Exploring Museums — Fourth Week in London

By:

Nafisah Fathima

Published:

Countries

Demographics

, , ,

Majors

Regions

Nafisah Fathima

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> Citrus College <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> London, England <i>Program provider:</i> AIFS Abroad <i>Major/minor:</i> Philosophy <i>Demographics:</i> Asian/Asian American, South Asian, First-Generation College Student, Community College Student <i>Future career aspirations:</i> My future career is still undecided but I have always been interested in law and possibly even teaching. I hope to work with a non-profit one day! <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> My top three goals for my time abroad in London are learning about England’s culture, making new friends, and becoming more independent!

This week, I spent a fair amount of time in museums and enjoyed a calmer weekend. I went to the Museum of Brands, The British Museum, and the Science Museum and went out to dinner with friends at Tonkotsu (a ramen bar), and ended the week with a movie night screening of Pride & Prejudice (2005).

The Museum of Brands captured my interest because it has so many historical artifacts from practically every aspect of life. I enjoyed seeing the evolution of advertising through things such as soaps, cigarettes, foods, children’s books, dolls and toys, music, and fashion. I especially enjoyed the section about the royal family and seeing the invitations and plates for events as well as the pop culture section that focused on the everchanging fashion trends and popularly celebrated and loved British musicians.

The British Museum was beautiful and had amazing sculptures and Greek artifacts. I was able to see the Rosetta Stone and explore many other collections from around the world.

The Science Museum had so many floors and sections to explore and learn about. I especially liked the section dedicated to astronomy and the planets in our solar system. I enjoyed learning about the sun and watching the beautiful installation of a planet turn in the middle of the room. The car section was really impressive and entertaining to read about and compare to different models from different periods. The history of computers and phones interested me and I thought the interactive aspects were engaging and fun. I think the world’s technological advancements are so impressive and seeing the progression throughout history from the first ever computer to the computers we use now is difficult to comprehend. There was so much to see, read, and learn in this museum!

The museums I visited taught me a lot about British history and the injustice of how many of the artifacts featured in their museums don’t rightfully belong to them. The British Museum is currently facing controversy regarding the rightful owners of many artifacts in the museum, such as the Greek marble artworks mentioned earlier. The debate on the proper ownership of looted artworks from periods of colonization continues.

Tonkotsu, a ramen bar near the apartments, has a warm atmosphere that’s perfect for a group of friends to eat dinner and talk. My ramen was delicious and I enjoyed slowing down and savoring my meal.

To wrap up the weekend, my friends and I got together at the apartments to have a movie night. There’s a theater in the basement that can be arranged for groups to use and we decided to watch Pride & Prejudice (2005) because not everyone had seen it before! This was a great way to end the weekend and I’m glad I got to relax a little bit. My classes are getting busier and assignments require more time and effort. I hope to still find time to schedule activities and downtime to relax and enjoy London while I’m here. So much has happened already and it’s only been four weeks! I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester! :)