Classic Fish and Chips with a Side of Hackney

May 19th

Today began bright and early with a visit to the Faraday House, the home of SU Abroad London. There we were able to use WiFi to check in on emails, catch up on journals blog posts, etc. I personally spent the majority of that time  drinking the best mint tea I had ever had, It was literally mint leaves in a cup of water, tea could not possibly get anymore minty.

We then had the pleasure of hearing from  Charlie Foreman, who worked with the London borough of Hackney throughout the London Olympic process. Foreman’s main role was to cater to the needs of the community, and ensure that the Olympics left a positive impact of the borough of Hackney. In his presentation, Foreman explained that where the Olympics were held was a relatively  poor part of London, with little resources. The organizers wanted to use the Olympics as a means of revitalization for the 4 boroughs, including Hackney, that  the Olympic park was built in. Foreman discussed the numerous ways he and his team tried to drum up excitement about the Olympics within Hackney, and get the Organizing committee to keep the residents of Hackney on their mind when planning out the games. This resulted in a concert that 30,000 residents of Hackney got to go to, the chance to volunteer for the games, new facilities all over the borough for residents to use, and the implementation of new programs to keep residents of Hackney fit such as the ”Personal Best” program.



After Foreman’s lecture, Professor Kim gave an excellent lecture on the organization of the games, and the major players  involved. We then ate lunch at the famous Borough market where I got a culinary tour from Professor Ryan. It featured an amazing Chorizo Sandwich, Oysters, Turkish Delights, amazing iced tea, some baked treats and more.

We then hiked down the the Thames river as a group, and saw the London Eye. We then split off into groups before dinner to explore different parts of the city. I headed over to St. Paul’s with some friends before the group met up for dinner at an amazing Fish and Chips restaurant.