Do You Want To Play?

Today, London was absolutely beautiful! We started the day off with a walking lecture beginning in Trafalgar Square. It is a grand place filled with beautiful statues and fountains. But as the lecture began I learned that the square was much more than just beautiful landmarks. The architecture and the layout of the whole place was rich in meaning and metaphor. This square symbolized the power of Great Britain. They were strong and demanding, and the simple layout of the square spoke to that.

As we continued walking we learned a lot more about British Parliament and how they govern. We learned about how WWII and the bombings affected this particular part of London and the efforts that were made to restore it to its fullest. We continued on towards Big Ben passing it as it chimed its 12 o'clock medley and finally stopped at Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey houses the Church of England, which is the national church. The professor mentioned the importance of the church and their role throughout history. He then told about the irony of how the head of the Methodist church sits across the street from Westminster. That there was a former member of Westminster that branched out and began a ministry that was drawing people away from the abbey and he was finally kicked out when he decided to cross the street and begin the methodist church. It was very interesting. Everything in London has so much history packed into the buildings, the landscape everything you look at has a story to tell.

After our walking lecture, we headed over to tour the British Library. This place was huge! And it had rare collections of books including the Magna Carta, Alice and Wonderland, lyrics of Beatles songs hand written by John Lennon and it also housed the Codex Sinaiticus, which is the first book in the world. There were so many wonderful things, but my favorite of the day was a particular sculpture inside the library that was made by Bill Woodrow for the museum. He created a large open book that is chained down that also functions as a seat for people.

This sculpture for many is just an interesting place to sit. But the artist had a more meaningful purpose than just a resting place. This sculpture displays an open book that is chained down to the ground, but it is not complete until someone is sitting on it. The metaphor of the piece shows how when reading a book you become enthralled and so into the book that you are chained down. Not in a restricting way, but in a way that the book is so captivating your inner being is chained to it going nowhere. It is a beautiful picture to see when first walking into the library.

Bill Woodrow's bronze sculpture 'Sitting On History' at The British Library

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After those tours we were given the rest of the day to go be adventurers in London. We decided to go see some famous pop culture landmarks including Harry Potter's 9 3/4 platform, Sherlock Holmes house on Baker Street, and The Beatles Abbey Road. 

While traveling to each we made some unexpected friends. We were waiting to see Sherlock Holmes when another friend and I were approached by a group of young French students. They were just playing a simple game with their fingers when a young boy approached me and muttered in a heavy accent, "play?" as he looked up with a grin on his face and hope in his eyes. So we began to learn and play the simple game with them. Now mind you, I speak absolutely no french, and they speak no english. But, that didn't matter. You see, "play" is an international thing. There is no language barrier to having fun. This past semester at OU Kevin Carroll came and spoke at the Leader Summit that was put on by the Leadership & Development office. Kevin wrote a book about how "we all speak ball." His point being that every child and adult have something in common. They all have something that moves them to play, and it is crucial that we find whatever that is to make us better versions of ourselves. I couldn't help but replay his lecture as I sat playing with these french children. We continued giggling and having a blast until we had to part ways. Honestly, it was my favorite part of the day! It reminded me that even though I am a college student, you are never too old to play. 

What a beautiful lesson to learn. Until tomorrow.

xoxo,
Claire Marie

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