A Typical Day in London?
Sorry for not blogging more often! End of term is quickly approaching and I have three papers due in the next 10 days. EEK
On that note….Jess and I decided to head to the British Library to get some work done. We got into the tube station and ran to catch the train at Warren Street. We soon realized that the train was not moving and people in our car were slowly moving toward the other end of the carriage. Just as we are about to leap to steal their seats we noticed an unattended backpack. Now in London this is a big deal. Unattended baggage is a no-go, if you remember the London Tube Bombings on 7/7/05. Sooo one man yanks the emergency break and the doors quickly shut. We then have to stand in the car for about 3 minutes while everyone stares intently at the bag. London’s solution to a terrorist threat? Containment. I guess this makes sense but when you are actually in the container, you get a bit pissed. Finally the doors opened up and they evacuated the train. False alarm, but this is the second time this has happened to me in a week! The first time it happened I heard a Tube worker say, “You know they found another unattended bag on the Northern Line. A single bag is one thing, but two is something to worry about.” Lovely. Exactly what you want to hear when you’re 3 stories below street level.
After finding a new route, Jess and I finally got to the British Library. I needed some books for a research paper so I went to become a “Registered Reader.” This was tougher than going through immigration. Let me just explain the process: I had to queue for about 20 minutes before getting up to reception. At reception I needed to provide 3 different forms of identification, the books I was looking for, and a reason for needing them. Once clearing this station I had to go to a computer to look up the shelving numbers for the books. Then once my number was called I was interviewed about my purpose. I wanted to shout back “IS IT REALLY THIS DIFFICULT TO FIND BOOKS FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PAPER?” Then I was told that my books would take about an hour to be retrieved by a librarian (because god forbid you get them yourself) and one of my books would have to be ordered from Yorkshire. I also had to get a photo ID card. My picture basically says it all - “You’re kidding me, right?” Then the interviewer outlined some basic rules of the library: You must carry your ID with you at all times. No jackets, bags, pens, highlighters, food or drink of any kind are allowed in the reading rooms. If you must you may bring a pencil, but in a clear plastic bag. You also must have “book wedges” provided by the library because most of the texts do not open more than 120 degrees. There are also different wedges for different kinds of books. Then the man smiled at me and said, “Welcome to the British Library.”
This was so stereotypically English. Bureaucratic processes with absurd rules. Erg. Well, at least I am officially a member of the British Library.
