July 16 – August
14, 2018 – “The London 15” – OBU Student Abroad in London, England
This summer, I had the privilege of spending a month
in England with a group of 15 students from Oklahoma Baptist University. Dr. Lindsey Panxhi (an English faculty
colleague) and myself, along with our respective spouses, conducted a
faculty-led Study Abroad that spent four weeks on the ground in London teaching OBU courses to OBU students while being immersed in the culture and history of Great Britain. These are our stories! |
| Front facade of the Palace of Westminster |
Tuesday, July 31
– Parliament! 
Class this morning.
I was able to sleep in a bit.
With the weather turning nicer (about 25 today), sleeping at night comes
easier. BUT, when we leave our windows
open, we are besieged by cigarette smoke throughout the night. Our room faces the front (Bedford Place), and
sucks in the smoke from the street level.
Employees at the hotel next door are constantly smoking on their steps
during breaks. We have been unpleasantly
surprised by how many people smoke in London (and in the UK in general). And we pay the price. My allergies have been suffering. 
But, today our fans came – so we’ll be able to have
airflow and cooler air without leaving our windows open. Yay!
This afternoon we walked to Parliament (The Palace of
Westminster) for a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. Our guide was a very knowledgeable and
well-spoken lady, Pauline. Starting in
the House of Lords, we saw the Royal Procession Rooms, the debating and voting
chambers of both Houses, and then the Great Hall at he entrance. The tour of Parliament included a lot of
fascinating history about the development of English democracy. Re-ignited my love for politics (and history –
this whole trip has made me want to study more history!).
