During my recently concluded three weeks in London as a participant in the Norwich Humanities program, I have experienced what feels like everything a person can experience in the city. Our group has gone on walking tours of the various parts of London, explored at least a dozen museums and seen performances of all genres, in addition to many other activities. From all of these occurrences and the freedom we were given to roam about the city on our own, one of the conclusions I have reached is that England, or at least London, values the arts and the written word so much more than home.

Although the majority of the attendees of plays and musicals did not rise in a standing ovation at the end of the show, everyone was very respectful while the actors were on stage. The audience members on the whole were attentive, no rustling through bags or texting or partaking in other distracting behavior. Even during the Baroque Extravaganza of classical music, a type of performance in which I have noticed many audience members get restless, the audience was capable of listening attentively. Whether it was a play, a ballet or live classical music, the level of respect for the performers was easily seen on the faces of all the audience members.

Aside from performances and watching living people ,work in artistic professions,

the upkeep of literary museums and the attendance was impressive as well. Our lineup of museums included the Dickens Museum and the Keats House where members of the staff were dedicated to preserving the writers’ homes as best as possible and were very knowledgeable on the topic of the person who once lived there. Though I’m sure this can be seen at home, it was remarkable how much time and care was put into these homes and making them presentable for groups of people to traipse through.

Similarly, all throughout the city were circular blue plaques with names of well-known people who once lived or worked inside the building’s walls. The names spanned from scientists to artists, but it clearly showed how much London’s literary figures have been valued throughout history. Right near our hotel was a plaque denoting a place where T.S. Eliot once worked and it made it so easy to feel close to the history of the city.

As an English major, it was great to see not only the

value placed on authors, but the value placed on the media. We toured the BBC as a group and our tour guide sounded very prideful when she pointed out the room full of hundreds of journalists. It was an incredible difference from home where telling strangers about my aspirations gets me the question, “Why?” In London, these professions were never questioned.

Everywhere I walked in London there was some form of reminder of how loved the artistic community is, how great the literary culture is and how respected the media is. Even if it was only seen in the places we toured, those places made me feel as if my choices in majors have not been a mistake.