BLITZ! (and topshop. and porn in class)

The past two days have been nothing short of thrilling, so even though it's late and I should probably going to bed (or at the very least planning trips so Jason doesn't murder me), I will write about them as to not forget and/or get lazy.

Yesterday Sarah and I met her British friend Fiona for an afternoon of shopping at Oxford Circus. Fiona was appalled that after three weeks in the UK we had not yet been to TopShop, so we started our day there. It was absolutely a thrilling shopping experience for both of us, even though I generally am not a fan of shopping. Unluckily for my wardrobe (but luckily for my wallet) a lot of the stuff I liked didn't fit but I still managed to come away with a new jacket (I came here with one jacket, which was driving me insane), a pair of high waisted shorts, and a pair of plum tights. Sarah got a really cute dress, which I plan on stealing, and Fiona got a great skirt and pair of jeans so it was a successful day for all. Then we walked around the area and stopped in a toy store called Hamley's, which was very reminiscent of F.A.O Schwarz (RIP). I got a kick out of the 50-pound (money, not weight) Twilight Barbies (this is the equivalent of an $80 Barbie...so the set of Edward and Bella would be $160) and also the sign above the dress-up section that said "It's Roleplay Time!" Sorry, I have a twisted mind. We ended the afternoon at a local juice bar called Joe and the Juice, which had a really laid back atmosphere and really fresh, delicious juices (think Jamba Juice's hippie cousin).

Today my day started not with class but with a visit to the Imperial War Museum. Our teacher assigned us a topic in partners to keep track of as we went through the museum (SPOILER ALERT: me and Sarah were partners). Our topic was women at work, which I found very interesting because I am a woman and I have an internship (ALERT: I did not find this very interesting, but it was easy enough to spot the women artifacts so I did not complain). First, I thought that the museum was insane because the facility itself used to be the mental institution that spawned the term "Bedlam". Upon walking in, my first thought was "my cousin James would absolutely go apeshit in here". There were all sorts of planes and bombs and submarines and other vehicles in the foyer which were really cool. We went through an exhibit about the onset of WWII and also a more in-depth exhibit about both World Wars. There were about 79 different school groups touring the museum this morning, which became a bit exhausting and made me feel old because they were somewhat obnoxiously loud. Regardless, I thought the exhibits were well put-together and it was interesting to hear about these things from a non-US perspective. In the WWI part of the exhibit we went through THE TRENCH EXPERIENCE. This was a walk-through of a model of a trench which was much more elaborate than I had previously imagined (note: it also smelled like the mammal house at the zoo). In the World War 2 Exhibit, however, we went through the BLITZ EXPERIENCE. This was supposed to simulate what it felt like to be in a bunker during an air raid. The effect would probably have been cooler if there were more people in the room, and what I mean by that is that the "bunker" was designed to fit about 30 people and it was only me and Sarah in there. Needless to say, we did not take this experience very seriously, and ended up laughing through a large portion (i.e. the entire thing). It was a cool idea though. We also went to a Holocaust exhibition that they had at the museum, which was obviously sad but not as graphic as some I've seen in the past (whether this is a good or bad thing is still being decided). 

After the Holocaust exhibition, I had to head back to the IES Center for class. Instead of class this time, however, we had a speaker coming in from the BBFC, which is like Britain's MPAA except it seems to make a little more sense. He explained the rating system, which is similar to the American system, for example: U (Universal) = G, PG =PG, 12A = PG13 (except the age is twelve instead of thirteen), 15 = R (can't be admitted under 15, even with a guardian), and 18 = NC17 (can't be admitted under 18, even with a guardian). Overall, this was actually very interesting because I learned a few things.

1. Unlike America, an 18 [NC17 equivalent] Rating is not a box office death sentence

2. "Zack and Miri Make A Porno" Was rated 18 here, while "Bruno" was only rated 15. I'm still not sure how this happened

3. The BBFC rates everything that comes out on DVD, even porn, and if you have a question about why something was rated a certain way, you can look it up on their web site. Also if a town disagrees with the rating, they can change it for the theaters in their town

I guess you can say I was pleasantly surprised with most aspects of the BBFC guy's presentation. I was pretty shocked, however, when he showed clips from a film called "Antichrist" which were both gruesome and pornographic, and also from another film where a variety of sex is taking place (hint: in far more graphic ways than they'll show you in America). I'm still a bit confused by this. I'm also confused by the movie we watched for class, called "Battleship Potemkin" and how it was a silent film but still required subtitles.

HEALTH UPDATE: My sinuses are still bothering me, a little less now than earlier today, and I am hopefully going to go see a doctor tomorrow and get some prescription so I can stop being a miserable, aching shell of a human.

FUN FACT I LEARNED TODAY: here, fanny packs are called "bum bags". i guess the "fanny" label makes more sense now, even though people generally wear them in front.

OTHER FUN FACT I LEARNED TODAY: "bollocks" = testicles. tell someone!

Sorry I'm a little giddy, a few too many nights not leaving the building are starting to get to me. DAMN YOU SINUSES!

I will leave you now with a picture of a piece of the Berlin Wall which was outside the museum. I thought it was cool. xx