London’s East End

The East End of London is getting a lot of attention with the start of the 2012 Olympic Games.  Famous soccer player (ehem, footballer) and East London native, David Beckham, made a grand entrance during the opening ceremonies showing his pride for the neighborhood he grew up in.  As you probably have heard, in the not so recent past, the area was still in need of some “polishing”.  Even before the arrival of the Olympics, the East End started to get a facelift, and locals would tell you the neighborhood is well past the “up and coming” phase. Parks, arenas, and new roadways transformed London‘s East End in preparation for the Games. To top it off, a new Eurorail station brings visitors in and out of the East End to and from Paris and Brussels.

Welcoming in the 2012 London Olympics

As London gears up to be on the World Stage of the 2012 Olympics, the country will be indeed flooded with tourists, athletes, and people from all corners of the globe. It goes without saying that the city is buzzing with anticipation and has a tangible energy that can only be brought forth from an event of this magnitude. The Olympic games are not simply about friendly competition, medal earning, or even national pride though. You could say they are a symbol, or even more so an example of the peaceful coexistence between cultures, regardless of the global conflicts and crises facing our world today.

Great American (Irish, or South African) Pastime

It’s opening day at Fenway Park in Boston, and there’s a buzz of excitement as a new season of America’s greatest pastime begins. Sure the home team isn’t doing so well yet, but any true Red Sox fan would tell you, “they’ll get better”. Baseball holds a special place in American history, as does Fenway Park itself, which is celebrating it’s 100th anniversary this year.

I asked two of Interstudy‘s Resident Staff members in Ireland and South Africa about favorite pastimes in their countries. Here’s a look at what you should expect to see on TV at a local pub near campus:

A Weekend Away

A few weekends ago, we went on our first all-Interstudy outing to the Touws River area. We spent most of our first day volunteering at an elementary school a couple hours away. We completely re-vamped their entire classroom setting – repainting the walls, cleaning the floors, and then putting everything back together again. When a break was due, we would go outside and play soccer or learn new handshakes with the adorable kids that went to school there. It was a very rewarding way to start the weekend away.

The Vuvuzela is Here to Stay!

A Vuvuzela, or stadium horn, is a blowing horn that is commonly used by fans at football matches in South Africa. The instrument, originally made out of tin became popular in the 1990s. In 2001, South African company, Masincedane Sport began mass producing plastic versions of the instrument. The origin of the Vuvuzela’s use has been disputed, but is said to have been rooted in African history where a similar horn was used to call villagers to meetings.

Soccer (Or Football) Mania

World Cup drawings took place an hour ago. USA drew England, Algeria and Slovenia. Hype starts today for South Africa 2010!