Greetings from London, England! After a whirlwind journey spanning over 30 hours, marked by weather delays and missed connections, we all touched down at London Heathrow Airport on Friday morning (except for our fellow student, Akshar, who didn’t make it until Friday afternoon due to severe storms and tornadoes in the Dallas, TX area). Despite the trials of traveling, we were all excited to see each other and start our trip exploring population health.
After arriving at our hotel, we had a moment to freshen up before we headed out with Dr. Aaron Hunter for our guided tour through the streets of London. We learned about historical figures in public health and their contribution to the field. We walked through the University College of London (UCL) campus and discovered that it was the first higher educational institution in the city of London and the first in England that admitted students regardless of their religious affiliation (and one of the first to admit women.) We visited several areas of London including Westminster, SOHO, Bloomsbury, St. Giles, Covent Garden, and Trafalgar Square. He even showed us the alley that inspired J.K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series. This tour gave us the historical bearings of the city so that we may better understand the importance of public health in London over the centuries. Dr. Hunter was engaging, funny, and brilliantly British. He kept us all moving and awake as we grappled with jet lag.
As we were walking through the streets of London, we saw many monuments and placards memorializing the public health and medical contributions of women. Dr. Hunter made a point to stop at many of these along the way. He also pointed out that in 2019 the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where we will be visiting later in our trip, added the names of three women health innovators (Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, and Alice Augusta Ball) to the façade of its Kappel Street building in Bloomsbury. We were so impressed by this as so often it can feel like women’s contributions are overlooked or pushed aside to favor and center men in history. Dr. Hunter’s commentary was greatly appreciated by all. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has always been at the forefront of public health and healthcare innovation, so it was nice to see them moving towards equality in where they place their admiration.
We all came to the consensus that the architecture of London and its myriad of famous historical sites is the most breathtaking aspect of the city. Truly just walking the various cobblestone streets adorned with copious amounts of intricate sculptures and structures was all inspiring. London’s architecture is a rich tapestry of historical and modern styles. We were privileged to view iconic landmarks such as the Elizabeth Tower (which we commonly call Big Ben, but Big Ben refers to the bell that is inside of Elizabeth Tower), Westminster Abbey, and the various other royal locations. Being surrounded by these iconic landmarks was like stepping into another world! The astonishment was only furthered once our Dr. Hunter navigated us through the complex histories associated with site. Even taking time to tell us of his own familial histories gave us insight to see just how important these buildings and establishments are to the people of England!
After our tour we headed to Marquis Cornwall, a local eatery in the heart of Bloomsbury, for a celebratory dinner of local cuisine. London has lots of different kinds of food from all over the world that is very different from what we’re used to in the U.S., especially Alabama. For example, fish and chips are a famous British dish with crispy fish and fries, usually eaten with malted vinegar. Many of us selected this as our first meal in London.
In spite of all the delays and difficulties we had in getting to London, experiencing the most famous parts of this great city was amazing. From the architecture to the food to the tour, everything was very interesting and hearing about these famous locations from such a knowledgeable guide helped in our understanding the city and diverse culture. It gave us a glimpse of the history of the city where public health had its beginnings.
Sidebar – From Akshar’s Point-of-View: While everyone was touring the city of London, I was stuck on a 10-hour flight that had been delayed and canceled multiple times in Dallas due to severe weather. Luckily, on the plane I was able to finish an assignment on Ghost Map that was due on Saturday when we planned to discuss it at the John Snow Pub. Ghost Map is a book by Steven Johnson that chronicles the cholera outbreak of 1854 in the SOHO area of London and John Snow’s contribution. My flight finally landed at the London Heathrow airport and I used the Tube to get to the hotel to meet everyone. So all in all, this experience was a lesson in patience, and really solidified the famous British saying – Keep Calm and Carry On.
Akshar, Alicia, Becca, Chandler, Colleen, Nneka, and Shannon
