Assignment 1.

Disclaimer: On this blog I will be doing some of my British Seminar assignments.

Assignment 1/street life:

After a week of figuring out the transportation in London and exploring the prices of what is cheap and what is expensive, I have found that markets are my favorite shopping experience in London. I had the opportunity to go with many of the others in my program to Borough Market which is right across from what is known to have been Shakespeare‘s church. First of all, I adore the area that this market is in. The history that surrounds this market is extravagant and makes me feel as if I have stepped back into the past and am having the chance to follow the steps of many before me. The feeling of the market is that everyone is in high spirits with a hint of precaution due to the pick pockets that could be around any corner. Despite the hesitation to let your guard down it does not stop everyone from enjoying themselves. Everywhere there were booths of fresh foods, home-made baked goods and gourmet foods. In every direction there was a different aroma of some savory food that you only wish you had enough time to explore every single one of them. This market was so exciting to experience simply because of all the people watching. There were people from every class, every age and every type, trying infused cheeses and tasting free samples. The Borough market, though, seemed to be on the richest side of any market I have had the opportunity to go to. The only way I can describe the type of market it was is a high class Mexican market mixed with a Californian market.

My second market was Brixton market which eased itself into the kinds of markets that are more common in my experiences. As soon as you walk into the area there are guys trying to get your attention with, “Hey Sexy” and other comments of a provocative nature. Some of the other girls that we ran into were uneasy about this way of grabbing someone’s attention but I found it refreshing in a way. I simply think this is because I am use to such things from Mexican markets and it is just a ploy to pull you towards their booth, they mean no harm, they are just having a bit of fun with the tourist. This market is filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, hanging meats of all kinds and clothes. The clothes booths had everything from shoes, scarves and hats to ski masks and make-up, all of the cheapest kind. I believe this market was a lot cheaper because of the area and not as upper class in comparison with the Borough market but I enjoyed it just as much. There were not as many people at this market in the morning of a Monday which caused the booth owners to try and grab every person walking by in anyway. Because of this, bargaining could occur here and if you didn’t like the price you just moved on down to the next fruit stand.


Both of these markets helped me to understand that, despite the British way of being reserved and not having open conversations, there are places that this way is relaxed. Whether it be on a weekend on the rich end or during the week on the cheap end. Everyone was so nice and friendly in the ways of how they held themselves, sellers and buyers alike.