My Semester in London

Month: December 2014

Myth Busters

While my time in London is coming to an end there are a few misconceptions I want to address.
London is always raining: 
London is not the sunniest of cities, but that does not mean it is constantly raining. In fact, the place that receives the most rain fall each year is a mountain in Hawaii. Additionally, there is a very good chance it rained more during the 10 days I spent in Nicaragua a couple winters ago, then it did during any 10 days in London. That being said, it does not hurt to keep an umbrella on hand while in London.
Everyone has Bad Teeth:
It is true that under the NHS (National Health Service) dental care is not covered. But people have bad teeth in England, just like small populations in other areas have bad teeth. England actually has a rather high percentage for good dental hygiene within its population.
English Food is Terrible:
Curry has become one of Britain’s national dishes and is supposed to be great, especially if you try some on Brick Lane. On the other hand, from hearing from most of my American friends, pub food is kind of bland and they do not have a lot of food we are used to eating. So while not many come to England for its food, there is hope.
They Drink Warm Beer:
Saving the best for last, of course I had to address this at some point. While personally I have never found warm beer in England I have found two possible answers to why this misconception has arose.
1. The English do not keep their beer in refrigerators, rather in cellars. While this may make people assume the beer is room temperature, in reality cellars are quite cold.
2. Personally I prefer this answer.  There are two types of beer. The first, a Lager, which is served at around 45 degrees Fahrenheit, which is most beers that americans drink like pilsner styles or Heineken.  The second type of beer is Ale-fermented and served at ‘room temperature,’ which is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This is still pretty cold and is supposedly a better taste for stouts and brown ales.
Cheers! (Pun intended)

 

Global Citizens?

In my diplomacy class, we often discuss whether diplomacy will cease to exist. One reason, is because of the different ways countries are now able to communicate with one another like non governmental organizations such as the EU. Part of the idea of the EU is to unite countries, creating less boundaries and bringing the world closer to this idea of having people transcend nationalities to become global citizens.

The more I think about this idea the less I believe it is possible. People enjoy sovereignty and still are extremely patriotic, valuing their own views over others. Glimpses of this idea can be seen through the attempt of the Scottish referendum, the  ongoings in Catalonia (Barcelona and surrounding areas). This idea was reinforced and challenged during my weekend trip to Berlin. Berlin is often known for its part during the cold war. One city torn apart for the sake of a preferred ruling system and power.  This is a motif represented throughout the city through the many pieces of the wall still remaining. However, Berlin as a modern city today is quite different. There are people from all over the world who gather in Berlin because of its wealth of alternative culture, art, and music. While these people have yet to transcend state lines, my weekend in Berlin made it evident that a united world still may be achieved through a mix of alternative culture.