Our First "Real" Day

Monday morning dawned with a much sunnier outlook, a full night's rest having improved my brain functions and emotional state.  We were supposed to meet someone from NTU in a building Allie and Lauren had pointed out to us last night.  I expressed relative confidence in my ability to find this building again, which somehow earned me the role of official navigator, an honor I accepted only hesitantly and with many disclaimers.  I was successful, however, and we got to the meeting point in plenty of time.

The NTU person, Linsey, showed us the cash desk where we get our stipend every Monday (part of the scholarship is receiving spending money for food and other necessities, plus souvenirs if we spend wisely), then took us to get a coffee in the student union and dropped us off to meet our professors for this week's course, "Museums and Heritage."  The class portion was open to any NTU student, so two other people joined us: Andrew, a recent graduate of NTU from Birmingham, and a girl from Pakistan whose name I will undoubtedly butcher in spelling.

Heading to class through the Arkwright courtyard.

We have three professors/leaders for this week - Steve, Neville, and Charlie (Charlotte) - all of whom are associated with the East Midlands Museums Service.  The first day was mostly classroom stuff, although they assured us it would be the only indoor lecture day of the week.  Steve began by introducing us to a history of Nottingham, including why it was built where it was, how it expanded (or didn't) over the centuries, and various other points of interest.  It was at this point that I began to realize just how great it is to be surrounded by like-minded people when it comes to academics; whereas other seminar classes I've taken have sometimes lagged or become awkward from lack of enthusiasm, the questions asked and discussions generated by our group were truly interesting.  Of course, there was that initial, uncertain silence, but as the day went on I was excited to find that I had group members who put thought into their questions and actually wanted to know the answers.

When we had a quick break, those of us in the Fulbright group ran over to the cash desk (which hadn't opened until 10 a.m.) to get our money so we could actually buy lunch when the time came.  Then Charlie talked to us about the concept of a museum.  She asked us what we thought museums were meant to do, how successfully they did so, etc.  Then we had lunch at the student union and returned for an activity in which Neville explained how museums actually look to the future in deciding what to preserve from our past.  We each created a mini "exhibit" of three items we had brought, then the rest of the group tried to infer meaning from the arrangement.  Let's just say there were various levels of success in this endeavor.  But I think about museums in a very different way now, so I guess Neville made his point.

The Council House in Market Square

After class ended, Andrew was kind enough to show us the way to the shopping mall so Carson and I could get sim cards to make our phones work in the UK, then to Market Square where we were meeting Neville the next day for class.  Several of us recognized the area from the night before, so we stopped at a nearby Tesco (a small convenience/grocery store that is everywhere) for snacks before finding our way back to the flat.  Once again, I found myself semi-leading the group, an arrangement I still find disconcerting.  We had an hour or so to relax before Allie and Lauren picked us up to go to dinner.

Our NTU coordinator, Steve, had made reservations at Annie's Burger Shack, a popular restaurant run by an American in the old lace district.  Although the food was marketed as American, there were some truly crazy combinations on those burgers.  One had peanut butter and jelly in honor of Elvis; another had pancakes and maple syrup!  I had the best bacon blue cheese burger I have ever tasted.  When Allie found out we didn't know what elderflower was, she insisted we also try that - a sort of sweet juice/cordial made from the roots of the flower.  It's delicious.

After dinner, we marveled at the idea that we could sit around talking after having finished our meal and they wouldn't kick us out.  Actually, many unexpected differences between the US and the UK became the theme of our conversations, from student loan policies to soda.  Little things that we found completely normal were bizarre to our hosts, and vice versa.  Although I'd been noticing differences here and there - signs that say "Offices to let" instead of "rent," for example - it was interesting to talk about some of those differences in-depth.  Eventually, McKenzie wanted to find a pub to watch whatever World Cup game was on, so Allie and Lauren showed us the way to the Horn in Hand.  The pub was pretty empty, and I care very little for sports, so I only stayed for a few minutes before heading back to the flat with a few of the others.

Modern storefronts meet original structures in Nottingham.

 

So far, what has struck me most about Nottingham is the way modernity and antiquity mash right up against each other, rubbing shoulders everywhere you turn.  There could be a Verizon store below a gorgeous, intricate Edwardian facade, or a building like a concrete box crammed between two Tudors.  (I actually know very little about proper architectural terms, so the potentially inaccurate names end here.)  Sometimes the contrast is beautiful, sometimes jarring, sometimes ugly and awkward.  But I think there's something wonderful about the continued utility of these old buildings, as if they're stubbornly fighting for their place among the intruders.  And it's also somehow nice that the new structures don't try to perfectly mimic the older styles.  Yes, the brick restaurants fit in better than the sleek office buildings, but there would be a fakeness about modern imitations of old Nottingham.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but the city's constant meeting and mingling of old and new certainly makes an impression.