Hello Collegiettes!
This week marks the half-way point for my time in London! It is crazy to think that I have already been here 8 weeks.
So to address the question I am sure many of you are wondering… I have an internship! Hooray! I actually interviewed yesterday and I start tomorrow. I am going to be a journalism and public relations intern for Nueluxe online magazine. It is a magazine that is on the verge of launching that focuses on sustainable luxury. I met with the founder of the magazine for my interview, and I will be working directly with her. It is a great opportunity and I am extremely excited to get started!
Okay so now moving on to the rest of the week!
On Saturday my friends and I went to the Tate Modern Museum, specifically we were really interested in the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. We decided to walk to the museum from Westminster as it was an absolutely gorgeous spring-like sunny Saturday, and one of my friends thought she worked near the Tate Modern and knew how to get there. Well, we did walk to the Tate, about a mile and a half to two mile walk to the Tate Britain… Not the museum we were planning on going to! We then realized that the Tate Modern was about 3 miles in the other direction and across the river.
We took a leisurely walk back to the tube, choosing to walk on the banks of the Thames since it was low tide. We did eventually find the right Tate. After buying our exhibit tickets we strolled around some of the other parts of the museum before heading up to the exhibit. A lot of us, including myself, often struggled to appreciate some of the pieces of art. I have always found it difficult with many forms of modern art to understand the meaning and appreciate the form, but nonetheless it was a learning experience which continued into the Kusama exhibit.
If you aren’t familiar with Yayoi Kusama she is a contemporary artist originally from Japan. She is well-known for repeating dot patterns, and her artwork encompasses a wide range of mediums including paintings, sculptures, videos, and even complete spaces or rooms that she has turned into art. One of the most famous rooms right now is the last of the exhibit called the Infinity Room. The room is mirrored hallway, with constantly shifting LED lights. The room is meant to impart a feeling of floating in space. It was one of the most incredible museum exhibits I have ever been in. If you are in London before June 5 you should definitely go to the exhibit. Many of the rooms bring to life the mental illness that Kusama has struggled with for decades, and it is an incredibly interesting experience.
The Tate Modern lies on the banks of the Thames next to the millennium bridge and has a beautiful view of St. Paul’s Cathedral. We took a night walk across Millennium Bridge and took some pictures on the banks of the Thames.
Sunday, I went with my friend Kelsey to the Evensong mass at Westminster Abbey. All the masses at the Abbey are free and open to the public, and the Evensong mass is mainly focused on the choir. It was my first time inside the Abbey, and the mass itself was an amazing experience no matter your religious denomination.
Next week I will fill you all in on the first week of my internship as well as the happenings of this upcoming weekend!
Until next time,
Emily
Read all my previous posts from arrival to now:
Hopping Across the Pond!
Being a Tourist
A Food Affair in Brussels
Adjusting from American Super-Size to London Minimize
Snow, Cliffs, and Castles, Oh My!
The View From Above
Family Vacation Time!