Train Ticket – Annotation

My train ticket, which is also known as an oyster card, will allow me to ride the trains, or tubes, in London. These can be bought to allow one to get on a train for a single ride, a day, a week, a month, or a year for example. I will use it to get into the tubes and around London.

Futbol Ticket – Annotation

The futbol ticket is a ticket to see Charlton Athletic vs. Nottingham Forest. This is a professional soccer match that will be played in Charlton Stadium which is in London. The game will be played on January 2nd, 2015.

First British Machine Gun – Annotation

The first British machine gun was used in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. The battle took place in Sudan. The British were supported in this battle by Egyptian troops and some Sudanese troops. The fought Mahdist troops to regain territory in Sudan. The battle was won by the British forces, led by Sir Herbert Kitchener. The British lost between 20 and 50 men in this battle, while about 10,000 Mahdist soldiers died, greatly due to the use of the machine gun by the British.

Operating Theater – Annotation

The operating theater is located in the St. Thomas Church, which used to be the St. Thomas Hospital in London. The theater was built in 1822 on the top floor of the hospital, so that natural light could come in through the ceiling. A surgery would be performed in the room while a group of students gathered around in rows of seats to observe the surgery.

St. Paul’s Cathedral Pre Trip

St. Paul’s Cathedral is the largest church in London and the second largest church in England. It is also very old. The church began being built in 1675 and services began in 1697. I find this intriguing because this massive church was built and operating before the United States had gained independence. It is hard to believe that a catholic church had been around for so long while all of the churches I go to at home have been built within the last 50 years or so. This concept appeals to the history of religion, especially the religion that I have been raised to believe. If possible, I would like to attend a mass at this cathedral to have that experience and compare how similar the mass would be conducted compared to mass I am familiar with at home. I am curious as to how much of a religious experience the church offers versus being a building that tourists find attractive. I have never been to a church that is as large as this one, so I understand that there must be major differences so that an audience so large can attend the mass. I would also like to observe how much different the atmosphere is on Sunday, to see whether or not a large part of the city devotes that day to the Catholic practice or not.

Train Ticket Pre Trip

The train ticket that I will receive in London seems to  be very important. Living just out of Chicago, I take the train downtown and around the downtown area occasionally. It is fairly easy to understand and take to get around, so I understand how it can be useful. I also drive my car to the city, which seems to be uncommon in London. It can be easier to have a car with me and pay for parking in a parking garage downtown rather than try to make a certain train to get home. I find it odd that most people do not drive in London, but they rely on public transportation to get around every day. I am curious to how well set-up the train and bus systems are to make getting around London simple. I am also curious as to how many people do drive their own car around the city and if it is easy to drive in the city or not. At home, I just buy a train ticket once I get to the train station or once I am on the train itself. To my understanding, when it London it is much smarter to have a train pass rather than paying each individual time that I ride the train.

Futbol Ticket Pre Trip

In London, we are going to a soccer game. In England, and most of the world, soccer is referred to as futbol. From my understanding, it seems that futbol is by far the most popular sport in England. This is a culture shock for me. At my high school it seemed that american football, basketball, and baseball were the most popular sports. They are the sports that drew the biggest crowds and were the most talked about. These three sports also seem to be the most popular among my group of friends in college. None of these sports seem to be popular in England. Also, I am aware that college sports in England are nothing like college sports in America. In America, athletes are heavily recruited and often given full tuition scholarships to play a sport at a University. College sports are sometimes followed and popularized more than professional sports. I am curious as to how professional sports, like futbol, compare to professional sports in America. I am also curious as to how those athletes become professional futbol players without an extremely competitive  and popular collegiate sports environment. I am also curious as to how the futbol game compares to sporting events I am used to, like what kind of entertainment is provided besides the game itself. This would include halftime performances and sound systems playing music during the game.

Operating Theater Pre Trip

Doctors of London were making great advances medically in the early 1800’s. Although they were progressing, their methods can be viewed as unethical. An example of this is the operating theater that was used in London. This was a room in which surgeons would perform surgery on a patient who was awake while a large group of students and doctors gathered around like an audience to watch the surgery. Although it was used for students to learn more about performing surgery, it seems unethical for the patient to have a crowd watch him or her deal with all the pain that came with surgery in that time. Other methods doctors used to study the human body include stealing dead bodies from graves to try and understand the human body better. With limited technology at the time, creativity and determination must have been used to make advancements in the medical field. I am curious as to how England is performing medically today compared to other countries. It seems that doctors in England used to study and progress more than doctors of other counties a long time ago, so I am also curious how much time and effort is put into making further advancements in England compared to the time and effort put in by other counties, like the United States.