Week 1
For my prep course, we have an assignment to make a weekly post on this blog. This week is on my takeaways from an article on British culture!
Did you know that drinking tea isn't something British people do regularly anymore? According to the article, tea-time has become somewhat obsolete. People's lifestyles have changed a lot, in part due to the demands of the work schedule. It also seems like come other stereotypical "British" things, like fish-and-chips, or having a large and hearty breakfast, are going away in favor of things Americans would be more familiar with, like hamburgers or grabbing a quick coffee in the morning. Soccer is still the most popular sport in the UK, and golf, rugby, and tennis are also widely played. An interesting fact: it's often unclear what exactly is being celebrated on Guy Fawkes' Night: the revolutionists or the failure of a plan to blow up parliament. Regardless, people still go wild with fireworks and bonfires.
One thing I was sad to learn about is that back in July of 2005, the London Underground was subjected to four separate attacks from terrorist suicide bombers, with one other attack made on a double-decker bus. The attack left 52 people dead and over 700 injured. According to a Washington Post article, this attack was the worst act of terror ever made on British soil. People refer to the attacks as the 7/7 bombings, similarly to how we in America refer to 9/11. Due to the severity and nature of the attack, I was shocked that I've never heard of this event before. Looking back on it though, it happened when I was a little kid and was probably discussed less than the 9/11 terrorist attack, so it makes sense that I haven't heard a lot about it. I'm still grateful that I gained this knowledge before I traveled to London so I'll understand what 7/7 means and to treat it with the same gravitas as we do to 9/11. Below is a picture taken at the 7/7 memorial.
There was a lot more in the article that was interesting, but this is what stuck out with me the most. I loved seeing how British culture is both similar to and different from my own!
Source:
Adam, Karla. "Britain Marks 10th Anniversary of London Bombings." Washinton Post 7 July 2015. Web. 10 Mar 2019.
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Did you know that drinking tea isn't something British people do regularly anymore? According to the article, tea-time has become somewhat obsolete. People's lifestyles have changed a lot, in part due to the demands of the work schedule. It also seems like come other stereotypical "British" things, like fish-and-chips, or having a large and hearty breakfast, are going away in favor of things Americans would be more familiar with, like hamburgers or grabbing a quick coffee in the morning. Soccer is still the most popular sport in the UK, and golf, rugby, and tennis are also widely played. An interesting fact: it's often unclear what exactly is being celebrated on Guy Fawkes' Night: the revolutionists or the failure of a plan to blow up parliament. Regardless, people still go wild with fireworks and bonfires.
One thing I was sad to learn about is that back in July of 2005, the London Underground was subjected to four separate attacks from terrorist suicide bombers, with one other attack made on a double-decker bus. The attack left 52 people dead and over 700 injured. According to a Washington Post article, this attack was the worst act of terror ever made on British soil. People refer to the attacks as the 7/7 bombings, similarly to how we in America refer to 9/11. Due to the severity and nature of the attack, I was shocked that I've never heard of this event before. Looking back on it though, it happened when I was a little kid and was probably discussed less than the 9/11 terrorist attack, so it makes sense that I haven't heard a lot about it. I'm still grateful that I gained this knowledge before I traveled to London so I'll understand what 7/7 means and to treat it with the same gravitas as we do to 9/11. Below is a picture taken at the 7/7 memorial.
There was a lot more in the article that was interesting, but this is what stuck out with me the most. I loved seeing how British culture is both similar to and different from my own!
Source:
Adam, Karla. "Britain Marks 10th Anniversary of London Bombings." Washinton Post 7 July 2015. Web. 10 Mar 2019.
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