Professor Doug here with a final posting for the 2011 Arts in London blog: Tomorrow will already be a week since the formal class came to a celebratory conclusion on 25 May. Several of us have stayed on in Central London in the quiet calm that followed three weeks of 46 students and 3 faculty engaging the richly diverse, global arts scene that London offers.

I write this final post from an empty computer lab in the lower level of FSU (Florida State Univ’s London Study Centre) while my wife, Mary, and sister-in-law, Lisa, are off to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace on yet another sunny, warm and breezy day. This afternoon we plan to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING as groundlings at Shakespeare’s Globe and then off to the National Theatre this evening to see ONE MAN, TWO GUV’NORS, a modern adaptation of Goldoni’s SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS (GC Fall 1997).

We have been very foturnate to have a positive working agreement with FSU whenever we come to London in May. You can see from one of the accompanying photos (taken in the reception lobby) that we are included in the excellent company of other U.S. colleges and universities that send groups here for a few weeks or a semester. When one looks UP in the lobby you can see a gloriously painted ceiling depicting the same image that shows up on the ID badge we each wear as we walk these halls and climb the many stairs to and from Classroom 15.

On the final Tuesday (24 May), GC treated the cash-poor students to a marvelous buffet of vegetarian Indian food at “Chutney’s”. Everyone ate their fill, and some even more than that! We heard the highlights of 3 top student projects (Hannah Sandvold, Lisa Horst and Vanessa Jones) sang together from the hymnette one last time, including “The Irish Blessing” and Deb offered a spoken travel blessing as we all prepared to part ways.

The next morning the world travelers headed off in various directions (18 returning home via Chicago), many to the European continent, others to Ireland and Scotland. Another 15 are scheduled to return to Chicago tomorrow (June 1) and the remaining 16 filtering back in the coming weeks with Steph Hollenberg bringing up the rear in August after her summer experience at Iona, Scotland. Emily Bowman and Indy Miller (see attached photo as they enter the London Underground at Russell Square) traveled back separately last Wednesday winning the unofficial world traveler award having left GC in early January for SST in Tanzania, then Greece, Italy, Germany, etc. for a month before meeting us in London on 4 May to complete the 3-week Arts class.

Thursday this week Mary and I will take the train to Scotland, then ferry across to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a week with an MCC couple from our 8th Street Mennonite Church (Peter and Jenna Liechty Martin) before we finally return home on 12 June.

A few more photos will give you a sense of our final days together in London. All the professors have remarked more than once that this has been an EXCEPTIONAL group of engaged arts students. They have set a high expectation for future students. So, until May Term 2013 . . . Cheers!
Doug Liechty Caskey