Day 02 - Brixton/ Brixton Market/ British Parliament Houses
Saturday, 24 November 2012, 22:52
Day 02
We started walking to different places of Brixton while Margie told us the history of these places and how it has contributed to shaping Brixton to what it is today. For example, we walked pass Olive Morris House. Olive Morris was a black activist who died when she was 27. Even though she died at such a young age, she was able to make an impact on the place she lived, Brixton, as she fought against social injustice. Some of us had great admiration for her as she was not afraid to voice what was wrong with the society she was in and because she managed to make a difference. We continued walking and Margie pointed out different types of houses built during different centuries and eras. Some of these were of Victorian design with special tiles and as we continued walking, Ms K pointed out that these tiles can also be seen in the Peranakan houses (something closer to home), which highlighted one of the ways how countries, such as Britain, influenced Singapore and other countries even in the past. We stood in front of many different houses while Margie told us more about their architecture.
We also got to see the Brixton Windmill and had a long walk in Brockwell Park. What we observed was that unlike most people in Singapore, the weather did not stop the people in Brixton from taking part in outdoor activities. Despite the cold and wet weather, we saw people jogging, playing soccer and even kids playing at the playground!. In Singapore, we are advised not to play or do anything in the rain so that we will not fall sick! After walking for a few hours, we decided to have a break at Brockwell Hall where most of us had steaming cups of hot chocolate. After that we headed for Brixton Market.
Moreover, compared to other places in London, although we were foreigners, I did not feel that out of place. At Brixton Market, I did not really see any other tourists (or even Asians) walking in this area as it is predominantely an Afro-Carribean area.. As we walked around Brixton Market, we could smell the food cooking from street stalls. Feeling hungry (especially from our long walk), we went to have lunch in our separate groups. My group decided to look around first before deciding on what to eat. As we were walking around, we heard Reggae music playing and some of us found this quite cool as this is not something common in Singapore, where pop music is usually heard in most places we go to. We also saw the group of Evangelicals singing, trying to reach out to others. It was a great experience as they sang really well and they were very friendly (they allowed us to take videos of them singing). We finally moved on and as we were walking, we bumped into Margie and she recommended that we try curried chicken and rice from a Jamaican food stall. Not only was it delicious, it satisfied some of our cravings for rice! Compared to the curry chicken rice in Singapore, the one we ate had beans and a salad as well.
After our unique experience in Brixton, we had to continue with our schedule and move on the the British Parliament. While waiting for our time slot for the tour in the British Parliament House, we walked around the area. We saw Westminster Abbey and got to learn interesting facts about it such as how its architecture was influenced by the French and that it also has a cross-shaped floor plan. When we finally entered Parliament House, we went through security checks and our tour in the British Parliament House began. Recalling the presentation made by Leanne and Christian, we learnt interesting facts such as how no one is allowed to die in the palace and that it is illegal to stick a stamp of the King or Queen upside down. Parliament House was huge! It contains over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8km of passageways. We went to to the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and we saw many statues of past monarchs, and learnt more about the history of Parliament. For example, there is a fine line between the King/Queen and the parliament as the monarchs are not allowed to interfere with Parliament. The whole tour was very enriching. This is because Social Studies in Singapore, requires us to study about some of the policies by the British government such as the National Health Service (NHS). This tour allowed us to know even more about the British Parliament besides what is given in our Social Studies textbooks and this also allowed us to be able to see more differences and similarities between the government in Singapore and in the United Kingdom.
After a tour that lasted for over an hour in the British Parliament, we finally finished the tour! We left the place with a stunning night view of Big Ben. It was really beautiful and the fact that we managed to get a chance to see such a nice view right in front of us. I'm sure this was a sight that all of us would remember from the trip! Finally, we made a move to our next destination for dinner – Loch Fyne Seafood Restaurant. This restaurant is known for its fresh fish and shellfish, and we had a scrumtious and filling dinner. After dinner, we took the London Underground, also known as the Tube, to go back to the Travelodge. Unlike commuting via MRTs in Singapore (which made use of cards to tap when entering the station), paper tickets are still used in London. This made me think about how the future generations of Singapore might not be able to see or experience using paper tickets which is quite sad as this shows how some of the conventional ways of doing things are starting to lose its place in today's modern and technologically advanced world. The trains in London are relatively smaller compared to the MRT trains in Singapore. This was different from what I expected as I thought it would be similar to the trains in Singapore. It was also quite crowded although it was a Saturday night in a business district. I find this common in Singapore as well where the train is quite packed even though it is late at night. However, I feel that it will be more packed (as compared to Singapore) during the peak hours on weekdays, which is an experience I partially look forward to. This is because during the weekday peak hours in Singapore, I feel like everyone is packed in the train like a can of sardines. I cannot imagine what it would be like when the train is smaller and there are even more people squeezing inside.
After having a long rest last night, everyone reported to the hotel's cafe to have breakfast. Before we had breakfast, our group mates Isabelle, Leanne and Christian presented us information on the places that we were going to today, which were Brixton and the British Parliament Houses. It was a good way to start the day as we got to know some interesting facts about these places which made us curious to find out more and gave us something to look forward to for the rest of the day. Just as the presentations ended, breakfast was ready! There was a variety of food to choose from, such as cereal, croissants, scrambled eggs, ham and many more. As we were having breakfast, we also got to meet our tour guide for the day, Ms Margaret, or Margie for short. After having a filling breakfast, we were all set for today's activities.
Stepping out of the Travelodge, we noticed that the weather was much colder and it had started to drizzle. This was the first experience of rain in London. We quickly hopped on the coach and made our way to Brixton. We dropped off in front of a cinema and quickly went to the nearest shelter as we realised the rain was getting heavier. Everyone started putting on their their hats, hoods or using their umbrellas while listening to Margie tell us how Brixton started. Stepping into Brixton, I was not sure what to expect about the place. Would Brixton be like how be like how the media portrays the communities of the minorities or would it be different? With Margie's guidance, all of our questions about Brixton would be answered!
We started walking to different places of Brixton while Margie told us the history of these places and how it has contributed to shaping Brixton to what it is today. For example, we walked pass Olive Morris House. Olive Morris was a black activist who died when she was 27. Even though she died at such a young age, she was able to make an impact on the place she lived, Brixton, as she fought against social injustice. Some of us had great admiration for her as she was not afraid to voice what was wrong with the society she was in and because she managed to make a difference. We continued walking and Margie pointed out different types of houses built during different centuries and eras. Some of these were of Victorian design with special tiles and as we continued walking, Ms K pointed out that these tiles can also be seen in the Peranakan houses (something closer to home), which highlighted one of the ways how countries, such as Britain, influenced Singapore and other countries even in the past. We stood in front of many different houses while Margie told us more about their architecture. 
We also got to see the Brixton Windmill and had a long walk in Brockwell Park. What we observed was that unlike most people in Singapore, the weather did not stop the people in Brixton from taking part in outdoor activities. Despite the cold and wet weather, we saw people jogging, playing soccer and even kids playing at the playground!. In Singapore, we are advised not to play or do anything in the rain so that we will not fall sick! After walking for a few hours, we decided to have a break at Brockwell Hall where most of us had steaming cups of hot chocolate. After that we headed for Brixton Market. 
In my opinion, walking into Brixton Market was almost like entering a whole new world. Compared to the previous areas of Brixton that we visited, Brixton Market was livelier. There were people doing Evangelical outreach and still others were holding a small demonstration to commemorate the death of a young black man Ricky Bishop who they claim had been murdered by policemen who have never been brought to justice.
Moreover, compared to other places in London, although we were foreigners, I did not feel that out of place. At Brixton Market, I did not really see any other tourists (or even Asians) walking in this area as it is predominantely an Afro-Carribean area.. As we walked around Brixton Market, we could smell the food cooking from street stalls. Feeling hungry (especially from our long walk), we went to have lunch in our separate groups. My group decided to look around first before deciding on what to eat. As we were walking around, we heard Reggae music playing and some of us found this quite cool as this is not something common in Singapore, where pop music is usually heard in most places we go to. We also saw the group of Evangelicals singing, trying to reach out to others. It was a great experience as they sang really well and they were very friendly (they allowed us to take videos of them singing). We finally moved on and as we were walking, we bumped into Margie and she recommended that we try curried chicken and rice from a Jamaican food stall. Not only was it delicious, it satisfied some of our cravings for rice! Compared to the curry chicken rice in Singapore, the one we ate had beans and a salad as well. 
After our unique experience in Brixton, we had to continue with our schedule and move on the the British Parliament. While waiting for our time slot for the tour in the British Parliament House, we walked around the area. We saw Westminster Abbey and got to learn interesting facts about it such as how its architecture was influenced by the French and that it also has a cross-shaped floor plan. When we finally entered Parliament House, we went through security checks and our tour in the British Parliament House began. Recalling the presentation made by Leanne and Christian, we learnt interesting facts such as how no one is allowed to die in the palace and that it is illegal to stick a stamp of the King or Queen upside down. Parliament House was huge! It contains over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8km of passageways. We went to to the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and we saw many statues of past monarchs, and learnt more about the history of Parliament. For example, there is a fine line between the King/Queen and the parliament as the monarchs are not allowed to interfere with Parliament. The whole tour was very enriching. This is because Social Studies in Singapore, requires us to study about some of the policies by the British government such as the National Health Service (NHS). This tour allowed us to know even more about the British Parliament besides what is given in our Social Studies textbooks and this also allowed us to be able to see more differences and similarities between the government in Singapore and in the United Kingdom.
After a tour that lasted for over an hour in the British Parliament, we finally finished the tour! We left the place with a stunning night view of Big Ben. It was really beautiful and the fact that we managed to get a chance to see such a nice view right in front of us. I'm sure this was a sight that all of us would remember from the trip! Finally, we made a move to our next destination for dinner – Loch Fyne Seafood Restaurant. This restaurant is known for its fresh fish and shellfish, and we had a scrumtious and filling dinner. After dinner, we took the London Underground, also known as the Tube, to go back to the Travelodge. Unlike commuting via MRTs in Singapore (which made use of cards to tap when entering the station), paper tickets are still used in London. This made me think about how the future generations of Singapore might not be able to see or experience using paper tickets which is quite sad as this shows how some of the conventional ways of doing things are starting to lose its place in today's modern and technologically advanced world. The trains in London are relatively smaller compared to the MRT trains in Singapore. This was different from what I expected as I thought it would be similar to the trains in Singapore. It was also quite crowded although it was a Saturday night in a business district. I find this common in Singapore as well where the train is quite packed even though it is late at night. However, I feel that it will be more packed (as compared to Singapore) during the peak hours on weekdays, which is an experience I partially look forward to. This is because during the weekday peak hours in Singapore, I feel like everyone is packed in the train like a can of sardines. I cannot imagine what it would be like when the train is smaller and there are even more people squeezing inside.
Overall, Day 02 was filled with unique experiences that I'm sure none of us would forget!
Written by Melissa Ong, 12A07 (Group A)
Written by Melissa Ong, 12A07 (Group A)
