International trips are an incredible part of the SJS experience, and my experience on the London trip during midterm break was no exception. As someone who loves performing, the blend of theatre, visual arts and exploring such an old city made for a trip I will never forget—and it was even more special getting to share it with my friends.
It’s always a unique experience to be in another part of the world with your teachers and classmates, and I appreciate how I got to know other students who I may not connect with otherwise. While we saw a lot of the key sights such as Big Ben and the Millennium Bridge, our trip was full of curated experiences that made it especially unique.
Seeing Theatre Like Never Before
One of my favourite experiences was the backstage tour of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End. They guided us through the underground tunnels, which they used for quick changes and transitions, but are also full of history. There was also bomb damage from the war and even a chair that Hitler had bought and was later gifted to the theatre. That was crazy. Usually when you go to the theatre you only see the front of the house. You don’t really think about all the things going on behind the scenes, and that was really cool.
I also really enjoyed the productions we saw, including the play Stranger Things: The First Shadow and the musical Hadestown, which has fantastic music. Stranger Things was especially surprising because the special effects they achieved, even in such an old theatre, were super impressive. They had monsters, jump scares and performers in the audience, even in the balcony! It was incredible to see what theatre could achieve.
A Fresh Perspective
The visual arts aspects of the trip were also really interesting. I loved our walk down Brick Lane, which are a few blocks that are specifically reserved for street artists. It was so cool seeing the different styles of artwork; there were posters, spray paint, murals, all kinds of things. And it got me thinking about why some of the art survives while others do not, since some artwork had been covered up. Some are meant to be temporary, while others are more permanent, and it was really interesting to see all these different kinds of expressions in one place.
There was also a great balance between the guided portions and the free time as a group. We got some shopping in and when we went to the museums we got to explore at our own pace. At one point we got to choose between a visit to the National Film and National Theatre or the Tate Modern museum, and that was a nice opportunity for students to choose their own tour, and that was a nice opportunity for us to choose our own tour.
Final Thoughts
I think these international trips are so important because it gives us the chance to grow our world view. I’m lucky enough to have gone on three trips now and they’re all so memorable; getting to explore a new city with my friends and make new connections with my classmates. They give students the chance to travel when they may not otherwise have the opportunity.
Plus, when it’s a trip like this that’s connected to one of my courses, I get to see firsthand how our lessons apply to the real world. We’ve learned about the National Theatre and the Globe Theatre in school, and I can connect those back to all the things Mr. Walker has been teaching us.
Art especially is a great way to build your world view while in school. It broadens your knowledge and provides a different way to connect with the world. As Mr. Walker always says, “art changes lives.” It impacts people. And when you work on, for example, a production in school, you get to actually see the audience and see how different scenes make them react and how they receive the performance firsthand. It’s unlike any other subject.
I’m grateful for opportunities like these international trips and the memories they’ve given me. I can’t wait to plan my own trips with my friends in the future.
