What does it mean to participate in an orientation week as a Fulbrighter? Well, in my experience, it means taking roughly forty of the most brilliant and jetlagged Americans that I’ve ever met, dropping them in the center of London, and seeing what happens. If you’ve ever attended summer camp, then you have most likely experienced this phenomenon—except replace the forest with Bloomsbury, cabins with dorm rooms, and campfires with pubs. In summary, I started the week essentially not knowing a soul in the UK other than a handful of people and ended the week with friends in every corner of this country.
Programming
So, what exactly were we doing during this orientation? The majority of our events were meetings, lectures, and workshops about different facets of life in the UK as an American citizen. Additionally, these programs also sought to serve as a reminder of the US UK Fulbright Commission’s mission, along with the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. We met with representatives from both embassies, participated in a conflict resolution workshop, learned how to vote abroad (a special shout out to my cousin Beth for answering my Jackson County voting questions despite me texting her at 4 am Central Time), set goals for our grant time, heard from Fulbright alumni, and learned about each person's unique project. Additionally, we had a reception at the British Library, where we attended a debate on civic science and spent our last morning exploring the British Museum.
Extracurriculars
When we weren’t on official Fulbright business, we still somehow managed to spend every waking hour together. We ate all our meals together, whether it was a two-hour-long Italian dinner or a midnight run to MacDonalds. We went out to pubs, bars, and clubs—the highlight being a drag show in Covent Garden. We also visited bookshops, and I even led a walking tour around Blackfriars and South Bank. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I am a certified Shakespeare nerd (I even have the essay prize to prove it). The last time I was remotely close to London, I spent the majority of that time in the area surrounding the Globe Theater.
As a result, this tiny slice of the Thames is perhaps the only area of London that I would have felt remotely confident with leading people around. So when the last afternoon arrived, and the people leaving London wanted to see more of the “touristy” part of the city, I jumped at the chance to take a group over to Southbank. I’m including an itinerary of the tour, along with a map below, in case you ever want to recreate this tour.
Travel to Blackfriars Station
Walk to St Paul’s Cathedral. Pretend that you’re the bird woman from Mary Poppins.
Cross the Millennium Bridge. Take in views of Tower Bridge and the iconic skyscrapers of London.
Walk to the Globe Theater. Listen to your nerdy theatre friend (hi!) geek out about early modern theatre practices.
Walk slightly away from the river bank. Go down Winchester Walk and see the ruins of Winchester Palace.
Exit Winchester Walk and see the Golden Hinde. This is a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship, which was the first British vessel to circumnavigate the globe.
Cross back over the Thames and walk along the other side of the shore until you get to the Tower of London.
Parting Words
“Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.” (Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet,” Act 2, Scene 2)
On Friday morning, we all lugged our overstuffed suitcases out of the dormitory and caught planes, trains, and automobiles to our many corners of the UK. For the few of us staying behind in London, we said our goodbyes and promised to see each other soon. Our next official event will be in April in Cardiff, Wales, but I suspect that we won’t wait that long to reunite.
Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions expressed in this piece belong solely to the author and do not reflect those of any individual, organization, or institution mentioned above.
Enjoyed hearing about your first week in the U K