After visiting London, I think I could really be a Londoner at heart. I know deep down I will go back there one day, maybe to live, work, or play. There is so much of London that I know I did not get to see, and I want to see it. The biggest disadvantage of this trip was the traveling in a large group. No one moved at the same pace, and because of time constraints, there was no time to really stop and enjoy, go into a store you thought looked really cool on your way to the next destination. A lot of my feelings I’ve discussed with Professor Nyland, which has opened my eyes to a lot of the difficulties that she faced as a first-time study abroad professor. I think some of these, for example, having to adopt some of the Design itinerary, actually had an effect on our experience, maybe not necessarily in a good or bad way, but it could’ve been better had some people had a better understanding of what travel writing and writing through experience and travel writing is. The itinerary left little time to explore on your own. Many of the days we did not return to the hotel till 6 or 7 pm. By then, most attractions are closed, and even some restaurants are closing. You’re tired and all you really have energy to do is walk to the Tesco next door and then collapse in bed. On the few nights Id muster up the energy, I had an amazing time! Those nights are the things I remember the most and enjoyed the most about London. Self-discovery is a huge part of traveling as well as writing. Itineraries make it difficult to really discover yourself in a space outside of what you’re used to. When I return to London, it will be on my own, because those free bird nights were just the first taste for me of what experiences are out there. The friends I did make on the trip I am truly thankful for, and I enjoyed getting to know them. I am thankful for the very intelligent and kind professors that were a part of it as well (Professor Nyland & Professor Rubeling). I think it is very valuable in these programs that students are able to learn from their professors outside the classroom and get to see them as people outside of a lesson plan or syllabus. Since returning from London, I have found a new spark in my desire to write, as well as my creativity. Overall, I am happy with the experience and what I gained from it. And so, it all comes to an end. Till next time London.
0 Comments
From the day I got my first tattoo, I knew I would be covered in them. They are extremely addicting and one of the first things I can remember feeling about this trip to London was that I wanted to experience getting a tattoo in London. I wanted to make sure that the tattoo I got wasn’t just any tattoo and had meaning to me that reminded me about our trip. I originally planned that I would get a bowler hat and a wooden cane, but I also purposefully planned to get it later in the week so that if there was anything else, I decided would be better, I could change it.
He is one of the nicest artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of being tattooed by. He has a calming voice and accent. When he was getting ready to put the needle to my skin, we got to learn a bit about each other. He asked me where I was from, and I said so, and then I returned and asked where he was from because I was curious about his accent and still think it's cute. “I'm from Rome” he says.
I think tattoo artists who can make you feel comfortable and welcome quickly should be given more respect. Fabio and Seven Doors Tattoo definitely have my respect, and I hope to be tattooed there again sometime soon.
Food is something I take very seriously. I very rarely share food, and if I do share it with you, you are very special to me. If I let you taste it, it's because it must be tasted by someone else other than me. The United Kingdom has some unique foods its known for, and I think London does a pretty good job of representing that, as well as just having so many delicious other foods to eat and places to go. Where did I go? Well, I always ate breakfast at the hotel, which was not bad for hotel food. A classic English spread along with breads and cheeses and juice and cereal that looked like bird food. For my dinners I visited places such as: Juju's Bar and Stage, The Culpepper, Poppies, Burger King, Angus Steakhouse, and The Inn of Court and Balans Soho Society (Our group dinners). My favorites out of those were, Juju’s, The Culpepper, and Balans Soho Society. Jujus was more of a bar than a restaurant. What is unique about Juju’s is that each month, the cook changes, and therefore, so does the food, as well dancing and different events every night. The Culpepper was a pub, a restaurant, and a hotel! While most of the furniture seemed mismatched and very vintage and distressed, everything blended together perfectly to create a warm harmony in my heart. I think the drinks helped me warm up a little too. I had a Disco Sour which was strong but delicious. With my drink, I ordered a goat cheese and root vegetable filled pastry with more vegetables on the side, so actually mostly healthy. Then, I said to myself, “I have to try something I know I'd probably hate and is a British staple”. Black pudding. The actual thought of it is absolutely disgusting. Pork blood. I ordered the fried black pudding, and when It finally came time to bite into it and taste it, it was surprisingly not terrible. Didn’t taste like blood at all. It was creamy and got most of its flavor from the sweet chili sauce that it came with and I happened to dip it into. Balans Soho Society was the fanciest dinner that I had. It also happened to be our farewell group dinner, so it was nice to have so many people eating with me. It’s never fun to eat alone. I ordered myself a glass of prosecco as a toast to myself for getting through the trip in one piece, I was proud of myself and everyone else there. For my dinner I ordered a small plate of cauliflower risotto with caramelized goat cheese, and a large plate of stuffed pork belly. The cauliflower risotto was amazingly creamy and delicious, but filling, and could’ve used more goat cheese to add more flavor. The pork belly was disappointing, but still delicious. Overall, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere made it even better. I ordered myself another drink called a Rosemary Colins, and didn’t realize that it was happy hour, so I was happy to receive to drinks to finish off my dinner.
Out of everything that came out of our London trip, Eltham Palace was the best. When I think of the United Kingdom, and what I thought this trip would be, I’d hope that it would be like Eltham Palace. The perfect mix of medieval, art deco, and nature in one space. The Courtauld family took over the palace in the 1930’s to save it from decline, and to live in it during and a bit after World War 2. The morning that we visited the palace, it was the most perfect timing on the weather’s part. The days before, it was cloudy and raining, the day we went to the palace, the sun came out and shined upon our faces of amazement at the beauty of the gardens and the art of the palace. When walking throughout the inside of the palace, every room I entered brought me to the brink of tears. I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve never seen a more beautiful place in my life, pretty much nothing could match it. Except maybe for the woman who made a lot of it happen. Virgina (Ginie) Courtauld was described as lively and unconventional, something that I strive to be. I mean, Ginie had a pet Lemar! A RING TAILED LEMAR, AS A PET. Now that is both a product of being rich and being one bold, bad ass bitch. In one of the bedrooms, there was a sign that went into more detail about who Virgina was as a person. She was born in Romania and her father was an Italian. Her mother, Hungarian. What struck me the most was the rumors that she had gotten a tattoo of a snake on her ankle on a dare. So. Freaking. Cool. I was already planning to get a tattoo later in the week to commemorate my trip to London. I didn’t want anything too cheesy or obvious. I didn’t want a big sign on my body that says, I WENT TO LONDON LOOK AT ME (Like Big Ben or the London skyline). I wanted it to be mine, and I wanted a story to tell. I was originally going to get a bowler hat and a wooden cane, but after that day, I knew I had to get the snake. Eltham Palace was inspiring. I love art deco and modern, but still old and with character. To have something that looks so new and modern but still has a history behind it, a truth to it, and a story to tell. We as humans are something new, and we all have our own stories and truths to tell I was joking to the people around me that I wanted to put an offer down on the palace. The truth is, I absolutely would If I could, what a dream it would be to live there! The absolute happiness it brought me just to be there, I can only hope that my future home will bring me that much joy.
I am hoping that the travel to London will be smooth with as little problems as possible. I love to travel and being take a plane and be able to sit back with the world underneath me brings me a sort of peace in my mind that my life, compared to the life of the world, is in the end meaningless except for statistics. Humanity is a temporary tattoo on time. Anyway, back to reality and not being to existential. I enjoy the atmosphere, the busy busy and the I may never see this person again and the people watching and the asking yourself how and why we are all here. I'm curious just how much our time is going to get broken down when we arrive in London. How much freedom will we have exactly when it comes to times where there is nothing on the itinerary? Will the times on that itinerary be more specific? I want to be able to know what is always going on or will be happening, so that I can make the most of my time in the city. I want to be able to eat and drink everything I can. I've made a budget for each day we are in London for what I can eat and drink. I am going to try and try new foods, but I think the one thing that is off limits to me is anything with mushrooms or like, the classic black pudding which is a blood sausage that originates from Great Britain and Ireland. Overall, I'm not really worried about much, and don’t have any big expectations, this way I am happy with however the trip turns out. I think something I'm more concerned about is making and having friends while on the trip so that I can go out at night after the end of the day. Otherwise, I'm ready to take on London.
Some of my favorite childhood memories come from the sand being in between my toes. Sunset Beach is a unique beach in Cape May, New Jersey that instead of sand, has small, smooth stones and shells, as well as famously known, Cape May diamonds. They are quartz stones that are clear and resemble diamonds and are sold as a souvenir in Cape May Point. I associate Cape May with a ten-year-old me, hilariously posing for a selfie in front of the ocean, sun kissed, fake purple ray bans, silly octopus earrings, way too many necklaces, and a classic pouty face and peace sign pose. Literally like every other kid on their summer vacation or birthday party. Every time I look at this photo I think of how stupid and awkward I look, nut also at the same time so beautiful. I’ve always been considered an outgoing person, or at least my mother has always told me I am an outgoing person. I would find some other kid at the beach, and just say “hey!” and help them finish building their sandcastle. It wasn’t hard for me to find new friends. It was hard for me to find good, trustworthy friends however. I think that’s gotten even harder for me. I often am finding myself alone in college. I eat alone, I do homework alone, I go shopping alone, and the list goes on. Am I too picky in who I let in my life on such a level? I have close friends, maybe only about two or three, and every so often a significant other, but none of them live on campus. So, whenever I do want to hang out with them, it must be planned well in advance, or I wait till I can go back home to New Jersey. I find myself not trying as much as I used to when I was young, I don’t randomly insert myself into other situations or conversations with people I do not know, and I find that I don’t vibe with certain personalities that are too upbeat or energetic. I'm too tired now of those people. Between school, work, and having no money. I wish I was ten again and had my mother paying for everything I wanted and having it so easy at school. When my life was as clear as one of the Cape May diamonds that lay on the beach. As clear as my sun kissed, doesn’t know what acne hell is coming to it, skin.
I usually stray away from any of the pre-made foods in the cafeteria. Just the thought can be gross to me, evoking feelings of nausea. Just how long have they been sitting out in the fridge? There is no guarantee that they make fresh sandwich every day. If they do, the quality is certainly lesser because they must make such a large amount. I walked from the School of Design to the cafeteria in the Manning Academic Center after my morning class, starving. It is from 9am to 1pm, and sometimes we do not get a break during class, and sometimes I don’t get an opportunity to eat breakfast. So, I suppose there was the hope that it would be a little more appetizing. But no. The square cardboard box it came in reminded me of a gas station. When you take it out of the package it unsurprisingly remains the square shape of the box. The bread is soggy from sitting in a fridge among its other “Simply to Go” friends, as well as the lettuce. I decided that it would be beneficial to deconstruct the sandwich, with the thought that maybe it would taste better. Like something I might be served in an overpriced hipster restaurant in New York City. The ham, over processed, smelly, and slimy, eating it by itself was a big struggle. The texture is not pleasurable at all and reminds me of every food I’ve ever hated from childhood to my present adulthood. This is something that I will not eat again. I already have trouble eating school food, especially from Rockland. I've begun to make my own dinner using the communal kitchen in my building. Not only does it taste better but I appreciate the food more because I made it myself. If you're really craving a Ham and Cheese sandwich, I would highly recommend having it handmade in front of you or making it yourself with all the ingredients you prefer. It will overall become a more enjoyable experience. I finished the Ham and Cheese, and went to my next class of the day, with hopes that it would not upset my stomach.
Welcome to my blog for my writing through experience class. In this blog I will be writing about new experiences, and making blog posts for when we travel to London during spring break. I am a sophomore Film and Moving Image major at Stevenson University, with a focus in Producing and Writing. I have always been a "good' writer especially when it comes to narrative and essay writing, but I took this class 1. because i wanted to go to London, and 2. because I wanted to challenge myself. I look forward to sharing all of my new experiences with the world through this blog.
|
AuthorSamantha Salvemini, 19, Film and Moving Image major with a Producing and Writing Minor at Stevenson University Archives
May 2019
Categories |