››› December 30, 2011 | Posted By David Tisel '13
My dad loves maps. Today, the day after Christmas, he brought out some maps of Britain printed in probably 1987 and pointed out some "points of interest." These points were probably interesting in 1994, and may even exist today. Although it's been a while since Dad's been to London, he says the streets most likely haven't changed too much in the last 15 years. In a strictly geographic sense, I guess he could be right.
Looking forward, I am excited for the old and the new. In a book I got for Christmas I read about the old reading room in the British Museum--Marx worked at a study there, and it sounds like a point of intimate serenity in the midst of the bustling city. And that bustling city, that sounds good too. After two and a half great years in an intellectual island in the Ohio prairie, I look forward to exploring a metropolis with more than three good restaurants and one good bar.
I am excited for the prospect of new experiences, new friends, new places; I also look forward to the social and academic continuity afforded by the fact that this is an Oberlin program, and my advisor at Oberlin will be my professor in London. I get to keep experiencing the things I love about Oberlin--the people, the creativity, and the education--while indulging my wanderlust. Sounds like a good combo. Also I want tea. Like every day.
Responses To This Entry:
Do you want to be cute every day? Or are you just saying that to get tea?
Nothing like hot tea in a historic reading room sanctuary to inspire the revolution! You will have a blast...but of course you know that already.
Before you go, look at some OLD maps — try pre-Great Fire, mid-19th-century, etc. Then see how similar/different things look when you get there.