A Week in Review October 19-25
What another great, but busy week!
The students started their week off bright and early by going to the London Central Mosque. This visit was part of their Transnational Studies class which is currently focusing on the Islam Diaspora community in London. We were escorted around the building and had a chance to see the main prayer hall. We even got a chance to see the Nursery School where the teachers had the children line up and sing a song for us (which was very cute!)
Continuing their examination of the Islam Diaspora, the students attended a lecture on Wednesday entitled: Sufi Thought, Meditation, & Whirling. The class was introduced to the basic practices of the Sufis which included concentration which helps one focus, contemplation to know oneself, and some meditation techniques. They were also introduced to whirling which is the physical meditation practiced by the Sufis.
On Thursday, the students ventured into town to see the play Orphans. The play is summarized on the Soho Theatre’s website: “Helen and Danny keep themselves to themselves. But the outside world comes crashing into their lives one day when Helen’s brother turns up. Covered in blood. One of the UK’s most electrifying writers (After The End, Osama The Hero, Love And Money), Dennis Kelly’s new play is a thrilling contemporary suspense story which takes its audience on a chilling journey into a world just outside the front door.”
Saturday morning we took the train to the town of Oxford where we saw one of the greatest and oldest universities in the world. Oxford University! For an hour and a half, walking through the English rain (one of the few days we have seen rain since we arrived!), we went on a guided tour of the University. We saw places where Harry Potter has been filmed along with where the university’s famous alumni have studied. These alumni include J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Virgina Woofle, Oscar Wilde and Dr. Seuss (just to name a few!).
For those who have inquired, the H1N1 vaccine is currently available in the UK. The NHS (National Health Service) is distributing these vaccines (known as jabs) to only at-risk groups (e.g. those with existing health issues, pregnant women, etc).
FIE has posted the following information about Swine Flu on their website:
http://www.fie.org.uk/fie/news/swine_flu_preparedness/
http://fie.org.uk/content/upload/documents/Health_Advice.pdf
And for more information in the UK, the BBC news website gives the latest news about this vaccine as of October 15, 2009:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8309217.stm
Please enjoy the pictures below from our various trips to the Mosque, our Family Meal, and Oxford!
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Next week weekend we head to Edinburgh, Scotland for Halloween! Please stay tuned!
