What stood out to me the most about this trip was the surreal feeling that I got when looking at things from the past. When I am learning about history if find that sometimes it can be very easy to forget that I am learning about actually happened. I often don’t think about the fact that parts of the past are still part of every day life.
Something that I really enjoyed was seeing the reconstruction of the globe theater. While it wasn’t the globe theater that existed during Shakespeare’s lifetime, it was still really neat. I still had that sense of looking at something from long ago. I was in awe thinking about all the plays that had been preformed there and all the plays that had taken place in the original Globe Theater. I have studied Shakespeare in-depth and it was fascinating to get a glimpse into that period of time.
Seeing the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum was something that had a major impact on me. The Rosetta Stone is something that I have heard mentioned many times. I never would have imagined that I would be standing just a few inches away from something that has had such a massive impact on understanding languages and the past. While it is quite large, I was surprised to find that it was smaller that what I had imagined it to be. I always assumed something that contained so much writing would have to be massive. It was also interesting to see just how small some of the writing on the stone is.
Another surreal experience that I had while on this trip was when I visited the Harry Potter Studios. I have read most of the books (eventually I will read the last one) and have seen the movies. While I am not a massive Harry Potter fan I am a huge fan of movies and find the process of making them very interesting. (Having a degree in theater is probably part of the reason for this.) Seeing things I had seen on screen in person was a cool experience. When watching films I sometimes wonder about what went on behind the scenes and what happens to the props, sets, etc. afterwards. It was fun to get some of my questions answered.
My time in England was a wonderful experience and something that I will never forget. While I am glad to be back home I miss England and hope to get a chance to return someday.
-Brionna Cicak-