Day Nine (Do you bite your thumb at me, Sir?)

Hello! This is Alicia and Hui Han. In a few words, day nine was a day of back to back activities, tired feet and much enjoyment.

In the morning, we took the London tube! (From Southwark to Temple station) For some of us, this was the first time on the tube, so naturally, there was much anticipation and excitement. The station façade really reminded us of our MRT station but the train itself had much differences. The individual carriages were separated by doors, and the seats on the train were foldable so as to maximize space. Another thing that caught the attention of some was the fact that the commuters kept strictly to the right hand side of the escalator, something that is unfortunately, a relatively uncommon sight in Singapore.

After a few stations and some walking, we arrived at King’s College (London) where a couple of really enthusiastic and welcoming students gave a short admissions talk about the UCAS, the five different King’s College campuses, student accommodation (guaranteed for only one year) and the social life of a King’s student (more than 180 clubs!). Following that, we had a tour of the Strand (one of the five King’s campus) and a visit to the campus library (which had lovely round rooms and two stories high bookshelves!). And yes, we did ask for our third and final set of prospectus. Some interesting and unique courses that King’s has include midwifery and War (a multidisciplinary study of the impact of wars on society, moral and ethical dilemmas during wars, contemporary security threats and peace support organizations ).
The first difference between King’s and Oxbridge that struck us was that the campus building was definitely much more modern (with concrete rather than bricks). Something else that we noticed was that the school population in King’s was more racial diverse than Oxford and Cambridge.

Next stop, the Globe theatre including a walk over the Millennium Bridge. There, our guide introduced the theatre to us and a managed to sneak a peek at a Macbeth rehearsal (fight scene!). The current Globe was built some 10 over years ago by an American architect. Because it is round, some people have described being in the theatre as being caught in a hug :] We also learnt that the groundlings who had no seats and had to stand and watch the play used to pay only one pence back in Shakespeare’s time. That’s roughly 5 pounds in today’s currency. The groundlings back in the old days had no access to proper toilets during the play and so they answered their calls of nature where they were standing. Guess the ground in front of the stage must have been really fertile then. Following that, we had a drama workshop that was really enjoyable! After a warm up which involved us trying to use a sword (our index finger) to stab our friends hearts (a hand placed behind our back), we split into groups to act out a scene from Romeo and Juliet (Thumb biting scene). Gradually, we added in stage movements, hand actions and emphasis on stress words.

After the globe theatre visit/workshop, we went off for lunch! We split up and had lunch at EAT/ Marks and Spencer. After which, we crossed the Millennium Bridge again and arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice. The court was a really beautiful place, a pity pictures were not allowed inside. At the court, we were taken to one of the courtrooms, while an explanatory talk was given. The talk was given by a retiree who had returned to give voluntary tours around the RCJ. He briefly shared with us the history of the RCJ, such as who designed the place and how it was designed. Every courtroom in the RCJ is different (the one we were in was the biggest one), and there is an imperfection in the RCJ which was made on purpose. He also explained to us that the RCJ does not take criminal cases (it mainly takes civil cases and appeal cases), before explaining to us the different levels of courts and various divisions of court such as the chancery division (for wills, contracts, bankruptcy, etc). After which, he explained the different roles in a courtroom and where they stood. We think that the RCJ visit was really interesting and enjoyable, and the experience of sitting in a courtroom was quite cool. Furthermore, the volunteer/retiree gave a really clear explanation, and he really sounded as if he enjoyed what he was doing!

We proceeded to walk all the way back to the globe theatre after the RCJ visit, for a dinner at Pizza Express before Henry VIII at 7.30p.m. Pizza was yummy! And some of us decided to get some gelato for dessert! After which, we readied ourselves to take on our (wonderful?) roles as GROUNDLINGS! It was free seating (rather, standing) so we rushed in at 7.00p.m to get a good spot, though we didn’t really very good spots. The play began, and I must say, I was really lost and confused at the beginning when all the dukes and men started talking and I had no idea who they were and what they were talking about! But after awhile, I began to understand what was going on, and I must say I enjoyed the play! Even though it is a historical play (hence lacking an exciting plot like Romeo and Juliet), the costumes and characterization were still very impressive. I really loved all their processions and ceremonies, especially the party when King Henry VIII met Anne Boleyn, as well as the final dance (with the cool clapping and turning). Queen Catherine’s character was also very well crafted, as her old and helpless state after the divorce evoked much sympathy in us, and the use of the servants who crowded around her also had much impact. Even though being a groundling meant aching and stiff legs for three hours (before walking back to the travel lodge!), I must say it was very interesting being a groundling (especially when the characters brushed past!) and it certainly kept many of us awake!

Day 9 was definitely the MOST TIRING day of the entire trip. There was so much walking, but at least it was good exercise, and there were many new, exciting experiences!