Pointlife
Photo courtesy of Sierra Stonebrook
“Change in America” leaked over to England as UW-SP students Zack Neal and Kaitlin Younges can attest to.
Students abroad can’t escape American feel
Pointlife reporter
Editor’s note: This story is written by a UW-SP students currently studying abroad in London.
‘Ello from London! Several University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students have decided to spend this semester studying and participating in internships across the pond. And let me tell you, the semester is only half over, and we’ve already had quite a few adventures. As you all are aware, in January Barack Obama was inaugurated as our new president. However, you may be interested to know that the Brits are as concerned about American politics as we are! It was covered in all of their papers for several days. In fact, the BBC called the International Students House, or ISH, to see if any Americans would be interested in being interviewed at the unveiling of a wax Obama figure at the famous Madame Tussauds.
On the debut of the Obama figure, slated for January 20, 13 of us woke up bright and early to meet at Madame Tussauds at 6 a.m. (and you thought you had it tough, getting up for your 8 a.m. class!) We walked over to Madame Tussauds, which was only about a five-minute walk. Then we were led up to the room where the filming would take place. It sure was creepy, walking through a quiet, empty building full of wax figures that look like they could move or talk at any moment. It is much different from the usual tourist experience, with the whole place lit up and full of people talking and taking photos!
It took a while for the BBC people to set everything up, so we had plenty of time to explore and admire our favorite celebrities. They then divided us into two groups: the first group got to celebrate with the wax Obama while the BBC reporter interviewed a couple of people. It looked like they were having a blast, but five minutes is sure a long time to party in front of a camera.
There was a long delay and multiple changes in plan on what to do with the second group. Eventually it was decided that only one of our students, Zack Neal, was to be interviewed. They had to do several takes, but eventually everything ran smoothly and Zack was able to portray his feelings unto the reporting agent.
“It was a very exciting experience! Not only was I able to share my excitement about the inauguration, but we were able to see the inner-workings of the BBC,” said Neal.
Well, not everyone ended up on film, but we all enjoyed the experience.
“I thought it was really cool, getting to see the BBC reporters in action. It’s not every day we get to witness something this momentous – international news in the making!” commented Megan Jirschele, a student from UW-Madison.
Whether it was seeing all the wax figures of celebrities for free, experiencing journalism firsthand, or being seen on film worldwide, I believe every one of us got something out of this experience. Well, I can safely say that something like this would never have happened to me if I had chosen to remain in Stevens Point for the semester. I know we’re all looking forward to more exciting adventures in the months ahead. Until then, cheers!
