London

1. Journey Diary

Monday

It’s September the 17 th at 2.30 o’ clock . My friend Wenke and I go to the terminus. There we have to wait for the bus. It is very cold. Finally our bus comes and we start our tour to London. We drive through Netherlands, Belgium and France. In the bus we watch funny movies like Evolutions and Scary Movie. In Calais we take the ferry. Calais is a partner of Wismar. One hour later we arrive in England, Canterbury. It is very cloudy and everybody is tired. Then we are in London.

Finally at 8 o’ clock we arrive at the parking space in Catford, the third zone of London. Our guest parents have already waited for us. Wenke, Sarina, Anne and I are the same family in Sydenham, 10 minutes away from the parking space. The son of the family opens the door of the big house and then the daughter brings us to our room in the third floor. The room is big and the wall is violet. Posters of ponies hang there and when we look out of the window we see a huge garden full of garbage. After we change our clothes we go downstairs into the living room to say hello to the big family. The wall is blue but there aren’t any photos or pictures. The huge TV is on and the father talks with us. His name is Churchill.
He asks for our names and where we come from. After we tell a bit about us we get something to eat. We four sit in the eating room and the family sits in the living room in front of the TV and have the plates an their laps. We eat Pizza, Chips and Yoghurt. Then Wenke, Sarina, Anne and I go for a walk to see Sydenham. It is dark. We go in every market because I’m looking for my favourite magazine named Kerrang. Last year I was in the City of London and bought this magazine and it was the best magazine I’ve ever read. But I don’t find it anymore.

We go back and a black cat follows us. At first we are scared but then we see the cat is small and cute. It doesn’t go away but when we arrive at our house it disappears. Anne and I go into the living room again and talk with the oldest daughter, Rosemary, about the next day because we want to go to a musical and we don’t know how we could come home with the Underground. After she explains everything we say goodnight and go upstairs to our girls. We sleep in double beds and I am in the best bed because it is bigger and next to the window.

Tuesday  

It’s 6 o’ clock. I wake up and look out of the window. An airplane flies above the house, the weather is beautiful and I feel sick. After taking my pills I take a shower. At first the water is cold, then hot, then warm and at last it’s cold. When you want to turn off the light you have to pull on a string. I brush my teeth with cold water and at 7.15 am it’s breakfast. We four eat all alone again. We have Cornflakes, Milk, Sugar, juice, toast and jam on the table. I’ve never liked jam so I eat my toast with nothing. It isn’t very delicious.

One of the three sons has to go to school and put on his uniform. We say ‘Morning’ but he ignores us. Later the mother brings us to the parking space where the bus waits for us. Half past eight we drive to the City of London. There we start our 3-hour-city-tour with a guide. We see a lot of sights: Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalquare Square and the Buckingham Palace.
Then we can do what we want but we have to be on the Regent Street near Piccadilly Circus at 5 o’ clock. So we go to the Hard Rock Café. From the Café we go through the Hyde Park to eat our lunch from our family: toast with cheese, an apple and water. Then we go to the Oxford Street. We buy postcards and cheap clothes in the Primark. After we buy ice cream at McDonalds we go into the HMV CD-shop where I buy a single by Panic! At The Disco. Then we go into a Disney-shop and go to the Piccadilly Circus. A lot of people give us newspaper about the parents which daughter Madeleine disappeared. We go very fast because we don’t know how far the Piccadilly Circus is. Finally we arrive and go into the Virgin, the biggest CD-shop in the city. There I buy a CD again because you can’t buy these CDs in Germany. You have to pay more or you need to import these CDs from England. One hour later we meet our class mates. Nobody knows where the bus arrives. At last we find it. At 7 o’ clock we are at home. We eat alone again: lasagne and potatoes. After eating we go sleeping.

Wednesday

 
It’s going to be a long day again but it’s very cloudy. The day starts like yesterday. The son wants to go to school and we greet him. Now he doesn’t ignore us. He says ‘Morning’ very quietly. Today I am very slowly. My girls go to the car and I’m in the room and take my back. I feel that I forget something but I have to leave. In the car I remember: I forgot my mp3-player in the room. In the bus I see I forgot my batteries, too. They lay on the table. I was so angry. Five minutes later I see that I forgot all my money under the bed. I get insane! But I know I didn’t forget my mobile. No! I forgot it, too! But why is my back so heavy? I just have pullovers and foot in my back! It’s going to be a bad day!

Nobody knows where we arrive. Then we are in Windsor. I remember this town. It’s boring but I know there is a shop next to the castle. We go to the Eton College where our guided tour starts. It isn’t so boring anymore, it is interesting but I am too angry because I forget everything so I can’t concentrate on the guide. After the tour we go to the shop and Wenke gives me ten pounds. I buy a T-shirt of my favourite band like last year in the same shop and we go to the bus.

Then we arrive in Stratford where Shakespeare lived. At first all class members disappear because they think they can go wherever they want. We find them again and go to the guided tour. A guy named Jon tells everything about the family and the houses. It is the most interest tour. In the evening we are in Camden Garden, London. We don’t know what we can do so we just go in the shops where I finally find my magazine. I am so happy. Later we take a few photos of the musical buildings. After we eat at McDonalds we just sit and talk.

When we are in Catford again our guest mama go buying milk at Tesco with us. At 10 pm we are at home.

Thursday

 

I know today it will be an important day because it’s the last day in London. I am a little bit sad and take photos of everything. We don’t see the children of our family so we can’t say goodbye. Our mother brings us to the parking space. There she just say bye and go away. That isn’t fine. Half past eight we stand at the rail station in Catford. In Wismar we could decide where we want to go: Dungeon, Globe Theatre, Tower or Madame Tussauds. I go to the Dungeon with Svenja. The actors are so funny. When you go to toilet you see the funny doors. In the Dungeon we learned a lot about the pest, Jack the Ripper and the Fire of London. It is very interesting and we have fun.
One time everyone has to put the hands on the heads. Suddenly an actor says ‘Put your hands down! That looks stupid!’ Typical British humour! Then we are in boats but I think that’s stupid because we don’t do anything there and it isn’t scary. At last we go to seats. I am the number ten and an actor says to me ‘Oh, you are number ten.’ I ask ‘Is that bad?’ ‘Oh yes!’ he answers. So we sit in our seats. The seats go up and when we fall down it is so frightened. We see the photos of us. We look so funny.

After the Dungeon Svenja and I go to the tower, not far away. At first we go above the Tower Bridge. That is amazing. At the Tower I buy a book for my mother and then we go to the Underground because we want to see the Camden Market. We are so angry because we pay much for the ticket. It is pretty hard to find the market but we arrive. There you can buy everything what people like me want. A woman talks to me because she likes my T-shirt. She seems to be a funny person. Suddenly we dance because we hear music. She sells clothes and wants to give me a few T-shirts for good money but I haven’t money anymore. I just have ten pounds and buy some accessories. So Svenja and I want to go.

Suddenly we meet Anne, Christina, Sarina and Wenke at the station. They come from Madame Tussauds. Sevenja and I take Wenke and we drive to the Piccadilly Circus. There we go shopping. We go to famous boutiques, for example Zara. But we can’t find some clothes that we like. After I buy a CD in Virgin again we drink milkshakes at Burger King. At last we buy something to eat at Tesco for our journey. At 4.30 pm we go to the bus. For the last time we see London.

Friday

 

The night in the bus was horrible. I couldn’t sleep because we have to sit and I don’t like that when the people see me sleeping. Wenke and I fight the whole time because we didn’t have a good night. We need time for ourselves. Suddenly we are in Germany. The sun is shining! It’s 12 o ‘clock and everybody wants to go home for taking a shower and sleeping. Home sweet home!

2. Observation

 

When we were in England I saw that the landscape isn’t very different. In Germany we have hills, too. In both countries are a lot of meadows with animals and trees. When we were in England it was a bit rainy but in Germany it often rains, too. But London is something special. I didn’t like Catford and Sydenham because it’s dirty, poor and dangerous. I think nobody liked that. There live a lot of coloured persons. It’s not bad but when we were on the street we felt very strange because we didn’t see any white people.

Our family wasn’t very good. There live three sons and maybe four daughters in the house. The family didn’t talk with us. When we talked to the daughters and the father they were very nice but the mother didn’t really like to talk to us. The sons didn’t want to say any word. That isn’t nice. The family is very faithful. Everywhere are stickers with ‘Jesus is love’.

That was OK for us because in Germany are faithful families, too. But the worst habit is the disorder in the house and in the garden. Everywhere are cartons and garbage. It is pretty chaotic. The house is very big but the walls are so empty and the water isn’t good. So the family is a little bit poor but in the living room is a huge TV. The family sits there everyday. In the morning it is on, too. I think the TV is the centre of the communication in the house. And the food isn’t healthy and delicious. But we liked the gospel songs when we heard the daughters singing. But in general, I’ve seen that the houses look similar and the pupils have to wear uniforms.
In the City we drove very slowly because the streets are pretty congested. The cars drive on the left side and the people go on the street when the light is red. Everywhere are cars and people from all over the world. 10% are Indians. Here are a lot of cultures. A lot of prominent persons live in London, too and the people are very modern. The queen is very important for them. When you look to the sky you always see airports –Amazing! And I’ve never seen so many trams. The Underground is the biggest train in the world but very expensive. Everything costs more than in Germany. CD’s are an exception. In London is the most important journalism.

 

The Daily Telegraph is the most popular newspaper. And the theatres in London are popular. In the Theatre Royal Haymarket you can see he Phantom of the Opera every day. And in the capitol are a lot of museums, for example Madame Taussauds. If you like music, you must go to the north of London. The subculture Punk was born there. You find lots of teenagers with the same preference and you find all accessories you want. In my opinion London is a city for everyone. The people in the city are very nice. You can relax but it’s never boring.

3. King’s College of our Lady of Eton

Eton College was founded the 11 th October 1440 by King Henry VI. The college is a copy of the Winchester College and is located near Windsor Castle, not far away from London. The teachers and the principal of the Winchester College were needed.

Anthony Little is the headmaster and William and Harry, the princes, were pupils of this college. The school is just for boys. They are registered since their birth. When they are 13 they begin their stay in the college. Graduates can change to elite-universities in Oxford or Cambridge when they are 18. Pupils go to Eton College to learn for the quality class of government, management and for military. 19 prime ministers went to this school.

Eton College is popular because of the pressure to work hard. For the commencement you have to do an entrance examination. For every subject there are more classes. Ten to 15 pupils are in a class. And every month the teacher makes a new rank order.

In Eton College you can learn languages which aren’t typical, for example Arabic, Japanese and Russian. Paddling, golf and fencing are kinds of sport in this school. The Field Game was created there and is a combination of rugby and football.The black uniform is tradition. The pupils have to wear white shirts with a stiff collar, white ribbons, dark trousers and black tail coats to show the grief for George III who died in 1820. In 1940 the cylinder was abolished. Long ago the boys had to drink alcohol. Today it isn’t allowed.
1300 pupils go to Eton College. The parents pay 35000 Euro for a school year. A few intelligent pupils get financial help when they haven’t enough money.

 

Theresa Harms (11b)

 

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