Our assignment while in London, was based of a scavenger hunt format. This was intended to encourage us to try things that we may not have otherwise tried or explored. This assignment also helped me to think like a teacher; noticing ways of learning, reflecting about culture, and noticing how technology is integrated in different venues. We were encouraged to respond to 6 out of 10 prompt questions.
Americans in England.
As I traveled around to several areas of London via the underground tube and the buses, I noticed that the only time I knew for certain that I was around American tourists was when I was at major attractions that are heavily advertised or well know. For example, I hardly noticed any American tourist in several of the market areas that were outside of the central, main tube stops. In Little Saigon, the vietnamese area, I didn't notice anyone that seemed to be new to the area.
Go to a district where English is not the primary language.
Little Saigon, near the Old Street underground tube stop was an interesting area for me to explore. It was very interesting for me to see on the menu how different the same alphabet characters are used. Various accents used in the vietnamese language have always fascinated me.
When ordering from the menu the English descriptions were helpful, but I didn't feel comfortable trying to pronounce the vietnamese words for the three dishes I shared with my friends. The Vietnamese food is so fresh, flavorful, and colorful! I really enjoyed eating at Cay Tre!
Favorite lunch spot recommended by locals.
Before going to the Tate Modern, we were told by locals to explore the area of Borough Market. Although the market was closed on Sunday, we went to "Old King's Head" for lunch. It was a place off the beaten tourist path. After walking down a small alley my friends and I were by far the youngest people in this pub. There were a few tables of ladies that seemed to be in their Sunday church clothes and a few men were eating and drinking by themselves.
I chose to have a dish recommended to me by the spirit master. It was the pubs version of the English dish, bangers and mash. My meal was e
ssentially a long, spiraled sausage tube with spices slightly different than what I had had before. The sausage ways on top of mashed potatoes with gravy and peas. This was a hearty meal that filled me until supper!
Observe parents with their children.
When we were trying to find a festival late Sunday afternoon near the Elephant & Castle tube stop I observed several parents with children. Specif
ically, I was looking at a street map posted near the mall. This area of London was quite different than the other areas I had seen so far on my travels. I heard German and Spanish being spoken by the locals. As I was talking to my friends about what were going to do as we consulted the map, we heard a scraping sound and saw someone falling out of the corner of our eyes. It was a small child that had been rinning around on the si
de walk. At first I didn't see any adults around. Then I noticed some other kids coming to check on the crying bou that had fallen. There were adults that seemed like they may have been the little boys gaurdian standing by the wall near the mall entrance. None of the adultseemed to be concerned about the boy but the other siblings he
lped him and he was back to playing by the time we left.
I also observed similar situations in the Plymouth schools earlier in the week. The adults in the UK don't seem to be as protective of the children. Modesty and privacy is not as prevalent either. All students change into their gym clothes together in the classroom with male and female adults in the room. The elementary students think nothing of changing clothes next to all their peers and teachers.
Technology for learning.
I was curious to see how the Tate Modern, a well known art museum, would include technology in their museum presentation. In many ways it was similar to US museums that I am familiar with. The audio guides were available for a fee, just like the Detroit and Chicago art museums I have been to. Also similar, there were captions next to the art and larger text versions were available in each room. I was surprised about the amount of video instillation art works at the Tate Modern. Many digital and film projectors were used in several art pieces. I was pleased to see the interactive computers and video footage that was provided in the spaces between galleries at the Tates. There were also activities books for children to use about the art through out the displays. The Tate Modern seemed to use many technologies to appeal to the learning of a wide age spectrum. This is a picture of street art on display at the Tate, pictures are not allowed inside the museum.
To market, to market.
I went to Portobello Road Market on Saturday, after arriving to London. The market was very expansive with new merchandise, antiques, and various produce and food carts. Many of the booths selling new merchandise seemed to be geared to the tourist wanting "London gear" such as pashminas, shot glasses and t-shirts. However, I overheard many customers with British accents. The market was crowed as the last hour that the carts were open was fading away. Food venders started to deeply discount produce and foods. I tried paella for the first time at a cart that was trying to sell all the remaining at half off. Yummo! The market seemed to be an important way for the locals to make their livings. It was a place where many cultures were represented and may ages and classes of people seemed to shop there too!
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