just a giant clock.


London Eye


St. Martin in the Fields- right outside of Trafalgar Square. This is where the string orchestra performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons.


Trafalgar Square (with Big Ben, in the distance)



It might be hard to believe, but it's been hours since I first started this post.
Which means that it's about time for me to get out into the world and experience what the nightlife of London has to offer me.

Final quick updates: Class is challenging, as I anticipated. The amount of research and analysis that we're performing is intense for such a short period of time. And we're trying to spend as much time in our field as possible, continuing to break down our defenses a bit, enough that we aren't shamed if we are turned away. But I can't shake the feeling that, in the end, the result is going to be incredible and it will certainly all be worth it. I just want to be proud of the work that I've done here and the stories I'll be bringing back to Elon.

In the the next few days, I'll be out in the field, attending a mime performance, and over-nighting in Birmingham, a past industrial capital of England. Oh, and in my free time- continuing to explore London and socializing with my extremely lovely friends here.

Loving everyone at home (and across the globe!),
Alexa

Cheers!

desert scarves and £3 skirts.

Desert scarves are all the rage here. And for only £3, you can have one in any color of the rainbow! I purchased this taffeta skirt from a brilliant place called PriMark yesterday. There isn't exactly a way to compare it to a store in the States except that the prices are about like WalMart's but the clothes are very trendy. It's unbelievable. I wore this with a yellow beret.




So, welcome to the Warwick Avenue Tube stop!



It's the exact place Duffy told me about! Except I'm not actually in a broken relationship with Duffy, so the song wasn't exactly directed towards me...but, close.

The entrance to the Tube is about 2 blocks away from our student flats, which makes travel very convenient. We use the Tube to travel almost everywhere, specifically to visit our communities that we've been assigned to. Mile End is about 35 minute Tube ride. But a newspaper will tide you over for quite a bit.

I don't have as many quality images as I'd like up to this point. So below is just a small sampling of what, hopefully, is many more to come!

When we arrived on Saturday, we were told to do whatever it took to prevent ourselves from falling asleep before 9pm that evening. Sounds easy in theory. But when you can barely get yourself to stabilize on your own two feet, strolling around the city isn't the ideal remedy. We covered a lot of ground, though: two of my flatmates and I visited the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, and Leicester Square, plus a few streets near our flat- all in one afternoon!

National Gallery (full of hall after hall after hall after...hall of artwork)


Frozen fountain in Trafalgar Square, facing the National Gallery (it's been absolutely brutally cold here!)


When we visited Trafalgar Square the first day, there was a protest against the violence going on between Gaza and Israel. There were thousands of people there; it was an incredible spectacle. There was a man there who frequently draws at the square. I thought this was beautifully appropriate:



Carnival in the center of Leicester Square (similar to Times Square)


Speaking of Leicester Square, there was a movie premiere there tonight for Daniel Craig's new movie, Defiance. We waited for nearly 45 minutes for him to appear on the red carpet. It figures that once our toes had become numb and we were forced to retreat indoors, that he would arrive. Oh well. The appeal of being at a movie premiere was half the fun anyway.



Generally, we've been working in our neighborhoods for most of the morning, coming to class in the afternoons, and have had the evenings free. I've gotten to know a good number of people on the trip and am really enjoying their company. We still have a long list of things to see and do here, but today marks day 4. 20 days left!

More pictures to come; I apologize there aren't more.

Love,
Alexa

primark, pastries, and public transportation- arrival in London

So, I'm hereeeee!
I'm in London, arrived here Saturday around 10am, London time.
Just now getting over the jet lag a bit.
We've only been here a few days but it feels like weeks already, we've done so much with our time.
We had our first real field session today; I went out into the community I've been assigned to take pictures in and began working there for the first time. It wasn't as nerve-wracking as I thought.

Things are very expensive here, but the food is great. I've unfortunately earned the reputation of "that girl that is hooked on pastries and coffee". Which is true. What else do you do in London besides eat pastries?!
I kid.

It's wonderful here and there's so much more to report. Unfortunately, our internet hasn't been working so we've all been sharing 1000 minutes until we each get individual passwords. What that means is that we all have very limited time to spend online for the next day or two.

Pictures are coming, I promise. I've been carrying around two cameras and a phone, equipped with a camera, so I've actually surprised myself by how many photos I've made already.

Just wanted to send out a quick update!

Love and miss you all,
Alexa

fall semester, 2008

Well, it seems that another semester has come and gone.
I think I gained the most from my classes and experiences this semester than ever before, and really enjoyed most of the classes I took: Strategic Writing, Playwriting, Corporate Publishing, and Photojournalism.
The last few weeks were incredibly stressful but I'm pretty pleased with the work that I produced over the course of the past few months.

Below is a collection of some of my favorite photographs from the fall semester, only a few of which I used for my photojournalism class. The rest are just some guilty pleasures. :)

Enjoy!

Photojournalism "Fashion" assignment:










Special thanks to Kelly Wardle and Liz Passannante, Emily Mooney, and Ashley Dischinger for lending me their dashing good looks for these photos.





**REMINDER: you can click on any of these photos to view them in their entirety. The photo above is a prime example of one that looks best in full view.













Other Photojournalism assignments:









And a few odds and ends:





























As a final sidenote, I'll be in London for the next three weeks! I'm actually sitting in the airport, nearly ready to board our plane.
Elon offers a unique winter term for the first three weeks of January. The time is ideal for studying abroad and this will be my first opportunity to do so through Elon's many programs.
The class I'll be taking is called The Photographers Gaze. There's nearly 30 of us and we'll be accompanied by two professors. The purpose of the course is to portray, through photography, how the many various cultures in London have adapted and converged.
At the moment, I'll admit: I'm just a tad bit nervous.
But I'm also excited. The class will be very challenging academically, and personally. Approaching people for photographs is not my strongest point. But I certainly will work on it while I'm there and I've had a whole semester to practice within Burlington and Elon.

At any rate, I've PROMISED myself I'll be updating this blog very frequently- multiple times a week (I hope) while I'm there.
Please check back if you're interested to know how things are going while I'm there.

I know the time will fly by and we have quite a bit planned. Our days are packed. We'll be staying in very nice flats (apartments) while we're there and once I get settled (Saturday morning), things will start to fall into place, I think.

I have Skype, which I'll use to stay in contact with family and friends, and internet access in our rooms.

Thanks for all the well wishes and support! I'll miss everyone terribly but I'll be back before you know it!

Love to all,
Alexa