Tag: London



I had a front row seat to view the kerfuffle over an announcement to reshuffle the British government’s cabinet this summer. On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron tweeted “I’ll be reshuffling the Cabinet today. Watch this Twitter feed for the very latest. #Reshuffle.”

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Prime Minister David Cameron

The release of this important information over Twitter and the lack of warning for this information shocked and angered the public as well as the media. Cameron’s use of social media aligned him with the younger demographic and averted media prejudices in the reshuffle reveal. Recent polls have indicated a strong preference for the Labour Party, while the media has indicated a strong preference for the Labour Party as well given the promised media cuts to the BBC by the Conservative Party if reelected in 2015. Although this reshuffle move via Twitter did not help the Conservative Party’s relationship with the media, it did help the Conservatives attract the attention of younger voters.

The new voting generation is a generation of immediacy, instantaneous-ness, multitasking, and social media, so placing the Parliamentary reshuffle information on Twitter is like speaking in the language of the young voters. This makes the reputed white, middle-aged Conservative Party seem more approachable and even younger. Time will tell if this move influenced some young voters to vote for the Conservative Party, but at the very least it did turn some young heads to the business of the party. The media’s head was turned as well because they did not know about this important parliamentary news before the rest of the world knew.

For the media—a job that requires insider information ahead of time—the Twitter feed indicates the Conservative Party’s lack of respect for the media and the media process in general. #Reshuffle on Twitter overturned the usual and expected media reporting of the important happenings in Parliament, leaving the media more nervous about the upcoming election if the Conservative Party wins in 2015.

Shira Weissmann is a senior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Marketing at Washington University in St. Louis. Shira traveled to London and worked at the British Parliament with support from the Avram A. and Jill Glazer Global Learning Program this summer.

Images: The House of Parliament, Javier Díaz, FLickr Creative Commons; Prime Minister David Cameron, official photo, Flikr creative commons




I’ve never been much of a traveler or that adventurous a person, and I had things I didn’t want to miss back home like the football team, friends, and my girlfriend. But that all changed when my older brother went abroad when I was a freshman.

Christopher Levine,  Economics and Strategy Major, class of 2015, shares his semester abroad experience.

For any students reading this I am certain that on every campus tour you took before deciding to commit to Wash U. you were told about the amount of study abroad programs available to you. This makes sense, study abroad has become a much more popular thing to do these days and it seems like my Facebook is always flooded with friends’ pictures from their own study abroad adventures. I, however, always ignored that part of the campus tour.

I’ve never been much of a traveler or that adventurous a person, and I had things I didn’t want to miss back home like the football team, friends, and my girlfriend. But that all changed when my older brother went abroad when I was a freshman. The thought that this might be my only chance – maybe in my lifetime – to go to a foreign country and to live there for five months became a reality.

So it was settled then right? I was going to go abroad and have the best semester of my life just like all of my friends had said when they returned home. But they weren’t kidding when they said how many programs you could actually participate in as a Wash U. student and I was again on the fence.

I knew I wanted to go to London because I could speak English, live in a big city, and the culture, mainly soccer, had really grown on me since going to college and my brother’s  return from Manchester.

The London Internship program is by far the most popular at Olin and I even had two friends that had participated in the past and enjoyed it. The problem was that I had heard this program is basically Wash U. in London, meaning you stay with your Wash U. classmates and don’t really interact with English people, especially students, like you would in other study abroad programs that were also available at Wash U. I went back and forth, weighing the pros and cons of each, and ultimately decided on the London Internship Program and I am very happy that I did.

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Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

As part of the European Olin Study Abroad programs, you travel to an assigned European Union member country and then meet up with everyone in Belgium for a crash course about the EU. This had to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my time abroad.

After an interview with a government official in Malta, I couldn’t stop thinking about how cool it was that with just one partner’s help, I had successfully set up an in-person interview with a significant Maltese official in the EU process.

I’ve since started my internship at one of the world’s most renowned soccer clubs and am in the process of completing the longest and most academic research paper of my life. I don’t want to compare my experience with anyone else’s, but I do know that when I return home I will be so proud of what I have accomplished.

I know the title of this blog begs a question that many college students face, but I cannot answer that question definitively. I have shared my feelings about my personal experience abroad hoping to give another perspective, but nobody can decide if studying abroad is right for you except yourself. It is a time for personal exploration and there is only one person who can decide if that is the right thing to do.




The calendar says that it has been just a little over a month since I arrived in London, but it seems almost yesterday that I was getting off the plane at Heathrow without any idea of what to expect from this amazing city. Now this is partly due to the fact that I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel to three other countries (Denmark, Belgium, and Latvia), but also because I have not had an empty day during this time. With so much to see and do, from the many museums, to the official buildings in Westminster and also the financial district of the City, London has kept me very busy and I expect that it will continue to do so for the next couple of months that I am here.

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I’ve found it fairly easy to adapt to my new surroundings here. Although there are some big differences between the United Kingdom and the United States (like driving on opposite sides of the road), I think I have been able to get to a point where I have adjusted to these differences. I may have even adjusted too well. On my other trips I have caught myself expecting cars to come from the British side of the road even when all of the other countries use the same side as the United States. I think the key to adapting well to a new environment is being open to notice all of the unique characteristics of the new environment no matter how small. For example, even though everyone will understand if you ask for “fries,” asking for “chips” allows you to feel like a Brit and gives you a sense of belonging to the culture here.

There are many ways to be open to seeing these small details, but I think the most important way is to appreciate the disconnect you have from United States while abroad. It has obviously been much tougher to keep in touch consistently with friends and family in the U.S., but there has been so much to do here that I have barely had enough time to think about making more of an effort to do so. My first instinct when I walk into a place is looking out for the small details that I can adopt from the culture rather than finding Wi-Fi to keep up to date with what is happening back across the pond. It’s great to stay in touch and share experiences, but I think our time here becomes more valuable when we make our highest priority having a deeper and more meaningful cultural experience.

Post submitted by: Batu Otkeren, BSBA ’15




Last stop on the Luxury Goods Industry course tour was London. Prof. Martin Sneider led his students across the English Channel to London’s most fashionable addresses including Harrod’s pictured above. Diana Xi Zeng’15 sent this postcard from their whirlwind trip through the capital city of merry olde England.

London town thrilled my taste buds from its not-so-mainstream styling to its glorious array of ethnic foods. For all those going abroad there, enjoy it for me! Or at least know that I’m more than a bit envious.

The bus that took us to the hotel had its cushioned seats arranged in fours around wooden tables. Mini stained glass lamps were on each table. Stained glass lamps. Stained glass. That was quite the intro to London for all of us.

Burberry welcomed us into its flagship store on Regent Street and I was in awe to hear that they open up the store for live concerts featuring British bands! With deep British roots and the iconic trench coat as its staple piece, Burberry captured its genuine heritage throughout the store with innovation.The brand’s devotion to its British history but daring and inventive Prorsum line provided a juxtaposition that made me admire Burberry for more than its classic check pattern.

Who doesn’t love purple satin hot shorts and metallic trenches? Because I certainly do.

Now onto the eats. We strolled into the theater district and found the most delicious and happy restaurant featuring Mexican market eating called Wahaca. I can’t say that without screaming it. WAHACA!! The excitement is beyond appropriate because I am salivating as I write this.

The dishes were portioned to share and inexpensive but so SO authentically tasty. Highly recommend: the Chicken Guajillo Tostadas with pumpkin seeds and Plantain Tacos. Text me, beep me if you want the complete list of everything we ate.

Missing London right now but so thankful to have gone. This class has offered more than I could have asked for. Wandering foreign countries with an intimately sized group and getting to explore an industry that we  are all passionate and curious about started off Summer 2013 in the sweetest of ways.

 

Photo credit: Burberry’s label, Tracy Byrnes