Celebrating Holidays in London

By "Holiday," I'm not talking "Vacation!"

This year I spent Thanksgiving in London. I have to say, it was rather strange, interesting and different! This actually marks the first time I spent Turkey Day away from home. At least I was able to Skype in to the dinner table to see what I was missing.

Professor Vinter preparing the table

In fact, it just made me miss my family and the wonderful food. While I really enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with the GIL group, thanks to Professor Vinter opening her home to each and every one of us, it just was not quite like home.

Perhaps it was a mixture of the house cat, which most of you know would bother my allergies, the food and me missing Chicago family and friends. However, you can always count on Grace to brighten up everyone's day and keep people smiling. Grace is Professor & Professor Prevost's baby who often cheers everybody up, with her compliments, high-fives and gifts, including coasters and her sippy cup, on various field trips throughout the term.

Professor Prevost & Grace

Needless to say, I am looking forward to spending Christmas at home. Perhaps spending Christmas here would be different that Thanksgiving as it is a holiday and actually celebrated in Europe. It was definitely weird being in a country where most people do not even have a clue as to what Thanksgiving is or when it is celebrating.

However, it is only fair as I was not exactly sure what Guy Fawks Day was, which essentially celebrates the preservation of the British Parliament as Guy Fawks did not succeed in destroying it. To find out more about Guy Fawks Day, click on the link!

It is interesting to me what holidays and celebrities are internationally known. How people do not know about Guy Fawks, Thanksgiving and even Joe Biden, but people do know about President Barack Obama, Kanye West and even less popular artist like Kendrick Lamar or even Rockie Fresh.

Flatmates/Friends: Lorraine & Aniela (Left)
Friends: Claire,  Caitlin & Vilma

Prior to coming abroad, I teased my mom and told her I would go from London to Rio and then straight to Grinnell. Not to be a cliche, but spending Thanksgiving abroad really reminded me of the significance of family and friends, which is what I was most thankful for this year.

Cigar Museum

Teddy admiring some of the oldest cigars in the UK

With time running out, I have decided to take advantage of every opportunity presented to me. See all I can, while I can is still the motto. When my flatmate told me he was going to a cigar museum I thought sounds interesting, despite the fact that I don't smoke cigars. Nevertheless, thought it would be interesting. Needless to say it was!

This free Museum is located at 19 St James's Street. Many of the items on display go back to the time of the shops opening in 1787. Winston Churchill was actually a regular at James J Fox's cigar shop.  In fact they even had the very chair he typically sat in. See the photo below.

I thought it was time well spent as it was another opportunity of a life time. How many people can say they go to sit in "The Sir Winston Churchill Chair?"

Among Sir Winston Churchill other infamous customers are Oscar Wilde, British and Foreign Royalty, various actors and actresses on the  stage, in films, on tv, on the radio, and even musicians, writers and athletes.

Thought this thermostat controlled humidor was cool

The Adventures Continue...

From London ✈ Madrid!

It's crazy how fast time is flying! It seems like just yesterday I was meeting Natalie in London and now here I am visiting her in Madrid. What a better way to spend Thanksgiving than staying up ALL night with friends, skyping family for dinner back at home and packing for Madrid?

It was definitely interesting to celebrate Thanksgiving in a Country where it is not significant or noteworthy. Furthermore, to be in a Country that had its Christmas lights up weeks prior to what we know as Thanksgiving. Definitely has me missing family right about now. Have to say I'm most thankful for my family and friends who are supporting me and ensuring I am having the experience of a life time.

I have to say I am anxiously awaiting all of what Madrid is about to show me. Even though I've only been here for a few hours, I'm already loving it. Everything from the transportation systems to the beautiful architecture of the city. Check for more posts regarding my adventures of Madrid! I will be here until Monday, loads more fun to be had!

Happy belated Turkey-Day! Happy almost Christmas?! It's about that time here in Europe anyways!

A New Addition to YH World

The Newest Intern

If one were to ask me who I am, I'd respond with my name: Gregory H. Brookins Hinton. I'm a 20-year-old African-American male who was raised on the south side of Chicago. While I spent a lot of my childhood moving around as a result of my parents’ career, the one consistent place that I have always called home is Chicago, 93rd & Ashland! 

Fast-forwarding through my life story, I am currently a 3rd year at Grinnell College studying abroad in London, England. While I have only been in London for 3 months, I have quickly begun to pick up on the lively vibes of London; or even Europe as a whole as I just returned from Berlin, Prague & Budapest. All of which were much more live than the great old cornfields of Grinnell, Iowa, which is where my uni is located back in the states. 

In just 3 months of exploring Europe, I have had more fun and learned more than the 3 years back at school. Don't get me wrong, Grinnell is an excellent and academically rigorous liberal arts school which I do not regret attending for one second. However, since being abroad I feel I have learned and been exposed to a lot of different things in a short time-span, things I would never experience back in the U.S.

To give a brief description of the community and vibes of Grinnell, Grinnell is a very liberal place that operates on a self-governing system. It is a community where everyone looks out for one another; in essence we are a campus that governs itself. It is almost culturally shocking to go from Chicago, which is nothing like Grinnell, to such a liberal and caring environment and then over-seas to London, which is closer to that of Chicago than Grinnell.

Just based on my observations, it appears as though people in both Chicago and London are much more conservative and keep to themselves. However, I would say that London is much more conservative than Chicago in all areas ranging from the nightlife-club atmosphere to the work place and especially while using public transportation. I almost get the feeling that no one greets one another, let alone looks in another's direction; instead everyone looks at their shoes or out of the window.

Nevertheless, each and every city has its quarks, some more severe than others. Just like the rest of the world, racial tensions, racism, racial profiling, gang violence, and rude people in general exist all around the globe. While at YH World, I am hoping to present a series of articles comparing my hometown to the wonderful city of London, as well as reporting on various events and significant experiences I encounter here. Here's a link to my first article (the review of Red Velvet which is also posted on my blog).

By: Gregory H. Brookins Hinton

Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens

One aspect of London that has always fascinated me was the use of space. All throughout London people find creative and neat ways to occupy space. London is not filled with housing complexes, instead it has many creative areas where people can go to do all sorts of activities. From what seems like millions of parks and green spaces to the areas of the undergrounds where people are performing, people are constantly outside and doing something. 

Maybe it's because I am coming from America where we do not walk around as much, have great green spaces as such or because I have not acknowledged all of the wonderful of my hometown and taken it for granted. Here in London or the UK or Europe as a whole, there is so much more history behind all of these wonderful spaces.

A little while ago we, as a class, went to Kew Gardens. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was founded in 1759. Alongside Kew Gardens in London, Kew. As well as being one of London’s top visitor attractions, Kew is also a world leader in plant science and conservation. The mission of Kew Gardens is to discover and describe the world’s plant and fungal diversity, protect the world's plant life for our future, promote the sustainable use of plants and inspire an appreciation of plants and the environment.

Throughout its history, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has made important contributions to increasing the understanding of the plant kingdom with many benefits for mankind. Today it is still first and foremost a scientific institution. With its collections of living and preserved plants, of plant products and botanical information, it forms an encyclopaedia of knowledge about the plant kingdom.

Random Peacock 

Lorraine & I at Kew Gardens

Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti

Gregory's Review: Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti

Where: The Tricycle Theatre (Nearest Tube: Kilburn Station)

When: 11 October - 24 November 2012

Cost: £14 - £22

Audience: 16+

Rating: ★★★★

Edmund Kean, one of the greatest actors of his generation, has collapsed on the stage at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. A young African-American actor, named Ira Aldridge (1807-67), was selected to fill the lead-role as Othello.

This play sets in 1833, where there has never before been a black actor to play at the Theatre Royal. Set in a time where the public is rioting over the recent abolition of slavery, how will the fellow cast members, audience and critics respond to the revolution in the theatre?

Adrian Lester did a dynamic job encompassing two roles, both the young Ira and the elder Ira, as there are several flash backs that take place in the production. The play opens and closes in a dressing room, where the revolutionary Ira Aldridge is preparing to play King Lear.

While some of my fellow American classmates were not too impressed with Lester's accent, I feel he did an excellent job impersonating a 19th century African-American classical actor. Red Velvet is only the beginning for Adrian Lester as he is warming up to play Othello at the National next year.

It is quite inspirational to see how far the theatre industry has come as Adrian Lester has surpassed Ira Aldridge, as he is playing roles at various prestigious theatres that Aldridge could have only dreamed about in his times. 

Me & Eugene O'Hare, who plays Pierre Laporte in Red Velvet

Young Man Touring Europe

Young Man: Perform at the Borderline

Young Man

Earlier this month Grass House and Les Mistons, both local bands from London, opened for Young Man. Young Man is a band all the way from my hometown, Chicago, came to London. Young Man, like all bands, has a story to tell. While the "Young Man" on the guitar and the main vocalist is Colin Caulfield from St. Paul, Minnesota, the group is composed of several talented "young men." Emmett all the way from Cleveland, Ohio did his thing on the guitar and accompanied Colin on the mic. Next up there was Joe Bailey on the bass who was holding it down all the way from Greensburg, Indiana. Then there was Jeff Graupner on the synthesizer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And last but certainly not least, Darien Williams from Chicago, Illinois represented my city well on the drums!

Colin, Emmett, Joe and Jeff all attended Loyola University in Chicago where they met. It was not until Colin published two solo-records that the band was formed. Darien, the most recent addition to Young Man, filled the vacant spot after the former drummer left the band, which he learned about via Facebook last November.  Shortly after in early December Darien found himself at Colin's house auditioning for the spot. A few weeks later he was told he was in the band and they began touring in January. Almost a year and a half ago, they recorded the first full band record (vol. 1) in Chicago, which was released last May. Keep your eye out for the next record, Beyond Was All Around Me (#BWAAM) which will hopefully be released in April. This record was recorded with Nicolas Vernhes in his Studio, which is known as the Rare Book Room, in NYC.

Darien on the drums

Traveling around the world is one of the most life changing experiences. "This has really been my dream since I was a kid, to be able to play music all over the world," said Darien Williams. While Darien is the drummer of the band, he also describes himself as "a traveler, explorer, and [one who] loves seeing new places and different cultures." What better way to see the world than to do so while playing music and getting paid? While this is their first time touring internationally, Darien says this certainly is only the beginning. Hopefully we will see these young men touring the UK again shortly. Keep an eye out for Young Man around Europe as they will be here until December!

One might think that touring the world playing gigs maybe a bit much for young men, however while "it can be a very tiring experience for most people... playing in a different city every night and seeing the crowd is what gives [Young Men] energy to keep going!" said Darien.

Darien's #1 Fan

Set list included: Josie, Do, Thoughts, Fate, Unfair, Scrape on A Knee, School. There was also an encore where Young Man performed 21. During the encore the crowd was so sad to see them go, at one point a man even began to throw 60 quid (nearly 100 USD) onto the stage at Darien.

Monday 12th November 2012, 7:00 pm

By: Gregory H. Brookins Hinton