(Mostly) Successfully Navigated My First Week!

Those of you who follow faithfully already know how I spent my Monday and Tuesday of the week.  Wednesday, then, began my stretch of days with class.  I decided to take the tube to class on Wednesday for my Fathers in Film class since I knew I would have to use it again later in the day to meet up with a friend.  Anyway, the class was two hours long with basically housekeeping and watching some clips (of Silence of the Lambs and some Russian movie called The Return) and talking about the introduction of the father figures in both of the films.  This class makes such a conscientious effort to survey as many regions as possible within the ten weeks of the course so as to get a well-rounded view of the changing image of the father in film since 1968 (even though we mostly will talk about post 1989).  I didn't meet any new people in the class except another American who goes to University of Michigan and will be studying at King's all year.  She actually lives in my hall, so we might walk over to screenings together, since they're Monday afternoons/evenings.  (Even though walking to screenings/classes with people is not my favorite past time, I figure there's safety in numbers.)  After class I walked home to have some soup and waited for Natasa from Accent (this company in London that Wash U hired to make our transition to being abroad easier) to come look at my room since she's meeting with Wash U people in October.  I guess she needed to see what, exactly, accommodations are like so as to give students considering going abroad a general idea of what they'll be living in for a semester to a year.  Sadly, though, she got a bit lost on her way over and so I had to walk about 10 minutes to find her as it started to rain.  Anyway, we met up and I walked her back to show her around.  Before she left, she kindly gave me a copy of one of the UC (that's right: University of California!) film courses being taught in the building where she works so that I could have access to any of the films they use, if I so chose.  So, that was really cool of her, and I might take her up on it.  (It's a British cinema course that looks pretty interesting, and she also gave me a list of all the movies that Accent has in their library if I wanted to come watch any.  Baller.)

After she left I watched some Robin Williams on Broadway (which is still crazy funny and applicable despite it being filmed some 5-6 years ago) while eating miso soup before going to meet my friend from high school Cristina who goes to UCL (University College London) at the Goodge Street tube station for coffee.  We ended up walking over to Caffè Nero and having some teas despite much confusion with the clerk who didn't understand our problem--he had made Cristina pay for everything, but we wanted separate checks.  (Actually, it was really cool; when he said "If you speak slowly, I can understand," Cristina immediately started speaking to him in Italian.  It was glorious.  In fact, there are always so many languages being spoken on the streets in London.  It really is "the world's city.")  We sat outside beneath a "typical" gray sky, which isn't the friendliest of skies, I can assure you.  After we finished, Cristina and I walked around for a bit, going through Piccadilly Circus and walking by the theatre where Josh Hartnett is performing in Rain Man.  We eventually looped back around to Green Park (near Buckingham Palace) and walked over to Harrod's, which is near the Gap where Cristina had orientation for her job.  We popped into Eat. so we could get some water and say our goodbyes.  These restaurants, despite their wide selection of sandwiches and cakes, do not have restrooms so Cristina had to go next door to steal it.  (Also, there was one weird bottled juice that said it was "made from clouds."  Strange and wondrous times around here.)  

I took the tube back to London Bridge and walked home to do some reading for the class I thought I had the next day: American Underground Cinema.  I didn't get very far before I heard people in the hallway getting ready to go to the "School Disco" Adam had told me about the night before, so I got ready only to realize that everyone was pre-gaming and I had nothing to participate with.  Adam kindly walked me to the newsagents to pick up supplies; I came back with rum and a pineapple soda called "Bigga" that 

proclaimed on the side: "I AM JAMAICAN!"  How could I resist?  Before we left, Tom and Adam disappeared for a bit with Neil.  Upon their return they displayed to the girls what Neil had done to them: shaved slits into their eyebrows to give them "chav straps," which were common when they were in college (see first British glossary).  It's a strange and unattractive fad.  When everyone was ready, we all took the tube over to Tutu's (the other campus bar) for the party.  The picture of the right is one Adam took of all of us waiting at the tube stop.  From right to left: me, Laura England, Tom, Jen, Vicky (who I went with to the V&A last post), Maddie, and Laura America.  Even though I knew how to get there, a second year basically led us from our tube stop to the Temple Street one so that we wouldn't get lost.  The Lauras kept doing head counts, and with the uniforms, I really felt like a group of kids on field trip.  When we walked into the party, we were a little disappointed by the emptiness, but within a few minutes, it got much more crowded.  Jen and Adam insisted on everyone getting "Snakebites," which they both termed the "quintessential student drink."  It's a mixture of lager, cider, and blackcurrant juice.  Basically, you could never find a more British beverage.  We ended up staying until about 2:15 and then taking a bus back to our hall.  The girls went to the kitchen and we ended up eating cheese and cookies for a bit before it was just Jen and I.  I don't know how it happened, but we ended up talking about why people are prejudiced, and basic human rights.  (I think it started with Obama vs. McCain/general conservative vs. liberal discussions.)  Anyway, that lasted until about 4:15, when we realized she had a 9am lecture and I had to rise early to finish my reading.

The following day, I managed to finish my American Underground Cinema reading before getting to my class.  Alas!  When I arrived, I saw the girl waiting outside the room clutching her Third Cinema and Beyond reader.  I had mixed up my course schedule and had done the wrong reading!  It was a true tragedy, and I felt a fool.  We went into the room and we watched four films for screening and immediately launched into a discussion of the films and reading.  I was pleased to see that only 2 people had actually done the reading, so it didn't matter much.  Trust that this will not happen again.  Class/screening started at 1pm and I was pleased to get home at about 5:30.  Usually it will go until 6.  After getting home, I waited a bit before going out for a pork and apple pasty and a chocolate chip muffin.  I really miss baking cookies.  When I get home, there will be a legitimate cookie hurricane at the Williams pad!

I had American Underground Cinema at 10am the next day, and I was surprised to find that it might end up being my favorite class.  When I had signed up for the course it was "American Independent Cinema," which is more interesting (and easier to digest) to me than Underground, but c'est la vie.  We watched a clip from East of Borneo, which Joseph Cornell used clips from to make Rose Hobart, which reminded me of basically any YouTube video a fan has made of some actress he/she loves.  Afterwards we watched Pull My Daisy!, which is narrated by Kerouac and stars Alan Ginsberg.  It's essentially one of two films that can really be considered "Beat Films."  The discussion afterwards was educational and interesting, which is perhaps more than I can say for some of the others...  In all, a success.  After class, I returned home to putz around before getting over to the market where I picked up some pitta, cereal, peanut butter (which doesn't taste as good as my Skippy from before, but it'll do, pig.  It'll do.)  and other odds and ends.  What still kind of creeps me out is that they don't keep their eggs in the refrigerated section of the market, which is strange mostly because after they buy them they DO keep them in the fridge.  I have yet to find someone to explain this to me.  

I'm most concerned about the presentations that are required in each of my classes.  The professors haven't really given any guidelines as to what needs to be included or what the format should be (that is, excepting American Underground), so I'm a wee bit nervous.  Although, the presentation and participation account for 15% of my final grade, so I suppose they aren't really the most important things.  But everyone else seems to have been doing them in every course they've taken as they are required in the department.  Meeps!

Just one more picture, where you can see most of us in costume and with our snakebites.  Again, from left to right: Tom, Laura American, Jen, Maddie, Me, and Adam.

British Glossary

1. Newsagent=A store for basically last minute needs.  All I really saw in it was alcohols, juices, candy bars, etc.  I suppose it's a 7-11 type place.

a. Spirits=What I generally call hard alcohols (rum, gin, vodka).  Maybe you already know this.

2. Pitta=Pita bread.  I don't know why they've inserted an extra t or why they pronounce it "pit-uh," but they do!

3. Chav=Commoner.  Adam said they might be termed "wigga" in America.  Neil told me to google image search "Chav."  Here are some representative results for lady chavs and guy chavs: 

Additionally, Neil says if someone can be described as a chav, "he's not for you."