A Week in Review—September 29-October 4
Once again we experienced a week filled with many activities and co-curricular activities!
Currently, for their Transnational Studies class, the students are focusing on the Jewish Diaspora in London. On Monday September 28, Holocaust survivor, Joan Salter shared with the class her experiences as a young girl fleeing from persecution of the Nazis during World War II. As a Jewish girl born in Belgium to Polish Jewish parents, her early life consisted of being on the run by moving from Belgium to France and then finally to the United States. Her parents placed her in an orphanage that worked to save refugee Jewish children by sending them to the United States. Joan Saltzer explained how she lived a wonderful life in the Philadelphia area with her foster family until she was then transported to the East-End of London to be reunited with her family. Unfortunately, living conditions in post-war London were not the same as her prosperous American experience. She spoke about the effects of living in Philadelphia in a big house with running water to moving to a very poor section of London where she would have to go down the street to use a Bath House. She also discussed how for almost forty years of her life she rarely discussed her childhood experiences. Overall, this was a very unique and very moving presentation by Joan Salter which helped the students further understand the experiences of the Jewish Diaspora in London.
On Tuesday, September 29, the students took a trip to the British Library, the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world’s largest research libraries. Trivia fact, the British Library has two copies of the 1215 Magna Carter and one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks in its famous collection.
The students expressed interest in having American cuisine for a future Family Meal. On Wednesday September 30, we went to Byron Hamburgers! http://www.byronhamburgers.com
Please see the pictures below from this Family Meal.
We headed to the Royal Court Theatre this week to see the play Enron, directed by Rupert Goold. Most of the students were at the young age of 5 or 6 years old when Enron was first named by Fortune Magazines as “America’s Most Innovative Company” in 1996 and stayed on that list consecutively for six years. In late 2001, the Enron scandal became publicized and the company declared bankruptcy, the largest company at that time ever to do so. The play focuses on Jeffery Skilling, former President and CEO of Enron, who was convicted of multiple federal felony charges and is currently serving prison time. The play also goes so far to point out that Enron was used as a textbook example of a successful company. Its model was taught in top business schools and exercised by companies who now seem to be affected by the recent global financial crisis. The play Enron is a classic tragedy with a mix of comedic elements: the story of how a man struggles for power and success, which he achieves until greed causes his ultimate downfall.
During this upcoming break, the students will be enjoying their mid-term break. Many have decided to take advantage of the close proximity to Europe and travel to places such as Florence and Barcelona.
Until next time, enjoy your week!
