Field Trips, Museums and Landmarks

June 28, 2017

During my time in London I have seen Big Ben, the London Eye, and many of the tourist sites along the South Bank. However, my personal favorite part of the city is in White chapel, where I’ve spent the majority of my time and where I’ve been able to explore the most. Before I even left Boston, I was excited about living in the area because of the history behind it. East London was one of the poorest and most impoverished areas of London in the nineteenth century, avoided at all costs by those who didn’t live there. Jack the Ripper’s infamous White chapel murders, (on some of the same streets and alleys I walk through every day) while horrific, brought real attention to the suffering of the area for the first time. This spawned a slew of successful (and not-so-successful) social service endeavors, some of which were the framework of those used today. It wasn’t planned, but this is the perfect intersection between my majors, Criminal Justice and Human Services, and the perfect place for me to be located. Aside from the murder mystery, White chapel is also home to Brick Lane, one of the most famous streets in London, known for it’s shops and South Asian restaurants. A couple of streets over is the Petticoat Lane market, a large collection of street vendors selling everything imaginable. Less than a mile away is some of the most beautiful and renowned street art in all of London. There is always so much to see and so much going on, and it is by far my favorite place to be.
Of course, there is something to be said for the more touristy parts of Central London. Last weekend, we all went to tour the famous Globe Theater and see Romeo and Juliet on Shakespeare’s stage. To get to the Theater, we walked along a large portion of the South Bank along the Thames River, and were able to enjoy the beautiful view of the buildings, Big Ben, and the London Eye. That afternoon, there were street performers juggling fire and blowing gigantic bubbles, and we were able to explore the more hidden festivals and shops. We had the full Shakespearean experience of standing as a groundling during the three hour Romeo and Juliet, which had a much more modern twist than I was expecting. It was exhausting, but exhilarating, and definitely worth it.

Written By

Danielle Dottor

Hi! My name is Danielle Dottor, and I am a double Criminal Justice and Human Services major and a double Cultural Anthropology and Ethnomusicology minor at Northeastern. I've just finished up my first year, and this will be my first Dialogue. I've never actually left the East Coast, nevermind the country, so I'm really excited for this experience! I'm very interested in and passionate about working with children and adults who have experienced trauma and all of the difficulties that can arise from that. In particular, I've worked with domestic violence, sexual assaults, hate crimes, and human trafficking cases. In London I will be working with older youth who are struggling to find, afford, and/or maintain housing, which includes addressing the domestic violence/abuse concerns that may accompany this need. I will also be taking a class called Intercultural Studies through Human Services, which focuses on understanding how the culture, politics, education, and economy of a country affect and inform their social services. Since this will be my first time abroad, I am particularly interested in learning about how London's nonprofit systems and client needs differ from those in the U.S. I plan to use this knowledge to inform and improve the way I work with clients in the nonprofit system back in Boston and beyond.