Week 3: Here, There and Everywhere (in London)- Living History

It has finally happened. My wonderful group and I have shed the majority of our collective naïveté. We have become comfortable with the Tube. We know enough about British culture to better adjust to our internships. And most importantly, we have learned to look the correct way before crossing the street.

That is not to say we still don’t have a lot to learn and explore. Three weeks is hardly enough time to absorb this amazing city. I feel constantly overwhelmed, but not in a negative way. Take for example a recent experience I had through my internship.

Condoleezza Rice was coming to London to speak to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, presumably to lobby the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result, the political party I work for, RESPECT, wanted to be part of the protest that was occurring just outside of Downing Street. Regardless of political ideology, protests are generally a lot of fun and I was thrilled at the prospect of having to go as part of my work.

So, I went. I set up my table. I handed out leaflets. For the most part, it was like every other protest I had ever seen or participated in. And then a member of the Metropolitan Police walked up to me. I immediately became uncontrollably nervous. Under most circumstances, protestors + police = quagmire.

Luckily, I had gotten momentarily worked up over nothing. He had simply overheard me conversing with a fellow protestor and noticed my American accent. He wanted to know my views on the current American Presidential election. We talked politics for awhile, and then the conversation turned to history.

He told me about Trafalgar Square, its meaning and history. He explained how right there on Whitechapel Street Charles I was beheaded after he was overthrown by Oliver Cromwell. He told me about the history of Buckingham Palace, and how I should see the changing of the guard. We discussed both World Wars in detail, and he talked about how America was instrumental in both.

It was amazing. Here was a random police officer, who in forty-five minutes had given me not only a greater context for British history, but of the relationship Great Britain had with the United States. As he walked away to continue on his patrols I couldn’t help but feel that I had only scratched the surface of this city, despite the comfort that my friends and I were beginning to feel.

The lesson that I took from the week, and that is echoed by the rest of the group is we are still only at the beginning of our adventure here. There is so much still waiting to be discovered, and simply talking to someone on the street can be the key to unlocking it. Well, I am exhausted and tomorrow I head to the polls to aid in the election of my party in Leyton. As always, cheers from Dave, Ian and myself.

-Ted