I have come to find many points of comparison in my life in London and my life at Carolina. When I examine the similarities and differences more closely, I can see that the two universities and the two cities could be categorized as different types of fruit…bear with me, its going to come together at the end.
Example One: At Carolina, basketball is legendary (as it should be) and as such the team’s players become legends. It is not out of the ordinary that Danny Green made waves when he walked through the pit or that Tyler Hansborough was properly gawked at when entering any building. I have taken my fair share of cell phone pictures of, have smiled at and have chatted with (okay maybe only in my dreams) many a Carolina basketball player. In London, perhaps a more global city, theater reigns quite highly (as it should). During intermission at the Globe Theater on Friday night (I made my second trip with a five pound standing-room-only ticket) I glanced at a man’s face and stared a little more than socially acceptable. But his face was SO familiar! As it turns out, the man who I awkwardly stared at for a few minutes was none other than the actor Patrick Stewart! (think X-Men, Star Trek, try Google/Wiki if you must) Since this performance of “A New World” was both the last show of the run, and the last of the Globe’s season the company, crew and volunteers were honored. Not only that but the writer of the show (Trevor Griffiths) was also present and honored! So lets create the comparison: Chapel Hill to London, basketball to theater, Danny Green to Patrick Stewart. Catching my drift?
One could compare the Tower of London to the Order of Gimgoul, okay that was a far reach – because Gimgoul doesn’t have jewels and the Tower isn’t really a secret society at all…but the yeomen warders live there, so it sort of counts….right?
In London, things close when you want them to be open. Often things close too early. For example: most food places close by 6, if you’re lucky places serve food until 9 – good for early birds, bad for late night snacks. Example 2: Westminster Abbey closes at 1:30 pm on Saturdays. This seems to be counter-productive because a lot of tourists exist on Saturdays. Think on that moneymaker that’s being thrown away (it’s all about the money).
The Ackland Art museum is free. Many museums, including the Imperial War Museum (the one I visited this weekend) are also free. There is really no comparison there either, except that they are both wonderful museums (and free!).
The previously mentioned rivalry between KCL and LSE seems to embody the never-ending rivalry of good and evil (UNC and Duke).
My dorm is Hinton James. On London Scale.
There is singing in a church service at Westminster Abbey or in the Kings College Chapel. There is singing in Tuesday Night Worship in Chapel Hill.
So maybe there are less things to compare than I thought…but what it all comes down to is that KCL and UNC are frighteningly similar universities (perhaps that is why they have an exchange). Rather than apples to oranges, I would pear (I know, punny) the two schools as apples to apples. Perhaps the schools are so different than a starker differentiation must take place, so…granny smith to pink lady – entirely different in almost every way – but when it comes down to it, they are both still apples.
I hope these gave you some food for thought on your Sunday evening (punny take 2)!
With love,
Lauren
*Petite disclamer: I know that some of these comparisons get far-fetched, just roll with it*
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