Lindsay's London Flummery: My Eighth Week in London

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the show I saw this week for theater class. It is a production that deals very little with Ma Rainey, the “Mother of Blues,” but more about the fictional, black band members and their opinion of how they’re seen by each other and white people. Symbolism was at the height of conversation in class when discussing this production and it seemed each student had a different opinion about what certain props, or specific lines meant. I made sure to journal thoroughly so when we get to the 20^th century in my black history class I can have questions ready.

The presentation in theater class went very well. I spoke about my experience at the English National Opera and the production of the Mikado. When talking about my impeded view of the stage, I passed around a yellow ribbon for each classmate to hold in front of his or her face. This was to give them a sense of the annoyance at the gold bar positioned in the balcony at my eye level. I believe it was an effective representation and I hope to earn some points for creativity.

My business classes have been less demanding this week. We were lectured on international project management issues in Project Management and gender diversity and equality in the workplace in People and Organizations. It is time to start working on my research papers for these two classes. Both are due at the end of March and require extensive knowledge on the topics we’ve covered.

My favorite thing about going to school here in the UK is the lack of requirement to purchase books. The instructors list “recommended reading” in the syllabus and numerous copies of these books are located in the library. This saves students hundreds and hundreds AND HUNDREDS of dollars! WHY are universities in the US still requiring students to purchase books they hardly ever use? Professors in the US teach from Power Point slides just like the instructors in the UK. They don’t teach from the books we are required to purchase. The books are there for additional reading and understanding so it makes sense that if I need clarification on a subject, I’ll go to the library and either research there, or checkout the book for a week and get the elucidation I was looking for.

I also love the lack of constant homework and threat of quizzes. The mid-semester projects and end of semester research paper or exam give me more time and motivation to delve deeper into the concepts we learn in class. And if I do so dare to mention a third item, without fear of offending, or sounding as though my education in the US is less than excellent, I would mention the 12-week semesters. I LOVE 12-week semesters. While it is only four weeks less than the 16-week semesters in the US, it makes a huge difference. This coupled with the lack of grade possibilities forces me to work hard. I don’t slack off knowing I still have X number of weeks left and X number of assignments that can pull up my grade. I have 12 weeks and 2 assignments. That’s it.

On the entertainment front, other than going to see Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, I went on a tour of Burford-On-The-Water in Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire is one of five counties called the Cotswolds. The homes in the Cotswolds are very uniform. All are made from the same type of limestone. Gentle hills, or “wolds” and sleepy little towns make up the Cotswolds and there is no shortage of teahouses, pottery shops and chocolate shops. When the average American thinks of England, I would be willing to bet, the picture they have in their head is of the Cotswolds.

After leaving Burford, we went to Oxford. What a beautiful, historic place! It was a typical crowded college town, except that parts of it are over 1000 years old! Oxford University was founded in 872. The grounds are spectacular and the buildings are even better. We saw Oxford’s Martyr’s Memorial, which memorialized three prominent Protestant church leaders who were burned alive on Broad Street for their religious views; Radcliffe Camera which was the first round library in the country; Divinity School, a library built on top of lecture halls in 1427 to house books from St. Mary the Virgin for theology students; and Christ Church built in 1122. Once a nunnery for which Oxford was founded, this was also the location of many scenes from Harry Potter, including The Great Hall in the first movie.

Next weekend, Scotland bound!!