Six Days, Three Things

It's been six days (six days!) now that I've been abroad, so now's as good a time as any for some good old reflection. From running around with my crazy cousins, visiting ancient Oxford, taking in the magnificent Kew gardens, and going indoor skydiving, it's been quite a few days. Here are 3 things I've learned:

1. Highly-developed countries are very similar

Beyond the superficial differences (driving on the left, different accents, lots of roundabouts), there's not really a lot differentiating daily life in England from the one I lead back home in California. To be fair, I haven't yet seen proof that the British have ever built a quality restroom, and simple things just look...off (still haven't quite figured out how to tell the nice cement-and-faded-brick areas from the ghetto ones). But on the whole, Britons use most of the same brands and products as I do, spend their time enjoying themselves in much the same way I do, live and work in the same sorts of structures I do. And that kind of surprised me.

It may sound dumb to most, but for someone who's never before been to another highly developed country, the fact that the UK is so similar to home was an eye-opener. Okay, I'm not stupid - I didn't expect England to look like Mars. But I expected some friction, some glaring differences at least; definitely nothing like my near-seamless integration into British life. 

When your international travels have largely consisted of forays into South Asia, Central America and Africa, it becomes a sort of second nature to expect vast differences between your home and the places you visit. Odd as it sounds, I've become more accustomed to the oddities of the Third World than the bland uniformity of the First. Guess I'm not yet ready for this globalized world... 

2.  England is OLD

It first hit me as I strode into the Palm House at The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (the world's largest collection of living plants). An elongated, roughly half-cylindrical greenhouse containing a host of tropical biodiversity, the Palm House is located in the southeast corner of the magnificent Gardens. Near the building's west entrance is a placard tracing the history of the gardens on a timeline festooned with other important historical events. 

My eyes drifted to the early 1900's, where I imagined the gardens' origins lay. I missed the mark by nearly 150 years. Turns out, the gardens predate America by nearly 30 years! Why, the very greenhouse I was standing in was first built in 1848, a year before gold was discovered in California. Amazing!

That's when I realized - this was England, that selfsame country whose history can fill whole libraries. England, the birthplace of Newton, Shakespeare, the Industrial Revolution - the country that at one point conquered the entire world. And though on the surface it felt very similar to the States (see above), this was a country with an extraordinarily long history, a place where where the tendrils of modern civilization first took root. 

It is a fact that has resonated with me over the past few days, as I've visited my cousin's grammar school (founded in 1400) and Oxford University (1096). This is a proud and ancient country, one whose culture dates back into the reaches of history. Though the streets and edifices I touch are very much a part of 21st-century England, many of them have existed in roughly the same fashion for dozens of human lifetimes. An important fact that really puts things in perspective.

3. The Sopranos is a great TV show

This trip has been a great chance to detox and relax after an insanely busy last few weeks at Bain. I've been taking advantage of the downtime by making a long-overdue push to finish The Sopranos, an endeavour that first began in summer 2013. Watching as I have, in fragmented bits and pieces often months apart, I haven't been able to appreciate or enjoy the show as much as I should. But now, with the freedom to finally crank through three or four episodes in a day, I've had the opportunity to take a step back and look at the show critically.

It's been incredible. For the first time since Season 1, I have experienced the sublime feeling of letting go and allowing the series to take me for a ride. I've fallen in love with the motley cast of characters all over again, from the insanely charismatic sociopath Tony Soprano to his hilarious (but vicious) crew and their vile families. It has been so fun to watch this group of terrible people and grand personalities live and butt heads in David Chase's vision of a New Jersey criminal empire. 

This show truly is a masterpiece, a subtly nuanced work so daring that it heralded the birth of an entire genre. The acting is riveting, the pawns all playing their parts in a game headlined by James Gandolfini's superlative masterclass. Writing, cinematography, soundtrack - the series hits on every point, thoroughly justifying its place near the top of the all-time pyramid. It has truly vindicated my longstanding belief that longform television has surpassed film as visual media's greatest art form.

4. The Road Ahead
That's all for now. Next up, a few more days with family before I begin my real adventure with four days in London!