Classes Begin!

While you celebrated Labor Day in the US, I embarked on my first day of classes. 9 am ushered in Writing for TV taught by Archie Tate (IMDB him…its impressive). He talked about an number of British TV shows including Cracker, Dr Who, Skins, and of course The Office, making it clear to me that I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to this country and television. We also watched an episode of “Spooks”—now in its 9^th series…we say seasons—and I more or less decided that British TV is either really really good or really really bad. Right now their most popular drama is called “Eastenders.” I watched an episode…it was crazy and hard to believe this was on anything but daytime tv.

Oh well. On Tuesday, in Arts in London, we visited the British Museum. I SAW THE ROSETTA STONE!!!! The Museum itself is very large, and a bit overwhelming—like most. Most of the objects are from early civilization stretching from Egypt to Mesopotamia to South America. It is impressive the collections that are housed under one roof, however the more and more I visit museums with famous relics, the more I am finding that the relic itself is not nearly as exciting as one expects. When I first saw the Rosetta stone, I nearly walked past it; and with so many tourists milling about it was hard to get a good look, let alone appreciate its significance. In the end, we had to leave the museum early because a child was lost. Luckily, all museums in the UK are free, so I can go back anytime.

Wednesday marked my first and last free day without class. However, in the evening, our Theatre in London class went to the National Theatre to see “Danton’s Death.” While the it was exciting to see the National Theatre—which serves as London’s premier threater exhibition platform—the show itself was not great. I won’t bore you with details.

Then what we were waiting for: Thursday was our first official day at THE BBC!! The main studios are located in a part of London known as White City, meaning I had to take The Tube. On my walk to Kings Cross Station—everytime I get jitters hoping to see a flying car—I felt like I was back in NYC attempting the subway for the first time. No worries, the trains are very clearly marked, and in no time I was flying along with other commuters. And for those New Yorkers out there: London’s tube is leaps and bounds ahead of our subway! Not only is it clean and comfortable, the trains are smooth and quiet!

As I stepped onto the platform between 9 and 10…no just kidding. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on inside the BBC in the next few days!!!

Cheers!