TATE MODERN: ---While we went to the Tate Modern as a class, I didn’t get to really enjoy it until I went with Anwen after one of the markets one day. My favorite moment from being there was when Anwen and I were on the main floor of the museum, at the immigration piece that was being exhibited.In all honestly, I didn’t really like the second half of the piece which was a small white room that was admitting a gas that trigged your eyes to water.It mainly just stung rather than making me able to experience crying with total strangers.
However, when we were leaving that area to continue to go explore, Anwen put her chicken purse down on the ground.A lot of children were around, but this one little girl, probably around age four, came up and started to touch the chicken purse.Of course, her mother tried to get her to stop but Anwen didn’t mind so the girl was able to have her fun.While this may seem like such a small and random event, it made me think about the innocence that we have as children and how easy it was to get joy from something.This little girl was most likely unaware of the bigger meaning of the large floor picture she was sliding around on just moments ago, but like any child she was able to get joy out of something so simple as a rubber chicken purse.
As a young adult I already feel myself losing the pure ecstasy of being a child and finding joy from almost anything.Although, this small moment was able to make me smile and I’m going to look for more moments in life where small bits of joy can be extracted rather than focusing on a more depressing and mundane whole.
The rest of the museum was very interesting, especially getting to see the Duchamp’s fountain for the second time.I saw it for the first time when it was at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, so getting to see it across the globe for a second time was really cool.Within the walls of the museum were housed many unique objects. In one room the entire walls were filled with quotes from a female artist in the eighties.One of my favorite quotes off the wall was probably, “STUPID PEOPLE SHOULDN’T BREED” because I found it quite amusing.Another nice touch was skewed condoms that said, “MEN DON’T PROTECT YOU ANYMORE” but that just makes me wonder when they ever did.And also the irony of the age of the condoms which are probably not very protective anymore either.
THE TUBE: ---One of the things I decided to go to on my own was the London Zoo.I had a fantastic time being able to enjoy the animals and experience them in a whole new way.A lot of the exhibits were as minimalistic as possible and allowed you to get an up close view of the animals while also respecting their space.One of the small monkey exhibits allowed for you to walk into the habitat of the monkeys and gave them the choice of if they wanted to interact with the visitors or not.If they wanted to they could jump right onto your shoulder, but if not they had a large indoor area they could escape to, along with numerous bushes and trees.
Meanwhile, the lions had a large open area to frolic in and places for visitors to see them from above, through a glass, or just by looking over a fence.When I went to that exhibit, one of the lionesses was laying right beside the glass, and that is when I realized how huge lions really are.
Besides the animals, the London Zoo is known for their conservation efforts and keeping people aware of the endangerment of certain species.After a whole afternoon of experiencing this, I became motivated to buy one of their reusable bags that expressed saving the animals, especially those that are endangered.
I thought nearly nothing of this while walking around until I got on to the tube.I had gotten on at Camden Town Station and on one of the stops back to Goodge Street a woman sat down directly across from me.Now this wasn’t out of the ordinary, people had sat across from me everyday on the tube.But, this particular woman wore a floor length fur coat.It wasn’t until then that I noticed the side of my newly purchased bag that expressed its conservation views was facing directly towards her.I could not believe the irony of the situation that laid before me.Within a half hour of purchasing the bag, the only woman I have seen wearing a floor length fur coat, sat right across from me.I do not think anyone but her and I noticed the awkwardness of the scene.
HYDE PARK: ---On our second day of having time to ourselves, I decided to go do the one thing I was most insistent on myself doing before my arrival to London.That thing was to go riding somewhere in London.My original plan was to bring my riding boots with me in my luggage, but after packing I realized I had no room.At this point I assumed it probably would not be able to happen and decided to leave my breeches at home as well.The first two weeks passed and I started to accept that I wouldn’t be able to ride in Hyde Park on the famous Rotten Row.However, after going out the day prior by myself to the London Zoo, I gained the confidence I needed to go spend a large chunk of my day alone in London.
Because of the confusing aspect of international calling, I decided to just wing it and make my way to Ross Nye Stables.Being from the Northeast, I knew that horse stables could be condensed into small areas, but I was not prepared for the drastic difference this stable would be.I rounded the corner of a large alley way to see two small barn doors and that’s about it.At first I was confused if I was in the right place but the sign above one of the doors signifying they had been then since 1965 and the barn’s name confirmed I was.I later learned that the stable holds about sixteen horses and I am still confused how that was possible considering the amount of space I saw.Honestly, it was difficult to try not to jump to conclusions about the well being of the horses, being that I take care of one myself.The size of the stalls were about a third of my mare’s and there didn’t seem to be much of any gate keeping horse in their designated slot.It was all very bizarre to me, but since they had been opened since the sixties, I figured they had to be doing something right.
I decided to just let the experience carry on. Once I got onto the horse and started my ride with a girl named Tatiana, who was seventeen, that is when the culture shock really set in.Being around locals at the markets is one thing, but being able to talk to a girl around my age who has lived in London her whole life was very interesting.I was able to learn about her life as an equestrian living in London and shared a bit about mine experiences as well.
During our trip I feel as though a lot of people in the class criticized the United States.However, after my experience with Tatiana I came to respect and cherish where I was able to grow up.While London may be a very interesting and unique city, I have found a new appreciation for where I grew up in Rhode Island.We have a lot of choices in life but some situations we are just born into and I think we all forget to focus on the good things about where we are from, rather than pick out all the bad.
Just the simple fact of watching how all of the riders of the stable arrived at the barn, and that they had to cross a few roads to get a riding ring made me feel very appreciative.I didn’t realize how lucky I was that I lived down the street from my stables half of the time and that it was barely a walk to our ring.It’s easy to forget about all of the other people in the world and this experience has made me a lot more self aware, and I am thankful for that.
GREENWICH MARKET: ---While at the Greenwich market, Bridgette, Olivia, Ameila, and I were looking for a place to sit and eat.The only spot open was a picnic table already occupied by a middle-aged man.We decided that sitting with someone we didn’t know was better than trying to eat our food standing in the cold.
The man accepted our request to share the table and we sat down.He was pretty average looking, but seemed nice.Bridgette being her cheerful self started up a conversation with the man.We ended up learning a lot of things about this man, like that his name was Alan.
Alan was in Greenwich, not because he lived there, but because he was in town visiting his son who went to university near by.Bridgette asked if he was single and Alan actually told her yes and that his son was about our ages.I think she asked it as a joke, but she ended up getting an actual answer, which I found hilarious.He explained how he lived about four hours north of London in a town I cannot remember the name of.There, he worked as a primary school teacher and absolutely loved it.Another thing that I found interesting is that he had never traveled to the United States before.He told me he really wants to visit Arizona and I recommended that he does, since I loved it so much when I went.
It was amazing to be able to speak with someone who had spent their whole life in their country.When he told us that it made me feel very lucky to be given the opportunity to study abroad while in college.It opened my eyes to the different lives the people are living all across the globe.Sometimes I think about Alan and how him and his son are doing.I wonder if they are enjoying life and if he ever told anyone about the four girls he met while at the Greenwich market
PORTOBELLO: ---When we all went to the Portobello market, there was a man selling blouses.They were gorgeous pieces that were both vintage and newer looking.However, it wasn’t the blouses that interested me so much, it was the man.He seemed to have come right out of a film.His demeanor was very strange, but not in a creepy way, more of I want to know more about you way.His accent was thick too.I would be constantly entertained if I had someone in my life who spoke like that.The man also seemed to be just genuinely happy with life, even doing something as simple as selling blouses at an outdoor market on a very cold day.The amount of positive energy radiating off of him even made me forget about how cold my feet were at that time.
Unfortunately, I did not end up buying any of the man’s blouses and I continued to stay freezing.Sometimes I think of what my life would be life if I had grown up in the United Kingdom and had an accent like that man’s.I loved listening to the voices of everyone I talked to in London because they were all so different.Some of the people, like this man, that I meant just didn’t seem real to me because I had never met anyone else like them before in my life.
Since it was freezing, Moriah, Katie, Jack, and I went to go have coffee in a little shop on the street the market was on.I think the theme of the restaurant was Sweden, but I am not entirely sure.All I know is that the man who took our drink orders did not have as nearly as soothing of a voice as the man selling the blouses did.He was much harder to understand and not as nice.The server seemed more annoyed by our presence, while the man with the blouses seemed happy to speak with us.
During our time in the restaurant, my attention was drawn to outside the window where a man dressed in a full old-fashioned military uniform was monitoring his goods several times.I found him very interesting, and nice, considering he sold me a little vintage leather backpack for only five pounds.I wanted to ask him why he was wearing such a outfit, but decided that could possibly come off as rude.
While in London, I so badly wanted to befriend someone that had an interesting accent, but my ability to be anti-social caused that to be unable to happen.Of course, I did find a few people that I wanted to have longer conversations with but it never seemed to work out for me.Instead, I would just observe and people watch, which can be very entertaining at times.