Final: A Traveling Scholar's Tale

The moment I arrived in London and got off at Liverpool Street, I felt like I was in a different world.  One full of red double decker buses and crowds of men in blue business suits, and a buzz of city life that I had never experienced before.  After managing to grab a taxi, I remember sitting in the back in marvel of the city as we drove through midday traffic, passing theatres, extravagant stores, and beautiful old buildings.  Arriving at the London Centre, I stopped to look at the door that I had just seen in pictures, and dreamt about seeing in person someday.  Back then, I had no idea of the amazing adventures I would have and all the things I would learn here in the U.K. as a hyper-hip traveling scholar.

Some of my best moments as a true traveling scholar included when we did the walks, because not only were we finding our way around by walking, we were learning things about the landmarks as we did so.  The Walls of Londonium walk is a great example.  That was just our second day in London, and I already felt like I was learning so much.  On that walk, we were able to follow the route of the walk pretty well, although we may have taken a few wrong turns along the way.  I felt like a scholar because if I were just a tourist, I would have most likely just walked right past those parts of the wall, and not have realized that these were remnants of a wall built by the Romans in approximately the 3^rd century.  Similarly, on other walks, we were able to stop and appreciate history along the way, and see the things that other people might miss if they weren’t being a scholar.  In my future travels, I hope to continue to cultivate a historical awareness of the places I am going so I don’t miss anything.  

Another example of being a true scholar for me was visiting art museums, like the National Gallery and the Tate Britain.  Last semester I took an art history class, so I was excited to see some of the art pieces that I learned about in class in person.  I was very fortunate to have a background about these artists, because I appreciated them a lot more.  At the National Gallery, the chance to see a Caravaggio, Cezanne, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Seurat, Matisse, Van Gogh, Vermeer, and the Arnolfini portrait by Jan van Eyck was incredible.  And at the Tate Britain, the chance to see Constable, Turner, William Blake, and pre-Raphaelite paintings like Ophelia, The Lady of Shalott, and many others, was a real treat for me.  Putting some of these artworks in context of being in England really made a difference, like those of Turner and Blake.  Being able to contribute some background knowledge to these paintings was one of my best moments as a traveling scholar.

Finally, a third example of hyper-hip traveling scholarship for me has to do with Dunkirk.  If I was back home, I probably would have seen the movie Dunkirk and thought, “Wow, what a great movie.”  But being here in the U.K this summer, and learning about past world wars through museums and historical sites has made me appreciate Dunkirk more than I would have anticipated.  Specifically, first I was able to learn about Dunkirk at the Imperial War Museum in a way that was interactive and informative.  Then I saw the movie, which held me suspense the whole time.  And just last week, we went to Dover and toured the underground tunnels, learning about the event from beginning to end.  The best part was actually being there, and looking out across the ocean and seeing France on the other side.  As my hyper-hip traveling scholar self, I imagined what it must have been like for them at Dunkirk, looking over to Dover where we were, praying, hoping, to make it across.  Having the context of the movie and the history put it all in context for me, and became one of my favorite traveling scholar moments.

Looking back at all of my experiences on this study abroad, there are so many times that I felt like a traveling scholar, from seeing various Shakespeare plays and getting to visit his birthplace, to reading literature like Tintern Abbey, and then getting to visit it and marvel at its beauty. From visiting the Parliament of Scotland, Wales, and the U.K., to touring so many ancient and beautiful castles and cathedrals.  Among all these things, I’ve really enjoyed doing the walks, visiting the art museums, and learning about Dunkirk.  And even further, in addition to the things I’ve learned, what I will bring home most from this study abroad are the experiences and friends I’ve made along the way.