George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India

     George V was born to Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark on June 3, 1865. At this time Queen Victoria was on the throne and little George was third in line for succession, behind his father and older brother. But both his brother's and his father's deaths placed him on the throne in 1910, where he would reign for almost 26 years.
      But out of all of England's monarchs, why is King George V so memorable?

The Answer

     Because he, more so than any of his predecessors or successors, was also Emperor George. Under him the British empire expanded to its largest reach yet. All that area in red was part of the great British Empire. Crazy right? The age of imperialism was in full swing. Though that age has closed, it still lives resplendent in books and movies all around the world, and, with it, George V does too.

Citizen of the Cosmos

     Today I got to read Kwame Anthony Appiah's "Making Conversation," from his book Cosmopolitanism. He described what, in his view, is the difference between cosmopolitanism and globalism. Whereas globalism can perpetuate a lot of the same problems it professes to solve, cosmopolitanism, when done right, builds human connections across the world that then allow solutions to come naturally. I enjoyed his description of true cosmopolitanism not being condescension for other races but rather a development of habits of coexistence and association between individuals. I think this focus on the individual is so important. I know it's cliche, but strong individuals build strong communities build strong nations build a strong world. And when goals are on an individual level they are accessible to everyone. I can't make my whole city be cosmopolitan, but I can work hard to develop that in myself.

The Point of the Thing

     I love being a tourist, don't get me wrong. You have a free pass for eating whatever you want and for taking life easy, and when you mess up socially the locals are more likely to take pity on you. But there's definitely something to be said for immersing yourself in a place until the tourist stench washes completely away. It takes work, but it's possible.

     So, without further ado, here are three goals for the London Study Abroad that will help me pass the smell test.

     1. Talk with locals while traveling
     2. Go to my favorite museums/locations more than once
     3. Ask the locals for recommendations

     Wish me luck!
   

UK Culture Gram

    Today I read a fantastic "culture gram" all about the UK. I learned so much I hadn't known! I thought the recent political developments were particularly interesting, especially the government's Austerity policy and the impending Brexit. I'd definitely like to learn more about them. 

     I also loved the descriptions of culturally significant foods, because foods like Yorkshire pudding and fish and chips are things I've grown up envisioning since I was old enough to read The Chronicles of Narnia. It's surreal to think that in less than two months I'll be in a country where such fantastic things as meat pastries and fruit tarts are a way of life. Both from the emphasis on food and the love of gardening the culturegram described people from the UK having, it seems like they take a lot of pride in have well-ordered and smoothly run households. I think that's very admirable, and I'm excited to see them for myself.