Day 34: Bones

Went to the Wellcome Collection last Thursday with the Honours Seminar to check out the Skeletons exhibit, which has just ended. Very interesting... had 26 different skeletons from London laid out in a single large room with black walls, with the skeletons laid in display cases end to end how a graveyard might be. There were descriptions on the cases about where the bones were found, to what time period they have been dated, and what might be inferred from various markings and damages to the bones about the life of the person.

We had discussion today in the seminar itself about the exhibition. I felt that since some of the descriptions of the people were too detailed to be anything but at least somewhat contrived, one of the main intentions of the exhibit was to convey information about the average person from different time periods in London and to connect with the average person in the present concerning history and the continuous nature of locations. Our seminar professor thought it was a larger statement about human mortality.

Interesting, to say the least. Take from it what you will; it was an interesting and thought-provoking exhibition, perhaps more just "amusing" in some sense to the average person than deeply intellectual and perhaps existential, as my professor suggests. But that's just my take.

Actually, the point of this post was to mention that before we discussed the Skeletons exhibit, we talked a bit about the current financial crisis, specifically focusing on the [possibility of an actual passing] bailout bill and what it might mean.

I am going to try to withhold from any specific political or fiscal statements since this is actually a lighthearted London study abroad blog, so I just want to mention how I find it interesting being over here in the UK during such a huge time for the US. UK papers and people are definitely talking about the financial crisis, as it affects them greatly as well (e.g., Bradford & Bingley), but I feel like it's not in the same way people at home are talking about it.

Same general feelings go for the election.

It's just strange that I can't even pinpoint what is different about being here versus being at home during this time for the election and the financial crisis... any thoughts (especially from any Brits here)?